Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Common Risk Factors in Currency Markets

In this separate appendix, we first report in Section 1 the asset pricing results obtained with the first principal components of our currency portfolios. We then check in Section 2 that our betas are driven by exchange rate changes, not interest rate variations. Section 3 reports an additional robustness check: we split the sample of countries in two groups and show that risk factors built using currencies that do not belong to the portfolios used as test assets can still price these assets. Section 4 checks that our two risk factors (RX and HMLFX) in the model price the cross-section of simulated portfolios and replicate the asset pricing tests on individual currencies. Finally, Section 5 focuses on portfolios of countries sorted by their global equity volatility betas.
Foramen magnum decompression for Chiari I malformation: A procedure not to be underestimated

Abstract Objective. Chiari I malformation may be treated with foramen magnum decompression (FMD). We aim to describe the symptoms with which patients initially present, and to determine the number and type of complications occurring after FMD for Chiari I malformation. Methods. Retrospective review of medical records for patients who had FMD performed for Chiari I malformation between January 2009 and December 2011. Post-operative outcomes were recorded and analysed. Patient demographic details and other relevant medical conditions were also noted. Results. Between January 2009 and December 2011, 54 FMDs were performed for Chiari I malformation. Among them, 40(74%) patients were female and 14 patients (26%) were male. The majority of patients (42.6%) were aged 16–39 years and 24.07% of patients were children aged < 16 years. A total of 30(55.6%) patients had documented evidence of a syrinx pre-operatively. 18(33.3%) patients developed complications. Nine of these developed multiple complications while nine had a single problem. One mortality was reported. Ten (18.5%) patients developed hydrocephalus requiring shunting. Two patients developed subdural collections requiring evacuation associated with hydrocephalus. Six (11.1%) patients developed post-operative infections: two CNS infections; one wound infection; and three other infections. Conclusions. FMD for Chiari I malformation is a procedure which carries risk. In particular, the risk of developing post-operative hydrocephalus requiring permanent shunting is relatively high. ICP monitoring prior to FMD may be required to definitively rule out raised intracranial pressure.
Comparing Machine Translation and Human Translation: A Case Study

As machine translation technology improves comparisons to human performance are often made in quite general and exaggerated terms. Thus, it is important to be able to account for differences accurately. This paper reports a simple, descriptive scheme for comparing translations and applies it to two translations of a British opinion article published in March, 2017. One is a human translation (HT) into Swedish, and the other a machine translation (MT). While the comparison is limited to one text, the results are indicative of current limitations in MT.
Improving Computer Training Effectiveness for Decision Technologies: Behavior Modeling and Retention Enhancement

Managers and analysts increasingly need to master the hands-on use of computer-based decision technologies including spreadsheet models. Effective training can prevent the lack of skill from impeding potential effectiveness gains from decision technologies. Among the wide variety of software training approaches in use today, recent research indicates that techniques based on behavior modeling, which consists of computer skill demonstration and hands-on practice, are among the most effective for achieving positive training outcomes. The present research examines whether the established behavior-modeling approach to software training can be improved by adding a retention enhancement intervention as a substitute for, or complement to, hands-on practice. One hundred and eleven trainees were randomly assigned to one of three versions of a training program for spreadsheets: retention enhancement only, practice only, and retention enhancement plus practice. Results obtained while controlling for total training time indicate that a combination of retention enhancement and practice led to significantly better cognitive learning than practice alone. The initial difference in cognitive achievement was still evident one week after training. Implications for future computer training research and practice are discussed.
Renoprotection by Rosiglitazone in Accelerated Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy: Role of STAT1 Inhibition and Nephrin Restoration

Background: Rosiglitazone (Ros) has been shown to attenuate CXCL8 and ICAM-1 overexpression in renal tubular cells exposed to glycated albumin. The present study explores whether this can be translated into renoprotection in vivo. Uninephrectomized (Unx) type 2 diabetic db/db mice were chosen as a model of accelerated diabetic nephropathy. Methods: Uninephrectomy was performed in 10-week-old db/db mice. They were then treated with vehicle, metformin or Ros for 8 weeks. Results: Unx-db/db mice treated with Ros had lower serum creatinine and albuminuria, less severe glomerulosclerosis, tubulointerstitial injury, fewer infiltrating macrophages, and less proliferating nuclear antigen-positive tubular cells compared with mice treated with metformin that had a similar level of glycemic control and insulin resistance. In addition, Ros but not metformin attenuated renal cortical expression of CCL2, MIP-2, and ICAM-1 and inhibited p-STAT1 signal activation. Ros also increased glomerular nephrin expression. Conclusions: Our results delineated the biochemical and histologic characteristics of Unx-db/db mice and demonstrated the in vivo glucose-independent anti-inflammatory mechanisms of Ros in nephropathy of accelerated murine type 2 diabetes.
The effect of tissue anisotropy on ultrasound strain imaging (USI): A preliminary study

The anisotropic mechanical properties and view-dependent ultrasonic backscattering have been extensively demonstrated in soft tissues, but their potential effects on ultrasound elastographic techniques remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of a speckle-tracking-based 2D ultrasound strain imaging (USI) method in silico and in vitro when both the tissue mechanical and acoustic anisotropies were taken into account. First, synthetic 2D radio-frequency images of a phantom under quasi-static compression were simulated. The phantom was defined to be either transversely isotropic or isotropic to separately examine the effect of mechanical and acoustic anisotropies on strain estimation. The two anisotropic effects were further jointly incorporated in the simulated phantom with attenuation to resemble realistic ultrasonic images of soft tissues. Underperformance of the USI method was found in the fiber planes no matter whether the fiber was perpendicular or parallel to the ultrasound beam. The same configurations were further investigated in an in vitro porcine skeletal muscle phantom. Low-quality strain fields were found in the fiber planes with the myofibers either perpendicular or parallel to the beam. This confirmed the findings in the simulation study. Finally, the fundamental behind tissue anisotropy in ultrasound motion estimation was explored. The effect of mechanical anisotropy could be explained by strain filter. Sonographic signal-to-noise ratio (SNRs) was found to be related to the performance of the USI method under acoustic anisotropy. Speckle size seemed to have a limited impact on strain estimation, but further investigations would be required.
ENERJİ TÜKETİMİ-İKTİSADİ BÜYÜME İLİŞKİSİ

Enerji faktoru, urunlerin uretim surecinde kullanilan onemli girdilerden biridir.Enerji tuketimi bir ulkenin gelismisligini gosteren gostergelerden biridir. Bu calismada secilen 26 ulkenin iktisadi buyume ile enerji tuketimi arasindaki iliskisine CADF ve CIPS testleri ile es butunlesme testi uygulanmistir. 1980-2004 donemine ait yillik veriler kullanilmistir. Uygulanan testlerin sonuclarina gore, 26 ulke icin enerji tuketimine uygulanacak iktisat politikalarinin ayni zamanda iktisadi buyumeye yonelik iktisat politikalarinin uygulanmasinda da onemli katkida bulunacagi tespit edilmistir. Iktisadi buyume ile enerji tuketimi arasinda es butunlesme testi sonucunda uzun donem denge iliskisinin oldugu gorulmustur
Design and system performances of a dual-band 4-Port MIMO antenna for LTE applications

This paper presents a dual-band 4-port diversity antenna for LTE MIMO applications. The antenna element employs a dual-band design covering the 700 MHz band for LTE applications and the 2.4 GHz band for WLAN systems. The presented antenna was implemented on a laptop panel for evaluating the system performances of four-port MIMO configuration in a non-line of sight environment. Correlation coefficient and channel capacity are simulated and measured. Correlation between signals is found between 0.17 and 0.32. The calculated channel capacity from the measured results is about 90% of the ideal case. The experimental results suggest that the presented 4-port MIMO antenna is effective and suitable for the laptop LTE applications.
Levobupivacaine Versus Ropivacaine Infiltration Analgesia for Mastopexy: A Comparative Study of 2 Long-Acting Anesthetic Drugs in Infiltrative Anesthesia for Mastopexy

A prospective double-blind study was conducted to compare the analgesic properties of levobupivacaine and ropivacaine in a bilaterally symmetrical mastopexy model. Both of these 2 long-acting local anesthetic amides are associated with lower cardiac and central nervous system toxicity than racemic bupivacaine, a widely used agent for long-lasting perioperative analgesia in esthetic procedures. In this study, each of the 18 patients undergoing bilateral mastopexy under conscious sedation received preoperative infiltration with levobupivacaine in 1 breast and equal volume of ropivacaine in the other. Patients were requested to assess their pain separately in each side every 2 hours and for 12 hours postoperatively on a visual analog scale. Overall analgesia achieved up to 12 hours postoperatively was found to be statistically different between the 2 local anesthetic factors in favor of levobupivacaine. At 2 hours postoperatively, no difference was found between the 2 local anesthetic agents in terms of analgesic efficacy (P = 0.298). However, postoperative pain scores recorded after infiltration with levobupivacaine were significantly lower than pain scores for the ropivacaine-infiltrated sides (P<0.001) at all other timeframes. Both anesthetics provided satisfactory analgesia for at least 10 hours, but constantly low pain scores were recorded for levobupivacaine for 10 hours postoperatively, whereas for ropivacaine only for 6 hours. At 12 hours, 66% of patients needed oral analgesia for pain in the ropivacaine-infiltrated breast. It is concluded that levobupivacaine is more effective for local infiltrative analgesia in mastopexy than ropivacaine, providing longer-lasting postoperative analgesia.
Hypothalamic and Hippocampal Release of Serotonin in Rats Bred for Hyper- or Hypo-anxiety

Microdialysis for measurement of serotonin in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) and the dorsal hippocampus was performed under both basal and stimulated conditions, known to elicit differential behavioral and neuroendocrine responses in rats with inborn high (HAB) or low (LAB) anxiety-related behavior. We studied the release of hypothalamic and hippocampal serotonin in response to elevated platform exposure and forced swim stress, a mild emotional and a combined emotional and physical stressor, respectively. The data suggest that serotonin release patterns may depend on the inborn level of anxiety, the brain area dialyzed, and the stressor the animals were exposed to. Under basal conditions, no differences in serotonin release in either the PVN or dorsal hippocampus were observed between HAB and LAB rats. While in the PVN open platform exposure failed to change the release of serotonin, forced swim stress induced an increase in both HAB ( p =0.0001) and LAB ( p =0.01) rats with a significantly greater effect in the former ( p =0.027). In the dorsal hippocampus, only LABs, but not HABs, responded to the elevated platform exposure by enhancing the release of serotonin ( p =0.01). Also, forced swim stress increased hippocampal serotonin only in LAB ( p =0.002), but not HAB, rats probably indicating an involvement of hippocampal serotonin in locomotion and active stress coping. It remains to be shown to what extent the differences in serotonin release contribute to neuroendocrine and behavioral differences between HAB and LAB rats.
Abnormal Retinal Optic Nerve Morphology in Young Adults after Intrauterine Growth Restriction

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a recognized risk factor for neurologic deficits later in life. Abnormal fetal blood flow in the presence of fetal growth retardation helps to distinguish true fetal growth impairment from small but normally grown infants. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of IUGR with abnormal fetal blood flow on retinal optic nerve morphology at 18 y of age. A prospective study was performed in 19 subjects with IUGR [abnormal fetal aortic blood flow velocity; median birth weight deviation of −31% (−22 to −42%; median (range)] and in 23 subjects with a normal birth weight for gestational age [normal fetal aortic blood flow velocity; median birth weight deviation of −2% (−10 to 22%)]. All subjects were previously examined concerning minor neurologic dysfunction (MND) at 7 y of age. The ocular fundus was examined by ophthalmoscopy, and the optic nerve morphology was evaluated by digital image analysis. Decrease in neuroretinal rim area at 18 y of age was associated with increasing negative birth weight deviation (r = 0.71, p < 0.0001). The subjects with severe MND at 7 y had a reduced neuroretinal rim area [median (range), 1.57 mm2 (1.37–1.78 mm2)] compared with those with less severe MND [1.94 mm2 (1.33–2.71 mm2)] and with those with normal neurologic function [2.18 mm2 (1.75–2.70 mm2); p < 0.05 and p < 0.0001, respectively]. A decrease in neuroretinal rim area reflects either a reduction in axonal volume or a decrease in the number of axons in the optic nerve. It is yet unclear whether this finding represents neuronal changes within other cerebral regions in subjects with IUGR.
Y-chromosome analysis reveals genetic divergence and new founding native lineages in Athapaskan- and Eskimoan-speaking populations

For decades, the peopling of the Americas has been explored through the analysis of uniparentally inherited genetic systems in Native American populations and the comparison of these genetic data with current linguistic groupings. In northern North America, two language families predominate: Eskimo-Aleut and Na-Dene. Although the genetic evidence from nuclear and mtDNA loci suggest that speakers of these language families share a distinct biological origin, this model has not been examined using data from paternally inherited Y chromosomes. To test this hypothesis and elucidate the migration histories of Eskimoan- and Athapaskan-speaking populations, we analyzed Y-chromosomal data from Inuvialuit, Gwich’in, and Tłįchǫ populations living in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Over 100 biallelic markers and 19 chromosome short tandem repeats (STRs) were genotyped to produce a high-resolution dataset of Y chromosomes from these groups. Among these markers is an SNP discovered in the Inuvialuit that differentiates them from other Aboriginal and Native American populations. The data suggest that Canadian Eskimoan- and Athapaskan-speaking populations are genetically distinct from one another and that the formation of these groups was the result of two population expansions that occurred after the initial movement of people into the Americas. In addition, the population history of Athapaskan speakers is complex, with the Tłįchǫ being distinct from other Athapaskan groups. The high-resolution biallelic data also make clear that Y-chromosomal diversity among the first Native Americans was greater than previously recognized.
Targeting the subthalamic nucleus for deep brain stimulation: technical approach and fusion of pre- and postoperative MR images to define accuracy of lead placement

Objectives: To define the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and intraoperative electrophysiological recording in targeting the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in Parkinson’s disease and to determine accuracy of electrode placement. Patients and methods: We implanted 54 electrodes into the STN in 27 patients. Target planning was done by coordinate guidelines and visualising the STN on MRI and defined in relation to the mid-point of the AC–PC line. Intraoperative microelectrode recording was used. We adjusted electrode positions for placement in the centre of the STN electrical activity and verified this on postoperative MRI in 16 cases, which were fused to the preoperative images to measure actual error in electrode placement in the three axes. Results: Based on coordinate calculation and MRI localisation, the mean of the target was 11.5 mm lateral, 2.5 mm posterior and 4.1 mm inferior to the mid-point of the AC–PC line. Fifty good electrophysiological recordings of the STN (average length 4.65 mm) were achieved and target point adjusted in 90% of lead placements. The mean of the final target after electrophysiological correction was 11.7 mm lateral, 2.1 mm posterior, and 3.8 mm inferior to the mid-point. The distance from the centre of the electrode artefact to the final target used after electrophysiological recording on the fused images was 0.48 mm, 0.69 mm, and 2.9 mm in the x, y, and z axes, respectively. No postoperative MRI related complication was observed. Conclusion: Both direct visualisation of the STN on MRI and intraoperative electrophysiological recording are important in defining the best target. Individual variations exist in the location of the STN target. Fewer tracks were required to define STN activity on the side operated first. Our current stereotactic method of electrode placement is relatively accurate.
Phage Display Screening of Epithelial Cell Monolayers Treated with EGTA: Identification of Peptide FDFWITP that Modulates Tight Junction Activity

Phage display was used to screen for peptides that modulate the activity of epithelial cell tight junctions. Panning with a phage library that displays random 7-mers was performed using monolayers of human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE14o—) treated with a calcium chelator, ethylene glycol-bis(2-aminoethylether)- N, N, N′, N′-tetraacetic acid (EGTA), to increase accessibility to the junctional complex/paracellular space, followed by subtractive panning. A novel peptide, FDFWITP, identified as a potential tight junction modulator, was synthesized in linear and cyclic forms with lysine residues added to improve solubility. The cyclic form of the peptide reduced transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) in a concentration-dependent manner (80% reduction at 100 µM and 95% reduction at 500 µM) and was reversible within 2 h; the linear form only affected TER at the highest concentration. Interestingly, the constrained peptide did not increase permeation of the model small molecule, fluorescein. The highly selective activity of FDFWITP supports the hypothesis that ions and small molecules may be transported paracellularly across tight junctions by separate pathways. (Journal of Biomolecular Screening 2007:1092-1101)
Passive immunisation against respiratory syncytial virus: a cost-effectiveness analysis

Aim The cost-effectiveness of passive immunisation against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in the Netherlands was studied by assessing incremental costs to prevent one hospitalisation in high-risk children using a novel individualised monthly approach. Methods Cost-effectiveness analysis was performed by combining estimates of individual hospitalisation costs and monthly hospitalisation risks, with immunisation costs, parental costs and efficacy of passive immunisation for a reference case with the highest hospitalisation risks and costs of hospitalisation during the RSV season (male, gestational age ≤28 weeks, birth weight ≤2500 g, having bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), aged 0 months at the beginning of the season (October)). Various sensitivity analyses and a cost-neutrality analysis were performed. Results Cost-effectiveness of passive immunisation varied widely by child characteristics and seasonal month. For the reference case it was most cost effective in December at €13 190 per hospitalisation averted. Cost-effectiveness was most sensitive to changes in hospitalisation risk. For the reference case, cost neutrality was reached in December, if acquisition costs of passive immunisation decreased from €930 to €375, monthly hospitalisation risk increased from 7.6% to 17%, or hospitalisation costs increased from €10 250 to €23 250 per hospitalisation. Even if passive immunisation prevented all hospitalisations, costs per hospitalisation averted in December would still exceed €2645. Conclusions Although cost-effectiveness of passive immunisation varied strongly by child characteristics and seasonal month, incremental costs per hospitalisation averted were always high. A restrictive immunisation policy only immunising children with BPD in high-risk months is therefore recommended. The costs of passive immunisation would have to be considerably reduced to achieve cost-effectiveness.
Two-Kalman filters based instrumental variable techniques for speech enhancement

When a single sequence of noisy observations is available, the autoregressive (AR)-model based methods using Kalman-filter make it possible to enhance speech. However, the estimation of the AR parameters is required, but is still a challenging problem as the signal is corrupted by an additive noise. In this paper, we propose to both estimate the signal and the AR parameters by developing a recursive instrumental variable-based approach. Avoiding a non linear approach such as the EKF, this method involves two conditionally linked Kalman filters running in parallel. Once a new observation is available, the first filter uses the latest estimated AR parameters to estimate the signal, while the second filter uses the estimated signal to update the AR parameters. A comparative study between existing speech enhancement methods is completed.
Early intensive care unit‐acquired hypernatremia in severe sepsis patients receiving 0.9% saline fluid resuscitation

Intensive care unit (ICU)‐acquired hypernatremia is associated with increased mortality and ascribed to excessive sodium/insufficient free water intakes. We aimed to determine whether the volume of intravenous 0.9% saline fluid resuscitation was associated with hypernatremia in severe sepsis.