Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and influence of psychiatric comorbidity on rehabilitation outcome for older hospital inpatients

ABSTRACT Background: The objectives of this study were to characterize the psychiatric comorbidity of a group of older subacute inpatients and then determine whether their psychiatric comorbidity affected measures of rehabilitation outcomes. Methods: Eighty-eight older subacute inpatients were recruited for this prospective study. Psychiatric comorbidity was defined according to a participants' performance on four inventory scales: the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and Health of the Nation Outcome Scale 65+. Rehabilitation outcome referred to the participants' length of stay and their performance at discharge on the EuroQol-5D health-related quality of life questionnaire and Barthel index. Results: 68% of the participants scored in the clinical range on at least one of the four scales assessing psychiatric comorbidity at admission, with 51% in the clinical range for GDS and 32% for the GAI. The decrease in scores by the time of discharge was significant for all four scales. Linear regression analyses pointed to a trend for depressive symptoms at admission to be an influential but nonsignificant predictor of rehabilitation outcome. An interesting association was found between the length of the previous acute admission and the GDS score on admission to the subacute unit. Conclusion: A high prevalence of psychological symptoms was identified upon admission, with a significant decrease by the time of discharge. These factors did not significantly predict the selected measures of rehabilitation outcome. Opportunities for future longitudinal research on the prevalence and impact of psychiatric comorbidities on patient outcomes are considered.
Are US stock index returns predictable? Evidence from automatic autocorrelation-based tests

This article re-examines the evidence of return predictability for three major US stock indices using two recently developed data-driven tests, namely the automatic portmanteau Box–Pierce test and the wild bootstrapped automatic variance ratio test. In tracking the time variation of return predictability via rolling estimation window, we find that those periods with significant return autocorrelations can largely be associated with major exogenous events. Theoretically, the documented time varying nature of predictable patterns is consistent with the adaptive markets hypothesis.
Entrepreneurial Productivity: Sectoral Contribution To The GDP Of A Developing Economy

Using macroeconomic data for the period 1992-2004, this paper applies Granger’s causality adjusted regression model to examine the sectoral contribution to the gross domestic product, as a proxy for entrepreneurial productivity in Nigeria. The study found that only agricultural production and industrial/service output Granger caused changes in GDP, whereas oil production, capacity utilization and non-oil exports had no causality with GDP. The study concludes that oil output and non-oil exports are not significantly contributing to the economy and manufacturing capacity is grossly underutilized. The study recommends increased promotion of non-oil export; an improved operating financial environment; and, greater Nigerian content in the oil sector for increased entrepreneurial productivity.
Identification of a Novel Testis-Specific Leucine-Rich Protein in Humans and Mice1

Abstract A novel testis-specific protein, termed LRTP, was identified by screening both human and mouse testis and mouse pachytene spermatocyte cDNA libraries. Sequence analyses (GenBank accession number: AF092208) revealed that LRTP contains an amino terminus leucine-rich repeat domain. There are several acidic regions rich in glutamic acid in the C-terminus. The sequence, by GenBank search, shows similarities to LANP and SDS22+, leucine-rich repeat proteins localized to the nucleus and involved in the regulation of protein phosphatases. In mouse, the mRNA is first detected at about Day 14 postpartum, presumably when mid-pachytene spermatocytes are first seen. In situ hybridization confirmed the expression of the LRTP mRNA at this stage of spermatogenesis. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the protein is most abundant in the cytoplasm of pachytene and diplotene cells, corresponding to late prophase of meiosis I. Immunohistochemical localization is markedly reduced in secondary spermatocytes, suggesting a functional association of LRTP with meiosis. An LRTP cDNA probe did not bind to mouse ovary RNA in a dot blot assay.
Women, Microcredit and Family Planning Practices: A Case Study from Rural Ghana

This paper examines the influence of informal banking club participation on family planning practices in rural Ghana. Research from Asia suggests that family planning practices are improved by club participation. This study examines this thesis in an African context, using rural Ghana as a case study. A sample of 204 women (19 years and older) was drawn from Abokobi village, Ghana. Multivariate analyses of direct, mediating and moderating effects of women’s demographic background characteristics, membership status and length, and women’s empowerment status as predictors of family planning practices are assessed. Findings suggest that club membership and membership length is not associated with family planning practices; however, age, education level, number of children and empowerment status are.
Search and Market Equilibrium

This paper presents an answer, not found in the literature, to Rothschild's criticism that search models are unsatisfactory until they provide an explanation of price dispersion. The search models of Stiler and McCall are closed by explaining the firm's optimal decision-making problem. Then the existence of an equilibrium distribution of prices is established for both models. The analysis shows that price dispersion is supported and explained by a dispersion of production costs. The Stigler model shows that the variance of the price distribution increases while the McCall model shows that the variance eventually decreases with the intensity of search.
The complexity of obesity in UK adolescents: relationships with quantity and type of technology, sleep duration and quality, academic performance and aspiration

Technology use and ownership is highly prevalent in adolescents and has been previously linked to obesity, but bedtime use of contemporary, original and multiple device use is currently unexplored. Sleep duration is a potentially important contributor to obesity development, but other sleep parameters may be crucial and may contribute to a better understanding of obesity, although these are currently limited in adolescent samples. Adolescent obesity may have a negative impact on academic performance, but data are heterogeneous. Body mass index may also influence academic aspiration, but little is known about this potential relationship.
Improved Intestinal Preservation Using an Intraluminal Macromolecular Solution: Evidence From a Rat Model

Background. Intestinal preservation injury consists of progressive submucosal edema, with fluid originating both from the lumen and the interstitium. Although vascular flushing aims to control electrolyte shifts in the tissue, the lumen is not addressed, and luminal water and electrolytes enter the tissue during ischemia. Because macromolecular solutions may retain water and electrolytes intraluminally, we investigated whether these solutions administered intraluminally may alleviate preservation injury. Methods. Sprague-Dawley rat intestines were perfused with University of Wisconsin solution. After excision of the intestines, we intraluminally introduced solutions containing polyethylene glycol 3350 with high (125 mEq) or low (65 mEq) sodium before cold preservation. Controls underwent only vascular flush. After 8, 14, or 20 hr of cold storage, the intestines were analyzed for extent of tissue injury, water retention, brush-border maltase, and tight junction proteins zonula occludens-1 and claudin-3. Results. Intraluminal composition changed over time, indicating sodium absorption and potassium secretion. After 8 and 14 hr of cold storage, intestines from the low-sodium group had the best morphology and least edema, followed by the controls. Maltase activity slightly decreased in all groups over time and was not affected by the intraluminal polyethylene glycol solutions. Various degrees of delocalization and degradation of zonula occludens-1 and claudin-3 were recorded within the tight junctions, with the most significant effects in intestines from the high-sodium group. Conclusions. Intraluminal macromolecular solutions may modulate the preservation injury in University of Wisconsin- perfused intestines. Low-sodium solutions administered immediately before preservation may improve preservation injury, but high-sodium solutions may be detrimental.
Health information for the developing world

Doctors and other health professionals in developing countries are missing out on relevant information about health. A lot of the information they need is available in the developed countries, and those who have it are happy to share it with them. But transporting information, like food or medicines, from one part of the world to another is not an easy task nor is it the complete answer to the information drought. It is one thing to ferry books and journals from Europe to Africa and another to make relevant information available to the right person at the right time at an affordable cost.
Traumatic pulmonary pseudocysts after blunt chest trauma: Prevalence, mechanisms of injury, and computed tomography findings

BACKGROUND Traumatic pulmonary pseudocyst (TPP) is a rare complication of blunt chest trauma and closely related with severe injury. However, it has been poorly documented. We present a retrospective review of TPP cases treated at our hospital. METHODS The medical records and chest computed tomography scans of patients with TPP treated from January 2010 to December 2013 were retrospectively studied. RESULTS A total of 978 patients underwent chest computed tomography for blunt chest trauma during the study period, and 81 (8.3%) had a total of 150 TPPs. The most common mechanism of injury was being struck by a motorized vehicle (n = 25, 30.9%). The mean (SD) Injury Severity Score (ISS) of the 81 patients was 33.2 (11.4). The prevalence of TPP was higher in younger patients (p = 0.011), but the total number of fractured ribs was significantly lower (p = 0.001). In a subgroup analysis performed according to pseudocyst location, the intraparenchymal group had more severe injuries than the subpleural group (ISS, 23.3 vs. 32.4, p < 0.001; chest Abbreviated Injury Scale [AIS] score, 3.4 vs. 4.0, p < 0.001; number of associated injuries, 2.9 vs. 4.0, p = 0.001). By multivariate analysis, ISS, age, and number of associated injuries were significantly different in these two groups (p = 0.038, p = 0.006, and p = 0.045, respectively). CONCLUSION The prevalence of TPP among cases of blunt chest trauma was 8.3% and was higher in those struck by a vehicle and younger patients. Intraparenchymal pseudocyst was found to be related to more severe injuries. TPP was a self-limiting condition that does not require specific treatment. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Prognostic/epidemiologic study, level IV.
Intellectual Property Rights and Patenting in China's High‐Technology Industries: Does Ownership Matter?

This paper aims to systematically investigate the impacts of strengthening intellectual property rights on patenting in China's high-technology industries and to explore the potential differences in response to patent reform by ownership. Empirical results show that the estimated patent elasticity of R&D is lower than that for OECD countries, indicating relatively low R&D productivity for China's high-technology industries. The direct innovation effect of technology imports is negative, while the absorptive ability embodied in R&D helps in gaining external sources of knowledge, thus contributing to innovations. Specifically, strengthening intellectual property rights can induce more innovations in terms of patents in China's high-technology industries and is particularly relevant to foreign-owned high-technology enterprises.
U.S. Influences on Foreign Monetary Policy

While the determinants of U.S. money growth have been intensively examined, the determinants of foreign money growth have been relatively overlooked. This study employs an IS/LM/aggregate supply model to examine what variables influence money growth in seven countries. Particular attention is devoted to the impact of U.S. variables on these countries' money growth rates. The results suggest that the determinants of money growth rates vary substantially across countries and over time. The estimation results also suggest differences between short-run and long-run responses. In addition, all countries' money growth rates are significantly influenced by U.S. variables. Copyright 1992 by Ohio State University Press.
Method for flow cytometric detection of Listeria monocytogenes in milk

This report describes a method for the detection of Listeria monocytogenes in raw milk by flow cytometric analysis of fluorescently labeled bacterial populations. The use of immunofluorescence in combination with measures of DNA content by propidium iodide labeling and size by light scattering enabled specific identification of L. monocytogenes from Streptococcus faecalis, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus uberis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Staphylococcus hyicus. Additional specific resolution of L. monocytogenes populations was achieved through selective enrichment of raw milk in Listeria enrichment broth. These procedures should permit the rapid screening of milk and other food samples for L. monocytogenes and eliminate many of the short-comings associated with conventional fluorescent-antibody procedures.
Unusual tapering of leaky-wave radiators and their applications

A summary of the latest progress in the analysis, design and applications of unusual tapered leaky-wave antennas (TLWAs) is shown in this contribution. Particularly, it will be illustrated how these atypical TLWAs are able to synthesize a variety of custom made far-field and near-field patterns, including high-directive beam-scanned low side-lobe radiation diagrams, broad-beam far-feed patterns with high-rejection out from the prescribed man beam, scanned beams with wide nulls in prescribed angular regions, highly efficient focused near-feed power distributions, and high-gain conformal antenna designs. Emphasis will be made on the fact that, similar radiation performance can only be achieved nowadays with phased-arrays, which present important drawbacks when compared to TLWAs. The analysis and design procedures, and some applications of TLWA in different technologies, will be described during the oral presentation.
The Great Inflation of the Seventies: What Really Happened?

Abstract This paper revisits the issue of what factors produced the macroeconomic policies that led to the Great Inflation of the 1970s. I emphasize that a satisfactory explanation should satisfy two important criteria. First, it must be consistent with the record of views on the economy, manifested in statements by policymakers and prominent financial commentators. Second, it should work for countries beside the United States. I show that the monetary policy neglect hypothesis–which claims that policymakers took a nonmonetary view of the inflation process–meets these criteria. Other explanations of the Great Inflation are ruled out, with one exception (the output gap mismeasurement hypothesis), which supplements the monetary policy neglect hypothesis. The study covers the Great Inflation in both the United Kingdom and the United States, with policymakers’ views on the economy documented using 1970s news reports.
Comparing TFP Catching-up and Capital Deepening in US and European Growths: A Directional Distance Function Approach

In Solow’s model the income convergence between countries arises from two main sources: a capital deepening effect resulting from the diminishing returns of the production technology and a technological transfer/diffusion effect related to Total Factor Productivity (TFP) differences. A large literature has been devoted to analyze these effects but most of the studies suffer from three weaknesses by defining the US as the a priori technological leader, by using a parametric functional form and by assuming constant returns to scale for the technology. Our paper offers an alternative approach based on a non-parametric programming framework and the estimation of directional distance functions. We explicitly separate country TFP differences into two components: a technology effect and a scale effect to study the catching-up process on each of them. We also analyze the role of the capital deepening effect by introducing a relevant measure of the structural efficiency which reveals inefficiencies due to changes in input-ratio differences. Our empirical work focuses on 15 European countries (EU) and the US over the period 1980-2004. We use time series procedures to test for convergence for individual countries or sub-sets of countries.
The determinants of firm diversification in UK quoted companies

This paper examines the role of resource-based and governance factors in determining the boundaries of UK quoted companies, measured by both the probability and intensity of market diversification. Using a panel of over 2000 firms for the period 1988 to 2001 it is found that firm-level heterogeneity and industry characteristics account for the variability in diversification behaviour and that resource-based and governance factors interact in a complex manner not necessarily fully explained by the theoretical literature. The results also indicate that the degree of data aggregation has significant implications for the empirical modelling of market diversification.
Educational Tools for Object-Oriented DSP Interactive DSL Framework

This paper presents DSP blocks which were developed to be used as basic elements for realization of the DSP algorithms. For this purpose the description DSL (Domain Specic Language) language was used. The goal of this paper is to dene and present a high level language that allows description and development of signal processing algorithms. With the usage of a domain specic language, one can create a compact and easy to understand denition of algorithms. In the paper the authors present the advantages granted by DSL for DSP applications. The created denitions are hardware independent and they can be executed and functionally veried. Ecient code can be generated for various targets without porting. The design of the presented DSL allows code generation for multi-core targets in case of computing-intensive algorithms, code generation for multiple streams and threads. To validate the results these blocks were made available for use to students as an easy method for the introduction of the DSP algorithms in sound and image processing. The main purpose was for the students to gain some basic insight into elementary techniques needed for design, implementation and merging of hardware and software components used in testing of the algorithms for digital signal processing in real time. Through the work with the students it was concluded that the developed DSP blocks presented very good assistance in educational process and therefore this paper was elaborated on that idea. Since real hardware systems were used in this case noise was introduced in the system which does not exist in simulation software and therefore this option produced much larger capabilities for development of the robust algorithms.
Feeding metabolism in an Indian major carp (Catla catla Lin.) fed on different protein diets

Feeding metabolism in an Indian major carp, Catla catla fingerlings of 10.8+0.56g was investigated in a flow-through water recirculating system. The metabolic energy loss in resting metabolism and feeding metabolism were determined by the indirect method of oxygen consumption followed by multiplication by suitable oxycalorific coefficient. This was done in four metabolic chambers of a respirometer system. Ten fish fingerlings of mean total weight of 109.5, 110.4 and 112.8g/chambers respectively each in two experimental runs of three treatments a, b and c were used. The mean resting metabolic rate during unfed condition showed no significant variation in different treatments. The fish in three treatments a, b and c fed on diets containing 28, 33 and 38% crude protein had significantly different (p<0.05) post-fed SDA magnitude of 497.7, 638.7 and 735.5 mgOzlchamber/day having an equivalent energy loss of 12.68, 14.68 and 15.86 KJ respectively. The SDA co-efficient in three treatments a, b and c were 14.95, 19.00 and 22.36% respectively whereas, respiratory energy- 'R' as % of mean total ingested energy in three treatments were 26.93, 31.17 and 34.74% respectively showing a significant increase (p<0.05) with increase of protein. lntroctuctiOn The metabolic heat energy loss associated with the digestion and transformation of ingested food into metabolisable is known as specific dynamic action (SDA). SDA can represent a major component of respiratory energy budg~t. To determine the food ration and growth performance of fish, it is necessary to know the specific dynamic action which may range from 4 to 45% of the ingested energy and generally approaching 30% of the gross energy ingested. In poikilotherms SDA has been observed as a post-prandial increase in the rate of oxygen consumption expressed as :tng0 2 (then converted into KJ or Kcal). Following food ingestion the oxygen consumption rate in fish increases and then gradually declines back to its resting level (J obling 1980). The principal component of SDA effect - the total magnitude, the peak increased level and the duration (Jobling 1980). The "magnitude" is the sum of excess metabolic heat production expressed as mg02 (or expressed into Kcal) induced by the ingested meal, integrated from the time
VirB1, a component of the T-complex transfer machinery of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, is processed to a C-terminal secreted product, VirB1

During genetic transformation of plant cells by Agrobacterium tumefaciens, 11 VirB proteins and VirD4 are proposed to form a transmembrane bridge to transfer a DNA-protein complex (T-complex) into the plant cytoplasm. In this study, the localization of the first product of the virB operon, VirB1, was studied in detail. While full-length VirB1 localized mostly to the inner membrane, an immunoreactive VirB1 product was found as soluble processed form, designated VirB1*. Equal amounts of VirB1* could be detected in concentrated culture supernatants versus associated with the cell. VirB1* was purified from the supernatant of vir-induced cells by ammonium sulfate precipitation and Q-Sepharose chromatography. Sequence analysis of the N terminus of VirB1* localized the processing site after amino acid 172 of VirB1. Cell-associated VirB1* was partly removed by vortexing, suggesting a loose association with the cell or active secretion. However, cross-linking and coimmunoprecipitation showed a close association of cell-bound VirB1* with the VirB9-VirB7 heterodimer, a membrane-associated component of the T-complex transfer machinery. Homologies of the N-terminal part of VirB1 to bacterial transglycosylases suggest that it may assist T-complex transfer by local lysis of the bacterial cell wall, whereas the exposed localization of the C-terminal processing product VirB1* predicts direct interaction with the plant. Thus, VirB1 may be a bifunctional protein where both parts have different functions in T-complex transfer from Agrobacterium to plant cells.
Sargan's wage equation: A theoretical and empirical reconstruction

Sargan's (1964) wage equation is respecified within the feedback control framework to which it belongs and confronted with quaterly British data. The amended version clearly out-performs the original and a version estimated over 1967(I)–1974(IV) yields acceptable predictions through 1975(I)–1977(IV).