Causality in Quantiles and Dynamic Stock Return-Volume Relations

This paper investigates the causal relations between stock return and volume based on quantile regressions. We first define Granger non-causality in all quantiles and propose testing non-causality by a sup-Wald test. Such a test is consistent against any deviation from non-causality in distribution, as opposed to the existing tests that check only noncausality in certain moment. This test is readily extended to test non-causality in different quantile ranges, and the testing results enable us to identify the quantile range for which causality is relevant. In the empirical studies of 3 major stock market indices, we find that, while the conventional test suggests no causality in mean, there are strong evidences that lagged volume Granger causes return in all but some middle quantiles. In particular, the causal effects have opposite signs at lower and upper quantiles and are stronger at more extreme quantiles. These relations form (symmetric) V shapes across quantiles. They also show that the dispersion of the return distribution increases with volume so that volume has a positive effect on return volatility. It is also shown that the quantile causal effects of lagged return on volume are mainly negative.Granger non-causality in quantiles, quantile causal effect, quantile regression, return-volume relation, sup-Wald test

Tree Ring Characteristics of 30-Year-Old Swietenia Macrophylla Plantation Trees

Ring characteristics of mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla K.) plantation trees grown in Taiwan were explored. Significant differences in average ring width (RW) and ring density (RD) occurred among three tree-diameter classes and three radial stages of ring numbers. RW in the radial direction decreased from the pith outward to the bark and followed a distinctive three-stage variation pattern (juvenile, transition, and mature zones). RD in the radial direction increased slowly from the pith outward to the bark. Wider tree rings and lower density are associated with juvenile wood close to the pith, whereas narrower tree rings and higher density are typical for mature wood outward toward the bark. RD in overtopped trees was higher than that in dominant trees. However, RW in dominant trees was wider than that in intermediate and overtopped trees. Earlywood density, latewood density, maximum density, and minimum density were the most important factors determining overall RD. There was a weak relationship between RW and RD, indicating that it is unlikely for growth rates of mahogany plantation trees to have a significant impact on wood density

KINETIC PROPERTIES AND EMG ACTIVITY OF NORMAL AND OVER-SPEED PEDALING IN TRACK SPRINT CYCLISTS: A CASE STUDY

Track sprint cycling requires unique skills. We investigate the pedaling kinetics and muscle coordination of a male track sprinter (170cm, 65kg, peak power 1513W) to see if they differ from that of a non-sprinter, and if the subject’s own technique vary from normal riding to an under-load maximal cadence sprint. Two trials were collected using 3D motion capture technology. EMG signals of 8 leg muscles were recorded. Joint torque and power of each trial were calculated using a subject specific musculoskeletal model, with realistic pedal forces as input to our dynamic simulation. Flexion torque appears at the knee during its extension, different from the non-sprinters. Joint torque and power appears similar for both trials, but 6 of the 8 muscles showed differences in EMG patterns. These findings could potentially benefit the evolvement of training methods

Fidelity-Enriched Contrastive Search: Reconciling the Faithfulness-Diversity Trade-Off in Text Generation

In this paper, we address the hallucination problem commonly found in natural language generation tasks. Language models often generate fluent and convincing content but can lack consistency with the provided source, resulting in potential inaccuracies. We propose a new decoding method called Fidelity-Enriched Contrastive Search (FECS), which augments the contrastive search framework with context-aware regularization terms. FECS promotes tokens that are semantically similar to the provided source while penalizing repetitiveness in the generated text. We demonstrate its effectiveness across two tasks prone to hallucination: abstractive summarization and dialogue generation. Results show that FECS consistently enhances faithfulness across various language model sizes while maintaining output diversity comparable to well-performing decoding algorithms.Comment: Accepted as a short paper at EMNLP 202

A Case Study for Exploring Dental Patients’ Preferred Roles in Taiwan

The purpose of this study was to explore the dental patients’ preferred roles in Taiwan. A convenience sample of 66 patients, 26 recruited from one dental clinic, and 40 from one medical center, were interviewed and their preferences for participation in treatment decision making were established using a measurement tool designed to elicit decision-making preferences. Patients’ preferences for participation in treatment decision making were established using Control Preference Scale (CPS) tool. In addition, Unfolding theory provided a means of analyzing the data so that the degree of control preferred by each patient could be established. This study found that nearly 70% clinic patients perceived passive role in treatment decision making whereas 50% patients in medical centre. Further, the collaborative role was most commonly preferred, but an active role was more commonly perceived in clinics than in medical centre. Finally, the implications of the results for patient participation are discussed

Association of Alzhemier\u27s Disease With Hepatitis C Among Patients With Bipolar Disorder

Associations of hepatitis C virus infection with Alzheimer’s disease have not been studied among higher risk, bipolar disorder patients. This population-based case-control study investigated the risks of hepatitis C virus infection among Alzheimer’s disease patients with bipolar disorder in the years preceding their Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. We used 2000–2013 data from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database in Taiwan. Among patients with bipolar disorder, 73 were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (cases), who were compared with 365 individuals with bipolar disorder but without Alzheimer’s disease (randomly selected controls matched on sex, age, and index year with cases). Prior claims (before the diagnosis year/index year for controls) were screened for a diagnosis of hepatitis C virus infection. Conditional logistic regression models were used for analysis. We found that 23 (31.51%) and 60 (16.44%) patients with bipolar disease were identified with a hepatitis C diagnosis among those with and without Alzheimer’s disease, respectively. Compared to controls, patients with Alzheimer’s disease showed 2.31-fold (95% confidence interval = 1.28–4.16) increased risk of hepatitis C infections adjusted for demographics and socio-economic status. Findings suggest an association of Alzheimer’s disease with a preceding diagnosis of hepatitis C infection among patients with bipolar disorder. Findings may suggest a need for increased awareness of and appropriate surveillance for Alzheimer’s disease in patients with bipolar disorder diagnosed with hepatitis C infection

Rdzeniowy zespół twarzowo-palcowy: częsty zespół w nietypowej lokalizacji

Background and purpose Cheiro-oral syndrome (COS) is an established neurological entity characterized by a sensory impairment confined to the mouth angle and ipsilateral finger(s)/ hand. The current understanding of localization is a concomitant involvement of the spinothalamic and trigeminothalamic tract between the cortex and pons. The cervical spinal cord has not been mentioned in this situation yet, and this unusual location may heretofore increase the risk of misdiagnosis. Material and methods Six patients who presented with unilateral COS due to cervical cord disorder are reported. Results All patients were women and their age ranged between 42 and 70 years. Their neurological deficits included unilateral paraesthesiae restricted to cheiro-oral distribution, positive radicular sign, and mild change of tendon reflex. Cervical spinal stenosis at middle/lower cervical spine with variable magnitude of cord compression and intrinsic cord damage was found. A diagnostic dilemma obviously arises from the lack of tangible neurological signs or typical pattern of myelopathy, in addition to the previous concept of cerebral involvement. A benign course ensued in all reported patients. Conclusions Cheiro-oral syndrome can be an early neurological sign for cervical cord disorder; it further suggests that it is a strong neurological but weak localizing sign. A reciprocal influence of multiple factors is considered to generate COS at the cervical cord. Therefore, an absence of brain pathology should lead to a thorough examination of the cervical cord in case of COS.Wstęp i cel pracy Zespół twarzowo-palcowy (ZTP) jest znanym zespołem neurologicznym, który cechuje się niedoczulicą ograniczoną do kącika ust i palców ręki lub ręki po tej samej stronie. Bieżący stan wiedzy dotyczący lokalizacji uszkodzenia w tym zespole wskazuje na jednoczesne zajęcie dróg rdzeniowo-wzgórzowej i trójdzielno-wzgórzowej pomiędzy mostem i korą mózgową. W tym kontekście nie wymieniano dotąd uszkodzenia rdzenia kręgowego w odcinku szyjnym, a taka nietypowa lokalizacja uszkodzenia może zwiększyć ryzyko błędnego rozpoznania miejsca uszkodzenia. Materiał i metody W pracy przedstawiono dane dotyczące 6 pacjentek z jednostronnym ZTP spowodowanym występowaniem nieprawidłowości w obrębie rdzenia kręgowego. Wyniki Zakres wieku pacjentek wynosił od 42 do 70 lat. Objawy neurologiczne obejmowały jednostronne parestezje ograniczone do obszaru twarzy i ręki, objaw korzeniowy i niewielkie nieprawidłowości w zakresie odruchów głębokich. Stwierdzono występowanie zwężenia kanału kręgowego w środkowej lub dolnej części odcinka szyjnego z uciskiem rdzenia kręgowego i uszkodzeniem wewnątrz rdzenia kręgowego. Wątpliwości diagnostyczne wynikały z braku typowych objawów neurologicznych mielopatii i stwierdzenia lokalizacji zmian nieodpowiadającej wcześniejszym opiniom na temat mózgowego pochodzenia zespołu. U wszystkich opisywanych pacjentek przebieg schorzenia był łagodny. Wnioski Zespół twarzowo-palcowy może być wczesnym objawem neurologicznym nieprawidłowości w obrębie rdzenia kręgowego. Stanowi istotny objaw neurologiczny, ale jego wartość lokalizacyjna jest niewielka. Powstawanie ZTP wskutek uszkodzenia rdzenia kręgowego wynika z wzajemnych oddziaływań wielu czynników. W razie braku uchwytnej patologii mózgu należy w przypadkach ZTP przeprowadzić szczegółowe badania rdzenia kręgowego w odcinku szyjnym

Regulator of the mucoid phenotype A gene increases the virulent ability of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing serotype non-K1/K2 Klebsiella pneumonia

BackgroundTo determine whether the presence of a capsule regulator gene [i.e., regulator of mucoid phenotype A (rmpA) gene] contributes to virulence on extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-KP) with serotype non-K1/K2 strains.MethodsTwenty-eight ESBL-KP and non-ESBL-KP isolates were collected from the Tri-Service General Hospital (Taipei, Taiwan). The impact of the virulent rmpA gene in different capsular polysaccharide serotypes on ESBL-KP and non-ESBL-KP isolates was studied by a neutrophil phagocytosis reaction, a serum bactericidal assay, and an animal survival model.ResultsResistance to broad spectrum antibiotics was more prevalent in ESBL-KP strains than in non-ESBL-KP strains (p < 0.01). The ESBL-KP strains had different molecular patterns from non-ESBL-KP strains, based on pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The frequency of serum-resistant isolates was the highest among ESBL-KP strains with rmpA (i.e., rmpA+) [71.4% (5/7)] than among of non-ESBL-KP rmpA+ strains [42.8% (6/14)], ESBL-KP strains without rmpA (rmpA−) [33.3% (7/21)], and non-ESBL-KP rmpA− strains [14.2% (2/14)]. The most significant increase in neutrophil resistance occurred in the ESBL-KP rmpA+ strains in comparison to the non-ESBL-KP rmpA+, ESBL-KP rmpA−, and non-ESBL-KP rmpA− strains (p < 0.01). The results of the animal survival model were compatible with the neutrophil phagocytosis reaction and serum bactericidal assay.ConclusionWe conclude that the pathogenic potential is greater in rmpA+ ESBL-KP strains than in rmpA– ESBL-KP and non-ESBL-KP strains