Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Barcelona Economics Working Paper Series a Unifying Approach to the Empirical Evaluation of Asset Pricing Models a Unifying Approach to the Empirical Evaluation of Asset Pricing Models *

Two main approaches are commonly used to empirically evaluate linear factor pricing models: regression and SDF methods, with centred and uncentred versions of the latter. We show that unlike standard two-step or iterated GMM procedures, single-step estimators such as continuously updated GMM yield numerically identical values for prices of risk, pricing errors, Jensen's alphas and overidentifying restrictions tests irrespective of the model validity. Therefore, there is arguably a single approach regardless of the factors being traded or not, or the use of excess or gross returns. We illustrate our results by revisiting Lustig and Verdelhan's (2007). empirical analysis of currency returns. Kan and Cesare Robotti for helpful comments and discussions. Of course, the usual caveat applies. Financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through grants ECO 2008-03066 (Peñaranda) and ECO 2008-00280 (Sentana) is gratefully acknowledged.
Pointers versus arithmetic in PRAMs

A parallel pointer machine, (PPM) is a parallel model having pointers as its principal data type. PPMs have been characterized as PRAMs obeying two restrictions: restricted arithmetic capabilities and the CROW (concurrent read, owner write) memory access restriction. Results concerning the relative power of PPMs (and other arithmetically restricted PRAMs) versus CROW PRAMs having ordinary arithmetic capabilities are presented. First, lower bounds separating PPMs from CROW PRAMs are proved. Second, it is shown that this lower bound is tight. As a corollary, sharply improved PPM algorithms are obtained for a variety of problems, including deterministic context-free language recognition. <<ETX>>
Computational Grounded Cognition: a new alliance between grounded cognition and computational modeling

Grounded theories assume that there is no central module for cognition. According to this view, all cognitive phenomena, including those considered the province of amodal cognition such as reasoning, numeric, and language processing, are ultimately grounded in (and emerge from) a variety of bodily, affective, perceptual, and motor processes. The development and expression of cognition is constrained by the embodiment of cognitive agents and various contextual factors (physical and social) in which they are immersed. The grounded framework has received numerous empirical confirmations. Still, there are very few explicit computational models that implement grounding in sensory, motor and affective processes as intrinsic to cognition, and demonstrate that grounded theories can mechanistically implement higher cognitive abilities. We propose a new alliance between grounded cognition and computational modeling toward a novel multidisciplinary enterprise: Computational Grounded Cognition. We clarify the defining features of this novel approach and emphasize the importance of using the methodology of Cognitive Robotics, which permits simultaneous consideration of multiple aspects of grounding, embodiment, and situatedness, showing how they constrain the development and expression of cognition.
Posterior Foraminotomy or Anterior Discectomy With Polymethyl Methacrylate Interbody Stabilization for Cervical Soft Disc Disease: Results in 292 Patients With Monoradiculopathy

Study Design. Retrospective study of patients who underwent either ventral microdiscectomy and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) interbody stabilization or posterior foraminotomy for the treatment of cervical monoradiculopathy caused by soft disc disease. Objectives. To evaluate the long-term outcome after 2 different surgical procedures in the treatment of cervical radiculopathy, compare them with each other and with previous data from other surgical techniques, and outline the indications, advantages, and disadvantages of each procedure. Summary of Background Data. Cervical disc disease can lead to morphologic different disc lesions, which again may differ in clinical presentation, operative treatment, and outcome. This study provides a clinical long-term follow-up of ventral and dorsal approaches. Methods. Follow-up evaluation (mean 72.1 ± 25.9 months) after surgery of monoradicular symptoms was performed in 292 patients. Patients with hard disc disease, myelopathy, neoplasms, or traumatic or recurrent cervical disc disease were excluded. A total of 124 patients (42.5%) underwent ventral microdiscectomy and PMMA stabilization (group A), and in 168 patients (57.5%), a posterior foraminotomy was performed (group B). The outcome was determined according to Odom criteria based on a questionnaire or a telephone interview and was related to the following variables: morphologic findings, neurologic findings, duration of symptoms, operation technique applied, age, sex, and cervical level involved. Results. The success rate (Odom I + II) without consideration of morphologic findings was higher after anterior microdiscectomy with PMMA stabilization (93.6%) than after posterior foraminotomy (85.1%) (P < 0.05). The success rate was higher in cases with pure soft discs in both groups (A: 96.6%; B: 85.8%) than in cases with a mixture of soft and hard discs (A: 90.6%; B: 80%), without gaining statistical significance. Complications related to surgery occurred in 6.5% (group A) and 1.8% (group B) of patients (P < 0.05). Conclusion. The findings show that apparently a higher success rate results after anterior microdiscectomy with PMMA interbody stabilization for treatment of degenerative cervical monoradiculopathy than after posterior foraminotomy. Considering the type of morphology of the pathology that causes the radiculopathy, pure soft discs have a better outcome than mixtures of soft and hard discs, independent of the chosen approach. Although statistically significant differences in clinical data were found in both groups, both approaches seem to have equivalent value in individual indications.
Stroke in a Young Individual with Left Ventricular Noncompaction and Left Atrium Standstill

Isolated left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is a rare cardiomyopathy with morphologic characteristics of two distinct myocardial layers i.e., thin compacted epicardial and thick noncompacted endocardial layers. The noncompacted myocardium consists of prominent ventricular trabeculae and deep intertrabecular recesses. It can lead to arrhythmias, heart failure or systemic embolisms. Electrocardiographic patterns of patients with LVNC are various and non-specific; however, the most common findings are intraventricular conduction delay, left ventricular hypertrophy, and repolarization abnormalities. We reported the first case, to the best of our knowledge, of a 29-year-old man who had recent cerebral infarction and incidental LVNC with spontaneous left atrial standstill.
Is there a role for mask continuous positive airway pressure in acute respiratory failure due to COPD? Lessons from a retrospective audit of 3 different cohorts

Exacerbations of COPD that result in acute respiratory failure requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation have high morbidity and mortality. This study is a retrospective observational study that compared the outcomes of 237 patients with COPD and acute respiratory failure requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission according to modality of initial therapy: mask continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), medical therapy, or intubation. Of the patients treated with CPAP initially, only 16% failed and required intubation compared with 62% of those treated medically (p=0.001). The median length of ICU stay was 5 days in those treated with CPAP, compared with 7 days for those medically treated, and 8.5 days for intubated patients (p=0.001). When compared with mask CPAP, and after adjusting for potentially confounding differences, mortality was significantly higher if patients were initially intubated (adjusted odds ratios [OR] 15.7; 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.2, 59) or given medical therapy (OR 5.1; CI 1.2, 20.8). In COPD patients with acute respiratory failure, initial treatment with mask CPAP was associated with significantly better outcomes than other treatment modalities, even after adjusting for potentially confounding differences in disease severity.
Maxillary changes under complete dentures opposing mandibular implant-supported fixed prostheses.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to determine whether a condition similar to Combination Syndrome occurs in patients rehabilitated with a maxillary complete denture opposing a mandibular implant-supported fixed prosthesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Standardized clinical procedures measured fit, occlusal integrity, and bone loss in the anterior maxilla in 11 edentulous subjects meeting these requirements, from the patient pool of the Implant Centre, United Dental Hospital, Sydney. RESULTS A mean annual loss of 0.17 mm in the anterior maxillary ridge height was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). However, increased pressure in the anterior maxillary ridge during occlusion and loss of posterior occlusal contacts in retruded position were noted on one or both sides in all subjects. CONCLUSION Loss of posterior occlusion could not be related to anterior maxillary bone loss. However, to maintain the integrity of the prostheses and their supporting structures, it is important to schedule periodic recall appointments for review of the occlusion.
Design of block backstepping controllers for a class of perturbed multiple inputs and state-delayed systems in semi-strict-feedback form

Based on the Lyapunov stability theorem, an adaptive block backstepping control scheme is proposed in this paper for a class of multi-input systems with mismatched multiple state-delayed perturbations to solve regulation problems. The traditional backstepping control method is modified so that it can be directly applied to systems in block semi-strict-feedback form. The terms in the dynamic equations which do not satisfy the block strict-feedback form are accumulated in the last design step and are suppressed effectively by the adaptive gains, so that the property of asymptotic stability is achieved. Adaptive mechanisms are employed in each of the virtual input controllers as well as the robust controller, hence the least upper bounds of perturbations are not required to be known in advance. A numerical example and a practical application are also given for demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed control scheme.
Incidence of breast cancer in Norway and Sweden during introduction of nationwide screening: prospective cohort study

Objective To determine whether any increase in the incidence of breast cancer in women detected by mammography is compensated for by a drop in the incidence after age 69, years when women are no longer invited for screening. Design Population based cohort study of incidence of breast cancer during the introduction of nationwide screening programmes. Setting Norway and Sweden. Participants All women aged above 30 years (1.4 and 2.9 million, respectively, in 2000). Main outcome measures Changes in age specific incidence rates of invasive breast cancer associated with the introduction of the screening programmes. Results As a result of screenin creening is defined as the detection of low malignancy lesions that otherwise would not be detected in a patient's lifetime. It is often argued that overdiagnosis is not a problem for screening in breast cancer.1–3 For example, Boer et al predicted a 31% increase in incidence of breast cancer in the Dutch mass screening programme that would be nearly fully compensated for by a strong drop in the incidence after age 69 years conclusionWithout screening one third of all invasive breast cancers in the age group 50-69 years would not have been detected in the patients' lifetime. This level of overdiagnosis is larger than previously reported
Analysis of Smart Piezo-Magneto-Thermo-Elastic Composite and Reinforced Plates: Part I – Model Development

Abstract A comprehensive micromechanical model for the analysis of a smart composite piezo-magneto-thermoelastic thin plate with rapidly-varying thickness is developed in the present paper. A rigorous three-dimensional formulation is used as the basis of multiscale asymptotic homogenization. The asymptotic homogenization model is developed using static equilibrium equations and the quasi-static approximation of Maxwell’s equations. The work culminates in the derivation of a set of differential equations and associated boundary conditions. These systems of equations are called unit cell problems and their solution yields such coefficients as the effective elastic, piezoelectric, piezomagnetic, dielectric permittivity and others. Among these coefficients, the so-called product coefficients are also determined which are present in the behavior of the macroscopic composite as a result of the interactions and strain transfer between the various phases but can be absent from the constitutive behavior of some individual phases of the composite material. The model is comprehensive enough to allow calculation of such local fields as mechanical stress, electric displacement and magnetic induction. In part II of this work, the theory is illustrated by means of examples pertaining to thin laminated magnetoelectric plates of uniform thickness and wafer-type smart composite plates with piezoelectric and piezomagnetic constituents. The practical importance of the model lies in the fact that it can be successfully employed to tailor the effective properties of a smart composite plate to the requirements of a particular engineering application by changing certain geometric or material parameters. The results of the model constitute an important refinement over previously established work. Finally, it is shown that in the limiting case of a thin elastic plate of uniform thickness the derived model converges to the familiar classical plate model.
Honokiol inhibits bladder tumor growth by suppressing EZH2/miR-143 axis

The oncoprotein EZH2, as a histone H3K27 methyltransferase, is frequently overexpressed in various cancer types. However, the mechanisms underlying its role in urinary bladder cancer (UBC) cells have not yet fully understood. Herein, we reported that honokiol, a biologically active biphenolic compound isolated from the Magnolia officinalis inhibited human UBC cell proliferation, survival, cancer stemness, migration, and invasion, through downregulation of EZH2 expression level, along with the reductions of MMP9, CD44, Sox2 and the induction of tumor suppressor miR-143. Either EZH2 overexpression or miR-143 inhibition could partially reverse honokiol-induced cell growth arrest and impaired clonogenicity. Importantly, it was first revealed that EZH2 could directly bind to the transcriptional regulatory region of miR-143 and repress its expression. Furthermore, honokiol treatment on T24 tumor xenografts confirmed its anticancer effects in vivo, including suppression tumor growth and tumor stemness, accompanied by the dysregulation of EZH2 and miR-143 expressions. Our data suggest a promising therapeutic option to develop drugs targeting EZH2/miR-143 axis, such as honokiol, for bladder cancer treatment.
Distinct Mesenchymal Alterations in N-Cadherin and E-Cadherin Positive Primary Renal Epithelial Cells

Background Renal tubular epithelial cells of proximal and distal origin differ markedly in their physiological functions. Therefore, we hypothesized that they also differ in their capacity to undergo epithelial to mesenchymal alterations. Results We used cultures of freshly isolated primary human tubular cells. To distinguish cells of different tubular origin we took advantage of the fact that human proximal epithelial cells uniquely express N-cadherin instead of E-cadherin as major cell-cell adhesion molecule. To provoke mesenchymal alteration we treated these cocultures with TGF-β for up to 6 days. Within this time period, the morphology of distal tubular cells was barely altered. In contrast to tubular cell lines, E-cadherin was not down-regulated by TGF-β, even though TGF-β signal transduction was initiated as demonstrated by nuclear localization of Smad2/3. Analysis of transcription factors and miRNAs possibly involved in E-cadherin regulation revealed high levels of miRNAs of the miR200-family, which may contribute to the stability of E-cadherin expression in human distal tubular epithelial cells. By contrast, proximal tubular epithelial cells altered their phenotype when treated with TGF-β. They became elongated and formed three-dimensional structures. Rho-kinases were identified as modulators of TGF-β-induced morphological alterations. Non-specific inhibition of Rho-kinases resulted in stabilization of the epithelial phenotype, while partial effects were observed upon downregulation of Rho-kinase isoforms ROCK1 and ROCK2. The distinct reactivity of proximal and distal cells was retained when the cells were cultured as polarized cells. Conclusions Interference with Rho-kinase signaling provides a target to counteract TGF-β-mediated mesenchymal alterations of epithelial cells, particularly in proximal tubular epithelial cells. Furthermore, primary distal tubular cells differed from cell lines by their high phenotypic stability which included constant expression of E-cadherin. Our cell culture system of primary epithelial cells is thus suitable to understand and modulate cellular remodeling processes of distinct tubular cells relevant for human renal disease.
Evaluation of Testing Methods Used for Assessing the Effectiveness of Mineral Admixtures in Suppressing Expansion due to Alkali-Aggregate Reaction

The effectiveness of one ground granulated blast furnace slag, two condensed silica fumes, and three pulverized fly ashes has been evaluated in the presence of 2 very alkali-silica reactive aggregates from Canada, a siliceous limestone and a rhyolitic tuff. Based on the results, the ASTM C441 test is not recommended for assessing the effectiveness of mineral admixtures in suppressing expansion due to alkali-aggregate reaction, unless acocount is taken of a number of modifications concerning mix design and performance criteria. The details are given of the study and results. It is recommended that conservative limits be used when conducting laboratory tests on concrete specimens, and that the tests be extended to at least 2 years. The mineral admixture under study should be used in amounts such that expansion never exceeds 0.04% in the long term. A more conservative and more recommended performance criterion is to obtain expansion in the long term that is similar to that of a control made with a low-alkali cement and containing no mineral admixture.
House fly resistance in the Savannah, Georgia, area and its influence on chemical-control measures.

Resistance levels of Musca domestica L. from dairies and chicken ranches near Savannah, Georgia, were determined for 9 compounds by use of the immersion technique. The quantity of toxicant required to kill 95% of the field strains of flies was from 2 to 69 times the amount required to give the same level of kill of a susceptible NAIDM strain. Five compounds―dimethoate, OMS-1211( O -(2,5-dichloro-4-iodophenyl) O,O -dimethyl phosphorothioate), resmethrin (OMS-1206), crotoxyphos, and Mobam® (benzo[b]thien-4-yl methylcarbamate)―applied as residuals to dairies failed to give effective control (grill index of 20 or less) for more than 2 weeks. However, space sprays of naled and resmethrin and liquid baits of dichlorvos were still effective in killing these resistant field strains of house flies.
Mixing type checking and symbolic execution

Static analysis designers must carefully balance precision and efficiency. In our experience, many static analysis tools are built around an elegant, core algorithm, but that algorithm is then extensively tweaked to add just enough precision for the coding idioms seen in practice, without sacrificing too much efficiency. There are several downsides to adding precision in this way: the tool's implementation becomes much more complicated; it can be hard for an end-user to interpret the tool's results; and as software systems vary tremendously in their coding styles, it may require significant algorithmic engineering to enhance a tool to perform well in a particular software domain. In this paper, we present Mix, a novel system that mixes type checking and symbolic execution. The key aspect of our approach is that these analyses are applied independently on disjoint parts of the program, in an off-the-shelf manner. At the boundaries between nested type checked and symbolically executed code regions, we use special mix rules to communicate information between the off-the-shelf systems. The resulting mixture is a provably sound analysis that is more precise than type checking alone and more efficient than exclusive symbolic execution. In addition, we also describe a prototype implementation, Mixy, for C. Mixy checks for potential null dereferences by mixing a null/non-null type qualifier inference system with a symbolic executor.
Butyrate Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors

Abstract In addition to being a part of the metabolic fatty acid fuel cycle, butyrate is also capable of inducing growth arrest in a variety of normal cell types and senescence-like phenotypes in gynecological cancer cells, inhibiting DNA synthesis and cell growth in colonic tumor cell lines, suppressing hTERT mRNA expression and telomerase activity in human prostate cancer cells, and inducing stem cell differentiation and apoptosis by DNA fragmentation. It regulates gene expression by inhibiting histone deacetylases (HDACs), enhances memory recovery and formation in mice, stimulates neurogenesis in the ischemic brain, promotes osteoblast formation, selectively blocks cell replication in transformed cells (compared to healthy cells), and can prevent and treat diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance in mouse models of obesity, as well as stimulate fetal hemoglobin expression in individuals with hematologic diseases such as the thalassemias and sickle-cell disease, in addition to a multitude of other biochemical effects in vivo. However, efforts to exploit the potential of butyrate in the clinical treatment of cancer and other medical disorders are thwarted by its poor pharmacological properties (short half-life and first-pass hepatic clearance) and the multigram doses needed to achieve therapeutic concentrations in vivo. Herein, we review some of the methods used to overcome these difficulties with an emphasis on HDAC inhibition.
Abnormal extracellular material in the levator palpebrae superioris complex in congenital ptosis.

OBJECTIVE To determine the pathologic abnormalities of the levator palpebrae superioris in congenital ptosis. METHODS By means of light and electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry, anterior levator tissue specimen from 15 patients with congenital ptosis excised during routine levator resections were examined. RESULTS All specimens showed lack of muscle fibers with endomysial and perimysial fibrosis and thickening of the aponeurosis. In addition, in four of the 15 patients, an abnormal extracellular material was present. By light microscopy this appeared as an unusual amorphous material arranged in clumps and bands, and electron microscopy showed it to consist of parallel coarse bundles of fibrillogranular material. Collagen type III and fibronectin were identified within this material by immunohistochemistry. There was no detectable collagen types I, II, IV, V, VI, or VII or laminin, and the material did not stain for actin, myosin, myoglobin, amyloid P component, or amyloid A. CONCLUSIONS In four of 15 samples of levator palpebrae superioris from patients with congenital ptosis, we identified an unusual amorphous extracellular material that stained positively for collagen type III and fibronectin on immunohistochemistry. This novel material, which we call "amorphocollagenoid," may represent a product of dysgenesis of the levator tissues. The source and full composition of this material merit further study.