Can Twitter sentiment predict stock market behaviour?

There are some positive indications, but this relationship is neither linear nor simple, writes Francesco Corea

Epidemiology and Socioeconomic Factors in Egypt

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Postgraduate medical training and migration in Europe: a survey of financial and labour conditions

Background and introduction: Resident medical training following medical school is a period of great importance in the instruction and education of young physicians, but also the first step into the labour market for doctors. Unfortunately, the long educational curricula as well as the low economic remuneration render medical training attractive only in some European countries: often low salaries accompany endless weekly working hours with a wide range of differences among the European countries. The aim of this study was to analyse the different economic conditions for resident trainees by reporting the different salaries and the weekly burden of working hours, and also comparing the different costs of living in eight European countries and in Israel. Materials and methods: A questionnaire was sent to resident medical doctors working in large university hospitals in eight European countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the UK) and Israel, and data on the monthly salary, number of weekly working hours and general satisfaction were collected. Purchase power parity (PPP) in US dollar (USD) adjustment was calculated according to the latest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) tables. Results: Among the different countries, working hours per week ranged from 37 to 56. The net pay report had a median value of 2,000€ per month. The net monthly wage ranged between 1,000 and 3,000€. Power purchase parity in USD-corrected salaries varied from 1,388.80 (Greece) to 5,788.30 (UK), mean 2,562.30. Conclusions: Taking into account PPP-adjusted wages, France, Greece and Italy are below the median continental values. The trend of migration of medical trainees to countries where the economic situation is more favourable seems reasonable. Because of both the high salary and the language, the UK represents the most attractive training destination

Stock jumps: Analyzing traditional and behavioral perspectives

Our aim is to define the concept of stock jumps from a practitioner's perspective and to give an insightful overview of the topic. We provide different technical and practical definitions from distinct points of view: mathematical, risk managerial, trading and investing. We verify the robustness of some common stylised facts for three major stock indices, and we derive an approximated jumps distribution. We finally provide some innovative insights from a behavioral perspective, and how to account for behavioral biases in this context

Microbial Risk Factors of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases: Potential Therapeutical Options

Infection and inflammation may have a crucial role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. This hypothesis is supported by an increasing number of reports on the interaction between chronic infection, inflammation, and atherogenesis. Assessment of serological and inflammatory markers of infection may be useful adjuncts in identifying those patients who are at a higher risk of developing vascular events, and in whom more aggressive treatments might be warranted

AI: profili etici. Una prospettiva etica sull'Intelligenza Artificiale: princ\uecpi, diritti e raccomandazioni

As technologies become more and more pervasive in our everyday life new questions arise, for example, about security, accountability, fairness and ethics. These concerns are about all the realities that are involved or committed in designing, implementing, deploying and using the technology. This document addresses such concerns by presenting a set of practical obligations and recommendations for the development of applications and systems based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques. These are derived from a definition of rights resulting from principles and ethical values rooted in the foundational charters of our social organization

Early Hemorrhagic Transformation of Brain Infarction: Rate, Predictive Factors, and Influence on Clinical Outcome

Background and Purpose— Early hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is a complication of ischemic stroke but its effect on patient outcome is unclear. The aims of this study were to assess: (1) the rate of early HT in patients admitted for ischemic stroke, (2) the correlation between early HT and functional outcome at 3 months, and (3) the risk factors for early HT. Methods— Consecutive patients with ischemic stroke were included in this prospective study in 4 study centers. Early HT was assessed by CT examination performed at day 5±2 after stroke onset. Study outcomes were 3-month mortality or disability. Disability was assessed using a modified Rankin score (≥3 indicating disabling stroke) by neurologists unaware of the occurrence of HT in the individual cases. Outcomes in patients with and without early HT were compared by χ 2 test. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors for HT. Results— Among 1125 consecutive patients (median age 76.00 years), 98 (8.7%) had HT, 62 (5.5%) had hemorrhagic infarction, and 36 (3.2%) parenchymal hematoma. At 3 months, 455 patients (40.7%) were disabled or died. Death or disability was seen in 33 patients with parenchymal hematoma (91.7%), in 35 patients with hemorrhagic infarction (57.4%) as compared with 387 of the 1021 patients without HT (37.9%). At logistic regression analysis, parenchymal hematoma, but not hemorrhagic infarction, was independently associated with an increased risk for death or disability (OR 15.29; 95% CI 2.35 to 99.35). At logistic regression analysis, parenchymal hematoma was predicted by large lesions (OR 12.20, 95% CI 5.58 to 26.67), stroke attributable to cardioembolism (OR 5.25; 95% CI 2.27 to 12.14) or to other causes (OR 6.77; 95% CI 1.75 to 26.18), high levels of blood glucose (OR 1.01; 95% CI 1.00 to 1.01), and thrombolytic treatment (OR 3.54, 95% CI 1.04 to 11.95). Conclusions— Early HT occurs in about 9% of patients. Parenchymal hematoma, seen in about 3% of patients, is associated with an adverse outcome. Parenchymal hematoma was predicted by large lesions attributable to cardioembolism or other causes, high blood glucose, and treatment with thrombolysis

Telestroke activity across Europe; The results of a European Stroke Organization survey

IntroductionTelestroke care is likely not inferior to face-to-face care in acute stroke management while it also provides rural sites with access to specialist expertise. However, little is known about the distribution and activity of telestroke networks across Europe. Consequently, the European Stroke Organization (ESO) Telestroke Committee aimed to address this through an online questionnaire.MethodsThe questionnaire was developed through an unstructured consensus process, ratified by the ESO Executive Committee, and emailed to ESO members.ResultsOf 2,147 ESO members contacted, complete data sets were submitted on 25 networks from 10 countries. Among the 25 networks, the mean number of hubs per network was 1.6 (SD 1.2), and the mean number of spokes was 9 (SD 6.7), with considerable variability observed (range 2–24 spokes/network). All sites used audiovisual communication. The mean telemedicine consultations per year per site was 197 (SD 164). The primary reason for consultation was “diagnostic and triage purposes” in all but one network. The median number of strokes per site was 175 (interquartile range 192), and the mean intervention rate was 12.3% (SD 10; thrombolysis or thrombectomy).ConclusionAt 25 networks, this survey probably underrepresents telestroke activity across Europe, yet it is still the first study to provide a continent-wide geographical footprint and report on activity within the networks. There was considerable variability in network size and activity. Spoke sites reported an acceptable intervention rate of 12.3%. This percentage compares favorably with national data from European countries and suggests telestroke care supports reasonable intervention rates