Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Are There Gains from Using Information over the Surface of Implied Volatilities?

We test the price discovery of the term structure of implied volatilities, and investigate its implications on the out-of-sample forecast of implied volatility. Both long-maturity and short-maturity options are important for the price discovery of the implied volatility curve. Long-maturity options contain more information although they are much less traded than short-maturity options. This is probably because long-maturity implied volatilities are more associated with a persistent long-term variance factor. Out-of-sample forecast analysis shows that the implied volatility curve information is useful for the out-of-sample forecast of implied volatilities up to one week ahead. Short-maturity implied volatilities tend to be more predictable than long-maturity implied volatilities. Trading strategies based on the predictability of implied volatilities could generate significant risk-adjusted returns after controlling for transaction costs. Our results are consistent with option pricing models with component volatilities.
The Management of Refinancing Risk in Islamic Banks

Islamic banks have access to only short-dated funding sources resulting in asset liability mismatches when financing assets with longer maturities. Maturity mismatches give rise to a risk that an unexpected increase in the cost of refinancing liabilities as they mature will not be offset by corresponding asset returns. Exposure to refinancing risk is exacerbated by paying returns to providers of off balance sheet funds which do not covary with the returns of corresponding assets as they would from a stricter application of sharia principles underlying these funding structures. The active hedging of refinancing risk by Islamic banks is also challenged due to a lack of suitable hedging instruments as well as differing sharia opinions concerning their permissibility. As an alternative to risk transference through hedging, this paper develops a framework to quantify a reserve to instead absorb refinancing risk which is distinguished from reserves already in use by Islamic banks, namely the investment risk and profit equalization reserves.
Implications of the Medicaid undercount in a high-penetration Medicaid state.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE This study investigates the impact of misreporting by Medicaid recipients on estimates of the uninsured in Louisiana, and is based on similar work by Call et al. in Minnesota and Klerman, Ringel, and Roth in California. With its unique charity hospital system, culture, and high poverty, Louisiana provides an interesting and unique context for examining Medicaid underreporting. STUDY DESIGN Results are based on a random sample of 2,985 Medicaid households. Respondents received a standard questionnaire to identify health insurance status, and individual records were matched to Medicaid enrollment data to identify misreporting. DATA SOURCES Data were collected by the Public Policy Research Lab at Louisiana State University using computer-assisted telephone interviewing. Using Medicaid enrollment data to obtain contact information, the Louisiana Health Insurance Survey was administered to 2,985 households containing Medicaid recipients. Matching responses on individuals from these households to Medicaid enrollment data yielded responses for 3,199 individuals. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest relatively high rates of underreporting among Medicaid recipients in Louisiana for both children and adults. Given the very high proportion of Medicaid recipients in the population, this may translate up to a 3 percent bias in estimates of uninsured populations. IMPLICATIONS Medicaid bias may be particularly pronounced in areas with high Medicaid enrollments. Misreporting rates and thus the bias in estimates of the uninsured may differ across areas of the United States with important consequences for Medicaid funding.
Effects of laryngoscope handle light source on the light intensity from disposable laryngoscope blades

A bench‐top study was performed to assess the effects of different laryngoscope handles on the light intensity delivered from disposable metal or plastic laryngoscope blades. The light intensity from both the handle light sources themselves and the combined handle and laryngoscope blade sets was measured using a custom‐designed testing system and light meter. Five samples of each disposable blade type were tested and compared with a standard re‐usable stainless steel blade using three different handle/light sources (Vital Signs LED, Heine 2.5 V Xenon and 3.5 V Xenon). The light intensity delivered by the disposable blades ranged from 790 to 3846 lux for the different handle types. Overall, the 3.5 V Heine handle delivered the highest light output (p < 0.007) in comparison with the other handles. For the disposable blades, the overall light output was significantly higher from the plastic than the metal blades (p < 0.001).
Research on estimating smoothed value and differential value by using sliding mode system

To be able to recognize an environment, a robot should have as many sensors as possible. When we use sensors, we must consider the characteristics of the sensors, such as range, processing time, error, and so on. In this paper, we focus on the ultrasonic wave sensor that is today the most common sensor employed on indoor mobile robotic systems, and we propose a new technique for estimating the smoothed value and the differential value of the distances measured by the ultrasonic wave sensor. In proposing this system, we take the characteristics of the sensors mentioned above into consideration. In spite of the many methods proposed, it is still very difficult to eliminate the noise of sonar completely. Therefore, we smooth the distance value by assuming the continuity of the signal obtained by the sonar, and taking advantage of this continuity, we compose a robust estimator. The estimator is based on the sliding mode system.
Early cognitive basic symptoms are accompanied by neurocognitive impairment in patients with an ‘at‐risk mental state’ for psychosis

Patients with an increased risk for psychosis (‘at‐risk mental state’ (ARMS)) present various neurocognitive deficits. Not least because of differences in identifying the ARMS, results of previous studies are inconsistent. In most studies ARMS‐patients are classified by the experience of attenuated psychotic symptoms (APS) and/or brief limited intermittent psychotic symptoms (BLIPS). Few studies additionally assessed cognitive basic symptoms (BS). A comprehensive assessment in the very early stage of the ARMS is missing.
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGF receptors expression and microvascular density in benign and malignant thyroid diseases

Angiogenesis is critical for the growth and metastatic spread of tumours. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the most potent inducer of neovasculature, and its increased expression has been related to a worse clinical outcome in many diseases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relation between VEGF, its receptors (VEGFR‐1 and VEGFR‐2) and microvessel density (MVD) in thyroid diseases. Immunostaining for VEGF and VEGF receptors was performed in 66 specimens of thyroid tissue, comprising 17 multinodular goitre (MNG), 14 Graves’ disease, 10 follicular adenoma, 8 Hashimoto's thyroiditis, 7 papillary carcinoma and 10 normal thyroid specimens. Thyrocyte positivity for VEGF and VEGF receptors was scored 0–3. Immunohistochemistry for CD31, and CD34 on the same sections was performed to evaluate MVD. Immunohistochemical staining of VEGF in thyrocytes was positive in 92% of all the thyroid tissues studied. Using an immunostaining intensity cut off of 2, increased thyrocyte staining was seen in follicular adenoma specimens, MNG and normal thyroids compared with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves’ disease (P < 0.05). Similarly, VEGF thyrocyte expression in Graves’ disease was less than other pathologies (P < 0.05). VEGFR‐1 expression and the average MVD score did not differ between the different thyroid pathologies. VEGF expression was lower in autoimmune pathologies compared to autonomous growth processes. Conversely, both VEGFR‐1 and VEGFR‐2 were widely expressed in benign and neoplastic thyroid disease, suggesting that the up‐regulation of VEGF and not its receptors occurs as tissue becomes autonomous. There was no clear relationship between MVD measurement and thyroid pathology.
Evaluating network intrusion detection systems for high-speed networks

Network Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDSs) play a crucial role in detecting malicious activities within the networks. Basically, an NIDS monitors network flows and compares it with the pre-defined suspicious patterns. To be effective, different intrusion detection algorithms and packet capturing methods have been implemented. With rapidly increasing network speeds, NIDSs face a challenging problem of monitoring large and diverse traffic volumes; in particular, the high packet drop rate has a significant impact on detection accuracy. In this work, we investigate three popular open-source NIDSs: Snort, Suricata, and Bro along with their comparative performance benchmarks. We investigate key factors (including system resource usage, packet processing speed and packet drop rate) that limit applicability of NIDSs to large-scale networks. Moreover, we also analyse and compare the performance of NIDSs when configurations and traffic volumes are changed.
Follow-up survey of general practitioners' perceptions of UK allergy services.

BACKGROUND A UK survey of general practitioners (GPs) in 2002 found that they perceived allergy care throughout the UK National Health Service (NHS) to be poor. We conducted a follow-up survey in 2009 to see if GPs' perceptions had changed. OBJECTIVES To determine GP perceptions of allergy care in the NHS in the wake of recent Government reports into allergy care, and to compare the findings of this survey to a similar survey conducted in 2002. METHODS A cross-sectional postal survey of 500 UK GPs was conducted, using an adapted version of the 2002 questionnaire, modified to reflect recent developments in primary care. RESULTS We obtained valid responses from 149 GPs, 87% of whom were based in England. 74% were GP principals and 63% worked in training practices. Most GPs (71%; 95%CI 63-79) rated overall NHS allergy care as poor, expressing concern about both primary care and access to allergy specialists. There were no significant differences in GPs' perceptions of the quality of allergy care provided in primary (p=0.33) and secondary care (p=0.97) or access to specialists (p=0.37), between 2002 and 2009. CONCLUSION This survey suggests that recent professional and parliamentary reviews have not led to any notable improvements in GP perceptions of UK NHS allergy services between 2002 and 2009.
Insights into the Regulatory Domain of Cystathionine Beta‐Synthase: Characterization of Six Variant Proteins

Cystathionine beta‐synthase (CBS) catalyzes the formation of cystathionine from homocysteine and serine. CBS is allosterically activated by S‐adenosylmethionine (SAM), which binds to its C‐terminal regulatory domain. Mutations in this domain lead to variants with high residual activity but lacking SAM activation. We characterized six C‐terminal CBS variants (p.P427L, p.D444N, p.V449G, p.S500L, p.K523Sfs*18, and p.L540Q). To understand the effect of C‐terminal mutations on the functional/structural properties of CBS, we performed dynamic light scattering, differential scanning fluorimetry, limited proteolysis, enzymatic characterization, and determination of SAM‐binding affinity. Kinetic data confirm that the enzymatic function of these variants is not impaired. Although lacking SAM activation, the p.P427L and p.S500L were able to bind SAM at a lower extent than the wild type (WT), confirming that SAM binding and activation can be two independent events. At the structural level, the C‐terminal variants presented various effects, either showing catalytic core instability and increased susceptibility toward aggregation or presenting with similar or higher stability than the WT. Our study highlights as the common feature to the C‐terminal variants an impaired binding of SAM and no increase in enzymatic activity with physiological concentrations of the activator, suggesting the loss of regulation by SAM as a potential pathogenic mechanism.
The physiological roles of ICAM-1 and ICAM-2 in neutrophil migration into tissues

Purpose of reviewNeutrophil extravasation from the blood into tissues is initiated by tethering and rolling of neutrophils on endothelial cells, followed by neutrophil integrin activation and shear resistant arrest, crawling, diapedesis and breaching the endothelial basement membrane harbouring pericytes. Endothelial intercellular cell adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 and ICAM-2, in conjunction with ICAM-1 on pericytes, critically contribute to each step. In addition, epithelial ICAM-1 is involved in neutrophil migration to peri-epithelial sites. The most recent findings on the role of ICAM-1 and ICAM-2 for neutrophil migration into tissues will be reviewed here. Recent findingsSignalling via endothelial ICAM-1 and ICAM-2 contributes to stiffness of the endothelial cells at sites of chronic inflammation and junctional maturation, respectively. Endothelial ICAM-2 contributes to neutrophil crawling and initiation of paracellular diapedesis, which then proceeds independent of ICAM-2. Substantial transcellular neutrophil diapedesis across the blood–brain barrier is strictly dependent on endothelial ICAM-1 and ICAM-2. Endothelial ICAM-1 or ICAM-2 is involved in neutrophil-mediated plasma leakage. ICAM-1 on pericytes assists the final step of neutrophil extravasation. Epithelial ICAM-1 rather indirectly promotes neutrophil migration to peri-epithelial sites. SummaryICAM-1 and ICAM-2 are involved in each step of neutrophil extravasation, and have redundant but also distinct functions. Analysis of the role of endothelial ICAM-1 requires simultaneous consideration of ICAM-2.
Life factors affecting depression and burden in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis caregivers

Abstract Our objective was to determine which factors contribute to depression symptoms or increased burden in caregivers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. The five factors assessed were financial status, social support, employment status, religious denomination, and patient disease severity. A prospective, cross-sectional study of 50 caregivers was performed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Zarit-Burden Interview (ZBI), a demographic survey, and patient ALS functional rating scale, revised (ALSFRS-R) scores. Younger age, female gender, higher financial burden, type of religious denomination, and longer daily hours spent both with the patient and caregiving were associated with BDI scores, indicating they are significant risk factors for depression symptoms. Both younger age and the daily hours spent caregiving, as well as being employed and having less social support, were associated with ZBI scores and higher burden. Adequate social support was the only protective factor in caregivers’ lives, having an association with lower burden levels. There was no statistically significant association between a caregiver's BDI or ZBI score and patient ALSFRS-R scores. In conclusion, we identified factors associated with depression symptoms and increased burden in ALS caregivers. Interventions should be designed to target the modifiable factors in order to prevent depression symptoms and minimize burden in caregivers at risk.
Use of a Mariner-Based Transposon Mutagenesis System To Isolate Clostridium perfringens Mutants Deficient in Gliding Motility

ABSTRACT Clostridium perfringens is an anaerobic Gram-positive pathogen that causes many human and animal diseases, including food poisoning and gas gangrene. C. perfringens lacks flagella but possesses type IV pili (TFP). We have previously shown that C. perfringens can glide across an agar surface in long filaments composed of individual bacteria attached end to end and that two TFP-associated proteins, PilT and PilC, are needed for this. To discover additional gene products that play a role in gliding, we developed a plasmid-based mariner transposon mutagenesis system that works effectively in C. perfringens. More than 10,000 clones were screened for mutants that lacked the ability to move away from the edge of a colony. Twenty-four mutants (0.24%) were identified that fit the criteria. The genes containing insertions that affected gliding motility fell into nine different categories. One gene, CPE0278, which encodes a homolog of the SagA cell wall-dependent endopeptidase, acquired distinct transposon insertions in two independent mutants. sagA mutants were unable to form filaments due to a complete lack of end-to-end connections essential for gliding motility. Complementation of the sagA mutants with a wild-type copy of the gene restored gliding motility. We constructed an in-frame deletion mutation in the sagA gene and found that this mutant had a phenotype similar to those of the transposon mutants. We hypothesize that the sagA mutant strains are unable to form the molecular complexes which are needed to keep the cells in an end-to-end orientation, leading to separation of daughter cells and the inability to carry out gliding motility.
Gamma radiation-sterilized, triple-lumen catheters coated with a low concentration of chlorhexidine were not efficacious at preventing catheter infections in intensive care unit patients

In a randomized, double-blind trial, gamma radiation-sterilized, chlorhexidine-coated triple-lumen catheters were compared with uncoated control catheters for their ability to prevent catheter infection in 254 intensive care unit patients. The chlorhexidine coating was not efficacious, and a rabbit model demonstrated that reduction of chlorhexidine activity by gamma radiation sterilization was the likely explanation for the failure.
Immunogenic properties of octasaccharide-protein conjugates derived from Klebsiella serotype 11 capsular polysaccharide

The tetrasaccharide repeating unit of the capsular polysaccharide of Klebsiella serotype 11, K11PS, comprises the following sequence: [----3)-beta-D-GlcpA-(1----3)-alpha-D-Galp-(1----3)-beta-D-Glcp-(1 ----] with a 4,6-O-(1-carboxyethylidene)-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl residue linked to O-4 of the glucuronic acid residue. Octasaccharide (OS) derived from K11PS by bacteriophage phi 11-associated glycanase, was coupled to bovine serum albumin and to keyhole limpet hemocyanin. The immunogenicity of various antigens after intraperitoneal immunization was studied by measuring the levels of circulating antibodies. Injection of BALB/c mice with K11PS resulted in induction of 2-mercaptoethanol-sensitive immunoglobulin M antibodies. The responses observed in BALB/c nu/nu mice and in male (CBA/N X C3H/HeN)F1 mice indicate that K11PS is a thymus-independent type 2 antigen. Immunization of BALB/c mice with either OS-bovine serum albumin or OS-keyhole limpet hemocyanin resulted in the induction of circulating 2-mercaptoethanol-resistant immunoglobulin G antibodies. Results in BALB/c nu/nu mice indicate that the OS-protein conjugates are thymus-dependent antigens. Since the OS-keyhole limpet hemocyanin conjugate induced antibodies in both (CBA/N X C3H/HeN)F1 females and males, we propose to refer to this kind of antigen as a thymus-dependent type 1 antigen, whereas OS-bovine serum albumin, which evoked immunoglobulins in (CBA/N X C3H/HeN)F1 females only, can be referred to as a thymus-dependent type 2 antigen.
Diagnostic capability of macular parameters of Stratus OCT 3 in detection of early glaucoma

Aim To report the diagnostic capability of Stratus OCT macular parameters in early glaucoma. Material and methods In a cross-sectional observational study, two groups of subjects (early glaucoma and normals) who satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited. The diagnosis of early glaucoma was based on a glaucomatous appearance of the optic disc correlating with visual-field defects (fulfilling at least two of three Anderson and Patella criteria, with a mean deviation better than or equal to −6 dB. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmic evaluation including visual-field examination (24−2/30−2 SITA standard programme) and imaging with Stratus OCT 3. The macular thickness map in Stratus OCT includes the fovea, inner macula and outer macula, with diameters of 1, 3 and 6 mm, a total of nine sectors. Sensitivity, specificity, area under the receiving operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and likelihood ratio were calculated for volume and thickness parameters in these nine sectors. Results 56 eyes (56 patients) with early glaucoma and 75 eyes (75 normals) were analysed. Only two parameters, the outer inferior average volume (p = 0.003) and the outer inferior average thickness (p = 0.002), were statistically significantly lower in the glaucoma group. Outer inferior average volume had a “best combination” of sensitivity and specificity (56% and 79% respectively). Both outer inferior average volume and thickness parameters yielded the best AUROCs of 0.66. Conclusions Outer inferior macular thickness and volume parameters in early glaucoma are significantly different from normals. The moderate sensitivity and specificity suggest that the role of macular parameters in the diagnosis of early glaucoma is limited.
Recognizing Problem Video Game Use

Objectives: It has been increasingly recognized that some people develop problem video game use, defined here as excessive use of video games resulting in various negative psychosocial and/or physical consequences. The main objectives of the present study were to identify individuals with problem video game use and compare them with those without problem video game use on several variables. Method: An international, anonymous online survey was conducted, using a questionnaire with provisional criteria for problem video game use, which the authors have developed. These criteria reflect the crucial features of problem video game use: preoccupation with and loss of control over playing video games and multiple adverse consequences of this activity. Results: A total of 1945 survey participants completed the survey. Respondents who were identified as problem video game users (n = 156, 8.0%) differed significantly from others (n = 1789) on variables that provided independent, preliminary validation of the provisional criteria for problem video game use. They played longer than planned and with greater frequency, and more often played even though they did not want to and despite believing that they should not do it. Problem video game users were more likely to play certain online role-playing games, found it easier to meet people online, had fewer friends in real life, and more often reported excessive caffeine consumption. Conclusions: People with problem video game use can be identified by means of a questionnaire and on the basis of the present provisional criteria, which require further validation. These findings have implications for recognition of problem video game users among individuals, especially adolescents, who present to mental health services. Mental health professionals need to acknowledge the public health significance of the multiple negative consequences of problem video game use.