Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Syndicated Loans, Foreign Banking and Capital Market Development

In this paper we examine the role of syndicated loan markets in financial market development in 24 European countries. We find credit spreads to be negatively related to market size in small markets and positively related in large financial markets. Syndicated loans play a different role in large versus small financial systems. In small markets, loan syndications are a substitute for missing public debt markets, while in large financial markets loan syndicates enable arrangers to spread risk more efficiently. Foreign banks tend to reinforce this effect. In small markets, they transfer external finance across borders and in large markets they tend to take on more risky projects. Consequently, we find that characteristics of loan contracts arranged by foreign banks in small versus large markets differ considerably.
Why Do Retail Investors Make Costly Mistakes? An Experiment on Mutual Fund Choice

There is mounting evidence that retail investors make predictable, costly investment mistakes, including underinvestment, naive diversification, and payment of excessive fund fees. Over the past thirty-five years, however, participant-directed 401(k) plans have largely replaced professionally managed pension plans, requiring unsophisticated retail investors to navigate the financial markets themselves. Policy-makers have struggled with regulatory interventions designed to improve the quality of investment decisions without a clear understanding of the reasons for investor mistakes. Absent such an understanding, it is difficult to design effective regulatory responses. This article offers a first step in understanding the investor decision-making process. We use an internet-based experiment to disentangle possible explanations for inefficient investment decisions. The experiment employs a simplified construct of an employee's allocation among the options in a retirement plan coupled with technology that enables us to collect data on the specific information that investors choose to view. In addition to collecting general information about the process by which investors choose among mutual fund options, we employ an experimental manipulation to test the effect of an instruction on the importance of mutual fund fees. Pairing this instruction with simplified fee disclosure allows us to distinguish between motivation-limits and cognition-limits as explanations for the widespread findings that investors ignore fees in their investment decisions. Our results offer partial but limited grounds for optimism. On the one hand, within our simplified experimental construct, our subjects allocated more money, on average, to higher-value funds. Furthermore, subjects who received the fees instruction paid closer attention to mutual fund fees and allocated their investments into funds with lower fees. On the other hand, the effects of even a blunt fees instruction were limited, and investors were unable to identify and avoid clearly inferior fund options. In addition, our results suggest that excessive, naive diversification strategies are driving many investment decisions. Although our findings are preliminary, they suggest valuable avenues for future research and important implications for regulation of retail investing.
Sonographically guided biopsy of suspicious microcalcifications of the breast: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of sonographic guidance for biopsy of mammographically detected suspicious microcalcifications. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Twenty-three patients with suspicious microcalcifications detected on mammography (15 associated with masses or distortion; eight with microcalcifications alone) underwent sonographically guided core biopsy (n = 18) or sonographically guided needle localization before excision (n = 5). Microcalcifications were targeted, and specimen radiographs were obtained for each lesion, with the success of the procedure based on identifying microcalcifications on the specimen radiograph. For core biopsies, the number of cores obtained was compared with that in 49 control patients who underwent sonographically guided core biopsy of noncalcified masses. RESULTS All 23 lesions (100%) were successfully biopsied under sonographic guidance, with microcalcifications seen on specimen radiographs in each case. Of 18 core biopsies, a mean of 8.7 cores was obtained compared with a mean of 5.5 cores in the control group (p<0.0001). Of 13 lesions sampled with core biopsy that subsequently underwent surgical excision, three (23%) were upgraded from atypical ductal hyperplasia to ductal carcinoma in situ (n = 1) and from ductal carcinoma in situ to invasive carcinoma (n = 2). Mammographically, most lesions contained more than 15 pleomorphic microcalcifications. On sonography, echogenic foci corresponded to microcalcifications in all but two cases in which broader echogenic regions were seen. When no mass or distortion was visible on mammography, sonography showed a mass or dilated ducts with internal echogenic foci. CONCLUSION Microcalcifications identifiable on sonography can be successfully biopsied under sonographic guidance. Further study is necessary to determine whether targeting microcalcifications seen sonographically in the mass or duct can improve the rate of underestimation of disease compared with stereotactic core biopsy.
Adverse Drug Reactions: A Retrospective Review of Hospitalized Patients at a State Psychiatric Hospital

Background There is a paucity of information regarding adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in psychiatric patients. Information on common and preventable ADRs (pADRs) in psychiatric patients will allow for targeted improvement projects. Objective To characterize reported ADRs and pharmacist interventions to prevent ADRs in an extended-care state psychiatric hospital. Methods Four years of ADR reports were assessed for probability, reaction severity, pharmacological class of medication involved, preventability, change in therapy, and transfers to a medical facility. The pharmacist intervention database was queried for interventions classified as “prevention of ADR. ” The interventions were assessed for type of medication and recommendation acceptance. Results Medication classes responsible for ADRs included mood stabilizers (30%), typical antipsychotics (25%), atypical antipsychotics (25%), and antidepressants (8%). Nine percent resulted in transfer to a medical facility. Of all ADRs, 34.4% were pADRs; mood stabilizers (41%) and atypical antipsychotics (27%) were the most common pADRs. The most common causes of pADRs were supratherapeutic serum concentrations, drug-drug interactions, and history of reaction. There were 87 pharmacist interventions that were classified as “prevention of ADR,” and the acceptance rate of pharmacists’ recommendations was 96.5%. Mood stabilizers (20%), atypical antipsychotics (17%), and typical antipsychotics (11%) were commonly associated with prevented ADRs. Lithium accounted for 13.8% of prevented ADRs; these ADRs were most often due to a drug–drug interaction with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Conclusions ADRs were most commonly associated with mood stabilizers and antipsychotics, and pADRs were common. There is an opportunity to provide education to medical staff on therapeutic drug monitoring and drug–drug interactions for these classes, particularly lithium.
Performance and diversity analysis of decode-and-forward cooperative system over Nakagami-m fading channels

In this paper, we derive the upper bound of bit-error rate (BER) performance and diversity gain for a decode-and-forward (DF) cooperative system. Either maximal-ratio combining (MRC) or cooperative MRC (C-MRC) is employed at the receiver in the presence of independent, non-identical Nakagami-m fading. Both analytical and simulation results show that C-MRC takes advantage of spatial diversity more efficiently and thus achieves the same or better performance and diversity order as compared to MRC. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The respiratory microbiome and innate immunity in asthma

Purpose of review The purpose of this study is to summarize recent studies of the lower respiratory microbiome in asthma, the role of innate immunity in asthma and strategies to understand complex microbiome–immune interactions in asthma. Recent findings Recent evidence indicates that the composition of lower respiratory microbiota in asthmatic individuals, across a spectrum of disease severity, is altered compared with healthy individuals. Attributes of this altered airway microbiome have been linked to clinical and inflammatory features of asthma. The importance of innate immune cells and mucosal defense systems in asthma is increasingly appreciated and may be dysregulated in the disease. Summary Interactions between the respiratory microbiome and innate mucosal immunity in asthma are complex and a challenge to dissect. Multiple avenues of investigation, leveraging a variety of methodologies, will need to be pursued to understand functional relationships to clinical and inflammatory phenotypes seen in asthma.
Leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions in the liver after hemorrhagic shock in the rat.

Leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions in rat livers were investigated using intravital fluorescence microscopy following hemorrhagic shock (MAP at 40 mm Hg for 60 min) and resuscitation. Thirty minutes after resuscitation, when MAP was higher than 100 mm Hg, sinusoidal perfusion was only slightly reduced (>90% of controls). Firm adhesion of leukocytes increased to 370 +/- 54 leukocytes/mm2 after shock and resuscitation compared to control animals (48 +/- 8/mm2; mean +/- SEM; P < .01). Leukocyte-endothelium adhesion was highest in the portal areas and lowest in midzonal and pericentral regions (relationship:2.0: 1.1:1.0). Pretreatment with dexamethasone (5 mg/kg bw) resulted in a dramatic rise of adherent leukocytes following hemorrhagic shock (920 +/- 62/mm2; P < .001). Pretreatment with ibuprofen (15 mg/kg bw) resulted in a similar increase of adherent leukocytes after hemorrhagic shock (750 +/- 60/mm2; P < .001), while pretreatment with MK 886(10 mg/kg), inhibitor of lipoxygenase pathway, reduced leukocyte adhesion slightly (270 +/- 38/mm2). The results reveal that leukotrienes, e.g., released by activated macrophages, are involved in the regulation of leukocyte adhesion in liver sinusoids following hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation. The negative effect of dexamethasone and ibuprofen on hepatic leukocyte adhesion, however, has to be considered for therapeutic use.
Probing the nature of dark matter with cosmic x rays : Constraints from dark blobs and grating spectra of galaxy clusters

Gravitational lensing observations of galaxy clusters have identified dark matter blobs with remarkably low baryonic content. We use such a blob to probe the particle nature of dark matter with x-ray observations. From these observations we improve the most conservative constraints from the Milky Way halo on a particular dark matter candidate, the sterile neutrino, by an order of magnitude. We also study high resolution x-ray grating spectra of a cluster of galaxies. Based on these conservative constraints obtained from cosmic x-ray observations alone, the low mass (${m}_{s}\ensuremath{\lesssim}10\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{keV}$) and low mixing angle (${sin﻿}^{2}(2\ensuremath{\theta})\ensuremath{\lesssim}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}$) sterile neutrino is still a viable dark matter candidate.
When Should Renal Replacement Therapy be Initiated for Acute Kidney Injury?

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is now well recognized as an independent risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality particularly when dialysis is needed. Although renal replacement therapy (RRT) has been used in AKI for more than five decades, there is no standard methodology to predict which AKI patients will need dialysis and who will recover renal function without requiring dialysis. The lack of consensus on what parameters should guide the decision to start dialysis has led to a wide variation in dialysis utilization. A contributing factor is the lack of studies in the modern era evaluating the relationship of timing of dialysis initiation and outcomes. Although listed as one of the top priorities in research on AKI, timing of dialysis initiation has not been included as a factor in large, randomized controlled trials in this area. In this review we will discuss the criteria that have been used to define early vs. late initiation in previous studies on dialysis initiation. In addition, we propose a patient‐centered approach to define early and late initiation that could serve as framework for managing patients and for future studies in this area.
Electrophysiological studies of face processing in developmental prosopagnosia: Neuropsychological and neurodevelopmental perspectives

People with developmental prosopagnosia (DP) show severe face-recognition deficits that typically emerge during childhood without history of neurological damage. We review findings from recent event-related brain potential (ERP) studies of face perception and face recognition in DP. The generic face-sensitivity of the N170 component is present in most DPs, suggesting rapid category-selective streaming of facial information. In contrast, DPs show atypical N170 face inversion effects, indicative of impaired structural encoding, specifically for upright faces. In line with neurodevelopmental accounts of DP, these effects are similar to those observed for other developmental disorders, as well as for younger children and older adults. Identity-sensitive ERP components (N250, P600f) triggered during successful face recognition are similar for DPs and control participants, indicating that the same mechanisms are active in both groups. The presence of covert face-recognition effects for the N250 component suggests that visual face memory and semantic memory can become disconnected in some individuals with DP. The implications of these results for neuropsychological and neurodevelopmental perspectives on DP are discussed.
New Twists for an Old Turning Illusion

A Vernier-offset illusion induced by rotating lines, introduced by Matin et al (1976 Perception & Psychophysics 20 138–142) was re-examined using onset, offset, and reverse trajectories inspired by flash-lag illusion research, with both Vernier and alignment-with-vertical judgments being recorded. The pattern of illusions found was generally in agreement with a differential latency of stimulus ends account described by those authors, although certain variants of modern spatial projection theories, and a differential latency of attribute account, could also accommodate much of the data.
A Test of the Viable System Model: Theoretical Claim vs. Empirical Evidence

ABSTRACT The Viable System Model by Stafford Beer embodies a theory about the preconditions of organizational viability. This theory has been discussed extensively by the academics and professionals of organizational cybernetics. The theoretical claim of the Viable System Model (VSM) is bold. It asserts to specify the necessary and sufficient preconditions for the viability of any organization. The empirical evidence, to date, amounts to a substantial corpus of case studies from applications that support the claim of the theory. The present contribution leads beyond the status quo. Its purpose is to test the theory empirically, on the grounds of a broad survey and pertinent quantitative analysis. The available data support the hypotheses and therewith corroborate the theory of the VSM. This implies that the VSM is a reliable orientation device for the diagnosis and design of organizations to strengthen their vitality, resilience, and development potential.
Cellular Differentiation of Sucrose Metabolism in Anabaena variabilis

Abstract Upon treatment of whole filaments of Anabaena variabilis with a French pressure cell, the activity of sucrose synthase (UDP glucose; D-fructose 2-α-ᴅ-glucosyl transferase, EC 2.4.1.13) was found to be associated almost exclusively with the vegetative cells. The sucrose-cleaving enzyme, an alkaline invertase (β-ᴅ-fructofuranoside fructohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.26), appears to be localized solely within the heterocysts. The implications of these findings, in the light of relevant data from the literature, are summarized in a model representing the physiological differentiation and molecular exchange between vegetative cells and heterocysts.
NUMERICAL MODEL OF TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT : EFFECT OF POSITIONING AND HEART BEATING ON PROCEDURAL OUTCOME

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an effective therapy for inoperable patients with severe aortic stenosis. However, peri-procedural complications, such as valve migration and paravalvular leakage (PVL) have been reported. Our aim is to develop a computational approach to investigate the effect of valve positioning and heart motion on the risk for migration and PVL. Patient-specific CFD models were capable of quantifying the flow through the paravalvular gaps, showing a direct effect of the initial TAVR positioning on the degree of PVL. The Living Heart Human Model was able to successfully assess TAVR devices performance in a beating heart.
Image Representations for Ranking and Classification. (Représentations d'images pour la recherche et la classification d'images)

La representation des images en vue de leur traitement est une question fondamentale de la vision par ordinateur. Les contributions proposees dans cette these etendent le modele de representation par sac-de-mots pour les tâches de recherche et de classification d’images. La premiere des tâches abordees est celle de la recherche d’images. L’idee est de reclasser les images fournies par un moteur de recherche utilisant des requetes textuelles. La representation de l'image developpee ici utilise non seulement le contenu visuel de l'image, mais aussi la requete de texte utilisee pour le recuperer. Cela permet l'apprentissage d'un modele de pertinence unique qui peut etre utilise ulterieurement pour reordonner les images de nouvelles requetes. Ce modele donne de meilleurs resultats que les modeles appris specifiquement pour chaque requete [Schroff et al. , 2007], qui necessitent pourtant des calculs plus complexes. Ensuite, nous proposons une representation d'image specifique aux classes, basee sur un quantifieur en arbre, specialisee pour la tâche de classification d'image. Par opposition a [Moosmann et al. , 2008] qui construisent une foret aleatoire avec l’objectif d’optimiser la classification de regions de l'image, notre construction est guidee par l’optimisation directe de la performance de classification des images elles-memes. Il en resulte une representation des images tres compacte, rapide a creer et qui donnant d'excellents resultats meme en utilisant de simples classifieurs lineaires. Notre derniere contribution est une nouvelle representation permettant le codage spatial des images. Nous utilisons des Fisher Kernels pour representer la repartition des zones d'image attribuees a un mot visuel. Cette representation est beaucoup plus compacte que les pyramides spatiales de [Lazebnik et al. , 2007], tout en obtenant le meme niveau de performance, voir meme en le depassant.
Downregulation of CSD2 by a heat-inducible miR398 is required for thermotolerance in Arabidopsis

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in plant growth and development and abiotic stress responses. We report here that heat stress rapidly induces miR398 and reduces transcript of its target gene CSD2. Transgenic plants overexpressing the miR398-resistant form of CSD2 are more sensitive to heat stress than transgenic plants overexpressing normal coding sequence of CSD2. Expression of heat stress transcription factors (HSFs) and heat shock proteins (HSPs) is reduced in the heat-sensitive transgenic plants overexpressing miR398-resistant form of CSD2. Our results suggest that downregulation of CSD2 by the heat-inducible miR398 is required for thermotolerance in Arabidopsis.
SEROTYPE DISTRIBUTION AND ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE PATTERN OF GROUP B STREPTOCOCCUS ISOLATED FROM PREGNANT WOMEN

Background: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is an important cause of infection in newborns and pregnant women. Penicillin is usually the choice drug for treatment of GBS infections. The capsular polysaccharide is a major virulence factor in GBS. Nine capsular types have been described; (Ia, Ib, II-VIII). The formulation of GBS vaccines relies on information about the GBS serotypes distribution. Methods: Vaginal swabs were collected from 382 pregnant women. GBS isolates were identified by standard laboratory methods and serotyping was performed by the Multiplex PCR method. Antibiotic susceptibility of GBS isolates determined using the disk-diffusion method. Results: Of the 382 vaginal samples, 36 GBS positive cultures were recognized (9.4%). The most common serotypes were III (32.1%), V (21.4%) and IV (14.3%). All isolated GBS were sensitive to penicillin and Cefazolin, resistance to Erythromycin and Clindamycin was found in 5.6% and 8.3% of isolates respectively; that more accurate among serotypes III and V. Conclusion: Our study confirms the high rate of beta-lactam sensitivity of GBS. The prevalent serotypes in this study (III, V and IV) can be considered in future studies in order to produce multivalent GBS vaccine.
Abl-interactor-1 (Abi1) has a role in cardiovascular and placental development and is a binding partner of the α4 integrin

Dynamic signals linking the actin cytoskeleton and cell adhesion receptors are essential for morphogenesis during development and normal tissue homeostasis. Abi1 is a central regulator of actin polymerization through interactions with multiple protein complexes. However, the in vivo role of Abi1 remains to be defined. The α4 integrin adhesion receptor is associated with enhanced protrusive activity and regulation of directional cell migration. Among integrin subunits, α4 exhibits unique properties in that it predominantly accumulates at the leading edge of migrating cells; however, the pathways that link the actin-regulatory machinery to α4 at the leading edge have remained elusive. We generated Abi1 KO mice and found that loss of Abi1 phenocopies KO of α4. Mice lacking Abi1 or α4 exhibit midgestational lethality with abnormalities in placental and cardiovascular development. Notably, purified Abi1 protein binds directly to the α4 cytoplasmic tail and endogenous Abi1 colocalizes with phosphorylated α4 at the leading edge of spreading cells. Moreover, Abi1-deficient cells expressing α4 have impaired cell spreading, which is rescued by WT Abi1 but not an Abi1 mutant lacking the α4-binding site. These data reveal a direct link between the α4 integrin and actin polymerization and uncover a role for Abi1 in the regulation of morphogenesis in vivo. The Abi1–α4 interaction establishes a mechanistic paradigm for signaling between adhesion events and enhanced actin polymerization at the earliest stages of protrusion.
Linear-/Circular-Polarization Designs of Dual-/Wide-Band Cylindrical Dielectric Resonator Antennas

Linear-/circular-polarization designs of the dual-/wide-band cylindrical dielectric resonator antennas (DRAs) are presented. The HEM111 and HEM113 modes of the cylindrical DRA are utilized to design the dual-mode cylindrical DRA. A wideband antenna can be obtained by merging the two resonant modes. To facilitate the designs, new engineering formulas that determine the dimensions of the dual-mode cylindrical DRA are found for the first time. They are obtained by using the covariance matrix adaptation evolutionary strategy (CMA-ES). Design examples for the dual-/wide-band cylindrical DRAs are given for both the linearly and circularly polarized cases. Ansoft HFSS was used to simulate the DRAs and the simulations were verified with our measurements. Good agreement between the measured and simulated results is observed.