Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Interest Rate on Private Consumption: A Case Study of Jordan, 1976-2004

This study explained the impact of interest rate on time deposits on private consumption in Jordan during 1976-2004, by using Vector Auto Regression, VAR, model. The VAR model has directly been applied since there is no co-integration. The main variables of the study are private consumption, which is one of the most important components of GDP, and interest rate of time deposits; both expressed in real terms. The study applies Augmented Dickey Fuller's test to check whether the variables are stationary or not. This test revealed that the interest rate on time deposits was stationary while private consumption was not at the first level but it became stationary after taking the first difference. Granger's causality test is applied to provide evidence on the direction of causality. This test revealed that there was a causal relationship between the variables of the model. The Johansson's test for co-integration is also applied, which revealed no co-integration between the variables of the model which was the main reason for adopting the VAR model. For empirical analysis, two tools were employed: the first involved analysis of variance decomposition, which shows the explanatory power of interest rate of private consumption while the second dealt with the response function of the reaction. The latter gives evidence of the negative impact of real interest rate on time deposits on real private consumption though not statistically significant at the 5% level. To gain more credibility of the results, the study used two approaches: the reordering of variables in the model and adding a third basic variable, which is real income per capita.
Assessment in people with PIMD: Pilot study into the usability and content validity of the Inventory of the personal Profile and Support

Abstract Providing appropriate support for people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) is challenging, since valid and reliable instruments that can be used for assessment in persons with PIMD are scarce. Therefore, this study analyzes the usability and validity of an instrument developed for persons with PIMD, the Inventory of the personal Profile and Support (IPS). This instrument is part of a person-centered, goal-oriented, interdisciplinary intervention for persons with PIMD, which is called the “support program. ” A first step in the support program is to draw up a personal profile, on which a long term goal for the person with PIMD can be based. When the IPS is used in combination with another instrument, the Behavior Assessment Scales (BAS), a support profile can be written. However, the IPS has not been studied on psychometric qualities yet. To look into the usability and content validity of the IPS, two questionnaires that were developed for this study were used for eight direct support persons of three care facilities. Although filling in the IPS is time-consuming and is therefore sometimes considered to be a burden, in general usability and content validity were rated as good. This study underlines the importance of using assessment instruments during different stages of support in a consistent, systematic way, using the input of all involved persons in support of the person with PIMD.
A 12-bit 20-MS/s SAR ADC with improved internal clock generator and SAR controller

A 12-bit 20-MS/s charge redistribution successive approximation register analog-to-digital converter in a 65-nm CMOS technology is presented in this paper. To address the issue of long DAC settling time in bit-conversion, an improved internal clock generator is proposed. In addition, a novel SAR controller is introduced to minimize the critical path and improve the conversion speed. Simulation results show that the ADC achieves SNDR of 69.6 dB and SFDR of 79.9 dB with a 9.82-MHz sine-wave input while dissipating power consumption of 2.1 mW from a 1.2-V supply.
COMT Val108/158 Met modifies mismatch negativity and cognitive function in 22q11 deletion syndrome.

BACKGROUND Microdeletions at 22q11.2 greatly increase the risk of schizophrenia in early adulthood (relative risk approximately 25-30). We hypothesized that before the onset of schizophrenia, individuals with 22q11DS would manifest specific cognitive and neurophysiological anomalies (endophenotypes) in common with individuals at high risk for schizophrenia in the general population. We further predicted that the catechol-O-methyltransferase Val(108/158)Met polymorphism, located within the deleted chromosomal segment, would modify the severity of endophenotypic features. METHODS 22q11DS adolescents and young adults (aged 13-21) were compared with age- and IQ-matched control subjects on measures that are associated with risk of idiopathic schizophrenia. RESULTS 22q11DS subjects displayed poorer verbal working memory and expressive language performance than control subjects. Auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) event-related potentials were reduced at frontal electrodes but were intact at temporal sites. Presence of the COMT(108/158)Met allele on the single intact chromosome 22 was associated with more marked MMN amplitude reduction and poorer neuropsychological performance. Neither COMT Val(108/158)Met allele influenced psychiatric symptoms. CONCLUSIONS 22q11DS is associated with neurodevelopmental characteristics that are similar to idiopathic schizophrenia. The COMT Val(108/158)Met polymorphism modifies the severity of endophenotypes for schizophrenia, indicating that impaired catecholamine regulation contributes to neuropsychiatric risk in 22q11DS.
Prevalence of medically diagnosed dementia in a defined United States population

Using the centralized diagnostic data resource for the population of Rochester, Minnesota, we determined the prevalence of medically diagnosed dementia for this community. There were 289 individuals with dementia who were residing in Rochester on January 1, 1975:208 women and 81 men. The overall age-and sex-adjusted rates per 100,000 population were 342 for all dementias and 227 for Alzheimer's disease. Prevalence rates increased with age for both sexes. Limiting the denominator to persons ≥,65 years, age-adjusted rates per 100,000 population for men and women were 3,452 and 3,466 (or about 3.5%), respectively, for dementia and 2,007 and 2,675 (2.0 and 2.7%), respectively, for Alzheimer's disease.
Income diversification of rural households in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

This paper examines two aspects of income diversification: diversification as a shift away from agricultural activities and as an increasing mix of income activities. Agricultural activities are the most important source of income for rural households in the vicinity of the Lore Lindu National Park in Indonesia. They contribute 68% to total household income with the remaining 32% originating from non-agricultural activities. Considering the wealth status shows that the better-off households derive 40% of their income from non-agricultural activities whereas it accounts for only 10% of the poorest households’ income. Using a Tobit model to evaluate the determinants of nonfarm income diversification shows that the socio-economic status and the access to formal financial markets both have a positive impact. As a measure of the overall diversity of income we apply the Shannon equitability index, which increases with the number of income source and their evenness. The access to social capital and the occurrence of crop failures both have a positive impact on the Shannon equitability index, whereas the socio-economic status and the distance to roads have a negative influence.
Long-term effects of preserving or splitting the carpal ligament in carpal tunnel operation

Abstract Carpal tunnel syndrome is treated very successfully by surgical release of the flexor retinaculum. However, in some patients, all symptoms are not resolved. Weakness in grip strength and pain in the thenar and hypothenar areas corresponding to the end of the transverse ligament after its complete section have been described as common complications of classical neurolysis of the median nerve. This study presents here the long-term results of decompression operation of the median nerve at the wrist, conserving the transverse ligament, as well as its comparison with the classical open neurolysis with a complete section of the ligament. This is an analysis of a retrospective cohort of 114 patients, who were operated on for carpal tunnel syndrome. A clinical, electromyographic, and dynamometric evaluation of the patients studied was carried out in a comparative analysis of the surgical techniques used (flexor retinaculum lengthening according to the Simonetta technique and classical open neurolysis of the median nerve), in a period of 10 years after the operation. The ligamentoplasty technique, in the long-term, contributes to better results of manual force, with a smaller resolution of tingling sensations than the neurolysis with complete section of the transverse ligament. For those patients who do not present a severe clinical or electromyographic syndrome, and in addition require manual effort for their daily activities, the technique of ligamentoplasty, according to Simonetta, is a surgical option to be taken into account.
An Equitable DEA-Based Approach of Allocating Fixed Costs or Resources

The problem of how to allocate a fixed cost or resource among a set of competing entities in an equitable way is a considerably important issue. Based on data envelopment analysis (DEA), the current paper proposes a new method for allocating fixed costs and resources to all decision making units (DMUs) respectively, in such a way that the relative efficiencies of DMUs remain unchanged and the distribution should reflect the individual DMUs' performances and scales of inputs consumption and outputs production. To illustrate the method, numerical results for an example are presented in this paper.
The Global Welfare and Poverty Effects of Rich Nation Immigration Barriers

Most rich nations maintain very tight restrictions on immigration despite widespread opening of trade and international capital flows since World War II. This paper uses a two-region, one-sector, dynastic growth model with a continuum of skills to assess the welfare effects and poverty implications of these barriers. Such a dynamic model allows me to take account of international capital flows, as well as domestic investment, which I believe have important interactions with international migration. Similar to other global studies of migration, I find that rich nation migration barriers impose huge losses on the global economy. This paper also estimates, for the first time to my knowledge, the global poverty implications of those barriers and finds that freeing migration into rich nations would reduce global poverty by at least 40% and as much as 66%. This corroborates the conclusions drawn by others that opening rich nations to freer migration may do more to reduce poverty around the world than any other policy.
Tracking of fetal growth characteristics during different trimesters and the risks of adverse birth outcomes.

BACKGROUND Fetal growth characteristics are used to identify influences of several maternal characteristics and to identify individuals at increased risk of adverse outcomes. The extent to which fetal growth characteristics track in different trimesters is not known. METHODS In a population-based prospective cohort study among 8636 pregnant women, we examined the extent to which fetal growth characteristics track, are influenced by maternal socio-demographic and lifestyle related determinants and are associated with birth outcomes. Fetal growth was assessed in each trimester and at birth. RESULTS Correlation coefficient between first-trimester crown-rump length and birthweight was r = 0.12 (P-value < 0.05). Correlation coefficients for fetal-head circumference, (femur) length and (estimated) fetal weight ranged from r = 0.16 to r = 0.30 (all P-values < 0.05) between second trimester and birth and from r = 0.36 to r = 0.58 (all P-values < 0.05) between third trimester and birth, and were highest for (estimated) fetal weight. Correlation coefficients for (estimated) fetal weight tended to be lower among overweight mothers, as compared with normal weight mothers, but were not influenced by other maternal characteristics. First, second and third-trimester fetal growth characteristics were associated with risks of preterm birth and small size for gestational age at birth,with the strongest associations present in third trimester. CONCLUSION Fetal growth characteristics track moderately throughout gestation, with stronger tracking coefficients present in later pregnancy. Tracking coefficients were not materially influenced by maternal socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics. First, second and third trimester fetal growth characteristics were associated with the risk of adverse birth outcomes.
Measuring organisational capability: beyond competence

Previous research by the author and colleagues has shown a recognition by organisations that they need to pay more attention to developing employee capability in order to adapt to a rapidly changing and highly turbulent world. Specifically human resource development and training methods need to be designed so that they to build on competence and find ways to enable people to learn, be creative, use competencies in novel as well as familiar circumstances, develop self-efficacy and to work well in teams. In addition human resource management needs to involve helping people use these dimensions of capability through effective systems and management behaviours. There are several lines of evidence that suggest that there is a need to move beyond training to harnessing ecological learning in order to develop human capability, as well as competence. The research described here involved the development of a diagnostic instrument to measure organisational capability that can be used to redesign training and management practice. The methodology involved a two step process; a qualitative approach first to develop a theory followed by a quantitative method to develop the instrument. The implications of this instrument, the research findings and capability for vocational education and training are discussed. A TWO STEP RESEARCH DESIGN TO MEASURE ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITY This paper reports on two stage study that set out to try and better understand the concept of organisational capability and to develop an instrument that could be used to identify its defining characteristics in any organisational setting. Initially, a qualitative study was undertaken using a Grounded Theory approach (Glaser & Straus 1967) to identify those factors that appear to contribute to organisational capability. This study has been reported elsewhere (Hase, Cairns & Malloch 1998; 1999) but is summarised below to provide context. The second stage of the study involved the development of an instrument based on the factors identified in the first stage that appear to contribute to organisational capability. This initial instrument was tested and refined using a standard quantitative approach and resulted in the final Organisational Capability Questionnaire (OCQ) measuring ten factors and which is described here. As described later the OCQ is intended as a selfreport instrument for use by managers interested in evaluating their own and other employees' perception of a number of aspects of their organisation or work group. These perceptions are then used for making decisions about changing organisational climate through work or management practices.
Formation and dispersion of expectations : an empirical analysis with special focus on inﬂation

This thesis is a collection of papers that use survey data to analyze expectations about macroeconomic variables and the way these expectations are formed. Using a new approach for modeling forecast errors in a structural way, we show that most of the individual forecasts in the Consensus survey data set have fairly good properties with respect to unbiasedness and eﬃciency. We provide empirical evidence in favor of partial equilibrium models of the sticky information type that explain the development of inﬂation dynamics and the formation process of inﬂation expectations of households respectively. We show that there is a dichotomy between disagreement about real variables, which is more strongly aﬀected by real factors, and disagreement about nominal variables, which is related to the institutional setting of monetary policy.
Integrating modelling, motion capture and x-ray fluoroscopy to investigate patellofemoral function during dynamic activity

Accurate measurement of knee-joint kinematics is critical for understanding the biomechanical function of the knee in vivo. Measurements of the relative movements of the bones at the knee are often used in inverse dynamics analyses to estimate the net muscle torques exerted about the joint, and as inputs to finite-element models to accurately assess joint contact. The fine joint translations that contribute to patterns of joint stress are impossible to measure accurately using traditional video-based motion capture techniques. Sub-millimetre changes in joint translation can mean the difference between contact and no contact of the cartilage tissue, leading to incorrect predictions of joint loading. This paper describes the use of low-dose X-ray fluoroscopy, an in vivo dynamic imaging modality that is finding increasing application in human joint motion measurement. Specifically, we describe a framework that integrates traditional motion capture, X-ray fluoroscopy and anatomically-based finite-element modelling for the purpose of assessing joint function during dynamic activity. We illustrate our methodology by applying it to study patellofemoral joint function, wherein the relative movements of the patella are predicted and the corresponding joint-contact stresses are calculated for a step-up task.
CAMBIO DE COBERTURA Y USO DEL SUELO EN LA CUENCA DEL RIO MOLOLOA, NAYARIT

Changes of land cover and use have been recognized in many countries as main causes of environmental degradation; hence, they have caught the attention of environmen-tal research. They are of paramount impor-tance in understanding the mechanisms of this process of degradation and are a useful guide in the decision making on territory use. In Nayarit, the basin of the Mololoa river has provided people of the 34 localities around it with an important amount of goods and servi-ces; unfortunately, this relation has resulted in an accelerated deterioration of its natural re-sources. This research reports the analysis of land cover/use changes in the basin of Mololoa river between 1995 and 2005. Digital ortopho-tos were interpreted and and GIS analysis was used. Results show that 83.01% of Mololoa river basin’s landscape consists of wild vege-tation and farm land. The former decreases at a rate of 41.67 ha/year and the latter increa-ses at a rate of 74.86 ha/year. Forests and rain forests deforestation was 0.1, which is 0.36% lower than that reported by other researchers.
Gerenciamento integrado de energia e controle de topologia em redes de sensores sem fio.

Neste trabalho sao apresentadas duas solucoes para otimizar o roteamento, controle de topologia e o consumo de energia em Redes de Sensores Sem Fio (RSSF). A primeira solucao inclui duas novas tecnicas de Gerenciamento Dinâmico de Energia (GDE) desenvolvidas e avaliadas a partir de um modelo realista de descarga de bateria (i.e., modelo de Rakhmatov-Vrudhula). Ambas tecnicas se baseiam na possibilidade de efetuar o desligamento parcial de componentes especiﬁcos do no sensor a partir do nivel de energia residual da bateria objetivando recuperar sua capacidade. A partir da analise de resultados de simulacoes conclui-se que a aplicacao das tecnicas de GDE pode aumentar signiﬁcativamente o tempo de vida medio dos nos sensores de uma RSSF. A segunda solucao consiste em um mecanismo original de controle de topologia que utiliza a multipla dominacao e dominacao em distância na computacao de backbones em RSSF. A utilizacao deste mecanismo possibilita, em muitos casos, a reducao signiﬁcativa no consumo de energia e no atraso medio dos pacotes transmitidos na rede. Tanto as tecnicas de GDE como o mecanismo de controle de topologia foram analisadas atraves de simulacoes, utilizando o simulador Network Simulator (NS-2) e os resultados apresentados demonstram a eﬁcacia de ambas solucoes.
Color disease leaf image segmentation using NAMS superpixel algorithm

BACKGROUND: Disease leaf segmentation in color image is used to explore the disease shape and lesion regions. It is of great significance for pathological diagnosis and pathological research. OBJECTIVE: This paper proposes a superpixel algorithm using Non-symmetry and Anti-packing Model with Squares (NAMS) for color image segmentation of leaf disease. METHODS: First of all, the NAMS model is presented for color leaf disease image representation. The model can segment images asymmetrically and preserve the characteristics of image context. Second, NAMS based superpixel (NAMS superpixel) algorithm is proposed for clustering pixels, which can represent large homogeneous areas by super squares. By this way, the impact of complex background and the data redundancy in image segmentation can be reduced. RESULTS: Experimental results indicate that compared with segmenting the original image directly and manipulating by Simple Linear Iterative Clustering (SLIC) superpixel, the proposed NAMS superpixel performs more excellently in not only saving storage but also adhering to the lesion region edge. CONCLUSIONS: The outcome of NAMS superpixel can be regarded as a preprocess procedure for leaf disease region detection since the method can segment the image into superpixel blocks and preserve the lesion area.
Weight suppression and weight elevation are associated with eating disorder symptomatology in women age 50 and older: Results of the gender and body image study

OBJECTIVE Weight suppression (WS), the difference between highest past non-pregnancy weight and current weight, predicts negative outcomes in eating disorders, but the impact of WS and related weight constructs are understudied in nonclinical, midlife populations. We examined WS (current weight < highest weight) and weight elevation (WE), the opposite of WS (current weight > lowest weight) and their associations with eating psychopathology in women aged 50+. METHOD Participants were a community-based sample (N = 1,776, Mage = 59) who completed demographic and eating psychopathology questions via online survey. WS, WE, and WS × WE were tested as predictors of outcome variables; BMI and medical conditions that affect weight were controlled for. RESULTS Individuals that were higher on WS and WE were most likely to engage in current weight loss attempts, dieting in the past 5 years, and extreme lifetime restriction. Individuals with higher WS were more likely to experience binge eating, greater frequency of weight checking, overvaluation of shape and weight, and lifetime fasting. Individuals with higher WE were more likely to report negative life impacts of eating and dieting. Higher WS and WE each predicted higher levels of skipping meals over the lifetime. DISCUSSION This novel study investigated WS in midlife women and introduced a new conceptualization of weight change (WE) that may be more relevant for aging populations given that women tend to gain weight with age. The findings implicate the utility of investigating both WS and WE as factors associated with eating psychopathology in midlife women.