Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low-Dose Vitamin D Prevents Muscular Atrophy and Reduces Falls and Hip Fractures in Women after Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE Vitamin D supplementation is suggested to reduce the risk of falls among ambulatory or institutionalized elderly subjects. The present study was undertaken to address the reduced risk of falls and hip fractures in patients with long-standing stroke by vitamin D supplementation. METHODS Ninety-six elderly women with poststroke hemiplegia were followed for two years. Patients were randomly assigned to one of the two groups, and 48 patients received 1,000 IU ergocalciferol daily, and the remaining 48 received placebo. The number of falls per person and incidence of hip fractures were compared between the two groups. Strength and tissue ATPase of skeletal muscles on the nonparetic side were assessed before and after the study. RESULTS At baseline, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were in the deficient range (<10 ng/ml) in all patients; and vitamin D treatment enhanced serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels. Vitamin D treatment accounted for a 59% reduction in falls (95% CI, 28-81%; p = 0.003). There were increases in the relative number and size of type II muscle fibers and improved muscle strength in the vitamin D-treated group. Hip fractures occurred in 4 of 48 placebo group and 0 in 48 vitamin D2 group during the 2-year study period (log-rank, p = 0.049). CONCLUSION Vitamin D may increase muscle strength by improving atrophy of type II muscle fibers, which may lead to decreased falls and hip fractures.
Empirical essays on the governance of financial institutions

The four essays in this dissertation examine various topics related to the governance of financial institutions. The essays focus on the behavior and performance of pension funds and banks with the aim to identify suboptimal features in their institutional setup. Part I examines the management of pension funds with a focus on operating costs and investment behavior. In particular, the first essay examines the variation in operating costs of pension funds and shows that this is mainly explained by (unutilized) economies of scale and to a lesser extent by the type of fund (industry funds are most efficient). The second essay studies the variation of investment sophistication and shows that less sophisticated pension funds tend to mitigate their lack of sophistication by selecting investment policies with a lower risk profile. The third essay examines the variation of pension fund investment policies over time and shows that this is influenced by the short- and medium-term performance of the stock market. Part II focuses on a market mechanism that provides economic incentives to limit risk taking in the banking system. Specifically, the last essay shows that a variation in bank risk influences the supply of uninsured deposits. This study also shows that the introduction of explicit deposit insurance significantly reduces market discipline by depositors, thereby increasing incentives for banks to take (excessive) risks.
Comparative evaluation of dietary supplementation with mannan oligosaccharide and oregano essential oil in forced molted and fully fed laying hens between 82 and 106 weeks of age.

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of feed-grade preparations of mannan oligosaccharides ( MOS: ) and oregano essential oil ( OEO: ) in forced molted or fully fed 82-week-old, laying hens. A 2 × 3 factorial experiment investigated the influence of molting vs. full feeding and dietary supplements [i.e., unsupplemented control, MOS (1 g/kg) diet, and OEO (24 mg/kg) diet] on production parameters, egg quality, serum stress indicators, blood constituents, tibial characteristics, liver antioxidant status, and cecal microflora composition. A total of 864 Single Comb White Leghorn hens were randomly assigned to 6 treatments, each with 6 replicates of 24 hens each, and studied for 25 wk. Hens were fed a molt diet containing of 50% alfalfa and 50% wheat bran ( AA+WB: ) for 12 d, then returned to the laying ration. Results indicate that molt vs. full feed impacted more on most variables measured than supplementation or supplement type. Significant (P < 0.01) interactions between molting and diet were observed for the egg production, egg weight, egg mass, and feed conversion ratio ( FCR: ). In fully fed hens, MOS supplementation improved (P < 0.01) the egg production, egg weight, and FCR, and an OEO addition significantly improved the egg production and FCR in forced molted hens. Molting improved egg quality despite the significant regression in ovary and oviduct weight (P < 0.01), though supplements showed no influence. The bone ash (P < 0.01) and mineral content (P < 0.05) of molted hens were significantly lower than those of fully fed counterparts; however, poor mineralization was not reflected in the bones' mechanical properties. No significant differences were observed among treatments for hematological characteristics. Both the MOS and particularly the OEO supplementation improved (P < 0.01) liver antioxidant status and mitigated the significant increase in cecal pathogenic bacteria after molt. Our results indicate that full feeding with an aa+wb diet is an effective non-feed-removal method for molted hens, the benefit of which can be improved with MOS and OEO supplementation.
Optimal Wage Indexation, Foreign-Exchange Intervention and Monetary Policy

This paper deals with the design of optimal monetary policy and with the interaction between the optimal degrees of wage indexation and foreign exchange intervention. The model is governed by the characteristics of the stochastic shocks which affect the economy and by the information set that individuals possess. Because of cost of negotiations, nominal wages are assumed to be precontracted and wage adjustments follow a simple indexation rule that links wage changes to observed changes in price. The use of the price level as the only indicator for wage adjustments may not permit an efficient use of available information and, may result in welfare loss. The analysis specifies the optimal set of feedback rules that should govern policy aiming at the minimization of the welfare loss. These feedback rules determine the optimal response of monetary policy to changes in exchange rates, interest rates and foreign prices. The adoption of the optimal set of feedback rules results in the complete elimination of the welfare cost arising from the simple indexation rule and from the existence of nominal contracts. Since optimal policies succeed in the elimination of the distortions, issues concerning the nature of contracts and the implications of specific assumptions about disequilibrium positions become inconsequential. The analysis then proceeds to examine the interdependence between the optimal feedback rules and the optimal degree of wage indexation. It is shown that a rise in the degree of exchange rate flexibility raises the optimal degree of wage indexation. One of the key conclusions is the proposition that the number of independent feedback rules that govern a policy must equal the number of independent sources of information that influence the determination of the undistorted equilibrium. Thus, it is shown that with a sufficient number of feedback rules for monetary policy there may be no need to introduce wage indexation. It is also shown that an economy that is not able to choose freely an exchange rate regime can still eliminate the welfare loss by supplementing the(constrained) monetary policy with an optimal rule for wage indexation. The paper concludes with an examination of the consequences of departures from optimal policy by comparing the welfare loss resulting from the imposition of alternative constraints on the degree of wage indexation, on foreign exchange intervention and on the magnitudes of other policy feedback coefficients.
The Value of Air Quality Forecasting in the Mid-Atlantic Region

AbstractAir quality forecasts produced by the National Air Quality Forecast Capability (NAQFC), human air quality forecasters, and persistence are evaluated for predictive skill and economic value when used to inform decisions regarding pollutant emission and exposure. Surface ozone forecasts and observations were collected from 40 monitors representing eight forecast regions throughout Washington, D.C.; Virginia; and Maryland over the 2005–09 ozone seasons (April–October). The skill of the forecasts are quantified using discrete statistics, such as correlation, mean bias, and root-mean-square error, and categorical statistics, such as exceedance hit rate, false alarm rate, and critical success index. The value of the forecasts are quantified using a decision model based on costs to protect the public against a poor air quality event and the losses incurred if no protective measures are taken. The results indicate that the most skillful forecast method is not necessarily the most valuable forecast method.
Primera aproximación de un sistema de recuperación de información booleano con expansión semántica de consultas

Resumen. En el presente trabajo se propone una aproximacion que utiliza la expansion de consultas en un Sistema de Recuperacion de Informacion Booleano (SRIB), con la finalidad de mejorar el nivel de precision de un SRIB sin expansion. Las consultas estan formadas por los conceptos y relaciones existentes en ontoloǵias de dominio. El SRIB sin expansion y con expansion asocia a cada consulta la informacion relevante extraida desde el corpus de dominio. En base a los resultados experimentales obtenidos, se observa que la precision del SRIB con expansion mejora al SRIB sin expansion, al recuperar mas informacion, incluso al identificar mas conceptos con informacion en el corpus, que el sistema tradicional sin expansion. Se analizaron cuatro ontoloǵias de dominio y los resultados experimentales obtenidos resultan ser satisfactorios con esta aproximacion.
Optimal choice of monetary policy instruments in a simple stochastic macro model

I. Introduction, 197. — II. The instrument problem, 199. — III. A static stochastic model, 203. — IV. The combination policy, 208. — V. A dynamic model, 209. — VI. Concluding observations, 214. — Appendix, 215.
Equilibrium and Disequilibrium in Walrasian and Neo-Walrasian Economics

In his 1989 Cambridge doctoral dissertation, The Concept of Equilibrium in Neoclassical Theory, Franco Donzelli observed that, “The history of the neoclassical approach over the last one hundred and twenty years can be interpreted as a history of the relationship between instantaneous and stationary equilibrium models, on the one hand, and of the developments internal to either class of models, on the other” (Donzelli 1989, p. 31).
Comparison of Sensitization to Ambulation‐increasing Effects of Cocaine and Methamphetamine after Repeated Administration in Mice

Abstract— The effects of repeated (5 times) subcutaneous administration of cocaine (10, 20 or 40 mg kg−1) and methamphetamine (1, 2 or 4 mg kg−1) at 3–4 day intervals have been compared in mice placed individually into tilting activity cages. A progressive enhancement of the ambulation‐increasing effect was noted for 3–4 h after each administration, indicating that sensitization occurred. This occurrence and the existence of an optimal dose producing sensitization were similar for both drugs. However, enhancement of the effect after cocaine progressed rapidly and maximum sensitization was observed earlier than after methamphetamine administration. Moreover, the higher doses of cocaine (40 mg kg−1) caused stereotypies concurrent with preconvulsive signs of short duration that were enhanced by serial administration. In contrast, methamphetamine caused a more progressive enhancement, but stereotypies with no preconvulsive signs were produced by the higher dose (4 mg kg−1). The respective, effective doses for the development of enhancement suggested that cocaine was less potent than methamphetamine in producing sensitization. Cross‐sensitization occurred between both drugs. Thus, sensitization to cocaine was distinct from that to methamphetamine due to differences in its rapidity, intensity, and the presence or absence of preconvulsive changes.
On the divergence-free finite element method for the Stokes equations and the P 1 Powell-Sabin divergence-free element

A general framework for the conforming kk−1 mixed element method is set up. Because such a method would always produce point wise divergence-free solutions for the velocity and the mixed element can always be reduced to a conforming k element for the vector Laplace equations, we name it the divergence-free finite element method. It is shown that the method always has a unique solution. Further, the method is guaranteed to provide optimal-order solutions if some subspace of C1k+1 on the same triangular or hexahedral grid has the optimal-order approximation property. The framework is applied to the 1 divergence-free element on Powell-Sabin triangulations. Numerical tests are provided.
Introduction to Discrete Time Option Pricing

In this seminar, we plan to cover the risk-neutral pricing of linear and non-linear payoffs, the model-independent Put-Call Parity and the Binomial Model for option pricing in discrete time. We will focus on the idea of dynamic replication in the multi-period Binomial Model, which naturally leads to the martingale pricing approach and the Fundamental Theorem of Risk-Neutral Pricing. If time permits, we will introduce the Monte Carlo simulations approach to pricing European options in the Binomial Model framework.
Competing Recombinant Technologies for Environmental Innovation

This discussion paper resulted in a publication in 'Industry and Innovation', 2011, 18(3), 317-334. This article presents a model of sequential decisions about investments in environmentally dirty and clean technologies, which extends the path-dependence framework of Arthur (1989). This allows us to evaluate if and how an economy locked into a dirty technology can be unlocked and move towards the clean technology. The main extension involves the inclusion of the effect of recombinant innovation of the two technologies. A mechanism of endogenous competition is described involving a positive externality of increasing returns to investment which are counterbalanced by recombinant innovation. We determine conditions under which lock-in can be avoided or escaped. A second extension is "symmetry breaking" of the the system due to the introduction of an environmental policy that charges a price for polluting. A final extension adds a cost of environmental policy in the form of lower returns on investment implemented through a growth-depressing factor. We compare cumulative pollution under different scenarios, so that we can evaluate the combination of environmental regulation and recombinant innovation.
Environment in Industrial Ecology, Grasping a Complex Notion for Enhancing Industrial Synergies at Territorial Scales

Identifying the most relevant environment related indicators and how to make them available to decision-makers are current issues. Some seek to enhance their efficiency by means of methods such as aggregations or weighting. More fundamentally, in this chapter we question how industrial ecologists appropriate the notion of environment. On the basis of multidisciplinary research, we argue that, in contexts of geographically bounded networks of social actors forging industrial synergies, environmental questions should be posed from the viewpoint of the actors. Our work might aid to operationalize the complex notion of environment in such contexts, and constitutes a call to develop anthropocentric approaches to defining environmental indications followed by appropriated indicators.
Predictors of future exacerbations in a multi-ethnic Asian population with asthma

ABSTRACT Objective: Exacerbations are important outcomes in asthma. Risk factors for exacerbations may differ in different populations. Although various demographic and clinical variables were examined in previous studies on exacerbation risks in asthma, important variables such as ethnicity, adherence, and medication titration were not included. This study examined independent predictors of future exacerbations in a multi-ethnic asthma population in Asia, while including the variables of ethnicity, medication adherence, and medication change in our analysis. Methods: We recruited patients with physician-diagnosed asthma in a tertiary hospital in Singapore over a one-year period. Exacerbations requiring ≥3 days of systemic corticosteroids one year prior to study enrolment (previous exacerbations) and the year following enrolment (future exacerbations) were recorded from electronic medical records. Medication adherence was based on pharmacy refill. An increase or a decrease in the Global Initiative for Asthma treatment steps were considered to be medication up- and down-titration, respectively. A multivariate logistic regression model was constructed to determine independent predictors of future exacerbations. Results: The study cohort of 340 patients comprised mainly of Chinese (53.2%), Malay (32.9%), and Indian (9.7%) ethnicities. After multivariate analysis, only Indian ethnicity (OR 3.75, 95% CI 1.077–13.051, p = 0.038), Asthma Control Test score (OR 0.913, 95% CI 0.839–0.995, p = 0.037), and the number of previous exacerbations (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.416–2.391, p < 0.001) were independent predictors of future exacerbations. Conclusions: There are ethnic differences in exacerbation risk in Asian populations. Each incremental worsening of the asthma symptom control score and each additional exacerbation also increases the risk of future exacerbations.
Atoms for Peace, Redux: Energy Codependency for Sustained Cooperation on the Korean Peninsula

North Korea's nuclear program is a threat to sustained stability on the Korean peninsula. Unfortunately, the traditional notion of “Atoms for Peace" has been a failure in the engagement of the North. In this paper we propose a novel approach to mutual cooperation in energy provision on the Korean peninsula, premised on having North Korea host reactors that deliver energy to South Korea. We establish conditions where there exists a stable, time-consistent equilibrium where the North never finds it in its interest to disrupt energy supplies to the South, and where the South is willing to pay the fixed costs of nuclear plant construction in exchange for a discounted stream of energy supply from the North. We also show that third-party income streams can augment the cooperative relationship.
Unveiling soil degradation and desertification risk in the Mediterranean basin: a data mining analysis of the relationships between biophysical and socioeconomic factors in agro-forest landscapes

Soil degradation and desertification processes in the Mediterranean basin reflect the interplay between environmental and socioeconomic drivers. An approach to evaluate comparatively the multiple relationships between biophysical variables and socioeconomic factors is illustrated in the present study using the data collected from 586 field sites located in five Mediterranean areas (Spain, Greece, Turkey, Tunisia and Morocco). A total of 47 variables were chosen to illustrate land-use, farm characteristics, population pressure, tourism development, rainfall regime, water availability, soil properties and vegetation cover, among others. A data mining approach incorporating non-parametric inference, principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering was developed to identify candidate syndromes of soil degradation and desertification risk. While field sites in the same study area showed a substantial similarity, the multivariate relationship among variables diverged among study areas. Data mining techniques proved to be a practical tool to identify spatial determinants of soil degradation and desertification risk. Our findings identify the contrasting spatial patterns for biophysical and socioeconomic variables, in turn associated with different responses to land degradation.
Direct experimental evidence that early‐life farm environment influences regulation of immune responses

To cite this article: Lewis MC, Inman CF, Patel D, Schmidt B, Mulder I, Miller B, Gill BP, Pluske J, Kelly D, Stokes CR, Bailey M. Direct experimental evidence that early‐life farm environment influences regulation of immune responses. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2012: 23: 265–269.
Legitimate data in remote monitoring

An approach for ensuring legitimate data transfers of an individual within a remote healthcare solution. Biometric traits and networking are discussed for clarification of the approach. In this approach, a biometric solution is identified as a fingerprint scanner for use in a personal area network of the patient's home. Secure data exchange is acknowledged as a potential weakness in the transferring of patient data within this network. Some options are discussed to ensure security of data for the review by the caregiver. Example approaches regarding legitimacy are identified using a pulse oximeter [1], a blood pressure meter, and a weight scale as the remote patient devices in the remote healthcare solution.
Suppressed Negative Information and Future

I present evidence of inefficient information processing in equity markets by documenting that negative information withheld by securities analysts is incorporated in stock prices with a significant delay. I estimate the extent of the withheld negative information based on the proportion of analysts who stop revising their annual earnings forecasts. This measure predicts negative earnings surprises and negative price reaction around earnings announcements. It could also be used to generate profitable trading strategies. I show that institutions tend to sell their stock holdings as my measure of unreported negative news increases, thus ameliorating the mispricing. JEL Classification: G12, G14, G20
A Metasynthesis of Midwife-Led Care

The purpose of this metasynthesis is to describe and interpret qualitative research relating to midwife-led care to see if it sheds light on why low-risk women experience fewer birth interventions within this model of care. Eleven articles were included in the review. Three themes emerged: (a) relationally mediated benefits for women that resulted in increased agency and empathic care; (b) the problematic interface of midwife-led units with host maternity units, stemming from a clash of models and culture; and (c) greater agency for midwives within midwife-led models of care though bounded by the relationship with the host maternity unit. This metasynthesis suggests that lower rates of interventions could be linked to the greater agency experienced by women and midwives within midwife-led models, and that these effects are mediated, in part, by the smallness of scale in these settings.
In vivo measurements of oxygen tension in the cornea, aqueous humor, and anterior lens of the open eye.

Measurements of oxygen profiles across the cornea, aqueous humor, and anterior lens differed from previously calculated values. The aqueous humor oxygen tension in paiticular also differed from previously measured values, being approximately 20 mm. Hg higher. Reasons for these differences are discussed. The tissue oxygen gradients measured confirm the high Qos of lenticular and corneal epithelium and cornea! endothelium. The steady itate Pot in stroma and anterior nucleus reflects the low Qos of these tissues. The profiles reaffirm the atmospheric source of oxygen to the corneal epithelium and stroma of the open eye and suggest that the corneal endothelium and anterior lens are completely nourished by the aqueous humor oxygen.