Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of virtual body swapping with mental rehearsal on pain intensity and body perception disturbance in complex regional pain syndrome

The present study investigated the effects of virtual body swapping with mental rehearsal on pain intensity and body perception disturbance (BPD) in patients with complex regional pain syndrome. Patients with complex regional pain syndrome were assigned randomly to three experimental groups: the ‘virtual body swapping with mental rehearsal’ (VBS) group (n=13), the ‘watching movement only’ group (n=13), and the ‘mental rehearsal only’ (n=13) group. Then, pretreatment pain intensity and BPD were compared with post-treatment perceptions. The results showed that pain intensity did not decrease significantly after treatment in all of the groups. However, BPD improved significantly after treatment in the VBS group, but not in the other groups. Therefore, this study is the first to show the effects of a single session of VBS on BPD. Further studies should apply an elevated degree of immersion and create a more realistic virtual body.
Murine Equivalent of the Human Histo-blood Group ABO Gene Is acis-AB Gene and Encodes a Glycosyltransferase with Both A and B Transferase Activity*

We have cloned murine genomic and complementary DNA that is equivalent to the human ABO gene. The murine gene consists of at least six coding exons and spans at least 11 kilobase pairs. Exon-intron boundaries are similar to those of the human gene. Unlike human A and B genes that encode two distinct glycosyltransferases with different donor nucleotide-sugar specificities, the murine gene is a cis-AB gene that encodes an enzyme with both A and B transferase activities, and thiscis-AB gene prevails in the mouse population. Cloning of the murine AB gene may be helpful in establishing a mouse model system to assess the functionality of the ABO genes in the future.
The Theory of Hedging and Speculation in Commodity Futures

Although significant contributions have appeared in the literature in recent years, the present day theory of hedging and speculation appears to account inadequately for certain market practices. In particular, the motivation of the trader who undertakes hedging activities, the role that hedging plays in his over-all market operations, and the distinction between a trader who hedges and one who speculates have given rise to difficulties in the literature. My purposes here are (1) to outline briefly the purposes and mechanics of a commodity futures market, (2) to discuss and appraise the theory of hedging and speculation as it exists today, (3) to present a reformulated concept of hedging, and (4) to construct a model that may both assist in clarifying the concepts of hedging and speculation and contribute to a better understanding of certain market phenomena.
Node‐based measures of connectivity in genetic networks

At‐site environmental conditions can have strong influences on genetic connectivity, and in particular on the immigration and settlement phases of dispersal. However, at‐site processes are rarely explored in landscape genetic analyses. Networks can facilitate the study of at‐site processes, where network nodes are used to model site‐level effects. We used simulated genetic networks to compare and contrast the performance of 7 node‐based (as opposed to edge‐based) genetic connectivity metrics. We simulated increasing node connectivity by varying migration in two ways: we increased the number of migrants moving between a focal node and a set number of recipient nodes, and we increased the number of recipient nodes receiving a set number of migrants. We found that two metrics in particular, the average edge weight and the average inverse edge weight, varied linearly with simulated connectivity. Conversely, node degree was not a good measure of connectivity. We demonstrated the use of average inverse edge weight to describe the influence of at‐site habitat characteristics on genetic connectivity of 653 American martens (Martes americana) in Ontario, Canada. We found that highly connected nodes had high habitat quality for marten (deep snow and high proportions of coniferous and mature forest) and were farther from the range edge. We recommend the use of node‐based genetic connectivity metrics, in particular, average edge weight or average inverse edge weight, to model the influences of at‐site habitat conditions on the immigration and settlement phases of dispersal.
Prices of agricultural commodities, biofuels and fossil fuels in long-run relationships: a comparative study for the USA and Europe

Abstract Time-series data for the USA and Europe representing prices of agricultural commodities, biofuels and fossil fuels are used for a comparative analysis of long-run price relationships. There is some evidence for cointegration between ethanol and gasoline, especially for the USA, and in the case of biodiesel, stronger evidence of cointegration between biodiesel, diesel and soya oil for both the USA and the Europe. Finally, biofuel prices do not seem to influence agricultural commodity prices or fossil fuel prices.
Os partidos brasileiros segundo seus estudiosos. Análise de um expert survey

O posicionamento ideologico dos partidos politicos brasileiros tem sido mensurado de diversas formas, que sao aqui discutidas e comparadas. Alem disso, as classificacoes correntes sao confrontadas com os resultados de um survey aplicado a cientistas politicos. A classificacao ideologica resultante do survey coincide com varias outras presentes na literatura, elaboradas a partir de metodos diferentes, que incluem avaliacao pelos proprios membros dos partidos. A conclusao e de que a localizacao dos partidos brasileiros na dimensao esquerda-direita e suficientemente uniforme entre as diferentes mensuracoes para ser considerada valida, contrariando os diagnosticos correntes de ausencia de identidade politica no sistema partidario brasileiro.
Time‐domain equalizer for multicarrier systems in impulsive noise

In multicarrier communication systems, a time‐domain equalizer (TEQ) can be applied to shorten the channel impulse response and to eliminate inter‐symbol interference (ISI). However, the presence of impulsive noise in the channel may paralyze the operation of TEQs and subsequently lead to poor error performance. In this paper, a multicarrier receiver that incorporates a constant false alarm rate algorithm and an iterative estimation technique (CFAR‐IET) in conjunction with a TEQ is proposed to increase the robustness of the receiver against impulsive noise. Furthermore, an improved version of the CFAR‐IET‐TEQ scheme, which uses the buffering, sorting, removing and amplitude averaging (BSRA) processes, is presented. Performance comparisons of the proposed schemes with the existing Gaussian‐optimized schemes are made. Simulation results show that the BSRA‐IET‐TEQ scheme is an effective approach to reduce symbol error rate (SER) in impulsive channels while performing satisfactorily in Gaussian channels. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An empirical study of volatility and trading volume of heterogeneity of traders using high-frequency data

Abstract This paper examines the dynamic relationship between volatility and trading volume using a vector autoregressive methodology. In this study the trading volume is classified into foreign investors, investment trust, and domestic dealer. By doing this the information used by three different groups of traders can be separated. This study found bidirectional causal relations between trading volume and volatility, which is in accordance with a sequential information arrival hypothesis, which suggests that lagged values of trading volume provide the predictability component of current volatility. Findings also reveal that foreign investors explain a large part of the variance in investment trust and dealers from the viewpoint of variance decomposition analysis. Meanwhile, the trading volume of investment trust accounts for a large portion of the variance in dealers. The foreign investors play an important role in explaining other types of traders’ behavior and directions.
Mosaic expression of Atrx in the mouse central nervous system causes memory deficits

ABSTRACT The rapid modulation of chromatin organization is thought to play a crucial role in cognitive processes such as memory consolidation. This is supported in part by the dysregulation of many chromatin-remodelling proteins in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. A key example is ATRX, an X-linked gene commonly mutated in individuals with syndromic and nonsyndromic intellectual disability. The consequences of Atrx inactivation for learning and memory have been difficult to evaluate because of the early lethality of hemizygous-null animals. In this study, we evaluated the outcome of brain-specific Atrx deletion in heterozygous female mice. These mice exhibit a mosaic pattern of ATRX protein expression in the central nervous system attributable to the location of the gene on the X chromosome. Although the hemizygous male mice die soon after birth, heterozygous females survive to adulthood. Body growth is stunted in these animals, and they have low circulating concentrations of insulin growth factor 1. In addition, they are impaired in spatial, contextual fear and novel object recognition memory. Our findings demonstrate that mosaic loss of ATRX expression in the central nervous system leads to endocrine defects and decreased body size and has a negative impact on learning and memory. Summary: Heterozygous expression of the X-linked gene Atrx in the mouse brain causes deficits in spatial, contextual fear and object recognition memory.
Divorce and the Financial Performance of Small Family Businesses: An Exploratory Study

This study formally examines the relationship between marital dissolution and the short‐term financial performance of small closely held family businesses. Fifty‐two cases of divorce where a small family business was involved were examined. Organizational and situational variables, such as the involvement of other partners in the business, whether the business was a franchise, whether formal legal proceedings were necessary, and gender differences also were examined. The results indicate that marital dissolution does impact short‐term financial performance and that several organizational and situational variables significantly influence this relationship.
Microsecond atomic force sensing of protein conformational dynamics: implications for the primary light-induced events in bacteriorhodopsin.

In this paper a new atomic force sensing technique is presented for dynamically probing conformational changes in proteins. The method is applied to the light-induced changes in the membrane-bound proton pump bacteriorhodopsin (bR). The microsecond time-resolution of the method, as presently implemented, covers many of the intermediates of the bR photocycle which is well characterized by spectroscopical methods. In addition to the native pigment, we have studied bR proteins substituted with chemically modified retinal chromophores. These synthetic chromophores were designed to restrict their ability to isomerize, while maintaining the basic characteristic of a large light-induced charge redistribution in the vertically excited Franck-Condon state. An analysis of the atomic force sensing signals lead us to conclude that protein conformational changes in bR can be initiated as a result of a light-triggered redistribution of electronic charge in the retinal chromophore, even when isomerization cannot take place. Although the coupling mechanism of such changes to the light-induced proton pump is still not established, our data question the current working hypothesis which attributes all primary events in retinal proteins to an initial trans<==>cis isomerization.
Genetic and environmental transmission in the Colorado Adoption Project: path analysis.

A path model of genetic and environmental transmission developed for application to data collected in the ongoing Colorado Adoption Project was evaluated. In addition to providing tests of hereditary and environmental influences, the model includes parameters for passive genotype-environment correlation, parental influences on the child's environment, assortative mating and selective placement. A maximum likelihood method was used to obtain parameter estimates from mental ability data on one- and two-year-old children, their biological and adoptive parents, and members of control families. There was a satisfactory fit of the model to the data. Highly significant estimates of genetic influence and a significant measure of home environment were obtained. By comparing the fit of the full model to that of a reduced model in which selective placement parameters were dropped, the absence of selective placement was confirmed. Although some evidence for possible genotype-environment correlation was found, it accounted for a relatively small proportion of the total variance.
The Effects of Private Insurance on Measures of Health: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study

In this paper we investigate whether the presence of private insurance leads to improved health status. Using the Health and Retirement study we focus on adults in late middle age who are nearing entry into Medicare. Estimation addresses endogeneity of the insurance participation decision in health outcome regressions. Two models are tested, an instrumental variables models, and a model with endogenous treatment effects due to Heckman (1978). Insurance participation and health behaviors enter with a lag to allow their effects to dissipate over time. Separate regressions were run for groupings of chronic conditions. We find that the overall impact of insurance on health tends to be significantly downwards biased if no adjustment for endogeneity is made. With corrections there is a four-fold increase in the insurance effect; yielding a 7 percent increase in the overall health measure for the uninsured. Results are consistent across IV and treatment effects models, and for all major groupings of medical conditions. Thus, the effect of private insurance on health may be larger than previously estimated. As for policy, expanding coverage to the uninsured should result in substantial health improvement. By conjecture, this is likely to reduce the need for health care when individuals retire and enter Medicare, potentially leading to savings.
Governing Knowledge: The Strategic Human Resource Management Dimension

SHRM increasingly emphasizes HRM practices as means to build strategic knowledge resources such as superior capabilities. While the knowledge-based view increasingly pays attention to micro-foundations, the SHRM field neglects these and emphasizes collective constructs such as "human capital pools," "HRM architectures", etc. As a result, causal links between HRM practices, knowledge and organizational performance are black-boxed. We propose a program for research and identify some of the key issues that future research must deal with.
Competências para Inovar na Indústria Petroquímica Brasileira

This paper analyses the innovation capability of the Brazilian Petrochemical Industry based on the notion of innovating competences. Using the Resource Based View (RBV) of the firm, the innovating competences are examined by applying a questionnaire to identify and evaluate the level of development of the present competences of the industry. The results are analyzed considering four groups of competences: technical, organizational, relational, and of means. It is shown that the industry accumulates sufficient technical competences. However, the other groups of competences are insufficient for the firms, and consequently the industry, to be considered innovative. The deficiencies are greater in the group of organizational competences.
Influence of Flux Gaps on Electromagnetic Performance of Novel Modular PM Machines

In order to simplify manufacture processes and improve fault-tolerant capabilities, modular electrical machines, especially the ones with segmented stators, are increasingly employed. However, flux gaps between segments are often inevitable. In this paper, to take advantage of these flux gaps to enhance the machine performance, novel modular permanent magnet machines with different slot/pole combinations have been proposed. The influence of these flux gaps on the electromagnetic performance of modular PM machines, such as winding factor, open-circuit air-gap flux densities, back-EMFs, cogging torque, on-load torque, inductances, magnetic saturation and copper losses, are comprehensively investigated and general rules have been established. It is found that for modular machines having slot number higher than pole number, the flux gaps between stator segments degrade the electromagnetic performance due to the lower winding factor and the flux defocusing effect. However, for modular machines having slot number lower than pole number, the electromagnetic performances can be significantly improved using proper flux gap width due to the higher winding factor and the flux focusing effect. The finite element results are validated by experiments using two prototype modular machines.
The Relation Between the Minimally Important Difference and Patient Benefit

A critical issue in the examination of the effects of treatments on health-related quality of life is how to determine whether a particular change is clinically relevant. One approach is the so-called anchor-based method derived from patient or clinician estimates of minimal change (the Minimally Important Difference or MID). At issue, however, is whether this criterion provides a meaningful way to differentiate between beneficial and ineffective treatments. In this paper, I show that the likelihood that a patient will benefit from treatment, or alternatively, the number of patients in a given cohort who will benefit from treatment, can be predicted with considerable precision from the Effect Size, and the particular choice of MID bears almost no relation to the projected benefit. To examine the relation between the threshold of minimal difference, the effect size of treatment, and the likelihood that a patient will benefit from treatment, a simulation based on a normal distribution was used to compute the proportion of patients benefiting for various values of the ES and the MID. The agreement of the simulation with empirical data from four studies of asthma and respiratory disease was examined. The simulation showed a near-linear relationship between ES and the likelihood of benefit, which was nearly independent of the value of the MID. Agreement of the simulation with the empirical data was excellent. Introducing moderate skew into the distributions had minimal impact on the relationship. The proportion of patients who will benefit from treatment can be directly estimated from the effect size, and is nearly independent of the choice of MID. Effect size- and anchor-based approaches provide equivalent information in this situation. There appears to be little utility in the notion of the MID as an absolute indicator of clinically important treatment effects.
Attitudes to fertility, sexual health and motherhood amongst a Sample of Non-Irish National minority ethnic women living in Ireland

This research is concerned with exploring the meanings young migrant and minority ethnic women aged 18-30 living in Ireland bring to their sexual relationships, sexual health, and reproductive healthcare decisions, including contraceptive use, pregnancy and motherhood. This in-depth, qualitative study considers how legal, cultural, social and economic factors play out in their decisions and practices. The main purpose of this work is to ensure greater understanding and sensitivity to the specific needs and issues of concern for non-Irish national and ethnic minority women in relation to their sexual well-being. Comparative to other Northern and European countries, Ireland’s status as a country of immigration is relatively recent. While a small number of minority ethnic communities have been established for some time in Ireland, overall ethnic diversity is emergent in Irish society, so that many minority ethnic communities are at this time equivalent to migrant communities. Many of the young women in this study are first-generation migrants who have come alone or with families to live in Ireland within the past twenty years or less. The underdevelopment of research on this issue in the Irish context means that the study is building on a very low knowledge base and as such constitutes an initial exploratory study. The sensitivity of the topic of interest and marginalisation of the population of interest were also issues to consider in the design of the study. Taken together these issues provided a strong rationale for the selection of social justice orientated methodologies, and a community-based participatory research approach was taken. The study design comprised: • Consultation with stakeholder organisations for cultural immersion in the topic and to assess the cultural appropriateness of the research approach. • Engaging peer researchers to be involved in the data-generation process. • Qualitative, in-depth interviews with a sample young migrant and minority ethnic women aged 18-30. The study focuses on four communities within the overall migrant and minority ethnic community in Ireland – Chinese, Nigerian, Polish and Muslim – selected for diversity based on analysis of recent patterns of migration into Ireland. Qualitative interviews with women aged between eighteen and thirty years from each community drew out detailed accounts of their individual experiences, views and needs in relation to sexual and reproductive health. Such an approach generates a nuanced and detailed picture of the particularities and specificities of risk, care and support needs of our study group, to help inform the formation of policy and service delivery in the context of a more ethnically diverse and transient population.
Population dynamics of genetically diverse Plasmodium falciparum lineages: community-based prospective study in rural Amazonia

SUMMARY Temporal changes in the prevalence of antigenic variants in Plasmodium falciparum populations have been interpreted as evidence of immune-mediated frequency-dependent selection, but evolutively neutral processes may generate similar patterns of serotype replacement. Over 4 years, we investigated the population dynamics of P. falciparum polymorphisms at the community level by using 11 putatively neutral microsatellite markers. Plasmodium falciparum populations were less diverse than sympatric P. vivax isolates, with less multiple-clone infections, lower number of alleles per locus and lower virtual heterozygosity, but both species showed significant multilocus linkage disequilibrium. Evolutively neutral P. falciparum polymorphisms showed a high turnover rate, with few lineages persisting for several months in the population. Similar results had previously been obtained, in the same community, for sympatric P. vivax isolates. In contrast, the prevalence of the 2 dimorphic types of a major antigen, MSP-2, remained remarkably stable throughout the study period. We suggest that the relatively fast turnover of parasite lineages represents the typical population dynamics of neutral polymorphisms in small populations, with clear implications for the detection of frequency-dependent selection of polymorphisms.