Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rationalizing Rational Expectations? Tests and Deviations

In this paper, we build a new test of rational expectations based on the marginal distributions of realizations and subjective beliefs. This test is widely applicable, including in the common situation where realizations and beliefs are observed in two different datasets that cannot be matched. We show that whether one can rationalize rational expectations is equivalent to the distribution of realizations being a mean-preserving spread of the distribution of beliefs. The null hypothesis can then be rewritten as a system of many moment inequality and equality constraints, for which tests have been recently developed in the literature. Next, we go beyond testing by defining and estimating the minimal deviations from rational expectations that can be rationalized by the data. In the context of structural models, we build on this concept to propose an easy-to-implement way to conduct a sensitivity analysis on the assumed form of expectations. Finally, we apply our framework to test for and quantify deviations from rational expectations about future earnings, and examine the consequences of such departures in the context of a life-cycle model of consumption.
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia requiring intensive care management: survival and prognostic study in 110 patients with human immunodeficiency virus.

OBJECTIVE To perform a descriptive study of patients with acute respiratory failure secondary to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and to identify variables that are predictive of death within 3 months. DESIGN Case series study. SETTING Infectious disease intensive care unit (ICU) in a university hospital. PATIENTS Detailed clinical, laboratory, and ventilatory data were collected prospectively within 48 hrs of admission and during the ICU stay in 110 consecutive human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients requiring ICU management with or without mechanical ventilation for P. carinii pneumonia-related acute respiratory failure. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Continuous positive airway pressure was used initially in 66 (60%) patients. Among the 34 patients (31%) who required mechanical ventilation, including 12 at admission and 22 after failure of continuous positive airway pressure, 76% died. The 3-month mortality rate after ICU admission was estimated at 34.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 25%-44%). The 1-yr survival rate was estimated at 47% (95% CI, 36%-58%). With successive multiple logistic regression models analyzing the relative prognostic importance of baseline clinical and laboratory tests variables, ventilation variables, and events in the ICU, only delayed mechanical ventilation after 3 days (odd ratio [OR], 6.7; 95% CI, 1.9-23.9), duration of mechanical ventilation of > or = 5 days (OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.1-6.9), nosocomial infection (OR, 5.2; 95% CI, 2.1-12.9), and pneumothorax (OR, 5; 95% CI, 1.7-14.7) were predictive of death within 3 months of ICU admission. Among patients with delayed mechanical ventilation on day 3 or later and with a pneumothorax associated or not associated with a nosocomial infection, the predicted probability of 3-month death was close to 100%. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that the most significant predictive factors of death were identifiable during the course of P. carinii pneumonia-related acute respiratory failure rather than at admission and can help in bedside decisions to withdraw intensive care support in such patients.
From new evidence to better practice: finding the sanitation sweet spot

A growing body of evidence shows that there is a strong causal link between exposure to poor sanitation and detrimental health, human capital, and economic outcomes. At the same time a number of recent impact evaluations of specific sanitation interventions show mixed results. This heterogeneity in findings raises the questions of whether and how the demonstrated benefits of improved sanitation can be consistently achieved through regular project implementation. This paper attempts to show that the benefits of improved sanitation can be consistently achieved through investing in interventions that address the drivers of latrine use and by divesting from interventions that do not address the drivers of latrine use.
Accounting Theory as a Bayesian Discipline

The Bayesian logic of probability, evidence and decision is the presumed rule of reasoning in analytical models of accounting disclosure. Any rational explication of the decades-old accounting notions of "information content", "value relevance", "decision useful", and possibly conservatism, is inevitably Bayesian. By raising some of the probability principles, paradoxes and surprises in Bayesian theory, intuition in accounting theory about information, and its value, can be tested and enhanced. Of all the branches of the social sciences, accounting information theory begs Bayesian insights. This monograph lays out the main logical constructs and principles of Bayesianism, and relates them to important contributions in the theoretical accounting literature. The approach taken is essentially "old-fashioned" normative statistics, building on the expositions of Demski, Ijiri, Feltham and other early accounting theorists who brought Bayesian theory to accounting theory. Some history of this nexus, and the role of business schools in the development of Bayesian statistics in the 1950â€“1970s, is described. Later developments in accounting, especially noisy rational expectations models under which the information reported by firms is endogenous, rather than unaffected or "drawn from nature", make the task of Bayesian inference more difficult yet no different in principle. The information user must still revise beliefs based on what is reported. The extra complexity is that users must allow for the firm's perceived disclosure motives and other relevant background knowledge in their Bayesian models. A known strength of Bayesian modelling is that subjective considerations are admitted and formally incorporated. Allowances for perceived self-interest or biased reporting, along with any other apparent signal defects or "information uncertainty", are part and parcel of Bayesian information theory.
Role of heterologous and homologous glycoproteins in phenotypic mixing between Sendai virus and vesicular stomatitis virus

Phenotypic mixing between Sendai virus and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) or the mutant VSV ts045 was studied. Conditions were optimized for double infection, as shown by immunofluorescence microscopy. Virions from double-infected cells were separated by sequential velocity and isopycnic gradient centrifugations. Two types of particles with mixed protein compositions were found. One type was VSV particles with Sendai virus spikes, i.e., phenotypically mixed particles. A second type was Sendai virus-VSV associations, which in plaque assays also behaved as phenotypically mixed particles. The ratio of VSV G protein to Sendai virus glycoproteins on the cell surface was varied, using the VSV mutant ts045 in double infections. Thus, different amounts of the VSV G protein were allowed to reach the cell surface at 32, 38, and 39 degrees C in Sendai virus-infected cells. However, a fixed number of Sendai virus spikes was always found in the ts045 virions. This represented 12 to 16% of the number of G proteins present in normal VSV. Furthermore, the yield of ts045 virions was radically reduced during double infection when the temperature was raised to block G-protein transport to the cell surface, suggesting that the Sendai virus glycoproteins were not able to compensate for G protein in budding. These results emphasize the role of the G protein in VSV assembly.
Wide Excision or Mohs Micrographic Surgery for the Treatment of Primary Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans

Objectives:Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a spindle cell tumor with a high local recurrence rate. Wide excision (WE) has been the standard treatment, but ideal margin width is poorly defined and Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) has emerged as an alternative procedure. This study examines the use of WE versus MMS for the treatment of primary DFSP at a single institution. Methods:Retrospective review of 48 primary DFSP cases treated from 1971 to 2006. Patient demographics, tumor features, surgical modality (WE vs. MMS), final pathology, and clinical outcome were evaluated. Results:Twenty-eight patients underwent WE versus 20 patients for MMS. Median age was 40 years. Median WE margin width was 2 cm. For MMS, the median number of layers required to clear the tumor was 2. Median maximal defect size was 10 cm for WE versus 9.4 cm for MMS. Advanced closure techniques were required for 18% WE versus 65% MMS (P = 0.001). Median operative time was significantly lower for WE at 77 minutes versus 257 minutes for MMS (P < 0.001). Positive margins were present in 21.4% (6/28) WE versus 0% MMS (P = 0.01). At a median follow-up of 49.9 months for WE and 40.4 months for MMS, local recurrence rates were 3.6% (1/28) and 0%, respectively (P = 1.0). Conclusions:From a surgical standpoint, WE was faster than MMS and resulted in a less complex defect/closure. Although positive margin resection was more common with WE, local control was ultimately similar for the 2 surgical modalities. The choice of WE versus MMS should be based on individualized patients/tumor characteristics and institutional expertise in these modalities.
A finite element analysis of the vibration behaviour of a cementless hip system

An early diagnosis of aseptic loosening of a total hip replacement (THR) by plain radiography, scintigraphy or arthography has been shown to be less reliable than using a vibration technique. However, it has been suggested that it may be possible to distinguish between a secure and a loose prosthesis using a vibration technique. In fact, vibration analysis methods have been successfully used to assess dental implant stability, to monitor fracture healing and to measure bone mechanical properties. Several studies have combined the vibration technique with the finite element (FE) method in order to better understand the events involved in the experimental technique. In the present study, the main goal is to simulate the change in the resonance frequency during the osseointegration process of a cementless THR (Zweymüller). The FE method was used and a numerical modal analysis was conducted to obtain the natural frequencies and mode shapes under vibration. The effects were studied of different bone and stem material properties, and different contact conditions at the bone–implant interface. The results were in agreement with previous experimental and computational observations, and differences among the different cases studied were detected. As the osseointegration process at the bone–implant interface evolved, the resonance frequency values of the femur–prosthesis system also increased. In summary, vibration analysis combined with the FE method was able to detect different boundary conditions at the bone–implant interface in cases of both osseointegration and loosening.
Distracted spectatorship, the cinematic experience and franchise films

This thesis draws on a reflexive account of embodied female spectatorship in order to re-frame dominant accounts of the cinematic experience. In particular the project shows how distraction, defined as a series of puncta which expand the spectator’s cinematic experience, is integral to embodied experience of film spectatorship and fandom. Drawing on theoretical grounding from film theory, classical cultural studies and fan studies, the study sheds light on how inhabiting the position of distracted spectator involves maintaining several identities simultaneously. The thesis used an in-depth contemporary case study, the Hollywood blockbuster franchise The Hunger Games (Gary Ross and Francis Lawrence, 2012-2015), to examine how these identities are made visible through distracted spectatorship and its impact on the cinematic experience. By making specific reference to the individual spectator’s cinematic experience the thesis re-evaluates how the spectator is presented within theories of fandom and spectatorship. The resultant reading makes visible the ways in which female fans already see. In turn this argument complicates current fandom and spectatorship theory as it calls into question the certain positions that these theories hold. This thesis challenges the more commonly theorised arguments by stating that the inhabiting of multiple identities creates a level of uncertainty within film analysis.
MicroRNAs-103/107 coordinately regulate macropinocytosis and autophagy

The miR-103/107 family is preferentially expressed in the stem cell–enriched limbal epithelium and regulates multiple characteristics associated with stem cells. Park et al. show that miR-103/107 also contribute to limbal epithelial homeostasis by suppressing macropinocytosis and preserving end-stage autophagy.
To Continue or Relinquish Bonds: A Review of Consequences for the Bereaved

ABSTRACT This article reviews research on the continuing-breaking bonds controversy. Across the course of the 20th century a shift in theorizing took place from an emphasis on the benefits of breaking bonds to investigation of the presence and usefulness of continuing bonds with a deceased person. These different theoretical formulations are examined and empirical evidence on the (mal)adaptive value of retaining versus relinquishing bonds is assessed. The review shows that neither is it possible to conclude that continuing nor that relinquishing bonds is generally helpful. Researchers need to work toward understanding how and for whom continuing or relinquishing bonds furthers adjustment.
Creating a more positive patient experience of pelvic examination

Purpose: To explore through descriptive comparative analysis an alternative method of pelvic examination to increase patient comfort. Data sources: Sixty‐two participants were recruited from a convenience sample of patients at an ambulatory women's healthcare clinic operated by a teaching hospital in the Southwest United States. Twenty‐five were examined using the conventional pelvic examination technique; 37 with a new technique that we call the Rad technique, named after a co‐author of the study. Three women's health nurse practitioners were trained in both methods and alternated the exam technique used. Visualization of the cervix was measured by clinician responses to the Speculum Exam Questionnaire for Clinicians; level of pain was determined from patient responses to the Wong‐Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale. Results were analyzed using a t‐test for independent samples. Pain was further analyzed using chi‐square test of association. Conclusions: Although the relationship between the variables of visualization and pain was not statistically significant, 16% of women in the conventional technique group reported vaginal pain compared with 5.4% in the Rad technique group. Implications for practice: Changing from the conventional pelvic examination to the Rad technique may create a more positive patient experience and thereby engage more women in recommended in gynecological health care.
Human trafficking in Vietnam: Preventing crime and protecting victims through inter-agency cooperation

This thesis is an exploratory investigation into multifaceted counter-trafficking activities in Vietnam. The study's aims include: examining inter-agency cooperation in preventing human trafficking and protecting victims; identifying root causes of the problem; and suggesting appropriate solutions to better trafficking prevention and victim protection. To achieve these aims, 25 semi-structured interviews with five different cohorts (police officers, border guards, women's union staff, social welfare staff, and staff from the Ministry of Information and Communication) were conducted. In addition, seventy government reports and five conference proceedings specific to the situation in Vietnam were collected, critically analyzed, and used to triangulate the findings from the semi-structured interviews.
Elimination of Pseudomonas aeruginosa through Efferocytosis upon Binding to Apoptotic Cells

For opportunistic pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the mucosal barrier represents a formidable challenge. Infections develop only in patients with altered epithelial barriers. Here, we showed that P. aeruginosa interacts with a polarized epithelium, adhering almost exclusively at sites of multi-cellular junctions. In these sites, numerous bacteria attach to an extruded apoptotic cell or apoptotic body. This dead cell tropism is independent of the type of cell death, as P. aeruginosa also binds to necrotic cells. We further showed that P. aeruginosa is internalized through efferocytosis, a process in which surrounding epithelial cells engulf and dispose of extruded apoptotic cells. Intracellularly, along with apoptotic cell debris, P. aeruginosa inhabits an efferocytic phagosome that acquires lysosomal features, and is finally killed. We propose that elimination of P. aeruginosa through efferocytosis is part of a host defense mechanism. Our findings could be relevant for the study of cystic fibrosis, which is characterized by an exacerbated number of apoptotic cells and ineffective efferocytosis.
Enthalpy-Entropy Compensation Phenomenon Observed for Different Surfactants in Aqueous Solution.

Based on previously reported thermodynamic data such as changes of the Gibbs energy (DeltaG(m)( degrees )), the enthalpy (DeltaH(m)( degrees )), and the entropy (DeltaS(m)( degrees )) on micelle formation of more than 15 species of surfactants (including nonionic, anionic, and cationic surfactants), plots of DeltaH(m)( degrees ) vs DeltaS(m)( degrees ) (not of DeltaS(m)( degrees ) vs DeltaH(m)( degrees ), as is usually done) were made. For each surfactant, a linear relation having almost the same slope (1/307 K(-1)) within a small error (+/-2.3%) but a different intercept (varsigma) depending on the surfactant species was obtained, i.e., DeltaS(m)( degrees ) = (1/307)DeltaH(m)( degrees ) + varsigma, where 1/307 (K(-1)) means that the so-called compensation temperature (T(C)) is 307 K. Strictly speaking, T(C) ranges from 299 to 315 K, depending on the species. The intercept corresponds to the entropy change at a specific temperature giving DeltaH(m)( degrees ) = 0, at which the driving force of micelle formation comes only from the entropy term; this temperature is characteristic of the surfactant species. On the other hand, the compensation temperature has no significant meaning other than a mean temperature studied. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.
Antitumor efficacy, pharmacokinetic and biodistribution studies of the anticancer peptide CIGB‐552 in mouse models

Accumulation of the COMMD1 protein as a druggable pharmacology event to target cancer cells has not been evaluated so far in cancer animal models. We have previously demonstrated that a second‐generation peptide, with cell‐penetrating capacity, termed CIGB‐552, was able to induce apoptosis mediated by stabilization of COMMD1. Here, we explore the antitumor effect by subcutaneous administration of CIGB‐552 in a therapeutic schedule. Outstandingly, a significant delay of tumor growth was observed at 0.2 and 0.7 mg/kg (p < 0.01) or 1.4 mg/kg (p < 0.001) after CIGB‐552 administration in both syngeneic murine tumors and patient‐derived xenograft models. Furthermore, we evidenced that 131I‐CIGB‐552 peptide was actually accumulated in the tumors after administration by subcutaneous route. A typical serine‐proteases degradation pattern for CIGB‐552 in BALB/c mice serum was identified. Further, biological characterization of the main metabolites of the peptide CIGB‐552 suggests that the cell‐penetrating capacity plays an important role in the cytotoxic activity. This report is the first in describing the antitumor effect induced by systemic administration of a peptide that targets COMMD1 for stabilization. Moreover, our data reinforce the perspectives of CIGB‐552 for cancer targeted therapy. Copyright © 2014 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
During early to mid adolescence, moderate to vigorous physical activity is associated with restoring sleep, psychological functioning, mental toughness and male gender

ABSTRACT Numerous studies showed that regular physical activity (PA) is associated with both favourable and restorative sleep and improved psychological functioning (PF). However, there is little research on the topic covering the early to mid-adolescence period. Moreover, curiosity and exploratory behaviour (CEB) and mental toughness (MT) as a result of PA remains thus far uninvestigated, as do possible gender differences. The aim of the present study was to explore the associations between PA, subjective sleep (sS), PF, CEB, and MT during early to mid-adolescence. A total of 1361 participants (mean age = 13.37 years; range: 11–16 years; 51.2% female) took part in the study. They completed questionnaires covering PA, sS, PF, CEB, and MT. Greater PA was related to improved PF, better sS, and increased CEB and MT. Compared to male participants, females reported less PA, poorer sS, and had lower PF and MT scores. The present pattern of results suggests that during early and mid-adolescence greater PA was associated with more favourable sS and better PF, including CEB and MT, and that female participants reported lower scores in PA, sS, and PF. Accordingly, if PA has a favourable impact on sleep and psychological functioning, then data suggest that sports participation should be more tailored to increase motivation among female adolescents.
Community participation in primary health care (PHC) programmes: lessons from tuberculosis treatment delivery in South Africa.

BACKGROUND Currently, there is renewed interest in the role community participation can play in Primary Health Care (PHC) programmes such as the delivery of effective anti-TB treatment to patients in high-burden settings. OBJECTIVES To explore the feasibility of community participation in a high-burden Tuberculosis Control Programme and to establish how supervision of treatment by lay volunteers compares with other methods of tuberculosis treatment delivery in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. METHODS Prospective study involving 769 patients with confirmed pulmonary TB who were followed-up over a one-year period. Questionnaire interviews were also carried out with 135 lay volunteers participating in the TB programme. RESULTS One-third of the TB patients in the study received their treatment from lay volunteers in the community. Treatment outcomes for new patients supervised from the community were found to be equivalent to those who received treatment through other modes of treatment delivery (RR=1.04[0.94-1.16], p=0.435). For the re-treatment patients, community-based treatment was found to be superior (RR=5.89[2.30-15.09], p<0.001), to self-administered therapy. CONCLUSIONS Health care planners should consider community participation as a viable way of ensuring accessibility and effectiveness in PHC programmes. There is need for more research into ways of achieving sustainability in resource-limited but high disease burden settings.
Update on prostate pathology

Summary This update on prostate pathology is very timely, as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of our great society, the International Society of Urological Pathologists (ISUP). Most of the key advances in this field over the past two decades have been made by several distinguished members of our society, as will be demonstrated herein. I am therefore indeed honored and privileged to be given the opportunity to present this paper. I will start with a brief historical perspective prior to delving into the update on prostate pathology over the past two decades and beyond. The topics discussed in this update will be somewhat limited, but will include The Gleason grading system; handling and staging of radical prostatectomy specimens; variants of prostatic adenocarcinoma; treatment effect on the prostate; other primary and secondary tumours involving the prostate, and biomarkers of prostate cancer.