Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Borrower's Choice of Fixed and Adjustable Rate Mortgages in the Presence of Nominal and Real Shocks

This paper concerns the conditions under which borrowers select fixed and adjustable rate mortgages. The novelty of the paper lies in its capability to analyze the effect of nominal and real shocks separately. The fixed rate mortgage (FRM) versus the adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) choice is determined by the expected real interest rate differential, initial wealth, income, expected real and nominal income risk exposure-measured by different parameters-the value of the house, the appreciation of the house and the influence of the variance of nominal and real shocks. Results differ according to whether or not borrowers are restricted by the loan-to-value constraint. Copyright American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association.
Rapid removal of glycerol from frozen‐thawed red blood cells

The storage of red blood cells (RBCs) in a refrigerated state allows a shelf life of a few weeks, whereas RBCs frozen in 40% glycerol have a shelf life of 10 years. Despite the clear logistical advantages of frozen blood, it is not widely used in transfusion medicine. One of the main reasons is that existing post‐thaw washing methods to remove glycerol are prohibitively time consuming, requiring about an hour to remove glycerol from a single unit of blood. In this study, we have investigated the potential for more rapid removal of glycerol. Using published biophysical data for human RBCs, we mathematically optimized a three‐step deglycerolization process, yielding a procedure that was less than 32 s long. This procedure was found to yield 70% hemolysis, a value that was much higher than expected. Consequently, we systematically evaluated three‐step deglycerolization procedures, varying the solution composition and equilibration time in each step. Our best results consisted of less than 20% hemolysis for a deglycerolization time of 3 min, and it is expected that even further improvements could be made with a more thorough optimization and more reliable biophysical data. Our results demonstrate the potential for significantly reducing the deglycerolization time compared with existing methods. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 29:609–620, 2013
The Rate of Return on Investment in Wine

Is wine an investment alternative to stocks and bonds? First, we review prior studies regarding the pecuniary rate of return to wine and other alternatives to financial assets. Next, we calculate the rate of return to holding red Bordeaux wine from 1986 to 1996 using a repeat-sale regression. Finally, we contrast the financial performance of wine, both on an aggregate basis and for various portfolios, to that of other asset classes. We conclude that wine does not yield greater returns than financial assets, especially when the volatility of returns and transaction costs are taken into account. Copyright 2001 by Oxford University Press.
Improved Image Style Transfer via CNN This is an undergraduate Project in the Geometric Processing Laboratory By : Mark Erlich &

Before we proceed, let us show the results of their pr ocess, so as to give a clear context to the later discussion. Figure 1 shows two pairs of content + style images, and th e fusion of the two as created by Gatys' algorithm. As can be seen, while the content image is greatly modified, the main essence of it is preserved, while borrowing artistic flavor from the style image. Observe that the texture created is faithful to the one in the style imag e in various scales, a fact that will be revisited in this research project.
Nature of the Working Memory Deficit in Fragile-X Syndrome

Working memory performance in a group of young Fragile X males with FMR-1 full mutation was compared to a learning disabled comparison group comprising Down's syndrome males and two control groups of mainstream schoolchildren. Performance was assessed on a battery of tasks tapping the three components of working memory-phonological loop, visual-spatial sketch pad, and the central executive. The results indicated that the Fragile X group displayed a general impairment on working memory tasks that cannot be attributed to a single working memory component per se. Instead, the results suggest that Fragile X males have a working memory deficit that may be attributed to how much attentional resource a specific task requires and their overall available executive capacity, irrespective of the working memory subsystem.
Electrophysiological evidence from glutamate microapplications for local excitatory circuits in the CA1 area of rat hippocampal slices.

1. Evidence for local excitatory synaptic connections in CA1 of the rat hippocampus was obtained by recording excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) intracellularly from pyramidal cells during local microapplications of glutamate. 2. Experiments were performed in hippocampal slices cut parallel to (transverse slice) or perpendicular to (longitudinal slice) alvear fibers. In normal solutions, glutamate microdrops (10-20 mM, 10-20 micron diam) applied in CA1 within 400 micron of recorded cells sometimes increased the frequency of inhibitory postsynaptic potentials for 5-10 s in both transverse and longitudinal slices. Increases in EPSP frequency were also occasionally observed, but only in transverse slices. Tetrodotoxin (1 microgram/ml) blocked glutamate-induced increases in PSP frequency, thus indicating that they were not caused by subthreshold effects on presynaptic terminals. Increases in PSP frequency were interpreted to result from glutamate activation of hippocampal neurons with inhibitory and excitatory connections to recorded neurons. 3. In both slice orientations, local excitatory circuits were studied in more isolated conditions by surgically separating CA1 from CA3 (transverse slices) and by blocking GABAergic inhibitory synapses with picrotoxin (5-10 microM). Microdrops were systematically applied at 200 and 400 micron on each side of the recording site. Significant glutamate-induced increases in EPSP frequency were observed in neurons from both slice orientations to microdrops in at least one of the locations. This provided evidence that excitatory synapses are present in both transverse and longitudinal slices. 4. Substantial increases in EPSP frequency only occurred in neurons from longitudinal slices when glutamate was microapplied 200 micron or less from the recording site. In transverse slices, however, large increases in EPSP frequency were observed to glutamate microapplications at 200 or 400 micron. These data suggest that CA1 local excitatory connections project for longer distances in the transverse than in the longitudinal plane of section. 5. Increases in EPSP frequency, averaged across cells, did not differ significantly in the four microapplication sites in either transverse or longitudinal slices. Thus local excitation in CA1 does not appear to be asymmetrically arranged in the way suggested for CA3. 6. The densities of local excitatory circuits in CA1 versus CA3 were studied by quantitatively comparing glutamate-induced increases in EPSP frequency. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Corporate Finance and the Changing Stock Market

Dr. West is Dean and Professor of Finance in the College of Business, University of Oregon. He is the author of numerous papers in financial and economics journals. Dr. Tinic is Professor of Managerial Economics and Quantitative Methods at the University of Alberta. He is coauthor of The Economics of the Stock Market, and has published papers in several journals including the Journal of Finance, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, the Bell Journal of Economics, and Management Science.
Gastric cancer screening and subsequent risk of gastric cancer: A large‐scale population‐based cohort study, with a 13‐year follow‐up in Japan

We prospectively investigated the association between gastric cancer screening and subsequent risk of gastric cancer in a large‐scale population‐based prospective cohort study, with a 13‐year follow‐up in Japan. Data were analyzed from a population‐based cohort of 42,150 (20,326 men and 21,824 women) subjects. Approximately 36% of subjects reported that they had undergone screening photofluorography during the preceding 12 months, and were regarded as the screened group. A total of 179 gastric cancer deaths and 636 incident gastric cancers were identified during the follow‐up period. We observed a 2‐fold decrease in gastric cancer mortality in screened versus unscreened subjects (RR = 0.52; 95% CI = 0.36–0.74). The extent of the reduction in mortality for gastric cancer was greater than in death from all causes excluding gastric cancer (RR = 0.71; 95% CI = 0.65–0.78). A significant decrease in the incidence of advanced gastric cancer was observed in screened subjects (RR = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.58–0.96), although the overall incidence rate did not differ significantly between the screened and unscreened subjects (RR = 1.06; 95% CI = 0.90–1.25). In age‐stratified analyses, a significant reduction in gastric cancer mortality was seen in screened subjects aged 40–49 years at baseline, compared with a lesser reduction in screened subjects aged 50–59 (RR = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.13–0.72; and RR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.40–0.88, respectively). These findings suggest that gastric cancer screening may be associated with a reduced risk of mortality from gastric cancer. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mammalian transcription factor A is a core component of the mitochondrial transcription machinery

Transcription factor A (TFAM) functions as a DNA packaging factor in mammalian mitochondria. TFAM also binds sequence-specifically to sites immediately upstream of mitochondrial promoters, but there are conflicting data regarding its role as a core component of the mitochondrial transcription machinery. We here demonstrate that TFAM is required for transcription in mitochondrial extracts as well as in a reconstituted in vitro transcription system. The absolute requirement of TFAM can be relaxed by conditions that allow DNA breathing, i.e., low salt concentrations or negatively supercoiled DNA templates. The situation is thus very similar to that described in nuclear RNA polymerase II-dependent transcription, in which the free energy of supercoiling can circumvent the need for a subset of basal transcription factors at specific promoters. In agreement with these observations, we demonstrate that TFAM has the capacity to induce negative supercoils in DNA, and, using the recently developed nucleobase analog FRET-pair tCO–tCnitro, we find that TFAM distorts significantly the DNA structure. Our findings differ from recent observations reporting that TFAM is not a core component of the mitochondrial transcription machinery. Instead, our findings support a model in which TFAM is absolutely required to recruit the transcription machinery during initiation of transcription.
Rebuilding the tower of Babel: a revised nomenclature for the study of suicide and suicidal behaviors. Part 1: Background, rationale, and methodology.

Since the publication of the O'Carroll et al. (1996) nomenclature for suicidology, there have been a number of published letters and articles, as well as an active e-mail dialogue, in response to, and elaborating upon, this effort to establish a standard nomenclature for suicidology. This new nomenclature has been presented on a number of occasions at both national and international meetings. In this paper we provide the background, rationale, and methodology involved in the process of revising the O'Carroll et al. nomenclature, based on the feedback and discussions that have ensued over the past 10 years. Those who have written and studied the phenomenon of suicide have not defined the term so simply … how the word is defined has implications and large effects for statistics that are compiled on the official number of suicides, and for researchers, so that there is clear communication regarding what and who is being studied. Among writers in the field of suicidology there is no single common accepted definition … the term suicide refers not to a single action but more broadly to a great many varied behaviors. For example, one can speak of suicidal thoughts, intentions, ideation, gestures, attempts, completions, equivalents. Thus far, no single term, definition, or taxonomy has served to sufficiently represent the complex set of behaviors that have been suggested as suicidal. A standard set of terms and definitions are greatly needed to advance the science of suicidology and aid communication and understanding of the field. McIntosh (1985, pp. 18–19)
Political Accountability, Electoral Control and Media Bias

type="main"> Are anti-establishment mass media really useful in preventing politicians from behaving dishonestly? This paper models the direction of media bias, and shows that the probability of a dishonest action by an incumbent is higher (than that in the case of no media bias) if and only if the mass media have some degree of “anti-incumbent” bias (i.e. information favourable to the incumbent is converted into unfavourable news about the incumbent with a positive probability), provided that the incumbent is less likely to be opportunistic than a challenger in the upcoming election. This result holds irrespective of the degree of “pro-incumbent” bias.
Benefits of Thoracic Epidural Analgesia in Patients Undergoing an Open Posterior Component Separation for Abdominal Herniorrhaphy

ABSTRACT An open posterior component separation (PCS) is a commonly utilized surgical approach for repair of complex abdominal wall defects and hernias. Although this approach may improve surgical outcomes, significant postoperative pain can be expected given the required laparotomy and extensive abdominal wall manipulation. Both systemic opioids and thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) are viable postoperative analgesic options, and both are commonly utilized. Although the benefits of TEA have been investigated following a variety of surgeries, there is a paucity of literature related to its efficacy for this particular surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefits of TEA following open PCS under the hypothesis that the incorporation of TEA into the postoperative analgesic regimen would hasten bowel recovery. Patients who previously underwent an open PCS were identified through an electronic medical record query. A retrospective chart review was then performed, and patients who had TEA, either alone or combined with systemic opioids, were compared with patients who had only systemic opioids. The primary end point was a comparison of the postoperative day (POD) on which a full diet was started. Secondarily, time to liquid diet, postsurgical length of stay (LOS), intensive care unit (ICU) admission rate, ICU LOS, and the rates of several postoperative adverse events were compared. A post hoc analysis was also performed, using the same end points, to compare the subgroup of TEA patients who avoided systemic opioids with all patients who received systemic opioids, whether alone or combined with TEA. One hundred and one patients were ultimately included for analysis. Time to full diet was not significantly different between patients who had TEA, either with or without systemic opioids, and those who received only systemic opioids (TEA 2.6 ± 1.7 vs. systemic opioids 3.1 ± 2.1 [mean POD ± SD], P = .21). Additionally, no statistically significant differences were found for any secondary outcome. In the post hoc analysis, the subgroup of TEA patients who avoided systemic opioids had a significantly faster time to bowel recovery when compared with all patients who received systemic opioids (2.2 ± 1.0 vs. 3.2 ± 2.2, P = .0033). This subgroup also had a significantly shorter time to liquid diet and a decreased postoperative LOS. In conclusion, for patients undergoing an open PCS, the inclusion of TEA in the postoperative analgesic regimen did not by itself hasten the return of bowel function. However, when TEA was utilized and systemic opioids were avoided, bowel recovery occurred significantly sooner and resulted in a shortened hospital LOS.
BODY CONDITION SCORE AS A MARKER OF MILK YIELD AND COMPOSITION IN DAIRY ANIMALS

Growth and yieldattributes of rice were eva luatedwith the application of varying doses of Naphthalene Acetic Acid (NAA) and Phosphorus during 2004 and 2005. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block (RCB) Design with split -plot arrangements and replicated four times. Main plots were assigned to four levels (0, 60, 90 and 120 ml ha -1 ) of NAA.Results revealed that NAA @ 90 ml ha -1 and phosphorus application up to 100 kg ha -1 boosted up the riceproductivitydue tomaximum value recorded in terms of panicles m -2 (347.5 and 349.5), spik elets panicle -1 (153.3 and 153.8),sterility (22.25 and 19.94 %) , normal kernel(77.25 and 78.69 % ), paddy yield (7.62 and 7.82 t ha -1 )and net income (Rs. 30986 and 32236 ha -1 ) with BCR of 1.64 and 1.70 indicating the economical yield of rice during 2004 and
Chlamydial vaccine development.

Chlamydial organisms cause a wide spectrum of diseases in humans, other mammals and birds and have an enormous economic impact on both human and animal health and on agricultural industries worldwide. The two principal pathogens of humans are Chlamydia trachomatis and Chlamydophila pneumoniae (Schachter, 1988; Saikku, 1998). Chlamydia trachomatis is a cause of chronic conjunctivitis and is also the most common cause of sexually transmitted disease in humans. Infections can go unnoticed and, if left untreated, can ultimately result in scarring and fibrosis of ocular and genital tissues, resulting in trachoma (the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide) and pelvic inflammatory disease, which can lead to infertility, ectopic pregnancy and chronic pelvic pain. Chlamydophila pneumoniae causes acute respiratory disease and is responsible for 5–10% of the cases of community-acquired pneumonia, bronchitis and sinusitis. The organism has also been associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, reactive airway disease, Reiter’s syndrome, sarcoidosis and atherosclerosis.
Patient-related factors predicting the effectiveness of rifampicin chemoprophylaxis in contacts: 6 year follow up of the COLEP cohort in Bangladesh.

OBJECTIVES The COLEP trial in Bangladesh showed a 57% reduction in leprosy incidence among contacts of newly diagnosed patients in the first 2 years after chemoprophylaxis with single dose rifampicin (SDR). We assessed the impact of this intervention after 6 years and identified characteristics of the leprosy index patients predicting the effectiveness of this intervention. DESIGN The cohort of 1037 patients and their 28 092 contacts that participated in the randomised placebo controlled field trial with single dose rifampicin was followed for 6 years. The leprosy status of contacts was established at 2, 4 and 6 years after the intervention. We assessed the association between characteristics of the index leprosy patients and the development of clinical leprosy among their contacts using logistic regression. RESULTS The protective effect of SDR was seen only in the first 2 years, with no additional effect after 4 and 6 years. However, the total impact of the intervention was still statistically significant (P = 0.025) after 6 years and no excess cases were observed in the SDR arm at a later stage. The intervention prevented leprosy in contacts that actually received SDR, but did not offer protection to members of the same contact group who did not take chemoprophylaxis. The intervention was most effective in contact groups of female index patients, an enhanced effect was also observed in contact groups of patients belonging to a cluster of two or more leprosy patients at intake as well. CONCLUSION These easy to recognise patient characteristics indicate a possible enhanced risk of transmission of Mycobacterium leprae to contacts in the vicinity of patients and are useful for deciding about preventive measures, such as early detection or chemoprophylaxis.
Nonlinear Hybrid Planning with Deep Net Learned Transition Models and Mixed-Integer Linear Programming

In many real-world hybrid (mixed discrete continuous) planning problems such as Reservoir Control, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), and Navigation, it is difﬁcult to obtain a model of the complex nonlinear dynamics that govern state evolution. However, the ubiquity of modern sensors allow us to collect large quantities of data from each of these complex systems and build accurate, nonlinear deep network models of their state transitions. But there remains one major problem for the task of control – how can we plan with deep network learned transition models without resorting to Monte Carlo Tree Search and other black-box transition model techniques that ignore model structure and do not easily extend to mixed discrete and continuous domains? In this paper, we make the critical observation that the popular Rectiﬁed Linear Unit (ReLU) transfer function for deep networks not only allows accurate nonlinear deep net model learning, but also permits a direct compilation of the deep network transition model to a Mixed-Integer Linear Program (MILP) encoding in a planner we call Hybrid Deep MILP Planning (HD-MILP-PLAN). We identify deep net speciﬁc optimizations and a simple sparsiﬁcation method for HD-MILP-PLAN that improve performance over a na¨ıve encoding, and show that we are able to plan optimally with respect to the learned deep network.
Fusion of Multiple Segments Can Increase the Incidence of Sacroiliac Joint Pain After Lumbar or Lumbosacral Fusion

Study Design. A retrospective study. Objective. To determine the risk factors for sacroiliac joint pain (SIJP) after lumbar or lumbosacral fusion. Summary of Background Data. Recently, the sacroiliac joint has gained increased attention as a source of pain after lumbar or lumbosacral fusion. We examined the factors related to the development of SIJP after lumbar or lumbosacral fusion. Methods. In total, 262 patients who underwent lumbar or lumbosacral fusion from June 2006 to June 2009 were included in this study. All patients who did not show SIJP clinically in the preoperative screening period were considered. Of these patients, 28 newly developed SIJP. We investigated whether development of SIJP after lumbar or lumbosacral fusion is related to the presence of fusion involving the sacrum (floating fusion vs. fixed fusion) and the number of fused segments. Results. The incidence of SIJP was higher with fixed fusion (13.1%) than with floating fusion (10.0%). With regard to the number of fused segments, the incidence of SIJP was 5.8% for one fused segment, 10.0% for two segments, 20.0% for three segments, 22.5% for at least four segments. Thus, the incidence was significantly higher when at least three segments were fused. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine if the development of SIJP was related to the presence of fusion involving the sacrum or the number of fused segments. The analysis revealed that the number of fused segments was significantly associated with the development of SIJP. Conclusion. SIJP is a potential cause of low back pain after lumbar or lumbosacral fusion surgeries. Our study indicated that fusion of multiple segments (at least three) can increase the incidence of SIJP after lumbar or lumbosacral fusion. Level of Evidence: Level 3