Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Investment and Financing under Asymmetric Information

This paper develops a tractable real options framework to analyze the effects of asymmetric information on investment and financing decisions when firms require external funds to finance investment. Our analysis shows that corporate insiders can signal their private information to outside investors using the timing of investment and the firm's debt-equity mix. Several important contributions follow from this result. First, we show that firms' equilibrium investment strategies differ significantly from those implied by standard real options models with perfect information. In particular, informational asymmetries erode the option value of waiting to invest and induce firms with good prospects to speed up investment, leading to overinvestment. Second, we demonstrate that informational asymmetries may not translate into a financing hierarchy. Most notably, we find that equity issues can be more attractive than debt issues even for firms with ample debt capacity, providing a rationale for the stylized fact that small high-growth firms do not behave according to the pecking order theory.
Quantitative Relationship between Naphthalene Catabolic Gene Frequency and Expression in Predicting PAH Degradation in Soils at Town Gas Manufacturing Sites

The inability to monitor in situ expression of biodegradative genes to predict rates of pollutant degradation or to evaluate the efficacy of engineering application of bioremediation in complex environments such as contaminated soils has limited the routine acceptance of thistechnology in hazardous waste management. To overcome this limitation, an approach has been developed to measure catabolic gene expression in PAH-contaminated soils. In soils populated with as few as 106 naphthalene degradative bacteria g -1 , in situ isolation and quantitation of mRNA levels was achieved for the NAH7 naphthalene dioxygenase (nahA) gene
Performance analysis of Fano coding

A rigorous performance analysis of Fano coding is presented, providing an upper bound on the average codeword length of binary and ternary Fano codes for an arbitrary discrete memoryless source. The performance bound is slightly better than Shannon's well-known bound for Shannon coding. As a by-product a novel general lower bound on Shannon entropy is derived that might be of interest also in a different context. This bound is expressed with the help of variational distance and provides a special case of a reverse Pinsker inequality.
Investigate the Context Usage of Arabic Proverbs in Twitter

Current technology facilitates and increases connections through social media, allowing individuals everywhere to spread their ideas to the world. One social media platform is Twitter. One characteristic of a tweet is the requirement of conveying a message in a limited number of words. Proverbs are a feature of language that convey messages effectively in the least number of words. Therefore, we selected the analysis of proverb usage in Arabic tweets. We collected and manually classified tweets with Arabic proverbs in order to develop a model, using data and text mining techniques, to understand the context of their usage in the tweets. Each tweet has two types of features: the external feature refers to the structured data behind tweets, and internal features refer to unstructured data in the tweet content, the "text of the tweet itself. " According to the experimental results of this study, we found that internal features are best for assessing the context of Arabic proverb usage in tweets. The study is significant in that it can help understand the psychology of the Arab masses using and spreading their messages and ideas in the Twitter ecosystem.
Who Cares about Polar Regions? Results from a Survey of U.S. Public Opinion

What do members of the general public know about polar regions, and how much do they care? Who knows or cares? This paper explores data from the General Social Survey (GSS), which in 2006 questioned a representative sample of more than 1800 U.S. adults about their knowledge and opinions concerning polar regions. The polar survey items were modeled on long-running GSS assessments of general science knowledge and opinions, recently summarized in the U.S. National Science Board's report Science and Engineering Indicators 2008. Polar knowledge proves to be limited but certainly not absent among survey respondents. Polar knowledge, general science knowledge, and education—together with individual background characteristics (age, sex, income)—predict policy-relevant opinions. Political orientation filters the impacts of education, and also shows consistent, significant effects across all the polar opinion questions. These 2006 GSS polar results will provide a baseline for comparison when the questions are repeated on a 2010 survey, after the International Polar Year concludes.
The viral shunt in a stratified Northeast Atlantic Ocean

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"I feel like having a nervous breakdown": Pre-service and in-service teachers' developing beliefs and knowledge about pronunciation instruction

Evidence on the impact of second language teacher education is inconclusive in the area of pronunciation pedagogy. This study explores how the cognition (knowledge, beliefs, thoughts, attitudes and perceptions) of 10 pre-service and five in-service teachers developed during a postgraduate course on pronunciation pedagogy. Questionnaire items, focus group meetings, semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and an assessment task were used to trace the development of participants’ beliefs and knowledge. Findings demonstrated that the development of the student teachers’ cognition was limited and the notion of integrating pronunciation into L2 lessons proved to be challenging for participants irrespective of their pronunciation teaching background. Also, while student teachers’ awareness about the benefits of kinesthetic/tactile teaching techniques increased, native English-speaking teachers without any pronunciation teaching experience appeared to be particularly susceptible to factors restricting cognition development. The paper concludes with a discussion about implications for language teacher educators preparing pronunciation instructors.
Minority Stress, Sexual Identity Uncertainty, and Partner Gender Decision Making Among Nonmonosexual Individuals

Despite decades of research on sexual identity development and minority stress, sexual identity uncertainty has received relatively little attention. Sexual identity uncertainty refers to the extent to which an individual is uncertain about which sexual identity label best captures their pattern of attractions and behavior. Although theory suggests that sexual identity uncertainty is a consequence of negative experiences related to one’s sexual identity, this has not been empirically tested. The current study examined factors that influence sexual identity uncertainty as well as its potential consequences for relationship decision making in a sample of nonmonosexual individuals (individuals attracted to more than one gender; N = 397). For nonmonosexual individuals who reported low sexual identity disclosure, more frequent experiences of monosexism were associated with greater internalized monosexism, which in turn, was associated with greater sexual identity uncertainty. Additionally, among nonmonosexual individuals who reported that others frequently made assumptions about their sexual orientation, higher sexual identity uncertainty was associated with more partner gender management. Specifically, these individuals reported that their relationship decisions were more influenced by concern about being seen in relationships with one gender over another and desire to be seen in relationships with one gender over another. In summary, findings are consistent with a theoretical model of how sexual identity uncertainty develops among nonmonosexual individuals (Weinberg, Williams, & Pryor, 1994). Results also suggest that sexual identity uncertainty can influence the decisions that nonmonosexual individuals make about relationships. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Triose Phosphate Isomerase Deficiency Is Caused by Altered Dimerization–Not Catalytic Inactivity–of the Mutant Enzymes

Triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) deficiency is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by various mutations in the gene encoding the key glycolytic enzyme TPI. A drastic decrease in TPI activity and an increased level of its substrate, dihydroxyacetone phosphate, have been measured in unpurified cell extracts of affected individuals. These observations allowed concluding that the different mutations in the TPI alleles result in catalytically inactive enzymes. However, despite a high occurrence of TPI null alleles within several human populations, the frequency of this disorder is exceptionally rare. In order to address this apparent discrepancy, we generated a yeast model allowing us to perform comparative in vivo analyses of the enzymatic and functional properties of the different enzyme variants. We discovered that the majority of these variants exhibit no reduced catalytic activity per se. Instead, we observed, the dimerization behavior of TPI is influenced by the particular mutations investigated, and by the use of a potential alternative translation initiation site in the TPI gene. Additionally, we demonstrated that the overexpression of the most frequent TPI variant, Glu104Asp, which displays altered dimerization features, results in diminished endogenous TPI levels in mammalian cells. Thus, our results reveal that enzyme deregulation attributable to aberrant dimerization of TPI, rather than direct catalytic inactivation of the enzyme, underlies the pathogenesis of TPI deficiency. Finally, we discovered that yeast cells expressing a TPI variant exhibiting reduced catalytic activity are more resistant against oxidative stress caused by the thiol-oxidizing reagent diamide. This observed advantage might serve to explain the high allelic frequency of TPI null alleles detected among human populations.
Seasonality of energetic functioning and production of reactive oxygen species by lugworm (Arenicola marina) mitochondria exposed to acute temperature changes

SUMMARY The influence of seasonal and acute temperature changes on mitochondrial functions were studied in isolated mitochondria of the eurythermal lugworm Arenicola marina (Polychaeta), with special emphasis on the interdependence of membrane potential and radical production. Acclimatisation of lugworms to pre-spawning/summer conditions is associated with rising mitochondrial substrate oxidation rates, higher proton leakage rates, elevated membrane potentials, and increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in isolated mitochondria, compared with mitochondria from winter animals. However, a high ROS production was compensated for by higher activities of the antioxidant enzymes catalase and superoxide dismutase, as well as lower mitochondrial densities in summer compared with winter animals. In summer animals, a higher sensitivity of the proton leakage rate to changes of membrane potential will confer better flexibility for metabolic regulation (mild uncoupling) in response to temperature change. These seasonal alterations in mitochondrial functions suggest modifications of energy metabolism in eurythermal and euryoxic organisms on intertidal mudflats during summer. In winter, low and less changeable temperatures in intertidal sedimentary environments permit higher respiratory efficiency at low aerobic metabolic rates and lower membrane potentials in A. marina mitochondria.
Will the Adoption of Basel II Encourage Increased Bank Merger Activity? Evidence from the United States

This study presents two tests of the hypothesis that adoption of an internal ratings-based approach to determining minimum capital requirements, proposed as part of the Basel II capital accord, would cause adopting banking organizations to increase their acquisition activity. The study employs U.S. data and focuses on the advanced internal ratings-based approach, as proposed for banking organizations in the United States. The first test estimates the relationship between excess regulatory capital and subsequent merger activity, including organization and time fixed effects, while the second test employs a " difference in difference" analysis of the change in merger activity that occurred the last time U.S. regulatory capital standards were changed. Estimated coefficients and observed differences have signs consistent with the hypothesis, but results are either statistically insignificant or imply differences that are small in magnitude.
Working Memory Retrieval: Contributions of the Left Prefrontal Cortex, the Left Posterior Parietal Cortex, and the Hippocampus

Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to identify regions involved in working memory (WM) retrieval. Neural activation was examined in two WM tasks: an item recognition task, which can be mediated by a direct-access retrieval process, and a judgment of recency task that requires a serial search. Dissociations were found in the activation patterns in the hippocampus and in the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) when the probe contained the most recently studied serial position (where a test probe can be matched to the contents of focal attention) compared to when it contained all other positions (where retrieval is required). The data implicate the hippocampus and the LIFG in retrieval from WM, complementing their established role in long-term memory. Results further suggest that the left posterior parietal cortex (LPPC) supports serial retrieval processes that are often required to recover temporal order information. Together, these data suggest that the LPPC, the LIFG, and the hippocampus collectively support WM retrieval. Critically, the reported findings support accounts that posit a distinction between representations maintained in and outside of focal attention, but are at odds with traditional dual-store models that assume distinct mechanisms for short- and long-term memory representations.
The effect of an auditory distraction on anxiety in ambulatory surgical patients experiencing regional anesthesia.

The effect of an auditory distraction on state anxiety was compared to the effect of no auditory distraction in 20 patients undergoing regional anesthesia in an ambulatory surgical setting. Anxiety was measured using the Spielberger State-Anxiety Inventory. Each patient was tested preoperatively and one hour post-operatively. The experimental group was provided with a choice of one of four "nat u re tapes. " The t-statistic was used to evaluate the data. The experimental group showed a statistically significant decline in state anxiety greater than that of the cont rol group with a p-value of 0.025 in the imieant anxiety scores. Also evaluated was the mean difference between the amount of methohexital and fentanyl administered to each group. The results showed that the experimten tal group received a statistically significant amount of methohexital and fentanyl less than the control group with a p-value of 0.025. These results indicate that the provision of an auditory distraction for patients experiencing regional anesthesia is a means of decreasing state anxiety and sedation needs. There are many aspects of surgery that are stress-inducing, one of which may be the sounds of surgery. A stimulating or unusual sound may provoke increased alertness and the activation of the 'fight or flight' neural mechanism. This may result in increased heart rate, blood pressure, skeletal muscle tension, and sensory perception. ' Because increased sensory perception and cate-cholamine levels are undesirable in the patient who is about to undergo surgery, it has been the practice to administer intravenous sedation to obtund the stress response. Sedatives routinely used in an ambulatory surgical setting include methohexital, a short-acting barbiturate, and fentanyl, an opioid narcotic. Both are utilized for promoting light sleep in patients experiencing regional anesthesia. The use of other methods not employing medication for the alleviation of psychological stress has been the subject of research since the nineteenth century. Music has been used to calm patients in studies . as early as 1899. The 1940s and 1950s saw a preponderance of research investigating the use of music as a means of soothing surgical patients. Reports have been found in opthalmic, dental and anesthesia literature. All studies noted a decrease in the subjective description of anxiety by the patient as well as decreased sedation needs, although no quantifiable data was obtained. Therefore, the hypothesis of this study was that patients experiencing an auditory distraction (experimental group) will have a greater decrease in anxiety than patients …
Breadwinning as care? The meaning of paid work in mothers’ and fathers’ constructions of parenting

ABSTRACT As some scholars have argued for a distinct conceptualisation of breadwinning and for understanding breadwinning as a form of care, this study addresses parents’ constructions of breadwinning and its connections to care. It is based on an in-depth interpretive analysis of multiple-perspective, qualitative longitudinal interviews with 22 Austrian mothers and fathers from three points in time during their transition to parenthood. The analysis revealed four different types of breadwinning concepts by considering the jointly constructed meaning of mothers’ and fathers’ paid work within a parental couple and further relied on Tronto’s [(1993). Moral boundaries. A political argument for an ethic of care. New York, NY: Routledge] conceptualisation of care as a four-step process. The results indicate that respondents construct a clear difference between earning money and breadwinning. Additionally, a difference is made between breadwinning and taking care of the family’s subsistence, predominantly so for mothers. In conclusion, breadwinning can definitely be considered a form of care and thus a form of involvement in parenting, but it cannot be regarded a form of involvement in caregiving. The holistic picture of parents’ joint constructions enabled us to contribute to the existing conceptualisations of breadwinning and of parental involvement, thus providing a novel perspective on matters of gender equality.
Procedures for assessing the acquisition of cultural competence in translator training

ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to present different procedures (instruments and tasks) for assessing the acquisition of cultural competence in translator training. First, we outline the basis of competence assessment in translator training, advocating a dynamic, multidimensional, criteria-based approach to assessment and explaining the need to use a wide variety of assessment tasks and instruments. Second, we define the concepts of culture and cultural competence and set out different proposals, before breaking cultural competence down into four sub-competences (cultural knowledge, cultural knowledge acquisition abilities, culture-related contrastive abilities, and attitudinal sub-competence) and specifying their respective components, which can be used as indicators for assessment purposes. Lastly, we put forward various procedures for assessing the acquisition of cultural competence. We organise these procedures on the basis of nine instruments, such as translation reports, catalogues of cultural references, translation process recordings and cultural portfolios. For each instrument we describe possible assessment tasks, identify assessable aspects, and state which sub-competences of cultural competence it can be used to assess.
Carbamazepine provoked hepatotoxicity: attenuation by vitamin C

Antiepileptic drugs are reported to be potentially hepatotoxic. The present study evaluates the hepatoprotective activity of vitamin C against carbamazepine induced hepatotoxicity. Rats were treated with carbamazepine (50 mg/kg p.o.) and carbamazepine supplemented with 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg vitamin C for 45 days, after which blood samples were collected and subjected to liver function tests. Animals were sacrificed, liver was isolated, weighed and the levels of antioxidants were estimated along with histopathological investigations. Serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase, serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin, lipid peroxidation, absolute and relative liver weights were significantly elevated, whereas serum levels of albumin, total protein and body weight was decreased in the carbamazepine treated animals. Carbamazepine also caused vacuolar degeneration, centrilobular congestion and hepatic necrosis as evidenced from histopathological report. Vitamin C significantly reduced the levels of serum transaminases, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin and liver weight along with an increase in total protein, albumin and body weight. It was also observed that vitamin C increased the glutathione content, reduced lipid peroxidation in liver samples and also reversed the carbamazepine induced histopathological abnormalities. Carbamazepine’s toxic metabolite epoxide induces oxidative stress; vitamin C by virtue of its antioxidant capacity reduced the oxidative stress and reversed the carbamazepine induced hepatic damage.
The Performance of Professionals and Students in an Experimental Study of Lobbying

This paper reports on a series of signaling game experiments in which an informe d sender can send a costly message in order to persuade an uninformed responder.We compare t he behavior of two subjects pools: 143 undergraduate students and 30 public affairs official s that are professionally familiar with strategic information transmission.The experiments comprised two parameter treatments: one with low costs for sending messages, and one with high costs.Our main conclusion is that there are neither significant nor systematic differences in the behavior of the two subject-pools.
Design of a Compliant Mechanism to Modify an Actuator Characteristic to Deliver a Constant Output Force

Topology and size optimization methods are used to design compliant mechanisms that produce a constant output force for a given actuator characteristic of linearly decreasing force versus displacement. The design procedure consists of two stages: (i) topology optimization using two-dimensional (2-D) continuum parametrization, and (ii) size optimization of the beam-element abstraction derived from the continuum topology solution. The examples considered are based upon electrostatic microactuators used widely in microsystems. The procedure described here provides conceptual as well as practically usable designs for compliant transmission mechanisms with a constant output force characteristic. For any given topology design, the maximum achievable constant force over a given displacement range is determined. Ideal rigid-body and spring-equipped mechanisms are analyzed and their features are used to compare with the compliant solutions obtained.