Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human postural sway results from frequent, ballistic bias impulses by soleus and gastrocnemius

It has been widely assumed for nearly a century, that postural muscles operate in a spring‐like manner and that muscle length signals joint angle (the mechano‐reflex mechanism). Here we employ automated analysis of ultrasound images to resolve calf muscle (soleus and gastrocnemius) length changes as small as 10 μm in standing subjects. Previously, we have used balancing of a real inverted pendulum to make predictions about human standing. Here we test and confirm these predictions on 10 subjects standing quietly. We show that on average the calf muscles are actively adjusted 2.6 times per second and 2.8 times per unidirectional sway of the body centre of mass (CoM). These alternating, small (30–300 µm) movements provide impulsive, ballistic regulation of CoM movement. The timing and pattern of these adjustments are consistent with multisensory integration of all information regarding motion of the CoM, pattern recognition, prediction and planning using internal models and are not consistent with control solely by local reflexes. Because the system is unstable, errors in stabilization provide a perturbation which grows into a sway which has to be reacted to and corrected. Sagittal sway results from this impulsive control of calf muscle activity rather than internal sources (e.g. the heart, breathing). This process is quite unlike the mechano‐reflex paradigm. We suggest that standing is a skilled, trial and error activity that improves with experience and is automated (possibly by the cerebellum). These results complement and extend our recent demonstration that paradoxical muscle movements are the norm in human standing.
Posted Prices versus Bargaining in Markets with Asymmetric Information

A search model is employed to analyze the choice between posting a price and bargaining for the seller of an asset who is imperfectly informed about both buyer valuations and buyer bargaining abilities. A mean preserving increase in risk of buyer valuations is relevant, and beneficial, to the seller; however, only the mean, and not the distribution, of buyer bargaining abilities is relevant. If the mean of buyer bargaining abilities is sufficiently high, the seller utilizes a posted price. Interestingly, social welfare decreases in the mean of buyer bargaining abilities; while an increase in the mean of buyer bargaining abilities reduces expected search costs, it also results in misallocation of the good because the seller is less discriminating. Copyright 1998 by Oxford University Press.
Two-component extreme value distribution for Asia-Pacific stock index returns

Financial risk management typically deals with low-probability events in the tails of asset return distributions. To better capture the behavior of these tails, several studies have clearly highlighted that one should rely on a methodology that directly focuses on the tails of the distribution rather than getting the tails as an outcome of modelling the entire density function. Traditional Extreme Value Theory (EVT) distributions, however, provide a good fit for the bulk of the extreme data but usually underestimate a small amount of observations considered as "outliers". Since the main objective of risk management analysis is to estimate the size and probability of very large price movements, these "outliers" are by definition the very events we need to investigate. In this paper we suggest the use of a Two-Component Extreme Value (TCEV) distribution where a 'basic distribution' generates ordinary extremes (more frequent and less severe in the mean) while an "outlying distribution" generates rarer but severe extremes.Goodness-of-fit tests show the superiority of this distribution to capture the extremes of eleven MSCI Indices of the Pacific-Basin region relative to traditional EVT densities. Measures of accuracy and efficiency used to assess the performance of VaR forecasts also indicate that the additional flexibility brought by the TCEV model provides strong improvements for risk management.
Capital-Skill Complementarity Revisited: Can an Unbalanced Growth Model Account for Unbalanced Growth Data?

The growth patterns of the key macroeconomic variables in the US data are highly unbalanced. In particular, over the 1963 - 2012 period, output and stock of structures increased by 2.63 and 3.24 times, respectively; the stock of equipment increased by more than 30 times; the population of skilled and unskilled workers increased by 6.30 and 1.39 times, respectively; the price of equipment relative to the price of consumption went down by more than 9 times; and the skill premium (dened as a ratio of wages of skilled to unskilled labor) was growing at an average rate of 1% per year. Conventional stationary or balancedgrowth real business cycle models cannot account for such unbalanced growth pattern. We construct an unbalanced-growth general equilibrium model with two types of capital{equipment and structures{and two types of labor{skilled and unskilled. In the context of constant elasticity of substitution production function, the capital-skill complementarity mechanism is remarkably successful in explaining growth patterns in the US macroeconomic data.
Model risk of the implied GARCH-normal model

Model risk causes significant losses in financial derivative pricing and hedging. Investors may undertake relatively risky investments due to insufficient hedging or overpaying implied by flawed models. The GARCH model with normal innovations (GARCH-normal) has been adopted to depict the dynamics of the returns in many applications. The implied GARCH-normal model is the one minimizing the mean square error between the market option values and the GARCH-normal option prices. In this study, we investigate the model risk of the implied GARCH-normal model fitted to conditional leptokurtic returns, an important feature of financial data. The risk-neutral GARCH model with conditional leptokurtic innovations is derived by the extended Girsanov principle. The option prices and hedging positions of the conditional leptokurtic GARCH models are obtained by extending the dynamic semiparametric approach of Huang and Guo [Statist. Sin. , 2009, 19, 1037–1054]. In the simulation study we find significant model risk of the implied GARCH-normal model in pricing and hedging barrier and lookback options when the underlying dynamics follow a GARCH-t model.
Who Uses Interest Rate Swaps? a Cross-Sectional Analysis

Empirical analysis in this study examines factors that explain the use of interest rate swaps by nonfinancial firms in the Standard & Poor's 500. Consistent with asymmetric information and agency cost theories, firms with significant expected financial distress costs use swaps to transform short-term debt into long-term fixed-rate debt. Debt maturity structure, but not interest rate sensitivity, is significant in the decision to use a swap. Credit quality differentials or expectations of improving financial prospects are not significant in distinguishing among swap users.
Risk Group, Skin Lesion History, and Sun Sensitivity Reliability in Squamous Cell Skin Cancer Progression

In studies of skin cancer, participants are often classified into risk groups based on self-reported history of sun exposure or skin characteristics. We sought to determine the reliability of self-reported skin characteristics among participants of a study to evaluate markers for nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Multiple questionnaires and screening protocols were administered over a 3-month period to individuals from three risk groups: existing sun damage on forearms but no visible actinic keratoses (n = 91), visible actinic keratoses (n = 38), and history of resected squamous cell skin cancer in the last 12 months (n = 35). We assessed consistency of risk group assignment between telephone screen and study dermatologist assignment, self-reported sun sensitivity (telephone recruitment form versus participant completed profile), and self-reported history of NMSC skin lesions (telephone recruitment form versus health history). There was substantial agreement between probable risk group and final assignment (κ = 0.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.65-0.85) and agreement did not differ by gender. Agreement for self-reported sun sensitivity was moderate (κ weighted = 0.46; 95% confidence interval, 0.36-0.56) with higher agreement for women. For self-reported NMSC lesion history between two interviews, 24 days apart, κ estimates ranged from 0.66 to 0.78 and were higher for women than men. Overall, there was evidence for substantial reproducibility related to risk group assignment and self-reported history of NMSC, with self-reported sun sensitivity being less reliable. In all comparisons, women had higher κ values than men. These results suggest that self-reported measures of skin cancer risk are reasonably reliable for use in screening subjects into studies. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(11):2292–7)
Impact of intratumoral thymidylate synthase expression on prognosis after surgical resection for ampullary carcinoma

This study evaluated possible prognostic value of expression level of intratumoral thymidylate synthase (TS), dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), and orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRT) in patients with resected ampullary carcinoma.
An analysis on the structural stability of Okun's law--a cross-country study

Okun's law postulates an inverse relationship between movements of the unemployment rate and the real gross domestic product (GDP). This article investigates Okun's law for 15 OECD countries and checks for its the structural stability. By using data on employment and the labour force whether structural instability is caused either from the demand side or supply side is inferred.
Manufacturing and Regional Economic Growth in Turkey: A Spatial Econometric View of Kaldor's Laws

In this paper, the regional economic growth process of Turkey during the period 1990–2000 is analysed within the context of Kaldor's laws. The validity of Kaldor's three growth laws is empirically tested by spatial econometric methods as well as traditional econometric method. The empirical results reported in this paper demonstrate the validity of the laws for Turkey over the period under discussion. In testing the first law, spatial dependence is detected. The presence of spatial dependence indicates that the growth of neighbouring regions (and indirectly, the growth of their manufacturing sectors) has an effect on the growth of a region. All the empirical findings suggest that manufacturing has a key role in regional economic growth.
Asian Agricultural Productivity and Convergence

This paper measures agricultural total factor productivity (TFP), for eighteen Asian countries, from 1965 to 1996. TFP is measured by calculating the Malmquist index with respect to the sequential frontier, which is appropriate when the cross section is relatively small. The results show that half the countries have experienced negative productivity growth, due to losses in technical efficiency combined with stagnation in technological progress. Both cross-section and time series tests show that there is no evidence of convergence in agricultural productivity for these countries. The less productive countries are falling further behind, rather than catching up. Finally, comparisons with Africa show that although Asia has had faster TFP growth than Africa, three of the five African regions (East, Central and Southern) have grown faster than any of the Asian regions.
Eating when there is not enough to eat: eating behaviors and perceptions of food among food-insecure youths.

OBJECTIVES We explored differences in adolescents' eating habits, perceptions, and dietary intakes by food security status. METHODS As part of Project EAT (Eating Among Teens), we surveyed 4746 multiethnic middle and high school students in 31 primarily urban schools in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, area during the 1998-1999 academic year. Participants completed in-class surveys. We used multiple regression analysis to characterize associations between behaviors, perceptions, nutritional intake, and food security status. RESULTS Compared with food-secure youths, food-insecure youths were more likely to perceive that eating healthfully was inconvenient and that healthy food did not taste good. Additionally, food-insecure youths reported eating more fast food but fewer family meals and breakfasts per week than did youths who were food secure. Food-insecure and food-secure youths perceived similar benefits from eating healthfully (P = .75). Compared with those who were food secure, food-insecure youths had higher fat intakes (P < .01). Food-insecure youths were more likely to have a body mass index above the 95th percentile. CONCLUSIONS The eating patterns of food-insecure adolescents differ in important ways from the eating patterns of those who are food secure. Policies and interventions focusing on improving the foods that these youths eat deserve further examination.
The Quality of a Firm's Exports: Where You Export to Matters

What drives export quality? Using firm-level data from Portugal on exports by product and destination market, we find that free-on-board unit values increase systematically with distance, and tend to be higher in shipments to richer nations. These relationships reflect not only the selection of firms across markets, but also the within-firm selection of product varieties across destinations. Furthermore, they prevail irrespective of the size of the exporter and the value of the export flow.
Parents as "Middlepersons" in Political Socialization

ALTHOUGH RECENT RESEARCH has challenged the simplistic views about the family's dominance in shaping the political character of the young, there is no doubt that the family remains an important agent of political socialization. ' Most typically the family's influence is assessed by linking certain parental characteristics to certain observed outcomes in the offspring. These characteristics are usually taken as given: little attention is paid to how the parents came to be the way they are and how that might affect the socialization of their children. In the interest of parsimony, if nothing else, this emphasis is well placed. Yet socialization within the family is not simply a two-generation phenomenon, for the parents themselves were once the socializees instead of the socializers. Parents do not spring forth without a history, nor do they cease to have historical impact when they expire. They are the links to the past as well as to the future. Having received and often qualified the political legacy of their own par-
The development of recreational cycle routes: an evaluation of user needs

During the past decade there has been increased provision of recreational routes throughout Europe, North America and Australasia. Many of these have been primarily resource-led in terms of using redundant assets rather than designed on the basis of user expectations. This paper is concerned with identifying and evaluating factors that are considered important by casual recreational day cyclists when using recreational cycle routes. A small-scale study was undertaken regarding the development of recreational routes in the Staffordshire Moorlands, UK. The research findings reveal that the cyclist seeks a combination of specific technical and service characteristics such as quiet, traffic free routes that are signed. In addition, they seek a range of intangible attributes such as good scenery, and services, particularly refreshments or way-marking.
New subform of the late infantile form of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis.

Clinicopathological studies of a series of nine children with a new subform of Jansky-Bielschowsky disease or late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (LINCL) is presented. The onset of this subform is between 2.5-3.5 years of age with initial neurological symptoms of abnormal motor skills caused by cerebellar and extrapyramidal signs. Soon after dementia, myoclonic seizures are followed. Visual impairment is more clearly seen after the age of 5 or 6 years. The ultrastructural studies of the skin and/or buffy coat showed abundant lysosomal storage of curvilinear profiles, rarely intermixed with fingerprint profiles. The MRI of the head performed in seven cases, showed initially enlargement of the ventricles that is secondary to basal ganglia atrophy and presence of cerebellar and cerebral atrophy. In 4 of 7 cases (Cases 1, 5, 6, 8) abnormalities in the deep white matter showing increased signals of T2-weighted imaging in the periventricular areas of the fronto-parietal region, internal capsule, tracks of the brainstem, and white matter of cerebellum were seen. These abnormalities were also observed by post-mortem neuropathological studies in three cases (nos. 7-9). The MRI in Cases 7 and 9 was not performed. The electrophysiological abnormalities (EEG, ERG, VER) are similar as described in the classical LINCL. Neuropathological studies done in 3 of 9 cases showed generalized brain atrophy and unique type of neuronal cytoplasmic inclusion body in the basal ganglia, brainstem, dentate nuclei, and rarely, cerebral cortex. These large, round neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions were pink in hematoxylin (HE), violet in cresyl violet, and dark blue with Klüver-Barrera method. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Climate change adaptation in rural Ghana: indigenous perceptions and strategies

In Ghana, the agricultural sector is climate-dependent and susceptible to threatening impacts of climate change, yet, little is known about climate change adaptation in rural farming communities. This article examines the effects of, and local adaptation response to, climate change in rural farming communities in the Jaman North District of Ghana. Using meteorological data, changes in rainfall and temperature over the past 30 years were analyzed. In addition, social research methods were used to analyse interviews and household survey data on climate change impacts on, and adaption responses of rural communities. Results showed that the changing weather patterns, in the form of erratic rainfall and increasing temperatures, have become an additional burden to rural farming communities who are already faced with limited level of mechanization.
Chinese-American Banking and Community Development in Los Angeles County

Given the rapid increase of immigrant populations and ethnic communities in the U.S., it is surprising that so little attention has been paid to the role of ethnically owned banks in community development. Analyses of banking usually focus on developments such as mergers and consolidations within the mainstream financial sector. The academic literature on financial geography and the ethnic economy has established that the discriminatory and exclusionary practices of mainstream banks and other financial institutions play a significant role in impoverishing urban, low-income ghettos. Research on minority financial services largely focuses on the dynamics of informal financial establishments in ethnic neighborhoods. With the exception of research on African-American banks, there has been remarkably little scholarship on or even acknowledgement of ethnically owned formal financial institutions in minority communities. This article examines the parallel, co-respective growth of Chinese-American residents, businesses, and bank branches in Los Angeles, with special attention to spatial and temporal correlation. In particular, we explore the role of Chinese ethnic banks in altering commercial infrastructures and residential landscapes in Los Angeles County's Chinatown and the San Gabriel Valley ethnoburb area. This article is based on extensive quantitative data and on twenty-seven multilingual interviews conducted in 1999 with officers of Chinese-American banks.
Competitive and Coherent? Profiling the Europarties in the 2009 European Parliament Elections

Abstract On the bases of the new EU Profiler data for the 2009 European Parliament elections, this work looks at two basic criteria to assess the representative potential of the EU party system: its competitiveness and the policy coherence of its parties. It is here argued that, if the national parties are successfully able to aggregate their programmes and agendas at the EU level, proposing different options to the European voters, the EU ‘democratic deficit' might not be as severe as it is often lamented. It is found that the Europarties, despite the enlargements towards Central and Eastern Europe, are sufficiently coherent and different to seek to fulfil an expressive, or representative, function. By selectively placing its focus on the ‘supply-side' of politics, this work shows that European voters could indeed make meaningful choices, which the Europarties might turn into concrete policies through their parliamentary activity.
Glucocorticoid management in rheumatoid arthritis: morning or night low dose?

Morning symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are linked to circadian increase of night inflammation, supported by inadequate cortisol secretion in active disease. Therefore, exogenous glucocorticoid administration in RA is recommended by EULAR and ACR from the beginning of the diagnosis, since may partially act like a “replacement therapy”. In addition, the prevention/treatment of the night up-regulation of the immune/inflammatory reaction has been shown more effective when exogenous glucocorticoid administration is managed with a night-time-release formulation. Despite a considerably higher cost than conventional prednisone (immediate release), chronotherapy with night-time-release prednisone has been recognized a cost-effective option for RA patients not on glucocorticoids who are eligible for therapy with biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Interestingly, since different cell populations involved in the inflammatory process are particularly activated during the night (i.e. monocytes, macrophages), other therapeutical approaches used in RA, such as conventional DMARDs and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) should follow the same concepts of glucocorticoid chronotherapy. Therefore, bedtime methotrexate chronotherapy was found to better manage RA symptoms, and several available NSAIDs (i.e. indomethacin, aceclofenac, ketoprofen, flurbiprofen, lornoxicam) have been recently modified in their formulation, in order to obtain more focused night action.