Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reexamining the Profitability of Technical Analysis with Data Snooping Checks

In this article we reexamine the profitability of technical analysis using White's reality check and Hansen's SPA test that correct the data snooping bias. Compared to previous studies, we study a more complete "universe" of trading techniques, including not only simple rules but also complex trading strategies, and we test the profitability of these rules and strategies with four main indices. It is found that significantly profitable simple rules and complex trading strategies do exist in the data from relatively "young" markets (NASDAQ Composite and Russell 2000) but not in the data from relatively "mature" markets [Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and S&P 500]. Moreover, after taking transaction costs into account, we find that the best rules for NASDAQ Composite and Russell 2000 outperform the buy-and-hold strategy in most in- and out-of-sample periods. It is also found that complex trading strategies are able to improve on the profits of simple rules and may even generate significant profits from unprofitable simple rules. Copyright 2005, Oxford University Press.
Humoral immune response in experimental syphilis to polypeptides of Treponema pallidum.

The ontogeny of the IgG response in rabbits with experimental syphilis to individual polypeptides of Treponema pallidum, Nichols strain, was examined. The polypeptides of motile, virulent T. pallidum, purified from host tissue by Percoll density gradient centrifugation, were separated on SDS-polyacrylamide gels and were electrophoretically transferred to a solid-phase matrix of nitrocellulose for antigen analysis. Serum from rabbits early in infection at day 3 post-infection showed a weak but detectable IgG response to two polypeptides of 60,000 and 46,000 m.w. This was followed on days 11, 17, and 19 by an apparent quantitative increase in antibody to other treponemal protein antigens. By day 19, 21 of the 22 detectable polypeptides could be identified. A similar set of antigens was detected by serum from patients with human secondary and early latent syphilis. A close correlation was found between the presence of IgG antibody to T. pallidum polypeptides at day 9 and 1, 4.5, 13.5, and 17 mo post-infection and the immune status of the rabbit to symptomatic reinfection. Serum from rabbits that were partially immune to challenge at day 9 detected three polypeptides of 60,000, 46,000, and 36,000 daltons. By 1 mo post-infection, at a time when a more complete immunity had developed, the number of detectable antigens increased to 21 polypeptides ranging in m.w. from 94,000 to 14,400 daltons. IgG antibody to 22 treponemal antigens persisted in animals that were solidly immune to symptomatic reinfection at 3, 4.5, 13.5, and 17 mo post-infection. Serum neutralizing activity was not demonstrable at day 9 or 1 mo post-infection, however, but was present at 3, 4.5, 13.5, and 17 mo. The results suggest that after intratesticular challenge a vigorous IgG response to T. pallidum polypeptides can be detected. The potential role of humoral immune mechanisms in the development and maintenance of immunity is discussed.
Reckoning Electronic Government Progress in Bangladesh

In the context of the recent interest and enthusiasm regarding e-government, this article proffers an overview of e-government by focusing on its conceptual development and experimental practices with a particular focus on Bangladesh. The study primarily draws on an extensive review of the secondary literature together with personal insights of the authors gained in the course of engagements with selected e-government related projects in Bangladesh. It explores, inter alia, the conceptual setting by examining the key definitional issues and models of e-government; reviews e-government as a practice at the global and developing country contexts; and examines the policy frame and infrastructural status of e-government in Bangladesh. Major challenges and constraints on wider application of e-government in Bangladesh are identified and some clues on possible improvement of the situation are also explored. Despite many constraints, a degree of positive change is already noticeable in reducing the digital divide in the country.
Autocorrelations, returns and Australian stock indices

This paper explores whether predictable autocorrelation structures exist in returns data on Australian stock indices. We explore the data using the power transformations of Ding, Granger and Engle (1993) and Hentschel (1995). We find that for a large number of different market indices there exists an autocorrelation structure in power transformations of returns that could be exploited in forecasting. To illustrate the forecasting potential we conduct a limited forecasting comparison using the All Ordinaries Accumulation Index. Our results show some gain in forecasting performance.
Novel MOS prediction models for compressed medical image quality

This paper presents the development of novel models which can be potentially useful in determining the upper limit of image compression thresholds, to preserve diagnostically relevant information in compressed medical images. These models were developed by evolving the correlation between the theoretically computed objective (peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity) and subjective mean opinion score (MOS) quality parameters. The developed models were validated by comparing the model generated MOS with the corresponding experimental MOS of six independent observers considering joint photographic experts group (JPEG), JPEG2000 and set partitioning in hierarchical trees (SPIHT) compressions of computed tomography (CT) scan images. It is found that the correlation between the model generated and experimental MOS and PRD are ≥0.87 and ≤13% respectively for the compression range 0.05–2.0 bits/pixel of the CT scan images. Therefore our models can be potentially useful for observer-independent MOS prediction and quality assessment of reconstructed medical images. In addition this also avoids the need for exhaustive and time-consuming experimental MOS and thus it can be more suitable for teleradiology applications.
Land-use dynamics and landscape pattern change in a coastal gulf region, southeast China

This study quantitatively analyzed spatiotemporal changes in land use and landscape pattern in a coastal gulf region of southeast China by comparing classified satellite images from 1988, 2002, and 2007, using a geographic information system (GIS), remote sensing (RS), and landscape pattern metrics. The results show an increase in cropland, built-up area, and aquaculture area and a decrease in orchards, woodland, and beach area during 1988–2007. Over the study period, 64.3% of newly-expanded cropland was from woodland; newly-expanded built-up area of 34.8, 27.2, and 20.4% was converted from cropland, woodland, and beach areas, respectively; and newly-expanded aquaculture increased by 45.1 and 29.4% from beach and water body areas, respectively. Trend analysis of landscape pattern metrics demonstrates fragmentation of the landscape, with landscape pattern structure becoming more complex over the last two decades in the Louyuan Gulf region. Urbanization and policy developed to transfer beach/seawater areas into built-up area/aquaculture are the two main driving forces contributing to dynamic changes in land use and landscape pattern in the last two decades in Louyuan.
Vagus nerve stimulation reduces daytime sleepiness in epilepsy patients

Background: Given that vagal afferents project to brainstem regions that promote alertness, the authors tested the hypothesis that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) would improve daytime sleepiness in patients with epilepsy. Methods: Sixteen subjects with medically refractory seizures underwent polysomnography and multiple sleep latency tests (MSLT) and completed the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), a measure of subjective daytime sleepiness, before and after 3 months of VNS. Most subjects (>80%) were maintained on constant doses of antiepileptic medications. Results: In the 15 subjects who completed baseline and treatment MSLT, the mean sleep latency (MSL) improved from 6.4 ± 4.1 minutes to 9.8 ± 5.8 minutes (± SD; p = 0.033), indicating reduced daytime sleepiness. All subjects with stimulus intensities of ≤1.5 mA showed improved MSL. In the 16 subjects who completed baseline and treatment ESS, the mean ESS score decreased from 7.2 ± 4.4 to 5.6 ± 4.5 points (p = 0.049). Improvements in MSLT and ESS were not correlated with reduction in seizure frequency. Sleep-onset REM periods occurred more frequently in treatment naps as compared to baseline naps (p < 0.008; Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test). The amount of REM sleep or other sleep stages recorded on overnight polysomnography did not change with VNS treatment. Conclusions: Treatment with VNS at low stimulus intensities improves daytime sleepiness, even in subjects without reductions in seizure frequency. Daytime REM sleep is enhanced with VNS. These findings support the role of VNS in activating cholinergic and other brain regions that promote alertness.
SCC‐DFTB parameters for simulating hybrid gold‐thiolates compounds

We present a parametrization of a self‐consistent charge density functional‐based tight‐binding scheme (SCC‐DFTB) to describe gold‐organic hybrid systems by adding new Au‐X (X = Au, H, C, S, N, O) parameters to a previous set designed for organic molecules. With the aim of describing gold‐thiolates systems within the DFTB framework, the resulting parameters are successively compared with density functional theory (DFT) data for the description of Au bulk, Aun gold clusters (n = 2, 4, 8, 20), and AunSCH3 (n = 3 and 25) molecular‐sized models. The geometrical, energetic, and electronic parameters obtained at the SCC‐DFTB level for the small Au3SCH3 gold–thiolate compound compare very well with DFT results, and prove that the different binding situations of the sulfur atom on gold are correctly described with the current parameters. For a larger gold–thiolate model, Au25SCH3, the electronic density of states and the potential energy surfaces resulting from the chemisorption of the molecule on the gold aggregate obtained with the new SCC‐DFTB parameters are also in good agreement with DFT results. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Multilateral Donor Non-System: Towards Accountability and Efficient Role Assignment

Abstract Global governance refers to several pillars; one important pillar is the multilateral aid architecture. Its reform can be discussed under the perspectives of representativeness, inclusiveness, and efficiency (of aid delivery). A prerequisite for efficient aid delivery is to map the rising complexity of multilateral development finance, to help identify areas for consolidation, address fragmentation and poor co-ordination at country level, and help identify comparative advantages for an institutional role assignment among multilateral agencies. After doing just that, the paper explores why the multilateral donors have proliferated and provides broad recommendations for a more efficient and accountable multilateral donor system.
An Algorithm for Simulating Bermudan Option Prices on Simulated Asset Prices

European options and other derivatives that do not allow early exercise can be priced efficiently by recursion methods that start at known payoffs on the expiration date and work backwards in time to value the derivative at the initial date. Path-dependent derivatives like mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and many interest rate derivatives require forward-looking Monte Carlo simulations. But there are increasing numbers of more complex securities that feature both early exercise and path-dependence, such as callable MBS and Bermudan options on Bermudan swaptions, where pricing requires looking in both directions. The typical case is a contract in which, at discrete dates, the holder must decide between immediate exercise or continuation of a derivative whose underlying must be valued by Monte Carlo simulation. This decision is presented repeatedly along each simulated path for the underlying interest rate, and the continuation value in each case must be estimated by a sub-simulation of future rate paths starting from that point. This leads to a great increase in the total number of simulations required to achieve accurate pricing. It also leads to a less well-known problem, that the sampling error in the Monte Carlo simulation effectively becomes incorporated in the rate volatility of the underlying paths, which induces an upward bias in the model values. In this paper, Huge and Rom-Poulsen present a technique for minimizing the problem. Sampling error is reduced by projecting „crude Monte Carlo” values onto a set of basis functions to extract the expected value with much less noise. A series of examples illustrates clearly the nature of the problem and the effectiveness of their solution. The result is far more efficient model estimation for this challenging class of derivatives.
The Structuring of Interfirm Exchanges in Business Know-How: Evidence from International Collaborative Ventures

This study investigates the effect of transaction cost considerations on the apportionment of residual bearing, and the assignment of managerial control between two firms involved in the exchange of business know-how. Data were collected from contractual agreements between multinational enterprises and indigenous firms that formed collaborative ventures in developing countries. A simultaneous-equation model was employed to test hypotheses that were derived under a theoretical framework based on the new institutional economics. The empirical results are supportive of the hypotheses. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pink1 Kinase and Its Membrane Potential (Δψ)-dependent Cleavage Product Both Localize to Outer Mitochondrial Membrane by Unique Targeting Mode*

Background: The Parkinson-related kinase Pink1 is implicated in mitochondrial quality control. Results: Integration of multiple targeting signals results in the localization of Pink1 and its processing product to the surface of the outer membrane. Conclusion: Pink1 follows a unique import pathway that allows probing the functional integrity of mitochondria. Significance: Determining the Pink1 targeting mode provides the basis for defining its molecular function. The Parkinson disease-associated kinase Pink1 is targeted to mitochondria where it is thought to regulate mitochondrial quality control by promoting the selective autophagic removal of dysfunctional mitochondria. Nevertheless, the targeting mode of Pink1 and its submitochondrial localization are still not conclusively resolved. The aim of this study was to dissect the mitochondrial import pathway of Pink1 by use of a highly sensitive in vitro assay. Mutational analysis of the Pink1 sequence revealed that its N terminus acts as a genuine matrix localization sequence that mediates the initial membrane potential (Δψ)-dependent targeting of the Pink1 precursor to the inner mitochondrial membrane, but it is dispensable for Pink1 import or processing. A hydrophobic segment downstream of the signal sequence impeded complete translocation of Pink1 across the mitochondrial inner membrane. Additionally, the C-terminal end of the protein promoted the retention of Pink1 at the outer membrane. Thus, multiple targeting signals featured by the Pink1 sequence result in the final localization of both the full-length protein and its major Δψ-dependent cleavage product to the cytosolic face of the outer mitochondrial membrane. Full-length Pink1 and deletion constructs resembling the natural Pink1 processing product were found to assemble into membrane potential-sensitive high molecular weight protein complexes at the mitochondrial surface and displayed similar cytoprotective effects when expressed in vivo, indicating that both species are functionally relevant.
The immune response and immunopathology in infection with Schistosoma mansoni: a key role of major egg antigen Sm‐p40

The immune response and related granulomatous inflammation in infection with Schistosoma mansoni are ultimately dependent on SEA‐sensitized CD4+ Th cells and comprise multiple pathways variously involving the activation and recruitment of different cell populations and the production of different inflammatory cytokines, all under the influence of regulatory genetic factors. The spontaneous down‐regulation of granuloma formation (immunomodulation), in turn, is a well‐known phenomenon, but the full extent of its precipitating factors is still uncertain. This review describes a pathway leading to immunomodulation that features at its centre the down‐regulatory cytokine IL‐10. This mechanism is attractive because it offers a cogent correlation between findings in the laboratory and those displayed by patients affected with the disease. The Sm‐p40 antigen, a major component of schistosome eggs, elicits a strong CD4+ Th cell response in H‐2k mice that correlates with intense granuloma formation; in contrast, its immunogenicity is relatively minor during infection of other mouse strains that develop smaller granulomas. Of great interest is that the Sm‐p40 antigen only elicits a Th‐1 type cytokine response, a phenotype that remains constant even as the overall response to SEA shifts to a Th‐2 type. The Sm‐p40 molecule has a dominant epitope that is the target of CD4+ Th cells from infected H‐2k mice; indeed, a minimal peptide that bears the epitope binds to I‐Ak. The importance of pursuing a systematic elucidation of the major egg antigens, resides in the exciting possibility of specifically desensitizing the CD4+ Th cells that mediate granuloma formation, which may achieve meaningful prevention or amelioration of clinical disease.
THE SOUND OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The paper explores the corporate governance and corporate social responsibility in music industry, by reviewing the literature and investigating the aspects in the context of a sample made by top companies in this domain. The paper spotlighting the mutual connections between corporate governance and corporate social responsibility. The research methodology used consists in investigate the corporate governance codes. Itâ€(tm)s about a qualitative interpretive research methodology that was adopted. The findings suggest the intercorelation of corporate governance with corporate social responsibility. The main contribution of the author consists in the fact that the added value of this paper and the original contribution leads in the intercorelation of these two aspects of corporate governance and corporate social responsibility, the findings beeing interesting, implying that recent preoccupation with corporate governance in music industry is starting to be equable by some attention to social responsibility aspects, with growing appreciation of their interdependencies. Previous literature has researched corporate governance and corporate social responsibility independently. Due to this fact, this paper is considering them jointly. The paper is important for both practical and theoretical aspects: for managers and also can serve as the basis for future research on this topic. The current paper is realized in the doctoral program entitled â€œPhD in Economics at the Standards of European Knowledge- DoEsEcâ€ , scientific coordinator Prof. PhD Niculae Feleaga, Institution: The Academy of Economic Studies Bucharest, Faculty of Accounting and Management Informatic System, Department of International Accounting, period of research 2009-2012.
miR-142-3p down-regulation contributes to thyroid follicular tumorigenesis by targeting ASH1L and MLL1.

CONTEXT A previous micro-RNA expression profile of thyroid follicular adenomas identified miR-142 precursor among the miRNAs downregulated in the neoplastic tissues compared to normal thyroid gland. OBJECTIVE The aim of this work has been to assess the expression of miR-142-3p in a large panel of follicular thyroid adenomas and carcinomas and evaluate its effect on thyroid cell proliferation and target expression. DESIGN The expression of miR-142-3p was analyzed by qRT-PCR in thyroid follicular adenomas and carcinomas, compared to normal thyroids. MiR-142-3p expression was restored in WRO cells and the effects on cell proliferation and target expression were evaluated. RESULTS Here we show that miR-142-3p is downregulated in FTAs, FTCs, and FVPTCs. MiR-142-3p was demonstrated to reduce the proliferation rate of WRO and FTC133 cells, supporting its tumor suppressor role in thyroid cancerogenesis. Moreover, this microRNA was able to downregulate the expression of ASH1L and MLL1, by direct and indirect mechanisms, respectively. Consistently, an inverse correlation between miR-142-3p expression and ASH1L and MLL1 proteins was found in thyroid follicular adenomas and carcinomas. ASH1L and MLL1, which belong to the Trithorax group (TrxG) proteins and are major regulators of Homeobox gene expression, maintain active target gene transcription by histone 3 lysine 4 methylation. Interestingly, we found that FTCs and FTC cell lines express tumor specific, shorter forms of the two proteins. The capability of miR-142-3p to modulate the levels of these tumor-associated forms and to reactivate thyroid-specific Hox gene expression, likely contributes to its tumor suppressive function. CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate that miR-142-3p downregulation has a role in thyroid tumorigenesis, by regulating ASH1L and MLL1.
Stepping inside? CSDP missions and EU counter-terrorism

Abstract Launched in 1999, the European security and defence policy (ESDP)/common security and defence policy (CSDP) was not conceived as a tool to fight terrorism. This threat was traditionally considered as being of an internal nature and, thus, deemed to be addressed under the European Union's (EU) third pillar. However, the events of 11 September 2011 contributed to a shift in this approach, with several documents acknowledging the importance of the contribution of CFSP, including ESDP, in the fight against terrorism. At the rhetorical level, this idea has been consistently conveyed in the EU's framework documents and policy papers since then. Yet, both civilian and military missions undertaken in the CSDP's realm have not been systematically used to fight terrorism. Against this background, this article aims to examine the lack of impact of such missions in the framework of the Union's counter-terrorism and to discuss developments arising from the Lisbon Treaty's CSDP-related provisions. Based on an analysis of both EU missions' mandates and EU official documents, this article demonstrates that CSDP has not been used to fight terrorism nor has been transformed by the emergence of an EU counter-terrorism policy. It further puts forward three tentative causal explanations for this paradox while arguing for the existence of room for a change in this regard.