Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Private Information and Overcon dence in Experimental Asset Markets

I study the use and overuse of private signals of fundamental value in a common type of experimental asset market. I also assess the impact of two kinds of psychological overcon dence miscalibration, and the "better than average e¤ect" on the use of private signals, and on market outcomes. Traders use their private signals to make buying and selling decisions. Private signals also a¤ect tradersreservation prices. The use of forecasts does not vary depending on measured overcon dence, with the exception that miscalibrated buyers may pay higher prices for assets. Overcon dent traders do not trade more, and may actually perform better than other traders. Although the sample size is small, there is a correlation between market volume and the average "better than average e¤ect" of the market. However, there is no observed relationship between average overcon dence and market price or volatility. These results provide strong support for models of nancial markets in which traders overweight private signals; however, they o¤er only mixed and tepid support for psychological overcon dence as the root cause of this overweighting.
Behavioral and neural correlates of spontaneous attentional decoupling : towards an understanding of mind wandering

Spontaneous psychological activity substantially contributes to our everyday experience of the external world. This thesis focuses on spontaneous attenuation of sensory processing in the human brain, an important determinant of attentional decoupling, which results in mind-wandering experience. Mind wandering is characterized by the spontaneous rise of thoughts unrelated with the ongoing task, which varies over time and interferes with the current cognitive processes. Some sensory decoupling processes arise very early after an event, whereas others, such as selective attention processes, take place later on. Previous research mainly focused on the general effects of mind-wandering on cognitive processing, but little is known about the early sensory processes during mind wandering and about their temporal dynamics. This thesis focuses on the study of the temporal development of early sensory attenuation previous to mind-wandering experiences. Specifically, we addressed whether this sensory attenuation is a process that develops gradually or whether it is an abrupt decoupling event that consequently triggers a global cognitive change towards a mind-wandering experience. We developed a new experimental approach, inspired by the classic sustained attention to response task (SART), based on the continuous, online assessment of individual psychophysical performance. Probe questions were asked whenever response times (RTs) exceeded 2 SD from the participant’s average RT. Results showed that mind-wandering reports were generally preceded by slower RTs, as compared to trials preceding on-task reports. Specifically, we could reliably predict mind-wandering episodes based on the response time difference between the last and the second-to-last trials. Thus, mind-wandering follow an abrupt increase in behavioral variability, lasting between 2.5 and 10 seconds. In a second study, we addressed the electrophysiological correlates of the dynamics of the sensory attenuation prior to mind-wandering experiences during the performance of a modified version of the RT task. We described the modulation of the brain activity in different regions of the visual cortex during mind-wandering episodes. We found modulations of components related to early sensory processing (increase of P1 and decrease of N1), shortly before participants reported mind-wandering episodes. This suggests a decrease of neural resources related with the early visual processing of the sensory input. Mind wandering also increased the amplitude of a late component peaking around 300-500 ms, perhaps because of increased preparation of response. Overall, this thesis provides for the first time a clear description of the early temporal organization of the sensory decoupling prior to mind-wandering experiences. In particular, mind wandering appears to be strongly linked to early, abrupt sensory attenuation. Thus, short-lasting sensory decoupling (a few hundreds ms) can thus determine a prolonged and dramatic consciousness state such as mind wandering.
Circadian rhythm of melatonin in postmenopausal asthmatic women with hormone replacement therapy.

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to check if in postmenopausal women such a disease as asthma and use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) influence daily melatonin (MEL) secretion. MATERIAL AND METHODS Studies were performed in 55 asthmatics (treated and not treated with glucocorticosteroids) and 20 healthy postmenopausal women (aged 48-60) before HRT and after 6 months of transdermal 17beta-estradiol and medroxyprogesterone acetate treatment (cyclical method). During the circadian study blood samples for the measurement of MEL were collected every 3 hours during the day. MEL concentrations were assessed with the use of RIA methods. Statistical analysis of the circadian rhythm was performed with the use of cosinor test according to Halberg et al. RESULTS Existence of daily rhythm of MEL secretion was shown in all studied groups, before as well as after HRT. A significant decrease of mesor and amplitude's rhythm was observed in the group of women with asthma treated with glucocorticosteroids (GC) before and after HRT use in relation to women not treated with GC and the control group. Secretion of MEL in these patients was lower at nocturnal hours. A significant decrease of mean daily MEL secretion in relation to values before HRT use was shown in all groups. CONCLUSIONS Asthmatic postmenopausal women treated with GC show lowered circadian secretion of melatonin as a consequence of lowering its secretion at nocturnal hours. Hormonal replacement therapy causes a decrease of daily melatonin secretion in healthy as well as asthmatic women, not disturbing circadian rhythm of this hormone's secretion.
Electric field stimulation of cardiac myocytes during postnatal development

Studies on cardiac cell response to electric field stimulation are important for understanding basic phenomena underlying cardiac defibrillation. In this work, the authors used a model of a prolate spheroidal cell in a uniform external field (Klee and Plonsey, 1976) to predict the threshold electric field (ET) for stimulation of isolated ventricular myocytes of rats at different ages. The model assumes that ET is primarily determined by cell shape and dimensions, which markedly change during postnatal development. Neonatal cells showed very high ET, which progressively decreased with maturation (experimental mean values were 29, 21, 13, and 5.9 and 6.3 V/cm for 3-6, 13-16, 20-21, 28-35, and 120-180 day-old rats, respectively, P<0.001; theoretical values were 24, 18, 11, 9, and 6 V/cm, respectively). Estimated maximum membrane depolarization at threshold (/spl Delta/V/sub T//spl ap/35 mV, under the authors' experimental conditions) was reasonably constant during development, except for cells from 1-mo-old animals, in which /spl Delta/VT was lower than at other ages. It is concluded that the model reasonably correlates ET with cell geometry and size in most cases. The authors' results might be relevant for the development of efficient procedures for defibrillation of pediatric patients.
Effect of a standardized rewarming protocol and acetaminophen on core temperature after coronary artery bypass.

BACKGROUND Cardiac surgical patients who require hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass experience hypothermia, normothermia, and hyperthermia during the early postoperative period. Research-based rewarming protocols are needed to manage temperature variations. OBJECTIVE To describe the effect of a standardized rewarming protocol and acetaminophen on the following outcome variables: core temperature, peak core temperature, rewarming time, and hyperthermia. METHODS Patients (N = 60) were rewarmed using a standardized rewarming protocol. Electric heating blankets were used for subjects with core temperatures less than 36 degrees C on admission to the intensive care unit; other subjects were covered with cotton bath blankets. Subjects were also assigned to one of three acetaminophen groups (650 mg at 38.1 degrees C, 650 mg at 37 degrees C, 1300 mg at 37 degrees C). RESULTS Using the protocol, subjects warmed to normothermia in 3.6 to 6 hours. The 16-hour core temperature thermal curves of heating blanket versus cotton bath blanket subjects differed significantly; thermal curves of the acetaminophen groups were similar. Peak core temperature was significantly lower in heating blanket subjects and unaffected by acetaminophen group. The onset of hyperthermia was not significantly affected by the method of rewarming (electric heating blanket versus cotton blankets) or acetaminophen group. Rewarming time was significantly longer for electric heating blanket subjects. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that mildly hypothermic subjects rewarmed with electric heating blankets during the early postoperative period have lower peak core temperatures and longer rewarming times than those rewarmed with cotton bath blankets. Acetaminophen administration at normothermia does not significantly affect peak core temperature or the onset of hyperthermia.
A Discovery Method of Trend Rules from Complex Sequential Data

This paper proposes a method that discovers trend rules from complex sequential data. The rules represent relationships among evaluation objects, keywords, and changes of numerical values related to the evaluation objects. The data is composed of numerical sequential data and text sequential data. The method extracts frequent patterns from transaction sets based on the changes. Also, it regards combinations of the patterns and the changes as trend rules. This paper applies the method to data sets composed of stock data and news headlines. Lastly, this paper compares the method with a method based on the random selection and shows the effect of the proposed method.
Gastrointestinal involvement in patients with systemic sclerosis.

INTRODUCTION Gastrointestinal (GI) involvement is a serious complication of systemic sclerosis (SSc). OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of GI manifestations in SSc. PATIENTS AND METHODS We studied 73 patients with SSc (60 women and 13 men). Diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) was diagnosed in 30 patients and limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc) in 43 patients. Upper GI involvement was assessed based on clinical symptoms such as dysphagia and gastroesophageal reflux-related complications. The majority of patients underwent radiographic examination including a barium swallow. Lower GI involvement was evaluated on the basis of such clinical symptoms as constipation and diarrhea. RESULTS GI symptoms were observed in 54 (74%) SSc patients. Upper GI symptoms were observed in 54 (74%) patients and lower GI symptoms in 22 (30%) patients. The presence of anticentromere antibodies is associated with a lower risk of GI involvement. There are no significant differences in the incidence of pulmonary involvement between SSc patients with and without GI symptoms. CONCLUSIONS GI involvement is observed in the majority of SSc patients. Clinical symptoms of GI involvement are significantly more common in patients with dcSSc. The incidence of upper GI symptoms is significantly higher than that of lower GI symptoms.
Development Platforms for Mobile Applications: Status and Trends

Mobile devices are increasingly accepted as suitable media for multimedia-rich applications. Software firms have started promoting programming platforms and tools tailored to satisfy the requirements of mobile device users, developers, and resource constraints. This article reviews the main characteristics, relative merits, and shortcomings of the most popular development platform options - specifically, Java ME, . NET Compact Framework, Flash Lite, and Android. It evaluates and compares these options according to various quantitative and qualitative criteria. It aims to serve as a reference point and guide for developers and practitioners in choosing a mobile platform for development on information appliances.
Does Communicating (Flood) Risk Affect (Flood) Risk Perceptions? Results of a Quasi‐Experimental Study

People's risk perceptions are generally regarded as an important determinant of their decisions to adjust to natural hazards. However, few studies have evaluated how risk communication programs affect these risk perceptions. This study evaluates the effects of a small‐scale flood risk communication program in the Netherlands, consisting of workshops and focus group discussions. The effects on the workshop participants’ (n = 24) and focus group participants’ (n = 16) flood risk perceptions were evaluated in a pretest‐posttest control group (n = 40) design that focused on two mechanisms of attitude change—direct personal experience and attitude polarization. We expected that (H1) workshop participants would show greater shifts in their flood risk perceptions compared with control group participants and that (H2) focus groups would rather produce the conditions for attitude polarization (shifts toward more extreme attitudinal positions after group discussion). However, the results provide only modest support for these hypotheses, perhaps because of a mismatch between the sessions’ contents and the risk perception measures. An important contribution of this study is that it examined risk perception data by both conventional tests of the mean differences and tests for attitude polarization. Moreover, the possibility that attitude polarization could cause people to confirm their preexisting (hazard) beliefs could have important implications for risk communication.
The philosophies, contents and pedagogies of environmental education programs in 10 Israeli elementary schools

In this study, our aim was to understand how environmental education has been implemented in Israeli elementary schools. We selected ten schools that had implemented Education for Sustainability programs and analyzed their mission statements and curriculum documents. We observed each school’s activities and interviewed teachers. Our analysis shows ambiguity with respect to the rationales and the theoretical foundations of the programs. It also shows much didactic teaching of content, a strong focus on behavioral outcomes, especially with respect to reducing resource consumption and to increasing the levels of recycling, as well as some degree of working with the community. The unclear status of environmental education in Israel, in terms of its structure within the education system, prevents it from having sufficient resources for teacher education and curriculum development. It is suggested that this lack of clarity is the main cause of the ambiguity and for the use of the traditional pedagogies we found in our analysis.
Vegetation changes in the Neotropical Gran Sabana (Venezuela) around the Younger Dryas chron

The occurrence of the Younger Dryas cold reversal in northern South America midlands and lowlands remains controversial. We present a palaeoecological analysis of a Late Glacial lacustrine section from a midland lake (Lake Chonita, 4.6501 °N, 61.0157 °W, 884 m elevation) located in the Venezuelan Gran Sabana, based on physical and biological proxies. The sediments were mostly barren from ∼15.3 to 12.7 k cal a BP, probably due to poor preservation. A ligneous community with no clear modern analogues was dominant from 12.7 to 11.7 k cal a BP (Younger Dryas chronozone). At present, similar shrublands are situated around 200 m elevation above the lake, suggesting a cooling‐driven downward shift in vegetation during that period. The interval from 11.7 to 10.6 k cal a BP is marked by a dramatic replacement of the shrubland by savannas and a conspicuous increase in fire incidence. The intensification of local and regional fires at this interval could have played a role in the vegetation shift. A change to wetter, and probably warmer, conditions is deduced after 11.7 k cal a BP, coinciding with the early Holocene warming. These results support the hypothesis of a mixed origin (climate and fire) of the Gran Sabana savannas, and highlight the climatic instability of the Neotropics during the Late Glacial. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mining the Query Logs of a Chinese Web Search Engine for Character Usage Analysis

The use of non-English Web search engines has been prevalent. Given the popularity of Chinese Web searching and the unique characteristics of Chinese language, it is imperative to conduct studies with focuses on the analysis of Chinese Web search queries. In this paper, we report our research on the character usage of Chinese search logs from Web search engine in Hong Kong. By examining the distribution of search queries terms, we found that people intended to use more diversified terms and that the usage of characters in search queries was quite different from the character usage of both general online information in Chinese and Web search queries in English. We believe the findings from this study have provided some insights into further research in non-English Web searching and will assist in the design of more effective Chinese Website search engines.
Range Image Registration Using an Octree based Matching Strategy

Autonomous world modeling is one of the major topics in current robot research. A basic concept hereby is the registration of consecutive range images. Consistent models can only be built with robust registration methods. Already one incorrect registered range image will affect the following registrations and lead to an inconsistent model. Therefore we developed a robust ICP registration method based on an octree matching strategy. This matching strategy could cope with large odometry errors and achieved the generation of consistent 3D models.
Experimental analysis of 5G candidate waveforms and their coexistence with 4G systems

—The 5G mobile standard will very likely include a new waveform that addresses scenarios like sporadic low-latency trafﬁc and dynamic spectrum access (DSA). In both cases the current 4G waveforms have some deﬁciencies, like the need for strict synchronicity and the high adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) respectively. Several candidate waveforms can be found in the literature, such Generalized Frequency Division Multiplexing (GFDM), and Universal Filtered Multi-Carrier (UFMC). Both use a digital multi-carrier transceiver concept that employs pulse shaping ﬁlters to provide control over the transmitted signal’s spectral properties. In this paper we will present experimental results that evaluate the impact of these two waveforms on an existing 4G system. The 4G system was based on Eurecom’s OpenAirInterface for the eNB and a commercial UE. The new waveform was generated using a signal generator.
Deletion of the amyloid precursor‐like protein 1 (APLP1) enhances excitatory synaptic transmission, reduces network inhibition but does not impair synaptic plasticity in the mouse dentate gyrus

Amyloid precursor‐like protein 1 (APLP1) is a transmembrane synaptic protein belonging to the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene family. Although the role of this gene family—in particular of APP—has been intensely studied in the context of Alzheimer's disease, the physiological roles of its family members remain poorly understood. In particular, the function of APLP1, which is predominantly expressed in the nervous system, has remained enigmatic. Since APP has been implicated in synaptic plasticity, we wondered whether APLP1 could play a similar role. First, using in situ hybridization and laser microdissection combined with reverse transcription‐quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) we observed that Aplp1 mRNA is highly expressed in dentate granule cells. Having this examined, we studied synaptic plasticity at the perforant path‐granule cell synapses in the dentate gyrus of APLP1‐deficient mice in vivo. Analysis of field excitatory postsynaptic potentials evoked by stimulation of perforant path fibers revealed increased excitatory transmission in APLP1‐deficient mice. Moreover, we observed decreased paired‐pulse inhibition of population spikes indicating a decrease in network inhibition upon deletion of APLP1. In contrast, short‐term presynaptic plasticity (STP) as well as long‐term synaptic plasticity (LTP) was unchanged in the absence of APLP1. Based on these results we conclude that APLP1 deficiency on its own does not lead to defects in synaptic plasticity, but affects synaptic transmission and network inhibition in the dentate gyrus. J. Comp. Neurol. 523:1717–1729, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Evolutionary History and Palaeo-Ecology of Primate Predation: Macaca sylvanus from Plio-Pleistocene Europe as a Case Study

In this article we briefly review primate interactions with predators throughout their evolutionary history. Like today, predators of past primates were taxonomically diverse, including crocodilians, aquatic mammals, hyaenids, raptors and other primates. There is strong evidence for felid predation of extinct primates, with most work undertaken on the African Plio-Pleistocene fossil record. Felid predation of Plio-Pleistocene primates from other areas, including Europe, is much less well understood, so we explored co-occurrence and potential interaction between carnivorans (with particular reference to felids) and Macaca sylvanus, which was widespread and present in Europe from the late Miocene to the late Pleistocene. Over its tenure in the fossil record, M. sylvanus co-occurred with a diverse array of carnivorans, including canids and hyaenids, but medium-sized felids probably posed the most significant predation risk. It is likely, however, that human predation was a major factor contributing to macaque extinction in Europe.
Crossover of the Hypothalamic Pituitary–Adrenal/Interrenal, –Thyroid, and –Gonadal Axes in Testicular Development

Besides the well-known function of thyroid hormones (THs) for regulating metabolism, it has recently been discovered that THs are also involved in testicular development in mammalian and non-mammalian species. THs, in combination with follicle stimulating hormone, lead to androgen synthesis in Danio rerio, which results in the onset of spermatogenesis in the testis, potentially relating the hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid (HPT) gland to the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axes. Furthermore, studies in non-mammalian species have suggested that by stimulating the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), THs can be induced by corticotropin-releasing hormone. This suggests that the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal/interrenal gland (HPA) axis might influence the HPT axis. Additionally, it was shown that hormones pertaining to both HPT and HPA could also influence the HPG endocrine axis. For example, high levels of androgens were observed in the testis in Odonthestes bonariensis during a period of stress-induced sex-determination, which suggests that stress hormones influence the gonadal fate toward masculinization. Thus, this review highlights the hormonal interactions observed between the HPT, HPA, and HPG axes using a comparative approach in order to better understand how these endocrine systems could interact with each other to influence the development of testes.