Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Machine Learning and Options Pricing: a Comparison of Black-Scholes and a Deep Neural Network in Pricing and Hedging DAX 30 Index Options

In this paper I study whether a deep feedforward network model performs better than the BlackScholes model in pricing and delta hedging European-style call options. I apply the methodologies from selected original works on daily prices of call options written on DAX 30 between years 2013 and 2017. My results are mostly consistent with earlier literature and they indicate that the out-ofsample pricing performance of the neural network is superior to Black-Scholes with medium-term and long-term maturities and the out-of-sample delta-hedging performance of the neural network is superior with out-of-the-money options. A Comparison of Black-Scholes and a Deep Neural Network Model Lauri Stark
Motorisen oppimisen vaikeuden tunnistaminen ja tukeminen kouluympäristössä

Asunta, Piritta Identification and support for pupils with motor learning difficulties in a school setting Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2018, 144 p (JYU Dissertations 2489-9003; 27) ISBN 978-951-39-7571-5 (PDF) Motor learning difficulties, such as the developmental coordination disorder (DCD), imply substantial difficulties in learning new motor skills. The purpose of this study was to develop an observation tool for teachers to identify motor learning problems. A further aim was to clarify how teachers can support children with motor learning challenges in the school environment. The study consisted of four sub-studies. The first sub-study comprised a systematic literature review on the psychometric properties and usability of the observation forms used internationally. The Dutch Motor Observation Questionnaire for Teachers (MOQ-T) was selected for cross-cultural translation and adaptation. Its translation work and reliability were analysed in the second sub-study. In the third sub-study, the psychometric properties of the Finnish version, MOQ-T-FI were analysed based on a larger set of empirical data. The last sub-study was a descriptive review exploring more closely how motor learning difficulties can be identified and pupils supported in the school environment. The development as well as reliability assessments of the MOQ-T-FI questionnaire were based on five different data sets. The data of pretest 1 consisted of evaluations by 11 teachers (children n = 33, age 6–13, average 9.85). The data of pretest 2 comprised children in eight comprehensive schools (teachers n = 27; children n = 193; age 6–12, average 9.5). The Finnish reference value data for MOQ-T-FI were collected as comprehensively as possible from the various parts of Finland (teachers n = 111; children n = 850; age 6–9, average 7.7). In addition, two complementary data sets not included in the sub-studies were utilised. The studies demonstrated that teachers have good opportunities to identify motor learning difficulties in the school environment. MOQ-T-FI is a functional, simple to use and culturally neutral screening instrument. In terms of validity, it is relatively suitable for identifying pupils’ motor learning difficulties, and for its feasibility it is very suitable for the purpose. However, repeatability and usability should be examined more in the future. A multiphase approach is generally recommended for supporting pupils with motor learning difficulties. The support for children’s motor learning should cover every level of the three-step support model. The study encourages the early identification of problems and the strengthening of the self-esteem, motor skills and competence of pupils with motor problems. This should take place in a positive and supportive atmosphere. The early identification of motor learning difficulties and efficient support, at their best, can reduce the risk of social and educational exclusion as well as prevent more extensive problems and deeper motor skills deficits.
Polymorphism of hormone synthesis and metabolizing genes and breast cancer risk: A multigenic case-control study

Endogenous and exogenous hormones influence breast cancer risk including estrogen biosynthesis pathway, vitamin D receptor pathway, and the androgen receptor pathway. Genes involved in these pathways are CYP17, which encodes an enzyme involved in estradiol and testosterone synthesis, androgen receptor (AR), which binds testosterone and DHT and regulates breast cell growth and the vitamin D receptor (VDR), which binds vitamin D and down-regulates breast growth.The current study was proposed to determine whether polymorphisms in the CAG repeat in exon 1 of AR, MspAI T > C substitution of CYP17, and ApaI, 7aqI, poly-A repeat in the VDR gene contribute to breast cancer risk. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate individual and joint contributions of genotypes to breast cancer risk.Seventy (70) breast cancer patients and eighty healthy women (80) were recruited for the study. PCR based RFLP and fragment analysis assays were used to determine genotypes of hormone metabolizing genes. Considering CYP17 A2 allele, VDR Poly-(A) L, and AR ≥ 20 CAG repeats as high risk alleles, a multigenic model of breast cancer susceptibility was developed to identify women who carry a combination of alleles to put them at relatively higher risk to develop breast cancer. All the high-risk genotypes were positively associated with risk. The risk among women carrying three high-risk alleles was OR:4.68 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.77-28.0; p for trend = 0.10] compared with those who carried none. The conditional logistic regression analysis revealed that the heterozygous TC genotype for CYP17 and AR1AR2 of AR, imparted significantly fourfold risk for the breast cancer risk, in comparison to the referent genotype TT and AR1AR1 [adjusted ORs:3.705(1.236,11.106), p = 0.019] and [4.391(1.324,14.557), p = 0.016], respectively. Gene X Gene interaction showed that the combinations TC*AA, TC*Aa, TC*aa and CC*Aa imparted significantly four to fifteen fold more risk for the breast cancer [(4.377 (1.159, 16.520), p = 0.029); 4.041(1.092, 14.956), p = 0.036); (15.071(0.975, 232.81), p = 0.052); (4.151(1.053, 16.371), p = 0.042), respectively)]. Genes involved in hormone synthesis and metabolizing pathway may play a role in breast cancer development as supported by the multigenic model of breast cancer susceptibility.
Adaptive Fuzzy Command Filtered Control for Chua’s Chaotic System

In this paper, we propose the command filtered adaptive fuzzy backstepping control (AFBC) approach for Chua’s chaotic system with external disturbance. Based on two proposed first-order command filters, the convergence of tracking errors as well as the problem of “explosion of complexity” in traditional backstepping design procedure is solved. In the command filtered AFBC design, we do not need to calculate the complicated partial derivatives of the virtual control inputs. Fuzzy logic systems (FLSs) are used to identify the system uncertainties in real time. Based on Lyapunov stability criterion, the proposed controller can guarantee that all signals in the closed-loop system keep bounded, and the tracking errors converge to a small region eventually. Finally, simulation studies have been provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Mutational profiling of glioblastoma

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TL 1 A induces the expression of TGF-b-inducible gene h 3 ( b igh 3 ) through PKC , PI 3 K , and ERK in THP-1 cells

0008-8749/$ see front matter 2010 Elsevier Inc. A doi:10.1016/j.cellimm. 2010.08. 013 ⇑ Corresponding author. Fax: +82 53 943 6925. E-mail address: whl@knu.ac. kr (W.-H. Lee). big-h3, an extracellular matrix protein involved in various biological processes including cellular growth, differentiation, adhesion, migration, and angiogenesis, has been shown to be elevated in various inflammatory processes. Death receptor 3 (DR3), a member of the TNF-receptor superfamily that is expressed on T cells and macrophages, is involved in the regulation of inflammatory processes through interaction with its cognate ligand, TNF-like ligand 1A (TL1A). In order to find out whether the TL1A-induced inflammatory activation of macrophages is associated with the up-regulation of big-h3 expression, the human acute monocytic leukemia cell line (THP-1) was stimulated with either recombinant human TL1Aor DR3-specific monoclonal antibodies. Stimulation of DR3 up-regulated the intracellular levels as well as the secretion of big-h3. Utilization of various inhibitors and Western blot analysis revealed that activation of protein kinase C (PKC), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), phosphoinositide kinase-3 (PI3K), and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-jB) is required for TL1A-induced big-h3 expression. PKC appears to be the upstream regulator of PI3K since the presence of PKC inhibitor blocked the phosphorylation of AKT without affecting ERK phosphorylation. On the other hand, suppression of either PI3K or ERK activity resulted in the suppression of IjB phosphorylation. These findings indicate that TL1A can regulate the inflammatory processes through modulation of the big-h3 expression through two separate pathways, one through PKC and PI3K and the other through ERK, which culminates at NF-jB activation. 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
333 Commercial Applications through Community Question Answering Technology

English. In this paper, we describe our experience on using current methods developed for Community Question Answering (cQA) for a commercial application focused on an Italian help desk. Our approach is based on (i) a search engine to retrieve previously answered question candidates and (ii) kernel methods applied to advanced linguistic structures to rerank the most promising candidates. We show that methods developed for cQA work well also when applied to data generated in customer service scenarios, where the user seeks for explanation about products and a database of previously answered questions is available. The experiments with our system demonstrate its suitability for an industrial scenario. Italiano. In questo articolo, descriviamo la nostra esperienza nell’usare i metodi attualmente disponibili per il Community Question Answering (cQA) in un’applicazione commerciale riguardante il servizio clienti in lingua italiana. Il nostro approccio si basa su (i) un motore di ricerca per recuperare le domande candidate precedentemente risposte e (ii) metodi kernel applicati a strutture linguistiche avanzate per riordinare i candidati più promettenti. Mostriamo che i metodi sviluppati per il cQA funzionano bene anche quando applicati ai dati generati nell’ambito dell’assistenza clienti, dove l’utente cerca informazioni riguardo a dei prodotti e una base di dati di domande precedentemente risposte è disponibile. Gli esperimenti sul nostro sistema dimostrano l’appropriatezza del suo utilizzo in uno scenario industriale.
Tilburg University Context , mechanisms and outcomes of integrated care for diabetes mellitus type 2

Background: Integrated care interventions for chronic conditions can lead to improved outcomes, but it is not clear when and why this is the case. This study aims to answer the following two research questions: First, what are the context, mechanisms and outcomes of integrated care for people with type 2 diabetes? Second, what are the relationships between context, mechanisms and outcomes of integrated care for people with type 2 diabetes? Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted for the period 2003–2013 in Cochrane and PubMed. Articles were included when they focussed on integrated care and type 2 diabetes, and concerned empirical research analysing the implementation of an intervention. Data extraction was performed using a common data extraction table. The quality of the studies was assessed with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. The CMO model (context + mechanism = outcome) was used to study the relationship between context factors (described by the barriers and facilitators encountered in the implementation process and categorised at the six levels of the Implementation Model), mechanisms (defined as intervention types and described by their number of Chronic Care Model (sub-)components) and outcomes (the intentional and unintentional effects triggered by mechanism and context). Results: Thirty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. Most reported barriers to the implementation process were found at the organisational context level and most facilitators at the social context level. Due to the low number of articles reporting comparable quantitative outcome measures or in-depth qualitative information, it was not possible to make statements about the relationship between context, mechanisms and outcomes. Conclusions: Efficient resource allocation should entail increased investments at the organisational context level where most barriers are expected to occur. It is likely that investments at the social context level will also help to decrease the development of barriers at the organisational context level, especially by increasing staff involvement and satisfaction. If future research is to adequately inform practice and policy regarding the impact of these efforts on health outcomes, focus on the actual relationships between context, mechanisms and outcomes should be actively incorporated into study designs.
Increasing Preparer Responsibility, Visibility and Competence

The insights from the responsive regulation literature present an intriguing model for IRS interaction with preparers, and provide a theoretical context for a more nuanced approach that the IRS could adopt when considering its return preparer strategies. To some extent, the IRS's current emphasis on preparer education, including the significant resources expended on tax forums and other general outreach programs, reflects IRS awareness that its interaction with preparers must take a varied approach. In this paper, I propose a more personal contact paradigm with preparers, with those contacts facilitated by heightened identification requirements and a more dedicated IRS effort to mine preparer data and direct targeted communication and efforts reflective of the data it will capture. The proposed approach will contribute to greater preparer visibility, responsibility and competence, and will ultimately allow for the IRS and preparers to genuinely work together to improve the accurate reporting of information on tax returns, and make it more difficult for preparers to pass on inaccurate information to the IRS. A prerequisite for this type of approach is that the IRS must have sufficient information regarding who the good and who the bad actors are in the return preparation industry. There is a deep need for the IRS to collect information by type of preparer, and have a nuanced understanding of error rates by preparer and by issue, with a healthy dose of qualitative on the ground resources backstopping and contributing to understandings that the numbers suggest. Encouraging good behavior must start with the IRS knowing and acting on information about how certain preparers are interacting with taxpayers. Changing preparer conduct through audits, heightened penalties, and the use of civil injunction proceedings should come only after the IRS encourages more positive steps, and only after the IRS directs disapproval with what it perceives to be improper preparer conduct. Possible legislative change that would require registration and certification of preparers could also help facilitate effective oversight of the preparer community. This possible additional regulation could be the trigger for the IRS to meaningfully track information related to preparers and encourage better behavior, while at the same time keeping its powder dry for the egregious actors who need more traditional sanction-based approaches.
Synchronous Video Communication for Distance Education: the educators' perspective

The paper reports on the experienced educator perspective regarding human-to-human connection in distance education. The research questions aimed to fill gaps in the existing research literature, to investigate the role of the educator, to discover how learning and subject content are affected by contextual factors, to find out if it enhances the sense of togetherness (immediacy and intimacy). The Informed Grounded Theory and the Community of Inquiry model provided a scaffolding framework for designing interview questions and analyzing findings. The outcome of the analysis formulated a new theory called tele-proximity, which gives an explanation of how presences could work in synchronicity. The findings may help educators gain insight into how to use Synchronous Video Communication (SVC) and lead future research to dig deeper into the field of synchronicity and the importance of audiovisual cues.
Carbon sequestration and turnover in soil under the energy crop Miscanthus: repeated 13C natural abundance approach and literature synthesis

The stability and turnover of soil organic matter (SOM) are a very important but poorly understood part of carbon (C) cycling. Conversion of C3 grassland to the C4 energy crop Miscanthus provides an ideal opportunity to quantify medium‐term SOM dynamics without disturbance (e.g., plowing), due to the natural shift in the δ13C signature of soil C. For the first time, we used a repeated 13C natural abundance approach to measure C turnover in a loamy Gleyic Cambisol after 9 and 21 years of Miscanthus cultivation. This is the longest C3–C4 vegetation change study on C turnover in soil under energy crops. SOM stocks under Miscanthus and reference grassland were similar down to 1 m depth. However, both increased between 9 and 21 years from 105 to 140 mg C ha−1 (P < 0.05), indicating nonsteady state of SOM. This calls for caution when estimating SOM turnover based on a single sampling. The mean residence time (MRT) of old C (>9 years) increased with depth from 19 years (0–10 cm) to 30–152 years (10–50 cm), and remained stable below 50 cm. From 41 literature observations, the average SOM increase after conversion from cropland or grassland to Miscanthus was 6.4 and 0.4 mg C ha−1, respectively. The MRT of total C in topsoil under Miscanthus remained stable at ~60 years, independent of plantation age, corroborating the idea that C dynamics are dominated by recycling processes rather than by C stabilization. In conclusion, growing Miscanthus on C‐poor arable soils caused immediate C sequestration because of higher C input and decreased SOM decomposition. However, after replacing grasslands with Miscanthus, SOM stocks remained stable and the MRT of old C3‐C increased strongly with depth.
Real-Time Crash Risk Prediction Models Using Loop Detector Data for Dynamic Safety Management System Applications

There is a growing trend in development and application of real-time crash risk prediction models within dynamic safety management systems. These real-time crash risk prediction models are constructed by associating crash data with the real-time traffic surveillance data, collected by loop detectors. The objective of this paper is to develop a real-time prediction model that will potentially be utilized within safety management systems. This model aims to predict the traffic safety condition of a motorway. Given that the dependent variable (i.e. traffic safety condition) is considered dichotomous (“no-crash” or “crash”), the binary logistic regression technique is selected for model development. The crash and traffic data used in this study were collected between June 2009 and December 2011 on a part of the European route E313 in Belgium between Geel-East and Antwerp-East exits, on the direction towards Antwerp. The results of analysis show that several traffic flow characteristics such as standard deviation of speed and occupancy at the upstream loop detector, and the difference in average speed on upstream and downstream loop detectors are significantly contributing to the crash occurrence prediction. The final chosen model is able to predict more than 60% of crash occasions while it predicts more than 90% of no-crash instances correctly. The findings of this study can be used to predict the likelihood of crashes on motorways within dynamic safety management systems.
A Kernel Multiple Change-point Algorithm via Model Selection

We tackle the change-point problem with data belonging to a general set. We build a penalty for choosing the number of change-points in the kernel-based method of Harchaoui and Capp{\'e} (2007). This penalty generalizes the one proposed by Lebarbier (2005) for one-dimensional signals. We prove a non-asymptotic oracle inequality for the proposed method, thanks to a new concentration result for some function of Hilbert-space valued random variables. Experiments on synthetic data illustrate the accuracy of our method, showing that it can detect changes in the whole distribution of data, even when the mean and variance are constant.
Empowering Leadership of Tomorrow

Empowering Leadership of Tomorrow examines leadership that enables and empowers others to coparticipate, cocreate, and experience the joy of creativity. It proposes a kind of leadership that fosters bottomup dynamics, empowering people, groups, teams, and societies. Praszkier shows how this approach, called Empowering Leadership (EL), can drive success in business and, in the case of social entrepreneurship, have an immense social impact. Furthermore, he shows that EL style is also benei cial in other i elds such as parenting and counseling. h e book presents diverse case studies from business and social arenas, as well as from family life. It establishes practical guidelines for leadership development, including methods to enhance creativity, and also casts an eye toward the future, demonstrating approaches to navigating future scenarios in a complex and unpredictable environment.
INSTITUTIONAL OWNERSHIP, AUDIT COMMITTEE AND RISK DISCLOSURE – EVIDENCE FROM AUSTRALIAN STOCK MARKET

This study investigates the influence of institutional ownership and audit committees corporate risk disclosures. Focusing on analysing firms’ risk disclosures make in their 2009 annual reports, our sample constitutes a sample of 66 Australian listed firms. We divide institutional shareholders into dedicated-type institutional block shareholders and transient-type institutional block shareholders. We find that while there is no significant relationship between dedicated-type institutional block shareholders and risk disclosure, there is a positive relationship between transient-type institutional block shareholders and risk disclosures. Our result is consistent with a principal that wields limited monitoring resources while achieving high resource dependency over management. We also find a significant and positive relationship between audit committee independence and risk disclosures, showing the positive role played by audit committee in improving the information transparency and reducing information asymmetry in capital market.