Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Jensen’s Alpha Estimation Models in Capital Asset Pricing Model

This research examined the alternatives of Jensen's alpha (α) estimation models in the Capital Asset Pricing Model, discussed by Treynor (1961), S harpe (1964), and Lintner (1965), using the robust maximum likelihood type m-estimator (MM estimator) and Bayes estimator with conjugate pri or. According to finance literature and practices, alpha has often been estimated using ordinary least square (OLS) regression method and mont hly return data set. A sample of 50 securities is randomly selected from the list of the S&P 500 index. Their daily and monthly returns were collect ed over a period of the last five years. This research showed that the robust MM estimator performed well better than the OLS and Bayes estima tors in terms of efficiency. The Bayes estimator did not perform better than the OLS estimator as expected. Interestingly, we also found that daily return data set would give more accurate alpha estimation than monthly return data set in all three MM, OLS, and Bayes estimators. We also pro posed an alternative market efficiency test with the hypothesis testing Ho: α = 0 and was able to prove the S&P 500 index is efficient, but not perf ect. More important, those findings above are checked with and validated by Jackknife resampling results.
Children with Atopic Dermatitis Appear Less Likely to Be Infected with Community Acquired Methicillin‐Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: The San Diego Experience

Abstract: Given the increasing rate of community‐acquired methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus skin infections in the population, such infections might be concurrently increasing in patients with atopic dermatitis. This study assessed current and prior rates of community‐acquired methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin‐susceptible Staphylococcus aureus skin and soft tissue infections in children with atopic dermatitis compared to the general pediatric population. Other antibiotic sensitivity and resistance patterns, including clindamycin‐inducible resistance, were also identified. Retrospective study of all skin and soft tissue isolates were positive for Staphylococcus aureus during two distinct 1‐year periods, obtained by the outpatient services and the emergency department at Rady Children’s Hospital, the major regional pediatric health center in San Diego, California. Of the Staphylococcus aureus isolates obtained from January to December 2000, none from atopic dermatitis patients were methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, while 4.2% of those obtained from the general outpatient pediatric population showed methicillin resistance. In the period from June 2007 to May 2008, 11 of 78 isolates (14.1%) from children with atopic dermatitis were methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. This was significantly lower than the rate of increase noted in the general pediatric population (658 of 1482, or 44.4%, in 2007/2008, p < 0.05). Clindamycin‐inducible resistance was noted in 1.9% of the isolates in the general population; all six tested isolates from atopic patients lacked clindamycin‐inducible resistance. In this study, children with atopic dermatitis had a much lower rate of community‐acquired methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection compared to the general outpatient pediatric population. Clindamycin‐inducible resistance was very low in both groups.
The Dynamics of Industrial Development in a Resource-Rich Developing Society: A Political Economy Analysis

This article criticizes the resource curse thesis for neglecting the interplay of international factors and domestic politics, that is the political settlement, in explaining industrial performance in a resource-dependent society – Trinidad and Tobago. Using political settlement, analysis secondary as well as interview data, it examines the dynamics at the macro and sectoral levels in iron and steel and telecommunications in Trinidad and Tobago. The historical evidence reveals that anti-colonial mobilizations spurred critical public investments in developmental institutions and industrial projects responsible for improving the country’s productive base and technological capability in the post- Black Power period. These investments were bolstered by a favorable geopolitical climate and the 1973 commodity boom. Sectoral case studies reveal how shifts in the country’s political settlement affected late-industrializing accumulation of accumulation technological capabilities. Hereafter neoliberal policies facilitated an increased role for external actors in economic policy and ethnic-based clientelism within the political economy.
Ipilimumab: its potential in non-small cell lung cancer

Ipilimumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody that enhances antitumor immunity by way of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 blockade. It has already been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of metastatic melanoma and is being investigated for treating other solid tumors such as renal cell, prostate and lung cancers. This review details the potential of ipilimumab in the management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In particular, ipilimumab showed promising results in a first-line NSCLC phase II study combining carboplatin/paclitaxel chemotherapy with concurrent or phased ipilimumab. The median immune-related progression-free survival was 5.68 months for the phased ipilimumab arm versus 4.63 months for chemotherapy alone (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.68, p = 0.026) and 5.52 months for the concurrent ipilimumab arm versus 4.63 months for chemotherapy alone (HR = 0.77, p = 0.094). The main adverse events were immune related, such as hypophysitis, enterocolitis, and hyperthyroidism. These adverse events may be improved with high-dose glucocorticoids and may be correlated with tumor response. Phase III studies are ongoing. Future studies may investigate ipilimumab in the management of early stage lung cancer. Strategies for potential translational research studies are also discussed to identify prognostic and predictive biomarkers for the use of ipilimumab in the treatment of patients with NSCLC.
Caffeine ingestion and performance of a 1,500-metre swim.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential ergogenic benefit of caffeine in the performance of a 1,500-meter swim. Caffeine (6 mg.kg-1) or placebo was administered 2-1/2 hrs prior to the swim trial in a double-blind crossover design. Caffeine resulted in a significantly lower perceived exertion for 100-m warm-up swims. Subjects swam significantly (p < 0.05) faster with caffeine (20:58.8 +/- 0:36.4, mean +/- SEM) than without (21:21.8 +/- 0:38). Plasma potassium was significantly lower prior to the swim with caffeine, and blood glucose was higher after that swim. Caffeine provides an ergogenic benefit for a 1,500-meter swim, an event that is completed in less than 25 min. Lower plasma potassium concentration prior to exercise and higher blood glucose following the trial suggest that electrolyte balance and glucose availability may be important aspects of the ergogenic effects of caffeine.
Fos expression in the medullary dorsal horn of the rat after chronic constriction injury to the infraorbital nerve

Chronic constriction injury to the rat's infraorbital nerve (IoN‐CCI) induces asymmetric face grooming directed to the injured nerve territory and, beginning at 7‐‐12 days postoperative, hyperresponsiveness to mechanical stimulation in this territory (B. P. Vos, A. M. Strassman, and R. J. Maciewicz, 1994, J. Neurosci. 14:2708‐‐2723). To examine central mechanisms involved in these behavioral alterations, changes in nonevoked and mechanical stimulationevoked fos‐like immunoreactivity (fos‐LI) following IoN‐CCI were quantified in the medullary dorsal horn.
Functional segregation and emerging role of cilia‐related cytosolic carboxypeptidases (CCPs)

Recent experimental data indicating axonal regeneration, axogenesis, dendritogenesis, and ciliary axoneme assembly and wellness have linked the role of cytosolic metallocarboxypeptidase 1 (CCP1/AGTPBP1/Nna1) to the microtubule network. In addition, 5 of the 6 mammalian ccp genes have been shown to participate in post‐translational modifications of tubulin, which occur in the microtubules of neurons, mitotic spindles, cilia, and basal bodies. Here, we compile evidence for the idea that the occurrence of CCPs strongly correlates with the presence of cilia, suggesting that CCP functions might be primarily related to cilia and basal bodies (CBBs). In agreement with this hypothesis, CCPs were localized in centrioles, basal bodies, and mitotic spindles in HeLa cells by confocal microscopy. By reconstructing the evolutionary history of CCPs, we show their presence in the last eukaryotic common ancestor and relate each group of CCP orthologs to specific roles in CBBs. The clues presented in this study suggest that during the evolution of eukaryotes, mechanisms mediated by CCPs through tubulin post‐translational modifications controlling assembly, trafficking, and signaling in the microtubules, were transferred from cilia to cell and axon microtubules. —Rodríguez de la Vega Otazo, M. , Lorenzo, J., Tort, O. , Avilés, F. X. , Bautista, J. M. Functional segregation and emerging role of cilia‐related cytosolic carboxypeptidases (CCPs). FASEB J. 27, 424–431 (2013). www.fasebj. org
How To try this: The Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form

Depression is underrecognized in older adults, especially those with chronic conditions such as heart disease and arthritis. Left untreated, depression may progress and have dramatic effects on overall health. The Geriatric Depression Scale: Short Form is a 15-question screening tool for depression in older adults that takes five to seven minutes to complete and can be filled out by the patient or administered by a provider with minimal training in its use. The questions focus on mood; the score can help clinicians decide whether further assessment is needed. (This screening tool is included in a series, Try This: Best Practices in Nursing Care to Older Adults, from the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University's College of Nursing.) For a free online video demonstrating the use of this tool, go to http://links.lww. com/A101.
Age- and Gender-Specific Unemployment and Okun’s Law in CEE Countries

Unemployment rates, especially youth unemployment rates, have increased in various countries of Europe over the last years. This article examines age- and gender-specific unemployment rates in Central and Eastern European countries by using Okun’s law. It tests the hypothesis that young people are more vulnerable to business cycle fluctuations. Gender- and age-specific Okun coefficients for ten different countries plus the EU-15 are estimated. The results show that young people in the CEE countries are predominantly more sensitive to business cycle fluctuations, independent of gender.
Amide proton transfer imaging of the breast at 3 T: Establishing reproducibility and possible feasibility assessing chemotherapy response

Chemical exchange saturation transfer imaging can generate contrast that is sensitive to amide protons associated with proteins and peptides (termed amide proton transfer, APT). In breast cancer, APT contrast may report on underlying changes in microstructural tissue composition. However, to date, there have been no developments or applications of APT chemical exchange saturation transfer to breast cancer. As a result, the aims of this study were to (i) experimentally explore optimal scan parameters for breast chemical exchange saturation transfer near the amide resonance at 3 T, (ii) establish the reliability of APT imaging of healthy fibroglandular tissue, and (iii) demonstrate preliminary results on APT changes in locally advanced breast cancer observed during the course of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Chemical exchange saturation transfer measurements were experimentally optimized on cross‐linked bovine serum albumin phantoms, and the reliability of APT imaging was assessed in 10 women with no history of breast disease. The mean difference between test–retest APT values was not significantly different from zero, and the individual difference values were not dependent on the average APT value. The 95% confidence interval limits were ±0.70% (α = 0.05), and the repeatability was 1.91. APT measurements were also performed in three women before and after one cycle of chemotherapy. Following therapy, APT increased in the one patient with progressive disease and decreased in the two patients with a partial or complete response. Together, these results suggest that APT imaging may report on treatment response in these patients. Magn Reson Med, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Determinants of Audit Report Lag: A Meta‐Analysis

This paper provides a meta&#8208;analysis of the determinants of audit report lag, defined as the period between a company's fiscal year end and the audit report date. We group the meta&#8208;analyzed studies into three categories: (a) audit and audit&#8208;related determinants, (b) corporate governance&#8208;related determinants, and (c) firm&#8208;specific determinants. We find that audit opinion and audit season variables increase audit report lag, whereas Big 4 affiliation, nonaudit services, and auditor tenure decrease audit report lag. Among the corporate governance determinants, the existence of a financial expert member on an audit committee, and ownership concentration, reduce audit report lag. Finally, an examination of firm&#8208;level characteristics reveals that firm complexity increases audit report lag, whereas profitability reduces it. We employ a meta&#8208;regression technique and identify publication bias. Although we find some evidence of journal quality as a contributor to publication bias, the extent of publication bias from this source is small.
A Market Economy in the Early Roman Empire*

The economy of the early Roman Empire has been an object of study for at least the last century. The discussion has been marked by continuing debate, known sometimes as the primitivist/modern debate and at other times as the Finley debate, following his famous Sather lectures, The Ancient Economy. This paper is a contribution to this debate, written by an economist rather than an ancient historian. My purpose is to define the concept of a ‘market economy’, and to see if it fits the evidence we have for the early Roman Empire. Finley declared that, ‘ancient society did not have an economic system which was an enormous conglomeration of interdependent markets’. He drew implicitly on research by Polanyi to oppose the views of Rostovtzeff within the field of ancient history and those of Fogel and Engerman in economic history, but he did not explicitly join their conceptual apparatuses. Morris has summarized the debate fuelled by Finley's dramatic lectures in his foreword to the twenty-fifth anniversary edition and argued that the controversy is still vigorous today. I hope to clarify the issues in this debate and even resolve the debate for the period of the early Roman Empire.
Optimizing the use of rainbow trout hepatocytes for bioaccumulation assessments with fish

Abstract Biotransformation rates measured using cryopreserved trout hepatocytes can be extrapolated to the whole animal to predict metabolism impacts on chemical bioaccumulation. Future use of these methods within a regulatory context requires, however, that they be optimized and standardized. Specifically, questions exist concerning gender differences in metabolism, cryopreservability of cells, and the accuracy of in vitro–in vivo scaling factors. 2. In this study, we evaluated hepatocytes from juvenile male and female trout. No gender differences in cell size, protein abundance, cytochrome P450 content, ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity, uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase activity or intrinsic clearance of pyrene were observed for freshly isolated hepatocytes. There was a small difference in measured glutathione-S-transferase activity (<25%; males > females). 3. Cells were cryopreserved by two methods: direct placement into liquid N2 vapor and controlled, slow-rate freezing. Comparable live recovery and enzymatic activity were observed regardless of freezing method or gender. Cells cryopreserved in liquid N2 vapor exhibited activity levels similar to those of freshly isolated cells, although there were small but significant differences in pyrene clearance and glutathione-S-transferase activity (frozen < fresh). Hepatocellularity values did not differ by sex. 4. These results suggest that hepatocytes from male and female juvenile trout may be used interchangeably for in vitro–in vivo metabolism extrapolations.
The 2nd harmonic signal in vapor-cell atomic clocks

The 2nd harmonic signal has been recognized for some time as a “status-of-health” indicator for Rb clocks. Unfortunately, while the 2nd harmonic signal can provide qualitative assessments of clock-signal health, at present there is no analytic theory capable of connecting the 2nd harmonic to various parameters of interest. In large part, the difficulty lies in the fact that clocks operate in a regime where none of the standard approximations for solving field/matter interaction problems apply, in particular the Quasi-Static Approximation (QSA) which arguably has the greatest intuitive appeal. Here, we describe our first set of studies examining the validity of the QSA under conditions where the Rabi frequency, the field's modulation frequency, and the atom's dephasing rate are all nearly equal. Specifically, we examine the QSA's prediction of the 2nd harmonic signal amplitude as a function of microwave power. Our results suggest that the QSA can have utility for understanding the relative change in the 2nd harmonic signal with microwave power, and therefore potential quantitative utility for understanding a Rb clock's status-of-health.
Pharmacological characterization of lysophosphatidic acid‐induced pain with clinically relevant neuropathic pain drugs

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), an initiator of neuropathic pain, causes allodynia. However, few studies have evaluated the pharmacological profile of LPA‐induced pain. In this study, a LPA‐induced pain model was developed and pharmacologically characterized with clinically relevant drugs used for neuropathic pain, including antiepileptics, non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory agents, analgesics, local anaesthetics/antiarrhythmics and antidepressants. Gabapentin (1–30 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly reversed LPA‐induced allodynia, but neither indomethacin (30 mg/kg, p.o.) nor morphine (0.3–3 mg/kg, s.c.) did, which indicates that LPA‐induced pain consists mostly of neuropathic rather than inflammatory pain. Both pregabalin (0.3–10 mg/kg, p.o.) and ω‐CgTX MVIIA (0.01–0.03 μg/mouse, i.t.) completely reversed LPA‐induced allodynia in a dose‐dependent manner. Lidocaine (1–30 mg/kg, s.c.), mexiletine (1–30 mg/kg, p.o.) and carbamazepine (10–100 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly ameliorated LPA‐induced allodynia dose dependently. Milnacipran (30 mg/kg, i.p.) produced no significant analgesic effect in LPA‐induced allodynia. In LPA‐injected mice, expression of the α2δ1 subunit of the voltage‐gated calcium channel (VGCC) was increased in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and spinal dorsal horn. Furthermore, the VGCC current was potentiated in both the DRG from LPA‐injected mice and LPA (1 μM)‐treated DRG from saline‐injected mice, and the potentiated VGCC current was amended by treatment with gabapentin (100 μM). The LPA‐induced pain model described here mimics aspects of the neuropathic pain state, including the sensitization of VGCC, and may be useful for the early assessment of drug candidates to treat neuropathic pain.
Development of oxidative stress and cell damage in the liver of rats with water-immersion restraint stress

Abstract We examined how oxidative stress and cell damage develop in the liver of rats subjected to water-immersion stress (WIRS). In rats subjected to WIRS for 1.5, 3 or 6 h, serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities increased time-dependently. In the liver tissue, vacuolization and apoptosis occurred at 1.5 h of WIRS and vacuolization further developed without further appearance of apoptosis at 3 h or 6 h. Serum lipid peroxide (LPO) and NOx (nitrite/nitrate) concentrations increased at 3 h of WIRS and these increases were enhanced at 6 h. In liver tissue, increases in LPO and NOx concentrations and myeloperoxidase activity and decreases in ascorbic acid and reduced glutathione concentrations and superoxide dismutase activity occurred at 3 h of WIRS and these changes were enhanced at 6 h, although vitamin E concentration and xanthine oxidase activity were unchanged. These results indicate that oxidative stress in the liver of rats with WIRS develops after the appearance of cell damage in the tissue, and suggests that oxidative stress is caused through disruption of the antioxidant defense system and increases in NO generation and neutrophil infiltration in the liver, which may contribute to the progression of cell damage in the tissue.
Automated mitosis detection with deep regression networks

Mitosis counting is one of the strongest prognostic markers for invasive breast cancer diagnosis. Clinical visual examination on histology slides by pathologists is tedious, error-prone and time-consuming. Furthermore, with the advent of whole slide imaging for high-throughput digitization, a large quantity of histology images need to be analyzed. Therefore, automated mitosis detection methods are highly demanded in clinical practice. In this paper, we proposed a deep regression network (DRN) to meet these challenges. It consisted of a downsampling path for extracting the high level information and an upsampling path for outputting the score map with original input size, thus it can be trained in an end-to-end way. In addition, we transferred knowledge learned from cross domains to mitigate the issue of insufficient medical training data. Experimental results on the benchmark dataset 2012ICPR Mitosis Detection Challenge demonstrated the efficacy of our approach, which achieved comparable or better performance than the state-of-the-art methods.
Design, simulation and fabrication of a low cost capacitive tactile shear sensor for a robotic hand

In this paper a novel shear sensor design is described. The proposed design is able to measure static shear forces. The sensor is fabricated on a printed circuit board and uses a differential capacitor arrangement to detect shear force applied to the sensor surface. Both mathematical and COMSOL models have been developed for the described sensor. The sensor is intended for use in robotic hands for the detection of shear force at the tactile interface. The device can be fabricated at a low cost in both low and high volumes. Prototype sensors with a ±0.525 mm displacement range were fabricated. Fixed displacements (over the range ±0.5 mm) are applied to the capacitor common plate, without a silicone covering, and a range of shear forces (over the range ±4 N) applied to the sensor, once covered with a silicone skin, and the differential capacitance of the transducer is recorded. The maximum standard deviation of the differential capacitance across all force values is 1.35e-15 F. The maximum standard deviation, at each force value, across a range of ±2 N is 4.28e-16 F.