Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Norethisterone interference in testosterone assays

Background This article describes three patients in whom measured serum testosterone concentrations were found to be artifactually high due to interference from norethisterone medication. This interference was investigated further by distributing samples containing norethisterone through an external quality assessment scheme. Methods Serum samples containing different concentrations of norethisterone were distributed to participants in the UK external quality assessment scheme (UK NEQAS) for female testosterone in order to assess the degree of interference from norethisterone in different commercially available immunoassay and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods for measurement of testosterone. Results The results have shown that apparent serum testosterone concentrations in excess of 5 nmol/L may be obtained using the Roche E170 Modular immunoassay method for samples collected from patients taking norethisterone medication and this interference can be reproduced by adding norethisterone to serum samples. Conclusions Although the biggest interference is seen with the Roche system, there is a small effect in the Siemens ADVIA Centaur assay and some of the other immunoassays may also be affected to a much lesser extent. Norethisterone does not interfere in testosterone measurements obtained by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
Option-Implied Probability Distributions and Currency Excess Returns

This paper describes a method of extracting the risk-neutral probability distribution of future exchange rates from option prices. In foreign exchange markets interbank option pricing conventions make possible reliable inferences about risk-neutral probability distributions with relatively little data. Moments drawn from risk-neutral exchange rate distribution are used to explore several issues related to the puzzle of excess returns in currency markets. Tests of the international capital asset pricing model using risk-neutral moments as explanatory variables indicate that option-based moments have considerably greater explanatory power for excess returns in currency markets than has been found in earlier work. Tests of several hypotheses generated by the peso problem approach indicate that jump risk measured by the risk-neutral coefficient of skewness can explain only a small part of the forward bias. These tests take into account not only the second, but the third and fourth moments of the exchange rate implied by option prices, and avoid testing a joint hypothesis including a distributional assumption.
Accurate State Estimation and Tracking of a Non-Cooperative Target Vehicle

Autonomous space rendezvous scenarios require knowledge of the target vehicle state in order to safely dock with the chaser vehicle. Ideally, the target vehicle state information is derived from telemetered data, or with the use of known tracking points on the target vehicle. However, if the target vehicle is non-cooperative and does not have the ability to maintain attitude control, or transmit attitude knowledge, the docking becomes more challenging. This work presents a nonlinear approach for estimating the body rates of a non-cooperative target vehicle, and coupling this estimation to a tracking control scheme. The approach is tested with the robotic servicing mission concept for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Such a mission would not only require estimates of the HST attitude and rates, but also precision control to achieve the desired rate and maintain the orientation to successfully dock with HST.
The Interdependence of Individual Portfolio Decisions and the Demand for Insurance

We analyze the individual's demand for insurance as a special case of general portfolio hedging activity. The demand for insurance contracts is determined simultaneously with the demands for other assets in the portfolio. We demonstrate that when the payoffs of the policy are correlated with the payoffs to the individual's other assets, the demand for insurance contracts is generally not a separable portfolio decision. We argue that this separability condition is not generally met because of significant interdependence of claims across different insurance policies. Furthermore, our generalizations can reverse the standard prediction that wealthier individuals will demand less insurance.
Integrated Navigation System INS/GNSS based on joint application of linear and nonlinear filtering

12In this paper a new design of INS/GNSS is proposed for solve the problem of aircraft's approach on both of direct and indirect estimation technique, in addition to combination between GPS and GLONASS signals in order to improve DOP coefficient and increase the accuracy of satellite positioning. Using Kalman filter (KF) and Non linear approximation techniques such as Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), (Sigma Point Kalman Filter (SPKF) and Divided Difference Filters (DDF). More efficient navigation system is simulated and tested and then the novel architecture is called Robust Adaptive Integrated Navigation System (RAINS). For the first time, both of linear filter and non linear filters are combined in order to ensure robustness and adaptivity of the original INS/GNSS navigation system. It expected that such proposed system will improve consequently the efficiency of GNSS Landing System GLS.
Static and Dynamic Human Shape Modeling - Concept Formation and Technology Development

Abstract : Extensive investigations were performed in this project on human shape modeling. The problem was addressed from the perspectives of static shape modeling and morphing, human shape modeling in various poses, dynamic modeling, and human activity replication/animation. The major problems involved in each topic were identified, and the methods and techniques were developed or formulated for them. Some of these methods or algorithms were implemented, and the results were presented and discussed. Conclusions were drawn from research results and findings, the issues remaining were described, and the future work was discussed.
Designing for Virtual Communities in the Service of Learning: Teacher Professional Development, Technology, and Communities of Practice

Practice, then, both shapes and supports learning. We wouldn't need to labor this point so heavily were it not that unenlightened teaching and training often pulls in the opposite direction. Brown & Duguid (2000, p. 129) In their book The Social Life of Information , Brown and Duguid (2000) analyze examples of learning in the context of professional practice and the ways in which information technology supports or fails to support professional learning. Failure is related to neglect of ways in which people learn, their resourcefulness in solving problems, and the communities of practice in which they participate. As the opening quotation suggests, training (and technology that supports a training model of learning) tends to pull professionals away from their practice, focusing on information about a practice rather than on how to put that knowledge into practice. Only by engaging in work and talking about it from inside the practice can one learn to be a competent practitioner. They conclude that “practice is an effective teacher and the community of practice an ideal learning environment” (p. 127). Over the past several years, we have been developing and refining the sociotechnical infrastructure of a virtual environment called Tapped In ® (www.tappedin.org) that is intended to support the online activities of a large and diverse community of education professionals. We have described the design principles that underlie our efforts and documented how educators have used the environment for their own purposes and in the context of formal professional development (Schlager & Schank, 1997; Schank, Fenton, Schlager, & Fusco, 1999).
Heat‐shock protein 70 binds microtubules and interacts with kinesin in tobacco pollen tubes

The heat‐shock proteins of 70 kDa are a family of ubiquitously expressed proteins important for protein folding. Heat‐shock protein 70 assists other nascent proteins to achieve the spatial structure and ultimately helps the cell to protect against stress factors, such as heat. These proteins are localized in different cellular compartments and are associated with the cytoskeleton. We identified a heat‐shock protein 70 isoform in the pollen tube of tobacco that binds to microtubules in an ATP‐dependent manner. The heat‐shock protein 70 was identified as part of the so‐called ATP‐MAP (ATP‐dependent microtubule‐associated protein) fraction, which also includes the 90‐kDa kinesin, a mitochondria‐associated motor protein. The identity of heat‐shock protein 70 was validated by immunological assays and mass spectrometry. Sequence analysis showed that this heat‐shock protein 70 is more similar to specific heat‐shock proteins of Arabidopsis than to corresponding proteins of tobacco. Two‐dimensional electrophoresis indicated that this heat‐shock protein 70 isoform only is part of the ATP‐MAP fraction and that is associated with the mitochondria of pollen tubes. Sedimentation assays showed that the binding of heat‐shock protein 70 to microtubules is not affected by AMPPNP but it increases in the presence of the 90‐kDa kinesin. Binding of heat‐shock protein 70 to microtubules occurs only partially in the presence of ATP but it does not occur if, in addition to ATP, the 90‐kDa kinesin is also present. Data suggest that the binding (but not the release) of heat‐shock protein 70 to microtubules is facilitated by the 90‐kDa kinesin. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Arsenic trioxide combined with transarterial chemoembolization for unresectable primary hepatic carcinoma

Background: Primary hepatic carcinoma (PHC) is the third commonest leading to cancer death around the world, and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has been proposed as the first-line therapeutic treatment for patients with unresectable PHC. This study aims to determine whether the combination of As2O3 and TACE is superior to alone TACE for achieving more clinical therapeutic efficacy, survival time, life quality and safety in patients with unresectable PHC. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted on the clinical controlled trials comparing therapeutic effects of As2O3 & TACE versus alone TACE for unresectable PHC through English databases (including PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library) and Chinese databases (including China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database, Wanfang Database, Weipu Database, and Chinese Biomedical Database). The last search was in 30 August 2017. A recursive search was performed with bibliographies of relevant studies. There were no language restrictions. Primary outcomes, defined a priori, were therapeutic responses (clinical effective rate and clinical benefit rate), survival time, life quality, and adverse events of As2O3 & TACE compared with alone TACE expressed as relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: 25 clinical controlled trials involving 1886 participants were included. We found that there were significant superiority associated with As2O3 & TACE compared with alone TACE in clinical benefit rate (RR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.12–1.37), clinical effective rate (RR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.17–1.55), 2-year survival rate (RR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.20–1.75), and improving of KPS (RR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.14–1.50). These associations were also observed in subgroups by intervened methods of As2O3 and pulmonary metastasis. Notably, the pooled relative risk of retention of sodium and water was obviously raised in patients with As2O3 & TACE therapy (RR: 16.616, 95% CI: 8.01 – 34.486). Conclusion: The superiority of adjuvant As2O3 therapy combined with TACE in PHC individuals will outweigh alone TACE therapy, especially in PHC populations with pulmonary metastasis.
A New Transmission Charges Allocation using Sensitivity Factor Methodology

Abstract Deregulation of electricity industry aims at creating a competitive market to trade electricity, which generates a host of new technical challenges to market participants and power system researchers. One of the major challenges is to establish a cost for system services on a non-discriminatory basis. In this paper, the evaluation of transmission cost based on sensitivity factor method such as AC power transfer distribution factor (ACPTDF) method is conducted for bilateral and multilateral transactions. The transacted power is estimated by using ACPTDF method for each transaction. The advantages of the proposed methodologies are demonstrated on sample 6-bus, IEEE 30-bus and Indian Utility 69-bus systems. The solutions provide a better pricing approach that can provide a more reasonable economic indicator for transmission cost.
Living labs as a multi-contextual R&D methodology

The ability to be creative and innovative in a society influenced by stress, lack of time, and other factors, harnessing the technology available in today's knowledge society is key towards increasing the overall productivity of a future European society. Whilst technology enables new value-chains, product and service development increasingly need to focus on true user needs in order to be successful in today's increasingly global and competitive market. New R&D and innovation methodologies need to be developed to meet the challenge of addressing those needs. This paper examines the need for involving the user and other stakeholder organisations into the innovation process, analyses the key issues regarding regional innovation, and presents a basic concept of Living Labs as a multi-contextual R&D methodology addressing those issues. The proposed Living Labs methodology contributes to the coming challenges of mass-deployment of ICT solutions as a mean to further develop the society involving the citizens. It brings the users/consumers/citizens into the system of innovation, thereby leveraging on a larger mass of ideas, knowledge and experiences etc and substantially boosting the innovation capability.
Beyond “Commonsense Segmentation”: A Systematics of Segmentation Approaches in Tourism

Market segmentation is an accepted tool in strategic marketing. It helps to understand and serve the needs of homogeneous consumer subpopulations. Two approaches are recognized: a priori and data-driven (a posteriori, post hoc) segmentation. In tourism, there is a long history of a priori segmentation studies in industry and academia. These lead to the identification of tourist groups derived from dividing the population according to prior knowledge (“commonsense segmentation”). However, due to the wide use of this approach, there is not much room for competitive advantage to be gained by using a priori segmentation. This article (1) reviews segmentation studies in tourism, (2) proposes a systematics of segmentation approaches, and (3) illustrates the managerial usefulness of novel approaches emerging from this systematics. The main aim is to offer academics and practitioners a menu of exploratory techniques that can be used to increase market understanding.
A Cluster of Mistrust: Safety in the Mining Industry

This article examines the relationship between mistrust, adversarial industrial relations and safety performance in 10 Australian coal mines, across three mining companies. Based on case study research and company safety data, the article identifies a ‘cluster of characteristics’ closely associated with the formation of mistrust, and examines the negative impact such characteristics can have on safety performance. The article considers the broader ramifications of these findings for non-mining sectors, in particular for companies with a corporate head office overseeing separate sites, and identifies ways of building trust.
Administration and Development

In the following sections an order will be followed which corresponds more or less to the order adopted in the report of the chief consultant and in the Meeting itself. First certain conceptual matters will be clarified, then the institutional aspects involved in planning and the organizational relationships of the central planning organ will be discussed. The section on the process of planning and its consecutive stages may be considered as the core of the entire article. Finally, the important problem of manpower for planning will receive a brief description.
Monetary Policy in Emerging Markets: Taming the Cycle

In contrast to advanced markets (AMs), procyclical monetary policy has been a problem for emerging markets (EMs), with macroeconomic policies amplifying economic upswings and deepening downturns. The stark difference in policy has not been subject to extensive study and this paper attempts to address the gap. Key findings, using a large sample of EMs over the past 50 years, are: (i) EMs have adopted increasingly countercyclical monetary policy over time, although large differences remain among EMs and policies became more procyclical during the recent crisis. (ii) Inflation targeting and better institutions have been key factors behind the move to countercyclicality. (iii) Only deep financial markets allow EMs with flexible exchange rate regimes turn countercyclical. (iv) More countercyclical policy is associated with far less volatile output. The economically meaningful impact of IT on monetary policy countercyclicality and output variability is another reason in its favor, over and above better inflation outcomes.
TRACING THE DETERMINANTS OF ECONOMIC CROSS-BORDER INTERACTION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

The abolition of the artificial impediments of cross-border interaction inside the European Union, has released dynamics that have influenced significantly the economic space at the frontiers. In contrast, at the European Union external borders, the constraints concerning cross-border interaction with third countries have become more tangible in the sphere of reality. Under this framework, a new mix of opportunities and the threats seems to come forth together with a new political, social and economic map that redefines the notion of vicinity. In the present article, the study of the 'border effect' in Europe is attempted through the investigation of the basic determinants of the spatial dynamics of cross-border interaction. The findings of the article contribute to the better understanding of the 'border effect' with significant implications for both theory and policy.
A multimodal investigation of in vivo muscle behavior: System design and data analysis

The study is aimed to investigate in vivo behaviors of the rectus femoris muscle during isometric contraction by integrating simultaneously recorded electromyography (EMG), mechanomyography (MMG), and ultrasonography (US). We developed an experimental platform for simultaneous acquisition of EMG, MMG, US, as well as the torque, during isometric muscle contraction. Features from multimodal signals and images were then automatically extracted and calibrated to present time-varying characteristics of muscle behaviors. We further applied local polynomial regression (LPR) to reveal nonlinear and transient relationships between multimodal muscle features and torque. The results suggested that the proposed multimodal signal acquisition and integration are capable of providing novel and complete information about in vivo muscle contraction. The proposed experimental platform is a potentially useful tool for muscle assessment in various clinical and practical applications.
Macrophage Depletion Lowered Blood Pressure and Attenuated Hypertensive Renal Injury and Fibrosis

Monocyte/macrophage recruitment is closely associated with the degree of hypertensive renal injury. We investigated the direct role of macrophages using liposome-encapsulated clodronate (LEC) to deplete monocytes/macrophages in hypertensive renal injury. C57BL/6 mice were treated with a pressor dose of angiotensin (Ang, 1.4 mg/kg/day) II plus LEC or the PBS-liposome for 2 weeks. Ang II mice developed hypertension, albuminuria, glomerulosclerosis, and renal fibrosis. LEC treatment reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP), albuminuria, and protected against renal structural injury in Ang II mice. Ang II significantly increased renal macrophage infiltration (MOMA2+ cells) and the expression of renal tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin β1, which were significantly reduced in Ang II/LEC mice. Ang II increased renal oxidative stress and the expression of profibrotic factors transforming growth factor (TGF) β1 and fibronectin. Ang II also inhibited the phosphorylation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase [phospho-endothelial nitric oxide synthesis (eNOS), ser1177]. LEC treatment reduced renal oxidative stress and TGFβ1 and fibronectin expressions, and increased phospho-eNOS expression in the Ang II mice. In Dahl rats of salt-sensitive hypertension, LEC treatment for 4 weeks significantly attenuated the elevation of SBP induced by high salt intake and protected against renal injury and fibrosis. Our results demonstrate that renal macrophages play a critical role in the development of hypertension and hypertensive renal injury and fibrosis; the underlying mechanisms may be involved in the reduction in macrophage-driven renal inflammation and restoration of the balance between renal oxidative stress and eNOS. Therefore, macrophages should be considered as a potential therapeutic target to reduce the adverse consequences of hypertensive renal diseases.
A Panel Data Study of the Effects of Economic Freedom, Regulatory Quality, and Taxation on the Growth Rate of Per Capita Real GDP

This study empirically investigates three hypotheses. The first is that higher levels of economic freedom in an economy promote a higher growth rate of economic activity and hence yield a higher growth rate of per capita real GDP in that economy. The second hypothesis is that higher quality government regulation leads to a more efficient economic system, in large part by interfering less with market functioning and in part by not adding unnecessarily to the cost of conducting business in the marketplace, and thereby leads to a higher per capita real GDP growth rate. The third hypothesis is that the higher the taxation level/burden relative to GDP in an economy, the lower the growth rate of private sector spending and hence the lower the growth rate of per capita real GDP in that economy. Using a panel dataset for OECD nations over the 2003 through 2006 period, fixed effects PLS estimations find compelling evidence in support of all three of these hypotheses.