Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Firm-Level Expected-Return Proxies

We develop and implement a rigorous analytical framework for empirically evaluating the relative performance of firm-level expected-return proxies (ERPs). We show that superior proxies should closely track true expected returns both cross-sectionally and over time (that is, the proxies should exhibit lower measurement-error variances). We then compare five classes of ERPs nominated in recent studies to demonstrate how researchers can easily implement our two-dimensional evaluative framework. Our empirical analyses document a tradeoff between time-series and cross-sectional ERP performance, indicating the optimal choice of proxy may vary across research settings. Our results illustrate how researchers can use our framework to critically evaluate and compare a growing body of ERPs. JEL Classifications: G10, G11, G12, G14, M41 Evaluating Firm-Level Expected Return Proxies 1
Hemispheric Asymmetry in Visual Processing: An ERP Study on Spatial Frequency Gratings

A hemispheric asymmetry for the processing of global versus local visual information is known. In this study, we investigated the existence of a hemispheric asymmetry for the visual processing of low versus high spatial frequency gratings. The event-related potentials were recorded in a group of healthy right-handed volunteers from 30 scalp sites. Six types of stimuli (1.5, 3 and 6 c/deg gratings) were randomly flashed 180 times in the left and right upper hemifields. The stimulus duration was 80 ms, and the interstimulus interval (ISI) ranged between 850 and 1000 ms. Participants paid attention and responded to targets based on their spatial frequency and location. The C1 and P1 visual responses, as well as a later selection negativity and a P300 component of event-related potentials (ERPs), were quantified and subjected to repeated-measure analyses of variance (ANOVAs). Overall, the performance was faster for the right visual field (RVF), thus suggesting a left hemispheric advantage for the attentional selection of local elements. Similarly, the analysis of the mean area amplitude of the C1 (60–110 ms) sensory response showed a stronger attentional effect (F+L+ vs. F−L+) at the left occipital areas, thus suggesting the sensory nature of this hemispheric asymmetry.
Caracterização da fauna edáfica em diferentes coberturas vegetais na região norte Fluminense

The soil-litter system is a natural habitat for a great variety of organisms that differ in size and metabolism and are responsible for numerous functions. The study of groups of organism in the soil-litter system allows not only to make inferences on the functionality of these organisms, but also is a simple indication of the ecological complexity in these communities. Our study aimed at characterizing the distribution of groups of organism in soil and litter compartments in two seasons of the year (wet summer and dry winter) under five different vegetation covers (eucalyptus, non-preserved forest, preserved forest, regenerating forest ('capoeira'), and pasture) in the northern Fluminense region (RJ, Brazil). Both soil and litter under the natural forest covers, in particular the preserved and non- preserved forest, generally showed higher organism density and abundance values than eucalyptus and pasture for in both collecting seasons. In general, there was no preference of organism groups for soil or litter. The organisms density and abundance, Shannon's index and Pielou's index also varied according to the season of the year and the differences among vegetation covers were more distinct in the summer than in the winter season. The Pielou's index was the most stable variable and, therefore, the most appropriate to study the dissimilarities among the vegetation covers in terms of distribution of groups of organisms.
The Hypothesis of the Prolonged Cell Cycle in Turner Syndrome

Turner syndrome (TS) is a chromosomal disorder that is caused by a missing or structurally abnormal second sex chromosome. Subjects with TS are at an increased risk of developing intrauterine growth retardation, low birth weight, short stature, congenital heart diseases, infertility, obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases (stroke and myocardial infarction). The underlying pathogenetic mechanism of TS is unknown. The assumption that X chromosome-linked gene haploinsufficiency is associated with the TS phenotype is questioned since such genes have not been identified. Thus, other pathogenic mechanisms have been suggested to explain this phenotype. Morphogenesis encompasses a series of events that includes cell division, the production of migratory precursors and their progeny, differentiation, programmed cell death, and integration into organs and systems. The precise control of the growth and differentiation of cells is essential for normal development. The cell cycle frequency and the number of proliferating cells are essential in cell growth. 45,X cells have a failure to proliferate at a normal rate, leading to a decreased cell number in a given tissue during organogenesis. A convergence of data indicates an association between a prolonged cell cycle and the phenotypical features in Turner syndrome. This review aims to examine old and new findings concerning the relationship between a prolonged cell cycle and TS phenotype. These studies reveal a diversity of phenotypic features in TS that could be explained by reduced cell proliferation. The implications of this hypothesis for our understanding of the TS phenotype and its pathogenesis are discussed. It is not surprising that 45,X monosomy leads to cellular growth pathway dysregulation with profound deleterious effects on both embryonic and later stages of development. The prolonged cell cycle could represent the beginning of the pathogenesis of TS, leading to a series of phenotypic consequences in embryonic/fetal, neonatal, pediatric, adolescence, and adulthood life.
Multi-Task Learning Framework for Stance Detection and Veracity Prediction

As more people rely on online media, it becomes more challenging to identify trustworthy information. As a result of this increased complexity, stance detection and rumour detection have gained prominence. Although both tasks are highly correlated and should be performed concurrently, most existing models train them independently. Additionally, while each target topic may contain numerous conflicting claims, previous work treated each claim independently, resulting in conflict claims wrongly assigned with the same truth label. Because some lengthy rumour posts cover a wide range of topics, determining the positions of the posts can be done with a variety of target topics. Existing models may take a biased position toward the correct target topic or the incorrect target topic, resulting in an incorrect determination of veracity. The purpose of this article is to address these problems by proposing a framework for stance detection and veracity prediction that takes into account source credibility and compares the strength of arguments in order to forecast the truth. Experiments are conducted using two well-known datasets: Emergent and RumourEval-2019. On the gold-standard datasets, the results demonstrate that the proposed framework outperforms other methods.
Reduction of chromites in methane-hydrogen mixtures-chromium sesquioxide

Abstract Chromium sesquioxide can be reduced to chromium metal or carbide by mixtures of hydrogen and methane. The mechanisms and conditions for these reactions have been determined using simulation of the effects of methane cracking by controlled addition of carbon. The work forms a basis for the investigation of reduction of chromite ores by coke-oven or natural gas. This reaction is of economic interest because the oxygen tends to be removed as carbon monoxide, thus retaining the reducing potential of the effluent gases. Kinetic data were collected from temperature programmed experiments to which a model, based upon the shrinking-core concept for gas-solid reactions, was found to be applicable. The solid-solid carbon-chromium oxide reduction is the sum of three chemical reactions and is catalyzed by hydrogen, although carbon monoxide diminishes the effect of this catalysis below 1200°C. Resume Le sesquioxide de chrome peut etre reduit a l'etat de metal chrome ou de carbure de chrome par les melanges hy.
Selection of suitable natural refrigerants pairs for cascade refrigeration system

This study presents thermodynamic analyses and optimization of a two-stage cascade system employing a choice of eight natural refrigerants leading to the most suitable refrigerants pair for wide ranges of operating temperatures; the optimal pair was based on best system performance (cooling coefficient of performance) as well as best volumetric cooling capacity (compressor compactness). Out of the 56 possible combinations of high temperature and low temperature fluids with eight natural refrigerants – namely, ammonia, carbon dioxide, propane, propylene, n-butane, isobutane, ethane, and ethylene – the primary selection has been done based on the criteria of normal boiling point and critical point of both low temperature and high temperature fluids following the guideline of the operating temperatures of a refrigerant to be within its critical point and normal boiling point. All the selections have been made based on an optimum intermediate temperature leading to maximum cooling coefficient of performance for an individual pair. Effect of compressor isentropic efficiency on optimization and selection has been studied as well. Two selection charts along with tables have been developed, one for the highest coefficient of performance and another for the highest volumetric capacity; these design tools are expected to offer useful guidelines to select the best refrigerant pair for specific ranges of condenser and evaporator temperatures.
Public awareness of common eye diseases in South India

Awareness of the common eye diseases helps in the prevention of blindness by early intervention. This study was conducted to assess the awareness of the common eye diseases, such as cataract, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma among the people in south India. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed to assess the awareness of the cataract, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma among the public in Chennai. The demographic details like age, gender and education were collected along with the awareness of the disease and questions regarding the disease were asked to the people who were aware of the disease. A total of 185 participants were included in the study, and it consistedof 108(58%)males and77(42%) females. The age groupparticipated in this study was 15-65 years, and 177 participants were literate. Awareness of cataract, diabetic retinopathyandglaucomawere (81%, 49%and34%respectively). The most familiar source of knowledge was friends, family and relatives. The awareness of cataract is better than compared to diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Hence, the awareness of these common eye diseases has to be improved more and current trend of improvement in the awareness has to continue through various awareness programs which helps in reducing the preventable blindness by early detection and treatment.
Effects of rootstocks and irrigation levels on grape quality of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Shiraz.

The influence of two rootstocks (SO4 and 1103P) on grape quality and berry chemical composition was studied in a factorial experiment, in field grown grapevines of cv. Shiraz (Vitis vinifera L.), subjected to five irrigation levels [0% (T1), 25% (T2), 50% (T3), 75% (T4) and 100% (T5) of irrigation depth (IW, mm): Class A pan evaporimeter (CPE)]. Spectrophotometric analyses of total anthocyanins (TA), total phenolics (TP) and total antioxidant activity (AA) in grape extracts were performed. Also, total soluble solids (TSS), total acidity, pH, total sugar content, ash, juice yield and color index of red grapes (CIRG) of berry samples were determined. TA, TP, AA, TSS, total sugar content, ash, and CIRG values decreased together with increasing irrigation levels. On the contrary, T4 and T5 irrigation treatments increased total acidity, pH and juice yield of samples compared to the effects of T1, T2 and T3 irrigation treatments for both rootstocks. Moreover, T1 or T2 treatments caused an increase in TA, TP, AA, TSS, total sugar content, ash, and CIRG index values of grape samples in comparison to that of vines irrigated with T3, T4 and T5 levels. Grape quality response to irrigation levels was altered by rootstocks and quality of grapes harvested from vines grafted on SO4 was higher compared to those from 1103P under all irrigation treatments. Based on the findings, it was suggested that T2 irrigation level might be sufficient to guarantee Shiraz yield potential without significant loss in grape quality under the study conditions. Also, the results make it possible to recommend use of SO4 rootstock under non-limiting water conditions because of its positive on grape quality parameters, while 1103P might be better choice under water-limiting conditions.
LASER APPLICATION IN AGRICULTURE AND ITS PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECT ON PLANT: A REVIEW

From the past century till now Laser applied in our society. Laser knows that is the light amplification by stimulated emission radiation. Laser rays are non-ionizing rays and exit from the outer orbits of the atom in straight line. Environmental and biological factors influential the effect of laser on plant. Many researches through their studies stated that the use of laser rays in controlled land leveling system which raise the use efficiency fertilizers, pesticide and environmental hazard, which led to save water, fertilizer and reduce agriculture cost. The application of laser is used as biostimulator in which when used on seeds and/or seedling with low intensity, where plants absorb light via their photoreceptor and control all development stages. In this concern Photochemical effect is a result of the direct interaction between laser photon and molecules. The leaf is considered the principles organ for both photosynthesis and transpiration and this affected by morphological and cell distribution, this characters important in influencing physiological processes. Thus laser treatments modified components of plant cell and affected differentiation, morphology, rooting and shooting behavior and those according to type of laser, source, and time exposure, thus, the proceeding finding indicated that, laser He-Ne irradiation had a positive effect on essential oil and its components in fennel plants, unsaturated and saturated fatty acids in Ricinus communis as well as anticancer alkaloid components (vinblastine and vincristine) in vinca plants.
Post-transcriptional control of HERG potassium channel protein by α -adrenergic receptor stimulation.

Stimulation of α 1-adrenoreceptors ( α 1-AR) acutely alters ion channel behavior via several signaling pathways (calcium and protein kinase C (PKC)). Little is known about sustained α 1-adrenergic/PKC signaling and channel regulation, as may occur during cardiovascular disease states. Here we describe effects of prolonged α 1A-AR and PKC activity on HERG K + channels (Kv11.1) expressed in a heterologous expression system. Stimulation of α 1A-AR with phenylephrine (PE), or direct activation of PKC with phorbol ester increased HERG channel protein abundance and K + current density in a time-and dose-dependent manner. Channel augmentation reached a steady-state plateau within 24 hours with a 2-6-fold induction. Phorbol ester and moderate α 1A-AR stimulation enhanced HERG abundance in a PKC-dependent fashion but with stronger α 1A-adrenergic stimulation PKA-dependent activity also contributed. Comparable channel induction of other cardiac K + channels was not seen in this system.
Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor-Induced TAF9 Modulates P53-TRIAP1-CASP3 Axis to Prevent Retinal Ganglion Cell Death after Optic Nerve Ischemia

BackgroundOptic nerve head (ONH) infarct can result in progressive retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death. Some evidences indicated that the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) provides positive effects against ischemic damage on RGCs. However, protective mechanisms of the GCSF after ONH infarct are complex and remain unclear. MethodsTo investigate the complex mechanisms, the transcriptome profiles of the GCSF-treated retinas were examined using microarray technology. The retinal mRNA samples on days 3 and 7 post rat anterior ischemic optic neuropathy model (rAION) were analyzed by microarray and bioinformatics analyses. To evaluate the TAF9 function in RGC apoptosis, GCSF plus TAF9 siRNA-treated rats were evaluated using retrograde labeling with FluoroGold assay, TUNEL assay, and Western blotting in a rAION.ResultsGCSF treatment influenced 3101 genes and 3332 genes on days 3 and 7 post rAION, respectively. ONH infarct led to changes in 702 and 179 genes on days 3 and 7 post rAION, respectively. After cluster analysis, the TATA box-binding protein (TBP)-associated factor levels were significantly reduced after ONH infarct but significantly increased after GCSF treatment. The network analysis revealed that TBP associated factor 9 (TAF9) can bind to TP53 to induce TP53 regulated inhibitor of apoptosis 1 (TRIAP1) expression. The RGC density in the GCSF plus TAF9 siRNA-treated group was 1.95-fold (central retina) and 1.75-fold (midperipheral retina) lower than that in the GCSF-treated group (p < 0.05). The number of apoptotic RGC in the GCSF plus TAF9 siRNA-treated group is threefold higher than that in the GCSF-treated group (p < 0.05). Treatment with TAF9 siRNA significantly reduced GCSF-induced TP53 and TRIAP1 expression by 2.4-fold and 4.7-fold, respectively, in the rAION model. Overexpression of TAF9 significantly reduced apoptotic RGC and CASP3 levels and induced TP53 and TRIAP1 expression in the rAION model. ConclusionOur in vivo study is the first to report that GCSF is able to induce TAF9 expression to control RGC death and survival after ON infarct. Besides, the binding of TAF9 and TP53 is crucial to inhibit TP53 degradation and to modulate TRIAP1-CASP3 axis. Thus, we considered that TAF9 is a potential drug for patient with NAION.
Tropospheric methane in the tropics – first year from IASI hyperspectral infrared observations

Abstract. Simultaneous observations from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) and from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), launched together onboard the European MetOp platform in October 2006, are used to retrieve a mid-to-upper tropospheric content of methane (CH4) in clear-sky conditions, in the tropics, over sea, for the first 16 months of operation of MetOp (July 2007–October 2008). With its high spectral resolution, IASI provides nine channels in the 7.7 μm band highly sensitive to CH4 with reduced sensitivities to other atmospheric variables. These channels, sensitive to both CH4 and temperature, are used in conjunction with AMSU channels, only sensitive to temperature, to decorrelate both signals through a non-linear inference scheme based on neural networks. A key point of this approach is that no use is made of prior information in terms of methane seasonality, trend, or geographical patterns. The precision of the retrieval is estimated to be about 16 ppbv (~0.9%). Features of the retrieved methane space-time distribution include: (1) a strong seasonal cycle of 30 ppbv in the northern tropics with a maximum in January–March and a minimum in July–September, and a flat seasonal cycle in the southern tropics, in agreement with in-situ measurements; (2) a latitudinal decrease of 30 ppbv from 20° N to 20° S, in boreal spring and summer, lower than what is observed at the surface but in excellent agreement with tropospheric aircraft measurements; (3) geographical patterns in good agreement with simulations from the atmospheric transport and chemistry model MOZART-2, but with a higher variability and a higher concentration in boreal winter; (4) signatures of CH4 emissions transported to the middle troposphere such as a large plume of elevated tropospheric methane south of the Asian continent, which might be due to Asian emissions from rice paddies uplifted by deep convection during the monsoon period and then transported towards Indonesia. In addition to bringing a greatly improved view of methane distribution, these results from IASI should provide a means to observe and understand atmospheric transport pathways of methane from the surface to the upper troposphere.
Assessing the outdoor operating temperature of photovoltaic modules

By a careful study of data collected from seven varieties of photovoltaic (PV) module it is demonstrated that a simple modified form of the Hottel–Whillier–Bliss (HWB) equation, familiar from the analysis of flat‐plate solar–thermal collectors, can be employed to predict module temperatures within an accuracy comparable to the cell‐to‐cell temperature differences typically encountered within a module. Furthermore, for modules within the range of construction parameters employed in this study, the actual values of the two modified HWB constants do not appear to depend upon module type. The implication of these results for the accuracy of outdoor module characterization is discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Trends in Consumption of Quinolones in Chinese Healthcare Institutions: Results of National Procurement Data Analysis (2015–2018)

BackgroundThere is widespread use of quinolones to treat various infectious diseases due to their broad-spectrum nature and optimal pharmacokinetic characteristics. Nevertheless, the risk of bacterial resistance has also amplified as a consequence of their judicial use in hospitals and the community. The current study investigated the consumption and expenditure of quinolone antibiotics during 2015–2018 in various health settings in China.MethodsWe used the China Drug Supply Information Platform (CDSIP) to analyze the drug procurement data of national healthcare institutions, focusing on determining the trend and pattern of quinolone consumption. The standard Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC)/Defined daily dose (DDD) methodology was opted to quantify antibiotic usage.ResultsA slight decrease in J01M antibiotics consumption (25.7% to 23.5%) was observed over four years (2015–2018). The use of quinolones was significantly higher in rural primary health centers (53.9%) and tertiary hospitals (22.1%). In 2017, levofloxacin (61.4%) was the most commonly consumed quinolone, followed by norfloxacin (27.1%) and moxifloxacin (4.1%). The total spending on J01M antibiotics gradually increased from 21.4% in 2015 to 27.9% in 2018. ConclusionsFrom 2015 to 2018, the general use of J01M antibiotics decreased marginally, but the use of the paternal type of J01M and its expenditure is continuously growing. There is a need to enforce stringent antibiotic management programs to restrict the irrational use of antibiotics.