Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Return on Private Investment in Public Equity

We examine the long-run performance following traditional private placements by Canadian public firms, to provide an explanation for the common observation that such placements are generally followed by abnormally low returns. We investigate 3,291 Canadian private investments in public equity from 1993 to 2003, and we observe a significant long-run post-issue underperformance using a classic Fama-French Three Factor Pricing Model. Adding an investment risk factor, as in Lyandres, Sun and Zhang (2008), to the calendar-time regressions sharply reduces the abnormal performance. We then take into account the discount and show that the long-run return of private equity investors differs from the shareholders' return and is normal on average. In a third step, we split the sample according to the glamour value dimension and according to the firms' investment activity. Only glamour firms with high investment activity are found to underperform in the long run. The underperformance appears to be driven by a subset of firms. Private investors obtain positive returns following private placements, if they invest in value and low investment firms. This supports the hypothesis that private investors correctly assess investment projects of value firms, while they tend to systematically overestimate investment projects of glamour firms that issue equity. Nous etudions la performance boursiere posterieure aux placements prives des societes ouvertes au Canada, pour tenter de determiner l'origine des rendements anormalement faibles qui suivent ce type d'operation de financement. Nous analysons 3291 placements prives effectues entre 1993 et 2003. A l'aide du modele a facteurs de Fama et French, nous observons une contre-performance statistiquement significative que reduit l'ajout du facteur d'investissement, propose par Lyandres, Sun and Zhang (2008). Nous tenons compte ensuite de l'escompte pour estimer le rendement du point de vue des investisseurs prives. Ceux-ci realisent, en moyenne, des rendements superieurs a ceux des autres actionnaires. Ces rendements sont normaux compte tenu du niveau de risque. Dans une troisieme etape, nous divisons l'echantillon en fonction des caracteristiques des emetteurs. Les seuls titres qui generent des rendements fortement negatifs sont ceux d'entreprises de croissance dont l'activite d'investissement est importante. Les investisseurs prives realisent des rendements positifs lorsqu'ils choisissent des titres de valeur d'entreprises qui investissent peu mais ils surevaluent systematiquement les projets d'investissement des titres de croissance.
Roads, Railroads, and Decentralization of Chinese Cities

Abstract We investigate how urban railroad and highway configurations have influenced urban form in Chinese cities since 1990. Each radial highway displaces 4% of central city population to surrounding regions, and ring roads displace about an additional 20%, with stronger effects in the richer coastal and central regions. Each radial railroad reduces central city industrial GDP by about 20%, with ring roads displacing an additional 50%. We provide evidence that radial highways decentralize service sector activity, radial railroads decentralize industrial activity, and ring roads decentralize both. Historical transportation infrastructure provides identifying variation in more recent measures of infrastructure.
Characterising the Role of GABA and Its Metabolism in the Wheat Pathogen Stagonospora nodorum

A reverse genetics approach was used to investigate the role of γ-aminobutyric acid metabolism in the wheat pathogenic fungus Stagonospora nodorum. The creation of mutants lacking Sdh1, the gene encoding succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase, resulted in strains that grew poorly on γ-aminobutyric acid as a nitrogen source. The sdh1 mutants were more susceptible to reactive oxygen stress but were less affected by increased growth temperatures. Pathogenicity assays revealed that the metabolism of γ-aminobutyric acid is required for complete pathogenicity. Growth assays of the wild-type and mutant strains showed that the inclusion of γ-aminobutyric acid as a supplement in minimal media (i.e., not as a nitrogen or carbon source) resulted in restricted growth but increased sporulation. The addition of glutamate, the precursor to GABA, had no effect on either growth or sporulation. The γ-aminobutyric acid effect on sporulation was found to be dose dependent and not restricted to Stagonospora nodorum with a similar effect observed in the dothideomycete Botryosphaeria sp. The positive effect on sporulation was assayed using isomers of γ-aminobutyric acid and other metabolites known to influence asexual development in Stagonospora nodorum but no effect was observed. These data demonstrate that γ-aminobutyric acid plays an important role in Stagonospora nodorum in responding to environmental stresses while also having a positive effect on asexual development.
Bone turnover and nutritional status in Crohn's disease: relationship to circulating mononuclear cell function and response to fish oil and antioxidants

Crohn's disease is associated with osteoporosis, malnutrition and altered function of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). The responses of circulating immune cells and extra-intestinal manifestations to increased inflammatory activity and to modulation by dietary supplementation are uncertain. The relationships between disease status, bone turnover and body mass and composition, PBMC function and fatty acid availability have been investigated in patients with Crohn's disease. The availability of n-3 and n-6 PUFA is altered in adult patients and interferon (IFN)-γ production by PBMC is lower. Increased inflammatory activity is associated with increased bone resorption in adult patients and decreased body mass in paediatric patients. In healthy male subjects there is a proportionate relationship between supplementary intake of EPA and DHA (0.3–2.0 g as fish oil/d) in combination with antioxidants (vitamins A, C and E and Se) and incorporation into plasma phospholipids and PBMC, and a non-linear relationship with PBMC synthesis of TNF-α, IL-6 and prostaglandin E2 (decrease) and IFN-γ (increase). In adults with Crohn's disease high-dose fish oil (2.7 g EPA+DHA/d) in combination with antioxidants (vitamins A, C and E and Se) increases the EPA and DHA content of PBMC and decreases the production of IFN-γ by PBMC, but is not associated with effects on bone turnover or nutritional status.
Software Accessibility: Recommendations and Guidelines

The paper deals with problems that people with special needs have when using information technology products. Many software developers are not even aware of the problem, although people with disabilities nowadays represent a considerably market share. In recent times, more accessible software design is encouraged also by the national laws. The aim of this paper is to point out the difficulties and obstacles that most software applications pose to the disabled people and to seek for the guidelines on accessible software design
Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies and the Evolution of Galaxies and Active Galaxies

Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) are intriguing owing to their continuum as well as emission-line properties. The observed peculiar properties of the NLS1s are believed to be as a result of an accretion rate close to the Eddington limit. As a consequence of this, for a given luminosity, NLS1s have smaller black hole (BH) masses compared with normal Seyfert galaxies. Here we argue that NLS1s might be Seyfert galaxies in their early stage of evolution and as such may be low-redshift, low-luminosity analogues of high-redshift quasars. We propose that NLS1s may reside in rejuvenated, gas-rich galaxies. We also argue in favour of collisional ionization for production of Fe ii in active galactic nuclei.
Social Responsibility in the Global Market: Fair Trade of Cultural Products

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION TO FAIR TRADE IN THE GLOBAL MARKET Philosophy, Practices and Organizational Culture Scholarly Perspectives for Analysis of Fair Trade PART TWO: INCOME, JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT THROUGH FAIR TRADE Ten Thousand Villages A Mission-Driven Journey SERRV Alternative Distribution, Philosophical Considerations and Hard Business Decisions Pueblo to People Balancing Politics and Business Marketplace Handwork of India 'Soaring with Strong Wings' Focused Players with Pragmatic Approaches PART THREE: DIVERSE STAKEHOLDERS IN THE SYSTEM OF FAIR TRADE Artisan Producer Groups 'Our Hands Are Our Future' ATO Consumers Creative, Practical and Concerned Challenges in Product Development PART FOUR: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR MAXIMIZING SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY THROUGH FAIR TRADE Strategic Appropriateness for the Global Market The Future for Alternative Trade Organizations
Breast-feeding duration: influence on taste acceptance over the first year of life

Early feeding experiences, e.g. related to milk feeding, can affect later food and taste preferences. However, consequences of breast-feeding on taste acceptance are under-investigated. The objective of the present study was to examine the impact of exclusive breast-feeding duration (DEB) on taste acceptance at 6 and 12 months in the same infants (n 122). Mothers recorded the DEB. Acceptance of solutions of each of the five basic tastes relative to water was evaluated in the laboratory at 6 and 12 months by the ingestion ratio (IR). Kendall correlations were calculated between the DEB and the IR. Only 16 % completed at least 6 months of exclusive breast-feeding; 79 % had begun complementary feeding by 6 months. At 6 months, infants preferred sweet, salty and umami solutions over water and were indifferent to sour and bitter solutions. The longer an infant was breast-fed, the more s/he accepted the umami solution at 6 months. At 12 months, infants preferred sweet and salty solutions over water and were indifferent to sour, bitter and umami solutions. The relationship between the DEB and acceptance of the umami solution was not observed at 12 months. No relationship was observed between the DEB and sweet, salty, sour and bitter taste acceptance at 6 or 12 months. The association between the DEB and umami taste acceptance at 6 months may relate to the higher glutamate content of human milk compared with formula milk. Beyond the acknowledged metabolic benefits of breast-feeding, this suggests that prolonged breast-feeding could also be associated with an impact on sensory preference at the beginning of complementary feeding.
Differences in Force-Frequency Relationships and Calcium Dependency Between Elasmobranch and Teleost Hearts

Ventricle strips from little skate ( Raja erinacea ), spiny dogfish ( Squalus acanthias ), black dogfish ( Etmopterus spinax ), sea raven ( Hemitripterus americanus ), cod ( Gadus morhua ), hagfish ( Myxine glutinosa ) and white sturgeon ( Acipenser transmontanus ) were mounted for isometric force recording. Force development was assessed as a function of external calcium concentration and frequency of contraction. Post-rest potentiation was determined in skate and the teleost species to assess indirectly calcium storage capacities. Sea raven and cod preparations were also treated with ryanodine to assess the importance of calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Ventricle strips from skate and black dogfish showed a five-fold increase in force development when external calcium was raised from a physiological to a saturating level. Force development by ventricle strips from other species tested increased by only about 50% over the same range of calcium concentration. For all elasmobranchs tested, an elevation in frequency of contraction of ventricle strips resulted first in an increase and subsequently in a decrease in force development. The apices of the curves were well within the physiological range of heart rates exhibited by these species. Preparations from teleosts showed only a decrease in force development when contraction frequency was elevated. Skate ventricle strips exhibited a very marked post-rest potentiation at 3mmoll−1 external calcium. This protocol is considered to reflect the importance of intracellular calcium stores in the beat-to-beat maintenance of contractility. Sea raven and cod ventricle strips did not show any major post-rest potentiation, suggesting that calcium storage in hearts of these species is minimal. Ryanodine treatment had no effect upon sea raven and cod heart preparations. This approach further implies that calcium release from sarcoplasmic reticulum is not critical in these species.
Using Gaussian Processes for Rumour Stance Classification in Social Media

Social media tend to be rife with rumours while new reports are released piecemeal during breaking news. Interestingly, one can mine multiple reactions expressed by social media users in those situations, exploring their stance towards rumours, ultimately enabling the flagging of highly disputed rumours as being potentially false. In this work, we set out to develop an automated, supervised classifier that uses multi-task learning to classify the stance expressed in each individual tweet in a rumourous conversation as either supporting, denying or questioning the rumour. Using a classifier based on Gaussian Processes, and exploring its effectiveness on two datasets with very different characteristics and varying distributions of stances, we show that our approach consistently outperforms competitive baseline classifiers. Our classifier is especially effective in estimating the distribution of different types of stance associated with a given rumour, which we set forth as a desired characteristic for a rumour-tracking system that will warn both ordinary users of Twitter and professional news practitioners when a rumour is being rebutted.
De-identifying people in videos using neural art

We propose a computer vision-based de-identification pipeline that enables automated segmentation of humans in videos and effective protection of their identities. Due to the ubiquity of video surveillance, many jurisdictions implement strict regulations for the protection of personal data in publicly collected video sequences, requiring the data to be de-identified. However, soft biometric and non-biometric features like clothing, hair color, personal items, skin marks, etc., are often overlooked in the process. Assuming a surveillance scenario, we combine GMM-based background subtraction with an improved version of the GrabCut algorithm to find and segment pedestrians. We use the responses of a deep neural network to de-identify soft and non-biometric features through style mixing with images of other pedestrians. Our method produces de-identified versions of the input frames while preserving the naturalness and utility of the de-identified data.
Discovery of a 66 mas Ultracool Binary with Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics

We present the discovery of 2MASS J21321145+1341584AB as a closely separated (0.066″), very low mass field dwarf binary, resolved in the near-infrared by the Keck II telescope using laser guide star adaptive optics. Physical association is deduced from the angular proximity of the components and constraints on their common proper motion. We have obtained a near-infrared spectrum of the binary and find that it is best described by an L5 ± 0.5 primary and an L7.5 ± 0.5 secondary. Model-dependent masses predict that the two components straddle the hydrogen-burning limit threshold, with the primary likely stellar and the secondary likely substellar. The properties of this system—close projected separation (1.8 ± 0.3 AU) and near-unity mass ratio—are consistent with previous results for very low mass field binaries. The relatively short estimated orbital period of this system (∼7-12 yr) makes it a good target for dynamical mass measurements. It is interesting to note that the system's angular separation is the tightest yet for any very low mass binary published from a ground-based telescope and that it is the tightest binary discovered with laser guide star adaptive optics to date.
Feature Diagrams: A Survey and a Formal Semantics

Feature diagrams (FD) are a family of popular modelling languages used for engineering requirements in software product lines. FD were first introduced by Kang as part of the FODA (feature oriented domain analysis) method back in 1990, Since then, various extensions of FODA FD were devised to compensate for a purported ambiguity and lack of precision and expressiveness. However, they never received a proper formal semantics, which is the hallmark of precision and unambiguity as well as a prerequisite for efficient and safe tool automation, In this paper, we first survey FD variants. Subsequently, we generalize the various syntaxes through a generic construction called free feature diagrams (FFD). Formal semantics is defined at the FFD level, which provides unambiguous definition for ail the surveyed FD variants in one shot. All formalisation choices found a clear answer in the original FODA FD definition, which proved that although informal and scattered throughout many pages, it suffered no ambiguity problem. Our definition has several additional advantages: it is formal, concise and generic. We thus argue that it contributes to improve the definition, understanding, comparison and reliable implementation of FD languages
Speech intelligibility in noise using throat and acoustic microphones.

INTRODUCTION Helicopter cockpits are very noisy and this noise must be reduced for effective communication. The standard U.S. Army aviation helmet is equipped with a noise-canceling acoustic microphone, but some ambient noise still is transmitted. Throat microphones are not sensitive to air molecule vibrations and thus, transmittal of ambient noise is reduced. It is possible that throat microphones could enhance speech communication in helicopters, but speech intelligibility with the devices must first be assessed. In the current study, speech intelligibility of signals generated by an acoustic microphone, a throat microphone, and by the combined output of the two microphones was assessed using the Modified Rhyme Test (MRT). METHODS Stimulus words were recorded in a reverberant chamber with ambient broadband noise intensity at 90 and 106 dBA. Listeners completed the MRT task in the same settings, thus simulating the typical environment of a rotary-wing aircraft. RESULTS Results show that speech intelligibility is significantly worse for the throat microphone (average percent correct = 55.97) than for the acoustic microphone (average percent correct = 69.70), particularly for the higher noise level. In addition, no benefit is gained by simultaneously using both microphones. A follow-up experiment evaluated different consonants using the Diagnostic Rhyme Test and replicated the MRT results. DISCUSSION The current results show that intelligibility using throat microphones is poorer than with the use of boom microphones in noisy and in quiet environments. Therefore, throat microphones are not recommended for use in any situation where fast and accurate speech intelligibility is essential.
EQClinic: a platform for learning communication skills in clinical consultations

Background Doctors’ verbal and non-verbal communication skills have an impact on patients’ health outcomes, so it is important for medical students to develop these skills. Traditional, non-verbal communication skills training can involve a tutor manually annotating a student's non-verbal behaviour during patient–doctor consultations, but this is very time-consuming. Tele-conference systems have been used in verbal communication skills training. Methods We describe EQClinic, a system that enables verbal and non-verbal communication skills training during tele-consultations with simulated patients (SPs), with evaluation exercises promoting reflection. Students and SPs can have tele-consultations through the tele-consultation component. In this component, SPs can provide feedback to students through a thumbs-up/ thumbs-down tool and a comments box. EQClinic automatically analyses communication features in the recorded consultations, such as facial expressions, and provides graphical representations. Our 2015 pilot study investigated whether EQClinic helped students be aware of their non-verbal behaviour and improve their communication skills, and evaluated the usability of the platform. Students received automated feedback, and SP and tutor evaluations, and then completed self-assessment and reflection questionnaires. Results Eight medical students and three SPs conducted 13 tele-consultations using EQClinic. More students paid attention to their non-verbal communication and students who were engaged in two consultations felt more confident in their second consultation. Students rated the system positively, felt comfortable using it (5.9/7), and reported that the structure (5.4/7) and information (5.8/7) were clear. This pilot provides evidence that EQClinic helps, and positively influences, medical students practise their communication skills with SPs using a tele-conference platform. Discussion It is not easy to improve non-verbal communication skills in a short time period. Further evaluation of EQClinic with larger numbers will ascertain learning gains and application in health professional training. Developing a standard model for the assessment of non-verbal behaviour in tele-consultations and providing students with more valuable evaluation and suggestions are part of our future work.
THE ANOMALOUS TRANSPORT IN TURBULENT PLASMAS

The problem of turbulent particle transport is still unsolved even for simple fluid models. In order to overcome the limitations related to the our incomplete mathematical understanding of the tokamak plasma turbulence, limitations related to the stability problems in numerical simulations, the concepts Self Organized Criticality (SOC) was proposed in [1], and partially justified analytically, by Random Linear Amplification model (RLA) in [2]. This work is intended to explore the possibility of first principle foundation, generalization, and application in the study of the anomalous particle transport, of the SOC and RLA models. The efforts are provided in the perspective of using the generalization of the SOC& RLA models, in order to elaborate “wind tunnel approach” for the optimization or design of next generation of tokamak.
Do Anxiety and Depression Predict Persistent Physical Symptoms After a Severe COVID-19 Episode? A Prospective Study

Background: Persistent physical symptoms are common after a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) episode, but their pathophysiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to explore the association between anxiety and depression at 1-month after acute infection and the presence of fatigue, dyspnea, and pain complaints at 3-month follow-up. Methods: We conducted a prospective study in patients previously hospitalized for COVID-19 followed up for 3 months. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD-S) was administered by physicians at 1-month follow-up, and the presence of fatigue, dyspnea, and pain complaints was assessed at both 1 month and 3 months. Multivariable logistic regressions explored the association between anxiety and depression subscores and the persistence of each of the physical symptom at 3 months. Results: A total of 84 patients were included in this study (Median age: 60 years, interquartile range: 50.5–67.5 years, 23 women). We did not find any significant interaction between anxiety and the presence of fatigue, dyspnea, or pain complaints at 1 month in predicting the persistence of these symptoms at 3 months (all p ≥ 0.36). In contrast, depression significantly interacted with the presence of pain at 1 month in predicting the persistence of pain at 3 months (OR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.02–2.51, p = 0.039), with a similar trend for dyspnea (OR: 1.51, 95% CI: 0.99–2.28, p = 0.052). Discussion and Conclusion: Contrary to anxiety, depression after an acute COVID-19 episode may be associated with and increased risk of some persistent physical symptoms, including pain and dyspnea.