Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Retirement Savings and Portfolio Choices in Taxable and Tax-Deferred Accounts

This study attempts to explain the observed asset allocation and location decisions for households making taxable and tax-deferred investment. I incorporate employer matching policies and other pension account characteristics into a life-cycle model of optimal intertemporal consumption and portfolio choice, which includes a taxable saving account and a tax-deferred retirement saving account. The model is estimated using data from the Surveys of Consumer Finances (1992 to 2007), and the structural parameters are recovered by the Method of Simulated Moments. After modeling the features of U.S. pension system, the predicted policy rules are able to explain the observed portfolio patterns of American households, who are more likely to hold equities in the tax-deferred pension account. The estimates and results show that employer matching induces higher proportion of total wealth held in the pension account, so investors tend to boost equity investments in the taxdeferred account to enjoy the higher returns and reduce equity holdings in the taxable account for precautionary saving purpose. I find that an increase of 10 percent in employer match rate makes investors boost the average equity proportion in the pension account by 10 percent and reduce those holdings in the taxable account by 22 percent. In contrast, since the employer stock match exposes the households to a riskier situation in the pension account than the cash match, it causes households voluntarily to hold less equity in that account, resulting in an average decrease of 4 percent in the equity ownership and 3 percent in the conditional equity proportion. Moreover, the policy experiment reveals that a deletion of Social Security taxes and payments makes the pension account the only source of retirement income, so households tend to put a higher proportion of savings in the tax-deferred account, and they are likely to invest conservatively and hold about 25 percent more of pension wealth in relatively safe assets.
Decadal scale patterns of shoreline variability in Paulatuk, N.W.T, Canada

ABSTRACT Dynamic changes in shoreline position as a result of natural processes and the effects of climate variability increase the susceptibility of Arctic communities that reside along the coastal zone. The application of new geospatial approaches is critical to providing updated measurements of shoreline change, necessary for sustainable coastal management strategies. This research is an integration of geographic data demarcating shoreline position and its analysis to detect change using an updated modeling application – Analyzing Moving Boundaries Using R (AMBUR). Rates-of-change were evaluated over three time periods: long-term (1984–2016); and two short-term eras (1995–2005; 2006–2016). The short-term periods were specifically chosen to assess the influence of changing sea-ice regimes, increased storm intensity, and elevated air and sea-surface temperatures. Results indicate a significant alongshore increase in the rates of erosion and the spatial extent of land loss across both segments of the study area over the short-term. Mean annual rates of change increased over the most recent period (2006–2016) along the eastern segment (−0.34 m/yr) of the study area, while the western shoreline retreated at a rate of −0.24 m/yr over the same interval. These are the highest erosion rates over any time period examined in this study. As air and ocean temperature increases continue to facilitate sea ice reduction and increased permafrost thawing, shoreline erosion may be exacerbated along the Paulatuk coastline in the coming years.
Experience with screening newborns for Duchenne muscular dystrophy in Wales.

OBJECTIVES--To assess the acceptability of screening newborn boys for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. DESIGN--Screening is offered on the basis of informed consent in response to an information sheet entitled "A new test for baby boys--Do you want it? " The programme includes a prospective long term evaluation of family responses to early diagnosis and a comparison of their experiences and perceptions with those families who have undergone the later traditional clinical diagnosis. SETTING--All maternity units throughout Wales. Samples obtained through screening programme for phenylketonuria and congenital hypothyroidism. SUBJECTS--Those families whose son had a positive screening test. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Creatine kinase activity. Venous blood test to confirm positive result. Molecular genetic mutation analysis. Muscle biopsy and dystrophin analysis. Qualitative measure of satisfaction among affected families. RESULTS--34,219 Boys have been screened and nine affected families have been identified. Eight families were very positive about the programme. Three chose not to complete the diagnostic process. CONCLUSION--The programme should continue to permit a full evaluation of the issues involved and should serve as a model for other initiatives within the community for genetic disease.
Social regulation of maternal traits in nest-founding bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) queens

SUMMARY During the nest-founding phase of the bumble bee colony cycle, queens undergo striking changes in maternal care behavior. Early in the founding phase, prior to the emergence of workers in the nest, queens are reproductive and also provision and feed their offspring. However, later in the founding phase, queens reduce their feeding of larvae and become specialized on reproduction. This transition is synchronized with the emergence of workers in the colony, who assume the task of feeding their siblings. Using a social manipulation experiment with the bumble bee Bombus terrestris, we tested the hypothesis that workers regulate the transition from feeding brood to specialization on reproduction in nest-founding bumble bee queens. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found that early-stage nest-founding queens with workers prematurely added to their nests reduce their brood-feeding behavior and increase egg laying, and likewise, late-stage nest-founding queens increase their brood-feeding behavior and decrease egg-laying when workers are removed from their nests. Further, brood-feeding and egg-laying behaviors were negatively correlated. We used Agilent microarrays designed from B. terrestris brain expressed sequenced tags (ESTs) to explore a second hypothesis, that workers alter brain gene expression in nest-founding queens. We found evidence that brain gene expression in nest-founding queens is altered by the presence of workers, with the effect being much stronger in late-stage founding queens. This study provides new insights into how the transition from feeding brood to specialization on reproduction in queen bumble bees is regulated during the nest initiation phase of the colony cycle.
Plant tolerance to nickel toxicity: I. Influx, transport, and accumulation of nickel in four species

Abstract Plant tolerance to nickel (Ni) toxicity depends on plant differences for uptake and distribution within tissues. Differences among and within species for Ni tolerance/accumulation might be used to identify or develop plants for remediation of high Ni soil conditions. Solution culture experiments were conducted under controlled conditions to determine influx (IN) into roots, transport (TR) from roots to shoots, and accumulation of Ni in four plant species grown at different Ni levels. White clover (Trifolium repens L.) had high dry matter (DM) at high Ni levels because of its low IN and TR of Ni. At Ni levels <60 μM, maize (Zea mays L.) had high DM probably because of its low TR even though it had high IN of Ni. Ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) was sensitive to Ni toxicity because of its high IN and TR of Ni. The sensitivity of cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.) to Ni toxicity was correlated with high TR even though it had low IN of Ni. Nickel accumulation in shoots was relatively high for c.
Evidence for an unconventional virus in mouse-adapted Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Homogenates of a human brain from a case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and a homogenate of mouse brains from mouse passage 1 of the disease in mice contained no detectable conventional viruses. Both human material and mouse-passaged material were inoculated into nude mice, and the mouse-passaged material was also inoculated into eight different tissue culture lines. The tissue cultures showed no cytopathic changes or hemadsorption and failed to produce an increased amount of reverse transcriptase. The nude mice inoculated with human brain suspensions developed a disease identical to that in immunocompetent mice, with a nearly identical incubation period of 9 to 13 months. The incubation period of the disease in mice was under host genetic control and was, additionally, directly related to the inoculum size. The agent was resistant to 10% Formalin, 5% deoxycholate, 1% Triton X-100, and 5% glutaraldehyde; however, glutaraldehyde treatment resulted in a significant loss of infectivity. Approximately 1 log of infectivity was lost by heating brain suspensions to 80 degrees C for 15 min, with no additional loss upon further incubation up to 45 min. Heating at 100 degrees C for 15 min led to a 3-log loss of infectivity.
Profile of Antibodies to the Nucleocapsid Protein of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-Associated Coronavirus in Probable SARS Patients

ABSTRACT Profiles of antibodies to the nucleocapsid protein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-associated coronavirus in 445 probable SARS patients and 3,749 healthy people or non-SARS patients were analyzed by antigen-capturing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Antinucleocapsid antibodies were elucidated in 17.5% of the probable SARS patients 1 to 7 days after the onset of symptoms and in 80% of the patients 8 to 14 days after the onset. About 90% of the probable SARS patients were positive 15 or more days after illness. Antibody titers increased up to 70 days, and high antibody titers were maintained at least for another 3 months. Of the healthy people and non-SARS patients, only seven (0.187%) were weakly positive.
A new deep-water goatfish of the genus Upeneus ( Mullidae ) from northern Australia and the Philippines , with a taxonomic account of U . subvittatus and remarks on U . mascareinsis

Upeneus stenopsis n. sp. is described based on four specimens collected off northern Australia and Quezon Island, Philippines, at depths between 165 to 275 m and compared with four closely related species: the deep-water dwelling Upeneus davidaromi (Red Sea) and U. mascareinsis (Western Indian Ocean) and the shallow Indo-West Pacific species, U. subvittatus and U. vittatus. The new species can be distinguished from all other Upeneus species by a narrow caudal peduncle and a combination of morphometric and meristic characters. This is the first record of a deep-water goatfish of the genus Upeneus from the Pacific. A juvenile Upeneus collected off Quezon at 127–142 m depth was also assigned to the new species and compared to four similar-sized (69–79 mm SL) specimens of U. mascareinsis. A diagnosis is provided for U. subvittatus, along with evidence of its occurrence in the Eastern Indian Ocean and interspecific comparisons. The continued need to screen scientific fish collections for the occurrence of undescribed species that have successfully colonized and adapted to the depth zone surrounding the ocean margin is outlined.
Thalassemys bruntrutana n. sp., a new coastal marine turtle from the Late Jurassic of Porrentruy (Switzerland), and the paleobiogeography of the Thalassemydidae

Background. The Swiss Jura Mountains are a key region for Late Jurassic eucryptodiran turtles. Already in the mid 19th century, the Solothurn Turtle Limestone (Solothurn, NW Switzerland) yielded a great amount of Kimmeridgian turtles that are traditionally referred to Plesiochelyidae, Thalassemydidae, and Eurysternidae. In the past few years, fossils of these coastal marine turtles were also abundantly discovered in the Kimmeridgian of the Porrentruy region (NW Switzerland). These findings include numerous sub-complete shells, out of which we present two new specimens of Thalassemys (Thalassemydidae) in this study. Methods. We compare the new material from Porrentruy to the type species Th. hugii, which is based on a well preserved specimen from the Solothurn Turtle Limestone (Solothurn, Switzerland). In order to improve our understanding of the paleogeographic distribution of Thalassemys, anatomical comparisons are extended to Thalassemys remains from other European countries, notably Germany and England. Results. While one of the two Thalassemys specimens from Porrentruy can be attributed to Th. hugii, the other specimen represents a new species, Th. bruntrutana n. sp. It differs from Th. hugii by several features: more elongated nuchal that strongly thickens anterolaterally; wider vertebral scales; proportionally longer plastron; broader and less inclined xiphiplastron; wider angle between scapular process and acromion process. Our results show that Th. hugii and Th. bruntrutana also occur simultaneously in the Kimmeridgian of Solothurn as well as in the Kimmeridgian of England (Kimmeridge Clay). This study is an important step towards a better understanding of the paleobiogeographic distribution of Late Jurassic turtles in Europe.
Framingham Stroke Risk Score and Cognitive Impairment for Predicting First-Time Stroke in the Oldest Old

Background and Purpose— Predictive value of the conventional risk factors for stroke attenuates with age. Cognitive impairment has been implicated as a potential predictor for stroke in older subjects. Our aim was to compare the Framingham stroke risk score with cognitive functioning for predicting first-time stroke in a cohort of the oldest old individuals. Methods— We included 480 subjects, aged 85 years, from the Leiden 85-plus Study. At baseline, data on the Framingham stroke risk score and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score were obtained. Risk of first-time stroke was estimated in tertiles of Framingham and MMSE scores. Receiver operating characteristic curves with corresponding areas under the curves (AUCs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were constructed for both Framingham and MMSE scores. Results— Subjects with high Framingham risk score compared with those with low Framingham risk score did not have a higher risk of stroke (hazard ratio, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.39–1.54). Conversely, subjects with high levels of cognitive impairment compared with those with low levels of cognitive impairment had a higher risk of stroke (hazard ratio, 2.85; 95% CI, 1.48–5.51). In contrast to the Framingham risk score (AUCs, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.40–0.56), MMSE score had discriminative power to predict stroke (AUCs, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.57–0.72). There was a significant difference between AUCs for Framingham risk score and MMSE score (P=0.006). Conclusions— In the oldest old, the Framingham stroke risk score is not predictive for first-time stroke. In contrast, cognitive impairment, as assessed by MMSE score, identifies subjects at higher risk for stroke.
Resource Allocation for D2D Communications Underlay in Rayleigh Fading Channels

Device-to-device (D2D) communication has attracted substantial research attention recently, due to its potential to improve coverage, spectrum efficiency, and energy efficiency within the existing cellular infrastructure. One major challenge for spectrum resource sharing in D2D underlay lies in the mutual interference between cellular user equipments (CUEs) and D2D user equipments (DUEs). Considering this mutual interference constraint, this work investigates the problem of optimal matching of D2D links and CUEs to form spectrum-sharing partners to maximize ergodic sum rates under transmit power and outage constraints. Unlike previous works, full channel-state information (CSI) is not required. To solve the resulting high-complexity problem, candidate DUE sets are first narrowed down according to required outage probability constraints, which are used to construct a simplified bipartite graph. The weight of the bipartite graph is characterized as the maximization of ergodic sum rate of the associated D2D and cellular links under outage constraints for which a low-complexity algorithm is proposed to solve the nonconvex problem. After constructing the bipartite graph, the Hungarian algorithm is used to determine the optimal pairing between D2D links and CUEs. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can improve the outage-constrained spectrum efficiency of D2D networks with practical complexity.
Learning to Answer Biomedical Factoid & List Questions: OAQA at BioASQ 3B

This paper describes the CMU OAQA system evaluated in the BioASQ 3B Question Answering track. We first present a three-layered architecture, and then describe the components integrated for exact answer generation and retrieval. Using over 400 factoid and list questions from past BioASQ 1B and 2B tasks as background knowledge, we focus on how to learn to answer questions using a gold standard dataset of question-answer pairs, using supervised models for answer type prediction and candidate answer scoring. On the three test sets where the system was evaluated (3, 4, and 5), the official evaluation results have shown that the system achieves an MRR of . 1615, . 5155, . 2727 for factoid questions, and an F-measure of . 0969, . 3168, . 1875 for list questions, respectively; five of these scores were the highest reported among all participating systems.
The Relationship between Smoking, Socioeconomic Status and Grip Strength among Community-dwelling Elderly Men in Korea: Hallym Aging Study

OBJECTIVES Low grip strength is associated with decline in bone mineral density (BMD) and increased risk of spine fracture among the elderly. Smoking, a major factor determining BMD, is also known to have an indirect effect on bone loss. This study investigated whether smoking is associated with grip strength in the community-dwelling elderly in Korea. METHODS This study was an outcome of the second of three waves of the Hallym Aging Study from January to May 2007, a population-based study of Koreans aged 45 years and upwards dwelling in Chuncheon. Its 218 subjects comprised men aged 65 years or over. They were evaluated at a general hospital for socioeconomic status, smoking history, and various clinical measures including grip strength. RESULTS Grip strength was higher in non-, ex-, and current smokers (33.7 kg, 30.6 kg, and 29.3 kg, respectively). Current smoking was found to increase the risk of decreased grip strength (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 4.58; 95% confidence interval [CI],1.31 to 16.04) compared with non-smoking, after adjustment for potential covariates including socioeconomic status. After adjustment for smoking effect, education of fewer than six years and monthly income of fewer than 500,000 Korean won increased the risk of decreased grip strength compared with education of more than six years (aOR, 2.88; 95% CI, 1.08 to 7.66) and monthly income of more than 1,500,000 Korean won (aOR, 2.86; 95% CI, 1.08 to 7.54). CONCLUSIONS These results showed that current smoking, low education and low income were independent risk factors for decreased grip strength among elderly men in Korea.
Characterization of natural fiber polymer compodites for structural application

Oil palm fibre which is relatively low cost and abundantly available has the potential as polymer reinforcement in structural applications. This study initially investigated the tensile behaviour of single oil palm fibre and physical properties like diameter, moisture content, moisture absorption and density. Then, the tensile behaviour of natural fibre reinforced polymer composites as a function of fibre volume ratio, fibre length and fibre surface modification was investigated. Lastly, flexural behaviour of reinforced concrete beam strengthened with unidirectional oil palm fibre composite was tested and was compared with reinforced concrete beam strengthened with woven glass fibre composite and ordinary reinforced concrete beam. Oil palm fibre is light but high moisture content, high moisture absorption and large variance of cross section area. The fibre tensile properties are relatively low compare to the literature which may due to degradation problems. The stiffness of the composite is significantly improved when the fibre volume ratio increased. At 10% of fibre volume ratio, the modulus of elasticity is increased up to 150 % compare to neat resin. Higher aspect ratio yield higher tensile strength and modulus of elasticity of the composite. The effect of alkali treatment increases 10% of the tensile strength of the fibres. Oil palm fibre composite could be used as strengthening material for reinforced concrete beam by increasing the flexural strength and stiffness of the reinforced concrete beam while maintaining the ductility of the beams
Early Morning Functioning in Stimulant-Treated Children and Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and its Impact on Caregivers

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the temporal occurrence and severity of inadequate attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptom control throughout the day, and, more specifically, the frequency and severity of associated functional impairments and their apparent emotional impact on parents and caregivers during the early morning routine before school, in children and adolescents with ADHD currently treated with stable doses of stimulant medications. Methods: Information was obtained from 201 primary caregivers of children and adolescents with ADHD using a self-administered, on-line quantitative research survey. Results: Inadequately controlled ADHD symptoms were rated as most severe during the evening homework time and the early morning routine. The majority of caregivers reported early morning ADHD symptoms and impairment of early morning functioning (EMF) as moderate to severe. Caregiver reactions to their child's early morning ADHD symptoms and unwanted behaviors included feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and constantly stressed. Conclusions: Control of EMF impairments from inadequately controlled ADHD symptoms is a significant unmet need in children and adolescents with ADHD treated with stable morning doses of stimulant medications. Current orally administered stimulant treatment options have not addressed this challenge.
An Intervention with Mineral Water Decreases Cardiometabolic Risk Biomarkers. A Crossover, Randomised, Controlled Trial with Two Mineral Waters in Moderately Hypercholesterolaemic Adults

Water intake is essential for health maintenance and disease prevention. The effects of an intervention with two mineral waters, sodium-bicarbonated mineral water (BW) or control mineral water low in mineral content (CW), on cardiometabolic risk biomarkers were studied. In a randomised-controlled crossover-trial, sixty-four moderately hypercholesterolaemic adults were randomly assigned to consume 1 L/day of either BW (sodium, 1 g/L; bicarbonate, 2 g/L) or CW with the main meals for eight weeks, separated by an eight-week washout period. Blood lipids, lipid oxidation, glucose, insulin, aldosterone, urine pH, urinary electrolytes, blood pressure, body weight, fluid intake, energy, and nutrients from total diet and beverages were determined. Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and glucose decreased (p < 0.01), oxidised LDL tended to decrease (p = 0.073), and apolipoprotein B increased during the intervention, without water type effect. Energy and carbohydrates from beverages decreased since soft drinks and fruit juice consumptions decreased throughout the trial. BW increased urinary pH (p = 0.006) and reduced calcium/creatinine excretion (p = 0.011). Urinary potassium/creatinine decreased with both waters. Consumption of 1 L/day of mineral water with the main meals reduces cardiometabolic risk biomarkers, likely to be attributed to a replacement of soft drinks by water. In addition, BW does not affect blood pressure and exerts a moderate alkalizing effect in the body.