Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Holding Period Return-Risk Modeling: Ambiguity in Estimation

In this paper we explore the theoretical and empirical problems of estimating average (excess) return and risk of US equities over various holding periods and sample periods. Our findings are relevant for performance evaluation, for estimating the historical equity risk premium, and for investment simulation. Using a unique set of US equity data series, comprising monthly prices and dividends based on consistent definitions over the 132 year period 1871-2002, we investigate the complex effect of temporal return aggregation and sample estimation error. Our major finding is that holding period risk and return statistics show an extraordinary sensitivity to the choice of the starting point in calendar time. For example, over the period 1926-2002 there is a difference of almost 140 basis points between the average annual total return starting in January compared to starting in July, and a difference of almost 7 (! ) percentage points in estimated annual volatility. This is yet another way in which stock price seasonality manifests itself, but this ambiguity in the underlying estimation process seems completely neglected in the current literature.
External impedance and admittance of buried horizontal wires for transient studies using transmission line analysis

The paper investigates the applicability of some closed form expressions for the ground impedance and ground admittance of buried horizontal wires (bare and insulated) for lightning or switching transient analyses based on transmission line (TL) theory. In view of the frequency contents that typically characterize such transients, the behavior of the ground impedance and admittance is studied for a wide frequency range up to 10 MHz. Low frequency approximation of the ground impedance is not always appropriate for transient analysis. Sensitivity analyses show that, unlike overhead wires, the ground impedance for buried wires is little sensitive to the ground conductivity. On the other hand, the ground admittance varies strongly with the ground conductivity. The paper also discusses the results of transient analysis of buried cables performed by means of electromagnetic transient programs (EMTP) that neglect the ground admittance. The limits of such an approximation are discussed in order to evaluate the applicability of EMTP-like programs to the transient analysis of buried conductors. Transient pulse propagation in time domain based on finite difference time domain (FDTD) method of solution of TL equations is also discussed for a future inclusion of non-linear phenomena, like soil ionization and arcing/breakdown mechanisms, in the soil. The analysis presented could be useful in estimating surge propagation characteristics of buried wires for appropriate insulation coordination and transient protection.
The Competitive Effects of Trust-Busting: A Portfolio Analysis

Monthly stock prices are used to analyze the competitive effects of the Sherman Act dissolutions carried out against Standard Oil, American Tobacco, and American Snuff on December 1, 1911. Statistical tests of the price changes accompanying important developments in the litigation show rather strongly that investors did not expect dissolution to alter the performance of the snuff, tobacco, and petroleum industries. This conclusion is similar to the findings of previous studies of these cases, and the results indicate that applications of stock prices and finance theory can significantly augment the empirical research methods of industrial organization.
Long-term monitoring of sleep apnea at home in heart failure patients: preliminary results from the HHH study

Sleep apnea is very common in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and has important implications in terms of morbidity, mortality and clinical management. Home respiratory telemonitoring might constitute a potential low-cost, widely-applicable alternative to traditional polysomnography in the evaluation and long-term monitoring of breathing disorders in these patients. In this paper we briefly describe the technological infrastructure and present preliminary results of the European Community multicountry trial HHH (Home or Hospital in Heart Failure), which is currently testing a novel system for home telemonitoring of cardiorespiratory signals in CHF patients. The recording and transmitting devices are suitable to be self-managed by the patient. We give a detailed report on the prevalence of nocturnal respiratory disorders at the beginning of the one-year follow-up and on their persistency over the following recordings (one per month). These preliminary findings clearly indicate that intermittent home telemonitoring of respiratory signals based on patient's self-management is feasible in CHF patients and the compliance is high. Reported statistics unambiguously confirm the high prevalence of nocturnal breathing disorders in these patients and clearly show that this phenomenon tends to persist over time.
Primate phylogeny: morphological vs. molecular results.

Our comparative study of morphological (our data on selected living primates) and molecular characters (from the literature) confirms that, overall, phylogenetic reconstructions of Primates, and consequently their classifications, are more similar than dissimilar. When data from fossil Primates are incorporated, there may be several possible relationships among living Primates; the difference between most of them hinges mainly on the position of Tarsius. In one hypothesis, tarsiers are closely related to lemurs and lorises, and thus Primates is divided into Prosimii [lorises, lemurs, and tarsiers] and Anthropoidea [Platyrrhini and Catarrhini, i.e., monkeys, apes, and humans]. Two additional alternatives are that Tarsius is a sister group to the clade embracing lorises + lemurs and Anthropoidea and that in which all three lineages (Tarsius, lorises + lemurs, and Anthropoidea) form a polychotomy. In another hypothesis, tarsiers are closely related to anthropoids, giving these two branches: Strepsirhini [lemurs, lorises] and Haplorhini [tarsiers and Anthropoidea (Platyrrhini, the New World monkeys, and Catarrhini, Old World monkeys and Hominoidea)]. The first three alternatives gain some support from the fossil record, and the fourth from morphology of the living Tarsius and molecular data. It is emphasized that the morphological characters employed in this study for Tarsius are based on the only surviving genus of once-diverse tarsiiform primates known from the Eocene, and, although considered a "living fossil," it cannot represent all of them. Furthermore, Tarsius embodies derived features of its own which may affect its systematic position, but not necessarily the position of Tarsiiformes. Although the early Tertiary adapoids might have more nearly resembled anthropoids in their biochemistry and placental developments, this hypothesis is not testable from fossils, and any inferred relationships here must be based on characters of skeletal anatomy. Alternatively, anthropoids may be derived from certain omomyids or from some as yet undiscovered Eocene African taxon. Close relationships among Homo, Pan, and Gorilla have been confirmed during recent decades; Pongo is the sister group to this trichotomy. With increasing molecular data, Homo and Pan appear to be closer to each other than to any other living hominid taxon. Gorilla is a sister group to the Homo-Pan clade and Pongo is a sister group to all of them. Morphologists have given limited evidence for such a dichotomous grouping. In this study, we support the Homo-Pan clade, although with characters not as strong as for other clades.
Global Gene Expression Profiles of the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803 in Response to Irradiation with UV-B and White Light

ABSTRACT We developed a transcript profiling methodology to elucidate expression patterns of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 and used the technology to investigate changes in gene expression caused by irradiation with either intermediate-wavelength UV light (UV-B) or high-intensity white light. Several families of transcripts were altered by UV-B treatment, including mRNAs specifying proteins involved in light harvesting, photosynthesis, photoprotection, and the heat shock response. In addition, UV-B light induced the stringent response in Synechocystis, as indicated by the repression of ribosomal protein transcripts and other mRNAs involved in translation. High-intensity white light- and UV-B-mediated expression profiles overlapped in the down-regulation of photosynthesis genes and induction of heat shock response but differed in several other transcriptional processes including those specifying carbon dioxide uptake and fixation, the stringent response, and the induction profile of the high-light-inducible proteins. These two profile comparisons not only corroborated known physiological changes but also suggested coordinated regulation of many pathways, including synchronized induction of D1 protein recycling and a coupling between decreased phycobilisome biosynthesis and increased phycobilisome degradation. Overall, the gene expression profile analysis generated new insights into the integrated network of genes that adapts rapidly to different wavelengths and intensities of light.
Romantic rhetoric, revisionist reality: the effectiveness of regulation in maritime education and training

Abstract This article offers an insight into the regulation and conduct of training and education in a globalised industry, and across an international labour market. Focusing on the cargo shipping sector of the maritime industry, it considers the provision of training and education for modern merchant officers within the context of an international regulatory framework. The article is based on an international, year-long, small-scale study funded by the British Academy (Ref: LRG33549).
Occurrence of hepatitis E virus IgM, low avidity IgG serum antibodies, and viremia in sporadic cases of non‐A, ‐B, and ‐C acute hepatitis

Serum samples were taken from 57 patients with sporadic non‐A, ‐B, and ‐C (Non A, B, C) acute hepatitis at different times after onset of the disease and tested for the presence of the hepatitis E virus (HEV) RNA, IgM, and low avidity IgG antibodies. The viral antibodies were detected using two ELISA. One assay (GL) was produced using a mixture of recombinant peptides specified by ORF2 and ORF3 of the viral genome. The other was produced with an ORF2 specified peptide, pE2. The latter occurs naturally as homodimer, it is recognized strongly in its dimeric form by human sera and, in the primate model, it confers protection against experimental HEV infection. Nineteen samples were positive for one or more of these acute markers of HEV infection, 14 of which were acute sera with elevated ALT levels and 5 were convalescent sera with normal ALT level. The results showed that icteric phase of sporadic hepatitis lasts for about 17 days and it coincides with a period when viremia is subsiding as HEV antibodies are developing. Viremia was intermittent and all but one of the 5 instances were confined to the icteric phase with elevated ALT levels. On two of these occasions, viremia preceded detection of HEV antibody, on another 2 occasions it was concurrent with the detection of pE2 specific IgM and/or low avidity IgG and only in one case of protracted viremia was the viral genome detected concurrently with avid pE2 IgG antibody. Ten (71%) of the 14 acute sera were reactive for pE2 IgM, eight (57%) were reactive for low avidity pE2 IgG, and six (43%) for the GL IgM. The sensitivity for the diagnosis of acute hepatitis E may be increased to 87% by combining pE2 IgM and viremia. GL IgM was detected later, but persisted for a longer period of time than the pE2 antibodies, and it was the only acute antibody detected in the convalescent sera. J. Med. Virol. 66:40–48, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Variation of prolactin and β-Lactoglobulin genes in the Indonesian FH Cattle

Prolactin is a polypeptide hormone, encoded by the prolactin (PRL) gene, synthesized and secreted by anterior pituitary, and affecting milk yield and composition. β-Lactoglobulin (BLG) is the major whey proteinin the milk of ruminants. This study was conducted to identify the PRL and LGB genes polymorphism in the Indonesian FH cattle. A total of 139 individual cattle blood samples from West Java were used to obtain DNA samples through the DNA extraction process. Identification of the PRL and LGB genes was performed using PCR-RFLP method with RsaI (PRL gene) and HaeIII (BLG gene) restriction enzymes. The PRL gene was amplified using forward primer 5’-ccaaatccactgaattatgctt-3’ and reverse primer 5’-acagaaatcacctctctcattca-3’. The BLG gene was amplified using forward primer 5’-tgtgctggacaccgactacaaaaag-3’ and reverse primer 5’-gctcccggtatatgaccaccctct-3’. The PRL and BLG genes in the Indonesia FH cattle were polymorphic based on the PCR-RFLP analysis but the heterozygosity value was low. There were two alleles (G and A) and three genotypes (GG, GA, and AA) identified in the PRL gene of the Indonesian FH cattle with genotype frequencies were 0.914, 0.079, and 0,007 for GG, GA, and AA genotypes respectively. There were two genotypes (CC and CG) identified in the BLG gene with genotype frequencies were 0.91 (CC), and 0.09 (CG). Information about the PRL and BLG genes polymorphism in this study can be considered for further study to analyse its association with milk yield trait.
Effects of short-term early gestational exposure to endophyte-infected tall fescue diets on plasma 3 , 4-dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid and fetal development in mares 1 , 2

Consumption of wild-type (toxic) endophyte-infected tall fescue (E+) by horses during late gestation is known to adversely affect pregnancy outcome; however, little is known of the potential disruptive consequences of E+ consumption by mares during the critical phases of placentation and fetal development in early pregnancy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the detrimental effects of feeding E+ to mares during early gestation. Mares (n = 12) paired by stage of gestation (d 65 to 100) were assigned to diets (six per diet) consisting of endophyte-free (E−) or E+ tall fescue seed (50% E− or E+ tall fescue seed, 45% sweet feed, and 10% molasses fed at 1.0% of BW/d). Mares also had ad libitum access to E+ or E− annual ryegrass hay, and were fed diets for 10 d. Following removal from the tall fescue diet on d 11, mares were placed on common bermudagrass pasture and monitored until d 21. Morning and evening rectal temperatures were recorded and daily blood samples were collected for progesterone and prolactin (PRL) analyses, whereas samples for 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid (a catecholamine metabolite) analysis were collected on alternate days. For clinical chemistry analysis, blood samples were collected on d 0, 5, 10 and 21. Daily urine
The effect of residual water on antacid properties of sucralfate gel dried by microwaves

The aim of this work was to study the acid neutralization characteristics of microwave-dried sucralfate gel in relation to the water content and physical structure of the substance. Several dried sucralfate gels were compared with humid sucralfate gel and sucralfate nongel powder in terms of neutralization rate and buffering capacity. Humid sucralfate gel and microwave-dried gel exhibited antacid effectiveness. In particular, the neutralization rate of dried gel powders was inversely related to the water content: as the water content of dried powders decreased, the acid reaction rate linearly increased. The relationship was due to the different morphology of dried sucralfate gels. In fact, the porosity of the dried samples increased with the water reduction. However, the acid neutralization equivalent revealed that the dried sucralfate gel became more resistant to acid attack in the case of water content below 42%. Then, the microwave drying procedure had the opposite effect on the reactivity of the aluminum hydroxide component of dried sucralfate gel powders, since the rate of the reaction increased whereas the buffering capacity decreased as the amount of water was reduced.
Histogram based fall prediction of patients using a thermal imagery camera

This paper proposes a monitoring system to prevent falls from a bed. The position of patient on the bed is categorized as stable and unstable. The system has defined the unstable condition as the situation where a patient is lying on the edge of the bed. The patient was then observed using a thermal imagery camera. We extracted x-, and y-axis histograms that can be used as a feature, using this camera. We used the SVM (Support Vector Machine) to decide an optimal decision boundary and achieved an accuracy of 99.70%.
High-mobility strained SiGe-on-insulator pMOSFETs with Ge-rich surface channels fabricated by local condensation technique

A new approach to form strained SiGe-on-insulator (SGOI) channel transistors, allowing fabrication of MOSFETs with very high Ge fraction in selected areas on a silicon-on-insulator substrate, is demonstrated. This method consists of epitaxial growth of an SiGe layer with a low Ge fraction and local oxidation processes. An obtained SGOI pMOSFET with a Ge fraction of 0.93 exhibits up to a tenfold enhancement in mobility. It is also found that MOSFETs having strained SGOI channels with thicknesses of less than 5 nm exhibit hole-mobility enhancement factors of over two. These results indicate that the local SGOI channels fabricated by the proposed technique are promising for implementation of high-mobility SiGe or Ge-channel MOSFETs in system-on-chip (SoC) devices.
Organizational economics: applications to metropolitan governance

Abstract: This comment relates to Richard Posner (2010), the lead article for this issue. Posner applies ‘the principles of organization economics’ to the study of diverse types of organizations. His study comparing the FBI to other types of police organization is important and compatible with the study of urban policing in American metropolitan areas. Many policy prescriptions are based on an inadequate understanding of the diversity of urban public good production functions and a lumping together of every type of police service. A brief review of research related to the concept of polycentricity as related to urban services in metropolitan areas is provided as a way of further illustrating Posner's concern that finer distinctions need to be made in the way scholars analyze organizational economics.
Food Prices and Energy Density as Barriers to Healthy Food Patterns in Cape Town, South Africa

We recorded the cost of food in supermarkets in 3 communities in Cape Town, South Africa, each populated by a different ethnic group with widely differing levels of income. We calculated the cost of dietary energy costs (CDE) for each food item as Rand per 4.18 MJ (1000 kcal) and energy density (ED) as kJ per 100 g. Many foods that provide energy at a low CDE also have a high ED (eg, cookies [biscuits] and peanut butter). However, there are many foods available that have both a low CDE and a low ED (eg, oats and beans). Several foods with a low ED have a very high CDE (eg, cucumber and hake). Dietary costs pressure low-income people to consume energy-dense, nutritionally inferior diets.
Determinants of the disclosure level of the Pillar 3 recommendations of the Basel II Accord in the financial statements of Brazilian Financial Institutions

The objective of this article is to identify the determinants of the disclosure level of the information recommended by Pillar 3 of the Basel II Accord for the 100 largest banking institutions active in Brazil. For this purpose, we first analyze the disclosure level of each institution and then seek the determinants of this disclosure level. We start from five hypotheses, based on the following variables: size, nationality, voting concentration, type of capital and Basel index. To test these hypotheses we use difference of means tests and multiple regression analysis, at a 10% level of significance. We find that size, Basel index and type of capital are significant, meaning they are able to explain the disclosure level of the information analyzed. On the other hand, voting concentration and nationality are not significant.
Neurobehavioral Aspects of Postconcussive Symptoms after Mild Head Injury

The sequelae of severe closed head injury have received much attention in the literature, but the effects of mild closed head injury (MHI) are less well established. There is a subgroup of patients who complain of persisting postconcussive symptoms (PCS) beyond the first weeks of recovery. Although the symptoms generally develop in the absence of clear neurological abnormalities, the condition of PCS can be chronic and disabling. It has been assumed that PCS result from an interaction between organic and psychological factors. Differentiating between the effect of primary neurological injury and secondary psychosocial problems is often difficult for clinicians and engenders controversy. Neuropsychological, neurophysiological, and neuroimaging measures can be helpful in selecting patients at risk of developing PCS. Assessment of the level of cognitive functioning, individual susceptibility to stress, and environmental demands may be beneficial in treating symptomatic patients. It is true that the vague and aspecific nature of the postconcussion syndrome may have given rise to the controversy over this entity, but the many methodological inconsistencies in the experimental approaches to the syndrome have certainly enhanced the confusion about this issue. The ensuing controversy surrounding research on the outcome of MHI and the postconcussion syndrome reflects ambiguities in definition, inconsistencies in criteria for patient selection, variation in procedures for neurobehavioral assessment, and difficulty in obtaining follow-up data.
The European Commission as an Actor in the Cyprus Conflict

ABSTRACT The European Commission is an important actor in and of itself, with a distinct role in conflict transformation. There is much academic work on the EU’s role in the Cyprus conflict, and more broadly, on the EU as an actor in conflict prevention and resolution. There is much less work examining the specific role of the European Commission through an exploration of the discourse it constructs, produces and sustains. It is the intention of this article to add to the literature in this area through a critical analysis of the European Commission’s role in the Cyprus conflict.
All-optical regenerator using wavelength shift induced by cross-phase modulation in highly nonlinear dispersion-shifted fiber

We propose and demonstrate a novel fiber-based all-optical regenerator, where the wavelength shift induced by cross-phase modulation is employed for level discrimination. Regeneration of a 10-Gb/s signal using the proposed scheme improves the Q-factor by 1.8 dB. The scheme is stable and robust against changes in environmental conditions.
FDI-driven Trade and Economic Growth in China

Attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) and expanding external trade are the cornerstones of China’s open policy and have contributed to the remarkable economic growth of the country in the past three decades. The “FDI-trade nexus”, under which foreign-invested enterprises carry out international division of labour, is considered in the literature to be a key engine behind the burgeoning trade in East Asia. In this paper, we investigate whether such a view applies to China throughout its reform period. In particular, the changing importance of different forms of processing trade is examined. We focus on Guangdong as China’s most open province. The roles of FDI and the policies adopted by the government in restructuring these forms of trade are analysed.