Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Information Content of Model‐Free Implied Volatility

This study examines the information content of model-free implied volatility (MFIV) estimates with respect to the options and futures markets in Hong Kong. In this study, the volatility forecasting performance of MFIV is compared, using different prediction horizons, to IV estimates based on Black's futures option pricing model (BIV) and time-series forecasts based on historical volatility (TS-HV). The results show that the BIV prediction is unbiased for different horizon forecasts. MFIV outperforms TS-HV forecasts and, most importantly, BIV subsumes the information content of both MFIV and TS-HV forecasts. The results are largely maintained for next-day forecasts but the forecasting quality of the two IV measures declines as expiration day approaches. The information contents of MFIV and TS-HV forecasts are complementary. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 32:792-806, 2012
Quality of life in patients with endoscopy-negative heartburn: reliability and sensitivity of disease-specific instruments

OBJECTIVES:Endoscopy-negative gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) lacks objective markers of disease severity. Evaluation of therapies for GERD must therefore rely on subjective measures, including patient self-report questionnaires, to measure the clinical effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. We aimed to evaluate the previously validated Gastrointestinal Symptoms Rating Scale (GSRS) and the Quality of Life in Reflux and Dyspepsia (QOLRAD) questionnaires for reliability and responsiveness to change over time.METHODS:Patients (n = 1143) with heartburn, but no esophagitis included in a randomized clinical trial assessing the effectiveness of active treatment with proton pump inhibitors over 4 wk were evaluated.RESULTS:The test-retest reliability of both questionnaires over time was good to excellent (GSRS 0.53–0.69; QOLRAD 0.65–0.76), as was the responsiveness estimated by standardized response means (GSRS reflux dimension, −1.43; QOLRAD 0.81–1.43) and effect sizes (GRSR reflux dimension, −1.74; QOLRAD 0.82–1.56). The relationship between improvement in the GSRS reflux dimension score and the amount of clinical benefit as estimated by the patients themselves (based on the Overall Treatment Evaluation) suggested a minimally clinical relevant change is 0.5 on the seven graded scales applied. The importance rating indicated that an important change in the GSRS reflux dimension and the QOLRAD dimensions is equivalent to 1.0, and a very important change to 1.5. CONCLUSIONS:The GSRS and QOLRAD are valid questionnaires that are reliable and sensitive to change. Both questionnaires should be suitable for use in clinical trials of therapeutic interventions for patients with heartburn.
A novel spread space-spectrum multiple access scheme for the forward link

We consider a new multiple access framework for the forward link transmission with multiple transmit and receive antennas. The primary goal is to achieve high bandwidth efficiency while the number of user-channels, rather than the individual's data rate, is to be maximized. In the proposed framework, we focus on a single spreading period, in which the data from different users are multiplexed using the space-time-diagonal (STD) spreading sequences. With a real constellation, N users/Hz/sec is achieved where N is the number of transmit and receive antenna elements. Any form of joint coding among these data over space-time cannot be considered within this period because they belong to different users. Hence, spreading over space-time becomes an effective approach for the purpose of multiplexing. Both analytical studies and simulations results show that our scheme has profound performance.
The effect of acute exposure to coarse particulate matter air pollution in a rural location on circulating endothelial progenitor cells: results from a randomized controlled study

Abstract Context: Fine particulate matter (PM) air pollution has been associated with alterations in circulating endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) levels, which may be one mechanism whereby exposures promote cardiovascular diseases. However, the impact of coarse PM on EPCs is unknown. Objective: We aimed to determine the effect of acute exposure to coarse concentrated ambient particles (CAP) on circulating EPC levels. Methods: Thirty-two adults (25.9 ± 6.6 years) were exposed to coarse CAP (76.2 ± 51.5 μg m−3) in a rural location and filtered air (FA) for 2 h in a randomized double-blind crossover study. Peripheral venous blood was collected 2 and 20 h post-exposures for circulating EPC (n = 21), white blood cell (n = 24) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (n = 16–19) levels. The changes between exposures were compared by matched Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results: Circulating EPC levels were elevated 2 [108.29 (6.24–249.71) EPC mL−1; median (25th–75th percentiles), p = 0.052] and 20 h [106.86 (52.91–278.35) EPC mL−1, p = 0.008] post-CAP exposure compared to the same time points following FA [38.47 (0.00–84.83) and 50.16 (0.00–104.79) EPC mL−1]. VEGF and white blood cell (WBC) levels did not differ between exposures. Conclusions: Brief inhalation of coarse PM from a rural location elicited an increase in EPCs that persisted for at least 20 h. The underlying mechanism responsible may reflect a systemic reaction to an acute “endothelial injury” and/or a circulating EPC response to sympathetic nervous system activation.
The Impact of a Third-Party Assurance Seal in Customer Purchasing Intention

ABSTRACT Although e-commerce is evolving at an incredible speed, asymmetric information and opportunism have increased online purchasing risks and market inefficiencies. The lack of face-to-face contact and the inability of the customer to touch and feel tangible products necessitate that online business must provide customers with reliable information and convince customers of their trustworthiness. While the research on Third-Party Assurance Seals (TPAS) is not new, the effectiveness of TPAS has not been persuasively addressed by empirical studies. Our study is different from previous efforts in that it is comprehensive because it combines consumer trust, perceived risk, and influences of TPAS in the B2C e-commerce context. The results of the study show that (1) the effects of TPAS on perceived risk are channeled through perceived trustworthiness, thus demonstrating the mediating role of perceived trustworthiness in B2C e-commerce, (2) perceived risk, perceived usefulness of website, and subjective norm appear to be significant predictors of intention to purchase from the website, (3) a third-party assurance seal strongly affects online shoppers' perceived trustworthiness toward online retailers, while the seal appears to have little effect on perceived risk directly; perceived risk is strongly associated with intention to purchase from the website.
Foreign exchange intervention as a signal of monetary policy

Recent experience with exchange rate management has rekindled interest in the efficacy of foreign exchange intervention. While there is broad evidence that sterilized intervention has no effect on the exchange rate through a portfolio balance channel, less evidence exists on the signalling role of intervention. This article considers the signalling role of intervention for the United States and West Germany between the 1985 Plaza Accord and the October 1987 stock market crash. ; An examination of the data shows that intervention observed by the foreign exchange market did not precede changes in monetary policy in a proximate or consistent fashion. Thus the study concludes that, after the fact, intervention was not a signal of subsequent monetary policy. The study also explores the possibility that during this period participants in the foreign exchange market viewed intervention as a signal. While the daily response of the change in the deutsche mark/dollar exchange rate showed a significant effect of intervention in the early part of this sample period, the effect eroded over time as monetary authorities failed to back up intervention with monetary policy.
Market Provision of Broadcasting: A Welfare Analysis ∗

This paper presents a theory of the market provision of broadcasting and uses it to address the nature of market failure in the industry. Equilibrium advertising levels may be too low or too high, depending on the nuisance cost to viewers, the substitutability of programmes, and the expected benefits to advertisers from contacting viewers. The equilibrium amount of programming may also be below or above the socially optimal level. Perhaps surprisingly, the ability to price programming may reduce social surplus, while monopoly ownership may increase it. Copyright 2005, Wiley-Blackwell.
Multi-scale Sparse Representation for Robust Face Recognition

Recently the Sparse Representation-based Classification (SRC) has been successfully used in face recognition. In SRC, a test image is coded by a linear combination of the training dictionary. In this paper, we propose a model extends from SRC named Multi-scale SRC (MSRC). The MSRC build the multi-scale dictionary for the training. A test image is then coded using this multi-scale dictionary. In addition, a voting scheme is applied which not only helps improving the recognition rate significantly, but also makes the algorithm more robust with occlusion. Experiments on representative face databases demonstrate that the MSRC is much more effective than the SRC.
Those Who Never Make It and the Suffering of Those Left Behind: The Fate of Honduran Missing Migrants and their Families

Every day Hondurans leave their country to migrate to the U.S undocumented, risking their lives on the journey. Some reach the U.S.; many are deported after being picked up by either the Mexican or the U.S. authorities. This article focuses on a little acknowledged third group, those who go missing on the trip, and their families, who are left worrying and wondering what has happened. It looks at the cases of four missing migrants in the area of El Progreso, in north-western Honduras, considering what is at the root of their decision to migrate, what is suspected to have happened to them, how the situation is affecting their families and what the latter do to find them. It also examines the support they receive. These relatives are affiliated with a self-help committee founded with the aim of finding out what has happened. In the process of doing so, the committee has not only been able to locate some of those missing and put the topic on the public and political agenda in Honduras, its most active members have gained a previously unknown confidence in their ability to take the outcome of their lives into their own hands. DOI: 10.5377/encuentro.v42i87. 248 Encuentro 2010/ Ano XLII, N° 87, 61-74
The Student’s Experience of Attending Large Classes in a South African Higher Education Context

The increase in numbers of students entering South African universities results in the challenge of effectively managing large groups of students in classrooms. Previous research has focused on resourcing and the manner in which knowledge can be conveyed in large classes. To date not much research has been conducted on the student experience within a large class setting at South African higher education institutions. To make provision for responsible massification of higher education that does not affect the quality of student learning negatively, it is necessary to identify the perspective of students on teaching and learning in large classes. A descriptive exploratory study was undertaken using quantitative data derived from a questionnaire. Undergraduate students were asked to provide information related to their experiences of various aspects in the largest class they attend, such as physical environmental, teaching in class, methods/activities, learning and assessment. The results indicate that the students’ level of academic independence determines how well they cope in a large class and the competence and enthusiasm of the lecturer influences whether they attend these classes regularly. It is recommended that teaching and learning methods that can develop students’ ability for independent learning be gradually introduced in large classes. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014. v5n16p375
Examining social responsibility orientation gaps between society and industry executives

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to examine the social responsibility orientation (SRO) gaps between the forest industry executives and societal members in the US Pacific Northwest.Design/methodology/approach – Using mail survey responses to pre‐existing SRO scales, the two samples are grouped into distinct social orientation clusters and compared based on demographic and firm characteristic variables.Findings – The forest industry executives were found to have a significantly lower SRO than societal members, indicating a more individualistic social orientation. Demographic analyses suggested that individualistic beliefs were more prominent in males and rural residents among general society respondents. However, SRO among business executives showed no significant differences based on demographics or firm characteristics.Research limitations/implications – The research was conducted within a specific region of the USA and as such these findings may not be generalized to other regions. The paper argues th.
Faecal calprotectin and lactoferrin values during irradiation of prostate cancer correlate with chronic radiation proctitis: Results of a prospective study

Objective. Acute proctitis and chronic radiation proctitis are relevant complications of pelvic radiation. The purpose of this study was to investigate two markers of gut inflammation during and after irradiation for prostate cancer to evaluate a correlation between acute and chronic proctitis. Material and methods. Two patient groups were analysed. In group 1, stool samples from 20 patients were collected before therapy, every week during therapy, at the end of therapy, and 13 and 27 months after therapy. Group 2 comprised 47 patients who had undergone irradiation 40 months earlier. Toxicity was determined by common toxicity criteria (CTC) and the LENT soma scale. Calprotectin and lactoferrin values were determined by ELISA. Results. In group 1, acute values for both faecal markers were significantly correlated with chronic proctitis symptoms and all patients with chronic toxicity had acute proctitis symptoms with elevated faecal values. In group 2, where stool samples were solely collected 40 months after irradiation, the Pearson square test showed both a significant correlation between calprotectin and lactoferrin values and toxicity after 40 months. Conclusions. Within a group of 19 patients followed for two years after irradiation for prostate cancer, and 47 patients tested 40 months after irradiation, increased faecal values of calprotectin and lactoferrin were significantly correlated with the occurrence of chronic proctitis. This observation should be confirmed in an expanded study.
Positive and Negative Word of Mouth about Restaurants: Exploring the Asymmetric Impact of the Performance of Attributes

This study examines the relationship between attribute performance of a restaurant and customers' positive and negative word of mouth (WOM). We present an analysis of 168,262 customer reviews, which consist of an overall rating of a dining experience, ratings of food, physical environment and employee service, and real expenditure for a meal, totally covering 1,542 Chinese restaurants on a restaurant guide website. The results indicate that the performance of attributes has an asymmetric impact on positive and negative WOM for the restaurant industry as well as for low-end and mid-to-high-end restaurants. Our results also show that, in most cases, there is a combined effect of two attributes on both positive and negative WOM.
Assessing the R&D Management of a Firm in Terms of Speed and Science Linkage: Evidence from the U.S. Patents

We evaluate statistically how the R&D management of a firm affects its research quality. Controlling for technology areas, a firm having short citation lag relative to the prior patent literature has a significantly high patent quality in terms of patent citation and the number of claims per patent, suggesting that the speed of R&D mattes. Such an effect is more significant in IT than in biotechnology & pharmaceuticals. A firm having high citations to the science literature has also a high patent quality, indicating the importance of the capability to use scientific knowledge. Such an effect is significant both in biotechnology & pharmaceuticals and in IT.
Music Playlist Continuation by Learning from Hand-Curated Examples and Song Features: Alleviating the Cold-Start Problem for Rare and Out-of-Set Songs

Automated music playlist generation is a specific form of music recommendation. Generally stated, the user receives a set of song suggestions defining a coherent listening session. We hypothesize that the best way to convey such playlist coherence to new recommendations is by learning it from actual curated examples, in contrast to imposing ad hoc constraints. Collaborative filtering methods can be used to capture underlying patterns in hand-curated playlists. However, the scarcity of thoroughly curated playlists and the bias towards popular songs result in the vast majority of songs occurring in very few playlists and thus being poorly recommended. To overcome this issue, we propose an alternative model based on a song-to-playlist classifier, which learns the underlying structure from actual playlists while leveraging song features derived from audio, social tags and independent listening logs. Experiments on two datasets of hand-curated playlists show competitive performance compared to collaborative filtering when sufficient training data is available and more robust performance when recommending rare and out-of-set songs. For example, both approaches achieve a recall@100 of roughly 35% for songs occurring in 5 or more training playists, whereas the proposed model achieves a recall@100 of roughly 15% for songs occurring in 4 or less training playlists, compared to the 3% achieved by collaborative filtering.
Clinical Profile of Severe Acute Malnutrition in Western Rajasthan: A Prospective Observational Study from India

Introduction: The present study is undertaken to evaluate incidence and clinical profile of patients admitted with severe acute malnutrition and the assessment of relative contribution of various variables. Methods and material: This prospective study was conducted at department of paediatrics Umaid hospital, Dr. S.N. medical college Jodhpur, for a period of 7 months on patients of severe acute malnutrition admitted in malnutrition treatment corner. A total of 75 cases were enrolled in the study and a detailed history and physical examination finding were recorded in pretested proforma at the time of admission by using standard methodology and anthropometric measurement expressed in standard deviation from the median of the reference population (NCHS). Results: Incidence of severe acute malnutrition is 3.28%. Mean age of admitted patients was 14.92 ± 7.48 months and mostly belonged to lower socioeconomic scale, rural area and large family. Most of the caretakers were illiterate and in all cases, caretakers were mothers. In our study that 41.3%, 32.1%, 21.3% and 5.3% patients were in PEM grade IV, III, II and I respectively. Female patients were more severely malnourished than males (84.2% v/s 68.21%). Most common presenting symptom was fever (70.7%), followed by vomiting (52) and co morbidity associated with PEM was gastrointestinal (60%) followed by respiratory tract infection (52%). Mean duration of exclusive breast feeding was 2.6 ± 1.5 months and mean age of weaning was 8.4±3.9 months.78. 7% children were still on breast feed at the time of hospitalisation and among them 40.7% of children were above 12 months of age. Mean age of starting semisolid and solid food was 11.6+3.53 months and most commonly used supplementary food was top milk in (100%), followed by chapati (42.3%) in patients. Conclusion: On the basis of this study, we conclude that the problem of severe malnutrition is multi-dimensional and inter-generational in nature. The determinants of severe malnutrition includes household food insecurity, illiteracy, low socioeconomic status, lack of awareness to access health services, large family size and poor purchasing power etc. Besides these, faulty feeding practices, poor complementary feeding practices, ignorance about nutritional needs of infants and young children and repeated infections, also aggravates the malnutrition amongst
A means of assessing maximal oxygen intake. Correlation between field and treadmill testing.

One hundred and fifteen US Air Force male officers and airmen were evaluated on a 12-minute field performance test and on a treadmill maximal-oxygen-consumption test. The correlation of the field-test data with the laboratory-determined oxygen-consumption data was 0.897. The significance of this relationship makes it possible to estimate with considerable accuracy the maximal oxygen consumption from only the results of the 12-minute performance test. This test is readily adaptable to large groups, requires minimum equipment, and appears to be a better indicator of cardiovascular fitness than the more commonly accepted 600-yard run. Because of the high correlation with maximal oxygen consumption, it can be assumed that the 12-minute field performance test is an objective measure of physical fitness reflecting the cardiovascular status of an individual.
Genetic map of the Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae RTX-toxin (Apx) operons: characterization of the ApxIII operons

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae RTX-toxin III (ApxIII) is implicated as an important virulence factor of A. pleuropneumoniae, the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia. Recently, the genes coding for ApxIII (apxIIICA) of serotype 8 were cloned and characterized. The toxin appeared to be a member of the RTX-toxin family, as are the other two secreted toxins of A. pleuropneumoniae, i.e., ApxI and ApxII. In this report, we describe the cloning and sequencing of the remaining part of the ApxIII operon of serotype 8. This sequence coded for the RTX secretion proteins ApxIIIB and ApxIIID, which showed 86 and 63% similarity to ApxIB and ApxID, respectively, and 83 and 63% similarity to HlyB and HlyD of Escherichia coli, respectively. Potential functional domains, such as eight transmembrane regions and an ATP-binding cassette, were present in ApxIIIB. We examined the presence of apxIIICABD sequences in the 12 serotypes of A. pleuropneumoniae and found that these sequences were present only in serotypes 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8, the serotypes that secrete ApxIII. Comparison of the apxIIICABD gene sequences of the serotypes revealed very few serotype-specific differences. Only the C terminus of ApxIIIA of serotype 2 differed from ApxIIIA of the other serotypes. The differences were located between the glycine-rich repeats and the secretion signal. The analysis of the apxIIICABD genes completed our efforts to characterize the ApxI, ApxII, and ApxIII operons of the reference strains of the 12 serotypes of A. pleuropneumoniae. We present a complete map of the ApxI, ApxII, and ApxIII operons and discuss this in terms of gene expression and complementation and the role of the toxins in pathogenesis.