Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Twitter sentiment around the Earnings Announcement events

We investigate the relationship between social media, Twitter in particular, and stock market. We provide an in-depth analysis of the Twitter volume and sentiment about the 30 companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average index, over a period of three years. We focus on Earnings Announcements and show that there is a considerable difference with respect to when the announcements are made: before the market opens or after the market closes. The two different timings of the Earnings Announcements were already investigated in the financial literature, but not yet in the social media. We analyze the differences in terms of the Twitter volumes, cumulative abnormal returns, trade returns, and earnings surprises. We report mixed results. On the one hand, we show that the Twitter sentiment (the collective opinion of the users) on the day of the announcement very well reflects the stock moves on the same day. We demonstrate this by applying the event study methodology, where the polarity of the Earnings Announcements is computed from the Twitter sentiment. Cumulative abnormal returns are high (2–4%) and statistically significant. On the other hand, we find only weak predictive power of the Twitter sentiment one day in advance. It turns out that it is important how to account for the announcements made after the market closes. These after-hours announcements draw high Twitter activity immediately, but volume and price changes in trading are observed only on the next day. On the day before the announcements, the Twitter volume is low, and the sentiment has very weak predictive power. A useful lesson learned is the importance of the proper alignment between the announcements, trading and Twitter data.
Principles of pragmatics

Preface A note on symbols 1. Introduction 1.1 Historical preamble 1.2 Semantics and pragmatics 1.3 General pragmatics 1.4 Aspects of speech situations 1.5 Rhetoric 2. A set of postulates 2.1 Semantic representation and pragmatic interpretation 2.2 Rules and principles 2.3 Convention and motivation 2.4 The relation between sense and force 2.5 Pragmatics as problem-solving 2.6 Conclusion 3. Formalism and functionalism 3.1 Formal and functional explanations 3.2 Biological, psychological, and social varieties of functionalism 3.3 The ideational, interpersonal, and textual functions of language 3.4 The ideational function: discreteness and determinacy 3.5 Examples of 'overgrammaticization' 3.6 Conclusion 4. The interpersonal role of the Cooperative Principle 4.1 The Cooperative Principle (CP) and the Politeness Principle (PP) 4.2 Maxims and Quantity and Quality 4.3 Maxim of Relation 4.4 The Hinting Strategy and anticipatory illocutions 4.5 Maxim of Manner 5. The Tact Maxim 5.1 Varieties of illocutionary function 5.2 Searle's categories of illocutionary acts 5.3 Tact: one kind of politeness 5.4 Pragmatic paradoxes of politeness 5.5 Semantic representation of ddeclaratives, interrogatives and imperatives 5.6 The interpretation of impositives 5.7 Pragmatic scales 5.8 Tact and condescension 6. A survey of the Interpersonal Rhetoric 6.1 Maxims and politeness 6.2 Metalinguistic aspects of politeness 6.3 Irony and banter 6.4 Hyperbole and litotes 6.5 Conclusion 7. Communicative Grammar: an example 7.1 Communicative Grammar and pragmatic force 7.2 Remarks on pragmatic metalanguage 7.3 Some aspects of negation and interrogation in English 7.4 Implications of politeness 7.5 Conclusion 8. Performatives 8.1 The Performative and Illocutionary-Verb Fallacies 8.2 The speech act theories of Austin and Searle 8.3 Illocutionary performatives: descriptive and non-descriptive approaches 8.4 Illocutionary performartives and oratio obliqua 8.5 The pragmatics of illocutionary performatives 8.6 The performative hypothesis 8.7 The extended performative hypothesis 8.8 Conclusion 9. Speech-act verbs in English 9.1 Locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary 9.2 A survey of speech-act verb clauses 9.3 Is there a separate class of performative verbs? 9.4 A semantic analysis of some illocutionary verbs 9.5 Assertive verbs 9.6 Conclusion 10. Retrospect and prospect References Index
Retrospective and prospective persistent activity induced by Hebbian learning in a recurrent cortical network

Recordings from cells in the associative cortex of monkeys performing visual working memory tasks link persistent neuronal activity, long‐term memory and associative memory. In particular, delayed pair‐associate tasks have revealed neuronal correlates of long‐term memory of associations between stimuli. Here, a recurrent cortical network model with Hebbian plastic synapses is subjected to the pair‐associate protocol. In a first stage, learning leads to the appearance of delay activity, representing individual images ('retrospective' activity). As learning proceeds, the same learning mechanism uses retrospective delay activity together with choice stimulus activity to potentiate synapses connecting neural populations representing associated images. As a result, the neural population corresponding to the pair‐associate of the image presented is activated prior to its visual stimulation ('prospective' activity). The probability of appearance of prospective activity is governed by the strength of the inter‐population connections, which in turn depends on the frequency of pairings during training. The time course of the transitions from retrospective to prospective activity during the delay period is found to depend on the fraction of slow, N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate‐like receptors at excitatory synapses. For fast recurrent excitation, transitions are abrupt; slow recurrent excitation renders transitions gradual. Both scenarios lead to a gradual rise of delay activity when averaged over many trials, because of the stochastic nature of the transitions. The model reproduces most of the neuro‐physiological data obtained during such tasks, makes experimentally testable predictions and demonstrates how persistent activity (working memory) brings about the learning of long‐term associations.
Evaluation of hearing loss with auditory brainstem responses in the early and late period of bacterial meningitis in children

Abstract The hearing function of 50 children with bacterial meningitis was evaluated at the second and 10th days, and eight weeks after admission with auditory brain system responses (ABR) to investigate whether meningitis causes hearing loss. Normal values were obtained in all tests from both ears of 24 patients (48 per cent). Twelve patients (24 per cent) had temporary, and seven (14 per cent) patients had persistent mild degree hearing loss. Severe hearing loss was detected bilaterally in five (10 per cent) patients and unilaterally in two (four per cent) patients. Patients with other complications such as subdural effusion, convulsion, brain oedema and paralysis were found to have a higher incidence of hearing loss. We observed that patients treated with dexamethasone had 7.7 per cent persistent hearing loss, 11.6 per cent mild hearing loss, 34.6 per cent transient hearing loss, but in the group who did not receive dexamethasone there was 19.2 per cent persistent hearing loss, 15.3 per cent mild hearing loss and 11.6 per cent transient hearing loss. There were other signficant differences between the two groups in restoration of normal body temperature, the CSF/plasma glucose concentration ratio was elevated, CSF (cerebro-spinal fluid) protein concentration was decreased and the cell count in the CSF was decreased in the dexamethasone group, significantly more than the group who were not receiving dexamethasone. The hearing loss tended to be more frequent among younger children.
Cytonuclear conflict in interpopulation hybrids: the role of RNA polymerase in mtDNA transcription and replication

Organismal fitness requires functional integration of nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. Structural and regulatory elements coevolve within lineages and several studies have found that interpopulation hybridization disrupts mitonuclear interactions. Because mitochondrial RNA polymerase (mtRPOL) plays key roles in both mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication and transcription, the interaction between mtRPOL and coevolved regulatory sites in the mtDNA may be central to mitonuclear integration. Here, we generate interpopulation hybrids between divergent populations of the copepod Tigriopus californicus to obtain lines having different combinations of mtRPOL and mtDNA. Lines were scored for mtDNA copy number and ATP6 (mtDNA) gene expression. We find that there is a genotype‐dependent negative association between mitochondrial transcriptional response and mtDNA copy number. We argue that an observed increase in mtDNA copy number and reduced mtDNA transcription in hybrids reflects the regulatory role of mtRPOL; depending on the mitonuclear genotype, hybridization may disrupt the normal balance between transcription and replication of the mitochondrial genome.
Family emotional climate, depression, emotional triggering of asthma, and disease severity in pediatric asthma: examination of pathways of effect.

OBJECTIVES (a) To assess emotional triggering of pediatric asthma and ascertain its contribution to disease morbidity and functional status; (b) to test whether negative family emotional climate (NFEQ) is associated with depressive and/or anxious symptoms and emotional triggering of asthma attacks in the child. METHOD Children with asthma (N = 272, 56% male, age 7-17) and their primary caregivers answered together an Asthma Trigger Inventory (Ritz, Steptoe, Bobb, Harris, & Edwards, 2006). Children reported on anxious (STAIC) and depressive (CDI) symptoms and on asthma-related quality of life (PAQLQ). Parent(s) reported on their child's internalizing (CBCL-I) and depressive symptoms (CDI-P). A clinician also rated the child's depression using the structured CDRS-R. Asthma diagnosis was confirmed and disease severity rated according to NHLBI guidelines by an asthma clinician. RESULTS Path analyses indicated that NFEQ was associated with depressive symptoms, which in turn were associated both directly and indirectly (by way of emotional triggering) with disease severity. Comparison of nested models indicated the possibility of differential roles and pathways for anxious versus depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION Findings elucidate possible pathways of effect by which family emotional climate and child depressive symptoms may influence pediatric asthma disease severity by way of potentiating emotional triggering of asthma.
A pattern recognition approach for peak prediction of electrical consumption

Predicting and mitigating demand peaks in electrical networks has become a prevalent research topic. Demand peaks pose a particular challenge to energy companies because these are difficult to foresee and require the net to support abnormally high consumption levels. In smart energy grids, time-differentiated pricing policies that increase the energy cost for the consumers during peak periods, and load balancing are examples of simple techniques for peak regulation. In this paper, we tackle the task of predicting power peaks prior to their actual occurrence in the context of a pilot Norwegian smart grid network.
Induction of Multidrug Resistance Mechanism in Escherichia coli Biofilms by Interplay between Tetracycline and Ampicillin Resistance Genes

ABSTRACT Biofilms gain resistance to various antimicrobial agents, and the presence of antibiotic resistance genes is thought to contribute to a biofilm-mediated antibiotic resistance. Here we showed the interplay between the tetracycline resistance efflux pump TetA(C) and the ampicillin resistance gene (blaTEM-1) in biofilms of Escherichia coli harboring pBR322 in the presence of the mixture of ampicillin and tetracycline. E. coli in the biofilms could obtain the high-level resistance to ampicillin, tetracycline, penicillin, erythromycin, and chloramphenicol during biofilm development and maturation as a result of the interplay between the marker genes on the plasmids, the increase of plasmid copy number, and consequently the induction of the efflux systems on the bacterial chromosome, especially the EmrY/K and EvgA/S pumps. In addition, we characterized the overexpression of the TetA(C) pump that contributed to osmotic stress response and was involved in the induction of capsular colanic acid production, promoting formation of mature biofilms. However, this investigated phenomenon was highly dependent on the addition of the subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotic mixture, and the biofilm resistance behavior was limited to aminoglycoside antibiotics. Thus, marker genes on plasmids played an important role in both resistance of biofilm cells to antibiotics and in formation of mature biofilms, as they could trigger specific chromosomal resistance mechanisms to confer a high-level resistance during biofilm formation.
Prescribing patterns for the use of antithrombotics in the management of atrial fibrillation in Zimbabwe.

OBJECTIVES To assess the prescribing patterns for the use of antithrombotics in the management of atrial fibrillation. DESIGN A descriptive cross sectional study. SETTING Parirenyatwa Hospital, Harare, Zimbabwe. SUBJECTS The outpatient records of 200 outpatients attending the cardiac clinic (with a documented history of an irregular pulse) between January and August 1999 at Parirenyatwa Hospital, Harare, Zimbabwe were reviewed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES In addition to antithrombotic therapy prescribed at the time of review, patient information (rural or urban), relative contra-indications to antithrombotic therapy, and risk factors for stroke were identified. RESULTS Patients were similar in terms of age, sex, and risk factors for stroke. At least one stroke risk factor was noted in 79% of urban and 83% of rural patients. Two risk factors were noted in 26% of patients. It was noted that urban patients were more likely to have a relative contra-indication to antithrombotic therapy compared with rural patients (24% vs 10%, p = 0.028) but received antithrombotic therapy more often (38% vs 19%, p = 0.025). CONCLUSIONS Patients with atrial fibrillation are being inappropriately managed in terms of their major prognostic risk factor. Rural patients with atrial fibrillation receive antithrombotic therapy less frequently than urban patients despite having a similar high risk profile and fewer relative contra-indications.
Bio-hydrogen Production from Beer Wastewater in an Internal Circulation(IC) Reactor

An internal circulation (IC) using hydrogen-producing anaerobic granular sludge as seed sludge and beer wastewater as substrate was employed to evaluate the effect of hydrogen production and the performance of reactor. Running at the temperature of 35±1 °C, the pH value of influent controlled is 5.5 and organic loading rate (OLR) from 30 kg COD/(m3•d) to 42 kg COD/(m3•d), the IC reactor presents a high hydrogen production ability as the hydrogen production rate (HPR) maximized at 6.0-6.83 m3/(m3•d). Hydrogen volume content was estimated to be 42-46% of the total biogas and the biogas was free of methane throughout the study. COD removal efficiency could reach 20-30% and the dissolved fermentation products were predominated by ethanol with the concentration of 900-950 mg/L, which accounts for 45%56% of the total liquid products. These values may imply that the IC reactor is a kind of feasible fermentative hydrogen production equipment.
Long-term modulation of mitochondrial Ca2+ signals by protein kinase C isozymes

The modulation of Ca2+ signaling patterns during repetitive stimulations represents an important mechanism for integrating through time the inputs received by a cell. By either overexpressing the isoforms of protein kinase C (PKC) or inhibiting them with specific blockers, we investigated the role of this family of proteins in regulating the dynamic interplay of the intracellular Ca2+ pools. The effects of the different isoforms spanned from the reduction of ER Ca2+ release (PKCα) to the increase or reduction of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake (PKCζ and PKCβ/PKCδ, respectively). This PKC-dependent regulatory mechanism underlies the process of mitochondrial Ca2+ desensitization, which in turn modulates cellular responses (e.g., insulin secretion). These results demonstrate that organelle Ca2+ homeostasis (and in particular mitochondrial processing of Ca2+ signals) is tuned through the wide molecular repertoire of intracellular Ca2+ transducers.
Mapping the spawning grounds of North Sea cod (Gadus morhua) by direct and indirect means

Despite recent evidence for sub-stock structuring, North Sea cod are assessed as a single unit. As a consequence, knowledge of sub-stock trends is poor. In particular, there are no recent evaluations of which spawning grounds are active. Here we report results from the first ichthyoplankton survey to cover the whole North Sea. Also, this survey, conducted in 2004, was the first to make extensive use of DNA-based molecular methods to unambiguously identify early developmental stage cod eggs. We compare the findings from the plankton survey with estimated egg production inferred from the distribution of mature cod in contemporaneous trawl surveys. Results from both approaches were in general agreement and showed hot spots of egg production around the southern and eastern edges of the Dogger Bank, in the German Bight, the Moray Firth and to the east of the Shetlands. These areas broadly coincide with known spawning locations from the period 1940 to 1970. We were, however, unable to directly detect significant numbers of cod eggs at the historic spawning ground off Flamborough (northeast coast of England). The results demonstrate that most of the major spawning grounds of cod in the North Sea are still active but that some localized populations may have been reduced to the point where it is now difficult to detect the presence of eggs in the plankton.
The Family in the Modern Age: More Than a Lifestyle Choice

Many argue that the modern family, weakened and embattled, is an anachronistic institution whose demise is only a question of time. This is a critical issue for contemporary life, for public life, as always, is at the mercy of private life. Looking to the future, the eminent sociologist Brigitte Berger argues that it is reasonable to expect that the family will endure as a fundamental social institution. It has stood at the cradle of the modern social order some three hundred years ago, and will continue to provide the basis for any society concerned with the happiness, liberty, equality, and
Top-Down Control of Visual Responses to Fear by the Amygdala

The visual cortex is sensitive to emotional stimuli. This sensitivity is typically assumed to arise when amygdala modulates visual cortex via backwards connections. Using human fMRI, we compared dynamic causal connectivity models of sensitivity with fearful faces. This model comparison tested whether amygdala modulates distinct cortical areas, depending on dynamic or static face presentation. The ventral temporal fusiform face area showed sensitivity to fearful expressions in static faces. However, for dynamic faces, we found fear sensitivity in dorsal motion-sensitive areas within hMT+/V5 and superior temporal sulcus. The model with the greatest evidence included connections modulated by dynamic and static fear from amygdala to dorsal and ventral temporal areas, respectively. According to this functional architecture, amygdala could enhance encoding of fearful expression movements from video and the form of fearful expressions from static images. The amygdala may therefore optimize visual encoding of socially charged and salient information.
A Flexible Architecture of Campus Curriculum Systems

The flexible and efficient requirements for Web applications have become more critical due to the increasing usage of Internet, and the continuing improvements of information technologies in business sectors have led to many new and fascinating applications in campus systems. This paper proposes a practical application of campus curriculum system, including a course preparation system, a course enrollment system, and a course assessment system. The core considerations of the proposed architecture are flexibility and efficiency; besides, the evaluation and measurement are also under discussion.
Spike Generator Limits Efficiency of Information Transfer in a Retinal Ganglion Cell

The quality of the signal a retinal ganglion cell transmits to the brain is important for preception because it sets the minimum detectable stimulus. The ganglion cell converts graded potentials into a spike train with a selective filter but in the process adds noise. To explore how efficiently information is transferred to spikes, we measured contrast detection threshold and increment threshold from graded potential and spike responses of brisk-transient ganglion cells. Intracellular responses to a spot flashed over the receptive field center of the cell were recorded in an intact mammalian retina maintained in vitro at 37°C. Thresholds were measured in a single-interval forced-choice procedure with an ideal observer. The graded potential gave a detection threshold of 1.5% contrast, whereas spikes gave 3.8%. The graded potential also gave increment thresholds approximately twofold lower and carried ∼60% more gray levels. Increment threshold “dipped” below the detection threshold at a low contrast (<5%) but increased rapidly at higher contrasts. The magnitude of the “dipper” for both graded potential and spikes could be predicted from a threshold nonlinearity in the responses. Depolarization of the cell by current injection reduced the detection threshold for spikes but also reduced the range of contrasts they can transmit. This suggests that contrast sensitivity and dynamic range are related in an essential trade-off.
RESPONSE: Re: Brain and Other Central Nervous System Cancers: Recent Trends in Incidence and Mortality.

BACKGROUND During the 1980s, the incidence of primary malignant brain and other central nervous system tumors (hereafter called brain cancer) was reported to be increasing among all age groups in the United States, while mortality was declining for persons younger than 65 years. We analyzed these data to provide updates on incidence and mortality trends for brain cancer in the United States and to examine these patterns in search of their causes. METHODS Data on incidence, overall and according to histology and anatomic site, and on relative survival were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute for 1975 through 1995. Mortality data were obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics. Medicare procedure claims from the National Cancer Institute's SEER-Medicare database were used for imaging trends. Statistically significant changes in incidence trends were identified, and annual percent changes were computed for log linear models. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS Rates stabilized for all age groups during the most recent period for which SEER data were available, except for the group containing individuals 85 years of age or older. Mortality trends continued to decline for the younger age groups, and the steep increases in mortality seen in the past for the elderly slowed substantially. Patterns differed by age group according to the site and grade of tumors between younger and older patients. During the last decade, use of computed tomography scans was relatively stable for those 65-74 years old but increased among those 85 years old or older. IMPLICATIONS Improvements in diagnosis and changes in the diagnosis and treatment of elderly patients provide likely explanations for the observed patterns in brain cancer trends.