Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Testing the risk and return trade-off in the Athens stock exchange

The present thesis is focused on the examination of the relationship between specific variables with the application of asset pricing models as well as the employment of (G)ARCH models, unit root and cointegration analysis. A theoretical and empirical review on the models is presented and, more specifically, there is an empirical examination of the validity of the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) and the two main forms of the Arbitrage Pricing Theory (APT) in the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE) during the period 1989-2006. Furthermore, there is an empirical application of specific (G)ARCH models on the variables under examination and an investigation of whether there are long-run relationships between different sets of financial and macroeconomic variables – whether the variables are cointegrated. The results of the tests show the inability of the CAPM to explain the behaviour of stocks for the period under examination, as well as for the sub-periods (1984-1994, 1995-2000, and 2001-2006 respectively). This means that the (optimal) market portfolio used in the CAPM presents a poor explanatory power on the returns of stocks. On the contrary, the results of the statistical APT model show that there may be factors other than the market portfolio that can explain the behaviour of stocks. Similarly, the results from the application of the macroeconomic APT model show that specific macroeconomic variables can partially explain stocks’ behaviour. Finally, the existence of long-run relationships between macroeconomic and financial variables, based on a series of cointegration tests, is evidence that there are different factors that can affect stocks, leading to a possible weak-form inefficiency of the Greek market.
The Impact of Pleasure Reading on Enhancing Writing Achievement and Reading Comprehension

Reading opens up wide-reaching paths for knowledge as it deepens the feelings of empathy. Therefore, it represents a unique skill consists of a mixture of several procedures that encourage the interaction with printed words for content and pleasure. The current study tries to identify the impact of pleasure reading on enhancing writing achievement and reading comprehension. The study has employed different data collection methods, such as published research, articles, books, theses, and dissertations that are related to the study matter to provide answers to the following question: ‘ Do pleasure reading have an impact on enhancing writing achievement and reading comprehension? ’. The results reveal that; pleasure reading has a positive impact on enhancing writing achievement and reading comprehension. In addition to, pleasure reading provides readers with entertainment, relaxation, comfort, as it also offers them a creative outlet and means of escape, which, in turn, affect positively effect on the writing performance. Moreover, reading helps learners develop their writing experience by inspiring them, expanding their vocabulary, and improving their grammatical structure. The current study recommends applying more reading programs into schools to encourage reading. It also suggests conducting more studies in order to realize the true potential of reading and its impact on learners’ written works and reading comprehension.
Bullying Victimization, Negative Emotionality, and Suicidal Ideation in Korean Youth: Assessing Latent Class Analysis Using the Manual 3-Step Approach

ABSTRACT This study employed a latent class analysis to identify heterogeneous subgroups of suicide ideation membership among Korean youth. Findings are measured by the longitudinal mediation test to estimate temporal-precedence, relating prior strainful social dynamics to negative emotionality and later suicide ideation. Using three-wave panel data, Korean youth were classified into three subgroups: serious-risk (16%), moderate-risk (12%), and low-/non-risk suicide ideation (72%). Results revealed that the odds of being a member in a serious-risk suicide ideation group were greater for youth who were bullied than those who were not when compared to a low-/non-risk ideation group. Also, the odds of being a member in a serious-risk suicide ideation group were higher for youth who felt negative emotions than those who did not relative to low-/non-risk ideation group. Further, negative emotionality fully mediated the relationship between bullying victimization and suicide ideation, conditional on a serious-risk ideation group.
Health and Quality of Life

Background: The aims of the study were (i) to examine global quality of life (GQOL) before fracture in patients with low-energy wrist or hip fracture compared with an ageand sex-matched control group, and (ii) to identify relationships between demographic variables, clinical fracture variables, and healthand global-focused quality of life (QOL) prior to fracture. Methods: Patients with a low-energy fracture of the wrist (n = 181) or hip (n = 97) aged ≥ 50 years at a regional hospital in Norway and matched controls (n = 226) were included. The participants answered retrospectively, within two weeks after the fracture, a questionnaire on their GQOL before the fracture occurred using the Quality of Life Scale (QOLS), and health-focused QOL using the Short Form-36, physical component summary, and mental component summary scales. A broad range of clinical data including bone density was also collected. ANOVA and multiple linear regression analysis were used to analyse the data. Results: Osteoporosis was identified in 59% of the hip fracture patients, 33% of the wrist fracture patients, and 16% of the controls. After adjusting GQOL scores and the three sub-dimensions for known covariates (sociodemographics, clinical fracture characteristics, and health-focused QOL), the hip patients reported significantly lower scores compared with the controls, except for the sub-dimension of personal, social, and community commitment (p = 0.096). Unadjusted and adjusted GQOL scores did not differ between the wrist fracture patients and controls. Sociodemographics (age, sex, education, marital status), clinical fracture variables (osteoporosis, falls, fracture group) and health-focused QOL explained 51.4% of the variance in the QOLS, 35.2% of the variance in relationship and marital well-being, 59.3% of the variance in health and functioning, and 24.9% of the variance of personal, social, and community commitment. Conclusion: The hip fracture patients had lower GQOL before the fracture occurred than did controls, even after adjusting for known factors such as sociodemographics, clinical variables and health-focused QOL. The findings suggest that by identifying patients with low GQOL, in addition to other known risk factors for hip fracture, may raise the probability to target preventive health care activities. Published: 3 November 2008 Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2008, 6:90 doi:10.1186/1477-7525-6-90 Received: 16 May 2008 Accepted: 3 November 2008 This article is available from: http://www.hqlo. com/content/6/1/90 © 2008 Rohde et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Transcriptomic and Proteomic Characterization of the Fur Modulon in the Metal-Reducing Bacterium Shewanella oneidensis

ABSTRACT The availability of the complete genome sequence for Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 has permitted a comprehensive characterization of the ferric uptake regulator (Fur) modulon in this dissimilatory metal-reducing bacterium. We have employed targeted gene mutagenesis, DNA microarrays, proteomic analysis using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and computational motif discovery tools to define the S. oneidensis Fur regulon. Using this integrated approach, we identified nine probable operons (containing 24 genes) and 15 individual open reading frames (ORFs), either with unknown functions or encoding products annotated as transport or binding proteins, that are predicted to be direct targets of Fur-mediated repression. This study suggested, for the first time, possible roles for four operons and eight ORFs with unknown functions in iron metabolism or iron transport-related functions. Proteomic analysis clearly identified a number of transporters, binding proteins, and receptors related to iron uptake that were up-regulated in response to a fur deletion and verified the expression of nine genes originally annotated as pseudogenes. Comparison of the transcriptome and proteome data revealed strong correlation for genes shown to be undergoing large changes at the transcript level. A number of genes encoding components of the electron transport system were also differentially expressed in a fur deletion mutant. The gene omcA (SO1779), which encodes a decaheme cytochrome c, exhibited significant decreases in both mRNA and protein abundance in the fur mutant and possessed a strong candidate Fur-binding site in its upstream region, thus suggesting that omcA may be a direct target of Fur activation.
Historical Knowledge of Oppression and Racial Attitudes of Social Work Students

ABSTRACT Racism has a long history in the United States. For generations, people of color have been systematically oppressed, whereas White people have benefitted from unearned privilege. Despite major advances in civil rights, the ongoing presence and legacy of racism and White privilege result in pervasive inequities. Social work education prepares graduates to advocate for racial justice. The present study describes the historical knowledge of oppression that students (N=305) possess at the beginning of their MSW education and examines the relationship between this knowledge and the endorsement of a color-blind ideology. Students with more historical knowledge reported fewer color-blind beliefs; millennial generation students reported fewer color-blind beliefs than older students. Implications are discussed for race-conscious and competency-based social work education.
A Laboratory Test of an Auction with Negative Externalities ∗

We examine experimentally an auction model with externalities in which competing firms bid for licenses to a cost-reducing technology. Since winning bidders impose a negative externality on the losers, bids must account for both the value of winning the auction and the negative value of losing brought about by rivals reducing their costs. Experimental treatments differ in the severity of the negative externality (based on the substitutability of competitors’ products), and the number of licenses being auctioned. We find that subjects underbid relative to theoretical benchmarks for auctions of one license, but overbid when two licenses are auctioned. Nevertheless, mean revenues in the experiment are consistent with the predicted revenues. However, there are some differences between the distributions of experimental and predicted revenues. We propose a possible explanation for these differences rooted in a simple bidding heuristic. JEL Classification Numbers: D44, D45, L13
Measurement Properties of Fine Motor Scale of Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition: A Rasch Analysis

Chien CW, Bond TG: Measurement properties of fine motor scale of peabody developmental motor scales-second edition: A Rasch analysis. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2009;88:376–386. Objective:To investigate the measurement properties (including rating scale performance, unidimensionality, and differential item functioning) of the fine motor scale of the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition in children, by using the Rasch analysis. Design:A total of 419 children (including 342 typically developing children and 77 children with fine motor delays or difficulties) were recruited in Taiwan for this prospective study. Each child was evaluated with the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition that consists of 26-item grasping and 72-item visual-motor integration subtests. Partial credit Rasch analysis was used for all analyses. Results:The Rasch analysis indicated that middle rating category for 19 grasping and 52 visual-motor integration items could be collapsed to allow only dichotomous response categories. Item fit analysis and principal component analysis suggested that the unidimensionality of the grasping and visual-motor integration subtests could be achieved after removal of two grasping and eight visual-motor integration misfitting items. All but 13 items in the composite scale could form a unidimensional construct of overall fine motor ability. Furthermore, only a few items were found to show differential item functioning across sex (ten items) or fine motor status (seven items). However, significant ceiling effects were found in the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition subtests and composite scale when applied to these typically developing children. Conclusions:Our results suggest grounds for the revision of the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition in a subsequent edition. Simplifying the rating scales and reducing the misfitting items in the subtests and composite scales might result in a unidimensional assessment of children’s fine motor ability. Clinicians and researchers could use the reduced Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition as a criterion-referenced outcome measure to document changes; however, further work is needed to reduce the ceiling effects.
Design Issues for Second Generation Stream Processing Engines

Borealis is a second-generation distributed stream processing engine that is being developed at Brandeis University, Brown University, and MIT. Borealis inherits core stream processing functionality from Aurora [13] and distribution functionality from Medusa [49]. Borealis modifies and extends both systems in non-trivial and critical ways to provide advanced capabilities that are commonly required by newly-emerging stream processing applications. In this paper, we outline the basic design and functionality of Borealis. Through sample real-world applications, we motivate the need for dynamically revising query results and modifying query specifications. We then describe how Borealis addresses these challenges through an innovative set of features, including revision records, time travel, and control lines. Finally, we present a highly flexible and scalable QoS-based optimization model that operates across server and sensor networks and a new fault-tolerance model with flexible consistency-availability trade-offs.
STUDY ON THE VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF THE PARENT AS SECURE BASE SCALE – MOTHER VERSION

Bu calismada 12-14 yas donemindeki cocuklarin annelerinin; cocuklarina karsi koruyuculuk, sorumluluk ve duyarlilik duzeyini belirleyebilmek amaciyla Cassidy, Ziv, Rodenberg ve Woodhouse (2003) tarafindan gelistirilen “Guven Esasli Ebeveynlik Olcegi-Anne Versiyonu’nun gecerlik ve guvenilirligi degerlendirilmistir. Arastirmaya, ilkogretim okullarinda ogrenim goren 12-14 yasindaki 200 cocuk katilmistir. Acimlayici faktor analizi sonucunda tek faktorun acikladigi varyans % 58,64 olarak hesaplanmistir. Dogrulayici faktor analizi sonucunda olcegin orijinal tek faktorlu yapisinin yuksek model uyumu gosterdigi bulunmustur. Olcegin guvenilirligini degerlendirebilmek amaciyla ic tutarliligina bakilmistir. Cronbach alfa katsayisi α = . 95 ve Spearman-Brown iki yari test korelasyonu . 93 olarak hesaplanmistir. Elde edilen sonuclar dogrultusunda olcme aracinin Turkce formunun gecerli ve guvenilir oldugu soylenebilir
Discrete gauge invariant approximations of a time dependent Ginzburg-Landau model of superconductivity

We present here a mathematical analysis of a nonstandard difference method for the numerical solution of the time dependent Ginzburg-Landau models of superconductivity. This type of method has been widely used in numerical simulations of the behavior of superconducting materials. We also illustrate some of their nice properties such as the gauge invariance being retained in discrete approximations and the discrete order parameter having physically consistent pointwise bound.
Department of Economics Working Paper Series Is the Speed of Convergence a Good Proxy for the Transitional Growth Path? Is the Speed of Convergence a Good Proxy for the Transitional Growth Path? *

This paper compares transitional dynamics in two alternative R&D non-scale growth models, one includes endogenous human capital, whereas the other does not. We show that focusing on the speed of convergence to discriminate between the two models can be misleading. Our analysis suggest that a better alternative to discriminate between different growth theories is studying the whole adjustment path predicted by them. In addition, we find that the introduction of human capital makes the speed of convergence predicted by the model much less sensitive to exogenous shocks. This last result offers theoretical support to the similar convergence speeds estimated by the literature in different samples. and seminar participants in many universities and conferences for their comments and suggestions. All remaining errors are our own.
Specific factors influence the success of autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Successful hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), both autologous and allogeneic, requires a rapid and durable engraftment, with neutrophil (>500/µL) and platelet (>20,000/µL) reconstitution. Factors influencing engraftment after autologous or allogeneic HSCT were investigated in 65 patients: 25 autologous peripheral stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) and 40 allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) patients. The major factor affecting engraftment was the graft source for HSCT. Neutrophil and platelet recovery were more rapid in autologous PBSCT than in allogeneic BMT [neutrophil occurring in median on day 10.00 (09.00/11.00) and 19.00 (16.00/23.00) and platelet on day 11.00 (10.00/13.00) and 21.00 (18.00/25.00), respectively; p < 0.0001]. The type of disease also affected engraftment, where multiple myeloma (MM) and lymphoma showed faster engraftment when compared with leukemia, syndrome myelodysplastic (SMD) and aplastic anemia (AA) and MM presented the best overall survival (OS) in a period of 12 months. Other factors included the drug used in the conditioning regimen (CR), where CBV, melphalan (M-200) and FluCy showed faster engraftment and M-200 presented the best OS, in a period of 12 months and age, where 50–59 years demonstrated faster engraftment. Sex did not influence neutrophil and platelet recovery.
Commutative algebraic methods for controllability of discrete-time polynomial systems

ABSTRACT In this paper, we consider controllability of discrete-time polynomial systems. First, we present a forward accessibility (local reachability) condition that can be verified in finite time, in contrast to conventional conditions. Second, we give a backward accessibility (local controllability) condition for an invertible system and a condition to verify invertibility. Finally, we derive sufficient conditions to test whether the forward accessible system is reachable and to test the backward accessible system is controllable.
Why Do Some Californians Live Longer?

A black man in California can expect to live 68.6 years on average, which is far below the life expectancy of the average California white male, who can expect to live 75.5 years. Despite the impressive gains in American longevity over the past century, significant disparities in life expectancies such as this one persist across racial and ethnic groups in California. These racial and ethnic disparities reflect underlying differences in specific causes of death, which is the focus of this issue of California Counts. Understanding the causes of death that contribute to racial and ethnic differences in life expectancies can shed light on the underlying factors that drive inequalities in health and can inform state health officials trying to identify more effective avenues of prevention. In our analysis, we find that black men and women have higher levels of mortality (from all causes combined) than whites. In contrast, Hispanics and Asians appear to have a slight life expectancy advantage over whites. We further find that death rates for blacks for almost all chronic diseases and injuries exceed those of whites and sometimes markedly so. Hispanics and Asians have lower death rates for most chronic conditions and injuries than whites, with a few exceptions. In addition, we illustrate how differences in socioeconomic status, measured in terms of educational attainment, contribute to observed mortality disparities. Across all racial/ethnic groups, more educated Californians have better mortality outcomes than less educated Cali-fornians, although black-white disparities persist among individuals with similar levels of educational attainment. In this issue, we also break down the overall life expectancy gaps among racial/ethnic minority groups and whites to identify the causes of death that most definitively account for Summary Hans P. Johnson, editor California Counts Death in the Golden State Public Policy Institute of California 2 racial/ethnic disparities. Heart disease drives much of the mortality disadvantage for adult black men, followed by homicide. Eliminating these two causes of death would reduce the black-white disparity in life expectancy among men by more than 40 percent. Higher mortality rates from heart disease, cancers (especially lung cancer), and chronic lower respiratory diseases are the causes that mainly drive the lower life expectancy seen among white men relative to Hispanic men. However, the Hispanic mortality advantage over whites would be almost 30 percent higher were it not for Hispanic men's higher death rates attributed to diabetes and liver disease. For women, heart disease …
Constrained and Multi-objective MIMO Control System Design: Evolutionary Approach

In this paper, a general framework for LTI (linear time invariant) MIMO (multi-input multi-output) control system design is proposed based on constrained multi-objective genetic algorithms (CMOGA). A general control problem consists of controller parameters and control structure designs. Also, there always exist several objectives (transient and steady state) and constraints in time and frequency domains. In this work, we consider this general control system design problem as a mixedvariable constrained multi-objective nonlinear optimization problem. Using Q-parameterization, CMOGA intelligently searches for the optimal controller in the class of all stabilizing LTI controllers. The result is an LTI MIMO control system that benefits from conventional tools of system analysis. In this paper, the drawbacks of conventional approaches such as LQG, 2 H and ∞ H are also considered and compared with the new approach. To demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method, an optimal control system is designed for a 3-stroty seismically excited benchmark building.