Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Série Scientifique Scientific Series Disappointment Aversion as a Solution to the Equity Premium and the Risk-free Rate Puzzles Les Organisations-partenaires / the Partner Organizations Disappointment a V Ersion as a Solution to the Equity Premium and the Risk-free Rate Puzzles

Ce document est publié dans l'intention de rendre accessible les résultats préliminaires de la recherche effectuée au CIRANO, afin de susciter des échanges et des suggestions. Les idées et les opinions émises sont sous l'unique responsabilité des auteurs, et ne représentent pas nécessairement les positions du CIRANO ou de ses partenaires. This paper presents preliminary research carried out at CIRANO and aims to encourage discussion and comment. The observations and viewpoints expressed are the sole responsibility of the authors. They do not necessarily represent positions of CIRANO or its partners. CIRANO Le CIRANO est une corporation privée à but non lucratif constituée en vertu de la Loi des compagnies du Québec. Le financement de son infrastructure et de ses activités de recherche provient des cotisations de ses organisations-membres, d'une subvention d 'in fra stru cture du ministère de l'Industrie, du Commerce, de la Science et de la Technologie, de même que des subventions et mandats obtenus par ses équipes de recherche. La Série Scientifique est la réalisation d'une des missions que s'est données le CIRANO, soit de développer l'analyse scientifique des organisations et des comportements stratégiques. CIRANO is a private non-profit organization incorporated under the Québec Companies Act. Its infrastructure and research activities are funded through fees paid by member organizations, an infrastructure grant from the Ministère de l'Industrie, du Commerce, de la Science et de la Technologie, and grants and research mandates obtained by its research teams. The Scientific Series fulfils one of the missions of CIRANO: to develop the scientific analysis of organizations and strategic behaviour. Fédération des caisses populaires de Montréal et de l'Ouest-du-Québec. R esum e Abstract In this paper, we match both the rst and the second moments of the equity premium and the risk-free r ate by endowing the agents in the economy with disappointment aversion preferences and by making the joint process of consumption and dividends follow a Hamilton's 1989 Markov switching model. The interesting feature a b out the model proposed in this paper is that we need b oth disappointment aversion and a Markov switching endowment to match the rst and second moments of both real and excess returns. With disappointment averse agents but a joint random walk for consumption and dividend growth rates, the average equity premium produced by the model is in the order of 2.5 compared with 5.3 in our sample. With isoelas-tic preferences but a bivariate three-state …
Chilean Rural Society from the Spanish Conquest to 1930

1. Rural settlement and agrarian society to the early nineteenth century 2. Town and country in 1850 3. Economic expansion: the impact of the Atlantic economy 4. Capital, credit and technology in the rural economy 5. Agriculture, tenure patterns and agrarian structure 6. Lower rural society from 1850 to 1930 7. Landowners in Chilean society 8. Santiago and the countryside 1910 9. Conclusion and epilogue Appendices Sources Index.
Patients with Severe Radiographic Osteoarthritis Have a Better Prognosis in Physical Functioning after Hip and Knee Replacement: A Cohort-Study

Introduction Although Total Hip and Knee Replacements (THR/TKR) improve Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) at the group level, up to 30% of patients are dissatisfied after surgery due to unfulfilled expectations. We aimed to assess whether the pre-operative radiographic severity of osteoarthritis (OA) is related to the improvement in HRQoL after THR or TKR, both at the population and individual level. Methods In this multi-center observational cohort study, HRQoL of OA patients requiring THR or TKR was measured 2 weeks before surgery and at 2–5 years follow-up, using the Short-Form 36 (SF36). Additionally, we measured patient satisfaction on a 11-point Numeric Rating Scale (NRSS). The radiographic severity of OA was classified according to Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) by an independent experienced musculoskeletal radiologist, blinded for the outcome. We compared the mean improvement and probability of a relevant improvement (defined as a patients change score≥Minimal Clinically Important Difference) between patients with mild OA (KL Grade 0–2) and severe OA (KL Grade 3+4), whilst adjusting for confounders. Results Severe OA patients improved more and had a higher probability of a relevant improvement in physical functioning after both THR and TKR. For TKR patients with severe OA, larger improvements were found in General Health, Vitality and the Physical Component Summary Scale. The mean NRSS was also higher in severe OA TKR patients. Discussion Patients with severe OA have a better prognosis after THR and TKR than patients with mild OA. These findings might help to prevent dissatisfaction after THR and TKR by means of patient selection or expectation management.
EFFECTS OF DIET AND BODY CONDITION ON FECAL PROGESTAGEN EXCRETION IN ELK

Recent research demonstrated the utility of fecal progestagens (P4) for detecting pregnancy in elk (Cervus elaphus) during mid- to late gestation. Several factors, however, may influence fecal P4 excretion and limit its use in free-ranging animals. We investigated the effects of nutrition and body condition (percent ingesta-free body fat) on fecal P4 concentrations and incidence of abortion. During mid-gestation (late December 1997 through early March 1998), 40 gravid cow elk varying in body condition were placed on three diets (high, medium, and low) in which the amount of food offered varied. Feces were collected periodically and analyzed for P4 via radioimmunoassay. We found no significant effect of dietary treatment on P4 concentrations, but as body condition declined, P4 concentrations declined significantly. This decline did not impede the ability to detect pregnancy based on previously reported criteria, even for elk in such poor condition that they aborted. However, fecal P4 concentrations in 10% (4/39) of samples collected from 13 non-pregnant animals maintained on a high plane of nutrition were false-positive for pregnancy. We suggest alternate criteria for determining pregnancy in elk using fecal P4 values: ≥1.25 mg/g feces as pregnant, ≤1.0 μg/g feces as non-pregnant, and 1.0–1.25 μg/g feces as inconclusive. Finally, two cows that aborted did not abort until weeks after being classified as emaciated and near death, suggesting that nutrition-associated abortion in elk may not occur during mid-gestation except under extremely harsh conditions.
A meta‐analysis of the effect of environmental contamination on non‐residential real estate values

Purpose – This paper seeks to reduce the lack of quantitative research by addressing diminution in value to non‐residential property resulting from environmental contamination.Design/methodology/approach – This meta‐analysis extracts data from approximately a dozen peer‐reviewed articles and 100 case studies from real estate appraisers in the USA. A dataset containing 106 contaminated non‐residential observations is examined using Regression (OLS). Forward (stepwise) and backward selection was performed. The dependent variable included percentage loss and dollar amount. The independent variables were contamination type, US region, land use type, distance from the source (mostly contaminated subjects), passage of time, year, urban or rural, market conditions, litigation, and indemnification.Findings – The model adjusted R squares range from 37 percent to 66 percent. Approximately a third of cases had no loss. This research used petroleum case studies as the reference category for comparison with other type.
End-to-end LSTM-based dialog control optimized with supervised and reinforcement learning

This paper presents a model for end-to-end learning of task-oriented dialog systems. The main component of the model is a recurrent neural network (an LSTM), which maps from raw dialog history directly to a distribution over system actions. The LSTM automatically infers a representation of dialog history, which relieves the system developer of much of the manual feature engineering of dialog state. In addition, the developer can provide software that expresses business rules and provides access to programmatic APIs, enabling the LSTM to take actions in the real world on behalf of the user. The LSTM can be optimized using supervised learning (SL), where a domain expert provides example dialogs which the LSTM should imitate; or using reinforcement learning (RL), where the system improves by interacting directly with end users. Experiments show that SL and RL are complementary: SL alone can derive a reasonable initial policy from a small number of training dialogs; and starting RL optimization with a policy trained with SL substantially accelerates the learning rate of RL.
The Influence of Family Functioning on Identity Formation: a Model of Late Adolescent Identity Development

The influence of theoretically prominent family processes on late adolescent college student identity development was the focus of this study. The primary purpose was to test a model of adolescent identity development. This model proposed that family health variables would predict identity development, and that attachment and separation-individuation would each make unique and additive contributions to identity development. The second purpose was to identify instruments which discretely measured the family processes. The third purpose was to better understand family influences by measuring the processes of exploration and commitment. Participants were 150 male and 150 female college students, between the ages of 18 and 23, and from intact families. Questionnaires completed measured family functioning and identity development. Family functioning measures covered three domains (family health, attachment to parents, and separation-individuation) which formed the set of independent variables. The identity measures (ego identity status and identity process) comprised the dependent variables. A hierarchical regression design was employed where family health variables were entered first, followed by attachment variables, then separation-individuation variables. The results indicated mixed support of the model. First, the proposed model was statistically supported for females as all domains predicted identity achievement and diffusion. For males, only family health predicted identity achievement, and only separation-individuation predicted identity diffusion. Other important findings were that the attachment and separation-individuation domains both assessed forms of connectedness, suggesting only one domain. Thus, the separation-individuation component of the model was not supported. Second, similarity of attitudes consistently predicted identity achievement, diffusion, exploration, and commitment. Third, despite the use of rigorous criteria to obtain discrete scales representative of the theoretical constructs, overlap was discovered within and across domains. The roles of similarity of attitudes between adolescent and parent, and the family environments associated with identity achievement, diffusion, exploration, and commitment are discussed. In addition, methodological and measurement issues, limitations of the study, and implications for future research are examined.
Journal of Insect Science: Vol. 7 | Article 19

The parasitoid, Cotesia flavipes (Cameron) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), was introduced for biological control of the stemborer, Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), in eastern and southern African countries. The parasitoid became firmly established in Ethiopia, with varying density and distribution in various regions of the country indicating that there are factors regulating the success of the parasitoid. From previous studies, it was known that the population of the parasitoid released, the type of host, and temperature highly affect some of the biological parameters of the parasitoid. The current studies were undertaken to understand the individual and interactive effect of temperature and relative humidity on the longevity and fecundity of C. flavipes. The study was conducted on C. flavipes collected from the Melkassa Agricultural Research Center Experimental Field, Ethiopia. C. flavipes was reared in the laboratory on C. partellus feeding on pieces of sorghum stem. The longevity experiment was conducted at 10, 20, 30 and 40 °C, while the fecundity experiment was conducted at 20, 25, 28 and 30 °C. For both experiments 40–50%, 60–70% and 80–90% relative humidity regimes were used. The results obtained indicate that the interactive effect of temperature and relative humidity significantly affected the longevity, the number of oocytes, and fecundity of C. flavipes implying that the two factors play an important role in the success of the parasitoid as a biocontrol agent against C. partellus. The results obtained suggests the importance of the selection of target release sites for maximum efficiency of the parasitoid, which can have a positive impact on the on-going augmentative release of C. flavipes in Ethiopia.
Perceived Value: Mediating Role of Perceived Risk

The study reports the results of two experiments designed to test the role of perceived quality, perceived sacrifice, and perceived risks on consumers’ perceptions of product value. The results of the experiments involving 530 undergraduate students support the hypothesized model that suggests that perceived quality and perceived sacrifice mediate the relationships between extrinsic cues-such as price, brand, store name, and country-of-origin-and perceived performance risk and financial risk. In addition, the results indicate that perceived performance risk and financial risk mediate the relationships that perceived quality and perceived sacrifice have with perceived value. Since the findings of this research suggest both performance risk and financial risk can be reduced (thus increasing perceived value) if perceived quality is high, firms have an incentive to increase consumers’ quality perceptions by means of brand name, store, country-of-origin and price.
International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health What Constitutes Coercion? Achieving the Goal of the London Summit on Family Planning by Adhering to Voluntary, Rights-based Family Planning: What Can We Learn from past Experiences with Coercion?

206 quality of care and human rights since the 1970s. The literature for this article is supplemented by a wider review of literature conducted on voluntary, human rights–based family planning by Rodriguez et al. 17 While Rodriguez et al.'s literature review focused on the years 1995–2012, this article includes literature from family planning programming dating back to the 1960s, because some instances and allegations of coercive practices included here occurred at that time. To inform this article, we looked for existing definitions and descriptions of coercion in family planning. 18,19 There is no commonly held definition, although instances of co-ercion are linked to violations of human rights and there is broad consensus that coercion is morally wrong and should be avoided by family planning programs. 18,20–22 To develop a definition of coercion, we found it instructive to review the three broad categories of reproductive rights described by Erdman and Cook—the right to reproductive self-determination; rights to sexual and reproductive health services, information and education; and rights to equality and nondiscrimination. 23 Defining coercion or coercive actions too broadly could incriminate all family planning programs, becoming a catchall term applied to poorly implemented programs that neglect or are unable to reach quality of care standards. We contend that for the term coercion to be useful for advocacy and accountability purposes, it should not be conflated with broader issues of quality of care or equity, which deserve equal, if not more, attention and are also linked with human rights violations. Considering these factors, we propose the following definition: Coercion in family planning consists of actions or factors that compromise individual autonomy, agency or liberty in relation to contraceptive use or reproductive decision making through force, violence, intimidation or manipulation. Under this definition, coercion is a violation of the right to reproductive self-determination, including the right to bodily integrity (autonomy over one's own body). It is important to note that coercion is not the only way in which the right to reproductive self-determination can be violated; denying services to individuals also violates their rights. To illustrate actions and factors that may fit under this definition, this article focuses on policies and program management that explicitly foster practices that compromise , or have the potential to compromise, autonomy, agency or liberty when implemented. The 2012 London Summit on Family Planning refocused attention on family planning, garnering much-needed support for the goal of reenergizing and …
Pseudomyxoma peritonei

Pseudomyxoma peritonei is a relatively rare and poorly understood condition in which mucus accumulates within the peritoneal cavity. The presence of cells in the mucin, either inflammatory or neoplastic, distinguishes it from simple acellular mucus ascites caused by mucinous spillage. There is widespread seeding of the peritoneal and omental surfaces with a heavy cancerous glaze. This is principally a complication of borderline or malignant neoplasm of the ovary and/or appendix. This paper describes two cases of previously healthy women who both presented with an acute abdomen, and were diagnosed postoperatively with pseudomyxoma peritonei. In addition, literature on the clinical presentation, diagnostic procedures, and treatment options has been briefly reviewed.
The recovery of function and microcirculation in small intestinal loops following ischaemia 1

Short loops of dog small intestine, filled with a buffered glucose solution, were subjected to one hour's total ischaemia by clamping the corresponding mesenteric artery and vein as well as the intestinal wall at each end of the loop. Immediately after the ischaemic period and 24 hours later, their functional capacity, together with that of neighbouring control loops, was determined by studying the absorption of phenylalanine and β-methyl-glucoside in vitro and by measuring the levels of Na+-K+-ATPase in the mucosa. The release of lysosomal enzymes after the ischaemia was studied by gauging the levels of acid phosphatase in the venous blood draining the ischaemic loop. The state of the mucosal microcirculation was investigated by injection of indian ink into the mesenteric artery removal of the loop. Immediately after ischaemia, considerable structural damage was observed in the intestinal mucosa, with desquamation of the villous tips, oedema, vascular stasis, and haemorrhagic infiltration in the lamina propria. No dye was observed in the mucosal capillaries. All transport capacity was abolished, but ATPase levels were unchanged. A significant release of lysosomal enzymes into the venous blood was noted. One day later structural and functional recovery was complete, and vascularization of the villous core was restored.
The Transcription Factor MTF-1 Mediates Metal Regulation of the Mouse ZnT1 Gene*

Metal regulation of the mouse zinc transporter (ZnT)-1 gene was examined in cultured cells and in the developing conceptus. Zinc or cadmium treatment of cell lines rapidly (3 h) and dramatically (about 12-fold) induced ZnT1 mRNA levels. In cells incubated in medium supplemented with Chelex-treated fetal bovine serum, to remove metal ions, levels of ZnT1 mRNA were reduced, and induction of this message in response to zinc or cadmium was accentuated (up to 31-fold induction). Changes in ZnT1 gene expression in these experiments paralleled those of metallothionein I (MT-I). Inhibition of RNA synthesis blocked metal induction of ZnT1 and MT-I mRNAs, whereas inhibition of protein synthesis did not. Metal response element-binding transcription factor (MTF)-1 mediates metal regulation of the metallothionein I gene. In vitroDNA-binding assays demonstrated that mouse MTF-1 can bind avidly to the two metal-response element sequences found in the ZnT1 promoter. Using mouse embryo fibroblasts with homozygous deletions of the MTF-1 gene, it was shown that this transcription factor is essential for basal as well as metal (zinc and cadmium) regulation of the ZnT1 gene in these cells. In vivo, ZnT1 mRNA was abundant in the midgestation visceral yolk sac and placenta. Dietary zinc deficiency during pregnancy down-regulated ZnT1 and MT-I mRNA levels (4–5-fold and >20-fold, respectively) in the visceral yolk sac, but had little effect on these mRNAs in the placenta. Homozygous knockout of the MTF-1 gene in transgenic mice also led to a 4–6-fold reduction in ZnT1 mRNA levels and a loss of MT-I mRNA in the visceral yolk sac. These results suggest that MTF-1 mediates the response to metal ions of both the ZnT1 and the MT-I genes the visceral yolk sac. Overall, these studies suggest that MTF-1 directly coordinates the regulation of genes involved in zinc homeostasis and protection against metal toxicity.
An innovative approach to Student Internships on American Indian Reservations

Personnel shortages are evident for a number of disciplines in the health professions, from physicians to nurses. Project CRISTAL (Collaborative Rural Interdisciplinary Service Training and Learning) was designed to immerse students in rural and reservation communities and encourage them to consider practicing in locations that have shortages of health care providers. Students gain an understanding of the importance of working as part of a health care team and address present and future health care workforce shortages. The project was also structured to help students develop the necessary skills to become culturally-sensitive providers. Working relationships among higher education institutions, health care facilities, and reservation communities were enhanced. Additionally, a culturally-appropriate, team-oriented curriculum for reservation settings was developed. Experiences gained from the North Dakota project provide valuable insight into interprofessional health training and health issues of American Indian populations.
Characterization of circular RNAs landscape in multiple system atrophy brain

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been recently identified as a naturally occurring family of widespread and diverse endogenous non‐coding RNAs that may regulate gene expression in mammals. They are unusually stable RNA molecules with cell type‐ or developmental stage‐specific expression patterns. However, the role of circRNAs in pathology of complex disease is entirely unknown. Here, we report the specific circular transcriptome in the multiple system atrophy (MSA) brain as determined by RNA sequencing. Five circRNAs, namely IQCK, MAP4K3, EFCAB11, DTNA, and MCTP1, were identified and validated as specifically over‐expressed in MSA frontal cortex. The expression levels of linear transcripts were not significantly altered and thus did not follow the pattern of their circular counterparts. Further analysis of expression of five MSA‐specific circRNAs revealed their over‐expression in the white matter of the MSA cortical tissue. Together, this is the first report describing perturbation of circular transcriptome in α‐synucleinopathies.