Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimal hedging strategy with futures oil markets via FIEGARCH copula model

In this work, our aim is to evaluate the hedging strategies performance of a range of traditional methods such as one-to-one, MCO, and other methods based on GARCH models and copula theory, for two spot and futures energy markets: WTI crude oil and heating oil. We model dependence structure between spot and futures oil markets using copula theory that applied to bivariate standardised residuals data obtained from two fitted univariate FIEGARCH models. This procedure permits to simultaneously capture asymmetric non-linear behaviour, dependence structure, and long memory. We use this method with different copulas functions (Joe, Frank, bb1, Gumbel, Gaussian and dynamic) to investigate hedging performance and the efficiency of copula methods in risk reduction and return improvement. The empirical results show that the combination of the FIEGARCH model and Joe copula is the best hedging strategy for both indices, because it gives the (H/E) ratio the lowest. Also the results show that the dynamic copula does not improve the results found by other strategies.
Chloroplast Redox Status Modulates Genome-Wide Plant Responses during the Non-host Interaction of Tobacco with the Hemibiotrophic Bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria

Non-host resistance is the most ample and durable form of plant resistance against pathogen infection. It includes induction of defense-associated genes, massive metabolic reprogramming, and in many instances, a form of localized cell death (LCD) at the site of infection, purportedly designed to limit the spread of biotrophic and hemibiotrophic microorganisms. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been proposed to act as signals for LCD orchestration. They are produced in various cellular compartments including chloroplasts, mitochondria and apoplast. We have previously reported that down-regulation of ROS build-up in chloroplasts by expression of a plastid-targeted flavodoxin (Fld) suppressed LCD in tobacco leaves inoculated with the non-host bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria (Xcv), while other defensive responses were unaffected, suggesting that chloroplast ROS and/or redox status play a major role in the progress of LCD. To better understand these effects, we compare here the transcriptomic alterations caused by Xcv inoculation on leaves of Fld-expressing tobacco plants and their wild-type siblings. About 29% of leaf-expressed genes were affected by Xcv and/or Fld. Surprisingly, 5.8% of them (1,111 genes) were regulated by Fld in the absence of infection, presumably representing pathways responsive to chloroplast ROS production and/or redox status during normal growth conditions. While the majority (∼75%) of pathogen-responsive genes were not affected by Fld, many Xcv responses were exacerbated, attenuated, or regulated in opposite direction by expression of this protein. Particularly interesting was a group of 384 genes displaying Xcv responses that were already triggered by Fld in the absence of infection, suggesting that the transgenic plants had a larger and more diversified suite of constitutive defenses against the attacking microorganism compared to the wild type. Fld modulated many genes involved in pathogenesis, signal transduction, transcriptional regulation and hormone-based pathways. Remarkable interactions with proteasomal protein degradation were observed. The results provide the first genome-wide, comprehensive picture illustrating the relevance of chloroplast redox status in biotic stress responses.
A Mobile Medicine Decision Support System for District Nurses

Inappropriate use of medicines increases the risk of hospital admissions for the elderly. Not only does this lead to unnecessary suffering for the patients but also incurs a great financial cost to the society. A medicine decision support system in a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), with a barcode reader, can provide an overview of the patients' complete medicine use, and detect unsuitable drugs and drug combinations. Focusing on the elderly, our aim was to evaluate if a mobile medicine decision support system with a barcode reader is useful and user-friendly for nurses in home care. The participants received a comprehensive overview from the patients' medicine use and noted drug-drug interactions, therapeutic duplications and warnings for drugs unsuitable for elderly people. The nurses regarded that the decision support system increased prevention and safety, was useful and user-friendly. Our findings suggest that most of the content and functions were regarded as important. Therefore, this decision support system might be a useful tool for district nurses.
A learning algorithm for hybrid force control of robot arms

An investigation of the hybrid force control of robot arms by learning is presented. A force control scheme based on feedback linearization is used to build an algorithm that improves, trial by trial, force and position tracking over a finite time interval. Unlike other published learning control schemes, the proposed algorithm does not rely on high-gain feedback. Robustness and convergence in spite of sufficiently small system parameter uncertainties and disturbances is proved by means of the contraction mapping principle. <<ETX>>
Research on the relationship between R&D input and patent output in Hebei Province

The number of patents applying is an important indicator of the technological level of a region. The most fundamental factor that influences the number of patents applying is the R&D input. With the Granger causality test, this study verified the causality between the R&D input and patent output in Hebei Province in the case of the full-time equivalent of R&D personnel with one year lag for the patent output and the R&D expenditures with two years lag for the patent output. Further, based on the Cobb-Douglas production function, the theoretical model for the relationship between the R&D input and the patent output was established, and the correlation of the R&D input and innovation output in Hebei Province was analyzed. For the status quo in Hebei, relevant policies and recommendations were proposed in the study to intensify the R&D input and improve the efficiency of the R&D input.
The ICD-10 criteria for vascular dementia.

The World Health Organization recently introduced the new ICD-10. Chapter V ('Mental and behavioural disorders including disorders of psychological development') contains operationalized diagnostic guidelines for the classification of psychiatric disorders, i.e. the term vascular dementia is clearly defined. Furthermore, the criteria of the ICD-10 allow a differentiation of vascular dementia into subtypes (vascular dementia of acute onset, multi-infarct dementia, subcortical vascular dementia, and mixed or unspecified types). The clinical feasibility of the ICD-10 criteria for subtypes of vascular dementia is proven in an investigation of 72 demented patients (75.0 +/- 8.3 years) showing vascular lesions of the computed tomography scan. Only 18 cases (25.0%) fulfill the ICD-10 criteria for vascular dementia. 61.1% of the cases could be sufficiently classified into subtypes. These results suggest that the ICD-10 criteria for vascular dementia are rather selective.
International Political Economy: Competing Analyses

International political economy (IPE) is a very diverse discipline. It covers a wide range of issues not only to do with the analytical discourses currently used to describe and explain (and prescribe policy for) its many and varied concerns, but also to do with the history of the discipline per se. The most significant aspect of contemporary IPE is the way it exemplifies the industrial/scientific revolution and its technological consequences. This revolution has made — and continues to make — radical changes to global production and consumption, finance and trade, management and work, overdevelopment and underdevelopment, global gender balances and imbalances, and environmental sustainability and distress. The table of contents of this Handbook clearly reflects this diversity. As such it highlights the disciplinary concerns that contemporary scholars and practitioners find most compelling. It provides a comprehensive coverage of what IPE involves. It flags out in the process, the issues that most analysts think of as being central to the discipline.
Philanthropic Engagement in Education

This article argues that the rise of domestic and international philanthropic engagement in education in India cannot be understood in isolation; rather, it is part of a broader trend of what is termed ‘new global philanthropy in education’ in the Global South. Central to understanding the nature of this engagement is the localised expression of global flows, that is, the movement and connections of ideas and actors that enable philanthropic action and discourse. Based on a global review of the literature, this article contextualises and applies a conceptual framework of philanthropic governance to India given the country’s prominence in the review. It also presents illustrative examples of philanthropic engagement in India.
Sodium‐dependent magnesium uptake by ferret red cells.

1. Magnesium uptake can be measured in ferret red cells incubated in media containing more than 1 mM‐magnesium. Uptake is substantially increased if the sodium concentration in the medium is reduced. 2. Magnesium uptake is half‐maximally activated by 0.37 mM‐external magnesium when the external sodium concentration is 5 mM. Increasing the external sodium concentration increases the magnesium concentration needed to activate the system. 3. Magnesium uptake is increased by reducing the external sodium concentration. Uptake is half‐maximum at sodium concentrations of 17, 22 and 62 nM when the external magnesium concentrations are 2, 5 and 10 mM respectively. 4. Replacement of external sodium with choline does not affect the membrane potential of ferret red cells over a 45 min period. 5. Magnesium uptake from media containing 5 mM‐sodium is inhibited by amiloride, quinidine and imipramine. It is not affected by ouabain or bumetanide. Vanadate stimulates magnesium uptake but has no effect on magnesium efflux. 6. When cell ATP content is reduced to 19 mumol (1 cell)‐1 by incubating cells for 3 h with 2‐deoxyglucose, magnesium uptake falls by 50% in the presence of 5 mM‐sodium and is completely abolished in the presence of 145 mM‐sodium. Some of the inhibition may be due to the increase in intracellular ionized magnesium concentration ([Mg2+]i) from 0.7 to 1.0 mM which occurs under these conditions. 7. Magnesium uptake can be driven against a substantial electrochemical gradient if the external sodium concentration is reduced sufficiently. 8. These findings are discussed in terms of several possible models for magnesium transport. It is concluded that the majority of magnesium uptake observed in low‐sodium media is via sodium‐magnesium antiport. A small portion of uptake is through a parallel leak pathway. It is believed that the antiport is responsible for maintaining [Mg2+]i below electrochemical equilibrium in these cells at physiological external sodium concentration. Thus in ferret red cells the direction of magnesium transport can be reversed by reversing the sodium gradient.
Fungal Keratitis Caused by Scedosporium Apiospermum: Report of Two Cases and Review of Treatment

Purpose. We report our experience in treating two cases of Scedosporium apiospermum keratitis and provide a review of basic scientific and clinical data regarding the treatment of this visually devastating disease. Method. We present a case report and literature review. Results. A 35-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man both reported pain, redness, and a foreign body sensation in the eye after trauma. They were initially treated with antibacterials. When cultures were positive for S. apiospermum, the first patient was treated with fluconazole and amphotericin with good results. The second was treated with fluconazole and natamycin, but the infection persisted and the eye was eventually enucleated. Review of the literature showed variable responsiveness of S. apiospermum to antifungal treatment. Conclusions. It is difficult to predict how S. apiospermum keratitis will respond to treatment, but miconazole appears to be useful in conjunction with other antifungals. Voriconazole shows promise as an effective alternative.
An Advanced Power Converter System Based on High Temperature , High Power Density SiC Devices

SiC power devices have the potentials for reliable operations at higher junction temperatures, higher voltages, higher frequencies and thus higher power densities than these that can be achieved with Si devices [1-8]. These advantages are enabling the SiC technology-based power conversion systems (PCM) to be made smaller, lightweight, more efficient and robust [9-15]. Recent studies predicted that the volume of a power converter system could be reduced five times through the utilization of SiC power devices [14]. Despite these promising potentials and encouraging results, more studies addressing the design and fabrication of SiC-based PCMs are anticipated before their potentials can be fully realized. Currently there exist two major technical issues that need well addressing in order to fully exploit the potential offered by SiC technologies. They are: (1) Benefits, circuit designs and modeling of the utilization of SiC devices in a system level [6, 7, 9, 12, 13]; and (2) Thermal management that can take advantage of SiC’s high-temperature, high-voltage, high power density capabilities [14-16]. Challenges in applying SiC power devices for commercial utilities include the high cost (expensive material, low yield) and limited availability (Schottky diodes, JFET) of SiC devices [9-13], and a need of passive components and gate drivers suitable for SiC devices [12,17].
Half-terahertz operation of SiGe HBTs

This letter presents the first demonstration of a silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistor (SiGe HBT) capable of operation above the one-half terahertz (500 GHz) frequency. An extracted peak unity gain cutoff frequency (f/sub T/) of 510 GHz at 4.5 K was measured for a 0.12/spl times/1.0 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ SiGe HBT (352 GHz at 300 K) at a breakdown voltage BV/sub CEO/ of 1.36 V (1.47 V at 300 K), yielding an f/sub T//spl times/BV/sub CEO/ product of 693.6 GHz-V at 4.5 K (517.4 GHz-V at 300 K).
Weight after childbirth: a 2‐year follow‐up of obese women in a weight‐gain restriction program

Objective. To investigate the effects of a weight‐gain restriction program on weight development or weight maintenance 2 years after childbirth. Design. A case‐control intervention study. Setting. Antenatal care clinics in the southeast of Sweden. Sample. One hundred and fifty‐five obese pregnant women who participated in a weight‐gain restriction program with weekly support during pregnancy and every 6 months during the two first years after childbirth. The control group consisted of 193 obese pregnant women. Methods. Follow‐up weight measurements were done at 12 and 24 months after childbirth. Main Outcome Measures. Weight change in kilogram at 12 and 24 months postpartum. Results. A greater percentage of women in the intervention group showed a weight loss 24 months after delivery than did women in the control group at that same time (p= 0.034). Women in the intervention group who gained less than 7 kg during pregnancy had a significantly lower weight than the controls at the 24 months follow‐up (p= 0.018). The mean value of weight change in the intervention group was −2.2 kg compared to +0.4 kg in the control group from early pregnancy to the follow‐up 12 months after childbirth (p= 0.046). Conclusions. An intervention program with weekly motivational support visits during pregnancy and every 6 months after childbirth seems to have an impact on weight gain up to 24 months after childbirth for those women in the intervention group who succeeded in restricting their gestational weight gain to less than 7 kg.
Interference between television signals due to intermodulation in receiver front-ends

With the introduction of Digital Television Broadcasting (DTV) the use of UHF Taboo channels and the first adjacent channels plus those already allotted to a community has become necessary due to spectrum scarcity. Most of the UHF Taboos are due to nonlinear interference mechanisms, which were, and still are characteristic of consumer receivers. Those mechanisms result in third and higher odd-order Intermodulation products some of which fall in the desired TV channel. Crossmodulation is a lesser problem than Intermodulation. Broadcasters need to understand these interference mechanisms to minimize their loss of service area. This knowledge may help them in choosing the future channel they will use for DTB broadcasting. This paper attempts to quantify these interference problems.
Intrathecal Trialing of Continuous Infusion Combination Therapy With Hydromorphone and Bupivacaine in Failed Back Surgery Patients

Intrathecal (IT) trial is a prognostic interventional pain management procedure employed to determine the potential success of treating intractable pain with an implantable infusion device system. There is a dearth of data regarding trials with continuous infusion of combination therapy (e.g. opioid combined with local anesthetic). The objective of the this study was to determine the overall outcomes of continuous infusion IT trials and factors influencing long‐term success of IT therapy in patients with chronic intractable pain post‐laminectomy.
The Consistency of Japan fs Statistics on Working Hours, and an Analysis of Household Working Hours

This study examines the consistency of Japan fs statistics on working hours and investigates changes in and the structure of working hours since the late 1980s, from the perspective of household labor supply. The major findings are as follows. First, as a result of comparisons among various sets of governmental statistics on working hours, we found that although there was consistency within household-side statistics and within employer-side statistics, there were some differences between the two sets of statistics, particularly with regard to male respondents. Second, analysis using micro data from the Labour Force Survey showed that between 1986 and 2013, there was no change in the average weekly working hours of either husbands or wives in married-couple households, but this was a significant change in the labor supply structure of wives.The employment rate of married women generally increased, and the number of households with a full-time homeworker declined, but an increase in the number of wives with short working hours curbed an increase in wives f working hours.Third, regarding wives f decisions to work, Douglas -Arisawa's Law- which refers to a negative correlation between husbands f income levels and wives f employment rates -was found to be strongly evident. We also found that in child-rearing households, the tendency of number of husbands f working hours having a constraining effect on wives f labor supply had increased in recent years. Men fs working arrangements have a great influence not only on their own individual- level work-life balance, but also on their households f behavioral choices. Therefore, it is necessary to include in household surveys question items that shed light on household working arrangements, such as the main work-time periods and number of paid working hours.
The Xfeb gene is directly upregulated by Zic1 during early neural development

The transcription factor Zic1 plays important roles in patterning the neural plate in early vertebrate development. However, few genes that are regulated by Zic1 are known. We have identified a new direct downstream target gene of Zic1 that we have named Xfeb. Xfeb is a member of the pathogenesis‐related (PR) protein superfamily and contains five tandem SCP domains. The sequence of Xfeb suggests that it may possess serine protease activity. Xfeb is expressed in the presumptive hindbrain region during neurula stages and in somite tissues later in development. Xfeb represses the hindbrain gene hoxB1 and the anterior neural gene otx2, suggesting that Xfeb is involved in regionalizing the neural plate, possibly by ensuring a posterior expression limit for otx2. Developmental Dynamics 235:2817–2827, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Responder Characteristics to a Single Oral Dose of Cholinesterase Inhibitor: A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study withTacrine in Alzheimer P atients

A proportion of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients treated for several months with cholinesterase (ChE) inhibitors have shown some favorable response on cognition, but the characteristics of the responders are still unclear. This study attempts to identify the characteristics of individuals with a positive behavioral response after a double-blind randomized administration of a single oral dose of tacrine (40 mg) and placebo to AD patients. Furthermore, the relationship between single-dose and long-term responders are examined. Twenty-four mildly to very mildly demented AD patients participated in the study. They all fulfilled the diagnosis of probable AD according to NINCDS-ADRDA criteria. Active treatment (tacrine 40 mg) and placebo was administered in random order on 2 consecutive days, and the effects were evaluated within 2 h using neuropsychological tests (assessing visuospatial ability, episodic memory and attention), registration of EEG activity and measurement of red blood cells (RBC) acetylcholinesterase (AChE), ChE activity and concentrations of tacrine and its metabolites in plasma. Results demonstrated significant improvement, tacrine compared to placebo, in measures of attention, but not in episodic memory or visuospatial ability. A single-dose response was therefore defined in terms of improvement in attention. The tacrine plasma concentration (pcTHA) showed a positively skewed distribution (mean ± SD: 10.5 ± 11.8, range: 1.0–51.8 ng/ml). There were no significant differences between single-dose responders compared to nonresponders in pcTHA, metabolites of tacrine, inhibition of AChE in RBC, tau levels in CSF, AChE activity in CSF or plasma and demographic variables. However, single-dose responders showed a higher right frontal alpha/theta ratio on EEG and had lower glucose metabolism in the parietal-temporal association cortex at baseline. In addition, the frequency of apolipoprotein E (APOE) Ε4 alleles was higher in responders. Interestingly, the single-dose response was related to the long-term response, although not significantly, which probably was due to lack of power. To conclude, the present study identified single-dose responders in terms of improved attentional performance associated with a relatively higher alpha/theta activity in the right frontal regions of the brain measured on EEG and predominance of APOE Ε4 allele.
Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Carboxy Analogues of Arginine Methyltransferase Inhibitor 1 (AMI‐1)

Here we report the synthesis of a number of compounds structurally related to arginine methyltransferase inhibitor 1 (AMI‐1). The structural alterations that we made included: 1) the substitution of the sulfonic groups with the bioisosteric carboxylic groups; 2) the replacement of the ureidic function with a bis‐amidic moiety; 3) the introduction of a N‐containing basic moiety; and 4) the positional isomerization of the aminohydroxynaphthoic moiety. We have assessed the biological activity of these compounds against a panel of arginine methyltransferases (fungal RmtA, hPRMT1, hCARM1, hPRMT3, hPRMT6) and a lysine methyltransferase (SET7/9) using histone and nonhistone proteins as substrates. Molecular modeling studies for a deep binding‐mode analysis of test compounds were also performed. The bis‐carboxylic acid derivatives 1 b and 7 b emerged as the most effective PRMT inhibitors, both in vitro and in vivo, being comparable or even better than the reference compound (AMI‐1) and practically inactive against the lysine methyltransferase SET7/9.