Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Credit Value Adjustment for Credit Default Swaps via the Structural Default Model

We propose a structural default model to evaluate the counterparty risk by trading in credit default swap (CDS) contracts. We model the joint evolution of the firm value of the entity underlying the CDS contract and the counterparty using a correlated jump-diffusion process. Unlike the reduced-form default model, where the default event is always a sudden event, in our model, the default event is triggered by a sudden drop in the value of the credit entity and subsequent deterioration of its credit quality, which is the pattern observed in practice, in particular, for financial institutions. Thus, our model might provide a better tool to model the value of financial institutions and their creditworthiness. We develop robust semi-analytical and numerical methods for the model calibration and solving the pricing problem, which will be presented somewhere else. In this article we show how to apply our model to analyze the counterparty risk in credit default swaps and evaluate the counterparty charge. Using the market data of JP Morgan and Citigroup for illustrations, we show that in our model the counterparty charge is significant, 5%-30% compared to the present value of the default leg of the underlying CDS, and it is sensitive to both correlation and volatility parameters. Our results indicate that the counterparty risk in credit derivatives trading cannot be neglected and should be actively managed.
Impact based frequency increased piezoelectric vibration energy harvester for human motion related environments

This paper presents a frequency increased piezoelectric vibration energy harvesting device where the low frequency periodic impact of a driving beam with a horizontally extended rectangular tip makes two piezoelectric generating beams to vibrate at the same time, with their higher resonant frequencies, producing higher power output. The dimension of the flexible driving beam was 58×4.8×1 mm3 and that of each piezoelectric generating beam with styrene support was 15×3.5×0.8 mm3. Each generating beam of the proposed energy harvester produced a maximum peak output power of 46.51 μW across an optimum resistive load of 200 KΩ under 4 ms-2 acceleration and was increased up to 129.15 μW while the acceleration was increased up to 6 ms-2 at an operating frequency of 12.5 Hz. The output of both generating beams with series connection doubled the overall output of the device.
Collision avoidance norms in trajectory planning

This paper studies norms that quantify safety of robotic vehicle trajectories. The main motivation behind this work is to automate the process of selecting safe motions in complex state spaces such as ones arising from environments cluttered with obstacles or when trajectories lie close to the permitted boundary of configuration space. An autonomous vehicle can plan obstacle-free trajectories in a known environment but the inherent uncertainty in sensing and motion could render these trajectories unsafe during execution. Therefore, in the presence of uncertainty it is crucial to predict in real-time the safety of planned trajectories through appropriate metrics or norms. There are a number of standard methods to weigh risks associated with vehicle behavior, for instance, based on the minimum distance to the closest obstacles, or on the average distance to obstacles along the trajectory. In this paper we study generalization of such norms based on the theory of Sobolev spaces. In particular, Hk Sobolev norms applied to the distance-to-obstacle function along a trajectory are based not only on its spatial properties but also on its time variation or frequency components. We show that this extra information renders an H1 norm more effective for quantifying risk compared to the standard Lp norms. This is demonstrated for an analytical example as well as for a semi-realistic helicopter flying through an obstacle terrain.
Total quality management and statistical understanding

The total quality management (TQM) process is about performance improvement of individuals, groups and organizations. To improve performance, people need to know what to do, how to do it, to have the right tools to do it, to be able to measure performance and to receive feedback on current levels of achievement. The TQM process provides this by adhering to a set of general principles (see Kanji & Asher, 1993) based on statistical understanding and can be used to drive improvement processes. Statistical understanding is the process of comprehending the variation which occurs in every aspect of working life. Here, work is seen as a process and to improve it, first of all, requires a proper understanding of the characteristics of the process and then the ability to quantify, control and reduce the variation. Ultimately, process management, provides an integrated approach to quality improvement through the reduction of process variation. The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the link between statistical c.
Predictors of prospectively examined suicide attempts among youth with bipolar disorder.

CONTEXT Individuals with early onset of bipolar disorder are at high risk for suicide. Yet, no study to date has examined factors associated with prospective risk for suicide attempts among youth with bipolar disorder. OBJECTIVE To examine past, intake, and follow-up predictors of prospectively observed suicide attempts among youth with bipolar disorder. DESIGN We interviewed subjects, on average, every 9 months over a mean of 5 years using the Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Evaluation. SETTING Outpatient and inpatient units at 3 university centers. PARTICIPANTS A total of 413 youths (mean [SD] age, 12.6 [3.3] years) who received a diagnosis of bipolar I disorder (n=244), bipolar II disorder (n=28), or bipolar disorder not otherwise specified (n=141). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Suicide attempt over prospective follow-up and past, intake, and follow-up predictors of suicide attempts. RESULTS Of the 413 youths with bipolar disorder, 76 (18%) made at least 1 suicide attempt within 5 years of study intake; of these, 31 (8% of the entire sample and 41% of attempters) made multiple attempts. Girls had higher rates of attempts than did boys, but rates were similar for bipolar subtypes. The most potent past and intake predictors of prospectively examined suicide attempts included severity of depressive episode at study intake and family history of depression. Follow-up data were aggregated over 8-week intervals; greater number of weeks spent with threshold depression, substance use disorder, and mixed mood symptoms and greater number of weeks spent receiving outpatient psychosocial services in the preceding 8-week period predicted greater likelihood of a suicide attempt. CONCLUSIONS Early-onset bipolar disorder is associated with high rates of suicide attempts. Factors such as intake depressive severity and family history of depression should be considered in the assessment of suicide risk among youth with bipolar disorder. Persistent depression, mixed presentations, and active substance use disorder signal imminent risk for suicidal behavior in this population.
The Effects of Trauma Center Care, Admission Volume, and Surgical Volume on Paralysis After Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

Objective:To evaluate compliance with American College of Surgeons (ACS) guidelines and whether trauma center designation, hospital traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) case volume or spinal surgery volume is associated with paralysis. We hypothesized a priori that trauma center care, by contrast to nontrauma center care, is associated with reduced paralysis at discharge. Summary Background Data:Approximately 11,000 persons incur a TSCI in the United States annually. The ACS recommends all TSCI patients be taken to a level I or II trauma center. Methods:We studied 4121 patients diagnosed with TSCI by ICD-9-CM criteria in the 2001 hospital discharge files of 7 states (Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia, Washington), who were treated in 100 trauma centers and 601 nontrauma centers. We performed multivariate analyses, including a propensity score quintile approach, adjusting for differences in case mix and clustering by hospital and by state. We also studied 3125 patients using the expanded modified Medicare Provider Analysis and Review records for the years 1996, 2001, and 2006 to assess temporal trends in paralysis by trauma center designation. Results:Mortality was 7.5%, and 16.3% were discharged with paralysis. Only 57.9% (n = 2378) received care at a designated trauma center. Trauma centers had a 16-fold higher admission caseload (20.7 vs. 1.3; P < 0.001) and 30-fold higher surgical volume (9.6 vs. 0.3; P < 0.001). In the multivariate propensity analysis, paralysis was significantly lower at trauma centers (adjusted odds ratio 0.67; 95% confidence interval, 0.53–0.85; P = 0.001). Higher surgical volume, not higher admission volume, was associated with lower risk of paralysis. Indeed, at nontrauma centers, higher admission caseload was associated with worse outcome. There was no significant difference in mortality. Conclusions:Trauma center care is associated with reduced paralysis after TSCI, possibly because of greater use of spinal surgery. National guidelines to triage all such patients to trauma centers are followed little more than half the time.
Proliferative lesions of the mouse lung: progression studies in strain A mice.

The progression of pulmonary neoplasia was examined in strain A/J male mice treated with a single dose of vinyl carbamate (60 mg/kg, i.p.) 6 weeks after birth. Interim sacrifices were performed at 7, 8, 10, 12, or 14 months. Proliferative lesions of the lung were divided into four categories: hyperplasias, adenomas, carcinomas arising within adenomas, and carcinomas. Grossly visible surface tumor counts, histologic diagnoses, and morphometric measurements of histologic lesions were used to evaluate progression. Vinyl carbamate-treated mice showed increased mean surface tumor counts at all time points. Diagnostic evaluation suggested that as a function of time, the relative frequency of hyperplasias decreased and the relative frequency of adenomas increased. The relative frequency of adenomas subsequently decreased, whereas the relative frequency of carcinomas increased. At all time points, carcinomas arising within adenomas were present. As time progressed, the number of carcinomas arising within adenomas decreased, whereas the number of "pure" carcinomas increased. Morphometric analysis of lesions indicated hyperplasias to be small, that adenomas were larger than hyperplasias, and carcinomas were larger than adenomas and hyperplasias, suggesting that few adenomas or carcinomas arise de novo. Collectively, these data suggest that the majority of pulmonary tumors in A/J mice treated with vinyl carbamate arise as hyperplasias, progress to adenomas, and ultimately result in carcinomas.
Impact of the Environment on Holiday Destination Choices of Prospective UK Tourists: Implications for Tropical North Queensland

In this article, the findings of a choice modelling study of prospective tourists from the UK are reported. The study is focused on the relative importance of the natural environment on the choices made by prospective UK tourists regarding their overseas holiday destination. The study data are used to analyse the impacts on destination choices of changes in a range of features that describe the holiday locations included in the study. The willingness to pay for changes in the condition of the natural environment – and other destination features – is estimated. The study findings are relevant to the development of the competitive strategy of the nature-based holiday destination of Tropical North Queensland.
Return-to-play according to GAP in muscle injuries by L-BIA measurements: clinical prognosis.

Introduction and Purpose The muscle injury grading systems are based in part on ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, the prognosis by MRI is not clear. There is evidence that part of the return-to-play is conditioned by the severity of the injury [1], and in our experience, this severity is associated with muscle gap (quantifiable retraction between fibers). Recently, a new classification of muscle injury has been proposed [2] in which the gap plays an important role, with the drawback that it is difficult to identify by MRI. The localized bioimpedance measurement (LBIA) emerges as alternative, low-cost or accessible technique for supporting the US and MRI to quantify the disrupted soft tissue structure in muscle injuries [3]. The aim of this work is to relate the return-to-play with the severity of the injury according to the gap, through L-BIA measurements.
Differences in intestinal humoral immunity between healthy volunteers from UK and Bangladesh

Background/aims Intestinal morphology has been shown to vary geographically. The impact of this variation on gut mucosal humoral immunity is not well‐studied. The technique of peroral whole‐gut lavage (WGL) with nonabsorbable cleansing fluid can be utilized for the study of gut immune responses in health and disease. In this study, the WGL technique was employed to compare various gut humoral immune parameters in healthy volunteers from Dhaka in Bangladesh and Edinburgh, UK. Methods Eleven healthy individuals (all male, age range 18‐32) from Dhaka and 12 healthy individuals (4 male and 8 female, age range 23‐48) from Edinburgh underwent WGL with a polyethylene glycol electrolyte‐based solution drunk at a rate of 1 l/h. The first clear effluent was collected and processed. An ELISA technique was used to measure total immunoglobulins (A, M and G) and antibodies to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS: endotoxin) ovalbumin and eotaxin. Immunoturbimetry and radioimmunoassy techniques were used to measure protein (albumin and &agr;‐1 antitrypsin) and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), respectively, in WGL fluid (WGLF). Results The total IgA, ECP and eotaxin concentrations in WGLF from the Dhaka group were significantly higher than those of the Edinburgh group (P < 0.03, P < 0.002 and P < 0.005 respectively). The IgA antibody level against the core oligosaccharide of bacterial LPS from several Gramnegative species was significantly higher in the Dhaka group compared to the Edinburgh group (P < 0.0001). Similarly, there was generally higher level of IgA antibody response against the various different LPS core structures of Escherichia coli in the Dhaka group, in particular significantly higher against R1, R3 and R4 LPS cores (P < 0.02, P < 0.03 and P < 0.01 respectively) compared to the Edinburgh group. In contrast to antibacterial antibodies, the IgA and IgM antibodies against ovalbumin were significantly lower in the Dhaka group (P < 0.001 and P < 0.003, respectively) compared to the Edinburgh group. Conclusions This study on gut mucosal humoral immunity from two geographically distinct populations suggests that place of residence influences gut mucosal humoral immunity. This difference in stimulation of humoral immunity of the gut might explain different rates of inflammatory bowel diseases in developing and developed countries, and also provides a major challenge for the development of mucosally presented vaccine worldwide.
Transpiration, potassium uptake and flow in tobacco as affected by nitrogen forms and nutrient levels.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Ammonium can result in toxicity symptoms in many plants when it is supplied as the sole source of N. In this work, influences of different nitrogen forms at two levels (2 and 15 mm N) on growth, water relations and uptake and flow of potassium were studied in plants of Nicotiana tabacum 'K 326'. METHODS Xylem sap from different leaves was collected from 106-d-old tobacco plants cultured in quartz sand by application of pressure to the root system. Whole-shoot transpiration for each of the treatments was measured on a daily basis by weight determination. KEY RESULTS Total replacement of NO(3)(-)N by NH(4)(+)-N caused a substantial decrease in dry weight gain, even when plants grew under nutrient deficiency. Increasing nutrient concentration resulted in a greater net dry weight gain when nitrogen was supplied as NO(3)(-) or NH(4)NO(3), but resulted in little change when nitrogen was supplied as NH(4)(+). NH(4)(+)-N as the sole N-source also caused reduction in transpiration rate, changes in plant WUE (which depended on the nutrient levels) and a decrease in potassium uptake. However, the amount of xylem-transported potassium in the plants fed with NH(4)(+) was not reduced: it was 457 % or 596 % of the potassium currently taken up at low or high nutrient level, respectively, indicating a massive export from leaves and cycling of potassium in the phloem. CONCLUSIONS Ammonium reduces leaf stomatal conductance of tobacco plants. The flow and partitioning of potassium in tobacco plants can be changed, depending on the nitrogen forms and nutrient levels.
A personal view of natural language understanding

For many years, I have been pursuing a long-range research objective in the area of natural language understanding for man-machine communication, an objective that I share with many of my colleagues. The objective is to develop the capability for people to interact directly in fluent natural language with a computer system for support of some decision making task they are involved in. Specifically, I am concerned with the use of natural language to manipulate data retrieval and display capabilities to enable a decision-maker to obtain a grasp of an overall situation in the face of an overwhelming availability of low level data. Such a system must give concise answers to specific high-level questions posed by the decision-maker within a small number of seconds in most cases.
miR‐182 selectively targets HOXA10 in goat endometrial epithelium cells in vitro

Proper HOXA10 expression was essential for endometrial receptivity what was crucial for successful embryo implantation in mammalian. This study confirmed that miR-182 regulated the expression levels of HOXA10 by binding to its 3' UTR, selectively downregulated HOXA10 in goat endometrial epithelium cells (gEECs) but not stromal cell (gESCs) in vitro. However, HOXA10 and miR-182 both up-expressed in the goat endometrium at gestational day 15 (D15) compared with gestational day 5 (D5), suggesting that there were some other factors regulated the expression of HOXA10 during the development of goat endometrium in vivo. What's more, HOXA10 gene silencing (HOXA10-siRNA) resulted in gEECs apoptosis in vitro, and it regulated the protein levels of oestrogen receptor a (ERa), progesterone receptor B (PRb), insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R), BCL-2, pleiotrophin (PTN), AKT and p-JNK in gEECs. Furthermore, HOXA10 might regulate the protein levels of endometrial receptivity biomarker genes, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), osteopontin (OPN), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and prolactin receptor (PRLR) in gEECs. In conclusion, miR-182 targeted HOXA10 selectively in EECs in vitro, and HOXA10 played an important role in maintaining the function of EECs in dairy goats.
Women's suffrage in Asia : gender, nationalism and democracy

Notes on Contributors List of Figures Acknowledgements 1. Introduction: Orienting the Global Women's Suffrage Movement 2. Is the Suffragist an American Colonial Construct? Defining 'The Filipino Women' in Colonial Philippines 3. Chinese Women's Campaigns for Suffrage: Nationalism, Confucianism and Political Agency 4. Women's Suffrage and Democracy in Indonesia 5. Women's Suffrage in Viet Nam 6. Citizenship and Suffrage in Interwar Japan 7. Expanding their Realm: Women and Public Agency in Colonial Korea 8. The Politics of Women's Suffrage in Thailand 9. Tradition, Law and the Female Suffrage Movement in India 10. Settler Anxieties, Indigenous Peoples and Women's Suffrage in the Colonies of Australia, New Zealand and Hawai'i, 1888 to 1902
PVC-plasticizer DEHP in medical products: do thin coatings really reduce DEHP leaching into blood?

The hemocompatibility of artificial surfaces in extracorporeal blood circulation systems can be improved by coatings. According to the literature, heparin coatings should avoid the leaching of the plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) into the blood from components made from plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC). DEHP and its metabolites are known to impair the fertility of male rodents; effects on human fertility are assumed. Three different surface coatings with and without heparin were examined in a Chandler Loop model at 37°C using fresh human blood to evaluate their hemocompatibility and barrier property to plasticizer. The levels of toxic oxidation products of DEHP generated in the blood, particularly, were found as high as in the uncoated tubing. The coatings improved the hemocompatibility, but are not safe protection against the hazardous metabolites of DEHP. For pregnant women, neonates and children, we would recommend using the available surface-coated plasticized PVC tubing sets, but free of DEHP.
Is it Who You Ask or How You Ask? Findings of a Meta-Analysis on Genetically Modified Food Valuation Studies

This paper presents a meta-analysis of 46 primary studies reporting a total of 108 genetically modified food valuation estimates. The analysis shows that elicitation methods and formats used in the primary studies affect valuation estimates much more than do sample characteristics. Moreover, consumer aversion to genetically modified food seems to have increased over time. Previous findings are confirmed that consumer valuation strongly depends on the type of food product and varies among regions.
Community support for wildfire mitigation at Peavine Métis Settlement, Alberta, Canada

This paper presents the findings of a study that explored public support for wildfire mitigation programmes implemented in Peavine Métis Settlement, an Indigenous community located in Alberta, Canada. Data were collected in a community-based study using interviews, focus groups and participant observation over a 4-year period. Results showed that support for the wildfire mitigation programme was influenced by local leadership, economics, community capacity and land and home ownership. The communal nature of land and home ownership on the settlement influenced support for wildfire mitigation that was conducted by the settlement at both the residential and community levels. Employment opportunities available in the community for settlement members for wildfire mitigation activities also increased support for the local wildfire mitigation programme. A local Aboriginal leader skilled in wildfire mitigation and existing community capacity was also seen as vital to settlement member support for the programme.