Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
REITs Return Behavior and Legal Infrastructure: The 1993 Revenue Reconciliation Act & Inspirations for China's Emerging REITS Market

REIT is an important but complex financial innovation. The next decade is likely to see the emergence and fast development of REITs market in China. The development of a sound legal and regulatory infrastructure is a critical first step. Obviously, the lessons in the 48 years development of the U.S. REITs market provide a great reference for the latecomers. In particular, the 1993 Revenue Reconciliation Act is the most important milestone for REITs history. The study uses a multi-factor risk-based model to evaluate the evolvement of REITs returns behavior before and after the 1993 Act. This model decomposes REITs excess returns into risk premiums of three stock market factors, two bond market factors and one real estate market factor. The results show that this framework is more appropriate in explaining the expected excess return of REITs. This study reveals that the REITs are less stocklike and bondlike, but maybe more real-estate-like after 1993, which is in contrast to the findings of most existing studies. This result indicates that the REITs could provide efficient risk diversification for the stock market and bond market after 1993. This study also documents that the performance of excess REITs returns in post-1993 period outpace that in pre-1993 period in general due to the increase of institutional ownership. In the last part, this paper attempts to provide some legal implications for the development of Chinaâ€™s emerging REITs market.
Acetylcholinesterase/paraoxonase interactions increase the risk of insecticide‐induced Parkinson's disease

Exposure to agricultural insecticides, together with yet incompletely understood predisposing genotype/phenotype elements, notably increase the risk of Parkinson's disease. Here, we report findings attributing the increased risk in an insecticide‐exposed rural area in Israel to interacting debilitating polymorphisms in the ACHE/PON1 locus and corresponding expression variations. Polymorphisms that debilitate PON1 activity and cause impaired AChE overproduction under anticholinesterase exposure were strongly overrepresented in patients from agriculturally exposed areas, indicating that they confer risk of Parkinson's disease. Supporting this notion, serum AChE and PON1 activities were both selectively and significantly lower in patients than in healthy individuals and in carriers of the risky polymorphisms as compared with other Parkinsonian patients. Our findings suggest that inherited interactive weakness of AChE and PON1 expression increases the insecticide‐induced occurrence of Parkinson's disease.
Computer assisted orthopaedic surgical system for insertion of distal locking screws in intra‐medullary nails: a valid and reliable navigation system

The insertion of distal locking screws is a difficult task in intra‐medullary (IM) nailing operations of long bones and contributes a significant proportion to the overall operating time. The current technique to insert these screws uses numerous fluoroscopic images and depends on the skills and expertise of the surgeon. The Computer Assisted Orthopaedic Surgical System (CAOSS) was developed to assist orthopaedic surgeons in these operations. The laboratory based test results for insertion of distal locking screws in IM nailing procedures are presented and discussed in terms of accuracy and as part of the validation process to introduce new CAOS procedures into clinical use. This study shows that CAOSS in IM nailing is robust and reliable. Positional accuracy was shown to be within 0.3 mm and angular accuracy within 0.2° with femoral IM nail. CAOSS was also shown to be very reliable and accurate at different angles of distal screws in fluoroscopic image space. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Pricing of Short-Term Market Risk: Evidence from Weekly Options

We study short-term market risks implied by weekly S&P 500 index options. The introduction of weekly options has dramatically shifted the maturity profile of traded options over the last five years, with a substantial proportion now having expiry within one week. Economically, this reflects a desire among investors for actively managing their exposure to very short-term risks. Such short-dated options provide an easy and direct way to study market volatility and jump risks. Unlike longer-dated options, they are largely insensitive to the risk of intertemporal shifts in the economic environment, i.e., changes in the investment opportunity set. Adopting a novel general semi-nonparametric approach, we uncover variation in the shape of the negative market jump tail risk which is not spanned by market volatility. Incidents of such tail shape shifts coincide with serious mispricing of standard parametric models for longer-dated options. As such, our approach allows for easy identification of periods of heightened concerns about negative tail events on the market that are not always "signaled" by the level of market volatility and elude standard asset pricing models.
Statistical approach to calculation of number of network motifs

The development of efficient algorithms for the analysis of network motifs is a direction in Network Science, which is of great importance in the study of communication networks, social, biological and other networks. Detection and calculation of number of network motifs are closely related to the counting of typical isomorphic subgraphs in large graphs. The article proposes to accelerate this process by using the Monte Carlo method. Examples of counting of typical subgraphs with 3 and 4 vertices in the undirected graph are given. The proposed approach can also be extended to analysis of directed graphs.
Heterogeneous Beliefs, Investor Holding Horizon and the Neoclassical Q-Theory of Investment

This paper studies how the negative relation between expected return and real investment derived from the neoclassical q-theory changes with the degree of mispricing and investor holding horizon. Using analyst forecast dispersion as a proxy for overpricing generated by heterogeneous beliefs and institutional holdings as a proxy for investor holding horizon, I show that: (i) when investors have short holding horizon, the negative return-investment relation predicted by the standard q-theory continues to hold under overpricing; (ii) when there is no mispricing, investor holding horizon does not affect the return-investment relation; and (iii) when there is a high degree of mispricing, the existence of long-term investors significantly weakens the negative relation between expected return and investment, providing evidence that long-term investors prevent firm investment from co-moving with speculative components in asset prices. The empirical results cannot be fully explained by alternative explanations, such as limits-to-arbitrage and a simple q-theory with investment frictions.
Nucleotide Excision Repair in Mammalian Cells*

is found throughout thenatural world in organisms ranging from mycoplasma to mam-mals. In humans, NER is a major defense against the carcino-genic effects of ultraviolet light from the sun. This repair path-way acts with varying efficiencies on a wide variety of DNAalterations and is especially important for bulky, helix-distort-ing lesions. The key event in NER is incision of the damagedstrand on each side of a lesion in DNA, releasing the damage ina fragment that is ;24–32 nucleotides (nt) long in eukaryotes.Nucleotide excision repair defects of various types are found inindividuals with the inherited syndromes xeroderma pigment-osum (XP), Cockayne syndrome (CS), and trichothiodystrophy(1). Individuals with XP are sun-sensitive and generally show agreatly increased incidence of UV-induced skin cancers. Thedisorder has seven genetic complementation groups, desig-nated XP-A through XP-G, and a variant form, XP-V. Therecommended nomenclature uses a hyphen to refer to cells of agiven complementation group (for example XP-A), distinguishingthis from the affected gene
The Strength and Weight of Information and Investor Confidence in Financial Markets

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the market reaction to the existence of traders affected by biased confidence, whose confidence is in turn dependent on particular traits of the information they observe, namely its strength (salience), and weight (statistical significance). Confidence function is introduced as a way of formalizing the relationship between different attributes of information and confidence. We show in a simple setting that if investorsʼ confidence is affected by information strength and information weight, then prices exhibit delayed overreaction to information events ; this overreaction may continue for a prolonged period of time. Furthermore, as more and more information is introduced, uncertainty might increase among irrational investors and prices tend to underreact to ambiguous news. We also examine the resulting implications for market liquidity and price efficiency. In another case based on a generalized setting, we learn that depending on the intensity of irrational trading, prices exhibit positive serial correlation when there are few miscalibrated traders in the economy or their bias is moderate ; prices overreact to news if the opposite conditions are met.
Ontogeny of tonotopic organization of brain stem auditory nuclei in the chicken: Implications for development of the place principle

The morphological development of the cochlea begins in the base or midbasal region and spreads toward the apex. In adults, the base responds maximally to high‐frequency sounds and lower frequencies are represented progressively toward the apex. This predicts that responses to sound should occur initially to high frequencies and gradually change to include lower frequencies. Paradoxically, animals respond first to relatively low frequencies and last to high frequencies.
Computing the discrete-time 'analytic' signal via FFT

Starting with a real-valued N-point discrete-time signal, frequency-domain algorithms are provided for computing (1) the complex-valued standard N-point discrete time 'analytic' signal of the same sample rate, (2) the complex-valued decimated N/2-point discrete-time 'analytic' signal of half the original sample rate, and (3) the complex-valued interpolated NM-point discrete-time 'analytic' signal of M times the original sample rate. Special adjustment of transform end points is shown to generate proper discrete-time 'analytic' signals.
Quantifying the Effects of New Derivative Introduction on Exchange Volatility, Efficiency and Liquidity

This thesis investigates the effects of the introduction of new financial derivative products on exchange volatility, efficiency and liquidity. The derivatives under primary investigation are Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and Contracts for Difference (CFDs). These products offer a cheap, tax-efficient and speedy method for increasing or decreasing market exposure to price changes in the related primary asset. By facilitating faster and shorter-term trading, these products may increase market liquidity and/or increase market volatility for the related primary asset. The thesis builds a cross-country database of new-derivative-markets opening dates, and investigates the key features of prices and returns for related primary assets before and after the opening of these derivative markets. The database covers 16 countries in the CFD investigation, 21 commodity markets in the ETF investigation, and related data as available (daily closing prices, trading volumes, bid-ask quotes) in each of them. The key price and return features investigated include bid-ask spreads, trading volumes (both of derivatives and related primary assets), and daily return autocorrelation, variance, skewness and kurtosis. This thesis also considers a separate, but related, research problem. It extends and empirically applies a liquidity-indicator model for the Eurozone created by the Bank of England (BOE) and developed further by the European Central Bank (ECB) by including commodity liquidity, and uses this extended model to investigate shifting investor behaviour based on changing market dynamics. Similar to the investigation of the CDF and EFT markets, this investigation is concerned with market stability and liquidity in a changed environment (in this case, the key change is the introduction of the euro currency).
STRATEGI MENINGKATKAN DAYA SAING UMKM DALAM MENGHADAPI IMPLEMENTASI CAFTA DAN MEA

The implementation of CAFTA has been implemented since January 2010 and the implementation of MEA will be realized in the year 2015. This article aims to provide recommendations in the form of strategies to improve the competitiveness of small business in dealing with the implementation of CAFTA and MEA. Method used in this article writing is by literature review. In order to remain able to survive and to take advantage of opportunities of the implementation of CAFTA and MEA, then the small business must improve their business competitiveness and their product competitiveness. Employers/owners of small business in their spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation, has to become a driving force to improve their business competitiveness. By improving the business competitiveness then in turn will encourage the creation of product competitiveness. Other things that should be a priority of small business are improving the cooperation among small business units or between the centers of small business and also improving the cooperation network with stakeholders. The role of government is expected as a complement to encourage the various efforts made by small business to improve their competitiveness. With a conducive business climate created by government, it will facilitate small business to improve their competitiveness. Other stakeholders should improve a partnership which was created by small business, either in the form of education and training, promotion, and other supporting facilities. Keywords: small business strategy, competitiveness, CAFTA, AEC.
The Effect of the Country-of-Origin Image, Product Knowledge and Product Involvement on Consumer Purchase Decisions

This paper discusses the influence of the country-of-origin image, product knowledge and product involvement on consumer purchase decisions. Data were collected by a questionnaire from college students. Multiple regression analysis of data from 379 respondents was used to test three hypotheses. The results show that the country-of-origin image, product knowledge and product involvement all have a significantly positive effect on consumer purchase decision. Further research should examine the different dimensions of involvement and product knowledge on consumer purchase decisions.
Management of penetrating brain injury

Penetrating brain injury (PBI), though less prevalent than closed head trauma, carries a worse prognosis. The publication of Guidelines for the Management of Penetrating Brain Injury in 2001, attempted to standardize the management of PBI. This paper provides a precise and updated account of the medical and surgical management of these unique injuries which still present a significant challenge to practicing neurosurgeons worldwide. The management algorithms presented in this document are based on Guidelines for the Management of Penetrating Brain Injury and the recommendations are from literature published after 2001. Optimum management of PBI requires adequate comprehension of mechanism and pathophysiology of injury. Based on current evidence, we recommend computed tomography scanning as the neuroradiologic modality of choice for PBI patients. Cerebral angiography is recommended in patients with PBI, where there is a high suspicion of vascular injury. It is still debatable whether craniectomy or craniotomy is the best approach in PBI patients. The recent trend is toward a less aggressive debridement of deep-seated bone and missile fragments and a more aggressive antibiotic prophylaxis in an effort to improve outcomes. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks are common in PBI patients and surgical correction is recommended for those which do not close spontaneously or are refractory to CSF diversion through a ventricular or lumbar drain. The risk of post-traumatic epilepsy after PBI is high, and therefore, the use of prophylactic anticonvulsants is recommended. Advanced age, suicide attempts, associated coagulopathy, Glasgow coma scale score of 3 with bilaterally fixed and dilated pupils, and high initial intracranial pressure have been correlated with worse outcomes in PBI patients.
The GP-LP Conflict in Private Equity Funds Revisited: The Impact of Fund-Level Considerations on the Divestment Decision

This article examines the impact of private equity (PE) fund-level dynamics on the PE fund’s general partner’s (GP) divestment decisions and whether these decisions are to the detriment of the PE fund’s limited partners, indicating a moral hazard problem. We use a unique sample of 1,112 buyout transactions realized between 1995 and 2008 which allows us to link fund and deal-level data. We find that the exit routes chosen change (i) if a PE GP is in the process of fundraising and if the PE fund (ii) has distributed comparatively little capital back to its investors. However, as related deal-level equity returns are not lower, we observe no moral hazard problem associated with these fund dynamics. In contrast, if a PE fund (iii) approaches the end of its lifetime, not only the exit route decision is affected but these exits also yield lower deal-level equity returns. We conclude that GPs do not maximize income from the current and next fund, but all future funds. Hence, they refrain from divestment decisions harming their limited partners’ returns. However, this relationship breaks down as a fund approaches the end of its lifetime and the GP increasingly focuses on managing subsequent funds.
Perceived e‐service quality (PeSQ)

Purpose – The objectives of this article are to develop a multiple‐item scale for measuring e‐service quality and to study the influence of perceived quality on consumer satisfaction levels and the level of web site loyalty.Design/methodology/approach – First, there is an explanation of the main attributes of the concepts examined, with special attention being paid to the multi‐dimensional nature of the variables and the relationships between them. This is followed by an examination of the validation processes of the measuring instruments.Findings – The validation process of scales suggested that perceived quality is a multidimensional construct: web design, customer service, assurance and order management; that perceived quality influences on satisfaction; and that satisfaction influences on consumer loyalty. Moreover, no differences in these conclusions were observed if the total sample is divided between buyers and information searchers.Practical implications – First, the need to develop user‐friendly .
New Discoveries with Mice Mutant in Endothelial and Platelet Selectins

Introduction The selectin family of adhesion receptors consists of three members: P-, E-, and L-selectin. P-selectin is constitutively present in the α-granules of platelets and Weibel-Palade bodies of endothelial cells and is rapidly translocated to the cell surface upon activation. E-selectin is synthesized and expressed by activated endothelial cells, whereas L-selectin is constitutively expressed by leukocytes. All three selectins support the rolling of leukocytes on endothelium, which is a prerequisite to firm adhesion and extravasation of leukocytes mediated by integrins and members of the immunoglobulin superfamily.1,2 More recently, it has been demonstrated that P- and E-selectin also support platelet rolling in venules, which will be discussed below. In addition, P-selectin expressed on the surface of activated platelets also mediates platelet-leukocyte adhesion.3,4 Since the discovery of the selectins, considerable efforts have been devoted to uncover the functions of these molecules. The development of genetically engineered animals deficient in one or more of the adhesion receptors has provided a unique opportunity and an alternative approach to antibody-blocking experiments for defining the contribution of each of the molecules in normal physiology and pathological conditions. At this time, mice deficient in a single selectin, all combinations of two of the selectins, and all three selectins have been produced by gene targeting.5-10 In this chapter, we will discuss some of the recent findings obtained using mice deficient in P-selectin alone (P-/-), both P- and E-selectin (P/E-/-), and mice expressing Pselectin with a deleted cytoplasmic domain (ΔCT).
How wine sector SMEs approach strategic questions: Some comparative lessons of causal representation of distinctive competencies

Purpose – Faced with major new challenges in a rapidly evolving world market, small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the wine sector in the Bordeaux region urgently need to reconsider their strategic options. This paper, through an analysis of the nature, role, and interaction of competencies in strategy‐making processes in the wine sector, aims to identify the main components of wine companies’ competencies in order to devise a tool to aid their strategic decision making.Design/methodology/approach – The research methodology, which is based on a cognitive approach, employs critical incidences methodology, content analysis and causal mapping.Findings – A competencies study founded on a series of interviews conducted with the personnel of six wine SMEs in the Bordeaux region reveals the importance of eight core competencies (production, labour, costs, quality, investment, market, competition, and clients/sales) in devising strategy. In addition, this paper demonstrates that core factors affecting the.
The protective roles of some lichen species on colloidal bismuth subcitrate genotoxicity

Medicinal plants are increasingly being projected as suitable alternative source for the treatment of various diseases. However, toxic effects resulting from therapeutic bismuth compounds are still documented in animals and humans. This study described the genetic effects of five common lichen species and compared their activities on the genotoxicity induced by the colloidal bismuth subcitrate. After the application of colloidal bismuth subcitrate and lichen extracts, separate and together, human whole blood cultures were assessed by sister-chromatid exchange (SCE) and micronucleus tests. According to our results, the frequencies of SCE and micronucleus rate in peripheral lymphocytes were significantly increased by colloidal bismuth subcitrate (at dose 5 μg/mL) compared with controls. However, lichen extracts had no genotoxic effect. The order of anti-genotoxicity efficacy against colloidal bismuth subcitrate was Pseudevernia furfuracea, Dermotocarpon intestiniforme, Ramalina capitata, Parmelia pulla, respectively. However, Rhizoplaca melanophthalma did not show any effect against colloidal bismuth subcitrate genotoxicity. Present findings showed that the protective roles of lichens studied were dose related. In conclusion, this is the first study report describing the therapeutic potential of lichens against drug genotoxicity in human blood.