Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Portfolio Selection in the Mean-Variance Model: A Note

A LITTLE-RECOGNIZED FEATURE of the mean-variance portfolio-selection model is that induced preferences for asset holdings are not necessarily monotone; more of an asset (or portfolio) is not necessarily better, even if the asset (or portfolio) has positive expected return. The model predicts that an investor typically wants only a limited number of shares of an asset, and beyond that the increase in mean return from costlessly getting more of an asset is not sufficient to compensate for the increased risk. This is reasonable if the model describes a market for contracts with unlimited liability where total returns may be negative (e.g., they may be normally distributed). It is unreasonable, however, if the model is used to describe a stock market with limited liability. In that case, it is desirable to impose conditions that ensure that there is no upper limit to how much of an asset (or portfolio) the investor wants. The sharpest possible conditions are identified in Section I. Since portfolio preferences are not monotone, global satiation is possible. Again, this is unrealistic when liability is limited. Satiation is bothersome also because it may lead to nonexistence of equilibrium in Black's [4] CAPM without a riskless asset, as demonstrated in Nielsen [9]. (Uniqueness of equilibrium in CAPM is investigated in Nielsen [10].) Section I identifies the exact conditions under which global satiation does or does not occur. The conditions compare the maximum ratio of mean to standard deviation of total return available from the assets with the investor's limiting degree of risk aversion (as measured by the slope of his or her indifference curves) at high levels of risk. An optimal portfolio may or may not exist in the portfolio-selection problem, depending on the asymptotic slopes of the efficient frontier and the investor's indifference curves. Section II identifies the exact conditions. Mean-variance behavior can arise from expected utility maximization based on normal distributions. In that case, the conditions for nonsatiation and for existence of optimal portfolios can be stated in terms of the von NeumannMorgenstern utility function. Section III relates the relevant properties of the utility function for standard deviation and mean to properties of the von Neumann-Morgenstern utility function.
Analyse et conception de scanners laser mobiles dédiés à la cartographie 3D d'environnements urbains. (Analysis and design of mobile laser scanners dedicated to the 3D mapping of urban environments)

Cette these a ete effectuee en collaboration entre le Centre de Robotique CAOR de MINES ParisTech et MENSI-Trimble sous convention CIFRE (Convention Industrielle de Formation par la Recherche), afin de concevoir un nouveau systeme de scanner laser innovant dedie aux systemes mobiles de cartographie. Pour cela, nous avons developpe une methode d'analyse qualitative des releves laser et une demarche de conception par simulation d'un systeme mobile de cartographie. Nous avons ensuite elabore plusieurs concepts de scanners laser mobiles. A l'aide du simulateur, nous avons virtuellement realise ces concepts et avons fait des acquisitions simulees afin d'analyser les donnees. Apres avoir obtenu les resultats de l'analyse, nous avons choisi un concept, realise son prototypage et effectue son evaluation en situation reelle.
Towards Conceptual Representation and Invocation of Scientific Computations

Computers are central in processing scientific data. This data is typically expressed as numbers and strings. Appropriate annotation of "bare" data is required to allow people or machines to interpret it and to relate the data to real-world phenomena. In scientific practice however, annotations are often incomplete and ambiguous — let alone machine interpretable. This holds for reports and papers, but also for spreadsheets and databases. Moreover, in practice it is often unclear how the data has been created. This hampers interpretation, reproduction and reuse of results and thus leads to suboptimal science. In this paper we focus on annotation of scientific computations. For this purpose we propose the ontology OQR (Ontology of Quantitative Research). It includes a way to represent generic scientific methods and their implementation in software packages, invocation of these methods and handling of tabular datasets. This ontology promotes annotation by humans, but also allows automatic, semantic processing of numerical data. It allows scientists to understand the selected settings of computational methods and to automatically reproduce data generated by others. A prototype application demonstrates this can be done, illustrated by a case in food research. We evaluate this case with a number of researchers in the considered domain.
Between Democratisation and Democratic Consolidation: The Long Path to Democracy in Kosovo

This article analyses the process of democratisation and democratic consolidation in Kosovo. In doing so, it presents a framework for analysing democratisation and democratic consolidation as two distinct processes. Early efforts at democratisation in Kosovo as part of the former Yugoslavia stalled with the violent conflict of the 1990s, and were only revived with the deployment of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) in 1999. Despite any successes that UNMIK may have had in promoting democratisation however, democratic consolidation remained elusive, in large part because of Kosovo's lack of sovereignty. The declaration of independence in February 2008 changed the situation, providing an opportunity for democratic consolidation. The article provides an analysis of the new constitution and the first post-independence general elections in an effort to evaluate local democracy, arguing that although limited progress had been made, Kosovo had not achieved democratic consolidation by the end of 2011.
The Relationship between Consumption and Wealth: A Quantile Regression Approach

This paper examines the wealth effects on consumption for the US, the UK and the Euro area using linear models and quantile regression approaches. We find that the elasticity of consumption with respect to aggregate wealth is largest for the UK, but housing wealth effects do not seem to be relevant in the Euro area. In addition, the sensitivity of consumption to changes in wealth is stronger when consumption growth is abnormally high. Overall, our results suggest that the link between consumption and wealth is significantly different across the distribution of consumption growth.
[Peritoneal dialysis following open heart surgery in children].

From 1982 to 1991, 13 (3.9%) of 336 children who underwent open heart surgery required peritoneal dialysis postoperatively, including 5 with transposition of the great arteries, 4 with tetralogy of Fallot, 2 with ventricular septal defect, 1 each with atrioventricular canal defects and total anomalous pulmonary venous connection. Patients ages ranged from 12 days to 4 years (mean, 1 year and 4 months). The infusion catheter was directed toward diaphragm from the right lower quadrant, and the drainage catheter was placed in the pelvis from the left upper quadrant. Dialysis solution was instilled and drained simultaneously. Seven children (54%) recovered renal function, with six (46%) longterm survivors. Differences between patients who did and did not recovered renal function (Group A and Group B respectively) were examined. No significant intergroup difference existed in age or weight. PD was initiated significantly sooner in Group B (1.2 +/- 0.8 days) than in Group A (3.2 +/- 1.9 days) (p < 0.05). The negative fluid balance was 88.0 +/- 31 mL/kg/day in Group A and 78.4 +/- 25.0 mL/kd/day (NS). BUN and serum creatinine concentrations were slightly elevated in both group, but were not significant different. Patients in Group A were dialyzed from 3 days to 21 days (mean 9.9 +/- 6.4 days), and patients in Group B were dialyzed from 1 day to 14 days (mean 5.3 +/- 5.2 days) (NS). The central venous pressure (CVP) in Group A decreased while blood pressure (BP) and renal perfusion pressure (RPP) increased following initiation of PD. CVP increased in Group B, while BP and RPP decreased. All patients died of low cardiac output syndrome. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Silencing of LSD1 gene modulates histone methylation and acetylation and induces the apoptosis of JeKo-1 and MOLT-4 cells

Lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) has been identified and biochemically characterized in epigenetics; however, the pathological roles of its dysfunction in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia remain to be elucidated. In this study, we evaluated LSD1, and histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4)me1 and H3K4me2 expression in patients with MCL and silenced LSD1 in JeKo-1 and MOLT-4 cells, in order to define its role in JeKo-1 and MOLT-4 cell proliferation and apoptosis. We retrospectively analyzed the protein expression of LSD1, and mono- and dimethylated H3K4 (H3K4me1 and H3K4me2), and cyclin D1 and Ki67 in 30 cases of MCL by immunohistochemistry. The correlation of LSD1, H3K4me1 and H3K4me2 with Ki67 was determined by statistical analysis. LSD1 was silenced by small interfering RNA (siRNA). Cell apoptosis and cell proliferation were detected by flow cytometry and 3- (4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) -2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The protein expression levels of LSD1, histone methylated H3K4, histone acetylated H3, cyclin D1, apoptotic proteins, p15 and DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) were examined by western blot analysis. We demonstrated that LSD1 was upregulated, and that H3K4me1 and H3K4me2 were downregulated in the cases with MCL, compared to those with proliferative lymphadenitis (p<0.05). LSD1 positively correlated with Ki67 in MCL [Cohen's kappa (κ)=0.667, p<0.01]. There was no significant correlation between H3K4me1 and H3K4me2, and Ki67 (κ=−0.182, p>0.05, κ=−0.200, p>0.05). The silencing of LSD1 decreased the levels of the apoptosis-related proteins, Bcl-2, pro-caspase-3 and C-myc, and decreased those of DNMT1 and increased p15, and resulted in the loss of cell viability and the induction apoptosis. The silencing of LSD1 increased the expression of H3K4me1 and H3K4me2, and histone acetylated H3 in the JeKo-1 and MOLT-4 cells. LSD1 siRNA also decreased cyclin D1 expression in the JeKo-1 cells. On the whole, our findings demonstrate that the overexpression of LSD1 may be associated with the pathogenesis in MCL. We demonstrated that the silencing of LSD1 is capable of removing the mono- and dimethyl groups from H3K4, and upregulating the histone acetylation of H3 in JeKo-1 and MOLT-4 cells. The silencing of LSD1 inhibited cell growth and induced cell apoptosis. Of note, in JeKo-1 cells, the silencing of LSD1 decreased cyclin D1 expression, which is one of the genes that contribute to the pathogenesis of MCL. LSD1 may thus be a possible therapeutic target in MCL and acute lymphoblastic leukemia MOLT-4 cells.
Establishment and maintenance of regulating ecosystem services in a dryland area of central Asia, illustrated using the Kökyar Protection Forest, Aksu, NW China, as an example

Abstract. The city of Aksu, situated at the northern fringe of the Taklimakan Desert in northwest China, is exposed to severe periodic dust and sand storms. In 1986, local authorities decided to establish a peri-urban shelterbelt plantation, the so-called Kokyar Protection Forest, with the aim of reducing dust and sand storm impacts on Aksu City by the regulating ecosystem services provided by the plantation. It was realised as a patchwork of poplar shelterbelts and orchards. The total area of the plantation reached 3800 ha in 2005. The Kokyar Protection Forest is used as a case study to answer the following question: under which institutional frameworks and to which financial conditions can peri-urban shelterbelts be established and maintained? The endeavour of planting the shelterbelt was made possible by the annual mass mobilisation of Aksu citizens, based on the Chinese regulation of the "National Compulsory Afforestation Campaigns". Establishment costs amounted to ca. CNY 60 000 ha−1 (ca. USD 10 000 ha−1). Permanent maintenance of the plantation is facilitated by leasing orchard plots to private fruit farmers. From the perspective of the local economy, annual farming net benefits generated by Kokyar fruit farmers more than compensate for annual government grants for maintenance, resulting in an average overall monetary net benefit of at least CNY 10 500 ha−1 (ca. USD 1600 ha−1) in the long term. For a more complete understanding of Kokyar Protection Forest, future research should be directed towards quantifying the effect of its regulating ecosystem services and on investigating the negative downstream consequences of its water consumption.
Moving Eastwards While Remaining Embedded: The Case of the Marche Footwear District, Italy

This article contributes to the knowledge about the evolution of industrial districts specialized in traditional manufacturing industries as a result of internationalization processes. On the basis of a longitudinal field study, the article describes the change in firms' delocalization that occurred in one of the main fashion-led Italian footwear districts during the period 2001–2009. After the well-known preferential destination towards Central and Eastern Europe, a second, more recent wave of delocalization over long distances is reported. Despite intensified delocalization, subcontracting relationships remain deeply embedded, and the updated evidence indicates a possible homecoming to the original area.
Estimating Parallel Processing in a Language Task Using Single-Trial Intracerebral Electroencephalography

We provide a quantitative assessment of the parallel-processing hypothesis included in various language-processing models. First, we highlight the importance of reasoning about cognitive processing at the level of single trials rather than using averages. Then, we report the results of an experiment in which the hypothesis was tested at an unprecedented level of granularity with intracerebral data recorded during a picture-naming task. We extracted patterns of significant high-gamma activity from multiple patients and combined them into a single analysis framework that identified consistent patterns. Average signals from different brain regions, presumably indexing distinct cognitive processes, revealed a large degree of concurrent activity. In comparison, at the level of single trials, the temporal overlap of detected significant activity was unexpectedly low, with the exception of activity in sensory cortices. Our novel methodology reveals some limits on the degree to which word production involves parallel processing.
Individualised Constituency Campaigns in Mixed-Member Electoral Systems: Candidates in the 2005 German Elections

Constituency campaigns are important phenomena for students of political parties, voting behaviour as well as political communication. These research communities perceive constituency campaigns as parts of centralised high-tech campaigns aiming in strategic ways at the efficient mobilisation of voters. We propose in this paper an alternative understanding of constituency campaigns using the case of the German parliamentary elections in 2005 to empirically test this understanding. We perceive constituency campaigns as phenomena signalling a relative independence of individual candidates from the national party campaign. We label this phenomenon individualised campaigning. We argue that individualised campaigning is driven among others by electoral incentives. We test this hypothesis with regard to the German mixed-member electoral system and on the basis of a survey of all candidates standing for election in 2005.
Do Northeast Ohio’s Drivers Derive Competitive Advantage from Shared Labor?

Hill and Brennan, in an article in this issue, find statistical evidence of competitive industry clusters in the Cleveland-Akron Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) on the basis of buy-sell relationships. Several driver industries in the CMSA emerged (the driver industries in the CMSA are those around which other industries cluster due to competitive advantage). In this article, the author considers whether the CMSA’s driver industries also are here due to agglomeration economies in shared labor, that is, whether the drivers also derive competitive advantage from labor market externalities. For this purpose, she uses the cluster discriminant method explained by Hill and Brennan. The results of the analysis suggest that although the Cleveland-Akron CMSA’s driver industries do enjoy agglomeration economies in shared labor, shared labor is not a source of competitive advantage and does not explain why these industries are drivers in the region. In this article, the author considers two possible explanations.
The Relationship between Trading Volume, Returns and Volatility in the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the relationship between trading volume, returns and volatility on the Main Board of Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange. The findings in this paper help to explain how returns are generated and the implications for inferring return behavior from trading volume data. It provides evidence for the positive relationship between trading volume and volatility. The asymmetric relationship which is hypothesised to exist due to the differential cost of taking long and short positions is evident through the smaller slope for negative return in the volume-price change relationship. This paper also studies the relationship at individual stock level. Consistent with the belief of non-normality in returns (and ARCH effects) through the rate of arrival of information, the study shows that there is a reduction in the significance and magnitude of persistence in volatility. ABSTRAK Kertas ini membentangkan kajian empirikal berkaitan perhubungan antara volum urusniaga, pulangan dan volatiliti di Papan Utama Bursa Saham Kuala Lumpur. Penemuan dalam kajian ini dapat membantu menjelaskan bagaimana pulangan timbul dan kesannya ke atas kelakuan yang ditunjukkan oleh data volum urusniaga. Penemuan ini juga menyediakan asas sokongan kepada perhubungan positif antara volum dagangan dengan volatiliti. Kajian awal menumpukan kepada perhubungan volum-perubahan harga. Tambahan pula, bukti yang didapati menyokong hipotesis yang mengatakan bahawa cerun volum-perubahan harga bagi pulangan negatif adalah lebih kecil daripada cerun bagi pulangan tak-negatif. Ini menyokong perhubungan hipotesis asimetri yang wujud akibat daripada perbezaan kos untuk mengambil kedudukan singkat dan panjang. Keputusan menunjukkan pengurangan dalam signifikan dan magnitud pada ketetapan volatiliti yang mana ini konsisten dengan penjelasan tentang pulangan tak-normal (kesan ARCH) melalui kadar ketibaan maklumat.
The Role of Perceived E-Health Literacy in Users' continuance Intention to Use Mobile Healthcare Applications

Nowadays, the booming of Mobile Healthcare Applications (MHAs) provides several new kinds of health services and methods of information transmission. However, it is a salient challenge for MHA vendors to attract users to adopt software continuously. Though users’ perceived e-health literacy is recognized as a critical factor in some recent studies, its influence was still not clear. This paper has investigated how the users’ perceived e-health literacy (PEHL) affects their continuance intention when adopting mobile healthcare applications based on elaboration likelihood model (ELM). We distributed questionnaires by Wechat (similar to Whatsapp) in China, where hundreds of MHAs can be downloaded, and 273 valid samples were collected. Result shows that ELM works well in this model with 6 of the 8 hypotheses are supported. The moderate effect of PEHL is largely significant on peripheral route but not significant on central route. The most interesting finding is that the relationship between PEHL and users’ satisfaction in continuance adoption is positive. Possible reasons are discussed such as, there could exist a moderator on this relationship. Limitations, future researches and implications for theory and practice are also given. The paper should include an abstract. The abstract should be understandable by the general reader outside the context of the study. The abstract should be formatted like this paragraph, and may be up to 200 words in length.
The dynamic range of the human metabolome revealed by challenges

Metabolic challenge protocols, such as the oral glucose tolerance test, can uncover early alterations in metabolism preceding chronic diseases. Nevertheless, most metabolomics data accessible today reflect the fasting state. To analyze the dynamics of the human metabolome in response to environmental stimuli, we submitted 15 young healthy male volunteers to a highly controlled 4 d challenge protocol, including 36 h fasting, oral glucose and lipid tests, liquid test meals, physical exercise, and cold stress. Blood, urine, exhaled air, and breath condensate samples were analyzed on up to 56 time points by MS‐and NMR‐based methods, yielding 275 metabolic traits with a focus on lipids and amino acids. Here, we show that physiological challenges increased interindividual variation even in phenotypically similar volunteers, revealing metabotypes not observable in baseline metabolite profiles; volunteer‐specific metabolite concentrations were consistently reflected in various biofluids; and readouts from a systematic model of β‐oxidation (e.g., acetylcarnitine/palmitylcarnitine ratio) showed significant and stronger associations with physiological parameters (e.g., fat mass) than absolute metabolite concentrations, indicating that systematic models may aid in understanding individual challenge responses. Due to the multitude of analytical methods, challenges and sample types, our freely available metabolomics data set provides a unique reference for future metabolomics studies and for verification of systems biology models. —Krug, S. , Kastenmüller, G. , Stückler, F. , Rist, M. J., Skurk, T. , Sailer, M. , Raffler, J., Römisch‐Margl, W. , Adamski, J., Prehn, C. , Frank, T. , Engel, K‐H. , Hofmann, T. , Luy, B. , Zimmermann, R. , Moritz, F. , Schmitt‐Kopplin, P., Krumsiek, J., Kremer, W. , Huber, F. , Oeh, U. , Theis, F. J., Szymczak, W. , Hauner, H. , Suhre, K. , Daniel, H. The dynamic range of the human metabolome revealed by challenges. FASEB J. 26, 2607‐2619 (2012). www.fasebj. org
Strategy Experiments in an Artificial Futures Market

This paper presents the computational results obtained in strategy experiments in an artificial futures market with human agents. Participants submit their own trading agents and they receive the results of all the market participants in order to improve for the next round. After two rounds of experiments, simulations with only trading agents are run. Our computational results show that the time series data support so-called stylized facts in some aspects and that learning effects seem to bring the prices closer to a theoretical value. Market impacts of human and trading agents are also investigated.