Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
STOCK PRICE EFFECTS OF PERMANENT AND TRANSITORY SHOCKS

This paper exploits the long-run equilibrium relationship between stock prices and dividends, implied by the present value model, to structurally identify a dynamic model that governs the behavior of stock prices. The innovations to the data are dichotomized into those that leave a permanent imprint on both series and those that have only transitory effects. Unlike previous studies, however, the authors do not impose arbitrary identifying restrictions to decompose the joint process, restrictions that may not be consistent with the data. Copyright 1998 by Oxford University Press.
DOES CORPORATE OWNERSHIP AFFECT CAPITAL STRUCTURES AND ADJUSTMENT OF CAPITAL STRUCTURES — EVIDENCES FROM CHINESE LISTED COMPANIES

In Chinese transition economy, compared with state-owned firms, private firms face higher financial friction in financing activities, but have more incentive to adjust toward optimal capital structure to maximize the shareholders‟ benefit. Based on panel data of China's listed firms from 1998 to 2007, we compare the capital structures of state-owned and privately-owned listed firms. The empirical results show that there is structural difference in static capital structure between state-owned and private listed firms while controlling for firm characteristics. We then investigate the difference in dynamics of the capital structure between these two groups of firms. Further study results tell us that the adjustment to an optimal capital structure to be faster for the private firm than for the state-owned firm.
Acute e ff ects of visits to urban green environments on cardiovascular physiology in women : A fi eld experiment

Background: Epidemiological studies have reported positive associations between the amount of green space in the living environment and mental and cardiovascular human health. In a search for effect mechanisms, field studies have found short-term visits to green environments to be associated with psychological stress relief. Less evidence is available on the effect of visits on cardiovascular physiology. Objectives: To evaluate whether visits to urban green environments, in comparison to visits to a built-up environment, lead to beneficial short-term changes in indicators of cardiovascular health. Methods: Thirty-six adult female volunteers visited three different types of urban environments: an urban forest, an urban park, and a built-up city centre, in Helsinki, Finland. The visits consisted of 15 min of sedentary viewing, and 30 min of walking. During the visits, blood pressure and heart rate were measured, and electrocardiogram recorded for the determination of indicators of heart rate variability. In addition, levels of respirable ambient particles and environmental noise were monitored. Results: Visits to the green environments were associated with lower blood pressure (viewing period only), lower heart rate, and higher indices of heart rate variability [standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN), high frequency power] than visits to the city centre. In the green environments, heart rate decreased and SDNN increased during the visit. Associations between environment and indicators of cardiovascular health weakened slightly after inclusion of particulate air pollution and noise in the models. Conclusions: Visits to urban green environments are associated with beneficial short-term changes in cardiovascular risk factors. This can be explained by psychological stress relief with contribution from reduced air pollution and noise exposure during the visits. Future research should evaluate the amount of exposure to green environments needed for longer-term benefits for cardiovascular health.
Willingness to Pay for Airline Services Attributes: Microeconometric Evidence from a Stated Preference Discrete Choice Model

We analyze consumer preferences for airline services attributes between Ponta Delgada and Lisbon. For this purpose, we conduct a stated preferences choice game and estimate a microeconometric model à la McFadden (1974). Our results are statistically signi cant and imply willingness to pay measures economically high for attributes such as punctuality warranties and comfort. We interpret these results at the light of the theories found in Kahneman (2003). Willingness to pay for additional daily ights is quite low. This result is important to how should the policy maker liberalize this sector.
Effective marketing strategies and the Nigerian construction professionals

All the economic sectors are facing keen competition for survival and sustenance; and the construction industry is not an exception. Many construction professionals face difficulties in selling their services due to failure to embrace marketing concept. Effective marketing strategies had been established to improve the growth of professional services in the competitive environment; therefore this paper examined the existing marketing strategies with the aim of determining their level of usage and effectiveness among Nigerian construction professionals. Six marketing strategies were identified for assessment by the consultants and contractors. These were location of firm, promotion, professional - client relationship, professional contract, marketing mix (4 ps) and research. The result indicated that the level of awareness of marketing strategy is low among the construction professionals surveyed despite the fact that they believed it is very essential in improving productivity. Professional - client relationship and professional contract were ranked very high as popular and effective marketing strategies. The paper concluded that the most popular and effective strategy was professional - client relationship followed by professional contract. However, marketing mix was the most preferred strategy with other strategies ranked high. Effective marketing strategies will result in profit increase, awareness creation, professional appreciation by the public and introduction of new attractive professional development. Key words: Construction, marketing, professional, strategy.
ACCOUNTING FUNDAMENTALS AND VARIATIONS OF STOCK PRICE: FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION INDUCEMENT

This study investigates a permanent issue about low association between accounting fundamentals and variations of stock prices. It induces not only historical accounting fundamentals, but also forward looking information. Investors consider forward looking information that enables them to predict potential future cash flow, increase predictive power, lessen mispricing error, increase information content and drives future price equilibrium. The accounting fundamentals are earnings yield, book value, profitability, growth opportunities and discount rate or they could be called as five-related-cash flow factors. The forward looking information are expected earnings and expected growth opportunities. This study suggests that model inducing forward looking information could improve association degree between accounting fundamentals and the movements of stock prices. In other words, they have higher value relevance than not by inducing. Finally, this study concludes that inducing forward looking information could predict stock price accurately and reduce stock price deviations from their fundamental value. It also implies that trading strategies should realize to firm’s future rational expectations. Keywords: earnings yield, book value, profitability, growth opportunities, discount rate, accounting fundamentals, forward looking, value relevance
The Growth of US Top Income Inequality: A Hierarchical Redistribution Hypothesis

What accounts for the growth of US top income inequality? This paper proposes a hierarchical redistribution hypothesis. The idea is that US firms have systematically redistributed income to the top of the corporate hierarchy. I test this hypothesis using a large-scale hierarchy model of the US private sector. My method is to vary the rate that income scales with hierarchical rank within modeled firms. I find that this model is able to reproduce four intercorrelated US trends: (1) the growth of the top 1% income share; (2) the growth of the CEO pay ratio; (3) the growth of the dividends share of national income; and (4) the ‘fattening’ of the entire income distribution tail. This result supports the hierarchical redistribution hypothesis. It is also consistent with the available empirical evidence on within-firm income redistribution.
Effect of freezing and thawing on the discoloration of tuna meat.

Discoloration profiles of unfrozen or frozen and thawed (“frozen/thawed”) meat of bluefin, yellowfin, and bigeye tunas during iced storage were examined, taking as parameters the metmyo-globin (metMb) to total Mb ratio (metMb%), solubility (extractability) of Mb, and Hunter color difference scale (L, a, and b values). During storage, metMb% rapidly increased, while Mb solubility and a value remarkably decreased, L and b values tending to increase. Discoloration of frozen/thawed meat generally proceeded faster than that of unfrozen meat during iced storage, irrespective of tuna species. No significant differences in discoloration profile were observed among surface, middle and inner portions of dorsal meat, and ventral meat. Bigeye tuna meat showed a quite slow discoloration, even after freezing and thawing. In the bluefin tuna meat which was pre-stored at -20° ? -80°C for one month, followed by iced storage, the lower the pre-storage temperature was, the slower the rate of discoloration.
Application of fan-beam antennas for 60 GHz indoor wireless communication

The application of fan-beam antennas in high-speed indoor wireless communication systems operating in the 60 GHz band is investigated. The effects of line-of-sight obstruction as well as antenna pointing deviation on the power link budget are experimentally studied in a typical laboratory environment. The results are contrasted with those obtained with alternative antenna configurations.
Seasonal Diet Composition of Leopard (Panthera pardus) in Machiara National Park, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan

Machiara National Park, Pakistan, is famous for its faunal diversity especially the leopards. These leopards feed on a variety of wild and livestock animals, however the data regarding their diet composition is scanty. The present study was, therefore, designed to find out the seasonal variation in the diet composition of leopards (Panthera pardus) at Machiara National Park, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Scat samples were collected during summer and winter seasons and hair mounting technique was used to identify different species consumed by P. pardus. Grey goral (18.08%) was amongst the most preferred dietary species consumed by P. pardus during winter season, while Indian pika (13.45%) was most frequently used as diet during summer season. Other species include musk deer, cape hare, monkeys, Royle's mountain vole, Kashmir marmot, stoat, musk rat, house mouse, flying squirrel, Himalayan palm civet, house rat, sheep, goat, cow, horse, red fox, birds and some unknown species. Furthermore, habitat analysis, predator-prey relationship and human-carnivore conflicts were also assessed.
Breakdown Walkout in Polarization-Doped Vertical GaN Diodes

We demonstrate the avalanche capability and the existence of breakdown walkout in GaN-on-GaN vertical devices with polarization doping. By means of combined electrical and optical characterization, we demonstrate the following original results: 1) vertical p-n junctions with polarization doping have avalanche capability; 2) stress in avalanche regime induces an increase in breakdown voltage, referred to as breakdown walkout; 3) this process is fully-recoverable, thus being related to a trapping mechanism; 4) temperature-dependent measurements of the breakdown walkout identify $\text{C}_{N}$ defects responsible for this process; and 5) capacitance deep level transient spectroscopy (C-DLTS) and deep level optical spectroscopy (DLOS) confirm the presence of residual carbon in the devices under test. A possible model to explain the avalanche walkout is then proposed.
Financial Stress Indices and Financial Crises

This paper develops a Financial Stress Index (FSI) for 28 OECD countries and examines its relationship to crises using a novel database for financial crises. A stress index measures the current state of stress in the financial system and summarizes it in a single statistic. Our results suggest that even though our FSI is clearly related to the occurrence of crises, there is only a weak relationship between the FSI and the onset of a crisis, notably the onset of a banking crisis. Policymakers should therefore be aware of the limited usefulness of FSIs as an early warning indicator.
Working fluid selection and operating maps for Organic Rankine Cycle expansion machines

Fluid selection for the Organic Rankine Cycle has been the object of an abundant literature. Most of the scientific publications focus on the cycle thermodynamic efficiency in or der to select the best candidate. However, other thermodynamics properties, such as molar mass, or vapor den sity condition the whole design of the cycle, and its cost. For example, the molar mass influences the number of s tages required in the case of an axial turbine; the volume ratio between expander supply and exhaust conditions the possibility to use a volumetric expander (whose internal volume ratio is limited); the vapor density at the expander exhaust determine the size of the expander, and of the condenser; etc. This paper considers a whole range of ORC applications, in terms of power (from the kW-scale to the multi-MW plants), heat source temperature (from 90°C to more than 300° C) or heat source nature (solar, biomass, waste heat recovery, geothermy, etc.). For each of these applications, a scr eening of the available fluids is performed, and their thermodynamics performance are compared with respect to the foreseen application. A detailed analysis of the most common expansion machines is then conducted, by comparing their respective operating maps for each fluid and for each application type. The considered expansion machines are the radialinflow turbine, the screw expander, and the scroll expand er, since they are the most widely used in commercial applications and/or in scientific literature.
Dry season forage selection by alpaca (Lama pacos) in southern Peru.

Two hundred eighty adult female alpacas (Lamapacos) and 200 tui alpacas (young alpacas 3-7 months of age) were grazed on a Festuca-Calamagrostis association at the South American Camelids Research Station, La Raya, Peru, during the dry season and early wet season of 1981 (June-December). Vegetation was sampled monthly during this period for herbage yield by species. Fecal material from both adult female alpaca and tui alpaca was collected monthly for microhistological analyses of food habits. Alpacas were primarily grazers rather than forb eaters during the dry season and early wet period of 1981. Forage classes consumed were different for adult and tui alpaca. Tui alpaca consumed more grass-like plants and forbs than adults during the driest months. Diet indices revealed the following as highly selected, common forage species: Ekharis at%ibracteata, Poa. sp. , Cahunagrostis heterophyk, C. vicunarum, AIchemiUa pinnata, Muhtenbergia f&igiata, and Carex spp. Highly selected, trace species were P. gymnontha, M. peruviana, Stipa brachiphylla, Ranunculus lbnosellokies, and TrVolium amabile. Festuca dohkhophylla had been considered by range managers as highly preferred species overall. However, because it was the most abundant species (73% of the total forage yield), F. dolichophyllk had a low selection index during the dry season. Alpacas consumed remarkable quantities of grass seeds (up to 20% of the diet) during the driest months of the year, apparently compensating for low quality forage. The Andes of Peru comprise about 22 million ha of rangeland and support more than 50% of the domestic livestock in Peru (San Juan de Chuquibambilla 198 1). The “Altiplano” or highland plateau accounts for 7 million ha. Large-scale cultivation in the Altiplano is not feasible and economy primarily is dependent upon herding by local pastoralists. There are 4 species of New World Camelids: the alpaca (Luma paces). the llama (L. glama), the vicuna (Vicugna vicugna), and the guanaco (I! . guanicoe) (Reiner and Bryant 1983). The 2 former species are domesticated and the latter 2 are wild. The entire population of these mammals is distributed in the Andes of Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. Most alpacas and llamas are in Peru and Bolivia, a few are in Chile, but practically none occur in Argentina. The alpaca is a dual purpose animal because it produces high quality fiber that is exported, and meat that is needed by a growing population. Because of current husbandry practices, rangelands are severely overgrazed (Holgado et al. 1979). Also, poor grazing practices are confounded with the seasonal distribution of precipitation. About 80% of the rainfall comes during the wet season
FRAGMENTA THERIOLOGICA A note on the diet of stone marten in southeastern Romania

We studied the diet o f stone martens Maries fo ina (Erxleben, 1777) inhabiting the ruins of Byzantine temple near Enisala (southeastern Romania). Based on analysis o f 103 excrements, birds and mammals predominated in the diet, constituting 45.2% and 36.1% of consumed biomass. Reptiles, amphibians, insects and fruits were supplementary food. We also found bats, items rarely reported in the marten’s diet. The diet was characterized by a high contribution of animals associated with steppe habitat and by a low share of anthropogenic food.
Assessment of the efficacies, potencies and bacteriological qualities of some of the antibiotics sold in Calabar, Nigeria

In this study, an assessment of the efficacies, potencies and qualities of 11 brands of 5 different antibiotics including 3 brands of ampiclox and 2 brands each of ciprofolxacin, gentamicin, rifampicin and tetracylcine sold in Calabar, South-South region of Nigeria was carried out using the agar diffusion technique (sensitivity testing). The efficacies, potencies and qualities of these antibiotics were tested against some clinical isolates which include Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes in vitro . The overall mean zones of inhibition for the test organisms ranged from 33.0 – 34.7 mm, with 33 mm for E. coli, 20.9 mm for K. pneumoniae, 34.7 mm for P. aeruginosa , 31.4 mm for S. aureus and 17.6 mm for S. pyogenes . The result showed that 3 (60%) of the antibiotics (alaclox, ciprofloxacin and rifampicin) tested showed lower potency against the test organisms compared with the standard controls. Alaclox produced significantly (P 0.05) between the observed zones of inhibition and standard controls of the brands of gentamicin (richem) and tetracycline. These overall and mean potencies of the test antibiotics showed differences in their efficacies, potencies and qualities. This confirmed that some brands of ampiclox, ciprofloxacin and rifampicin antibiotics sold in Nigeria do not contain the acclaimed quantity of active ingredients to exert bacteriocidal or bacteriostatic effect on common pathogens. Key words : Antibiotics, assessment, bacteriological quality, efficacy, potency, zones of inhibition.
Primordial black holes as generators of cosmic structures

Primordial black holes (PBHs) could provide the dark matter in various mass windows below $10^2 M_{\odot}$ and those of $30 M_{\odot}$ might explain the LIGO events. PBHs much larger than this might have important consequences even if they provide only a small fraction of the dark matter. In particular, they could generate cosmological structure either individually through through the `seed' effect or collectively through the `Poisson' effect, thereby alleviating some problems associated with the standard CDM scenario. If the PBHs all have a similar mass and make a small contribution to the dark matter, then the seed effect dominates on small scales, in which case PBHs could seed the supermassive black holes in galactic nuclei or even galaxies themselves. If they have a similar mass and provide the dark matter, the Poisson effect dominates on all scales and the first bound clouds would form earlier than in the usual scenario, with interesting observational consequences. If the PBHs have an extended mass spectrum, which is more likely, they could fulfill all three roles - providing the dark matter, binding the first bound clouds and generating galaxies. In this case, the galactic mass function naturally has the observed form, with the galaxy mass being simply related to the black hole mass. The stochastic gravitational wave background from the PBHs in this scenario would extend continuously from the LIGO frequency to the LISA frequency, offering a potential goal for future surveys.
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA Sede Amministrativa : Università degli Studi di Padova

Grape marc is the raw material used in the production of grappa. Grape marc consists of the solid parts of the grape: skins, seeds and, sometimes, grape stalks. Quality and characteristics of the grape marc influence fundamentally the quality and characteristics of grappa. In this thesis the effects of different treatments undertaken on grapes of Prosecco and Cabernet Sauvignon before being stored and fermented, were studied. The following treatments have been investigated: acidification, refrigeration and addition of selected yeasts. Afterwards, the effects of these treatments on the chemical composition of the grape marc at storage times longer than the usual fermentation times, were studied. Finally, in order to evaluate the effect of acidification also in relation to the potential risk of biomasses of lees and grape marc, the concentration of Ochratoxin A has been investigated on the grape marc of different varieties of grapes cultivated in high risks areas.
Localization of bcl-2 in the mouse brain: An anatomical study by immunohistochemistry

The presence of bcl-2 has been demonstrated in neurons of the developing adult brain of different species, including humans, the monkey, rat, rabbit and mice. Although bcl-2 expression in mouse embryo and its distribution in the central nervous system during development have been described in the cerebellar cortex and hippocampus, its distribution in the entire adult mouse brain has not yet been described. In the present work we describe bcl-2 expression in the mouse brain by immunohistochemistry and we compare it with other species showing similar patterns. We found that limbic areas have the highest bcl-2 density, suggesting a protective role of this protein in these regions.
EXPLORING INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES AND SPONTANEOUS CHANGES IN JOBS

This paper explores the concept of spontaneous, unsupervised changes in jobs (job crafting), in general, and the relationship of the qualities and magnitude of the changes to the individual characteristics of: cognitive ability, self-image, perceived control, and readiness to change. Job crafting relates to individuals at work, in any level of an organization, who knowingly make unsupervised changes in their jobs. This study adds to the research base of what is called job crafting as examined in the seminal work of Wrzesniewski and Dutton (2001). In this exploratory study of 58 outside salespersons we find that more than 75 per cent report engaging in job crafting in various forms. Positive, significant correlations are found between episodes of work modification and the variables of self-image, perceived control, and readiness to change.