Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Excess U.S. Equity Returns: Are They Determined by Fundamental or Behavioral Variables?

This paper considers several important macroeconomic variables such as inflation, federal funds rates and unemployment along with behavioral variables such as momentum trading to explain excessive U.S. equity returns during the post World War II era. The theoretical hypotheses propose three regimes of economic conditions that give rise to excessive equity prices. Periods of excessive returns most often are followed by periods of below average returns. However, occasionally, periods of excessive returns are followed by even higher excessive returns with subsequent crashes. Such higher excessive returns are commonly referred to as booms or bubbles. We formulate and test certain hypotheses that attribute excessive equity returns initially to economic fundamentals and subsequently to behavioral variables. We use a 3-state regime Markov switching methodology to capture the specific fundamental and behavioral factors that drive equity prices across business cycles.
Transforming gender norms roles and power dynamics for better health: Evidence from a systematic review of gender-integrated health programs in low- and middle-income countries.

The Gender Policy and Measurement program funded by the Asia bureau of the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented by the Health Policy Project (HPP) and MEASURE Evaluation undertook a comprehensive systematic review of the impact of gender-integrated programs on health outcomes. The findings are primarily intended to inform the work of government officials donors nongovernmental organizations and other key stakeholders involved in health programming in India as well as other low- and middle-income countries around the world. This review presents evidence showing how gender-integrated programming influences health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries: in particular reproductive maternal neonatal child and adolescent health; HIV prevention and AIDS response; gender-based violence; tuberculosis; and universal health coverage.
Myrosin Idioblast Cell Fate and Development Are Regulated by the Arabidopsis Transcription Factor FAMA, the Auxin Pathway, and Vesicular Trafficking[W]

The FAMA gene that confers stomatal identity also specifies the fate of myrosin idioblasts that together with guard cells, which are also myrosin cells, make up the “mustard oil bomb” that reduces plant predation via the glucosinolate-myrosinase system. Crucifer shoots harbor a glucosinolate-myrosinase system that defends against insect predation. Arabidopsis thaliana myrosinase (thioglucoside glucohydrolase [TGG]) accumulates in stomata and in myrosin idioblasts (MIs). This work reports that the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor FAMA that is key to stomatal development is also expressed in MIs. The loss of FAMA function abolishes MI fate as well as the expression of the myrosinase genes TGG1 and TGG2. MI cells have previously been reported to be located in the phloem. Instead, we found that MIs arise from the ground meristem rather than provascular tissues and thus are not homologous with phloem. Moreover, MI patterning and morphogenesis are abnormal when the function of the ARF-GEF gene GNOM is lost as well as when auxin efflux and vesicular trafficking are chemically disrupted. Stomata and MI cells constitute part of a wider system that reduces plant predation, the so-called “mustard oil bomb,” in which vacuole breakage in cells harboring myrosinase and glucosinolate yields a brew toxic to many animals, especially insects. This identification of the gene that confers the fate of MIs, as well as stomata, might facilitate the development of strategies for engineering crops to mitigate predation.
Toward a solar city: Trade-offs between on-site solar energy potential and vehicle energy consumption in San Francisco, California

ABSTRACT This study demonstrates the trade-offs between vehicle energy consumption and on-site solar energy potential in a city landscape. While higher urban density may curb many of the problems associated with sprawl mainly by reducing vehicle travels and associated energy use, it can also limit on-site rooftop solar energy utilization due to more shade on rooftops in dense urban settings and less available rooftop area per person. Using travel survey, Geographic Information System (GIS) and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data, we estimated vehicle energy use and rooftop solar potential in the City of San Francisco as a case study and calculated possible offsetting effects between vehicle energy consumption and rooftop solar potential. Given the prevalence of gasoline-based vehicles and today's solar photovoltaic (PV) panel efficiency, vehicle energy use per capita appears to exceed energy generated by rooftop solar PVs per capita across all density ranges, especially in lower density environments. At the point when electric cars and advanced, highly efficient solar PV panels penetrate the market, the results change based on the combination of different technological options. A significant reduction of energy consumption can be achieved through the immediate and rapid spread of energy efficient technologies in vehicles and solar PVs along with the long-term effect from gradual urban densification.
Intravitreal tissue plasminogen activator for acute central retinal vein occlusion.

OBJECTIVES We investigated the efficacy of intravitreal tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for the treatment of acute central retinal vein occlusion. DESIGN Twenty-six eyes with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO, n=23) and hemi-retinal vein occlusion (n=3) with recent onset of visual symptoms (< or = 21 days) were identified and given an intravitreal injection of 65 -110 microg of tPA. RESULTS Among eyes with CRVO, visual acuity improved to > or = 20/40 in 7 of 23 patients (30.4%) at 6 weeks, and 8 of 23 patients (34.8%) at 6 months. Visual acuity improved or stabilized in 69.6% (16 of 23 patients) at the 6 week visit and persisted with longer follow-up. Four patients developed doubling of the visual angle. No patients developed rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, infection or neovascular glaucoma. One patient developed a small vitreous hemorrhage and 2 developed an increase in the size of pre-existing macular hemorrhage. CONCLUSION Intravitreal tPA administered early in the course of central retinal vein occlusion did not lead to catastrophic hemorrhagic events. Intravitreal tPA may cause worsening of vision in some patients. While some eyes appear to have benefited from the therapy, no conclusions can be reached because there was not a concurrent control group. A randomized clinical trial is necessary to determine its efficacy. SUMMARY STATEMENT Intravitreal tPA administered early in the course of central retinal vein occlusion did not lead to catastrophic hemorrhagic events. A randomized clinical trial is necessary to determine its efficacy.
Cigarette smoking and panic: the role of neuroticism.

OBJECTIVE The authors sought to determine the relationship of panic attacks, cigarette smoking, and neuroticism. METHOD Data were drawn from the Midlife Development in the United States Survey, a representative household survey of the adult population of the United States (N=3,032). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association between panic attacks and cigarette smoking and to determine whether neuroticism was an independent predictor of the co-occurrence of cigarette smoking and panic attacks. RESULTS The majority of individuals with panic attacks had been regular smokers during their lifetime (81.1%), a significantly higher rate than seen among subjects without panic attacks (69.4%). Regular cigarette smoking was associated with a significantly greater risk of current panic attacks. This significant association persisted after analyses controlled for demographic characteristics, depression, and alcohol/substance use disorders but was no longer evident after analyses adjusted for neuroticism. Neuroticism independently predicted the co-occurrence of regular cigarette smoking and panic attacks but did not predict either panic attacks or cigarette smoking in the absence of the other. CONCLUSIONS Consistent with previous findings, these data suggest that panic attacks are associated with greater risk of cigarette smoking but provide new evidence that neuroticism may play an essential role in this relationship. These data are preliminary but, if replicated, suggest that neuroticism may reflect a shared vulnerability for the co-occurrence of cigarette smoking and panic attacks. Future studies are needed to further explore the mechanism of this association.
Enhanced Depth Imaging Optical Coherence Tomography in Adult-Onset Foveomacular Vitelliform Dystrophy

Purpose To compare mean choroidal thickness in patients with adult-onset foveomacular vitelliform dystrophy (AOFVD) and healthy subjects, to analyze patients with AOFVD in order to evaluate choroidal thickness disease-related changes, also in relation to the different stages of AOFVD disease and to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) features, and to correlate mean choroidal thickness with age in both groups. Methods In this prospective observational cross-sectional study, a total of 63 eyes of 51 consecutive subjects were examined, consisting of a control group (n = 28 eyes) and the AOFVD group (n = 35 eyes). A complete ophthalmologic examination, fundus autofluorescence, and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography were performed in all patients. Results Mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was 214.78 ± 62.35 µm in healthy subjects and 222.31 ± 73.29 µm in the AOFVD group (p = 0.33). In the vitelliruptive group, the mean choroidal thickness was significantly thicker than in the control group at each choroidal location. Mean choroidal thickness was significantly increased in the pseudohypopyon stage when compared to the vitelliform one (+66.34 µm, p = 0.02). Eyes with subretinal fluid (SRF) showed significantly thicker choroid when compared with those without SRF. No significant correlations were found between age and choroidal thickness in the study group. Conclusions The study of the choroid in patients with AOFVD suggested a possible role in the pathologic changes during the different stages of disease, and could help us to evaluate progression of the disease. Greater choroidal thickness associated with SRF and RPE bumps are signs of RPE alterations and could be related to evolution of the AOFVD lesion to a different stage.
Cost-effectiveness of Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy in severe refractory non-focal disabling spasticity: a Spanish hospital perspective

ABSTRACT Background: Current knowledge about long-term economic consequences of Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy (ITB Therapy®) is incomplete. Methods: A markov model was developed to estimate long-term clinical and economic outcomes with ITB Therapy® and conventional medical management of severe refractory non-focal disabling spasticity. Clinical and cost inputs were obtained through a non-interventional, prospective, observational study in a Spanish neurorehabilitation hospital. Results: ITB Therapy® increased remaining lifetime costs by €35,605 and resulted in a gain of 1.06 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), thus showing an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of €33,619/QALY gained. In alternative scenarios, reflecting other clinical settings and management options, considerably lower ICER values were obtained. In particular, opportunities were identified to improve efficiency by setting clinically and economically sound targets for post-operation length of stay. Conclusion: In the Spanish setting, ITB Therapy® resulted in an ICER close to €30,000/QALY gained; potential ways to reduce costs and further enhance efficiency can be identified.
Specification Error, Estimation Risk, and Conditional Portfolio Rules

In characterizing the data-generating process for excess returns, an investor faces both parameter uncertainty (or “estimation risk”) and specification error. We examine the trade-off between these two effects, in the context of an optimal consumption/portfolio decision problem, by considering a minimal extension of the standard assumption of a linear vector autoregression for excess returns. The key additional assumption in our data-generating process is a positive linear relationship between market volatility and lagged market dividend yields. This simple specification is consistent with a long sample of U.S. data. We show that volatility adjusted rules are substantially less sensitive to variation in dividend yields, and volatility-related specification error is economically significant – even when the decisions are based on sample estimates from data sets of a realistic size.
Effectiveness of microwave disinfection of complete dentures on the treatment of Candida-related denture stomatitis.

UNLABELLED The effectiveness of microwave disinfection of maxillary complete dentures on the treatment of Candida-related denture stomatitis was evaluated. Patients (n = 60) were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups of 15 subjects each; CONTROL GROUP patients performed the routine denture care; Mw group: patients had their upper denture microwaved (650 W per 6 min) three times per week for 30 days; group MwMz: patients received the treatment of Mw group in conjunction with topical application of miconazole three times per day for 30 days; group Mz: patients received the antifungal therapy of group MwMz. Cytological smears and mycological cultures were taken from the dentures and the palates of all patients before treatment at day 15 and 30 of treatment and at follow-up (days 60 and 90). The effectiveness of the treatments was evaluated by Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. Microbial and clinical analysis of the control group demonstrated no significant decrease in the candidal infection over the clinical trial. Smears and cultures of palates and dentures of the groups Mw and MwMz exhibited absence of Candida at day 15 and 30 of treatment. On day 60 and 90, few mycelial forms were observed on 11 denture smears (36.6%) from groups Mw and MwMz, but not on the palatal smears. Miconazole (group Mz) neither caused significant reduction of palatal inflammation nor eradicated Candida from the dentures and palates. Microwaving dentures was effective for the treatment of denture stomatitis. The recurrence of Candida on microwaved dentures at follow-up was dramatically reduced.
The Impact of Weight Normalization on Quality of Recovery in Anorexia Nervosa

Background: There is little agreement on what constitutes remission in anorexia nervosa. Objective: This study compared the medical, psychological, and social status of 2 female populations previously treated for anorexia nervosa and differing in their achievement of normal weight. Design: One hundred forty-one patients responded to a questionnaire documenting morphometric parameters, subjective perception of outcome, concerns about body shape and diet, and quality of familial, emotional, and professional life. Two groups were defined according to body mass index (BMI): normal (n = 69) with BMI ≥ 18.5 kg/m2, and subnormal (n = 72) with BMI < 18.5 kg/m2. In addition, subgroups (21 in each category) were interviewed. An age-matched control population composed of 156 women, either students or Health Services employees, responded to a similar questionnaire. Results: Only a minority of patients assessed themselves as recovered, and there was no statistically significant difference in perception of recovery between normal BMI and subnormal BMI groups (27.5% and 15.3%, respectively). As expected, underweight patients reported significantly more frequent purging behaviors, amenorrhea, recent hospitalization, and prolonged student status. In contrast, there were no significant differences in terms of pregnancy rate, psychiatric comorbidities, social integration, sexual activity, and self-assessment of professional and familial life. In comparison to control subjects, former anorexia patients with normalized BMI more frequently reported vomiting, fear of high-calorie foods, and treatment for depression. Conclusions: These few long-term advantages observed after BMI normalization suggest that normalization of nutritional status remains an important target in anorexia nervosa. However, the persistence of psychological distress after nutritional recovery confirms that more effective treatments are needed that target long-term psychological recovery.
Distinct Roles of the Phosphatidate Phosphatases Lipin 1 and 2 during Adipogenesis and Lipid Droplet Biogenesis in 3T3-L1 Cells

Background: Lipins are phosphatidate phosphatases that generate diacylglycerol for lipid synthesis. Results: Lipin 1 or lipin 2 depletion has distinct effects on differentiating adipocytes. Cells depleted of both lipins after initiation of adipogenesis accumulate triacylglycerol but display lipid droplet fragmentation. Conclusion: Lipins have a role in lipid droplet biogenesis after initiation of adipogenesis. Significance: Lipins play multiple roles during adipocyte differentiation. Lipins are evolutionarily conserved Mg2+-dependent phosphatidate phosphatase (PAP) enzymes with essential roles in lipid biosynthesis. Mammals express three paralogues: lipins 1, 2, and 3. Loss of lipin 1 in mice inhibits adipogenesis at an early stage of differentiation and results in a lipodystrophic phenotype. The role of lipins at later stages of adipogenesis, when cells initiate the formation of lipid droplets, is less well characterized. We found that depletion of lipin 1, after the initiation of differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells but before the loading of lipid droplets with triacylglycerol, results in a reciprocal increase of lipin 2, but not lipin 3. We generated 3T3-L1 cells where total lipin protein and PAP activity levels are down-regulated by the combined depletion of lipins 1 and 2 at day 4 of differentiation. These cells still accumulated triacylglycerol but displayed a striking fragmentation of lipid droplets without significantly affecting their total volume per cell. This was due to the lack of the PAP activity of lipin 1 in adipocytes after day 4 of differentiation, whereas depletion of lipin 2 led to an increase of lipid droplet volume per cell. We propose that in addition to their roles during early adipogenesis, lipins also have a role in lipid droplet biogenesis.
Winning the Peace Locally: UN Peacekeeping and Local Conflict

Abstract It remains contested whether peacekeeping works. The impact of peacekeepers’ actions at the local subnational level for overall mission success has lately received critical attention. Local peacekeeping is expected to matter because it reassures local actors, deters resumption of armed hostilities, coerces parties to halt fighting, and makes commitment to agreements credible. Thus peacekeepers affect the relations between central and local elites and avoid the emergence of local power vacuums and areas of lawlessness. This study uses new subnational data on the deployment of United Nations peacekeepers. It uses matching and recursive bivariate probit models with exogenous variables for temporal and spatial variation to deal with possible nonrandom assignment of the treatment. We demonstrate that conflict episodes last for shorter periods when peacekeepers are deployed to conflict-prone locations inside a country, even with comparatively modest deployment. The effect of peacekeeping on the onset of local conflict is, however, less clear cut.
Paclitaxel Coating Reduces In-Stent Intimal Hyperplasia in Human Coronary Arteries: A Serial Volumetric Intravascular Ultrasound Analysis From the ASian Paclitaxel-Eluting Stent Clinical Trial (ASPECT)

Background—The aim of this study was to use serial volumetric intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) to evaluate the effect of a paclitaxel coating on in-stent intimal hyperplasia (IH). Methods and Results—Patients were randomized to placebo (bare metal stents) or 1 of 2 doses of paclitaxel (low dose: 1.28 &mgr;g/mm2; high dose: 3.10 &mgr;g/mm2). Complete post-stent implantation and follow-up IVUS were available in 81 patients, including 25 control patients and in 28 receiving a low-dose and 28 receiving a high dose. Volumetric analysis of the stented segment and of both reference segments was performed. Baseline stent measurements and both reference measurements were similar among the groups. With increasing doses, there was a stepwise reduction in IH accumulation within the stented segment (31±22 mm3 in control, 18±15 mm3 in low dose, and 13±14 mm3 in high dose, P <0.001). Post hoc analysis showed less IH accumulation when low- and high-dose patients were compared with control (P =0.009 and P <0.001, respectively), but not when low-dose patients were compared with high-dose patients (P =0.2). Focal late malapposition was seen in 1 high-dose patient. With increasing doses, there was no significant change in the reference segments. Conclusions—Paclitaxel-coated stents are effective in reducing in-stent neointimal tissue proliferation in humans. They are not associated with edge restenosis or significant late malapposition.
Desiccation survival of populations of the entomopathogenic nematodes Steinernema feltiae and Heterorhabditis megidis from Greece and the UK

Abstract The desiccation survival and ability to control water loss during drying of individual infective juveniles (IJs) of populations of Steinernema feltiae and Heterorhabditis megidis from Greece and the UK were examined at different relative humidities. Survival at all relative humidities was for minutes only and there was no evidence of enhanced survival of the populations of either species from Greece compared with those from the UK. The survival of individuals of both populations of H. megidis was superior to that of S. feltiae and the rate of drying of H. megidis was significantly slower. The sheath surrounding the IJs of H. megidis appears to be involved in slowing the rate of water loss of the enclosed nematodes.
Variation in the number of copies and in the genomic organization of ecotropic murine leukemia virus proviral sequences in sublines of AKR mice

DNAs isolated from individual mice of four AKR sublines (AKR/J, AKR/N, AKR/Cum, and AKR/Boy) were examined by hybridization of electrophoretically separated restriction enzyme fragments to a 500-base pair, 32P-labeled probe specific for env sequences of ecotropic murine leukemia virus. Variation in the number of proviral DNA copies and in their genomic organization, as reflected by the location of restriction enzyme sites in flanking cellular sequences, was observed both between and within AKR sublines. Evidence is presented for the continual acquisition of new proviruses in the four sublines studied. The ecotropic proviral DNA copies present in the four AKR sublines can be related to their genealogy; each subline contains two or three copies of proviral DNA in common with other sublines and from one to six unique ecotropic proviruses. Overall, a new copy appears about every 12 generations of inbreeding. Some of the unique proviral DNA copies contain internal alterations, as reflected by restriction enzyme maps that differ from those of prototype ecotropic proviruses.