Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Optimal Investment/Consumption Model with Borrowing

This paper considers a consumption and investment decision problem for a single agent. Wealth is divided between a riskless asset and a risky asset with logarithmic Brownian motion price fluctuations. Short-selling is not allowed, but borrowing is allowed at rate exceeding the rate of return on the riskless asset. An explicit solution of the dynamic programming differential equation for the maximum total discounted expected utility function U is available only in the HARA case. However, using viscosity solution methods the asymptotic behavior of the value function v ( x ) is found for small wealth x and for large wealth x .
Short-Term America: The Causes and Cures of Our Business Myopia

In this book Michael Jacobs takes a hard look at why so few American businesses are managed for the long term and why so many shareholders and lenders have abandoned the virtue of patient capital. He describes practices and regulations that pit owners and managers of America's corporations against each other, often at the expense of their mutual long-term prosperity. Jacobs offers provocative proposals to reform investment practices, corporate governance mechanisms, executive compensation plans, and banking regulations that have brought about the short-termism eroding US competitiveness and creating distant, if not adversarial relationships between capital providers and corporations.
Type A behavior and adipose tissue linoleic acid: implications for stress management.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relation between Type A behavior and adipose tissue linoleic acid composition. METHODS The sample consisted of 73 male and female Cretan adults, 23-64 years of age. Anthropometric and arterial blood pressure measurements were taken. Adipose tissue samples were collected by aspiration and data concerning general health habits were obtained. Food intake was estimated by a 24-hour dietary recall, while Type A profile was assessed with a Greek translation of the Bortner scale. RESULTS Factors associated with Type A profile are adipose tissue linoleic acid (p < 0.0004), annual income (p < 0.001), total serum cholesterol (p < 0.009), and adipose fat myristoleic acid (p < 0.02). Negative correlations were observed between adipose linoleic and myristoleic acids and the dependent variable. CONCLUSION It appears that adipose tissue linoleic acid may be one of the etiological factors for Type A behavior in adults.
Operating Leverage, Profitability and Capital Structure

Operating leverage crowds-out financial leverage while also increasing profitability. Thus, operating leverage generates the negative relation between profitability and financial leverage that appears to be inconsistent with the trade-off theory, but is commonly observed in the data. We find empirically that, by removing the effect of operating leverage from profitability, the negative association between the profitability and financial leverage decreases by about 70%, confirming the channel. We demonstrate the effect of operating leverage on firms’ financial leverage decisions during the financial crisis.
Does Good Governance Create Value for International Acquirers in Africa: Evidence from US Acquisitions

Using a sample of US acquisitions in Africa over the last 2 decades, we assess the long term performance of international acquisitions in Africa, and the impact of firm and country level governance characteristics on reported performance. We show that acquirers do not benefit from these transactions. We also find that acquisitions made in countries characterized by strong and impartial legal systems lead to higher returns, while those observed in unstable economies generate lower returns. Interestingly, the level of corruption does not affect reported performance. Previous experience in Africa and the acquirer’s board size seem to be significant determinants of reported performance as well. Our results contrasts with the view that a strong legal framework reduces acquirers’ ability to make large returns by turning around poorly governed firms.
Enhancing the performance of a second generation cellular network in a realistic GSM environment

We refer to the possible performance improvement consequent to the introduction of dynamic carrier allocation (DCA) strategies in the pan-European Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) cellular network. The impact of the introduction in a real network of two of the more promising DCA strategies is assessed, also in terms of the entailed signalling exchanges between base stations. A performance evaluation of a realistic cellular network exploiting the above-mentioned DCA strategies is carried out, taking into account all the main GSM transmission and network aspects. The simulations have been performed by considering a realistic cell layout corresponding to the urban area of Rome, its realistic propagation environment, and an user mobility model based on the building percentages in such area. The results of the performance evaluation show that, by carefully choosing the values of the parameters characterizing each of the considered DCA strategies, a conspicuous increase in the number of users supported by the cellular network can be achieved.
Career Development and Employment Concerns of Employment-Seeking Students with Psychiatric Disabilities

Although some literature chronicles the career development of college students with other types of disabilities, students with psychiatric disabilities have been practically invisible in research focused on this topic. Yet evidence suggests that the number of students with documented psychiatric disabilities attending institutions of higher education is on the rise. Thus, the purpose of the study was to describe the career development and employment concerns of employment-seeking students with psychiatric disabilities. A qualitative research design was used to gain in-depth information from the perspective of students with psychiatric disabilities, specifically case study. The participants were seven undergraduate students from three Research I institutions. All participants were in their senior year of study, planned to transition into employment post-graduation, and had a documented psychiatric disability. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews. The constant comparative method was used to analyze the data, which allowed patterns and themes to be discovered in reference to the research questions. The findings of the study included the following: (1) the majority (n = 5) of participants did not have clearly defined career goals, (2) the participants had minimal engagement in career development activities, (3) all participants revealed disability-related problems or concerns associated with future employment, (4) no one employment concern was shared by all seven participants, yet two themes dominated: (a) interpersonal skills and relationships, and (b) taking longer to complete tasks, time management, and a potential psychiatric disability relapse; (5) without prompting, all but one of the participants either directly or indirectly referenced the negative stigma attached to psychiatric disabilities; (6) the majority (n = 4) of participants were
Google It Up! A Google Trends-Based Uncertainty Index for the United States and Australia

We develop uncertainty indices for the United States and Australia based on freely accessible, real time Google Trends data. Our Google Trends Uncertainty (GTU) indices are found to be positively correlated to a variety of alternative proxies for uncertainty available for these two countries. VAR investigations document an economically and statistically significant contribution to unemployment dynamics by GTU shocks in the United States. In contrast, the contribution of GTU shocks to unemployment dynamics in Australia is found to be much milder and substantially lower than that of monetary policy shocks.
Hypermetabolism: should cancer types, pathological stages and races be considered in assessing metabolism and could elevated resting energy expenditure be the therapeutic target in patients with advanced cancer?

Hypermetabolism, defined as elevated resting energy expenditure (REE), was common in cancer cachectic patients1 as published before in cancer patients2 and might result in poor outcomes. In this study, there was no significant difference in age, cancer type, gender, cancer treatment and inflammation between elevated REE group and normal REE group. As authors indicated, the small sample size, the heterogeneous population and the selection bias could have some impacts on the findings. Regarding the sample size, a moderately large study, including 714 cancer patients, suggested that cancer type, pathological stage and duration of disease are contributors to metabolic activity.2 To keep the homogeneity of the study population, Wu et al. enrolled 56 male patients as newly diagnosed with esophageal cancer and showed that the rate of weight loss positively correlated with the ration of REE to body weight and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein.3 In addition, it is well known that less than 5% of cancer patients participate in clinical studies and that non-enrollment in cancer research was associated with older age and sex (female),4 which might facilitate the selection bias. In this study, hypermetabolism is more common in non-Caucasian patients than in Caucasian patients.1 Interestingly, non-Caucasian healthy subjects had a lower REE compared with Caucasian healthy subjects,5 and a similar trend was observed in obese patients.6 It is still controversial whether racial background influences metabolic response in various pathophysiological conditions such as obesity, diabetes and cancer cachexia. At present, the number of cachexia research is critically lacking compared with that of obesity research, and7 no other evidence has been published on racial differences in REE among cancer patients, in particular cancer cachectic patients. It remains unclear whether hypermetabolism could be the therapeutic target in advanced cancer patients; however, recently, Ma et al. reported that administration of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids resulted in a significant decrease in REE and a significant increase in overall survival in patients with pancreatic cancer.8 As sustained hypermetabolism leads to muscle wasting, some drugs such as ghrelin agonists, selective androgen receptor molecules, megestrol acetate, activin receptor antagonists, espindolol, and fast skeletal muscle troponin inhibitors,9 as well as physical exercise,10 which are promising for the treatment or the prevention of muscle wasting, could be the candidates as therapeutic options for this condition. To clarify the pathophysiology of hypermetabolism in cancer patients, validation studies on larger samples, various cancer types, different pathological stages and races are needed. In addition, hypermetabolism could be the therapeutic target at least in a sub-population of cancer patients. To confirm it, further research is needed.
Essential role for the histone acetyltransferase KAT7 in T cell development, fitness, and survival

Histone acetylation has an important role in gene regulation, DNA replication, and repair. Because these processes are central to the development of the immune system, we investigated the role of a previously unstudied histone acetyltransferase named KAT7 (also known as Myst2 or HBO1) in the regulation of thymopoiesis and observed a critical role in the regulation of conventional and innate‐like T cell development. We found that KAT7‐deficient thymocytes displayed normal, positive selection and development into mature single‐positive αβ thymocytes; however, we observed few peripheral CD4+ or CD8+ T cells. The observed effects did not appear to arise from alterations to DNA replication, the TCR repertoire, or a block in thymocyte maturation and, more likely, was linked to survival defects related to gene deregulation because KAT7 deficiency led to an almost complete and specific loss of global histone‐H3 lysine 14 acetylation (H3K14ac). Overall, we demonstrated a nonredundant role for KAT7 in the maintenance of H3K14ac, which is intimately linked with the ability to develop a normal immune system.
Vernalization and Gibberellin Physiology of Winter Canola (Endogenous Gibberellin (GA) Content and Metabolism of [3H]GA1 and [3H]GA20

Winter canola (Brassica napus cv Crystal) is an oilseed crop that requires vernalization (chilling treatment) for the induction of stem elongation and flowering. To investigate the role of gibberellins (GAs) in vernalization-induced events, endogenous GA content and the metabolism of [3H]GAs were examined in 10-week vernalized and nonvernalized plants. Shoot tips were harvested 0, 8, and 18 d postvernalization (DPV), and GAs were purified and quantified using 2H2-internal standards and gas chromatography-selected ion monitoring. Concentrations of GA1, GA3, GA8, GA19, and GA20 were 3.1-, 2.3-, 7.8-, 12.0-, and 24.5-fold higher, respectively, in the vernalized plants at the end of the vernalization treatment (0 DPV) relative to the nonvernalized plants. Thermoregulation apparently occurs prior to GA19 biosynthesis, since vernalization elevated the concentration of all of the monitored GAs. [3H]GA20 or [3H]GA1 was applied to the shoot tips of vernalized and nonvernalized plants, and after 24 h, plants were harvested at 6, 12, and 15 DPV. Following high-performance liquid chromatography analyses, vernalized plants showed increased conversion of [3H]GA20 to a [3H]GA1-like metabolite and reduced conversion of [3H]GA1 or [3H]GA20 to polar 3H-metabolites, putative glucosyl conjugates. These results demonstrate that vernalization influences GA content and GA metabolism, with GAs serving as probable regulatory intermediaries between chilling treatment and subsequent stem growth.
Examining the Technology Acceptance Model in the Adoption of Social Ne tworks

Social networks allow users to build their own webpage and share information with other internet users. In the last years, multi-purpose social networks have appeared and been eagerly adopted by consumers and companies for multiple social, communication and marketing purposes. We focus on the determinants of adoption behavior of social networks. Notably, we examine the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), a model specifically developed to explain adoption of information technologies, and test whether it can be used to explain consumers' use of Social Networks. Our results support the model and confirm that Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use impact the attitude towards using Social Networks, leading to Intention to Use these tools.
Family Functioning and Adolescents' Psychological Well-Being in Families with a TBI Parent

This study aimed at examining the interrelation between family functioning and children’s mental health in families with a brain injured parent. The first goal of this study was to investigate the predictive power of fam- ily functioning for children’s psychological well-being. Second, differential sub-dimensions of family function- ing were examined in respect of their predictive power for children’s psychological adaptation. Third, coping strategies on the family system level were differentiated in terms of their predictive power both for family func- tioning and for children’s psychosocial adjustment. 58 families were included in the current study. The following instruments were used: Youth Self Report, Family Crisis Oriented Personal Scales, and Family Assessment Device. Family dysfunction as a whole positively correlates with psychological symptoms of adolescents; four sub-dimensions of family functioning predicted children’s problems, namely affective responsiveness, affective involvement, roles, and communication. This research is all the more informative as the studies on the subject are nearly inexistent, and since it focuses on a category of utmost value—children.
Two essays in applied economics: pay-as-you-go auto insurance and privatized military housing

Abstract : This MBA Project applies economic principles to assess changes affecting the automobile insurance industry, Pay-as-You-Drive (PAYD) and Pay-at-the-Pump (PATP). These changes could affect DoD in the future. The Project also applies economic principles to Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) and the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI) currently affecting DoD. Each program is explained; then selected economic principles are applied that may influence decision-making of major stakeholders. Both PAYD and PATP automobile insurance provide consumers with the option to pay an amount for insurance directly related to actual miles driven. The shift from a fixed to a variable cost for automobile insurance creates an incentive for consumers to drive less, thus saving on the total cost of automobile insurance. BAH and MHPI together represent a shift in how DoD calculates and pays for housing of military service members. Congress and DoD are challenged with rebuilding military housing after decades of neglect.
A population of cells resident within embryonic and newborn rat skeletal muscle is capable of differentiating into multiple mesodermal phenotypes

We have previously shown a population of putative mesenchymal stem cells in the connective tissue surrounding embryonic avian skeletal muscle. These cells differentiate into at least five recognizable phenotypes in culture: fibroblasts, chondrocytes, myotubes, osteoblasts, and adipocytes. We have now isolated a similar population of cells from fetal and newborn rat skeletal muscle. Cells from rat leg muscle were dissected, minced, and then enzymatically digested with a collagenase‐dispase solution. The dissociated cells were plated and allowed to differentiate into two recognizable populations: myotubes and stellate mononucleated cells. The cells were then trypsinized, filtered through a 20 µm filter to remove the myotubes, frozen at −80° C, then thawed and replated. In culture the cells maintained their stellate structure. However, under treatment with dexamethasone, a nonspecific differentiating agent, seven morphologic conditions emerged: cells with refractile vesicles that stained with Sudan black B (adipocytes), multinucleated cells that spontaneously contracted in culture and stained with an antibody to myosin (myotubes), round cells whose extracellular matrix stained with Alcian blue, pH 1.0 (chondrocytes), polygonal cells whose extracellular matrix stained with Von Kossa's stain (osteoblasts), cells with filaments that stained with an antibody to smooth muscle a‐actin (smooth muscle cells), cells that incorporated acetylated low density lipoprotein (endothelial cells), and spindle‐shaped cells that grew in a swirl pattern (fibroblasts). The initial population is tentatively classified as putative mesenchymal stem cells. The presence of these cells point to the existence of stem cells in the postembryonic mammal that could provide a basis for tissue regeneration as opposed to scar tissue formation during wound healing.
Insider Ownership and Firm Value: Evidence from Indian Corporate Sector

We examine the effect of insider ownership on corporate value in India for the period of 2000-01 to 2003-04, using 1833 Bombay stock Exchange listed firms. In particular we have looked into the nature of relationship between insider's equity holding and firm value. While 'CONVERGENCE OF INTEREST' or 'MONITORING' HYPOTHESIS predicts a positive relationship, the 'ENTRENCHMENT' hypothesis predicts a negative one between insider shareholding and firm value. In India, most of the firm's have insiders/promoters as the dominant shareholder. The feature of family based governance system is so widely prevalent in Indian corporate sector that it closely matches to East Asian model. Nevertheless, this paper provides scientific evidence that the link between insider shareholding and firm value is non-linear in nature. We document a significant non-monotonic relationship. Tobin's Q first increases, then declines and finally moves up as ownership by insiders rises. The other finding of significance is that foreign promoter/collaborator shareholding is having a positive impact on firm value.
IN VITRO HYDROXYLATION OF STEROIDS BY WHOLE ADRENAL HOMOGENATES OF BEEF , NORMAL MAN , AND PATIENTS WITH THE ADRENOGENITAL SYNDROME 1

The partial or complete failure of the adrenal cortex to realize the biosynthesis of zA4-pregnene11,3, 17c, 21-triol-3, 20-dione (compound F) represents the basic defect in patients with the adrenogenital syndrome due to congential adrenocortical hyperplasia (1-5). The most common form of this disorder (with normal blood pressure and without undue salt loss) has been indirectly attributed to a deficiency of adrenal "21hydroxylase" as witnessed by the large quantities of urinary 3a, 17a, 20a-pregnanetriol (hereafter designated "pregnanetriol") and the relatively small amounts of steroids with an oxygen function at carbon 21 (4, 6, 7). The availability of small amounts of human adrenal tissue has made it possible to examine the hydroxylation of some steroid substrates by normal and diseased glands in vitro. Due to the difficulties of obtaining any but limited fresh human material, fresh beef and postmortem human adrenals have also been employed for purposes of comparison. The experiments to be described were designed to measure the introduction of hydroxyl groups into steroid nucleus at positions 11 and 21 only. The appropriate adrenal enzymatic systems will be termed "1 1-hydroxylase" and "2 1hydroxylase" after Dorfman (8), although it may be that each comprises more than a single component (9).
Impact of cranial radiotherapy on central nervous system prophylaxis in children and adolescents with central nervous system-negative stage III or IV lymphoblastic lymphoma.

PURPOSE In the Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma-Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster (NHL-BFM) 95 trial, we tested, against the historical control of the combined trials NHL-BFM90 and NHL-BFM86, whether prophylactic cranial radiotherapy (PCRT) can be omitted for CNS-negative patients with stage III or IV lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL) with sufficient early response. PATIENTS AND METHODS Apart from the removal of PCRT in NHL-BFM95, the chemotherapy of the three trials was identical except for the amount of l-asparaginase and daunorubicin during induction. The therapy in NHL-BFM95 was accepted to be noninferior when compared with trials NHL-BFM90/86 if the lower limit of the one-sided 95% CI for the difference in the 2-year probability of event-free-survival (pEFS) between target patients of NHL-BFM95 and the historical controls of NHL-BFM90/86 did not exceed -14%. The target patient group consisted of stage III and IV patients who were CNS negative and responded well to induction therapy. RESULTS The number of target patients was 156 in NHL-BFM95 (median age, 8.6 years; range, 0.2 to 19.5 years) and 163 in NHL-BFM90/86 (median age, 8.4 years; range, 0.6 to 16.6 years). For the target group, the pEFS rates at 2 and 5 years were 86% +/- 3% and 82% +/- 3%, respectively, in NHL-BFM95 (median follow-up time, 5.1 years; range, 2.1 to 9.1 years) compared with 91% +/- 2% and 88% +/- 3%, respectively in NHL-BFM90/86 (median follow-up time, 10.7 years; range, 5 to 15.4 years). The lower limit of the one-sided 95% CI for the difference in pEFS was -11% at 2 years and -13% at 5 years. In NHL-BFM95, one isolated and two combined CNS relapses occurred compared with one combined CNS relapse in NHL-BFM90/86. Five-year disease-free-survival rate was 88% +/- 3% in NHL-BFM95 compared with 91% +/- 2% in NHL-BFM90/86. CONCLUSION For CNS-negative patients with stage III or IV LBL and sufficient response to induction therapy, treatment without PCRT may be noninferior to treatment including PCRT.