Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dividend Policy and Bank Opacity

Does dividend policy increase or decrease bank opaqueness? Under the Dividendâ€“Transparency Channel, paying dividends involves banks having greater discipline from the markets due to external financing and reduces private benefits of control, leading to lower earnings management concerns. Under the Dividendâ€“Opacity Channel, due to a hesitancy to change dividend policy, banks have high vocations to engage earnings management to circumvent payout policy restrictions in debt covenants or to keep their dividend target unchanged. Employing a large sample of 2,483 U.S. bank holding companies from 2001:Q1â€“2013:Q4, the study documents the doubleâ€ edged sword of dividends on the discretionary behaviours of banks. Paying dividends makes banks less opaque to compare with nonpayers, which is consistent with the Dividendâ€“Transparency Channel, however among dividend paying banks, excessive dividends involve banks to manage more their numbers, which is consistent with the Dividendâ€“Opacity Channel. The findings are robust under different specifications. The results are of important interest to bank regulators.
Do Insiders Time Management Buyouts and Freezeouts to Buy Undervalued Targets?

We provide evidence that managers and controlling shareholders time management buyouts (MBOs) and freezeout transactions to take advantage of industry-wide undervaluation. Portfolios of industry peers of MBO and freezeout targets show significant alphas of around 1% per month over the 12-month period following the transaction. These returns are not explained by a battery of risk factors or empirical methodologies, but exhibit significant heterogeneity across deals. Additional tests show that, on average, abnormal returns to industry peers are a reliable proxy for those to the target firm. Further, MBOs and freezeouts are announced during troughs of industry profitability.
Neu–Laxova syndrome: Detailed prenatal diagnostic and post‐mortem findings and literature review

Neu–Laxova syndrome (NLS) is a lethal, autosomal recessive multiple malformation syndrome with many features resulting from severe skin restriction and decreased fetal movement. It is characterized by ichthyosis, marked intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), microcephaly, short neck, central nervous system (CNS) anomalies, limb deformities, hypoplastic lungs, edema, and abnormal facial features including severe proptosis with ectropion, hypertelorism, micrognathia, flattened nose, and malformed ears. We present two new patients with NLS with striking prenatal diagnostic findings and detailed post‐mortem examinations and review the previously described cases in the literature. Data from these patients suggest that the NLS represents a heterogeneous phenotype. Prenatal ultrasound findings of marked ocular proptosis in a growth restricted, edematous fetus should prompt consideration of a diagnosis of the NLS. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Programmatic Politics and Voter Preferences: The 2017 Election in Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta

Abstract: Vote buying and patronage distribution have become widespread in Indonesian elections. Yet, it is also evident that some candidates use programmatic strategies to compete. Drawing on the case of the 2017 election in Kulon Progo district, Yogyakarta Special Region, and using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, this article seeks to explain why the incumbent opted out of vote buying and similar clientelistic strategies and why voters supported his programmatic approach. We show that the incumbent prepared vote buying as a fallback strategy but did not activate it. He was able to make this choice because he faced little competition and had invested politically in programmatic policies, though he was also assisted by his ability to manipulate his proximity with the Yogyakarta Sultanate for electoral purposes. This article shows that Indonesian voters can be highly appreciative of programmatic approaches, rather than simply being the “ballot-sellers” they are often assumed to be in the literature on money politics and patronage. In this case, moreover, programmatic success produced a less competitive election that in turn created the possibility for the incumbent candidate to opt out of clientelism.
Inactivation of P2X2 purinoceptors by divalent cations

1 P2X2 channels are activated by extracellular ATP. Despite being commonly described as non‐desensitizing, P2X2 receptors do desensitize or inactivate. In the unspliced, 472 amino acid isoform of the P2X2 receptor, inactivation required membrane disruption and the presence of extracellular Ca2+. 2 The ability to inactivate whole‐cell currents developed slowly after breaking in. In contrast, currents from excised patches exhibited rapid (∼100 ms) inactivation with a dependence on extracellular Ca2+, ATP and voltage. 3 The inactivation rate increased with the fourth power of [Ca2+] suggesting that the functional channel may be a tetramer. Ca2+ had both a higher affinity and a larger Hill coefficient for inactivation than Mg2+, Ba2+ or Mn2+. Trivalent cations at concentrations up to the solubility product of ATP had no effect. The change in apparent co‐operativity with ionic species suggests the presence of experimentally unresolved ligand‐insensitive kinetic steps. 4 Based on the weak voltage dependence of inactivation and the lack of effect of intracellular Ca2+ buffers, the Ca2+‐binding sites are probably located near the extracellular surface of the membrane. 5 The recovery from inactivation was slow, with a time constant of ∼7 min. 6 Ca2+‐sensitive inactivation only appeared when the membrane was disrupted in some manner. Treatment with actin and microtubule reagents did not induce inactivation, suggesting that an intact cytoskeleton is not necessary. 7 Inactivation rates observed in different patch configurations suggest that the induction of Ca2+‐dependent inactivation was due to the loss of a diffusible cofactor located in the membrane or the cytoplasm.
The sexual and intimate life of UK austerity politics

This thesis is concerned with the role of sexuality and intimacy in austerity politics in the UK since the formation of the Coalition Government in 2010. Conceptualising austerity politics as a broad political, cultural, and economic formation, it interrogates some of the key ways in which sexuality and intimacy are embedded within the discursive and regulatory functioning of austerity. Each of its three case studies examines sexuality and intimacy within a different discursive and/or regulatory site, including policy discourse, media discourse, and processes of policy implementation and service delivery. The cases studies focus, specifically, on the sexual and gendered assumptions embedded in austerity discourse; the limited narrative possibilities available for sexualised and racialised subjectivities in circulations of austerity discourse within popular media; and the materialisation of neoliberal penalisation in sexual and intimate lives as a series of intimate disruptions. In enquiring after the kinds of sexual and intimate lives, subjects, and politics that are made (un)imaginable, (il)legible, or (il)legitimate by and within austerity politics, central to this thesis is the claim that austerity politics has a sexual and intimate life. It focuses on non-identitarian forms and modes of sexuality and intimacy, examining them through the frameworks of sexual inequalities, sexual subjectivities, and intimate disruptions. Finally, as well as intervening in epistemologies of sexuality, this thesis also explores the consequences that the embeddedness of sexuality and intimacy within austerity politics has for conceptualisations and understandings of the political.
Metropolitan Planning and the Phenomenon of Reurbanisation: The Example of Liverpool

ABSTRACT This paper considers the process and dynamics of reurbanisation and its implications for metropolitan planning. After brief consideration of reurbanisation trends in the UK, through a case study of the city of Liverpool in North West England, the paper explores how these recent trends of population regrowth and changing patterns of housing production (including purpose-built student accommodation) have affected the social structure of the city and what are the implications for planning policy? The paper concludes that population regrowth has been associated with increased spatial social segregation but is likely to continue and will shape future metropolitan planning.
Analysis of the severity and prognosis assessment of aged patients with community-acquired pneumonia: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a prevalent and potentially life-threatening infection, and has poor prognosis in aged patients. The objective of this study was to compare the potential of admission N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (proBNP) levels and scoring models [CURB-65, Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI), and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores] to predict outcomes for aged patients with CAP admitted to Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and to explore the prognostic factors. METHODS Clinical data of the patients were collected retrospectively, whose CURB-65, PSI, APACHE II scores were calculated and in whom measurements of proBNP was performed. The outcomes of interest were severity evaluation, prediction of need for mechanical ventilation and 28-day mortality. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was conducted to predict the assessment ability of proBNP and scoring models on different outcomes, and the logistic regression analysis was performed to screen factors affecting prognosis. RESULTS 240 patients were enrolled, with the mean age of 75±8 years old. Admission levels of NT-proBNP, scoring models were significantly higher in SCAP patients, MV group, and non-survivors compared to non-SCAP patients, no-MV group, and 28-day survivors, respectively (P<0.001). PSI had the highest area under the curve (AUC) and specificity for the three outcomes considered (AUC: 0.868 and specificity: 0.906 for 28-day mortality, AUC: 0.864 and specificity: 0.831 for requirement of MV, and AUC: 0.888 and specificity: 0.894 for severity evaluation). NT-proBNP had the highest sensitivity of 0.987 and 0.903 on prediction of mortality and need for MV. And APACHE II scoring model with the highest sensitivity of 0.890 was used to evaluate severity. Logistic regression analysis showed that the odd ratio (OR) of systolic blood pressure, PSI, and APACHE II scores were 0.886, 1.019, and 1.249. CONCLUSIONS PSI scores was the best indicator in predicting different clinical outcomes of aged patients with CAP among the proBNP and three scoring systems. Systolic blood pressure might be as a protective factor for prognosis while PSI and APACHE II scores as risk factors for prognosis of aged patients with CAP.
Gadopentetate dimeglumine excretion into human breast milk during lactation.

PURPOSE To analyze the amount of gadopentetate dimeglumine excreted into human breast milk following intravenous injection of a clinical dose. MATERIALS AND METHODS Gadopentetate dimeglumine was injected intravenously in 20 lactating women (23-38 years of age). Breast-feeding was interrupted for at least 24 hours. Serial samples of expressed milk were collected and analyzed for gadolinium concentration by means of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry at a wavelength of 342.247 nm. RESULTS The cumulative amount of gadolinium excreted in human breast milk during 24 hours was 0.57 micromol +/- 0.71 (SD; range, 0.05-3.0 micromol). The excreted dose was thus less than 0.04% of the administered intravenous dose (range, 0.001%-0.04%; mean, 0.009% +/- 0.010) for all cases. CONCLUSION Less than 0.04% of administered gadopentetate dimeglumine is excreted into human breast milk. The amount transferred to a nursing infant orally would be far more than 100 times less than the permitted intravenous dose (200 micromol per kilogram of body weight) for neonates. The recommendation of a 24-hour suspension of breast-feeding for lactating women should thus be reconsidered.
Choosing Colleges in a Post-Affirmative Action Era: Black Students' Perceptions of Institutional Diversity and Campus Climate

xiii Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 Black Enrollment in Post-Affirmative Contexts . 2 Perspectives on Black Underenrollment in Highly Selective Institutions . 4 College Choice: An Additional Perspective . 6 Research Scope and Questions . 7 Contributions of the Research . 13 Plan for the Dissertation . 15 Chapter 2: Characterizing the Prop 2 Post-Affirmative Action Era . 16 Early Affirmative Action Policies and Practices: 1960s 1980s . 17 Affirmative Action in the 1990s: The Beginning of the End . 22 Perils of the Post-Affirmative Action Era . 28 Conclusion: Campus Diversity, Climate, and College Choice . 35
Statistical issues in the study of temporal data: daily experiences.

This article reviews statistical issues that arise in temporal data, particularly with respect to daily experience data. Issues related to nonindependence of observations, the nature of data structures, and claims of causality are considered. Through the analysis of data from a single subject, we illustrate concomitant time-series analysis, a general method of examining relationships between two or more series having 50 or more observations. We also discuss detection of and remedies for the problems of trend, cycles, and serial dependency that frequently plague temporal data, and present methods of combining the results of concomitant time series across subjects. Issues that arise in pooling cross-sectional and time-series data and statistical models for addressing these issues are considered for the case in which there are appreciably fewer than 50 observations and a moderate number of subjects. We discuss the possibility of using structural equation modeling to analyze data structures in which there are a large number (e.g., 200) of subjects, but relatively few time points, emphasizing the different causal status of synchronous and lagged effects and the types of models that can be specified for longitudinal data structures. Our conclusion highlights some of the issues raised by temporal data for statistical models, notably the important roles of substantive theory, the question being addressed, the properties of the data, and the assumptions underlying each technique in determining the optimal approach to statistical analysis.
The impact of corporate governance mechanisms on real and accrual earnings management practices: evidence from Jordan

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the impact of corporate governance (CG) mechanisms on real (REM), accrual-based earnings management (AEM) and REM/AEM interaction in Jordan following the 2009 Jordanian CG Code (JCGC). Design/methodology/approach The study used a sample of 108 Jordanian public firms covering 2010-2014. Hypotheses are tested using pooled OLS-regression models. Findings The authors find that both institutional and managerial ownership constrain the use of REM and AEM. In contrast, both independent directors and large shareholders are found to exaggerate such practices, and CEO-duality is found to exaggerate REM only. However, foreign ownership does not appear to have a significant impact. They further find that managers use REM and AEM jointly to obtain the greatest earnings impact. Practical implications The findings have important implications for policymakers, regulators, audit professionals and investors in their attempts to constrain earnings management (EM) practices and improve financial reporting quality in Jordan. Originality/value The authors believe this to be the first Jordanian study examining the relationship between CG mechanisms and both REM and AEM following the introduction of the 2009 JCGC, as well as the first in Jordan and the Middle East to examine board characteristics and REM. Moreover, it is the first to test for the potential substitution of REM and AEM since the 2009 JCGC enactment. As such, the findings draw attention to EM practices and the role of monitoring mechanisms in Jordan.
Lower restenosis rate with stenting following aggressive versus less aggressive rotational atherectomy

The present study evaluated the acute and follow‐up results of stenting following aggressive rotational atherectomy compared with stenting following less aggressive rotational atherectomy. Recent work has demonstrated that stenting following rotational atherectomy is a promising strategy for complex and calcified lesions. However, there is little information available regarding the optimal procedural technique of rotational atherectomy to be employed before stent implantation. Between May 1995 and February 1997, 162 lesions in 126 patients were stented following rotational atherectomy because of the presence of severe calcification on fluoroscopy or intravascular ultrasound (95%). The lesions were divided as to whether aggressive rotational atherectomy was performed or not. Aggressive rotational atherectomy, defined as the use of a final burr size ≥2.25 mm and/or final burr/vessel ratio ≥0.8, was performed in 56 lesions. A less aggressive rotational atherectomy strategy was performed in 106 lesions. Procedural Q‐wave (8.9% vs. 1.9%, P < 0.05) and non–Q‐wave (11% vs. 1.9%, P < 0.05) myocardial infarctions were observed more frequently after aggressive rotational atherectomy; there was no significant difference in the incidence of other procedural complications. Although there was no significant difference in minimal lumen diameter after the procedure (3.11 ± 0.68 vs. 2.99 ± 0.48 mm, NS), at follow‐up a greater minimal lumen diameter was observed in the lesions treated with aggressive rotational atherectomy compared to those treated with less aggressive rotational atherectomy (2.12 ± 1.31 vs. 1.56 ± 0.89 mm, P < 0.01). Restenosis rates were 50.0% in the lesions treated without aggressive rotational atherectomy and 30.9% in those treated with aggressive rotational atherectomy (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of restenosis with a focal pattern between the two groups (25.0% vs. 21.4%, NS). In contrast, restenosis with a diffuse pattern was lower in lesions treated with aggressive rotational atherectomy than in those without aggressive rotational atherectomy (9.5% vs. 25.0%, P < 0.05). Aggressive rotational atherectomy followed by stenting is a promising strategy to reduce the restenosis rate in calcified lesions. However, the aggressive strategy is associated with an increased risk of procedural myocardial infarction. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Intervent. 46:406–414, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Landmark-Based Morphometrics of the Normal Adult Brain Using MRI

We describe the application of statistical shape analysis to homologous landmarks on the cortical surface of the adult human brain. Statistical shape analysis has a sound theoretical basis. Landmarks are identified on the surface of a 3-D reconstruction of the segmented cortical surface from magnetic resonance image (MRI) data. Using publicly available software (morphologika) the location and size dependence of the landmarks are removed and the differences in landmark distribution across subjects are analysed using principal component analysis. These differences, representing shape differences between subjects, can be visually assessed using wireframe models and transformation grids. The MRI data of 58 adult brains (27 female and 15 left handed) were examined. Shape differences in the whole brain are described which concern the relative orientation of frontal lobe sulci. Analysis of all 116 hemispheres revealed a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001) between left and right hemispheres. This finding was significant for right- but not left-handed subjects alone. No other significant age, gender, handedness, or brain-size correlations with shape differences were found.
Long‐term survival after paclitaxel plus platinum‐based combination chemotherapy for extraovarian peritoneal serous papillary carcinoma: is it different from that for ovarian serous papillary cancer?

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of paclitaxel plus platinum-based chemotherapy in the treatment of extraovarian peritoneal serous papillary carcinoma (EPSPC) and ovarian serous papillary cancer (OSPC). Only the patients treated with initial surgery plus postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy and having FIGO stage IIIC disease with omental and/or peritoneal involvement were analyzed. Thirty-two patients with EPSPC and 43 with OSPC were included in this study. The median age, mean CA-125, and volume of ascitis were higher in patients with EPSPC. There was no significant difference between the two groups with respect to other prognosticators. The median overall survival (OS) durations were 30 months (95% CI 24.8–35.3) in patients with EPSPC and 28 months (95% CI 21.1–34.9) in those with OSPC (P= 0.35). The 3-year OS rates in the patients and controls were 28% and 31%, respectively (P= 0.84). In patients with EPSPC, only optimal cytoreduction was significantly related to progression-free survival and OS durations as a prognostic factor. In the EPSPC group, 65.5% of the patients (19/29) had lymphatic involvement, compared to 88.4% (38/43) in the OSPC group (P= 0.02). As an adjuvant therapy, the paclitaxel plus platinum-based combination regimen had similar effects on survival in the EPSPC and OSPC groups.
Saliency Detection for Unconstrained Videos Using Superpixel-Level Graph and Spatiotemporal Propagation

This paper proposes an effective spatiotemporal saliency model for unconstrained videos with complicated motion and complex scenes. First, superpixel-level motion and color histograms as well as global motion histogram are extracted as the features for saliency measurement. Then a superpixel-level graph with the addition of a virtual background node representing the global motion is constructed, and an iterative motion saliency (MS) measurement method that utilizes the shortest path algorithm on the graph is exploited to reasonably generate MS maps. Temporal propagation of saliency in both forward and backward directions is performed using efficient operations on inter-frame similarity matrices to obtain the integrated temporal saliency maps with the better coherence. Finally, spatial propagation of saliency both locally and globally is performed via the use of intra-frame similarity matrices to obtain the spatiotemporal saliency maps with the even better quality. The experimental results on two video data sets with various unconstrained videos demonstrate that the proposed model consistently outperforms the state-of-the-art spatiotemporal saliency models on saliency detection performance.