Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does Oil Price Uncertainty Affect Economic Activity?

The change in investment and output in response to changing energy prices depends on whether energy prices increase or decrease. In the literature, this asymmetry is attributed to irreversibility of investment and uncertainty with respect to energy prices. The empirical literature does not explicitly take uncertainty into account. In this paper we measure oil price uncertainty as the time-varying conditional standard deviations from univariate GARCH models using high-frequency data and estimate the effect of uncertainty. On average, the effects of uncertainty on energy use and energy intensity are larger if energy prices drop.
Influence of overall treatment time and radiobiological parameters on biologically effective doses in cervical cancer patients treated with radiation therapy alone

The aim of the study was to examine the influence of overall treatment time (OTT) on the value of calculated biological effective doses (BEDs) for different biological variables. These variables were: tumour proliferation rate, different cell radiosensitivity (α=0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 /Gy), and different start time for repopulation (Tk=21, 28, and 35 days). Also the influence of age (≤50 years >), Hb level (≤116 g/l>), tumor proliferation rate (bromodeoxyuridine labelling index; BrdUrdLI), and DNA ploidy on survival after shorter (≤60 days) or longer (>60 days) OTT was investigated. The study included 229 patients with cervix carcinoma treated entirely by standard radiotherapy (RT) (external beam RT plus low-medium dose-rate (LDR/MDR) brachytherapy (BT) at the Center of Oncology in Krakow. The linear quadratic equation was used to calculate BED, which is proportional to log cell kill. BEDs 10 (for tumours) were calculated with consideration of OTT for each patient and tumour proliferation rate (standardized potential doubling time; standardized Tpot) based on BrdUrdLI assessed on biopsy material before RT. Median OTT was 90 days (range 30–210). The mean calculated total BED for point A for tumour and ‘early reactions’ was equal to 103.0 Gy10. The longest median survival time—52 months—was seen for patients treated with OTT ≤60 days. If OTT exceeded 90 days to more than 120 days, loss in BED10 for relatively radiosensitive tumours (α=0.3–0.4/Gy and Tk=28 days) was equal to 0.37–0.26 Gy/day. However, for radioresistant tumours (α=0.2/Gy) it was 0.6 Gy/day. For fast proliferating tumours (BrdUrdLI >8.8%) BED loss was 1.4 Gy/day and for slowly proliferating tumours (BrdUrdLI ≤8.8%) it was 0.2 Gy/day. Assuming shorter (21 days) or longer (35 days) periods for Tk and relatively radiosensitive tumours similar BED loss of 0.38 Gy/day was observed. Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed that OTT ≤60 days was a significant prognostic factor for overall survival (OS) (p=0.019), disease-free survival (DFS) (p=0.0173), and local control (LC) (p=0.011). BED10 had significant influence on survival (p=0.047). Cox multivariate analysis revealed that for OTT shorter than 60 days the only favourable significant parameters were: age >50 years (p=0.003) and high Hb level (>116 g/l) (p=0.041). For longer treatments (OTT >60 days) the unfavourable parameters were: age ≤50 years (p=0.037), BrdUrdLI ≤8.8% (p=0.003), tumour aneuploidy (p=0.043), and BED10 ≤103 Gy (p=0.017). The examined tumour biological parameters should be taken into account for RT and provide a basis for adjuvant RT.
Does financial knowledge in small- and medium-sized enterprises matter? An empirical survey for Greece

The purpose of this study is to examine the role financial knowledge of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) might play in their financial behaviour. To this end, we employ a structured questionnaire survey addressed online to a convenient sample of 352 SMEs located in Greece. Using a multivariate statistical analysis, our findings indicate that despite Greek SMEs' satisfactory financial knowledge in specific areas, the majority of the respondents fail to capture gains in overall performance. More research is required to capture additional evidence in the field and in this way to inform better SMEs' managers and policy-makers.
Expectancies mediate the relationship between perceived injustice and return to work following whiplash injury: A 1‐year prospective study

Emerging evidence suggests that perceived injustice is a risk factor for work disability in individuals with whiplash injury. At present, however, little is known about the processes by which perceived injustice impacts on return to work. The purpose of this study was to examine whether expectancies mediated the relationship between perceived injustice and return to work in patients with whiplash injury.
Downside Risk in Practice

Although investors associate risk with negative outcomes and downside fluctuations, modern portfolio theory does not. For investors, volatility per se is not necessarily bad; volatility below a benchmark is. A stock that magnifies the market's fluctuations is not necessarily bad; one that magnifies the market's downside swings is. Even Harry Mar-kowitz, the father of modern portfolio theory, viewed downside risk as a better way to assess risk than the "mean-variance" framework that he ultimately proposed and that has since become the standard. 2006 Morgan Stanley.
Urinary nuclear matrix protein 22 (NMP22): A diagnostic adjunct to urine cytologic examination for the detection of recurrent transitional‐cell carcinoma of the bladder

This study compares urine nuclear matrix protein 22 (NMP22) immunoassay and conventional urine cytologic examination for detecting recurrent transitional‐cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urinary bladder. One hundred twenty‐eight urine specimens from 107 patients with a history of TCC of the urinary bladder were studied. NMP22 immunoassay and conventional cytologic examination were performed on each specimen. The NMP22 and cytology results were then compared with the results of subsequent cystoscopies/surgical biopsies performed over a 6‐mo follow‐up period. The sensitivity of urine cytologic study for predicting recurrent TCC was 60%, while the sensitivity of NMP22 assay was 47%. When both NMP22 assay results and the cytologic interpretation were positive for TCC, the positive predictive value of the combined tests was 74%. When both tests showed negative results, the negative predictive power was 81%. Our findings suggest that urine NMP22 assay may represent a useful diagnostic adjunct to conventional urine cytologic examination for the detection of recurrent TCC of the urinary bladder. Diagn. Cytopathol. 1999;20:285–290. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Efficient multi-beam density-tapered diffraction of pulse light by multi-frequency sound

Acousto-optic diffraction of pulsed laser radiation on a multi-frequency acoustic wave has been studied. It is established that the high efficiency of diffraction (i.e., the formation of a multi-beam optical field with low losses) can be also achieved for a non-equidistant set of frequencies and, hence, non-uniform distribution of beams in the angular space. Results of experimental verification of the proposed approach are presented.
Reduction in all-cause otitis media-related outpatient visits in children after PCV10 introduction in Brazil

Few studies have reported the effect of 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) on otitis media (OM) in infants. In particular, no population-based study in upper-middle income countries is available. In 2010, Brazil introduced PCV10 into its routine National Immunization Program using a 3+1 schedule. We measured the impact of PCV10 on all-cause OM in children. An interrupted time-series analysis was conducted in Goiânia/Brazil considering monthly rates (per 100,000) of all-cause OM outpatient visits in children aged 2–23 months. We used case-based data from the Outpatient Visits Information System of the Unified Health System coded for ICD-10 diagnosis for the period of August/2008 to July/2015. As a comparator, we used rates of outpatient visits due to all-other causes. The relative reduction of all-cause OM and all-other causes of outpatient visits were calculated as the difference between the predicted and observed cumulative rates of the PCV10 post-vaccination period. We then subtracted the relative reduction of all-other causes of outpatient visits from all-cause OM to obtain the impact of PCV10 on OM. In total, 6,401 OM outpatient visits were recorded in 4,793 children aged 2–23 months. Of these, 922 (19.2%) children had more than one OM episode. A significant reduction in all-cause OM visits was observed (50.7%; 95%CI: 42.2–59.2%; p = 0.013), while the reduction in visits due to all-other causes was 7.7% (95% CI 0.8–14.7%; p<0.001). The impact of PCV10 on all-cause OM was thus estimated at 43.0% (95%CI 41.4–44.5). This is the first study to show significant PCV10 impact on OM outpatient visits in infants in a developing country. Our findings corroborate the available evidence from developed countries.
“Weak ties” a Key Ingredient for Social Integration: Women’s Organizations and Thai Women in Sweden

The aim of this study is to 1) describe the structure and types of associational and organizational networks within immigrant women’s community in southern Sweden Malmo, Lund and Eslov, 2) examine how such networks facilitate Thai women’s well-being and integration by providing social supports and services, and 3) present how Thai women perceive the role of social and organizational networks in relation to the process of social integration. In-depth interviews with 9 representatives from organizations and individual semi-structured interviews with 8 Thai women are the primary source of the data collection. The concept of social capital is used to understand the structural features of the networks. The result showed that community and women’s organizations are important sources of support to Thai women. Associational networks may not be useful to improve women’s economic status, such as recruiting job, however they help the women to feel secured and connected to their host society. The findings from the in-depth interview indicated that one of the most confronting issues for Thai women is the desire of obtaining jobs. In this regard of the process gaining employment, further researches on the use of associational and organizational networks on Thai women’s employment are suggested
The Acute International Crisis

Accounts of the acute crises of international politics occupy a substantial place in the diplomatic history of the past hundred years. These compounded events have been interpreted as manifestations of international rivalries among the Great Powers. Intermittently, they have drawn intense public attention and have generated heavy anxieties over the possibility that they may lead into general warfare. After the fact, they have become subjects of historical reconstruction, with students and commentators attempting to describe “what really happened. ” Thus, both scholarly and popular interest has persisted in the “inside stories” of the several crises belonging to three historical periods: from 1870 to World War I, the interwar period, and the era since World War II. There is, consequently, a large descriptive literature of the crises, mainly connected with the diplomacy of opposing coalitions and of interstate conflicts during these three periods. The depth and quality of this literature vary greatly, most often according to the recency of the events and the amount of available and relevant historical documentation. The Moroccan crisis of 1905 and the circumstances of the Anschluss of 1936 are, quite naturally, better known and more firmly established factually than the inner details of the Suez crisis of 1956. However, the accumulated knowledge of the series of crises of the post-World War II period, uncertain and impressionistic as it still is, has a great deal to do with our understanding of current international affairs. Take away the facts and meanings commonly associated with the crises of Berlin, Korea, Indochina, Suez, Quemoy, the Congo, and Laos and, obviously, the usual estimates of the scope, intensity, and workings of the Cold War will greatly change. Despite this fact, acute crises have not often been made the focus either of theorizing or of intensive analytic research. Students of international relations have not found it important or necessary to consider these events as if they constituted a significant class of phenomena in the international field. The reasons for passing over the acute international crisis as a focus of explanation are worth consideration.
Complex I regulates mutant mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase activity and voluntary ethanol consumption in rats

Animals selectively bred for a desirable trait retain wanted genes but exclude genes that may counteract the expression of the former. The possible interactions between selected and excluded genes cannot be readily studied in transgenic or knockout animals but may be addressed by crossing animals bred for opposite traits and studying the F2 offspring. Ninety‐seven percent of Wistar‐derived rats selectively bred for their voluntary low‐alcohol consumption display a mutated nuclear allele of aldehyde dehydrogenase Aldh22 that encodes an en‐ zyme with a low affinity for NAD+, whereas rats bred for high‐alcohol consumption do not present the Aldh22 al‐ lele. This enzyme is inserted into mitochondria, where NADH‐ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) regener‐ ates NAD+. The possible influence of complex I on ALDH2 activity and voluntary ethanol intake was investi‐ gated. Homozygous Aldh22/Aldh22 rats derived from a line of high‐drinker F0 females (and low‐drinker F0 males) showed a markedly higher ethanol consumption (3.9±0.5 g•kg‐1•day‐1) than homozygous animals derived from a line of low‐drinker F0 females (and high‐drinker F0 males) (1.8±0.4 g•kg‐1•day‐1). Mitochondria of F2 rats derived from high alcohol‐consuming females were more active in oxidizing substrates that generate NADH for complex I than were mitochondria derived from low alcohol‐con‐ suming females, leading in the former to higher rates of acetaldehyde metabolism and to a reduced aversion to ethanol. This is the first demonstration that maternally derived genes can either allow or counteract the pheno‐ typic expression of a mutated gene in the context of alcohol abuse or alcoholism. —Quintanilla, M. E. , Tampier, L. , Valle‐Prieto, A. , Sapag, A. , Israel, Y. Com‐ plex I regulates mutant mitochondrial aldehyde dehydro‐ genase activity and voluntary ethanol consumption in rats. FASEBJ. 19, 36‐42 (2005)
Link between organisational culture and TQM practices

This study investigates show organisational culture influences the implementation of different practices incorporated in the traditional total quality management (TQM). We employed the competing values framework to capture the underlying value orientations of organisational culture. Using survey data collected from 500 Iran manufacturing plants, the relationships between four culture types and five TQM practices were examined via the structural equation modelling technique. The results reveal the differential effects of the culture types on the implementation of TQM practices. The implications of the links between different cultures and different TQM practices are discussed. While the relationship between TQM practices and culture has been the subject of prior research, this is the first look at the relationship between organisational culture and a comprehensive set of quality management practices. The understanding of the advantage of each culture type should help managers achieve effective implementation of TQM practices from a holistic perspective of both quality management and culture.
An Efficient Joint Channel-Network Decoder for Multiuser Diversity Network Codes With LDPC Coding

Diversity network codes (DNCs) were recently proposed for multiuser cooperative networks, where nonbinary network codes are superimposed over channel codes to yield high diversity gains. In this letter, we present a joint iterative channel-network decoder for use at the base station in a system employing a DNC. The scheme is based on hybrid soft/hard message passing between constituent low-complexity low-density parity-check (LDPC) decoders. It is shown that the formation of the extrinsic log-likelihood ratios to be passed between the LDPC decoders has a low-complexity implementation involving a set of permutation operations together with the well-known Jacobian logarithm. The proposed joint channel-network decoder has a significantly reduced complexity compared with the decoding structure originally presented for maximum-diversity-achieving DNCs, and achieves significant coding gain as well as full diversity gain.
Fully unsupervised fuzzy clustering with entropy criterion

We present a fully unsupervised clustering algorithm in order to overcome the problem of a priori defining the number of clusters. We propose to optimize an objective function which is the sum of two terms. The first one is a generalization of intra-cluster distance within the framework of fuzzy sets. The second one is an entropy term. Our clustering algorithm has been applied to the problem of clustering both remote sensing data and medical images.
High Prevalence of Fastidious Bacteria in 1520 Cases of Uveitis of Unknown Etiology

The etiologic evaluation of uveitis is frequently unsuccessful when noninvasive methods are used. We conducted a prospective study to evaluate systematic screening for pathogens of uveitis. All patients with uveitis referred to the participating tertiary ophthalmology departments from January 2001 to September 2007 underwent intraocular and serum specimen collection. The standardized protocol for laboratory investigations included universal polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based detection of any bacteria and mycoses, specific PCR-based detection of fastidious (difficult-to-grow) bacteria and herpes viruses, and culture of vitreous fluid. Sera were tested for fastidious bacteria. Among the 1321 included patients (1520 specimens), infection was diagnosed in 147 (11.1%) patients: 78 (53%) were caused by fastidious bacteria that included spirochetes, Bartonella species, intracellular bacteria (Chlamydia species, Rickettsia species, Coxiella burnetii), and Tropheryma whipplei; 18 by herpes viruses; and 9 by fungi. Bartonella quintana, Coxiella burnetii, Paracoccus yeei, Aspergillus oryzae, and Cryptococcus albidus were found to be associated with uveitis for the first time, to our knowledge. We recommend applying a 1-step diagnostic procedure that incorporates intraocular, specific microbial PCR with serum analyses in tertiary centers to determine the etiology of uveitis. Abbreviations: ACP = anterior chamber paracentesis, EBV = Epstein-Barr virus, ELISA = enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, HIV = human immunodeficiency virus, HSV = herpes simplex virus, PCR = polymerase chain reaction, TP-PA = Treponema pallidum particle agglutination test, VDRL = Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test.
Pre-stroke use of statins on stroke outcome: a meta-analysis of observational studies.

BACKGROUND Animal pre-clinical studies suggest that statins may have neuroprotective effects in acute ischaemic stroke. Statins might also increase the risk of developing haemorrhagic transformation after thrombolytic treatment. METHODS We performed a systematic review and included studies that compared good functional outcome, defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score < or = 2 at 3 months, in-hospital mortality and risk of symptomatic haemorrhagic transformation, between pre -stroke statin users and non users with acute ischaemic stroke. RESULTS Eleven studies met our predefined inclusion criteria. Statin therapy before stroke-onset was associated with a lower risk of in-hospital mortality (OR 0.56; 95% CI: 0.40 to 0.78, P < 0.0006). There was no difference between the two groups for good functional outcome at 3 months (OR 1.01; 95% CI: 0.64 to 1.61, P = 0.96). Statin use was associated with an increased risk of developing symptomatic haemorrhagic transformation after thrombolytic therapy (OR 2.34; 95% CI 1.31 to 4.17, P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS Our meta-analysis suggests that pretreatment with statins does not improve 3 months functional outcome, defined as independence on mRS, but decreases in-hospital mortality and increases the risk of developing a symptomatic haemorrhagic transformation in patients treated with thrombolysis.
Local Pulse Wave Velocity Estimation in the Carotids Using Dynamic MR Sequences

The current study presents a new protocol for local pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurement using dynamic MR sequences, which have a high temporal resolution (TR < 6 ms). MR images were obtained at two positions along the common carotid artery, separated by a distance of 5 cm. In each phase of a MR series, carotid region was automatically extracted and then its area distension waveform could be obtained. Sixteen volunteers with no symptoms of cardiovascular diseases were studied. For local PWV estimation, three delay estimation principles were tested and produced the following values: intersecting tangents method (M1): 4.72 ± 1.40 m/s, second derivative method (M2): 4.94 ± 1.68 m/s and cross-correlation method (M3): 5.03 ± 1.17 m/s. The cross-correlation method showed a relative high reliability as its least standard deviation.
Maternity and Parental Benefits in Canada: Are there Behavioural Implications?

This paper uses micro data from the 1988/89/90 Labour Market Activities Survey to study some behavioural implications of the Canadian maternity/parental benefits system. We find, first, that fertility behaviour is not significantly influenced by the availability of benefits, and, second, that there is no evidence that women adjusted their labour-supply behaviour in order to gain access to benefits. We also examine who is potentially eligible for maternity/parental benefits. Teenaged new mothers, women with little education and those experiencing difficulty in the labour market are less likely to be eligible. Given the evidence on lack of significant behavioural response, it would thus seem reasonable to ease access to these benefits.
An Economic Analysis of Audit and Nonaudit Services: The Trade‐off between Competition Crossovers and Knowledge Spillovers*

In this paper, I present a model in which both markets for audit services and nonaudit services (NAS) are oligopolistic. Accounting firms providing both audit services and NAS will employ oligopolistic competition in each of these markets. In addition to auditors' gaining â€œknowledge spilloversâ€ from auditing to consulting or vice versa, oligopolistic competition in one market will influence the counterpart in the other market â€ what I call â€œcompetition crossoversâ€ . Although scope economies due to knowledge spillovers (for example, cost savings) are always beneficial to auditors, such benefits can entice accounting firms to adopt strategies (for example, price reductions) to compete aggressively in the audit market so that some, or all, firms become worse off. A tradeâ€ off arises between these two economic forces in the two oligopolistic markets. Given the tradeâ€ off between competition crossovers and knowledge spillovers, accounting firms may not reduce their audit prices, even though supplying NAS enables firms to decrease auditing costs â€” a nontrivial impact of oligopolistic competition in two markets on audit pricing. The empirical implication of my results is that because of competitionâ€ crossover effects between the auditing and consulting service markets, finding empirical evidence for knowledgeâ€ spillover benefits is likely to be difficult. Control variables for â€œauditâ€ market concentrationâ€ concerned with competitionâ€ crossover effects and â€œauditor expertiseâ€ concerned with knowledgeâ€ spillover benefits should be included in auditâ€ fee regressions to increase the power of empirical tests. With regard to policy implications, my analyses help explain the impact of the Sarbanesâ€ Oxley Act on â€œmarket segmentationâ€ and, hence, the profitability of accounting firms.