Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DUFFIE BENJAMIN ESTY RICHARD GREEN JARRAD HARFORD PAUL HEALY CHRISTOPHER JAMES SIMON JOHNSON STEVEN KAPLAN TIM LOUGHRAN MICHELLE LOWRY KEVIN MURPHY MICAH OFFICER LUBOS PASTOR NEIL PEARSON JAY RITTER RICHARD GREEN RICHARD SLOAN

Does CEO overconfidence help to explain merger decisions? Overconfident CEOs overestimate their ability to generate returns. As a result, they overpay for target companies and undertake value-destroying mergers. The effects are strongest if they have access to internal financing. We test these predictions using two proxies for overconfidence: CEOs’ personal over-investment in their company and their press portrayal. We find that the odds of making an acquisition are 65% higher if the CEO is classified as overconfident. The effect is largest if the merger is diversifying and does not require external financing. The market reaction at merger announcement ( 90 basis points) is significantly more negative than for non-overconfident CEOs ( 12 basis points). We consider alternative interpretations including inside information, signaling, and risk tolerance. & 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. Mark Mitchell and
Antihypertensive Treatment Prolongs Tissue Plasminogen Activator Door-to-Treatment Time: Secondary Analysis of the INSTINCT Trial

Background and Purpose— Identifying modifiable tissue plasminogen activator treatment delays may improve stroke outcomes. We hypothesized that prethrombolytic antihypertensive treatment (AHT) may prolong door-to-treatment time (DTT). Methods— We performed an analysis of consecutive tissue plasminogen activator–treated patients at 24 randomly selected community hospitals in the Increasing Stroke Treatment through Interventional Behavior Change Tactics (INSTINCT) trial between 2007 and 2010. DTT among stroke patients who received prethrombolytic AHT were compared with those who did not receive prethrombolytic AHT. We then calculated a propensity score for the probability of receiving prethrombolytic AHT using logistic regression with demographics, stroke risk factors, home medications, stroke severity (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale), onset-to-door time, admission glucose, pretreatment blood pressure, emergency medical service transport, and location at time of stroke as independent variables. A paired t test was performed to compare the DTT between the propensity-matched groups. Results— Of 534 tissue plasminogen activator–treated stroke patients analyzed, 95 received prethrombolytic AHT. In the unmatched cohort, patients who received prethrombolytic AHT had a longer DTT (mean increase, 9 minutes; 95% confidence interval, 2–16 minutes) than patients who did not. After propensity matching, patients who received prethrombolytic AHT had a longer DTT (mean increase, 10.4 minutes; 95% confidence interval, 1.9–18.8) than patients who did not receive prethrombolytic AHT. Conclusion— Prethrombolytic AHT is associated with modest delays in DTT. This represents a potential target for quality-improvement initiatives. Further research evaluating optimum prethrombolytic hypertension management is warranted.
Effects of Static and Dynamic Stretching on Sprint and Jump Performance in Boys and Girls

Abstract Paradisis, GP, Pappas, PT, Theodorou, AS, Zacharogiannis, EG, Skordilis, EK, and Smirniotou, AS. Effects of static and dynamic stretching on sprint and jump performance in boys and girls. J Strength Cond Res 28(1): 154–160, 2014—The aim of this study was to investigate the acute effects of static (SS) and dynamic stretching (DS) on explosive power, flexibility, and sprinting ability of adolescent boys and girls and to report possible gender interactions. Forty-seven active adolescent boys and girls were randomly tested after SS and DS of 40 seconds on quadriceps, hamstrings, hip extensors, and plantar flexors; no stretching was performed at the control condition. Pretreatment and posttreatment tests examined the effects of stretching on 20-m sprint run (20 m), countermovement jump (CMJ) height, and sit and reach flexibility test. In terms of performance, SS hindered 20 m and CMJ in boys and girls by 2.5 and 6.3%, respectively. Dynamic stretching had no effect on 20 m in boys and girls but impaired CMJ by 2.2%. In terms of flexibility, both SS and DS improved performance with SS being more beneficial (12.1%) compared with DS (6.5%). No gender interaction was found. It can therefore be concluded that SS significantly negates sprinting performance and explosive power in adolescent boys and girls, whereas DS deteriorates explosive power and has no effect on sprinting performance. This diversity of effects denotes that the mode of stretching used in adolescent boys and girls should be task specific.
Option Pricing with Threshold Mean Reversion

Mean reversion and regime switching are well-known features of commodity prices. Recent empirical research additionally documents the time variation of the mean reversion rate and volatility. This paper considers the option pricing framework for an underlying commodity price with mean reversion rate and volatility change according to a self-exciting regime switching model. We offer empirical evidence for the proposed model and derive analytic pricing formulas for the European and barrier options. Numerical examples demonstrate the application and the ability of the proposed model in capturing volatility smile and regime-switching in the mean reversion rate, simultaneously. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark
Association of interleukin-1β and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist polymorphisms with bacterial vaginosis in non-pregnant Italian women

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most prevalent alteration of vaginal microflora worldwide. BV is a polymicrobial disorder, and its etiology is elusive. Factors predisposing to this recurrent condition are not fully characterized. We aimed to investigate whether interleukin-1b (IL-1b) and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) polymorphisms are associated with BV in non-pregnant white Italian women. Genomic DNA was obtained from 164 BV positive, and 406 control women. Two diallelic polymorphisms in the IL-1b gene (IL-1B) representing C/T base transitions at 2511 and 13954 positions and a variable number tandem repeats (VNTR) in intron 2 of the IL-1ra gene (IL-1RN) were assessed. We demonstrated that women who were homozygous for 2511 CC or 13954 TT of the IL-1B gene were at increased risk for BV with an odds ratio (OR) 5 1.5 [95% confidence interval (CI) 5 1.03‐2.14, P 5 0.032], and OR 5 2.8 (95% CI 5 1.37‐5.88, P 5 0.004), respectively. The haplotype 2511/13954 T-C was protective for BV, with an OR 5 0.7 (95% CI 5 0.49‐0.90, P 5 0.009). The IL-1RN VNTR genotype was not associated with BV, although the rare allele 3 showed a trend towards protection (P 5 0.049). These data show that host genetic variants at the IL-1b locus predispose to BV among Caucasian non-pregnant women. Further studies will determine whether these genetic polymorphisms modulate the risk for BV recurrence, and/or BV associated severe adverse outcomes as preterm birth and human immunodeficiency virus transmission.
Ontogeny of Performance in Vertebrates*

When competing for food or other resources, or when confronted with predators, young animals may be at a disadvantage relative to adults because of their smaller size. Additionally, the ongoing differentiation and growth of tissues and the development of sensory‐motor integration during early ontogeny may constrain performance. Because ectothermic vertebrates show different growth regimes and energetic requirements when compared to endothermic vertebrates, differences in the ontogenetic trajectories of performance traits in these two groups might be expected. However, both groups of vertebrates show similar patterns of changes in performance with ontogeny. Evidence for compensation, resulting in relatively high levels of performance in juveniles relative to adults, appears common for traits related to locomotor and defensive behaviors. However, there is little evidence for compensation in traits associated with feeding and foraging. We suggest that this difference may be due to different selective regimes operating on locomotor versus feeding traits. As a result, relatively high levels of locomotor performance in juveniles and relatively high levels of feeding performance in adults are observed across a wide range of vertebrate groups.
Famciclovir for the treatment of recurrent genital herpes: a clinical and pharmacological perspective

Herpes simplex virus is one of the most common causes of genital ulcer disease worldwide. Herpes simplex virus-2 is the more common cause of genital herpes, a chronic infection that is characterised by periodic reactivation, with the capacity to produce recurrent symptomatic disease in the host (e.g., vesicular eruption), as well as intermittent asymptomatic shedding. Relapsing episodes may be physically and psychologically distressing. Shedding accounts for the majority of cases of transmission of genital herpes to sexual partners. Pregnant women who are shedding may transmit the virus at the time of delivery, with severe and potentially fatal consequences to the baby. Famciclovir, a synthetic acyclic guanine derivative, is the prodrug of penciclovir, which demonstrates in vitro antiviral activity against various types of herpes virus, including herpes simplex virus-2. Its pharmacokinetics allow for administration in a convenient dosing regimen compared with acyclovir, which may improve compliance. Clinical studies have demonstrated its efficacy in the episodic treatment of relapses, with the most recent report demonstrating its efficacy and tolerance as a single-day treatment. It is also efficacious and well tolerated for the suppression of frequently recurring episodes. These results have been demonstrated in various patient populations, including immunocompetent patients and those infected with HIV. Famciclovir is well tolerated, with an adverse events profile similar to placebo.
An educational intervention to prevent catheter-associated bloodstream infections in a nonteaching, community medical center*

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of an evidence-based intervention to prevent catheter-associated bloodstream infections among intensive care unit patients at a nonteaching, community hospital. DesignNonrandomized pre/post observational trial. SettingTwo intensive care units at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, Saint Louis, MO. ParticipantsNurses and critical care physicians. InterventionA ten-page, self-study module on the prevention of catheter-associated bloodstream infections, lectures, and posters given between July and September 1999. MeasurementsThe incidence of nosocomial catheter-associated bloodstream infection and patient demographics were measured for patients admitted between March 1998 and July 2000. Main ResultsThirty cases of catheter-associated bloodstream infections during 6110 catheter-days were noted in the preintervention period (4.9 cases/1000 catheter-days) vs. 11 cases during the 5210 catheter-days in the postintervention period (2.1 cases/1000 catheter-days). The relative risk for catheter-associated infection in the postintervention period was 0.43 (95% confidence interval, 0.22–0.84). Among catheterized patients, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (25.2 preintervention vs. 25.1 postintervention; p = .86), hemodialysis (91 of 647 [14%] patients vs. 69 of 541 [13%]; p = .70), and the mean number of catheter days per patient (9.1 vs. 9.6 days; p = .46) did not differ between the pre- and postintervention periods. ConclusionsA focused, educational intervention among nurses and physicians in a nonteaching community hospital resulted in a significant, sustained reduction in the incidence of catheter-associated bloodstream infection.
The Chemokine (CCL2–CCR2) Signaling Axis Mediates Perineural Invasion

Perineural invasion is a form of cancer progression where cancer cells invade along nerves. This behavior is associated with poor clinical outcomes; therefore, it is critical to identify novel ligand–receptor interactions between nerves and cancer cells that support the process of perineural invasion. A proteomic profiler chemokine array was used to screen for nerve-derived factors secreted from tissue explants of dorsal root ganglion (DRG), and CCL2 was identified as a lead candidate. Prostate cancer cell line expression of CCR2, the receptor to CCL2, correlated closely with MAPK and Akt pathway activity and cell migration towards CCL2 and DRG. In vitro nerve and cancer coculture invasion assays of perineural invasion demonstrated that cancer cell CCR2 expression facilitates perineural invasion. Perineural invasion is significantly diminished in coculture assays when using DRG harvested from CCL2−/− knockout mice as compared with control CCL2+/+ mice, indicating that CCR2 is required for perineural invasion in this murine model of perineural invasion. Furthermore, 20 of 21 (95%) patient specimens of prostate adenocarcinoma with perineural invasion exhibited CCR2 expression by immunohistochemistry, while just 3 of 13 (23%) lacking perineural invasion expressed CCR2. In summary, nerve-released CCL2 supports prostate cancer migration and perineural invasion though CCR2-mediated signaling. Implications: These results reveal CCL2–CCR2 signaling as a key ligand–receptor mechanism that mediates cancer cell communication with nerves during perineural invasion and highlight a potential future therapeutic target. Mol Cancer Res; 13(2); 380–90. ©2014 AACR.
A Signal Detection Analysis of Chronic Attachment Anxiety at Speed Dating: Being Unpopular Is Only the First Part of the Problem

Initiating a romantic relationship invokes an approach—avoidance conflict between the desire for affiliation and the fear of rejection; optimally, people should selectively approach potential partners who reciprocate their interest. This may be difficult for anxiously attached people: They may be unpopular, and their ambivalence could lead to either a fearfully selective approach at the cost of missed opportunities or an unselective, indiscriminate approach at the cost of increasing rejection. Using a speed-dating paradigm, data were collected from 116 participants, and a signal detection framework was applied to examine the outcomes. For anxious participants, speed-dating attendance was motivated by loneliness. At speed dating, they were unpopular and unselective; they missed fewer opportunities but made more failed attempts. Anxious men made fewer matches than nonanxious men, whereas anxious women were buffered by having a response bias toward saying “yes” to potential partners. Attachment anxiety predicted outcomes above and beyond the powerful impact of attractiveness.
Link between Genome Packaging and Rate of Budding for Rous Sarcoma Virus

ABSTRACT The subcellular location at which genomic RNA is packaged by Gag proteins during retrovirus assembly remains unknown. Since the membrane-binding (M) domain is most critical for targeting Gag to the plasma membrane, changes to this determinant might alter the path taken through the cell and reduce the efficiency of genome packaging. In this report, a Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) mutant having two acidic-to-basic substitutions in the M domain is described. This mutant, designated Super M, produced particles much faster than the wild type, but the mutant virions were noninfectious and contained only 1/10 the amount of genomic RNA found in wild-type particles. To identify the cause(s) of these defects, we considered data that suggest that RSV Gag traffics through the nucleus to package the viral genome. Although inhibition of the CRM-1 pathway of nuclear export caused the accumulation of wild-type Gag in the nucleus, nuclear accumulation did not occur with Super M. The importance of the nucleocapsid (NC) domain in membrane targeting was also determined, and, importantly, deletion of the NC sequence prevented plasma membrane localization by wild-type Gag but not by Super M Gag. Based on these results, we reasoned that the enhanced membrane-targeting properties of Super M inhibit genome packaging. Consistent with this interpretation, substitutions that reestablished the wild-type number of basic and acidic residues in the Super M Gag M domain reduced the budding efficiency and restored genome packaging and infectivity. Therefore, these data suggest that Gag targeting and genome packaging are normally linked to ensure that RSV particles contain viral RNA.
The Bacillus subtilis division protein DivIC is a highly abundant membrane‐bound protein that localizes to the division site

The Bacillus subtilis divIC gene is involved in the initiation of cell division. It encodes a 14.7 kDa protein, with a potential transmembrane region near the N‐terminus. In this paper, we show that DivIC is associated with the cell membrane and, in conjunction with previously published sequence data, conclude that it is oriented such that its small N‐terminus is within the cytoplasm and its larger C‐terminus is external to the cytoplasm. DivIC is shown to be a highly abundant division protein, present at approximately 50 000 molecules per cell. Using immunofluorescence microscopy, DivIC was seen to localize at the division site of rapidly dividing cells between well‐segregated nucleoids. Various DivIC immunostaining patterns were observed, and these correlated with different cell lengths, suggesting that the DivIC localization takes on various forms during the cell cycle. The DivIC immunolocalization patterns are very similar to those of another membrane‐bound B. subtilis division protein, DivIB.
Accurate state space realisations of resonant filters for high performance inverter control applications

Controllers based on resonant Second Order Generalised Integrators (SOGIs) are attractive for AC conversion applications because they provide infinite loop gain at the target resonant frequency, which is required to eliminate AC steady state error in the regulated converter output. Furthermore the simple dual integrator based architecture of a SOGI filter facilitates frequency adaptation, for example as is used in motor drive applications. However a consequence of this simple architecture is that the digital form of the SOGI filter is highly susceptible to discretization errors which can compromise the converter steady state tracking accuracy. This paper now presents an alternative state-space approach to realise accurate discrete SOGI filters using Hold and Tustin (pre-warp) methods. The effectiveness of the proposed approach has been verified using simulation and experimental investigations of an inverter interfaced to a distorted grid and controlled using multiple harmonic SOGI filters.
Dynamic curvature path tracking control for autonomous vehicle: Experimental results

This paper discusses a new path tracking controller strategy for autonomous vehicle. Preliminary works done by researchers shows that most of the controller performs well in a straight path and normal curve. However, the problem arises in tight curve or discontinuous path. Therefore, this work aims to reduce the gap on the tight corner problem. The controller is designed based on the dynamic curvature estimation to predict the path condition and modify the wheel speed and steering wheel angle accordingly. In this technique, the curvature estimation algorithm is presented as a required input to the controller. The curvature estimation allows the vehicle to react based on the curvature profile and threshold region detection. The comparison is made based on three different path types. The experimental results on the autonomous prototype platform are discussed to show the effectiveness of the controller.
Prosodic Effects on Word Reduction

It is widely known that English-speaking children reduce words by omitting syllables in certain predictable patterns (e.g., banána ~nána). One way to better understand the nature of phonological reductions in children is to examine adults'word reduction behavior. This study explored whether adults produce predictable output patterns when reducing words. Undergraduate participants heard a list of polysyllabic words varying systematically across syllable number and primary stress location and were asked to generate a “reduced” form, similar to common English reductions (e.g., rhinóceros~ rhíno). Regardless of stress and syllable number, participants reduced the stimulus words significantly more often to left-headed disyllabic or monosyllabic feet, retaining stressed syllables and omitting unstressed syllables. The general bias found was similar to that which children exhibit in natural speech, namely, to maintain well-formed prosodic patterns and preserve salient syllables. On the other hand, a tendency to preserve word-initial instead of word-final syllables was also found, suggesting subtle differences in language processing between children and adults. The current study contributes to the psycholinguistic literature on adults' syllable omissions in abbreviations and fast-speech registers by examining the processing strategies that adults may use when reducing words.
Over expression of CD44V8-10 in human bladder cancer cells decreases their interaction with hyaluronic acid and potentiates their malignant progression.

PURPOSE We evaluated the effects of the over expression of CD44v8-10, one of the high molecular form of CD44, on the malignant potential of UM-UC-3 human bladder cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS We introduced CD44v8-10 complementary DNA into UM-UC-3 cells, which do not express detectable level of CD44v8-10 protein, and generated the CD44v8-10 over expressing cell line UM-UC-3/v8-10 and the vector only transfected cell line UM-UC-3/C. The effects of the introduction of CD44v8-10 into UM-UC-3 cells on the ability to bind hyaluronic acid (HA) were analyzed by the cell adhesion assay and the cell migration assay. We then evaluated tumor progression of UM-UC-3 sublines after subcutaneous and orthotopic injection into athymic nude mice. RESULTS There were no significant differences in in vitro growth rates. UM-UC-3/v8-10 cells showed significantly decreased binding and migration ability to HA but not to other extracellular matrix proteins. Furthermore, UM-UC-3/v8-10 cells demonstrated significantly increased tumor growth after subcutaneous as well as orthotopic injection into athymic nude mice and enhanced lymph node metastasis after orthotopic injection compared with UM-UC-3/C cells. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that CD44v8-10 over expression in human bladder cancer cells decreases their interaction with HA and potentiates their malignant progression.
Relationship of disease characteristics and nutritional status to patterns of growth in children with Crohn disease

Crohn disease is one type of inflammatory bowel disease with frequent occurrence before maturity. Many children with Crohn disease experience linear growth retardation. However, the prevalence and contribution of various factors to growth failure have not been adequately investigated. The purpose of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of growth deficiency by using multiple criteria based on longitudinal data and to simulatneously evaluate the contribution of disease, demographic, and treatment characteristics to the growth failure in this group of children.