Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diversification and Mutual Fund Performance

A common belief about fund managers with superior performance is that they are more likely to succeed in stock selection with an informational advantage, far from diversifying their portfolio. Although some empirical studies support this view, it contradicts modern portfolio theory, in which well-diversified portfolios have higher returns. To address this inconsistency, this paper re-examines the effects of diversification by applying a comprehensive diversification measure, the diversification ratio (DR), to the actual mutual fund portfolio. Our results show that high-DR funds have more efficiently diversified portfolios than low-DR funds do and significantly higher risk-adjusted returns over a long period, consistent with theoretical predictions. Most importantly, we find a surprising positive relation between the DR and managerial skill measures such as Active Share, R-squared, and Industry concentration index. Considering both the portfolio weights and its correlation structure, we find that fund managers with superior skill have more concentrated portfolios, while their concentrated bets are less correlated with existing portfolios. Therefore, we suggest that deviating from the benchmark market index with concentrated investments is ultimately in line with the efficient construction of a diversified portfolio in terms of achieving superior performance. Consequently, our paper contributes to reconciling the conflicting empirical literature on the benefits of portfolio concentration with the diversification effect of modern portfolio theory.
Biochemical study of survivin -31G/C promoter polymorphism in breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and also the leading cause of cancer mortality in women worldwide. Survivin is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family, which has been identified recently. Unlike other IAP proteins, survivin is generally not found in normal adult tissues but notably expressed in the most common human cancers including stomach, colorectal, lung and breast. In cancer cells, overexpression of survivin at both protein and mRNA levels is linked to genetic variant -31G/C in the survivin promoter. P53-Abs were discovered 20 years ago during the course of tumor-associated antigens screening. The discovery of p53 mutation and accumulation of p53 in human tumors shed new light on the p53 humoral response. The aim of work: investigate -31 G/C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)of survivin promoter in breast cancer patients.Measurement of the level of p53 antibodies in them and detecting the association between it and the polymorphism also. Patients and methods: 100 subjects were enrolled in this study. All were women in the age between 40 and 65 (60 breast cancer cases and 40 control divided into two groups according to age: Group 1 ≤ 50 years (27.3 ± 4.87) and Group 2 > 50(24.83 ± 6.12). Results: Our study shows a significant difference in the prevalence of the survivin promoter polymorphism (–31G > C) between the case and control groups, P-value (P = 0.005*). Notably, the combined prevalence of the GC and CC genotypes (GC + CC), reflecting the prevalence of the C allele, was significantly greater in the breast cancer group than in the control group (P= 0.002*) with rates of 29% and 6%, respectively. These results imply that the C allele at position –31 in the promoter region of the survivin gene increases an individual’s susceptibility to breast cancer. Also, the risk of developing cancer was 4.05 times higher in patients with the GC or CC genotype (GC + CC) than in patients with the GG genotype, and this difference was statistically significant (95% CI: (1.48 – 11.09). Besides, in the breast cancer group, the GG genotype was present in 35 patients, whereas the GC + CC genotype was present in 25 patients. As regards the level of p53 antibodies, there was a significant difference (p=0.025) between cases (11.67±11.96) and controls (4.65 ± 0.48). But, no significant difference in the different genotypes of breast cancer patients(p=0.83). Conclusion Survivin promoter -31 G/C polymorphism is associated with the risk of developing breast cancer. C allele at position –31G/C in the promoter region of the survivin gene increases an individual’s susceptibility to breast cancer. As regards the level of p53 antibodies, there was a significant difference between cases and controls. But, no significant difference in the different genotypes of breast cancer patients.The presence of p53 Abs could be a useful marker to complement routine prognostic factors in breast cancer patients.
ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF VARIOUS PEST MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ON AMRASCA BIGUTTULA BIGUTTULA ISHIDA , ( CICADELLIDAE : HOMOPTERA ) AND FRUIT INFESTATION OF OKRA ( ABELMOSCHUS ESCULENTUS L

Okra or lady's finger, Abelmoschus esculentus L. , is an important summer crop in Pakistan with production of 303.16 tons from 232.05 hectares of land per year (Kashif et al., 2008). It contributes 1.2% in total vegetable production in Pakistan. Punjab is one of the leading provinces of Pakistan that contributes 57.3% followed by Baluchistan (15.5%), K.P.K (13.9%) and Sindh (13.3%) (Khokhar, 2014). Okra provides an important source of carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, calcium, potassium and other minerals which are often lacking in the diet of developing countries (Anonymous, 2000). The fruits of okra also have some medicinal value. A mucilaginous preparation from the pod can be used for plasma replacement or blood volume expansion. The okra fruit is considered valuable for control of goiter because of its high iodine contents (Savello et al., 1980). Okra production is affected by many factors, among these insect pest attack is the major one that causes 69% reduction in okra yield (Mani et al., 2005). About 72 species of insects have been identified that cause infestation in this crops. The most destructive pests of okra include jassid (Amrasca biguttula biguttula Ishida), whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Gennadius), yellow flower thrips (Frankiniella sulphurea Schmutz), aphid (Aphis gossypii Glov.), spotted bollworm (Earius insulana Bios.) and american bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera Hubner). In Asia, mostly synthetic insecticides are sprayed extensively to control the insect pests as these are fast in action, results are quite acceptable, provide fast control on insect and prevent ABSTRACT ARTICLE INFORMATION
NUTRITIVE MUSHROOM BIOMASS PRODUCING THROUGH SUBMERGED FERMENTATION OF AGRICULTURAL ORGANIC WASTES

The submerged cultivation of edible and medicinal mushrooms is a novel biotechnological process to get nutritive mushroom biomass that can be used for food supplement production. The main aim of this research was focused on the establishment of the best biotechnology of leading and controlling the submerged fermentation organic agricultural wastes by using three edible and medicinal mushroom species Ganoderma lucidum (Curt. Fr.) P. Karst, Lentinula edodes (Berkeley) Pegler and Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacquin ex Fries) Kummer. These mushrooms were cultivated on liquid substrata containing as main constituents different sorts of grain by-products as well as winery wastes. The experiments were carried out by cultivating these mushrooms under controlled conditions inside the culture vessel of a modern laboratory-scale bioreactor designed at the highest biotechnological standards. The submerged fermentation was set up in the following conditions: temperature, 25-27° C; agitation speed, 100-120 rev. min -1; pH level, 5.7–6.5 units; dissolved oxygen tension within the range of 30%-50%. During the period of controlled submerged fermentation lasting from 120 to 170 h, the mycelial biomass of fungal pellets was developed inside the broth. At the end of the culture cycles, the fungal pellets were harvested by extracting them from the culture vessel of the bioreactor and separating them from the broth by slow vacuum filtration. Pellet size, the hairy length of pellets, and the free mycelia fraction in the total biomass were microscopically investigated and the chemical composition of fungal biomass was analysed to determine and compare the protein and reduced sugar contents.
STYLISTIC VARIATION IN VOWEL PRODUCTION: EVIDENCE FROM CHINA ENGLISH

Previous research has shown that speech style triggers vowel variation in both length and acoustic quality. This study investigates vowel variability in three different speech styles (word reading, passage reading, and conversational interview) based on the acoustic data obtained from 20 speakers of China English (CE), a newly emerging variety of English in China. The influences of speech style on vowel duration and vowel space were examined using linear mixed effects models, which exclude the influences of individual differences and word frames. The interaction effects of vowel tenseness and speech style were also included in this model. The results suggest that the main effect of speech style and vowel tensity on vowel duration was significant. However, the effect of speech style on vowel space was not significant for the CE speakers. These findings shed some light on the vowel realization patterns of CE speakers in different styles and reveal some differences in stylistic vowel variation between L1 and L2 English vowels.
ON SYLLOGISTIC REASONING

The article deals with ancient ideas on the nature of syllogistics on the example of Empire's official Peripatetic philosopher, Alexander of Aphrodisias. We interpret Alexander's position on the syllogistic form as a theory of constant function. Alexander offers a conjunctive and purely formal understanding of the nature of syllogistic necessity. This approach to the modal properties of assertoric judgments differs from Theophrastus’ ontological position, who believed that modal characteristics of assertoric premises are determined by looking to the state-of-affairs to which they refer. Also the paper examines Theophrastus’ legacy of hypothetical syllogisms related to Alexander. Stoic and Peripatetic versions are also compared against the background of Alexander's logical amalgamation. The article elucidates late “Peripatetic conservatism” regarding the hypothetical syllogistics. We discuss the syntax of propositional / term relations (ei to A, to B), tackling the problem of grammatical ellipsis.
Lateral strength of partial masonry infill wall in concrete frame under static load

The analyses of infilled frame structures are generally done ignoring the presence of brick masonry in the analytical models. The real behavior of such buildings thus will vary during the earthquake events. Researches show that an infilled frame structure actually performs better against earthquake forces, however, when a structure is only partially infilled, the phenomena is again different. The lateral resisting capacity of infilled wall actually restricts the windward column only up to the wall height but above the wall height the free column deforms easily. In this paper, the strength of partial infilled wall has been analyzed and compared with experimental results as obtained by two other researchers and it is concluded that if the wall height is reduced to less than 50% of the clear frame height, the strength increases significantly, thus allowing more shear in the windward column which in turn, plays adverse role in damaging the column. The equivalent width of partial infill is also recommended. © 2012 Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh. All rights reserved.
THE INTERACTION OF TIMING AND SCALING IN A LEXICAL TONE SYSTEM: AN EXAMPLE FROM SHILLUK

This paper presents data demonstrating that in Shilluk (Western Nilotic, South Sudan), a tonal contrast previously described as a typologically unusual distinction between two falling contours of identical shape and magnitude, differing only in the timing of the fall within the syllable, in fact involves distinctions in both the F0 timing and scaling domains. This interaction, furthermore, resembles a pattern that is common cross-linguistically, but difficult to account for given the strict separation between tonal timing and scaling patterns embodied in autosegmental representations. We offer a unified account both of this pattern (“later = higher”), and of its opposite (“earlier = higher”), also apparently attested. Our account turns on perceptual integration of disparate acoustic properties of the F0 contour simultaneously influencing perceived timing and scaling of tonal targets. We suggest that traditional AM approaches to the phonetics-phonology interface require revision in light of such evidence.
Effect of phosphate fertilization on growth, yield and seed phosphorus content of Bambara pea (Vigna subterranea) land races.

Responses of three Bambara pea [Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc. ] landraces subjected to different phosphorus (P) levels (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg P2O5.ha) were investigated in research farm during the years 2015 and 2016 at Mendong and Soa districts (Cameroon). Treatments were arranged factorial completely randomized design with three replications. Some growth (shoot length, number of branches) and yield (seed diameter, number of pods plant-1, pods weight plant-1, seeds weight plant-1, 100-grain weight and grain yield) parameters and seed P content were determined. P application led to a significant increase in all growth and yield parameters and seed P content in both years with the high values at 150 kg P2O5.ha compared to control. The maximum grain yield (1.99 t ha-1) was found in White Seed Coat with grey eyes (WSCge), which was statistically similar to White Seeds Coat (WSC) (1.85 t ha-1) in 2015. Light Red Seed Coat (RSC) had the least grain yield (1.23 and 0.71 t ha-1) during 2015 and 2016, respectively. WSCge and WSC can be cultivated successfully in the humid forest agro-ecological zone. A dose of 150 kg P2O5.ha can be considered as the efficient fertilizer to improve significantly the Bambara pea growth and yield performance.
The impact of Adult Comorbidity Evaluation-27 on the clinical outcome of elderly nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients treated with chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy: a matched cohort analysis

Objectives: To evaluate the prognostic significance of Adult Comorbidity Evaluation-27 (ACE-27) for elderly patients (age ≥70 years) with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT), with or without chemotherapy. Methods: 206 elderly patients with locoregionally advanced NPC treated from December 2006 to December 2016 were involved into analysis as the training cohort. Besides, a separate cohort of 72 patients from the same cancer center collected between January 2003 and October 2006 served as the validation cohort. By using propensity score matching (PSM), we created a balanced cohort by matching patients who received chemoradiotherapy with patients who received IMRT alone. Treatment toxicities were calculated between CRT and RT groups using the χ2 test. The primary endpoint was cancer-specific survival (CSS). Multivariate analysis was performed to assess the relative risk for each factor by using a Cox's proportional hazards regression model. Results: The median follow-up was 39.0 months (range = 3-137 months). In the PSM cohort, patients in the CRT group achieved comparable survival compared with patients in the RT group. The 3-year CSS rate was 64.3% and 65.2%, respectively (P =0.764). In multivariate analysis, the addition of chemotherapy to IMRT was not an independent prognostic factor for CSS, whereas a high ACE-27 score was an independent risk factor. In subgroup analysis with ACE-27 score ≥ 2, the 3-year CSS rate was worse in patients from the CRT group (63.5% vs. 46.3%, P = 0.041). Conclusions: CRT is comparable to IMRT alone for elderly patients with locoregionally advanced NPC. The ACE-27 tool may help to identify high-risk subgroup for poor disease outcome and tailor individualized treatment.
A Novel In Vitro Liver Cell Culture Flow System Allowing Long-Term Metabolism and Hepatotoxicity Studies

Introduction: Hepatotoxicity is a concern when developing new pharmaceutical compounds. Animal models do not accurately predict toxicity in humans due to species differences, for example, in compound metabolism. In this study, we present an alternative in vitro model based on the culture of primary human hepatocytes (PHH) in the Quasi Vivo QV900 Flow System. Materials and Methods: PHH were kept in sandwich culture in static and in perfused conditions. During 3 weeks of culture, viability and albumin content were quantified. Basal and induced cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme activity were assessed by luminescence assay and analysis of metabolite formation. Results: Good cell viability and sustained albumin production were observed in perfused culture. In comparison to nonperfused cultures, the basal activity of the drug metabolism enzymes CYP3A4, CYP1A2, and CYP2B6 was increased. Induced CYP3A4 activity was comparable between perfused and nonperfused cultures. Furthermore, the QV900 System allowed fewer medium changes as typically required in static cultures. This enables buildup of potential toxic metabolites that would otherwise not be detected when media are refreshed daily. Discussion: PHH can be cultured in the QV900 Flow System for 3 weeks with only two medium changes per week. Improved basal CYP activity was observed in comparison to static culture. Conclusion: We present a liver cell culture flow system that improves longer-term stability of drug metabolism enzymes in PHH and is therefore a more human-relevant in vitro model for repeat dosing of hepatotoxicants.
(When) Do Consumers Prefer Uncertainty? Consumers’ Reactions to Uncertain Advice and Uncertain Promotions

Research has shown that, although uncertainty is often disliked, consumers sometimes seem to prefer uncertainty to certainty. The goal of this dissertation is to further understand the circumstances under which consumers prefer, rather than dislike, uncertainty across different domains. In Chapter 1, we investigate preferences for uncertainty in the domain of advice giving. There is a widespread belief that advisees prefer, and thus reward, advisors who offer certainty, even for events that are inherently uncertain. In contrast, we find that consumers do not dislike, and sometimes prefer, uncertain advice. Specifically, they do not dislike advisors who express uncertainty by providing ranges of outcomes, giving numerical probabilities, or saying one event is “more likely” than another. In addition, when faced with an explicit choice, people are more likely to choose an advisor who provides uncertain advice over certain advice. In Chapter 2, we extend our investigation to preferences for uncertainty in the domain of price promotions. We test why and when consumers may prefer an uncertain price promotion, such as a 10% chance to get a product for free, to an equivalent sure discount. We find that uncertain price promotions are relatively more effective only when the equivalent sure discounts feel small. Specifically, we find that uncertain promotions are relatively more effective when the sure discounts are actually smaller, when the sure discounts are made to feel smaller by presenting them alongside a larger discount, and when the sure discounts are made to feel smaller by framing them as a percentage-discount rather than a dollar amount. This suggests that people’s preferences for uncertainty are more strongly tethered to their perceptions of the size of the sure outcome than they are to their perceptions of the probability of getting the uncertain reward. Taken together, this dissertation challenges long-held beliefs about how uncertainty affects consumers’ judgments and decisions and highlights the circumstances under which consumers prefer, rather than dislike, uncertainty. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Operations & Information Management First Advisor Joseph P. Simmons
Quality Degradation Diagnosis for Voice Networks - Estimating the Perceived Noisiness, Coloration, and Discontinuity of Transmitted Speech

We present a single-ended quality diagnosis model for superwideband speech communication networks, which predicts the perceived Noisiness, Coloration, and Discontinuity of transmitted speech. The model is an extension to the single-ended speech quality prediction model NISQA and can additionally indicate the cause of quality degradation. Service providers can use the model independently of the communication system’s technology since it is based on universal perceptual quality dimensions. The prediction model consists of a convolutional neural network that firstly calculates per-frame features of a speech signal and subsequently aggregates the features over time with a recurrent neural network, to estimate the speech quality dimensions. The proposed diagnosis model achieves promising results with an average RMSE* of 0.24.
Spatial and temporal variation in the biomarkers of oxidative stress in red macroalgae Gracilaria vermiculophylla ( Gracilariales , Gracilariaceae ) Variación espacio-temporal en los biomarcadores de estrés oxidativo en la macroalga roja Gracilaria vermiculophylla ( Gracilariales , Gracilariaceae )

Macroalgae may be exposed to spatial and seasonal variations in environmental factors, such as irradiance (visible and ultraviolet radiation, UVR), temperature, salinity and exposure to air. Changes in any of these factors lead to increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and potential oxidative stress. Oxidative stress biomarkers were measured in the marine red algae Gracilaria vermiculophylla in the Baja California peninsula to assess effects of spatial and seasonal variability. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and carbonyl proteins levels were measured as markers of oxidative damage to lipids and proteins, respectively, in tallus samples. Polyphenols content and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GR) were quantified as antioxidant defenses. Polyphenols content, and activities of SOD, GPx and GST were higher in the warm season compared to the cold season. Antioxidant enzyme activities varied with site, being lower in “La Boca”, the deepest site, than in “La Estufa”, the shallower site. Higher antioxidant enzyme activities suggest an effective protection against ROS in the shallower regions, which may contribute to the ecological success of G. vermiculophylla along its vertical distribution, and may allow for adequate responses to the changing environmental conditions across the water column.
A Preliminary Study of Disentanglement With Insights on the Inadequacy of Metrics

Disentangled encoding is an important step towards a better representation learning. However, despite the numerous efforts, there still is no clear winner that captures the independent features of the data in an unsupervised fashion. In this work we empirically evaluate the performance of six unsupervised disentanglement approaches on the mpi3d toy dataset curated and released for the NeurIPS 2019 Disentanglement Challenge. The methods investigated in this work are Beta-VAE, Factor-VAE, DIP-I-VAE, DIP-II-VAE, Info-VAE, and Beta-TCVAE. The capacities of all models were progressively increased throughout the training and the hyper-parameters were kept intact across experiments. The methods were evaluated based on five disentanglement metrics, namely, DCI, Factor-VAE, IRS, MIG, and SAP-Score. Within the limitations of this study, the Beta-TCVAE approach was found to outperform its alternatives with respect to the normalized sum of metrics. However, a qualitative study of the encoded latents reveal that there is not a consistent correlation between the reported metrics and the disentanglement potential of the model.