Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Betting markets for English Premier League results and scorelines: evaluating a forecasting model

Using betting odds from two recent seasons of English Premier League football matches, we evaluate probability and point forecasts generated from a standard statistical model of goal scoring. The bookmaker odds show significant evidence of the favourite-longshot bias for exact scorelines, which is not generally present for match results. We find evidence that the scoreline probability forecasts from the model are better than what the odds of bookmakers imply, based on forecast encompassing regressions. However, when we apply a simple betting strategy using point forecasts from the model, there are no substantial or consistent financial returns to be made over the two seasons. In other words, there is no evidence from this particular statistical model that the result, scoreline, margin of victory or total goals betting markets are on average inefficient.
Double Barreled Questions: An Analysis of the Similarity of Elements and Effects on Measurement Quality

Abstract In double barreled questions (DBQs) respondents provide one answer to two questions. Assumptions how respondents treat DBQs and how DBQs impact measurement quality are tested in two randomized experiments. DBQs are compared with revisions in which one stimulus was retained while the other stimulus was skipped. The observed means and parameters when modeling latent variables differed among the versions. Metric and scalar measurement invariance was not given among the versions, and at least one single stimulus version was found to be associated with a higher validity. Response latencies did not differ among versions or respondents needed less time to respond to DBQs. The author concludes that respondents may understand the stimuli in a DBQ differently, and access one of them while disregarding the other, which can have an adverse effect on validity.
Modern Information Technologies, Information Costs, and the Cost of Capital

This paper studies the real effect of a major RegTech event - the staggered implementation of the SEC’s EDGAR system in 1993-1996. This event represents an exogenous shock to corporate information dissemination technologies, which leads to a considerable reduction in information acquisition costs for investors. We find evidence that firms’ cost of equity capital declines substantially after they switch from paper filing to mandatory electronic filing in EDGAR. The effect is stronger for small firms and firms with low institutional ownership. We identify three channels via which the EDGAR implementation affects firms’ capital cost: liquidity, risk-taking, and corporate governance channels. EDGAR filing firms experience a significant drop in firm risk and an improvement in stock liquidity and corporate governance.
Anomalous cryoprotective effectiveness of trehalose: Raman scattering evidences

Results of Raman scattering measurements performed on aqueous solutions of the homologous disaccharides (trehalose, maltose, and sucrose) are reported. To get some insight into the effects of disaccharides on the hydrogen bond network of water, and to clarify the reasons that make trehalose the most effective in protecting organisms from dehydration and freezing, we investigate the intramolecular OH stretching mode. To carry out this study, two different approaches are employed: namely, a decomposition of the isotropic spectra into an “open” and a “closed” contribution, and a spectral stripping procedure to extract the “collective” contribution from the polarized spectra. Both procedures agree in suggesting that disaccharides promote, with a different strength, a destructuring effect on the tetrahedral H-bond network of pure water. This result makes plausible the hypothesis that disaccharides obstruct the crystallization process reducing the amount of freezable water, namely destroying the network of wate.
On Episodes, Prototypical Networks, and Few-shot Learning

Episodic learning is a popular practice among researchers and practitioners interested in few-shot learning. It consists of organising training in a series of learning problems, each relying on small "support" and "query" sets to mimic the few-shot circumstances encountered during evaluation. In this paper, we investigate the usefulness of episodic learning in Prototypical Networks and Matching Networks, two of the most popular algorithms making use of this practice. Surprisingly, in our experiments we found that, for Prototypical and Matching Networks, it is detrimental to use the episodic learning strategy of separating training samples between support and query set, as it is a data-inefficient way to exploit training batches. These "non-episodic" variants, which are closely related to the classic Neighbourhood Component Analysis, reliably improve over their episodic counterparts in multiple datasets, achieving an accuracy that (in the case of Prototypical Networks) is competitive with the state-of-the-art, despite being extremely simple.
Ministerial Advisers in Slovakia: Profiles and Career Paths, 2010 – 2020

Abstract This study examines the transparency of the regulatory framework under which ministerial advisors exist within the politicized context of a Central and Eastern European perspective. We compare profiles and career paths of ministerial advisers under five different types of coalition governments and examine if variance across government types can be explained by type of party – established vs. new parties. Empirically, the article draws on a cohort of 162 ministerial advisers in Slovakia across five governments from 2010 to 2020. We arrive at multiple findings. Firstly, we suggest the limitation in the availability and reporting of data is an important finding as it highlights accountability gaps and lack of government transparency irrespective of the party in power. Secondly, within the low regulatory environment, ministers appoint multiple types of staff including both formal “visible” ministerial advisers and “invisible” ministerial agents that, if one could accurately measure, would likely demonstrate that the ministerial advisory system is more inflated than we currently present. The ad-hoc nature of the advisory system also creates fluctuations in the size of the ministerial adviser cohort across governments and across different ministries. This would also help to explain the next finding, which is that, contrary to the experience in many countries, the overall size of the advisor population does not grow, probably because executive politicians have other avenues of appointing advisory agents. Fourthly, the advisers have a fairly equal distribution of prior employment from both the public sector and the private sector, but we do see some evidence of more established political parties preferring to recruit from the public sector and newer parties preferring to recruit from the private sector. Lastly, the appointment process appears to be highly controlled by individual ministers, suggesting personal ties are essential (link between ministerial and advisor education) and party-political criteria are a low consideration. The research is conducted using a biographical approach in which freedom of information requests and open source data is scrapped and then triangulated via a dozen interviews with current and former advisers. It argues that regulation is weak, lacking public scrutiny, which provides loopholes for employing ministerial agents in informal ways that could create, at worst, the opportunity for corrupt behavior, or at least, lead to poor practices in good governance. Therefore, future research should focus on both the formal “visible” and informal “invisible” ways that ministers recruit their advisory agents, how their agents function, and whether existing regulatory measures create a transparent and accountable governance framework.
Valence orientation and psych properties: Toward a typology of the psych alternation

Abstract Languages differ with respect to the morphological structure of their verbal inventory: some languages predominantly derive intransitive experiencer-subject verbs from more basic transitive experiencer-object verbs by morphosyntactic operations such as stative passivization (e.g., German, English), reflexivization (e.g., German, Spanish), or mediopassive voice (e.g., Greek, Icelandic). Other languages apply transitivizing operations of causativization to intransitive basic forms, e.g., via causative affixes (e.g., Turkish, Japanese, Yucatec Maya) or embedding under causative predicates (e.g., Korean, Chinese). Yet other languages derive both alternants from a common base (e.g., Hungarian, Cabécar). This classification is especially pertinent when applied to psych verbs, given that variable linking is a widely recognized characteristic of this domain. The valence orientation profile of a language’s psych domain has recently been linked to the presence or absence of noncanonical syntax, another well-known property of psych predicates. This article reports results from an ongoing study which aims to test this observation on a larger typological scale, presenting comparative empirical data on the interplay of morphology and syntax in the psych domains of Icelandic, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Yucatec Maya, Finnish, Turkish, and Bété.
The impact of divorce on the health status of ex-partners

Over the past decades, a great deal of research has been conducted into the effects of divorce on a variety of life areas. In this article, we consider the impact of divorce on the psychological and physical health of ex-partners. Our findings are based on a systematic screening of databases such as the ‘Web of Science’. The main focus is on the Anglo-Saxon and Dutch literature. Results suggest that divorce has a negative impact on the general health status, psychological health, physical health, health behaviour and the life expectancy of ex-partners, and that the divorced make greater use of formal (health) care services. A variety of factors, including person-related characteristics and living conditions, are found to mediate the impact of divorce on the health indicators selected. Points of methodological criticism, such as the greater emphasis in the literature on negative health indicators or the need of panel data analysis, lead to some useful suggestions for future research.
Sorption, Transport, and Structural Evidence for Enhanced Free Volume in Poly(4-methyl-2-pentyne)/Fumed Silica Nanocomposite Membranes

In contrast to the performance of traditional filled polymer systems, penetrant permeability coefficients in high-free-volume, glassy poly(4-methyl-2-pentyne) (PMP) increase systematically and substantially with increasing concentration of nonporous, nanoscale fumed silica (FS). For instance, the permeability of PMP containing 40 wt % FS to methane is 2.3 times higher than that of the unfilled polymer. Gas and vapor uptake in the PMP/FS nanocomposites is essentially unaffected by the presence of up to 40 wt % FS, while penetrant diffusion coefficients increase regularly with increasing filler content. This increase in diffusivity is responsible for elevated permeability in the PMP/FS nanocomposites. The addition of FS to PMP augments the permeability of large penetrants more than that of small gases, consistent with a reduction in diffusivity selectivity. Consequently, vapor selectivity in the nanocomposites increases with increasing FS concentration. Activation energies of permeation in PMP decrease with.
Impact of Footwear and Foot Deformities in patients with Parkinson's disease: A Case-Series Study

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common and complex neurological problem. Gait abnormalities are frequent in PD patients, and this increases the risk of falls. However, little is known about foot deformities and footwear in this vulnerable population. Here we investigate whether patients with PD use an appropriate shoe size and know if they have foot deformities or alterations. Methodology: A study of a series of observational descriptive cases in a convenience sample (n = 53 patients) diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. One trained investigator evaluated foot and ankle health. The footwear and foot measurements were obtained using a Brannock device. Results: The podiatric examination and footwear examination detected a high presence of podiatric pathologies and inappropriate footwear. This has a negative impact on the quality of life of these patients. Conclusions: This research detected an elevated number of people with foot deformities or alterations. Moreover, a high proportion of participants with PD wear inadequate footwear (in length, width, or both).
The incompressibility of atoms at high pressures

Abstract The structures of the silica polymorphs α-quartz and stishovite have been geometry optimized at highly simulated isotropic pressure within the framework of Density Functional Theory. The atoms of the high-pressure polymorph stishovite are virtually incompressible with the bonded radii for Si and O atoms decreasing by only 0.04 and 0.08 Å, respectively, at 100 GPa. In compensating for the increase in the effective interatomic potential associated with the compression of the Si-O bonded interactions, the electron density at the bond critical point between the bonded pair increases from 0.69 to 0.89 e/ Å3. The bonded radii of the Si and O atoms for α-quartz decrease by 0.006 and 0.008 Å, respectively, between 1 bar and 26.4 GPa. The impact of simulated, isotropic pressure on the bonded radii of the atoms for three perovskites YAlO3, LaAlO3, and CaSnO3 was also examined at high pressure. For the YAlO3 perovskite, the bonded radii for Y and Al decrease by 0.06 and 0.05 Å, respectively, at 80 GPa, while the electron density between the bonded atoms increases by 0.12 and 0.15 e/Å3, on average. The calculations also show that the coordination number of the Y atom increases from 9 to 10 while the coordination number of the O1 atom increases concomitantly in the structure from 5 to 6 at 20 GPa. Hence pressure not only promotes an increase in the coordination number of the metal atoms but also a necessary concomitant increase in the coordination number of the O atoms. The bonded radii, determined at a lower pressure between 0.0 and 15 GPa for LaAlO3 and CaSnO3, decrease a smaller amount with the radii for the La and Ca atoms decreasing by 0.03 and 0.04 Å, respectively, while the radii for the smaller Al and Sn atoms decrease by 0.01 and 0.02 Å, respectively. In general, O atoms are more compressible than the metal atoms, but overall the calculations demonstrate that the bonded radii for the atoms in crystals are virtually incompressible when subjected to high pressure. The reason that the bonded radii change little when subjected to high pressure is ascribed to the changes in the effective interatomic potentials that result in increased repulsion when the atoms are squeezed together.
Consumer Inattention and Demand for Energy Cost Savings

Consumer undervaluation of energy cost savings is a common explanation for the energy efficiency gap, where markets fail to adopt fuel-saving technologies even though the value of energy savings exceeds the costs. This paper presents empirical evidence on the relationship between a potential source of undervaluation – consumer inattention – and demand for energy-efficient products. Using survey data on respondents’ attention to automobile fuel costs, attribute preferences, and discrete choice experiments, I find heterogeneity in inattention toward and willingness to pay for fuel cost savings. Estimates from discrete choice models suggest that inattentive consumers undervalue fuel cost savings and attentive consumers fully value these savings. The results imply that designing energy efficiency policies requires careful consideration of consumer
GPR37 promotes the malignancy of lung adenocarcinoma via TGF-β/Smad pathway

Abstract This paper aimed to research the function and in-depth mechanism of GPR37 in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Herein, based on TCGA and Oncomine databases, we revealed that GPR37 was expressed at high levels in LUAD, and upregulation of GPR37 was related to the poor outcomes. Furthermore, biological function experiments in vitro were utilized to assess whether GPR37 impacts malignant phenotype of LUAD cells. Gain- or loss-of-function assays indicated that the upregulation of GPR37 contributed to improving the proliferation, migration, and invasion of LUAD cells in vitro, while knockdown of GPR37 can inhibit the malignant biological behaviors. Then, we found that depletion of GPR37 resulted in a decrease in the expression of TGF-β1 as well as the extents of Smad2 and Smad3 phosphorylation, while overexpression of GPR37 presented opposite outcomes. Altogether, our findings indicated that GPR37 is a potential oncogene of LUAD, and its promoting effects on the malignant progression of LUAD may be realized via TGF-β/Smad pathway.
Comparative examination of the essential oils of Anthemis ruthenica and A. arvensis wild-growing in Serbia

The essential oils from the aerial parts of Anthemis ruthenica and Anthemis arvensis, wild-growing in Serbia, obtained by hydrodistillation were analyzed using GC and GC/MS. A total of 75 and 81 components were identified in A. ruthenica and A. arvensis, respectively. The major constituents of A. ruthenica oil were β-pinene (3.6%), 1,8-cineol (6.8%), 4-terpineol (6.2%), α-terpineol (3.6%), isophyllocladene (5.4%) and palmitic acid (9.9%). The oil of A. arvensis showed a high content of non-terpenic compounds. The main components were palmitic acid (21.2%) and linoleic acid (6.5%). The most abundant terpenic compounds in the oil of A. arvensis were pinocarvone (5.4%) and isospathulenol (4.6%). Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tracing the Alteration of Verdigris Pigment through Combined Raman Spectroscopy and X-ray Diffraction, Part II: Natural Ageing

Abstract This study explores the natural alteration of verdigris, both in the form of neutral verdigris (Cu(II) (CH3COO)2⋅H2O) and basic verdigris (Cu(II)x(CH3COO)y(OH)z ⋅nH2O), through combined Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction investigation of samples created seven to eleven years prior to analysis. The naturally aged paint films of neutral or basic verdigris in gum arabic on paper and parchment provide insight into the pigment’s well-known instability relevant to historical works in aqueous media on maps, prints, books and manuscript materials. The latter historical application is an area that has received far less attention than alteration of verdigris in oil-based paint films. Findings shed new light on alternate pathways for conversion of neutral verdigris to basic verdigris, including the formation of a previously unknown form of verdigris and amorphous material on alkaline paper substrates. Additionally, we demonstrate for the first time that copper hydroxyl chlorides can form in situ from neutral verdigris, in this case on parchment that has a chlorine-rich surface. These results advance our understanding of neutral verdigris alteration, and complement results from our prior artificial ageing study. Both studies point to neutral verdigris as the historically more important form throughout its heyday. Improved understanding of neutral verdigris instability and its alteration pathways are critical for confident identification of the pigment in historical works, leading to better risk assessment of collections of verdigris-containing heritage, such as maps.
Shadow Trading July 2020

We investigate whether corporate insiders attempt to circumvent insider trading restrictions by using their private information to facilitate trading in economically-linked firms, a phenomenon we call “shadow trading. ” Using measures of informed trading to proxy for shadow trading, we find increased levels of informed trading among business partners and competitors before a firm releases private information. To rule out alternative explanations, we examine two shocks to insiders’ incentives to engage in shadow trading: high-profile regulatory enforcement against conventional insider trading and staggered changes to their outside employment opportunities. Finally, we document attenuated levels of informed trading among business partners and competitors when firms prohibit shadow trading. Overall, we provide evidence that shadow trading is an undocumented and widespread mechanism that insiders use to avoid regulatory scrutiny.
GENDER MESSAGES IN CONTEMPORARY POPULAR

Gender has been an important area of research in the field of popular music studies. Numerous scholars have found that contemporary popular music functions as a locus of diverse constructions and expressions of gender. While most studies focus on content analyses of popular music, there is still a need for more research on audience’s perception of popular music’s messages. This study examined adult Malay listeners’ perceptions of gender messages in contemporary Malay songs. A total of 16 contemporary Malay songs were analysed using Fairclough’s (1992) method of text analysis. The content of the songs that conveyed messages about gender were the basis for analysis. The results showed that the messages revolve mainly around socially constructed gender roles and expectations in romantic relationships. Gender stereotypes are also used in the songs to reinforce men’s and women’s roles in romantic relationships. The results also showed that, while listeners acknowledge the songs’ messages about gender, their own perceptions of gender and what it means to be a gendered being in today’s world are neither represented nor discussed fully in the songs analysed. It is hoped the findings from this, particularly the mismatch between projected and perceived notions of gender, contribute to the field of popular Malay music studies in particular, and popular music studies in general where gender messages in popular songs and their influence on listeners’ perceptions of their own gender is concerned.
Evaluation of estrogenic activity of phthalate esters by gene expression profiling using a focused microarray (estrarray®)

Phthalates are used industrially as plasticizers and are known to contaminate natural environments, mostly as di‐ester or mono‐ester complexes. Because they are structurally similar to natural estrogens, they could act as endocrine disruptors. Here, we used a DNA microarray containing estrogen responsive genes (EstrArray®) to examine gene expression profiles in MCF‐7 cells treated with 10 μM butylbenzyl phthalate (BBP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), and diisopropyl phthalate (DIP) along with the natural estrogen 17β‐estradiol ([E2], 10 nM). The profiles for phthalate esters and E2 were examined by correlation analysis using correlation coefficients (r‐values) and cluster analysis. We found that BBP showed the highest correlation with E2 (r = 0.85), and DEP and DIP showed moderate r‐values (r = 0.52 and r = 0.49, respectively). Dibutyl phthalate exhibited the lowest (but still significant) correlation with E2 (r = 0.36). Furthermore, among the pairs of chemicals, DEP‐DIP and DIP‐DBP showed very high correlations (r = 0.90 and r = 0.80, respectively), and the other pairs showed moderate relationships, which reflected how structurally close they are to each other. The analysis of six functional groups of genes (enzymes, signaling, proliferation, transcription, transport, and others) indicated that the genes belonging to the enzyme, transcription, and other functional groups showed common responses to phthalate esters and E2. Although the effect of BBP was similar to that of E2, the other phthalate esters showed different types of effects. These results indicate that the structure of estrogenic chemicals is strongly related to their estrogenic activity and can be evaluated by appropriate grouping of the responsive genes by focused microarray analysis.