Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Divided Attention in Bimanual Aiming Movements: Effects on Movement Accuracy

Abstract The role of focusing attention on one limb or both limbs in a bimanual aiming task was investigated in two experiments. Participants were prompted to focus attention on either limb (Experiment 1) or were free to choose their attentional strategy (Experiment 2). Fifty-two college-aged participants made quick, bimanual lever reversals in the sagittal plane over 20° and 60° in 210 ms to the reversal point. In both experiments, spatial accuracy was better when participants focused their attention on a single limb compared to the nonattended limb and when they paid attention to both limbs. However, no differences were shown on a no-knowledge of results (KR) retention test when participants paid attention to both limbs. In the second experiment, differences were maintained on a no-KR retention test when participants continued to select their own attentional strategy, although the statistical effect was smaller than in the first experiment. The findings suggested that the movement parameter selection process benefited from attentional focus.
PLD4 as a novel susceptibility gene for systemic sclerosis in a Japanese population.

OBJECTIVE Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease for which multiple susceptibility genes have been reported. Genome-wide association studies have shown that large numbers of susceptibility genes are shared among autoimmune diseases. Recently, our group identified 9 novel susceptibility genes associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a Japanese population. The aim of this study was to elucidate whether the 18 genes that displayed associations or suggestive associations for RA in our previous study are associated with SSc in Japanese. METHODS We performed an association study that included 415 patients with SSc and 16,891 control subjects, followed by a replication study that included 315 patients and 21,054 control subjects. The 18 markers reported to display association with RA were analyzed for their associations with SSc in the first study, and 5 markers were further analyzed in the replication study. The inverse variance method was used to evaluate the associations of these markers with SSc in a combined study. RESULTS In the phospholipase D4 gene (PLD4), rs2841277 displayed a significant association with SSc in Japanese patients (P = 0.00017). We observed that rs2841280 in exon 2 of PLD4 was in strong linkage disequilibrium with rs2841277 and introduced an amino acid alteration. We also observed associations between SSc and rs6932056 in TNFAIP3 and rs2280381 in IRF8 (P = 0.0000095 and P = 0.0030, respectively), both of which displayed associations with SSc in a European population. CONCLUSION We determined that PLD4 is a novel susceptibility gene for SSc in Japanese, thus confirming the involvement of PLD4 in autoimmunity. Associations between SSc and TNFAIP3 or IRF8 were also detected in our Japanese population. SSc and RA appear to share relatively large proportions of their genetic backgrounds.
The role of knowledge in entrepreneurial marketing

This paper aims to explain how the two sources of knowledge (know-how, know-who) influence the use of innovative marketing techniques and their impact on competitive advantage. The proposition is studied through case-study methodology. Entrepreneurial behaviour is generally associated with the ability to innovate, initiate change, and perpetuate the strengths of flexibility and responsiveness. Consequently, entrepreneurial marketing managers also search for creating new opportunities by coming up with new combinations of the marketing tools, allocating resources in another way, or just looking at the value creation process from a different point of view. While conventional marketers use the traditional market research to adapt to the environment, entrepreneurial marketers rather build on experience, immersion, and intuition for making their decisions.
Liquidity risk and the term structure of interest rates

This paper develops an arbitrage-free pricing theory for a term structure of fixed income securities that incorporates liquidity risk. In our model, there is a quantity impact on the term structure of zero-coupon bond prices from the trading of any single zero-coupon bond. We derive a set of conditions under which the term structure evolution is arbitrage-free. These no arbitrage conditions constrain both the risk premia and the term structure’s volatility. In addition, we also provide conditions under which the market is complete, and we show that the replication cost of an interest rate derivative is the solution to a backward stochastic differential equation.
Wealth Distributions of Migrant and Australian-Born Households

Wealth is an important measure of overall economic well-being and a crucial factor in migrants’ ability to integrate into their new country. Using data from the 2002 HILDA survey, this study explores the disparity between the wealth distributions of native-born and foreign-born households in Australia. Using quantile regressions the results reveal that migrants have significantly less wealth than their Australian-born counterparts throughout the wealth distribution. This is despite the greater wealth-generating characteristics of the foreign-born. The wealth differentials are reduced but still negative for the migrant cohorts who have been in Australia for over 25 years.
Poverty and the Rate of Time Preference: Evidence from Panel Data

This paper uses the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to study the intertemporal preferences of rich and poor households in the United States. Subjective rates of time preference, identified from estimation of consumption Euler equations, are three to five percentage points higher for households with low permanent incomes than for those with high permanent incomes. Controlling for race and education widens this difference. With age and family composition held constant, time preference rates vary from 12 percent for white, college-educated families in the top 5 percent of the labor income distribution to 19 percent for nonwhite families without a college education whose labor incomes are in the bottom fifth percentile. Such differences imply very different patterns of consumption over the life cycle and suggest one possible explanation for observed heterogeneity in savings behavior across socioeconomic classes.
The Role of Internal Capital Markets in Financial Intermediaries: Evidence from Insurer Groups

We exploit the transparency of internal capital markets within insurance groups to investigate the form and volume of internal capital market transactions within insurance groups and to determine the relative importance of internal capital market activity to the investment behavior of affiliated insurers. Specifically, we compare the relationship between internal capital transfers and investment to that between capital from other sources and investment. The ability to track the actual internal capital market transactions allows for more direct analysis of internal capital market activity than most previous studies. Consistent with theory, we find evidence that internal capital markets play a significant role in the investment behavior of affiliated insurers.
Procedural Pain Scale Evaluation (PROPoSE) study: protocol for an evaluation of the psychometric properties of behavioural pain scales for the assessment of procedural pain in infants and children aged 6–42 months

Introduction Infants and children are frequently exposed to painful medical procedures such as immunisation, blood sampling and intravenous access. Over 40 scales for pain assessment are available, many designed for neonatal or postoperative pain. What is not well understood is how well these scales perform when used to assess procedural pain in infants and children. Aim The aim of this study was to test the psychometric and practical properties of the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry and Consolability (FLACC) scale, the Modified Behavioural Pain Scale (MBPS) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) observer pain scale to quantify procedural pain intensity in infants and children aged from 6–42 months to determine their suitability for clinical and research purposes. Methods and analysis A prospective observational non-interventional study conducted at a single centre. The psychometric and practical performance of the FLACC scale, MBPS and the VAS observer pain scale and VAS observer distress scale used to assess children experiencing procedural pain will be assessed. Infants and young children aged 6–42 months undergoing one of four painful and/or distressing procedures were recruited and the procedure digitally video recorded. Clinicians and psychologists will be recruited to independently apply the scales to these video recordings to establish intrarater and inter-rater reliability, convergent validity responsiveness and specificity. Pain score distributions will be presented descriptively; reliability will be assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman plots. Spearman correlations will be used to assess convergence and linear mixed modelling to explore the responsiveness of the scales to pain and their capacity to distinguish between pain and distress. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was provided by the Royal Children’s Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee, approval number 35220B. The findings of this study will be disseminated via peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences.
Cross-Border Bank Mergers and Acquisitions in the EU

Beginning at the end of the 1990s the banking industry entered into a new phase of consolidation. The US market is experiencing an increasing number of inter-state bank mergers and acquisitions, whereas cross-border mergers between banks in different countries are becoming ever more common in the EU. This paper examines the motives and gains from large cross-border bank mergers by using what has been called a 'balanced scorecard approach'. It assesses firm performance by using both financial and non-financial (strategic) variables. The paper is explorative and covers a select literature review of bank mergers and acquisitions in general and an analysis of the Nordbanken-Merita merger based on the balanced scorecards approach in particular. It is shown that the balanced scorecard may be a very useful technique to analyse the complexity of large cross-border bank mergers and thereby it adds to our over-all understanding of bank mergers across borders. Furthermore, we demonstrate how the growth strategy behind the merger of the two banks may be organised within the framework of a balanced scorecard highlighting the strategic fit between them. Our findings imply that the strategic fit was of a complementary nature. The banks were completing each other rather well in the different perspectives of the model. The success of the merger will therefore very much depend on the capability of cross-utilising the different characteristics and strengths of the merging banks.
Influence of induced fit in the interaction of Bacillus subtilis trp RNA‐binding attenuator protein and its RNA antiterminator target oligomer

In the presence of excess tryptophan, tryptophan‐activated TRAP (trp RNA‐binding attenuator protein) binds to a specific target in the trp‐leader transcript, which induces the formation of a transcription terminator and transcription halts in the leader region. In the absence of tryptophan, TRAP does not bind RNA, an antiterminator forms, and the operon is expressed. Although the ternary complex involving TRAP (Bacillus stearothermophilus), tryptophan, and the RNA target has recently been crystallized, efforts to obtain structural data for the apo‐form of TRAP (in any species) have not been successful. We have used multidimensional/multinuclear nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to probe the structure–function relationship in the TRAP‐activated system, and have obtained high‐resolution multidimensional/multinuclear NMR spectra of TRAP in all three of its functional states: tryptophan‐free or apo‐TRAP, tryptophan‐activated TRAP, and tryptophan‐activated TRAP‐RNA ternary complex. Chemical shift perturbation analysis of the NMR data clarifies the interpretation of results obtained from previous crystal studies. Results presented herein demonstrate that tryptophan binding induces an essential structural change in TRAP that supports high‐affinity binding of the RNA target oligonucleotide. Proteins 2002;49:432–438. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Homeownership and Neighborhood Satisfaction among Low- and Moderate-Income Households

ABSTRACT: Most research on homeownership is conducted on nationally representative samples of homeowners and fails to isolate the unique experience of low- and moderate-income (LMI) homeowners. Given the interest of policymakers in promoting homeownership among LMI households over the past 20 years, along with the apparent role played by risky borrowers—many of whom are low-income—in the current housing market crisis, it is important to evaluate both economic and social outcomes for this subgroup of homeowners. Using a matched set of LMI owners and renters in the 2007 Community Advantage Program (CAP) panel, we assess the effect of homeownership on neighborhood satisfaction. By including various individual and neighborhood characteristics as covariates, we employ multilevel modeling and propensity score matching to address the nested structure of the data and endogeneity issues. Findings indicate that homeownership is an important predictor of neighborhood satisfaction among LMI households, even when controlling for a host of socioeconomic, demographic, and neighborhood characteristics. This may suggest that homeownership can serve as a viable way to improve neighborhood satisfaction among LMI households. This is important as neighborhood satisfaction is highly associated with overall quality of life.
Brokerage Commission Schedules

It is generally optimal for risk-sharing reasons to base a charge for information on the signal realization. When this is not possible, a charge based on the amount of trading, a brokerage commission, may be a good alternative. The optimal brokerage commission schedule is derived for a risk-neutral information seller faced with risk-averse purchasers who may differ in their risk aversion. Revenues from the brokerage commission are compared with those from a fixed charge for information and the optimal mutual fund management fee. Copyright 1993 by American Finance Association.
In the brave new world of competitive schools and postmodern research, how do we tell stories about class?

This paper discusses some issues arising from the 12 to 18 Project, a longitudinal qualitative study following students through each year of their secondary schooling. The study was designed to allow for comparisons of students from different backgrounds and in different schools. However, it is being undertaken in a research context which has undercut some traditional ways of representing inequalities in relation to school; and in a political context focussed on promoting success rather than dealing with disadvantage. Although what might loosely be called class differences remain a central feature of Australian education, there has been long-standing debate about just what this means; and the tendency of much qualitative work of the past decade has been to focus on ‘difference’ rather than ‘inequality’, and to take gender or ethnicity as central concerns and to show class differences within these, rather than the reverse. This paper discusses some ways this project is attempting to take account of these issues, in particular the problem of understanding patterns of inequalities in the context of a heightened attention to individual and multiple differences; and the problem of writing research reports about class inequalities in schools without contributing to the process.
Financial reporting on the internet: Empirical evidence from Bahrain and Kuwait

In this paper, we examine the factors that are likely to explain the use of the internet as a vehicle for voluntary financial reporting by companies in Bahrain and Kuwait. A total of 75 companies (Kuwait 42 and Bahrain 33) were investigated to find out if they had websites and presented their financial statements on the internet. For Kuwait, 47.6% and for Bahrain 48.5% of sample companies had their own websites. Six variables were tested to examine their influence on the financial reporting by companies on the internet. A discriminant analysis was performed on the data and the results indicated that size (log of total assets) and industry were the main factors which influenced the financial reporting practices of companies on the internet. These results are in line with prior evidence. There is some indication that risk may also contribute to some extent in such decision. Perceptions of advantages and problems in using this new technology for financial reporting were also examined. It appears that the usage of this technology is still limited and slow in this part of the world, perhaps because of cultural dimensions and constraints.
Morphology, Biometry, and Taxonomy of Freshwater and Marine Interstitial Cyphoderia (Cercozoa: Euglyphida)

ABSTRACT. Good taxonomy is essential for ecological, biogeographical, and evolutionary studies of any group of organisms. Therefore, we performed detailed light‐ and scanning electron microscopy investigations on the shell ultrastructure and biometric analyses of the morphometric variability of five freshwater and marine interstitial testate amoebae of the genus Cyphoderia (C. trochus var. amphoralis, C. ampulla, C. margaritacea var. major, C. compressa, and C. littoralis), isolated from different populations in Bulgaria and Switzerland. Our aims were (1) to clarify the morphological characteristics of these taxa, and (2) to compare the morphology of a given taxon (C. ampulla) among different locations in Bulgaria and Switzerland as a first step towards an assessment of the geographical variation within a supposedly cosmopolitan taxon. Four of the studied taxa are characterized by a well‐expressed main‐size class and by a small size range of all the characters and can be defined as size‐monomorphic species. Based on these results, the following systematic changes are proposed: C. major ( Penard, 1891 ) n. comb. (Syn.: C. margaritacea var. major ( Penard, 1891 ) and C. amphoralis ( Wailes & Penard, 1911 ) n. comb. (Syn.: C. trochus var. amphoralis ( Wailes & Penard, 1911 )). However, we also show significant morphological variability between the Swiss and Bulgarian populations of C. ampulla, suggesting the possible existence of more than one taxon within this species. Further studies are required to assess (1) if these two morphologically different taxa represent individual species, (2) if so, if more species exist, and if this diversity is due to limited distribution ranges (endemism) or if several closely related taxa occur together in different geographical areas.
Divided Government and International Cooperation in Austria-Hungary, Sweden-Norway and the European Union

A growing consensus maintains that divided government makes international cooperation more difficult. This paper takes issue with this claim. While divided government does make treaty ratification more difficult, it also affects the outcome when cooperation breaks down. To understand this effect of divided government, I bring the reversion point into the heart of the analysis of cooperation. If divided government makes this reversion point more unattractive than the reversion point under unified government, it may make cooperation more likely. Divided government also varies in ways previously overlooked in the literature, most importantly in whether the negotiator or ratifier controls the reversion point (or status quo). I test these claims against three supranational polities, the dual monarchies of Austria-Hungary and Sweden-Norway and the European Union today.
On a Class of Equilibrium Conditions for Majority Rule

The various conditions for non-intransitivity of majority rule formulated over the past decade have been concerned with choices over arbitrary, usually finite, sets of discrete alternatives. In many economic and other social choice problems, however, the possible choices constitute a point set in some appropriately defined multi-dimensional commodity or policy space. It is shown that in problems of this kind, when voter preferences can be represented by quasi-concave, differentiable utility functions, the various equilibrium conditions for majority rule are incompatible with even a very modest degree of heterogeneity of tastes, and for most purposes are probably not significantly less restrictive than the extreme condition of complete unanimity of individual preferences.
Effects of outdated CSI on the coverage of CoMP-based ultra-dense networks

Feedback delay can severely impact network performance in mobile network and the theoretical quantification of performance degradation has attracted much research interest recently. In this paper, we conduct coverage analysis of mobile ultra-dense networks (UDNs) where coordinated multipoint (CoMP) technology is adopted to enhance network performance and the available channel state information (CSI) is outdated due to feedback delay, especially for large cluster case. Coverage probability is evaluated by obtaining a closed-form expression, which considers the effect of outdated CSI. Furthermore, we give the approximated expression of coverage probability so that the impact of cluster size can be overtly observed. Numerical results illustrate that coverage probability decreases with the user's velocity but can be compensated by relatively larger cluster size scheme or denser access point (AP) deployment, which can also provide useful insights into the parameter design of UDNs.
Does Mandated Disclosure Induce a Structural Change in the Determinants of Nonaudit Service Purchases

SUMMARY We investigate the association between mandated fee disclosures and structural changes in the determinants of nonaudit services (NAS). The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) underscored the importance of understanding the impact of disclosures when the Auditor Independence Rules of 2000 explicitly relied on market responses to discipline NAS purchases. In contrast, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) relied upon prohibitions of NAS. Our findings suggest that market-based approaches were functioning prior to SOX prohibitions. We find that after the SEC mandated fee disclosures, NAS purchases become negatively associated with firms seeking financing and positively associated with managerial ownership. We also document a significantly smaller propensity for NAS purchases among larger firms, compared to a nondisclosure environment. Last, we find that mandated disclosures significantly increase the negative association between NAS purchases and effective audit committees. Collectively, our findi.