Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ensemble Methods in Data Mining: Improving Accuracy Through Combining Predictions

Ensemble methods have been called the most influential development in Data Mining and Machine Learning in the past decade. They combine multiple models into one usually more accurate than the best of its components. Ensembles can provide a critical boost to industrial challenges -- from investment timing to drug discovery, and fraud detection to recommendation systems -- where predictive accuracy is more vital than model interpretability. Ensembles are useful with all modeling algorithms, but this book focuses on decision trees to explain them most clearly. After describing trees and their strengths and weaknesses, the authors provide an overview of regularization -- today understood to be a key reason for the superior performance of modern ensembling algorithms. The book continues with a clear description of two recent developments: Importance Sampling (IS) and Rule Ensembles (RE). IS reveals classic ensemble methods -- bagging, random forests, and boosting -- to be special cases of a single algorithm, thereby showing how to improve their accuracy and speed. REs are linear rule models derived from decision tree ensembles. They are the most interpretable version of ensembles, which is essential to applications such as credit scoring and fault diagnosis. Lastly, the authors explain the paradox of how ensembles achieve greater accuracy on new data despite their (apparently much greater) complexity.This book is aimed at novice and advanced analytic researchers and practitioners -- especially in Engineering, Statistics, and Computer Science. Those with little exposure to ensembles will learn why and how to employ this breakthrough method, and advanced practitioners will gain insight into building even more powerful models. Throughout, snippets of code in R are provided to illustrate the algorithms described and to encourage the reader to try the techniques. (edited by author)
Calculating and Comparing Security Returns is Harder than you Think: A Comparison between Logarithmic and Simple Returns

We analyse the relationships between return calculation methods, risk and observation periods. We show that the mean of a return set calculated using logarithmic returns is less than the mean calculated using simple returns by an amount related to the variance of the set. This implies that there is not a one-to-one relationship between mean logarithmic and mean simple returns and also that risk and return calculations are not independent as the measure of risk is part of the measure of return. Finally we draw on examples from the extant literature to illustrate that these effects can be very important particularly when dealing with short observation periods.
The determinants of capital structure Evidence on UK property companies

Employing the panel data methodology, we examine the capital structure determinants of 83 property companies quoted in the UK. The empirical test reveals how the debt‐equity structure of the companies is influenced by the various firm‐specific attributes and macro‐economic factors. In particular, the evidence shows that asset structure, business orientation, and the level of involvement in property development are significant determinants of the corporate debt policy of property companies. Financial distress consideration also has a significant influence. In addition, the empirical evidence shows that corporate property managers take into consideration the prevailing market sentiment and borrowing costs when making the debt‐equity choice. Corporate performance and tax burden, however, do not appear to have any significant effect on the capital structure decision of property companies.
Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Proteins in Fungi: Hypoxic Transcription Factors Linked to Pathogenesis

ABSTRACT Sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs) are membrane-bound transcription factors whose proteolytic activation is controlled by the cellular sterol concentration. Mammalian SREBPs are activated in cholesterol-depleted cells and serve to regulate cellular lipid homeostasis. Recent work demonstrates that SREBP is functionally conserved in fungi. While the ability to respond to sterols is conserved, fungal SREBPs are hypoxic transcription factors required for adaptation to a low-oxygen environment. In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, oxygen regulates the SREBP homolog Sre1 by independently controlling both its proteolytic activation and its degradation. SREBP is also required for adaptation to hypoxia in the human pathogens Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus fumigatus. In these organisms, SREBP is required for virulence and resistance to antifungal drugs, making the SREBP pathway a potential target for antifungal therapy.
Asymptotics of the Best Constant in a Certain Markov-Type Inequality

Let @[email protected]? be the weighted L^2-norm with Laguerre weight w(t)=t^@ae^-^t, @a>-1. Let P"n be the set of all complex polynomials whose degree does not exceed n, and @c"n(@a)@? sup"p"@? "P"""n(@? p'@? /@[email protected]? ). We show that @c"n(@a)/n->(j"("@a"-"1")"/"2"," "1)^-^1 as n->~, where j"@n"," "1 is the first positive zero of the Bessel function J"@n(z).
Incremental Value of a Futures Hedge Using Realized Ranges

This study investigates the information content of realized ranges for futures hedging. Hedge ratio estimation using generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH) models augmented with intraday price range is proposed. Empirical investigations using the S&P 500 equity index data show that the in‐sample fitting of spot–futures distribution is improved by the information recovered from intraday price ranges. Furthermore, the out‐of‐sample forecasting results show that both the statistical and economic hedging effectiveness increase with the inclusion of intraday price ranges along with intraday and daily price returns. Results indicate that informative realized ranges are valuable for futures hedging. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 34:676–689, 2014
A Conceptual Model for Success in Implementing Knowledge Management: A Case Study in Tehran Municipality

In this “information and knowledge” age, instead of traditional financial assets and even large markets, knowledge capital has been the competitive edge for major corporations. This has lead to a new concept called “knowledge management”. Indeed, the identification of knowledge in business sectors as a competitive advantage and strategic resource intensifies the necessity of implementation of knowledge management (KM) in organizations. Knowledge management is the process of identifying, selecting, organizing, and transferring important information and skills, which exists as disorganized form in the organization. However, there are several stories of failed implementation of knowledge management in organizations. In order to succeed in implementing knowledge management, identification of the success factors for knowledge management is of great importance. The current research has therefore presented a conceptual model for implementing knowledge management successfully in Tehran municipality. This study has first identified effective variables on success of knowledge management; then has evaluated its significance and developed a conceptual model for the critical factors on successful knowledge management in the organization under study. According to the conceptual model offered by this research, these critical success factors are dimensions of organizational culture, strategy and leadership, organizational structure, information technology infrastructure and human resources
Inflation and the Poor

Using polling data for 31,869 households in 38 countries, and allowing for country effects, the authors show that the poor are more likely than the rich to mention inflation as a top national concern. This result survives several robustness checks. Also, direct measures of improvements in well-being for the poor - the change in their share of national income, the percentage decline in poverty, and the percentage change in the real minimum wage - are negatively correlated with inflation in pooled cross-country samples. High inflation tends to lower the share of the bottom quintile and the real minimum wage - and tends to increase poverty.
Important Factors in Family Business Internationalization

This article presents the results of research carried out in the area of the internationalization of family businesses. The study analyzes the influence of several factors relevant to any internationalization processes, and differentiates between those factors that aid internationalization and those that hinder such a process. The study also combines these factors with special characteristics inherent in family business, and discusses how such characteristics affect internationalization processes in family business.
The Neural Development of Response Inhibition in 5- and 6-Year-Old Preschoolers: An ERP and EEG Study

Many studies have used event-related potential and neural oscillations to probe the underlying neural mechanisms of inhibitory control in adults, but little has been done in typically developing preschoolers. In this study we tested healthy preschool children between the ages of 5 and 6, and observed better response inhibition in 6-year-olds compared to 5-year-olds. Importantly, this age-related difference could not be explained by the N2 component from event-related potential, but was reflected in an increase in right frontal beta power from electroencephalogram. These results suggest that frontal beta power during the preschool period may reflect neural development of inhibitory control.
Characterization of postexercise facilitation and depression of motor evoked potentials to transcranial magnetic stimulation

We studied the effects of exercise on motor evoked potentials (MEPs) to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial electrical stimulation (TES). Subjects performed 30-second periods of isometric exercise of the extensor carpi radialis until fatigue, which was defined as the inability to maintain half maximum force. The amplitude of MEPs to TMS recorded from the resting muscle after each exercise period was on average more than twice the pre-exercise value (postexercise MEP facilitation). After fatigue occurred, the MEP amplitudes were approximately 60% of the pre-exercise value (postexercise MEP depression). There was a gradual recovery of the depressed MEPs to pre-exercise values over several minutes of rest. Postexercise MEP facilitation was constant when exercise intensity ranged from 10 to 50% of maximum voluntary contraction and it decayed to baseline over several minutes after the end of exercise. There was no postexercise MEP facilitation to TES. We hypothesize that both postexercise MEP facilitation and MEP depression are due to intracortical mechanisms.
British overseas retailing, 1900–60: International firm characteristics, market selections and entry modes

The early activities of British international retailers remain relatively unexplored and little understood. This paper considers the role of British companies operating through retail outlets in overseas markets. It identifies the characteristics of those companies, their retail activities, the markets selected and the entry methods used. This paper seeks to begin the process of addressing a considerable gap in the history literature. The findings presented in the paper are placed within a history and management understanding of the retail internationalisation process. The theoretical implications of these findings are explored.
Calcium Channelopathy Mutants and Their Role in Ocular Motor Research

Abstract: Thanks to technical advances in eye movement recording, the mouse is destined to become increasingly important in ocular motor research. An advantage of this species is the wide range of existing mutant strains and techniques to generate new mutations affecting specific cell types. Mutations of ion channels may be used to modulate the intrinsic properties of neurons, and this approach may generate insight into the degree to which neuronal computations depend upon those intrinsic properties as opposed to the properties of circuits of neurons. Dendritic calcium currents carried by P‐type voltage‐activated calcium channels have been widely postulated to perform important computational functions in cerebellar Purkinje cells. Mutations of this channel lead to human diseases, and several ataxic strains of mice are now known to harbor mutations of this calcium channel. Murine P‐channel mutants such as rocker are ataxic, but have normal or near‐normal numbers of cerebellar Purkinje cells and thus offer the opportunity to study the effects of biophysical perturbations as opposed to outright cell destruction or inactivation. Initial studies of rocker mice reveal an array of ocular motor abnormalities, including static hyperdeviation of the eyes and an attenuation of vestibulo‐ocular reflex gains at high stimulus frequencies. The pattern of gain and phase abnormalities is entirely different in lurcher, an ataxic mutant in which Purkinje cells degenerate. The ocular motor abnormalities of rocker progress with animal age, underscoring the importance of careful attention to animal age when performing ocular motor studies in this short‐lived species.
Financial Deepening and Economic Growth in Saudi Arabia

This article draws on the authors’ previously published work. It aims to examine the relationship between financial deepening and economic growth in one of the major emerging economies, namely Saudi Arabia. Using time series data from 1970 to 2010, the study employs the autoregressive distributed lag approach to co-integration. The financial depth or size of the financial intermediaries’ sector is measured by the monetisation ratio (M2/GDP). On the one hand, the results show a positive and statistically significant long-run relationship between financial deepening, as measured by M2/GDP, and economic growth, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) per capita growth. On the other hand, there is no evidence of the short-run dynamic bidirectional relationship between the variables. By and large, the result supports the supply-leading hypothesis that financial deepening spurs economic growth in the case of Saudi Arabia. JEL Classification: G20, O40, C22
Les lois de la production ne sont plus ce qu'elles étaient : une introduction à l'économétrie des panels

[eng] The present study explores some of the problems encountered by econometricians working with panel data and shows that Paul Douglas view of production functions in his famous article "Are there laws of production? " is difficult to maintain when confronted with such data. We examine first the variability in the level and rate of change of production and labor productivity and in the estimated response parameters capital elasticities) in both the cross-sectional and the time dimensions for three samples of large manufacturing firms in France, Japan and U.S. during the 1967-1979 period. We study next the question whether the large variability which we observe in the individual firm dimension reflects real heterogeneity in firm performances and characteristics in particular their estimated capital elasticities. Finally we exhibit the discrepancies among the different estimates of the production function coefficients in the cross-sectional and time dimensions between and within and consider the problem they pose for our understanding of production behavior and panel data econometrics. [fre] Les lois de la production ne sont plus ce qu'elles etaient : une introduction a l'econometrie des panels. La presente etude illustre plusieurs problemes importants rencontres par l'econometre qui travaille sur des donnees de panel. Reprenant le titre de l'article celebre de Paul Douglas « Are there laws of production ? », elle montre qu'il devient difficile, lorsqu'on analyse de telles donnees, de conserver la conception que celui-ci avait des fonctions de production. On examine d'abord sur trois echantillons de grandes entreprises industrielles americaines, francaises et japonaises sur la periode 1967-1979, quelles sont les variabilites (inter) individuelles et temporelles des niveaux et des evolutions de la production et de la productivite du travail, ainsi que celles des coefficients de reponse (elasticites) de la production au capital. On cherche a savoir ensuite si la grande variabilite individuelle observee traduit une heterogeneite reelle des performances et caracteristiques des entreprises, et notamment des estimations des elasticites du capital, et l'on s'interroge sur l'interpretation a donner aux tests. On met en evidence enfin les disparites des estimations globales de la fonction de production (et notamment celles des elasticites du capital) obtenues dans les dimensions transversales et longitudinales (en coupe et en serie), et l'on discute des problemes qui sont ainsi poses a l'econometre.
Discomfort after fascicular sural nerve biopsy

ABSTRACT— Sural nerve biopsy may, in selected cases, give valuable information in the investigation of patients with polyneuropathy. The prevalence and severity of patient discomfort after fascicular nerve biopsy was investigated in 67 patients by a mailed questionnaire. A lasting (> 6 months) significant discomfort was found in 6 patients (11 %), in 3 of these the symptoms were graded as severe. Thus, sural nerve biopsy should be limited to cases in which important information may be expected and the patients should be carefully informed of the risks of long‐lasting discomfort.
New approach for immediate prosthetic rehabilitation of the edentulous mandible with three implants: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND Immediate/early prosthetic rehabilitation of the edentulous mandible with four or more implants for support of a fixed bridge is a well-documented procedure. Only a few studies have reported on the outcome of using three implants for this purpose. AIM To retrospectively analyze the clinical outcome when using three implants for support of an immediately loaded fixed bridge in the totally edentulous mandible. MATERIALS AND METHODS In total, 132 patients (67 females and 65 males, mean age 62.6 years, range 35-85 years) treated with 396 implants (Brånemark System) over an 11-year period in one clinic were retrospectively analyzed with regard to implant survival. Implants with both machined and oxidized surface had been used. Eighty percent of the implants were 13 mm in length or longer. The permanent bridge with acrylic teeth was delivered to the patient the same day. The patients were re-called annually for clinical examinations. RESULTS All patients had been followed for at least 1 year, with the longest follow-up of 10 years and a mean follow-up of 5 years. Thirteen implant failures in 10 patients were experienced, all occurring during the first 12 months of loading. The overall survival rate was 96.7% for implants and 92.4% for original bridges. More machined than oxidized implants failed, 7% vs. 1.2%. Fourteen additional implants were placed at the time of removal of the failed implants when also the fixed bridge was adjusted on the same day. Thus, all patients received and maintained a fixed bridge, except for a few hours in the 10 failure cases when the bridges were adjusted. CONCLUSIONS This retrospective survival analysis shows that three implants can be used to support a fixed bridge for immediate loading in the edentulous mandible. The study indicated that oxidized implants were more successful than machined ones.
Prehospital emergency management of avulsed permanent teeth: Knowledge and attitude of school teachers.

CONTEXT Tooth avulsion is one of the most serious dental emergencies in children. Often these injuries occur in school and, therefore, the knowledge of school teachers regarding the appropriate measures to be taken immediately after tooth avulsion is crucial to good prognosis. AIMS The purpose of the present study was to evaluate school teachers' knowledge and attitudes regarding immediate management of avulsed teeth in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 177 teachers from seven schools of Garhshankar town, Hoshiarpur District, Punjab, India, formed the sample of the study. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of 16 questions was used to assess the knowledge and attitudes of school teachers about tooth avulsion and its management. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS The chi-square test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used for analysis. Pair-wise comparison was done using Tukey's honestly significant difference (HSD) test. P ≤ 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS Markedly low knowledge levels were noted among the school teachers. The mean knowledge score was 5 (of a maximum possible score of 10). Only 0.6% of the teachers answered correctly that they would use milk as a transport medium. The number of correct responses was not affected by previous experience with tooth avulsion, sex, educational level, teaching experience, or teacher training. Overall, 85.9% of teachers showed a positive attitude towards this campaign. CONCLUSIONS Knowledge regarding emergency management of dental trauma is poor amongst school teachers. Therefore, we suggest that orientation to management of avulsed tooth be part of the teacher training education.
How does yield curve predict GDP growth? A macro-finance approach revisited

This article analyses the yield-curve predictability for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth by modifying the time-series property of the interest rate process in Ang et al. (2006). When interest rates have a unit root and term spreads are stationary, the short rate's forecasting role changes, and the relationship between the shift of yield curves and GDP growth is intuitively revealed.
Transitory Price Changes in the Chinese Stock Markets

This paper examines opening and closing return patterns on the Chinese stock markets. We find that open-to-open returns are significantly more volatile than close-to-close returns. In addition, the correlation of the overnight return with the following daytime return is significantly negative, while the correlation of the daytime return with the following overnight return is strongly positive. The results show strong price continuation around the close and strong price reversal at the open, and the findings are not sensitive to trading volume. The findings are less likely to be caused by price limits. Our results are inconsistent with previous findings from the Tokyo Stock Exchange, yet similar to those from the New York Stock Exchange, albeit under a different market structure.
Health numeracy and cognitive decline in advanced age

ABSTRACT The study aimed at investigating health numeracy in cognitively well performing healthy participants aged from 50 to 95 years as well as in participants with cognitive impairment, but no dementia (CIND). In cognitively well performing participants (n = 401), demographic variables and cognitive abilities (executive functions, reading comprehension, mental calculation, vocabulary) were associated with health numeracy. Older age, lower education, female gender as well as lower cognitive functions predicted low health numeracy. The effect of older age was partly mediated by executive functions and calculation abilities. Participants with CIND (n = 51) performed significantly lower than healthy controls in health numeracy. The findings suggest that cognitively well performing old individuals have difficulties in understanding health-related numerical information. The risk of misunderstanding health-related numerical information is increased in persons with CIND. As these population groups are frequently involved in health care decisions, particular attention has to be paid to providing numerical information in comprehensible form.