Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A discontinuous Galerkin method for numerical pricing of European options under Heston stochastic volatility

The paper is based on the results from our recent research on multidimensional option pricing problems. We focus on European option valuation when the price movement of the underlying asset is driven by a stochastic volatility following a square root process proposed by Heston. The stochastic approach incorporates a new additional spatial variable into this model and makes it very robust, i.e. it provides a framework to price a variety of options that is closer to reality. The main topic is to present the numerical scheme arising from the concept of discontinuous Galerkin methods and applicable to the Heston option pricing model. The numerical results are presented on artificial benchmarks as well as on reference market data.
Robust MISO Beamforming Under the Deterministic Model in Two-Tier Heterogeneous Networks

Heterogeneous networks are a promising technology in fifth generation (5G) wireless networks, which has been shown to significantly increase the capacity and coverage compared with the conventional wireless networks. In this paper, we consider the robust multiple-input single-output beamforming design in a two-tier heterogeneous network. By considering the worst case deterministic model, our objective is to maximize the worst case signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio in a small cell base station while guaranteeing that its interference to a macro cell user equipment is less than a threshold. Although interesting and attractive, such a problem is non-convex and also essentially involves an infinite number of constraints. Nevertheless, we first transform the problem into an equivalent one which is more tractable and then propose an efficient algorithm to obtain a near optimal solution. Furthermore, we also develop two algorithms that provide an upper bound and a lower bound of the original problem, respectively. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.
The worst injury predicts mortality outcome the best: rethinking the role of multiple injuries in trauma outcome scoring.

BACKGROUND The prediction of outcome after injury must incorporate measures of injury severity, but there is no consensus on how many injuries should be used in calculating these measures. Initially, the single worst injury was used to predict outcome, but the introduction of the Injury Severity Score allowed up to three injuries to contribute to outcome prediction. Subsequently, other outcome prediction approaches used many (New Injury Severity Score [NISS]) or all (ICISS and Trauma Registry Abbreviated Injury Scale Score [TRAIS], which use International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision [ICD-9] and Abbreviated Injury Scale [AIS] survival risk ratios [SRRs], respectively) of a patient's injuries. The ability of only the most severe injury in predicting mortality has never been studied. Our objective was to determine the ability of a patient's worst injury to predict mortality. METHODS A 10-fold cross-validation design was used to compute six scores for each of 160,208 patients from a large trauma database (the National Trauma Data Bank [NTDB]). The scores were ICISS, TRAIS, ICISS1 (only a patient's worst ICD-9 SRR), TRAIS1 (only a patient's worst AIS SRR), NISS (sum of squares of worst three AIS severity measures), and MAXAIS (worst AIS severity measure). Discrimination was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Logistic regression R2 gauged the proportion of variance each score explained. The Akaike information criterion, a deviance statistic (lower is better), assessed model fit. RESULTS The receiver operating characteristic curve, R2, and Akaike information criterion statistics (NC_ICISS and NC_ICDSRR1 represents scores derived from the original North Carolina Hospital Discharge Database SRRs) are summarized in tabular form in the Results section. CONCLUSION Regardless of scoring type (ICD/AIS SRRs or AIS severity), a patient's worst injury discriminates survival better, fits better, and explains more variance than currently used multiple injury scores.
Growth Options and Related Stock Market Anomalies: Profitability, Distress, Lotteryness, and Volatility

We provide new evidence on the economic role of growth options behind the profitability, distress, lotteryness, and volatility anomalies. We use idiosyncratic skewness to measure growth options and estimate expected idiosyncratic skewness capturing investors’ expectations about the firm’s mix of growth options versus assets-in-place. We find that investors require a positive premium to hold stocks of inflexible firms with low growth options and negative expected skewness and that a newly proposed skewness factor based on growth options explains the aforementioned anomalies. Thus, the new measure of expected idiosyncratic skewness may serve to reduce the number of anomalies in the literature.
Obstacle detection for low flying UAS using monocular camera

This paper describes an obstacle detection algorithm for low flying unmanned aircraft system (UAS) using an inertial aided inverse depth Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) framework. The EKF framework fuses inertial measurements with monocular image sensor measurements to estimate the positions of a number of landmarks as well as the position and orientation of the UAS. A high resolution sparse terrain elevation map and UAS trajectory can then be computed from the filter state vector. An inverse depth parameterization is used to describe the position of the landmarks so that features at all ranges can be tracked by the filter. A test flight was conducted to test the algorithm in a realistic scenario. The result shows that the algorithm produces accurate terrain elevation model, and is capable of generating accurate high resolution terrain elevation map when image sensor with high resolution and dynamic range is used.
Flicker Attenuation—Part I: Response of Three-Phase Induction Motors to Regular Voltage Fluctuations

Voltage fluctuations leading to lamp flicker that originate in one place in a power system tend to propagate to other parts of the network with some level of attenuation depending on the network impedances and the loads connected. Numerous subsynchronous-type frequency components exist in these voltage fluctuations that are responsible for lamp flicker. The rudimentary theory and the experimental measurements support the idea that industrial load bases, which contain a large percentage of mains-connected induction motors, tend to attenuate flicker better compared to residential load bases having mainly passive loads. This paper reports on the response of three-phase induction motors of several sizes when subjected to low-frequency voltage fluctuations: 1) the case where a balanced single-frequency component is superimposed on the mains voltage and 2) the case where the mains voltage is sinusoidally amplitude modulated, a scheme that is frequently used in the flicker-related work. Small-signal models are presented that will enable systematic understanding of the behavior which is verified using large signal models.
What Ethics? An Integrative Economic Ethics Approach to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

The paper proposes an integrative economic ethics framework for corporate social responsibility (CSR) theory and practice. I draw on Carroll’s CSR framework as my base point: All of Carroll’s four domains of CSR – of economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities of the firm – are ‘economized’: They are reconceptualized through economic theory that grounds itself in and continues Smithsonian economics. Significantly, this economic reconstruction is ethically argued for through the concept of ‘economics as ethics’. An integrative economic ethics approach to CSR results that satisfies capability and viability requirements for CSR programs. On this basis, the paper discounts hypocrisy accusations against instrumental CSR economics. Implications are spelled out for empirical research on the much debated link between CSR and corporate financial performance (CFP, or ‘profitability’).
GaN-Based Resonant-Cavity Light-Emitting Diodes With Top and Bottom Dielectric Distributed Bragg Reflectors

Dielectric distributed Bragg reflectors (DDBRs) were employed as the top and bottom mirrors to form a Fabry-Pérot resonator of GaN-based resonant-cavity light-emitting diodes. The DDBR consisting of TiO2 and SiO2 dielectric pairs was deposited using an electron-beam deposition system with optical monitoring system to obtain high reflection precisely at blue light wavelength. The pairs of top and bottom reflectors were 9 and 10 that represent high reflection of 93.2% and 95% at a blue wavelength of 448 nm, respectively. An increase of 245% of light output intensity and a decrease of 10 nm of the full-width at half-maximum of the light output intensity were attributed to the resonance effect caused by the top and bottom DDBRs.
Sexual conflict and cooperation in butterfly reproduction: a comparative study of polyandry and female fitness

Most butterfly species can be characterized as capital breeders, meaning that reproductive output is strongly coupled to the amount of resources they have procured during the larval stage. Accordingly, female fecundity is generally correlated with female mass, both within and across species. However, the females of some species can be partly characterized as income breeders, in the sense that their reproductive output is dependent not only on larval–derived capital but also on resources acquired during the adult stage. These adult resources can be derived from female feeding or from male–transferred nuptial gifts. Recent studies on the within–species effects of multiple matings on female fitness show that females generally gain directly from multiple matings in terms of increased lifetime offspring production. Here, we test whether the positive effects of multiple mating on female fitness also hold at a comparative level, by conducting a laboratory study of female reproductive output in eight pierid species that differ in life–time female mating frequency. Female reproductive output, measured as cumulative egg mass divided by female mass, increased significantly with polyandry (r=0.942, p < 0.001), demonstrating that the positive effect of mating rate on female reproductive fitness also holds between species. The positive effect of male nutrient contribution is substantial, and the per capita reproductive output is more than twice as high in the most polyandrous species as in the most monandrous ones. Hence, the positive net effect of the ejaculates is highly substantial, although males and females can have sexual interests that run counter to each other, setting the stage for sexually antagonistic coevolution, so that the various component parts of the male ejaculate—sperm, nutrients, anti–aphrodisiacs, and gonadotrophic hormones—may each correspond to a separate conflict–cooperation balance between the sexes. Two scenarios for the evolution of nuptial gifts in butterflies are discussed, one arguing that variation in larval food is the underlying factor and the other arguing that sexually antagonistic coevolution is the driving force. The two views are complementary rather than mutually exclusive, although the former hypothesis predicts that variation in female mating rate depends on variation in larval food availability, whereas the latter suggests that variation in female mating rate between species results from species–specific idiosyncrasies.
Blind source separation of multiple signal sources of fMRI data sets using independent component analysis.

PURPOSE The objective of this study was to separate multiple signal components present in functional MRI (fMRI) data sets. Blind source separation techniques were applied to the analysis of fMRI data to determine multiple physiologically relevant independent signal sources. METHOD Computer simulations were performed to test the reliability and robustness of the independent component analysis (ICA). Four subjects (3 males and 1 female between 14 and 29 years old) were scanned under various stimulus conditions: (1) rest while breathing room air, (2) bilateral finger tapping while breathing room air, and (3) hypercapnia during bilateral finger tapping. RESULTS Simulations performed on synthetic data sets demonstrated that not only could the algorithm reliably detect the shapes of each of the source signals, but it also preserved their relative amplitudes. The algorithm also performed robustly in the presence of noise. With use of fMRI time series data sets from bilateral finger tapping during hypercapnia, distinct physiologically relevant independent sources were reliably estimated. One independent component corresponded to the hypercapnic cerebrovascular response, and another independent component corresponded to cortical activation from bilateral finger tapping. In three of the four subjects, the underlying fluctuations in signal related to baseline respiratory rate were identified in the third independent component. Principal component analysis (PCA) could not separate these two independent physiological components. CONCLUSION With use of ICA, signals originating from independent sources could be separated from a linear mixture of observed data. Limitations of PCA were also demonstrated.
HLA ‐ DQA1*05‐DQB 1*0201 positivity predisposes to coeliac disease in Czech diabetic children

The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of coeliac disease (CD) in Czech children with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), and to determine the contribution of HLA‐DQA1 and DQB1 to CD susceptibility among diabetic children. We screened 345 children with IDDM (186 boys and 159 girls, aged 0 to 18 y) for coeliac disease using the IgA endomysial antibodies (EMA) test. In all EMA‐positive children, small bowel biopsy was performed to confirm CD. To determine the role of the HLA‐DQA1*05‐DQB1*0201 (DQ2) and the DQA1*03‐DQB 1*0302 (DQ8) molecules in CD susceptibility among diabetic children, the HLA‐DQA1‐DQB1 was genotyped in all EMA‐positive, and in 186 of EMA‐negative diabetic patients. EMA positivity was found in 15/345 (4.3%) diabetic children. The diagnosis of CD was established in 14/345 (4.1%) children based on a bioptic finding of villous atrophy, while the remaining EMA‐positive patient had a normal bioptic finding, being diagnosed as a potential CD. The HLA DQA1*05‐DQB1*0201 (DQ2) molecule conferred a significant risk of CD among diabetic children (odds ratio = 4.1, CI 95% 1.1–15), being found more frequently in diabetic children with CD (80%) than in diabetic children without CD (49%).
Radar Sensor Signal Acquisition and Multidimensional FFT Processing for Surveillance Applications in Transport Systems

The design and test of a radio detection and ranging (Radar) sensor signal acquisition and processing platform is presented in this paper. The Radar sensor operates in real time and is suited for surveillance applications in transport systems. It includes a front-end with a continuous-wave frequency-modulated transceiver operating in X-band, with a single transmitter and multiple receivers, and a multichannel high-speed A/D converter. Sensor signal processing and data communication tasks with external hosts are managed by a field-programmable gate array. The signal processing chain includes region of interest selection, multidimensional fast Fourier transform, peak detection, alarm decision logic, data calibration, and diagnostic. By configuring the Radar sensing platform in low-power mode (7-dBm transmitted power), it is possible to detect still and moving targets with a covered range up to 300-m and 30-cm resolution. The measuring range can be increased up to 2 km by adding an extra 34.5-dBm power amplifier. The Radar sensing platform can be configured for a maximum detected speed of 200 km/h, with a resolution of 1.56 km/h, or a speed up to 50 km/h with a resolution of 0.4 km/h. The cross-range resolution depends on the number of receiving channels; a tradeoff can be found between cross-range resolution of the Radar sensor and its complexity and power consumption. With respect to the state of the art of surveillance Radar sensors and light detection and ranging, the proposed solution stands for its high configurability and for the better tradeoff that can be found in terms of covered distance and power consumption.
The interplay of cell–cell and cell–substrate adhesion in collective cell migration

Collective cell migration often involves notable cell–cell and cell–substrate adhesions and highly coordinated motion of touching cells. We focus on the interplay between cell–substrate adhesion and cell–cell adhesion. We show that the loss of cell-surface contact does not significantly alter the dynamic pattern of protrusions and retractions of fast migrating amoeboid cells (Dictyostelium discoideum), but significantly changes their ability to adhere to other cells. Analysis of the dynamics of cell shapes reveals that cells that are adherent to a surface may coordinate their motion with neighbouring cells through protrusion waves that travel across cell–cell contacts. However, while shape waves exist if cells are detached from surfaces, they do not couple cell to cell. In addition, our investigation of actin polymerization indicates that loss of cell-surface adhesion changes actin polymerization at cell–cell contacts. To further investigate cell–cell/cell–substrate interactions, we used optical micromanipulation to form cell–substrate contact at controlled locations. We find that both cell-shape dynamics and cytoskeletal activity respond rapidly to the formation of cell–substrate contact.
Muscle mass and peripheral fatigue: a potential role for afferent feedback?

The voluntary termination of exercise has been hypothesized to occur at a sensory tolerance limit, which is affected by feedback from group III and IV muscle afferents, and is associated with a specific level of peripheral quadriceps fatigue during whole body cycling. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to reduce the amount of muscle mass engaged during dynamic leg exercise to constrain the source of muscle afferent feedback to the central nervous system (CNS) and examine the effect on peripheral quadriceps fatigue.
TRACING THE ROLE OF FORESIGHT IN THE EFFECTS OF U.S. TAX POLICY: EVIDENCE FROM A TIME-VARYING STRUCTURAL VECTOR AUTOREGRESSION

Recent empirical research stresses the importance of foresight in tax policy analyses, because failing to model foresight adequately leads to two types of biases: a bias that relates to a mismatch of information sets in the presence of foresight, and one that arises when time variation in foresight is ignored. This paper incorporates tax foresight into a framework of time-varying structural vector autoregression models with stochastic volatility to account for both types of biases. This reveals the effects of changing degrees of tax foresight on U.S. tax policy. Two findings stand out: First, anticipated and unanticipated tax shocks show considerable time variations, suggesting that some tax reforms were more anticipated than others. Second, the time-varying bias reveals that tax foresight was higher during the 1980s and 1990s than during the 1960s and 1970s. The results compare well with the literature and find support in documented U.S. tax episodes.
How do ‘busy’ and ‘overlap’ directors relate to CEO pay structure and incentives?

We examine how CEO compensation is affected by the presence of busy and overlap directors. We find that CEOs at firms with more busy directors receive greater total pay, fixed salary and equity-linked pay and exhibit higher pay-performance (delta) and pay-risk (vega) sensitivities. Our results also suggest that CEOs at firms with more overlap directors take smaller total pay and equity-linked pay and reveal lower delta and vega. We further show that the impact of busy and overlap directors on CEO pay is more visible for firms with less complexity and low information acquisition cost.
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The Public-Private Mix in National and International Development

Abstract Social welfare is a complex, multi-dimensional, field of practice that seeks to promote the well-being of people everywhere. But national responses to social welfare differ dramatically from one society to the next and, often, valid comparisons between different nations and systems of social welfare are difficult to undertake. This paper addresses that issue by introducing an innovative approach to welfare policy analysis using a Private-Public Development Mix (PPDM) model. The PPDM draws on all four of social welfare’s core institutions—the State, the family & household, the Market, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)—as well as four sets of social challenges for which national and international policy responses are needed. The utility of the model is demonstrated through analyses of public-private responses to poverty alleviation efforts in the United States and to advancing compulsory primary and middle school education among rural children living in two of China’s poorest regions.
The Physical Activity and Physiological Profiles of Elite International Female Field Hockey Players Across the Quarters of Competitive Match-Play.

The aim of the current investigation was to quantify the physical and physiological demands of elite international female field hockey across the quarters of match-play. Twenty-seven elite International female field hockey outfield players (23 ± 3 years; 162.6 ± 13.0 cm; 66.0 ± 6.0 kg) participated in the current observational study during the 2016-2017 season. Participants were monitored with GPS technology and HR monitors. Players were categorised based on three different playing positions. Activity was categorized into total distance (m), relative total distance (RTD), low, moderate and high intensity distance (m), max velocity (km⋅h), and percentage maximal velocity (%). Physiological demands were quantified via players HRPeak which was classified based on the player's individual HRmax determined via a Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 1 test. Players spent on average 38 ± 8 min in match play. The total distance covered was 4847 ± 583 m (127.6 ± 15.6 m·min). Defenders covered a greater total distance across all three positions (p = ≤ 0.05). The midfielders covered a greater moderate intensity distance (p ≤0.001) while the forwards covered more high-intensity distance (p ≤0.001). The HRpeak of the players was 198 ± 4 b·min with a mean exercise intensity of 95 ± 1 % HRmax. The time spent > 70 % HRmax decreased significantly across the quarters (p = 0.01, η2 = 0.03). Defenders were found to spend more time >85 % HRmax when compared to other positions (p ≤0.001, η = 0.28). The current study provides normative data that coaches should consider when developing training drills to better optimize the positional physical and physiological activity profiles that best replicate match-play.
Relevance of N‐nitrosamines to esophageal cancer in China

Studies on the relevance of the N‐nitrosamines to esophageal cancer in China are reviewed. Esophageal cancer is a complex and multifactorial problem. Although a causal association between nitrosamines exposure and esophageal cancer in China has not yet been rigorously established, exposure of Lin‐Xian subjects to nitrosamines either directly or as a result of their in vivo formation has been detected in our study.