Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Empirical Investigation into the Performance of High-Yield Bond Issuers

This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by ScholarWorks@UNO with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself.
New Generation Vaccine Induces Effective Melanoma-Specific CD8+ T Cells in the Circulation but Not in the Tumor Site1

Although increasing evidence suggests that CTL are important to fight the development of some cancers, the frequency of detectable tumor-specific T cells is low in cancer patients, and these cells have generally poor functional capacities, compared with virus-specific CD8+ T cells. The generation with a vaccine of potent CTL responses against tumor Ags therefore remains a major challenge. In the present study, ex vivo analyses of Melan-A-specific CD8+ T cells following vaccination with Melan-A peptide and CpG oligodeoxynucleotides revealed the successful induction in the circulation of effective melanoma-specific T cells, i.e., with phenotypic and functional characteristics similar to those of CTL specific for immunodominant viral Ags. Nonetheless, the eventual impact on tumor development in vaccinated melanoma donors remained limited. The comprehensive study of vaccinated patient metastasis shows that vaccine-driven tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, although activated, still differed in functional capacities compared with blood counterparts. This coincided with a significant increase of FoxP3+ regulatory T cell activity within the tumor. The consistent induction of effective tumor-specific CD8+ T cells in the circulation with a vaccine represents a major achievement; however, clinical benefit may not be achieved unless the tumor environment can be altered to enable CD8+ T cell efficacy.
A new approach to the valuation of banks

Despite the discussion surrounding the disintermediation of the financial sector, banks still play a prominent and special role in the allocation of capital in the economic system. We argue that the business model of the bank exhibits such peculiarities that it deserves a special treatment in the approach to its valuation as well. In particular, the exposure to interest rate risk is a major characteristic of its business, not only in the process of maturity transformation but also as a major determinant of price margin and business volume. Although these traits have been noted before in the literature, to our knowledge, there exists no common framework to value a bank which adequately accounts for these features. We propose a valuation model for banks based on Merton’s (1974) structural model of the firm, which we adapt to the banking firm by the help of term structure models of the interest rates. In this setting, we interpret banks as a particular portfolio of long and short positions in interest-rate sensitive assets with special characteristics, and thus benefit from the rich toolbox of continuous-time finance to derive its value. In doing so, we are able to show another peculiarity of bank valuation, i.e. that the exercise price of a call option on the firm value, representing the bank’s equity, is not the face value of bank liabilities but their economic value.
H3 Thr3 phosphorylation is crucial for meiotic resumption and anaphase onset in oocyte meiosis

Abstract Haspin-catalyzed histone H3 threonine 3 (Thr3) phosphorylation facilitates chromosomal passenger complex (CPC) docking at centromeres, regulating indirectly chromosome behavior during somatic mitosis. It is not fully known about the expression and function of H3 with phosphorylated Thr3 (H3T3-P) during meiosis in oocytes. In this study, we investigated the expression and sub-cellular distribution of H3T3-P, as well as its function in mouse oocytes during meiotic division. Western blot analysis revealed that H3T3-P expression was only detected after germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD), and gradually increased to peak level at metaphase I (MI), but sharply decreased at metaphase II (MII). Immunofluorescence showed H3T3-P was only brightly labeled on chromosomes after GVBD, with relatively high concentration across the whole chromosome axis from pro-metaphase I (pro-MI) to MI. Specially, H3T3-P distribution was exclusively limited to the local space between sister centromeres at MII stage. Haspin inhibitor, 5-iodotubercidin (5-ITu), dose- and time-dependently blocked H3T3-P expression in mouse oocytes. H3T3-P inhibition delayed the resumption of meiosis (GVBD) and chromatin condensation. Moreover, the loss of H3T3-P speeded up the meiotic transition to MII of pro-MI oocytes in spite of the presence of non-aligned chromosomes, even reversed MI-arrest induced with Nocodazole. The inhibition of H3T3-P expression distinguishably damaged MAD1 recruitment on centromeres, which indicates the spindle assembly checkpoint was impaired in function, logically explaining the premature onset of anaphase I. Therefore, Haspin-catalyzed histone H3 phosphorylation is essential for chromatin condensation and the following timely transition from meiosis I to meiosis II in mouse oocytes during meiotic division.
Replication Error Rates for G·dGTP, T·dGTP, and A·dGTP Mispairs and Evidence for Differential Proofreading by Leading and Lagging Strand DNA Replication Complexes in Human Cells (*)

We have determined the fidelity of DNA replication by human cell extracts in reactions containing excess dGTP. Replication errors were scored using two M13 DNA substrates having the replication origin on opposite sides of the lacZ α-complementation gene. The data suggest that the average rates for replication errors resulting from G(template), T•dGTP, and A•dGTP mispairs are 25 × 10−6, 12 × 10−6, and 3 × 10−6, respectively. The data also suggest that error rates for both the (+) and(-) strands differ by less than 2-fold when they are replicated either as the leading or lagging strand. This is in contrast to the 33- and 8-fold differences observed earlier for G•dTTP and C•dTTP mispairs on the (+) strand when replicated by the leading or lagging strand complex (Roberts, J. D., Izuta, S., Thomas, D. C., and Kunkel, T. A.(1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 1711-1717). Thus, the relative fidelity of the leading and lagging strand replication proteins varies with the mispair and sequence considered. Misincorporation of dGTP preferentially occurs at template positions where dGTP is the next correct nucleotide to be incorporated. This “next nucleotide” effect is characteristic of reduced exonucleolytic proofreading and suggests that these replication errors are normally proofread efficiently. Fidelity measurements performed in the absence or presence of dGMP, an inhibitor of proofreading exonuclease activity, suggest that the leading strand replication complex proofreads some mispairs more efficiently than does the lagging strand replication complex.
New Approaches to Urban Refugee Livelihoods

Increasingly refugees live in urban areas—usually in slums impacted by unemployment, poverty, overcrowding and inadequate infrastructure. Host governments often restrict refugees’ access to the labor market, access that can be further impeded by language barriers, arbitrary fees, and discrimination. UNHCR and its partners are seldom equipped to understand and navigate the complex urban economic environment in order to create opportunities for refugees in these settings. Based on assessments undertaken in 2010 and 2011 in Kampala, New Delhi and Johannesburg, research findings indicate that refugees in urban areas adopt a variety of economic coping strategies, many of which place them at risk, and that new approaches and different partnerships are needed for the design and implementationof economic programs. This paper presents findings from the assessments and lays out strategies to address the challenges confronting urban refugees’ ability to enter and compete in the labor market.
The Informativeness of Disclosures

Voluntary disclosures convey information through two channels: 1) the direct revelation channel in which the disclosed body of information is used to update beliefs, and 2) the signaling channel in which inferences are drawn from the fact that the firm chose what information to disclose. I study the overall informativeness of both channels in a partially-revealing signaling game that is augmented with an additional round of information revelation. I find there is a strong negative interaction between the channels. So strong that one channel acting in isolation may reveal more information than both acting together. Mandating disclosure may be harmful because it reduces choice, thus reducing signaling. Specifically, imposing a minimum disclosure level may 1) eliminate the most informative equilibrium, and 2) support the least informative equilibrium: a pooling equilibrium at the minimum disclosure level survives belief-based equilibrium selection only under mandatory disclosure. This is a serious concern because the pooling equilibrium may Pareto dominate all other equilibria.
Influence of Er(3+) concentration on the photoluminescence characteristics and excitation mechanism of Gd2O3:Er(3+) phosphor synthesized via a solid-state reaction method.

An Er(3+) -doped phosphor of Gd2O3(Gd2O3:Er(3+)) was prepared using a conventional solid-state reaction method. The structure and particle size were determined from X-ray powder diffraction measurements. The average particle size of the phosphor was in between 20 and 50 nm. The particle size and structure of the phosphor were further confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. Luminescence spectra were recorded under excitation wavelengths of 275, 380, 515 and 980 nm. The visible upconversion and downconversion luminescence spectra of the Gd2O3:Er(3+) phosphor were investigated as a function of Er(3+) ion concentration. The upconverted emission at 980 nm excitation shows enhanced red emission with respect to green emission as the dopant concentration increased. Similar results were observed for downconversion emission under 275 and 380 nm excitation wavelengths. The mechanisms responsible for populating the (4)S3/2 and (4)F9/2 levels, for green and red emissions, respectively, are different for different excitations and for different concentrations of Er(3+).
Expression of Human Skin-Specific Genes Defined by Transcriptomics and Antibody-Based Profiling

To increase our understanding of skin, it is important to define the molecular constituents of the cell types and epidermal layers that signify normal skin. We have combined a genome-wide transcriptomics analysis, using deep sequencing of mRNA from skin biopsies, with immunohistochemistry-based protein profiling to characterize the landscape of gene and protein expression in normal human skin. The transcriptomics and protein expression data of skin were compared to 26 (RNA) and 44 (protein) other normal tissue types. All 20,050 putative protein-coding genes were classified into categories based on patterns of expression. We found that 417 genes showed elevated expression in skin, with 106 genes expressed at least five-fold higher than that in other tissues. The 106 genes categorized as skin enriched encoded for well-known proteins involved in epidermal differentiation and proteins with unknown functions and expression patterns in skin, including the C1orf68 protein, which showed the highest relative enrichment in skin. In conclusion, we have applied a genome-wide analysis to identify the human skin-specific proteome and map the precise localization of the corresponding proteins in different compartments of the skin, to facilitate further functional studies to explore the molecular repertoire of normal skin and to identify biomarkers related to various skin diseases.
Debt or Equity?: How Firms in Developing Countries Choose

Long stifled by government controls, emerging market (EM) corporate finance is changing dramatically as recent liberalization is revitalizing stagnant domestic capital markets and permitting increased access to overseas markets. This paper examines how EM firms choose between debt and equity in their financing decisions. The paper starts with a discussion of the traditional features of EM corporate finance. It then presents a simple framework for the debt-equity choice based on the standard considerations of cost, risk, control and disclosure. The unique manner in which these considerations could be influenced by government control is illustrated with examples from several EM countries. The central conclusion of this report is that, like Western firms, EM firms seek to minimize the cost of capital and retain control in the hands of existing shareholders. But they also face many non-market constraints, which are now disappearing. The concluding section remarks upon a number of interesting empirical regularities across countries as they embark on financial liberalization.
Monetary and Fiscal Stimuli, Ownership Structure, and China&Apos;S Housing Market

In the recent financial crisis, macroeconomic stimuli produced mixed results across developed economies. In contrast, China's stimulus boosted real GDP growth from an annualized 6.2% in the first quarter of 2009 trough to 11.9% in the first quarter of 2010. Amidst this phenomenal response, land auction and house prices in major cities soared. We argue that the speed and efficacy of China's stimulus derives from state control over its banking system and corporate sector. Beijing ordered state-owned banks to lend, and they lent. Beijing ordered centrally-controlled state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to invest, and they invested. However, our data show that much of this investment was highly leveraged purchases of real estate. Residential land auction prices in eight major cities rose about 100% in 2009, controlling for quality variation. Moreover, higher price rises occur these SOEs are more active buyers. We argue that these centrally-controlled SOEs overbid substantially, fueling a real estate bubble; and that China's seemingly highly effective macroeconomic stimulus package may well have induced costly resource misallocation.
The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Personality Disorders

Introduction. Part I: Basic Concepts. Personality disorders: recent history and future directions. Theories of personality and personality disorders. Categorical and dimensional models of personality disorders. Part II: Clinical Evaluation. Manifestations, clinical diagnosis, and comorbidity. Assessment instruments and standardized evaluation. Course and outcome of personality disorders. Part III: Etiology. A current integrative perspective on personality disorders. Epidemiology. Genetics. Neurobiology. Developmental issues. Attachment theory and mentalization-oriented model of borderline personality disorder. Role of childhood experiences in the development of maladaptive and adaptive personality traits. Sociocultural factors. Part IV: Treatment. Levels of care in the treatment. Psychoanalysis. Psychodynamic psychotherapies. Schema therapy. Dialectical behavior therapy. Interpersonal therapy. Supportive psychotherapy. Group treatment. Family therapy. Psychoeducation. Somatic treatments. Therapeutic alliance. Boundary issues. Collaborative treatment. Part V: Special Problems and Populations. Assessing and managing suicide risk. Substance abuse. Violence. Dissociative states. Defensive functioning. Gender. Cross-cultural issues. Correctional populations: criminal careers and recidivism. Medical settings. Part VI: New Developments and Future Directions. Brain imaging. Translational research. Development of animal models in neuroscience and molecular biology. Biology in the service of psychotherapy. Appendix. Index.
Perceived justice and consumption experience evaluations

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the role of perceived justice in service consumption/purchase experiences.Design/methodology/approach – In an initial study, using the critical incident method, the authors show that customers are strongly concerned by perceived injustice. Their judgments involve the three components of justice described in organizational and service marketing literature: distributive, procedural and interactional justice. They also identify a macro‐level justice factor which characterizes the perception of collective practices at the industry level. In an experiment applied to the dining experience, the authors manipulate distributive, procedural and interactional justice perception to study their impact on service evaluation (quality, value), satisfaction and relationship quality (trust, commitment). Findings – Contrary to the satisfaction literature, the authors observe a slight direct effect of justice on satisfaction, but rather indirect impacts through perceived quality (outco.
Guidance of dopaminergic neuritic growth by immature astrocytes in organotypic cultures of rat fetal ventral mesencephalon

Astrocytes, with their many functions in producing and controlling the environment in the brain, are of great interest when it comes to studying regeneration after injury and neurodegenerative diseases such as in grafting in Parkinson's disease. This study was performed to investigate astrocytic guidance of growth derived from dopaminergic neurons using organotypic cultures of rat fetal ventral mesencephalon. Primary cultures were studied at different time points starting from 3 days up to 28 days. Cultures were treated with either interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β), which has stimulating effects on astrocytic proliferation, or the astrocytic inhibitor cytosine arabinoside (Ara‐C). Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)‐immunohistochemistry was used to visualize dopaminergic neurons, and antibodies against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and S100β were used to label astrocytes. The results revealed that a robust TH‐positive nerve fiber production was seen already at 3 days in vitro. These neurites had disappeared by 5 days. This early nerve fiber outgrowth was not guided by direct interactions with glial cells. Later, at 7 days in vitro, a second wave of TH‐positive neuritic outgrowth was clearly observed. GFAP‐positive astrocytic processes guided these neurites. TH‐positive neurites arborized overlying S100β‐positive astrocytes in an area distal to the GFAP‐positive astrocytic processes. Treatment with IL‐1β resulted in an increased area of TH‐positive nerve fiber network. In cultures treated with Ara‐C, neither astrocytes nor outgrowth of dopaminergic neurites were observed. In conclusion, this study shows that astrocytes play a major role in long‐term dopaminergic outgrowth, both in axonal elongation and branching of neurites. The long‐term nerve fiber growth is preceded by an early transient outgrowth of dopamine neurites. J. Comp. Neurol. 443:237–249, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ultrastructural Study of Chlamydia pneumoniae In a Continuous-Infection Model

ABSTRACT We have established an in vitro model of long-term continuousChlamydia pneumoniae infection in HEp-2 cells. Using transmission electron microscopy, we demonstrated the presence of spontaneous abnormal chlamydial inclusions similar in appearance to the persistent chlamydial forms induced in vitro by treatment with cytokines or antibiotics or by nutrient deprivation.
Three Essays in Corporate Finance

This thesis examines two issues in corporate finance. The first two essays examine the influence of ownership structure on the relationship between ownership and firm value. The third essay examines the influence of an IPO on a firm’s lending arrangements. In the first essay, we examine the influence of the presence of multiple blockholders on ownership-firm value relationship. Additional blockholders can either form a coalition with or monitor the largest individual blockholder. We hypothesize that both of these alternatives will influence the shape of the observed ownership-firm value relationship and the choice will be influenced by blockholder identity. We find that while individual blockholders tend to form a coalition, corporate blockholders tend to monitor. We also find that the coalition formation effect is more pronounced in non-founder firms. Our results suggest that the relationship between the ownership of the largest individual blockholder and firm value critically depends on both the presence and identity of additional blockholders. In the second essay, we examine the influence of ownership structure on the observed relationship between inside ownership and firm value. We document the predominant type of this relationship for different types of ownership structures. Samples of firms with predominately individual blockholders tend to generate a convex relationship, while those with corporate presence generate a concave one. Thus, we find a much wider spectrum of inside ownership-firm value relationships than reported in prior studies. We show that much of the disagreement regarding the aforementioned relationship can be attributed to differing ownership structures of sample firms. In the third essay, we examine changes in covenants and yields of bank loans around IPO and link them to the changes in the extent of loan syndication. We document significant changes in lending arrangements around IPO and show there are significant reductions in both covenant intensity and yields around a firm’s IPO. The decline in yields is driven primarily by firms that switch to syndicated loans after IPO. Our results suggest that, by allowing more firms to access the syndicated loan market, IPOs are influential in determining the covenants and yields on post-IPO bank loans.
Stage call: Cardiovascular reactivity to audition stress in musicians

Auditioning is at the very center of educational and professional life in music and is associated with significant psychophysical demands. Knowledge of how these demands affect cardiovascular responses to psychosocial pressure is essential for developing strategies to both manage stress and understand optimal performance states. To this end, we recorded the electrocardiograms (ECGs) of 16 musicians (11 violinists and 5 flutists) before and during performances in both low- and high-stress conditions: with no audience and in front of an audition panel, respectively. The analysis consisted of the detection of R-peaks in the ECGs to extract heart rate variability (HRV) from the notoriously noisy real-world ECGs. Our data analysis approach spanned both standard (temporal and spectral) and advanced (structural complexity) techniques. The complexity science approaches—namely, multiscale sample entropy and multiscale fuzzy entropy—indicated a statistically significant decrease in structural complexity in HRV from the low- to the high-stress condition and an increase in structural complexity from the pre-performance to performance period, thus confirming the complexity loss theory and a loss in degrees of freedom due to stress. Results from the spectral analyses also suggest that the stress responses in the female participants were more parasympathetically driven than those of the male participants. In conclusion, our findings suggest that interventions to manage stress are best targeted at the sensitive pre-performance period, before an audition begins.