Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Option Pricing with Heterogeneous Expectations

This paper re-derives the finite mixture option pricing model of Ritchey (1990), based on the assumption that the option investors hold heterogeneous expectations about the parameters of the lognormal process of the underlying asset price. By proving that the model admits no riskless arbitrage, this paper justifies that the entire family of finite mixture of lognormal distributions is a desirable candidate set for recovering the risk-neutral probability distributions from contemporaneous options quotes. The parametric method derived from the model is significantly simpler than the nonparametric method of Rubinstein (1994) for recovering the risk-neutral probability distributions from contemporaneous option prices. Copyright 1998 by MIT Press.
High-Bandwidth Demodulation in MF-AFM: A Kalman Filtering Approach

Emerging multifrequency atomic force microscopy (MF-AFM) methods rely on coherent demodulation of the cantilever deflection signal at multiple frequencies. These measurements are needed in order to close the z-axis feedback loop and to acquire complementary information on the tip-sample interaction. While the common method is to use a lock-in amplifier capable of recovering low-level signals from noisy backgrounds, its performance is ultimately bounded by the bandwidth of low-pass filters. In light of the demand for constantly increasing imaging speeds while providing multifrequency flexibility, we propose to estimate the in-phase and quadrature components with a linear time-varying Kalman filter. The chosen representation allows for an efficient high-bandwidth implementation on a field programmable gate array. Tracking bandwidth and noise performance are verified experimentally, and trimodal AFM results on a two-component polymer sample highlight the applicability of the proposed method for MF-AFM.
Molecular and Cellular Pathobiology Interaction between MYC and MCL 1 in the Genesis and Outcome of Non – Small-Cell Lung Cancer

MYC exerts both positive and negative functions in cancer cells, such that its procancerous effects are unmasked only after its anticancer effects are blocked. Here we used multiple mouse models of lung adenocarcinoma to identify genetic events that can cooperate with MYC activation to promote the genesis of non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most common form of lung cancer in humans. MYC overexpression targeted to pulmonary alveolar cells was sufficient to induce lung adenomas and carcinomas. Tumorigenesis was assisted by either spontaneous mutations in Kras or experimental introduction of activated RAS, but investigations revealed that additional events were required to circumvent apoptosis, one of the most significant negative functions exerted by MYC. We determined that overexpression of the antiapoptotic protein MCL1 was sufficient to circumvent apoptosis in this setting. Previous clinical studies have indicated that prognosis of human NSCLC is not associated with MCL1, despite its overexpression in many NSCLCs. In reexamining the prognostic value in this setting, we found that MCL1 overexpression does correlate with poor patient survival, but only when accompanied by MYC overexpression. Our findings therefore produce a convergence of mouse and human results that explain howMCL1 can block an important negative consequence of MYC overexpression in both experimental models and clinical cases of NSCLC. Cancer Res; 71(6); 2212–21. 2011 AACR.
Urgent Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt for Control of Acute Variceal Bleeding

Objective:Endoscopic sclerotherapy and pharmacological therapy are widely used in the treatment of acute variceal hemorrhage. However, they fail at arresting acute bleeding in 20–30% of bleeding episodes. The efficacy of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) in the prevention of recurrent variceal bleeding has been proved recently, but the effectiveness and safety of urgent TIPS in the treatment of acute variceal bleeding refractory to conventional therapy are still under evaluation.Methods:Over 4.5 yr, 358 variceal hemorrhage episodes were treated in our hospital. Pharmacological and endoscopic therapy failed to control hemorrhage in 93 episodes. Thirty-two patients died because of uncontrolled massive bleeding. In 56 patients, TIPS (Strecker stent) was performed after temporary control of the episode with balloon tamponade.Results:Eleven of 56 patients with urgent TIPS belonged to Child-Pugh class A, 22 to class B, and 23 to class C. The mean time between indication and insertion was 17 ± 10 h (range 4–24 h). Control of bleeding was achieved in 53 patients (95%). Eight patients had recurrent bleeding at 1 month after TIPS, seven of them during the first week after the procedure. The 1-month actuarial probability of rebleeding was 22%. The main complications of the procedure were massive hemoperitoneum (n = 1), cardiorespiratory arrest (n = 2), cardiac failure (n = 1), acute renal failure-(n = 2), and bacteremia (n = 7). Operative mortality (30 days) was 28%. The actuarial probability of survival at 30 days was significantly lower in Child-Pugh class C than in class A or B (48%vs 90%; p < 0.001). The presence of ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, and serum albumin level before TIPS were independent prognostic factors associated with the risk of operative mortality.Conclusions:Urgent TIPS is an effective alternative for the treatment of acute variceal bleeding refractory to endoscopic and pharmacological therapy, but sometimes is associated with major complications. Because of the high operative mortality rate in patients with severe liver failure, careful selection of patients is required before TIPS.
On the validity of the harmonic superposition principle for computing rotor eddy current losses in permanent magnet machines

One of the issues in the design of surface permanent magnet machines is the prediction of rotor eddy current losses due to space harmonics in the armature reaction field. In performing this calculation, it is a common practice to apply the superposition principle, i.e. the power loss due to each single armature reaction field harmonic is computed and then the single loss contributions are summed to find the total losses. Such method would be correct if all stator harmonics produced rotor eddy currents with different frequency, but this is not generally the case. This paper investigates if and under what conditions the harmonic superposition principle can be applied without causing calculation errors. The investigation is extended to different kind of permanent-magnet machines, including surface-mounted, Halback and interior permanent magnet rotor topologies.
Alpha1 acid glycoprotein binds to imatinib (STI571) and substantially alters its pharmacokinetics in chronic myeloid leukemia patients.

PURPOSE Imatinib (Glivec) is a potent inhibitor of bcr/abl, an oncogenic fusion protein that causes chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). alpha1 acid glycoprotein (AGP) binds to imatinib with high affinity and inhibits imatinib activity in vitro and in vivo in an animal model. A pharmacokinetics analysis of imatinib was undertaken in CML patients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Imatinib plasma concentrations were measured in 19 CML patients treated with imatinib (400 or 600 mg/day). Five patients received a concomitant short-term course of clindamycin (CLI). RESULTS A positive correlation between AGP and imatinib plasma levels was observed. CLI administration decreased imatinib plasma concentrations, evaluated as area under the curve (AUC) and peak concentrations (C(max)). The effects of a bolus of CLI was studied in three patients on imatinib 23 h after the last imatinib dose. Within 5-10 min in three of three cases, CLI caused a decrease in imatinib plasma concentrations of 2.6-, 2.7-, and 4.7-fold, respectively. In vitro experiments using fresh blasts from CML patients showed that AGP, at concentrations observed in the patients, decreased imatinib intracellular concentrations up to 10 times and blocked imatinib activity. The incubation with CLI restored imatinib intracellular concentrations and biological activity. CONCLUSION AGP exerts significant effects of the pharmacokinetics, plasma concentrations, and intracellular distribution of imatinib in CML patients; these data indicate that plasma imatinib levels represent unreliable indicators of the cellular concentrations of this molecule.
A CAN and OSEK NM Based Siren for Automobiles

Today, more and more Electronic Control Units have been installed in vehicle, and Controller Area Network is one of the most widely used networks to connect these ECUs, also the architecture of OSEK is increasingly employed into the design of individual ECU and the network. In this paper, we propose a new framework to design the ECU with limited-storage-space. In the framework, an infinite cycle acts as a mainframe, and the code conforming to OSEK NM is inserted into the cycle. A siren of vehicle is developed with this method, and a Hardware-In-Loop test is accomplished. The results show that the framework is available, and the real-time performance of the siren is satisfied.
Using Data Mapping and Facebook Data to Enrich Web Browsing

IV Abstract Social data is playing a more and more important role in recommender systems, to improve the quality of suggestions and to enrich the recommended information within the social network systems. However, as people spend more and more time on the web, there is a requirement that bringing this data out of those social systems and letting it serve users when they are browsing on external websites. The difficulty is how to establish the relations between social data and the web content a user is browsing, which are annotated by different schema languages. The dissertation proposes a two phase mapping approach to tackle the data matching problem. In the schema mapping phase, the Alignment API and the Wordnet library are used to calculate the similarity between the data types defined by different schema languages, as well as the matched properties between the similar types. In the instance mapping phase, instances extracted from original websites of the shared social links are mapped to the web content based on the results computed in phase one. In order to adjust this approach to multiple websites including those with self-defined subtypes, a component called strengthen model is designed to enrich the schema information of instances. The evaluation is carried out on the prototype called the Suggestion Tool which utilises Facebook data for the web enrichment. Evaluation results shows that the approach provides suggesting content effectively and with user satisfaction.
Effects of captopril related to increased levels of prostacyclin and angiotensin-(1-7) in essential hypertension

Objective To evaluate the contribution of angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)] and prostaglandins to the acute and long-term anti hypertensive actions of captopril in mild-to-moderate essential hypertensive patients Design and Methods Blood pressure, cardiac rate and the plasma concentrations of angiotensin I (Ang I), angiotensin II (Ang II), Ang-(1-7), prostaglandin E2 and 6-keto prostaglandin F1α (the breakdown product of prostacyclin) were determined in the peripheral venous blood of 24 essential hypertensive subjects before and 3 h after administration of 50 mg captopril. Eleven of 24 patients completed a 6- month treatment period with captopril monotherapy (50 mg twice a day). The hemodynamic and hormonal response produced by a last 50 mg dose of captopril was determined once again in the 11 subjects who maintained blood pressure control with captopril monotherapy for 6 months. Results The fall in blood pressure produced 3 h after drug intake was comparable for the first and the last 50 mg captopril dose. Although the first response to captopril increased plasma levels of Ang I only, the response to the last dose of the drug (6 months after) caused significantly higher levels of Ang I and Ang-(1-7). Neither acute nor chronic therapy with captopril had a significant effect on plasma concentrations of Ang II. Although plasma levels of prostaglandin E2 and 6-keto prostaglandin F1α were not modified by a first exposure to captopril, the concentrations of 6-keto prostaglandin F1α but not prostaglandin E2 rose significantly in subjects treated with the inhibitor for 6 months. A negative correlation was also demonstrated between diastolic blood pressure and plasma Ang-(1-7) levels in the 11 essential hypertensive subjects in whom blood pressure was controlled with captopril monotherapy. Conclusions Inhibition of angiotensin converting enzyme with captopril had a significant effect on blood pressure that was not directly accounted for by a suppression of plasma Ang II levels. Continuous therapy with captopril unmasked a contribution of Ang-(1-7) and prostacyclin to the antihypertensive actions of this drug.
Immune Regulation in the Intestine: A Balancing Act between Effector and Regulatory T Cell Responses

Abstract: The immune system in the intestine must respond rapidly to invading pathogens without mounting sustained effector cell responses to the indigenous commensal bacteria. Results from this laboratory using the T cell transfer model of colitis suggest that specialized populations of regulatory T cells control the immune response in the intestine. Regulatory T (Tr) cell activity is enriched within the naturally arising CD4+ CD25+ Tr subset that has been shown to prevent a number of inflammatory diseases. CD4+ CD25+ Tr cells control intestinal inflammation induced by both innate and adaptive immune responses via IL‐10‐ and TGF‐β‐dependent mechanisms. Recent results have shown that CD4+ CD25+ Tr cells can cure established colitis, suggesting their utility for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.
Scoring systems to evaluate elderly patients with hip fractures

Purpose: To report about different scales and scoring systems used to evaluate elderly patient with hip fracture during the acute post-fracture phase and during post-operative rehabilitation. Methods and results: Report of the different scales from a literature review. Conclusions: Standard validated scales are one of the tools to perform such an evaluation process as objectively as possible and to evaluate surgical, medical and rehabilitative management in these elderly patients. These scales are only a complementary tool, and they cannot replace physical examination. However, these validated tools are probably more accurate than just clinical impression. The appropriate combination of clinical experience and these scales may well contribute to a better care of elderly patients with hip fractures.
von Willebrand factor, tissue plasminogen activator, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate predict cardiovascular death in a 10 year follow up of survivors of acute myocardial infarction

Background Haemostasis plays a major part in the process initiating a myocardial infarction. The impact of haemostatic variables on long term prognosis is unknown. Objective To evaluate von Willebrand factor (vWF), tissue plasminogen activator antigen (t-PA) and its activity before and after venous occlusion, plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), and established clinical risk factors as long term predictors for reinfarction and mortality. Patients 123 consecutive survivors of myocardial infarction followed up for 10 years. Design Study entry took place between 1982 and 1983. Fifty seven patients died (54 of cardiovascular disease) during the mean observation time of 10 years. Results Cox’s univariate regression analysis showed that cardiovascular mortality was significantly associated with age, hypertension, previous history of angina pectoris, DHEAS, mass concentration of t-PA, and vWF. These associations were significant for vWF and mass concentration of t-PA after adjusting for age and hypertension. Conclusions A low concentration of DHEAS and high levels of the endothelially derived haemostatic variables vWF and mass concentration of t-PA are predictors of cardiovascular mortality in survivors of myocardial infarction. This association is independent of established clinical risk factors for mass concentration of t-PA and vWF.
Coexpression of prodynorphin and corticotrophin‐releasing hormone in the rat central amygdala: Evidence of two distinct endogenous opioid systems in the lateral division

The lateral subdivision of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) comprises two groups of γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons that express corticotrophin‐releasing hormone (CRH) and enkephalin. Regulation of the expression and release of these neuropeptides by glucocorticoids and other factors has been suggested to have a regulatory function on the diverse somatic, autonomic, and neuroendocrine responses that are coordinated by the CeA. Because another opioid peptide, dynorphin, has been reported to be also expressed by neurons in the lateral CeA, this study examined the neuronal expression of this kappa‐opioid (KOP) receptor‐preferring ligand by using immunohistochemistry for the precursor peptide prodynorphin. Prodynorphin neurons in the extended amygdala were observed mostly in the medial and central regions of the lateral CeA and the oval of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST). About one‐third of the prodynorphin neurons in the CeA coexpressed CRH, whereas no coexpression with CRH was detected in the BST. Prodynorphin was not expressed by calbindin neurons in the medial part of the lateral CeA, and indirect evidence suggested that it was not expressed by enkephalin neurons. Coexpression of prodynorphin in extrahypothalamic CRH neurons in the CeA could provide an anatomical basis for regulation of the stress responses and other CRH‐related functions by the brain dynorphin/KOP receptor system. J. Comp. Neurol. 504:702–715, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The sound-localization ability of cats.

The paper by Tollin and colleagues in the March 2005 issue of the Journal of Neurophysiology describes the sound-localization ability of cats trained to orient their eyes to the source of a sound ([Tollin et al. 2005][1]). The main finding of this paper, which was the subject of an Editorial Focus
Percutaneous angioplasty of chronically occluded coronary arteries: long-term clinical follow-up.

BACKGROUND Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of a chronic total occlusion (CTO) is one of the most demanding procedures in interventional cardiology. In spite of growing experience and technological progress, efficacy of PCI of CTO remains lower than that of standard PCI. AIM To evaluate long-term clinical results of PCI in patients with stable angina and CTO. METHODS The study involved 459 consecutive patients who underwent the procedure of CTO recanalisation between 1996 and 2003. All procedures were performed using the standard technique. Follow-up examination was carried out based on a written questionnaire, and the mean follow-up period was 30+/-18 months. RESULTS The average success rate of intervention was 64.9% and 63.8% of patients underwent successful and uneventful procedures. Clinically significant in-hospital complications were noted in 8 (1.6%) patients including 1 (0.2%) death, 2 (0.4%) cases of myocardial infarction and 4 (1.0%) repeated revascularisations. Long-term survival following either successful or failed recanalisation was similar (97.5% vs 97.3%, NS) as was incidence of acute coronary syndromes (12.5% vs 12.1%, respectively; NS). Patients after successful recanalisation less frequently underwent surgical revascularisation (3.6% vs 8.1%, respectively; p <0.05) and also suffered less frequently from angina (CCS 0/CCS I: 20.4% vs 12.1%, p <0.00005). Otherwise, they were at higher risk of repeated PCI due to restenosis (13.2% vs 6.7%, respectively; p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS Success rate of PCI in patients with chronically occluded coronary arteries and stable angina is moderately high with relatively low incidence of complications. Late benefits from successful recanalisation of coronary artery depend predominantly on improved coronary reserve and decreased need for surgical myocardial revascularisation. Successful recanalisation does not reduce the risk of death or myocardial infarction but is associated with higher frequency of repeated PCI due to restenosis.
Exchange Rates and Wages in an Integrated World

We analyze how the pass-through from exchange rate to domestic wages depends on the degree of integration between domestic and foreign labor markets. Using data from 66 countries over the period 1981–2005, we find that the elasticity of domestic wages to real exchange rate is 0.1 after a year for countries with high barriers to external labor mobility, but about 0.4 in countries with low barriers to mobility. The results are robust to the inclusion of various controls, different measures of exchange rates, and concepts of labor market integration. These findings call for including labor mobility in macro models of external adjustment.
Collaborative Models for Librarian and Teacher Partnerships

As part of educational reforms, educators are increasingly expected to gather and interpret data, implement initiatives, and analyze outcomes. Practitioner research offers a framework for conducting school-based inquiry; consequently, it can be an instrumental part of educational change. Due to its focus on local contexts, collective knowledge, and critical reflection, practitioner research can foster collaboration between school librarians and classroom teachers. This chapter explicates the core features of practitioner research and discusses new findings from a three-year study of digital literacy conducted by a high school librarian and an English teacher.