Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Survey of External and Internal Factors Influencing the Cost of Equity: The Case of Czech Companies

The cost of equity is an essential element of a business' financial decision-making process, which is exposed to the influence of a number of internal and external factors. This study intends to answer the question on what is the perceived impact of external and internal factors on the cost of equity from the perspective of Czech CFOs. The survey was carried out in 2015 and our sample covers 40 respondents operating in large and non-financial joint-stock companies. The findings show that there is a gap between the theory and practice and that the country’s specifics, in particular the low level of the financial market development, play a significant role in the perception of cost of equity capital determinants. First, the most commonly used cost of equity estimation approach is based on average historical returns. This method has been indicated by the CFOs across all firms. A considerably large number of the CFOs think that the ownership structure, dividend policy, ability to forecast financial results, stability of company´s earnings and flexibility in external capital raising are the internal factors with the most significant impact on the cost of equity. Otherwise, a rather low number of respondents consider the information asymmetry, corporate governance and financial performance as having a strong impact on the cost of equity, although several financial theories emphasize the role of these internal determinants. In regard to the external factors, a substantial majority of the respondents acknowledges that the long- and short-term interest rates as well as inflation, sovereign debt and risks linked to the banking system and financial market strongly affect the cost of equity. The responses are, however, unambiguous concerning the direction of such an impact. Our results indicate a significant gap between the theoretical approaches and system-relevant knowledge and experience on the side of respondents. We believe that our findings provide valuable implications for companies, banks, stock exchanges and macroeconomic policy makers while formulating new strategies in the specific environment of the Central and Eastern European countries. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.5755/j01.ee. 30.2. 19221
Thinking about the cerebellum.

Prompted by functional imaging studies, there have been a number of recent suggestions that the cerebellum may be involved in functions other than motor control. Lesions or abnormalities of the cerebellum have been claimed to be associated with cognitive deficits and autism; and the cerebellum is said to control shifting attention and be active both during the performance of cognitive tasks and in short-term memory. Many of these reports are summarized in Schmahmann and Sherman (1998). The paper by Susan Ravizza and colleagues in this issue of Brain reports the results of a series of studies comparing the performance of cerebellar patients with that of normal control subjects on short-term memory tasks. It is difficult to evaluate suggestions about affective or cognitive functions for several reasons. Lesions of the cerebellum may not occur in isolation. Traumatic, vascular, developmental anomalies and tumours typically cause damage to brain structures outside of the cerebellum and treatments associated with cerebellar resection, such as chemotherapy and radiation, may themselves produce cognitive deficits (Drepper et al ., 1999; Konczak et al ., 2005). Additionally, there is a one-way valve in the literature whereby negative results are harder to publish than positive results; failures to replicate published findings pose a challenge to the acceptance of claims for a role for the cerebellum in cognition or mental illness. Suggestions for a cognitive role of the cerebellar hemispheres are not new. Although nineteenth century neurologists recognized that lesions of the midline cerebellum produce deficits in eye movements and equilibrium, they found that cerebellar hemispheres often seemed to be unrelated to those functions. Thus, Gowers (1888) suggested that there might be some validity to the idea of a cognitive function for the cerebellum, whilst Andre-Thomas (1912) disagreed. Participation in short-term memory has been suggested to be one non-motor …
The inequality of l ivel ihoods in two neighbouring rural v i l lages in Shaanxi Province , China

The economic reforms introduced since the 1970s have undoubtedly brought prosperity to China. From 1978 to 2001, the yearly national average GDP growth rate/capita exceeded 9 %. While this impressive economic performance has been widely acknowledged and much admired, it is at the same time evident that the fruits of economic growth have been unequally distributed across and within regions, provinces, counties, villages, and households. Income inequality in rural China is of particular interest considering the relatively recent shift from collective to household based agricultural production. Within the conceptual framework of a sustainable livelihoods approach, this paper analyzes the income and consumption portfolios of 22 households in two neighboring rural villages in Shaanxi Province, China. The results of the study indicate an inequality of access to high return sources of income according to a) the distance and/or access to major roads and market centers, b) financial capital available for investments, and c) gender. The study further points at important differences between households in how income is allocated to different sets of capitals. While the allocation of poor households’ income is almost exclusively related to human and natural capital, middle income households tend to spread their allocation to human, physical, and financial capital, while rich households’ allocation in contrast is focused on physical and social capital. Introduction Income inequality in rural China is of particular interest given the relatively recent shift from collective to household based agricultural production. Through the introduction of the Household Responsibility System in 1978, land is now contracted to individual households that are free to sell their surplus produce and allocate labor to different farmand non-farm activities (Lin, 1997; Benjamin and Brandt, 1999; Nee and Sijin, 1990). This and other reforms introduced since the 1970s have undoubtedly brought prosperity to China. From 1978 to 2001, the national yearly GDP growth rate/capita exceeded 9 % (BAO et al. 2002, WB 2002). While this impressive economic performance has been widely acknowledged, it is at the same time evident that the fruits of economic growth have been unequally distributed across and within regions, provinces, counties, villages, and households (c.f. Démurger et al., 2002; Hu, 2002; Peng, 1999; Bao et al., 2002; Benjamin and Brandt, 1999; Nee and Sijin, 1990; Beaver et al., 1995; Entwisle et al., 1995; Hare, 1999). Through an analysis of income and expenditure portfolios of 22 households in two rural villages in Shaanxi province, China, this paper addresses the inequality of rural livelihoods at catchment-, inter-village, interhousehold-, and intra-household level. The paper adopts a sustainable livelihoods framework in the dissemination of data, in order to relate the inequality of livelihoods, not only to income and expenditure, but also the access to and investment in different capitals.
Decrease in N-Acetylaspartate Following Concussion May Be Coupled to Decrease in Creatine

Objectives:To assess the time course changes in N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and creatine (Cr) levels in the brain of athletes who suffered a sport-related concussion. Participants:Eleven nonconsecutive athletes with concussive head injury and 11 sex- and age-matched control volunteers Main outcome measures:At 3, 15, 30, and 45 days postinjury, athletes were examined by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy for the determination of NAA, Cr, and choline (Cho) levels. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic data recorded for the control group were used for comparison. Results:Compared with controls (2.18 ± 0.19), athletes showed an increase in the NAA/Cr ratio at 3 (2.71 ± 0.16; P < .01) and 15 (2.54 ± 0.21; P < .01) days postconcussion, followed by a decrease and subsequent normalization at 30 (1.95 ± 0.16, P < .05) and 45 (2.17 ± 0.20; P < .05) days postconcussion. The NAA/Cho ratio decreased at 3, 15, and 30 days postinjury (P < .01 compared with controls), with no differences observed in controls at 45 days postconcussion. Compared with controls, significant increase in the Cho/Cr ratio after 3 (+33%, P < .01) and 15 (+31.5%, P < .01) days postinjury was observed whereas no differences were recorded at 30 and 45 days postinjury. Conclusions:This cohort of athletes indicates that concussion may cause concomitant decrease in cerebral NAA and Cr levels. This provokes longer time for normalization of metabolism, as well as longer time for resolution of concussion-associated clinical symptoms.
Scheduling and aggregation of distributed generators and consumers participating in demand response programs

The use of distributed generation and demand response programs in smart grids implies management and integration of these resources when they are interconnected with the main power system. In the present paper, it is defined a methodology that can be used by the Virtual Power Player in order to aggregate and schedule the resources. The aggregated producers and consumers are optimally managed, making them profitable and fully integrated in the network operation. The focus is given to the partition clustering algorithm, k-means, which is applied to several operation scenarios. The clustering of the resources is made in order to define the remuneration of each defined group, which corresponds to a distinct demand response program or remuneration group. The case study includes 20310 consumers and 548 distributed generation units, in 648 distinct operation scenarios.
Generating Isostatic Frameworks

La litterature d’ingenierie renferme bon nombre de techniques pour construire de grandes charpentes statiquement rigides a partir de plus petites. Malheureusement, certains de ces principes sont errones, et d’autres sont incertains. De telles techniques sont devenues des outils inductifs importants dans les travaux mathematiques recents sur les charpentes. Cet article propose un nouvel algorithme qui genererait les graphes de toutes les charpentes isostatiques (statiquement rigides et minimales) dans l’espace, en fournissant des demonstrations de plusieurs de ces techniques et des contre-exemples des techniques erronees, et en mettant en evidence les conjectures qui couvriraient toutes les charpentes spatiales. Puisque le probleme spatial est complexe et qu’il n’est pas encore completement resolu, l’article debute par un ensemble complet de regles a suivre pour generer les graphes de toutes les charpentes isostatiques en plan. De tels graphes sont generes a partir d’une seule arete selon une suite de Henneberg de graphes qui croissent par l’addition d’un sommet 2-valent et la substitution d’un sommet 3-valent a une arete. Dans l’espace, les principes valides permettent d’abord l’addition d’un sommet 3-valent et la substitution d’un sommet 4-valent a une arete. Une recente conjecture de Graver suggere une description complete du cas des sommets 5-valents - (i) deux aretes non adjacentes devraient etre echangees pour un sommet 5-valent et (ii) un sommet 5-valent devrait etre substitue simultanement a deux paires d’aretes adjacentes bien choisies sur deux graphes autrement identiques. Tout graphe d’une charpente isostatique dans l’espace est genere par un arbre de Henneberg de telles operations, et nous conjecturons que seuls de tels graphes sont produits. Les resultats spatiaux connus sont illustres par une demonstration combinatoire d’un theoreme de Gluck stipulant que tous les graphes triangules sur la sphere produisent des charpentes isostatiques dans l’espace.
Effects of alcohol on sympathetic activity, hemodynamics, and chemoreflex sensitivity.

Alcohol intake has been shown to worsen obstructive sleep apnea and increase nocturnal hypoxemia. The mechanisms of this action are unclear. Animal studies suggest that a reduction in chemoreflex sensitivity may be implicated. Using a double-blind, randomized, vehicle-controlled design, we tested the hypothesis that oral alcohol intake depresses chemoreflex sensitivity in humans. We examined the effects of oral alcohol intake (1.0 g/kg body wt) on blood pressure, heart rate, heart rate variability, muscle sympathetic nerve activity, forearm vascular resistance, and minute ventilation in 16 normal male subjects. Peripheral and central chemoreflex sensitivity were measured in response to hypoxia (n = 10) and hypercapnia (n = 6), respectively. Plasma alcohol increased from 0 to 23.2 +/- 1.5 mmol/L (107 +/- 7 mg/dL) at 60 minutes and 20.2 +/- 1 mmol/L (93 +/- 4 mg/dL) at 85 minutes after alcohol intake (P < .0001). Alcohol induced an increase in heart rate from 59 +/- 2 to 66 +/- 2 beats per minute (P < .01) and increased the ratio of low- to high-frequency variability of heart rate (P < .05). Although alcohol increased sympathetic nerve activity by up to 239 +/- 22% of baseline values (P < .01), forearm vascular resistance after alcohol was lower than that after vehicle (P < .05). Blood pressure did not increase compared with the vehicle session. Oxygen saturation during hypoxia after alcohol was 4 +/- 1% lower than it was during hypoxia after vehicle (P < .05) although arterial blood PO2 was unchanged. Alcohol did not affect the cardiovascular, sympathetic, or ventilatory responses to either hypoxia or hypercapnia. Acute increases in plasma alcohol increase heart rate and sympathetic nerve activity; blood pressure is not increased, probably because of vasodilator effects of alcohol. Alcohol does not alter chemoreflex responses to hypoxia or hypercapnia; thus, alterations in chemoreflex sensitivity are unlikely to explain the effects of alcohol on sleep apnea. Alcohol may reduce the affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen.
Crossmodal Source Identification in Speech Perception

Four experiments examined the nature of multisensory speech information. In Experiment 1, participants were asked to match heard voices with dynamic visual-alone video clips of speakers' articulating faces. This cross-modal matching task was used to examine whether vocal source matching can be accomplished across sensory modalities. The results showed that observers could match speaking faces and voices, indicating that information about the speaker was available for cross-modal comparisons. In a series of follow-up experiments, several stimulus manipulations were used to determine some of the critical acoustic and optic patterns necessary for specifying cross-modal source information. The results showed that cross-modal source information was not available in static visual displays of faces and was not contingent on a prominent acoustic cue to vocal identity (f0). Furthermore, cross-modal matching was not possible when the acoustic signal was temporally reversed.
Variation in Skeletal Microstructure of the Coral Galaxea fascicularis: Effects of an Aquarium Environment and Preparatory Techniques

To compare the crystalline microstructure of exsert septa, polyps of the scleractinian coral Galaxea fascicularis were sampled from shallow reef flat colonies, from colonies living at a depth of 9 m, and from colonies kept in a closed-circuit aquarium. Septal crystal structure and orientation was markedly different between corals in the field and in aquaria. In samples collected from deep water, acicular crystals were composed of conglomerates of finer crystals, and skeletal filling was considerably reduced when compared with samples collected from shallow water. Comparisons were also made between septa prepared in sodium hypochlorite (commercial bleach), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and distilled water (dH2O). Commercial bleach was the most effective solvent for tissue dissolution in investigations of skeletal structure. Samples prepared in NaOH commonly displayed crystalline artefacts, while the use of dH2O and H2O2 was labor intensive and often resulted in unclean preparations. Fusiform crystals were seen only on G. fascicularis septa prepared in bleach and on Acropora formosa axial corallites prepared in either bleach or dH2O. We suggest that the mechanical agitation and additional washing necessary for samples prepared in dH2O, NaOH, or H2O2 resulted in the loss of fusiform crystals from these preparations.
Acyl Chain Specificity of Ceramide Synthases Is Determined within a Region of 150 Residues in the Tram-Lag-CLN8 (TLC) Domain*

Background: Six mammalian ceramide synthases (CerS) each use acyl-CoAs of defined chain length for N-acylation of the sphingoid base. Results: A series of chimeric CerS proteins was generated and examined for specificity. Conclusion: A minimal region of 150 amino acid residues is required for specificity. Significance: The study paves the way for further structure-function analyses of the CerS. In mammals, ceramides are synthesized by a family of six ceramide synthases (CerS), transmembrane proteins located in the endoplasmic reticulum, where each use fatty acyl-CoAs of defined chain length for ceramide synthesis. Little is known about the molecular features of the CerS that determine acyl-CoA selectivity. We now explore CerS structure-function relationships by constructing chimeric proteins combining sequences from CerS2, which uses C22-CoA for ceramide synthesis, and CerS5, which uses C16-CoA. CerS2 and -5 are 41% identical and 63% similar. Chimeras containing approximately half of CerS5 (from the N terminus) and half of CerS2 (from the C terminus) were catalytically inactive. However, the first 158 residues of CerS5 could be replaced with the equivalent region of CerS2 without affecting specificity of CerS5 toward C16-CoA; likewise, the putative sixth transmembrane domain (at the C terminus) of CerS5 could be replaced with the corresponding sequence of CerS2 without affecting CerS5 specificity. Remarkably, a chimeric CerS5/2 protein containing the first 158 residues and the last 83 residues of CerS2 displayed specificity toward C16-CoA, and a chimeric CerS2/5 protein containing the first 150 residues and the last 79 residues of CerS5 displayed specificity toward C22-CoA, demonstrating that a minimal region of 150 residues is sufficient for retaining CerS specificity.
What Happens when Users are not able to Perform Coping Mechanisms? An Investigation of the Habituation Process

In some situations individuals are unable to perform coping mechanisms against technostress because of low controllability and resources. Thereby, they are repeatedly exposed to technology-related stimuli named IT-stressors, which should result in several user responses such as emotional exhaustion, physiological arousal, and poor performance. However, in these situations individuals might habituate to the ITstressor such that the user responses are mitigated. We assume that the influence of the IT-stressor on emotional exhaustion, physiological arousal, and performance is moderated by this habituation effect. Therefore, we propose an experimental setting in which individuals are repeatedly exposed to a computer breakdown to which they might get used to over time. During the experiment, we draw on self-reporting and objective methods to capture user responses after each exposure to the IT-stressor, in order to analyze the change of the user responses across time. Thereby, we expect the results to contribute to technostress and coping literature.
Error estimates for a vorticity-based velocity-stress formulation of the Stokes eigenvalue problem

The aim of this paper is to analyze a mixed formulation for the two dimensional Stokes eigenvalue problem where the unknowns are the stress and the velocity, whereas the pressure can be recovered with a simple postprocess of the stress. The stress tensor is written in terms of the vorticity of the fluid, leading to an alternative mixed formulation that incorporates this physical feature. We propose a mixed numerical method where the stress is approximated with suitable N\'edelec finite elements, whereas the velocity is approximated with piecewise polynomials of degree $k\geq 0$. With the aid of the compact operators theory we derive convergence of the method and spectral correctness. Moreover, we propose a reliable and efficient a posteriori error estimator for our spectral problem. We report numerical tests in different domains, computing the spectrum and convergence orders, together with a computational analysis for the proposed estimator. In addition, we use the corresponding error estimator to drive an adaptive scheme, and we report the results of a numerical test, that allow us to assess the performance of this approach.
Prokinetic Agents for the Treatment of Postoperative Ileus in Adults: A Review of the Literature

Metoclopramide, cisapride, and erythromycin are commonly administered to reduce the duration of postoperative ileus (POI). As these agents are not without potential adverse effects, their efficacy in shortening the duration of POI should be evaluated. The etiology of POI is not well understood and therefore the precise treatment is unclear. Nasogastric suction is the mainstay of therapy, and management of fluid and electrolyte imbalances is crucial. The role of prokinetic agents is less understood. Available literature evaluating these drugs specifically for POI were reviewed, but results are confounded by issues such as sample size, variability in types of operations performed, and insensitive end points (flatus, bowel sounds). No literature supports reducing the duration of POI with metoclopramide, and limited data show benefit with cisapride. Data evaluating erythromycin are sparse, and the drug is believed to be ineffective. Domperidone, a prokinetic agent not available in the United States, has not been evaluated in POI. Due to these limitations, treatment remains largely supportive with a limited role for prokinetic agents.
Impact of selective prostaglandin E1 treatment on graft perfusion and function after liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND/AIMS In several clinical trials, the prophylactic application of prostaglandin E1 did not demonstrate a significant effect on incidence of primary graft nonfunction after liver transplantation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a selective prostaglandin E1 treatment in liver transplant patients with initially compromised perfusion and thereby depressed early posttransplant graft function. METHODOLOGY A total of 142 patients were enrolled in this study. In all of them, duplexsonography was performed daily to generally assess patency of allograft vessels and to specifically calculate the resistive index of the hepatic artery. Intravenous therapy with a prostaglandin E1 analogue (Alprostadil, 0.5 microg/kg/h) was initiated in 67 patients after determination of a primarily elevated (>0.75) and posttransplant increasing resistive index of the hepatic artery that was associated with continuously elevating aminotransferases. RESULTS After initiation of treatment, the arterial resistive index decreased significantly from 0.83+/-0.1 to 0.72+/-0.1 on the first day of application (P<0.05). Primarily elevated serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST: Alprostadil: 890+/-180 IU/L: CONTROL 375+/-98 IU/L) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT: Alprostadil: 850+/-178 IU/L, CONTROL: 310+/-79 IU/L) decreased significantly and reached values comparable to the control group after three days of therapy (AST: Alprostadil: 190+/-40 IU/L, CONTROL: 150+/-45 IU/L ALT: Alprostadil: 280+/-57 IU/L, CONTROL: 180+/-50 IU/L) (P<0.05). Only 2 grafts with initial compromised perfusion and function (3%) developed primary graft nonfunction. CONCLUSIONS Prostaglandin E1 seems to be effective in ameliorating ischemia-reperfusion injury to the liver in patients with elevated arterial vascular resistance and early depressed graft function after liver transplantation. Duplexsonography in combination with graft function are useful tools for indicating and monitoring treatment.