Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does Greater Firm-Specific Return Variation Mean More or Less Informed Stock Pricing?

Roll [1988] observes low R 2 statistics for common asset pricing models due to vigorous firm-specific return variation not associated with public information. He concludes that this implies “either private information or else occasional frenzy unrelated to concrete information” [p. 56]. We show that firms and industries with lower market model R 2 statistics exhibit higher association between current returns and future earnings, indicating more information about future earnings in current stock returns. This supports Roll’s first interpretation: higher firm-specific return variation as a fraction of total variation signals more information-laden stock prices and, therefore, more efficient stock markets.
Effect of Linseed Oil Dietary Supplementation on Fatty Acid Composition and Gene Expression in Adipose Tissue of Growing Goats

This study was conducted to determine the effects of feeding oil palm frond silage based diets with added linseed oil (LO) containing high α-linolenic acid (C18:3n-3), namely, high LO (HLO), low LO (LLO), and without LO as the control group (CON) on the fatty acid (FA) composition of subcutaneous adipose tissue and the gene expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)α, PPAR-γ, and stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) in Boer goats. The proportion of C18:3n-3 in subcutaneous adipose tissue was increased (P < 0.01) by increasing the LO in the diet, suggesting that the FA from HLO might have escaped ruminal biohydrogenation. Animals fed HLO diets had lower proportions of C18:1 trans-11, C18:2n-6, CLA cis-9 trans-11, and C20:4n-6 and higher proportions of C18:3n-3, C22:5n-3, and C22:6n-3 in the subcutaneous adipose tissue than animals fed the CON diets, resulting in a decreased n-6:n-3 fatty acid ratio (FAR) in the tissue. In addition, feeding the HLO diet upregulated the expression of PPAR-γ (P < 0.05) but downregulated the expression of SCD (P < 0.05) in the adipose tissue. The results of the present study show that LO can be safely incorporated in the diets of goats to enrich goat meat with potential health beneficial FA (i.e., n-3 FA).
Gender and (A)nonymity in Computer-Mediated Communication

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) on the Internet has been claimed to possess a degree of anonymity that makes the gender of online communicators irrelevant or invisible; this purportedly allows women and men to participate and be recognized for their contributions equally, in contrast with patterns of male dominance traditionally observed in face-to-face communication. This chapter surveys research on gender and CMC, including textual, multimodal, and mobile communications, published between 1989 and 2013. The body of evidence taken as a whole runs counter to the claim that gender is invisible or irrelevant in CMC, or that CMC equalizes gender-based power and status differentials. In concluding, the notion of anonymity is critiqued, and the question of difference vs. disparity is addressed.
Generation of Superoxide Anion by Succinate-Cytochromec Reductase from Bovine Heart Mitochondria*

Production of superoxide anion (O⨪2), measured as the chemiluminescence of the 2-methyl-6-(p-methoxyphenyl)-3,7-dihydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyrazin-3-one hydrochloride (MCLA)-O⨪2 adduct, was observed during electron transfer from succinate to cytochrome c by reconstituted succinate-cytochrome c reductase-phospholipid vesicles replenished with succinate dehydrogenase. Addition of carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone or detergent to the reconstituted reductase-phospholipid vesicles abolished O⨪2production, suggesting that O⨪2 generation is caused by the membrane potential generated during electron transfer through the cytochrome bc 1 complex. Production of O⨪2 was also observed during electron transfer from succinate to cytochrome c by antimycin-treated reductase, in which ∼99.7% of the reductase activity was inhibited. The rate of O⨪2 production was closely related to the rate of antimycin-insensitive cytochrome c reduction. Factors affecting antimycin-insensitive reduction of cytochrome calso affected O⨪2 production and vice versa. When the oxygen concentration in the system was decreased, the rate of O⨪2production and cytochrome c reduction by antimycin-treated reductase decreased. When the concentrations of MCLA and cytochromec were increased, the rate of O⨪2 production and cytochrome c reduction by antimycin-treated reductase increased. The rate of antimycin-insensitive cytochrome creduction was sensitive to Qo site inhibitors such as 5-undecyl-6-hydroxy-4,7-dioxobenzothiazole. These results indicate that generation of O⨪2 during the oxidation of ubiquinol by the cytochrome bc 1 complex results from a leakage of the second electron of ubiquinol from its Q cycle electron transfer pathway to interact with oxygen. The electron-leaking site is located at the reduced cytochrome b 566 or ubisemiquinone of the Qo site because addition of MCLA to antimycin-treated cytochrome bc 1 complex, in the presence of catalytic amounts of succinate-cytochrome creductase, delayed cytochrome b reduction by succinate. In the presence of oxidized cytochrome c, purified succinate dehydrogenase also catalyzed oxidation of succinate to generate O⨪2. When succinate dehydrogenase was reconstituted with thebc 1 particles to form succinate-cytochrome c reductase, the production of O⨪2 diminished. These results suggest that reduced FAD of succinate dehydrogenase is the electron donor for oxygen to produce O⨪2 in the absence of their immediate electron acceptor and in the presence of cytochrome c.
Global, national and local practices in multinational corporations: towards a sociopolitical framework

This paper intends to shed some light on strategies and power resources of subsidiary managers and employee representatives involved in ‘charter changes’ and the implementation of ‘best practices’ developed elsewhere. Research shows that local managers face a dilemma in that they need both internal legitimacy (within the MNC itself) and external legitimacy (within the local context). It is argued that the power resources key actors draw on in the (internal) decision-making processes of ‘charter changes’ are intertwined with certain (external) national business system (NBS) characteristics, an aspect often neglected in North American research about MNCs. The authors identify three key influences, which restrain or empower local management and employees in their ability to make strategic choices and gain power within the MNC. They are (1) the overall strategic approach of the multinational group, (2) the strategic position and the economic performance of the subsidiary itself and (3) the degree of institutional embeddedness of the subsidiary in the host country. Comparative mini-case studies are used to illustrate the effect of local management and employee representatives' empowerment on their ability to retain skills and work practices supportive of a diversified quality production process in the face of MNC pressure to adopt global ‘best practices’ based on more standardized production processes.
Apoptosis induction by sulfur‐containing compounds in malignant and nonmalignant human cells

Plants have traditionally represented a main source for the discovery of many biologically active substances with therapeutic values. Sulfur‐containing compounds exhibit pleiotropic biological effects supporting their potential use in multitargeted cancer prevention and treatment. As potential anti‐cancer agents, they have been shown to inhibit or retard the growth of various cancer cells in culture and implanted tumors in vivo. The compounds significantly inhibit experimental tumorigenesis in a wide range of animal models. A critical and well‐elucidated cellular mechanism involved in the anticancer activities of sulfur‐containing compounds is the induction of apoptosis through the fine‐tuning of orchestrated intracellular signal transduction. This review summarizes the established proapoptotic activities of sulfur‐containing compounds in malignant and nonmalignant cells with a special focus on their molecular mechanisms. The potential toxicological implications of proapoptotic effects on normal cells will also be discussed. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. , 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dabigatran and Warfarin in Vitamin K Antagonist–Naive and –Experienced Cohorts With Atrial Fibrillation

Background— The comparison of anticoagulants dabigatran and warfarin might be most equitable in vitamin K antagonist (VKA)–naive patients. Methods and Results— Warfarin and 2 doses of dabigatran—110 mg BID (D110) and 150 mg BID (D150)—were compared in a balanced population of VKA-naive (≤62 days of lifetime VKA exposure, with 33% never prescribed a VKA) and VKA-experienced patients with atrial fibrillation (n=18 113). For VKA-naive and -experienced patients assigned warfarin, the time in therapeutic range (international normalized ratio 2.0 to 3.0) was 62% and 67%, respectively, and 61% and 66% for those never and ever prescribed a VKA. In VKA-naive patients, stroke and systemic embolism rates were 1.57%, 1.07%, and 1.69% per year for D110, D150, and warfarin, respectively. D110 was similar to warfarin (P=0.65); D150 was superior (P=0.005). Major bleeding rates were 3.11%, 3.34%, and 3.57% per year, respectively. D110 and D150 were similar to warfarin (P=0.19 and P=0.55). Intracranial bleeding rates were 0.19%, 0.33%, and 0.73% per year, respectively. D110 and D150 were lower than warfarin (P<0.001 and P=0.005). In VKA-experienced patients, stroke and systemic embolism rates were 1.51%, 1.15%, and 1.74% per year for D110, D150, and warfarin, respectively. D110 was similar to warfarin (P=0.32); D150 was superior (P=0.007). Major bleeding rates were 2.66%, 3.30%, and 3.57% per year, respectively. D110 was lower than warfarin (P=0.003); D150 was similar (P=0.41). Intracranial bleeding rates were 0.26%, 0.32%, and 0.79% per year, respectively. D110 and D150 were lower than warfarin (P<0.001 for both). Results were similar for patients never on a VKA. Conclusions— Previous VKA exposure does not influence the benefits of dabigatran at either dose compared with warfarin. Clinical Trial Registration— http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT00262600.
On Designing Sequences With Impulse-Like Periodic Correlation

Sequences with impulse-like correlations are at the core of several radar and communication applications. Two criteria that can be used to design such sequences, and which lead to rather different results in the aperiodic correlation case, are shown to be identical in the periodic case. Furthermore, two simplified versions of these two criteria, which similarly yield completely different sequences in the aperiodic case, are also shown to be equivalent. A corollary of these unexpected equivalences is that the periodic correlations of an arbitrary sequence must satisfy an intriguing identity, which is also presented in this letter.
Monoamine Control of the Pacemaker Kernel and Cycle Frequency in the Lobster Pyloric Network

The monoamines dopamine (DA), serotonin (5HT), and octopamine (Oct) can each sculpt a unique motor pattern from the pyloric network in the stomatogastric ganglion (STG) of the spiny lobster Panulirus interruptus. In this paper we investigate the contribution of individual network components in determining the specific amine-induced cycle frequency. We used photoinactivation of identified neurons and pharmacological blockade of synapses to isolate the anterior burster (AB) and pyloric dilator (PD) neurons. Bath application of DA, 5HT, or Oct enhanced cycle frequency in an isolated AB neuron, with DA generating the most rapid oscillations and Oct the slowest. When an AB–PD or AB–2xPD subnetworks were tested, DA often reduced the ongoing cycle frequency, whereas 5HT and Oct both evoked similar accelerations in cycle frequency. However, in the intact pyloric network, both DA and Oct either reduced or did not alter the cycle frequency, whereas 5HT continued to enhance the cycle frequency as before. Our results show that the major target of 5HT in altering the pyloric cycle frequency is the AB neuron, whereas DA’s effects on the AB–2xPD subnetwork are critical in understanding its modulation of the cycle frequency. Octopamine’s effects on cycle frequency require an understanding of its modulation of the feedback inhibition to the AB–PD group from the lateral pyloric neuron, which constrains the pacemaker group to oscillate more slowly than it would alone. We have thus demonstrated that the relative importance of the different network components in determining the final cycle frequency is not fixed but can vary under different modulatory conditions.
Age-related macular degeneration and antioxidant status in the POLA study. POLA Study Group. Pathologies Oculaires Liées à l'Age.

OBJECTIVE To give the levels of antioxidant nutrients in relation to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS Pathologies Oculaires Liees a l'Age is a population-based study on cataract and AMD and their risk factors, carried out on 2584 inhabitants of Sete, France. Age-related macular degeneration was defined by findings from fundus photographs according to an international classification. Biological measurements were taken from fasting blood samples. RESULTS After multivariate adjustment, plasma alpha-to-copherol levels showed a weak negative association with late AMD (P = .07). Lipid-standardized plasma alpha-tocopherol levels showed a significant negative association with late AMD (P= .003): the risk of late AMD was reduced by 82% in the highest quintile compared with the lowest. Similarly, lipid-standardized plasma alpha-tocopherol levels were inversely associated with early signs of AMD (odds ratio, 0.72 [95% confidence interval, 0.53-0.98]; P=.04). No associations were found with plasma retinol and ascorbic acid levels or with red blood cell glutathione values. COMMENT These results suggest that vitamin E may provide protection against AMD. Only randomized interventional studies could prove the protective effect of vitamin E on AMD.
Social Data: Biases, Methodological Pitfalls, and Ethical Boundaries

Social data in digital form—including user-generated content, expressed or implicit relations between people, and behavioral traces—are at the core of popular applications and platforms, driving the research agenda of many researchers. The promises of social data are many, including understanding “what the world thinks” about a social issue, brand, celebrity, or other entity, as well as enabling better decision-making in a variety of fields including public policy, healthcare, and economics. Many academics and practitioners have warned against the naïve usage of social data. There are biases and inaccuracies occurring at the source of the data, but also introduced during processing. There are methodological limitations and pitfalls, as well as ethical boundaries and unexpected consequences that are often overlooked. This paper recognizes the rigor with which these issues are addressed by different researchers varies across a wide range. We identify a variety of menaces in the practices around social data use, and organize them in a framework that helps to identify them. “For your own sanity, you have to remember that not all problems can be solved. Not all problems can be solved, but all problems can be illuminated. ” –Ursula Franklin1
Inhibition of reactive astrocytosis in established experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis favors infiltration by myeloid cells over T cells and enhances severity of disease

Reactive astrocytosis, involving activation, hypertrophy, and proliferation of astrocytes, is a characteristic response to inflammation or injury of the central nervous system. We have investigated whether inhibition of reactive astrocytosis influences established experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis. We made use of transgenic mice, which express herpes simplex virus‐derived thymidine kinase under control of a glial fibrillary acidic protein promotor (GFAP HSV‐TK mice). Treatment of these mice with ganciclovir leads to inhibition of reactive astrocytosis. When GFAP HSV‐TK mice were treated for seven days following onset of EAE with ganciclovir, disease severity increased. Although aquaporin‐4 staining on astrocyte endfeet at the glia limitans remained equally detectable, GFAP immunoreactivity and mRNA expression in CNS were reduced by this treatment. Ganciclovir‐treated GFAP HSV‐TK mice with EAE had a 78% increase in the total number of infiltrating myeloid cells (mainly macrophages), whereas we did not find an increase in infiltrating T cells, using quantitative flow cytometry. Per cell expression of mRNA for the macrophage‐associated molecules TNFα, MMP‐12 and TIMP‐1 was elevated in spinal cord of GFAP HSV‐TK mice treated with ganciclovir. Relative expression of CD3ϵ was downregulated, and expression levels of IFNγ, IL‐4, IL‐10, IL‐17, and Foxp3 were not significantly changed. mRNA expression of CCL2 was upregulated, and CXL10 was downregulated. Thus, inhibition of reactive astrocytosis after initiation of EAE leads to increased macrophage, but not T cell, infiltration, and enhanced severity of EAE. This emphasizes the role of astrocytes in controlling leukocyte infiltration in neuroinflammation. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Abstract syntax and variable binding

We develop a theory of abstract syntax with variable binding. To every binding signature we associate a category of models consisting of variable sets endowed with compatible algebra and substitution structures. The syntax generated by the signature is the initial model. This gives a notion of initial algebra semantics encompassing the traditional one; besides compositionality, it automatically verifies the semantic substitution lemma.
Hardness of robust graph isomorphism, Lasserre gaps, and asymmetry of random graphs

Building on work of Cai, Furer, and Immerman [18], we show two hardness results for the Graph Isomorphism problem. First, we show that there are pairs of nonisomorphic n-vertex graphs G and H such that any sum-of-squares (SOS) proof of nonisomorphism requires degree Ω(n). In other words, we show an O(n)-round integrality gap for the Lasserre SDP relaxation. In fact, we show this for pairs G and H which are not even (1--10-14)-isomorphic. (Here we say that two n-vertex, m-edge graphs G and H are α-isomorphic if there is a bijection between their vertices which preserves at least αm edges.) Our second result is that under the R3XOR Hypothesis [23] (and also any of a class of hypotheses which generalize the R3XOR Hypothesis), the robust Graph Isomorphism is hard. I.e. for every e > 0, there is no efficient algorithm which can distinguish graph pairs which are (1 -- e)-isomorphic from pairs which are not even (1 -- e0)-isomorphic for some universal constant e0. Along the way we prove a robust asymmetry result for random graphs and hypergraphs which may be of independent interest.
The Importance of Being Profiled: Improving Drug Candidate Safety and Efficacy Using Ion Channel Profiling

Profiling of putative lead compounds against a representative panel of relevant enzymes, receptors, ion channels, and transporters is a pragmatic approach to establish a preliminary view of potential issues that might later hamper development. An early idea of which off-target activities must be minimized can save valuable time and money during the preclinical lead optimization phase if pivotal questions are asked beyond the usual profiling at hERG. The best data for critical evaluation of activity at ion channels is obtained using functional assays, since binding assays cannot detect all interactions and do not provide information on whether the interaction is that of an agonist, antagonist, or allosteric modulator. For ion channels present in human cardiac muscle, depending on the required throughput, manual-, or automated-patch-clamp methodologies can be easily used to evaluate compounds individually to accurately reveal any potential liabilities. The issue of expanding screening capacity against a cardiac panel has recently been addressed by developing a series of robust, high-throughput, cell-based counter-screening assays employing fluorescence-based readouts. Similar assay development approaches can be used to configure panels of efficacy assays that can be used to assess selectivity within a family of related ion channels, such as Nav1.X channels. This overview discusses the benefits of in vitro assays, specific decision points where profiling can be of immediate benefit, and highlights the development and validation of patch-clamp and fluorescence-based profiling assays for ion channels (for examples of fluorescence-based assays, see Bhave et al., 2010; and for high-throughput patch-clamp assays see Mathes, 2006; Schrøder et al., 2008).
BIS-Vista™ Occipital Montage in Patients Undergoing Neurosurgical Procedures during Propofol–Remifentanil Anesthesia

Background:Neurosurgical procedures that require a frontal approach could be an impediment for a successful Bispectral Index® (BIS®) frontal sensor placement. The aim of this study was to explore the utility of using the new BIS-Vista™ monitor (Aspect Medical Systems, Newton, MA) for occipital sensor placement in the patients undergoing brain neurosurgical procedures during propofol–remifentanil anesthesia. Methods:Two BIS® Quatro sensors (Aspect Medical Systems, Newton, MA) mounted on the occipital and frontal regions were connected to two BIS-Vista™ monitors at three anesthesia states: before induction, during anesthesia maintenance, and recovery. Results:There were significant differences before induction (P = 0.0002) and at anesthesia maintenance (P = 0.0014) between mean ± SD occipital (83.4 ± 4.8, 66.7 ± 7.2) and frontal (93.1 ± 3.4, 56.9 ± 9.1) BIS-Vista™ values. During anesthesia recovery, there was no difference (P = 0.7421) between occipital (54.6 ± 9.3) and frontal (53.1 ± 7.3) BIS-Vista™ values. Bland and Altman analysis revealed a BIS-Vista negative-bias (limits of agreement) of −9.7 (+1.1, −20.5) before anesthesia induction, +9.8 positive-bias (+22.8, −1.7) during anesthesia maintenance, and −0.9 bias (+10.9, −12.8) during anesthesia recovery. Conclusion:We demonstrated that not only the regional limits of agreement are too wide to allow data of the two montages to be used interchangeably but also the variation is a function of anesthetic depth. However, keeping in mind a relatively consistent BIS-Vista™ −10 bias before induction and +10 bias during anesthesia maintenance with limits of agreement of approximately ±11 BIS units, approximately double the clinically acceptable less than 10 BIS units level of agreement, BIS-Vista™ off-label occipital montage might be helpful in following a trend of propofol–remifentanil anesthesia in individual cases where frontal access is particularly difficult.