Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of TARP bailouts on stock market volatility and investor fear

The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 was the response of the Federal government to the economic crisis of 2007-2009. Within this act, the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) was the mechanism to attempt to stabilize the financial market through the injection of liquidity into troubled firms. This paper examines the effect of TARP bailouts on stock market volatility and investor fear. Using an event study methodology, we find evidence of significant decrease in stock-market volatility on the day of bailouts, and the day after. Additionally, findings show that the VIX, a proxy of investor fear, significantly declines on the second day subsequent to bailouts. The results suggest that government intervention, in the form of bailouts, is successful in stabilizing financial markets and reducing investor anxiety in the short-run.
Evidence on the Use of Outlier Discount Rates in IFRS Goodwill Impairment Testing

Discount rate selection represents a centrally material factor impacting valuation models. Given the strong reliance on discounted cash flow modelling as a basis for determining an asset’s recoverable amount, the judgment exercised by reporting entities regarding rate selection is of paramount importance in influencing the outcomes of the impairment testing process conducted under IFRS. The discretion surrounding rate selection could be used opportunistically to avoid or manage the timing of impairment losses to the detriment of transparency, comparability and decision usefulness. This study provides evidence consistent with the opportunism on the part of financial statement preparers, by demonstrating the existence of variances between independently generated risk adjusted discount rates and those disclosed as having been used by a sample of large listed Australian companies.
Can I Say Something? The Effects of Digital Game Play on Willingness to Communicate.

Hayo Reinders, Unitec Institute of Technology Sorada Wattana, Dhurakij Pundit University This paper reports on a study into the effects of digital game play on learners’ Willingness to Communicate (WTC), or individuals’ “readiness to enter into discourse at a particular time with a specific person or persons, using a L2” (MacIntyre, Dörnyei, Clément, & Noels, 1998, p. 547). Thirty Thai learners of English as a foreign language enrolled in a University language course completed six 90–minute lessons playing Ragnarok Online, a popular online role–playing game. The game had been installed on a private server and was thus only available to participants in the study. We modified the game to include special instructions, or quests (missions that players are assigned to accomplish in order to get items and progress throughout the game), designed to encourage collaboration and communication. To gauge participants’ WTC, a series of questionnaires was designed, adapted from MacIntyre et al’s (2001) WTC scale and previous studies on language and communication anxiety (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986; McCroskey & Richmond, 1982) and perceived competence (Compton, 2004; MacIntyre & Charos, 1996). These asked respondents about their (own perceptions of their) willingness to use English, as well as their confidence, anxiety, and perceived communicative competence in communicating in English. The questionnaires were administered at the start of the course, and again after six gaming sessions. Results on the first set of questionnaires showed that students had low confidence, high anxiety, low perceived competence, and low WTC. The second set of results showed a marked and significant improvement, with participants feeling more confident, less anxious, more competent, and more willing to communicate. We argue that the careful construction of tasks that draw on the affordances of games can have a positive effect on the language learning process.
Exploring the Link between Nucleosome Occupancy and DNA Methylation

Near promoters, both nucleosomes and CpG sites form characteristic spatial patterns. Previously, nucleosome depleted regions were observed upstream of transcription start sites and nucleosome occupancy was reported to correlate both with CpG density and the level of CpG methylation. Several studies imply a causal link where CpG methylation might induce nucleosome formation, whereas others argue the opposite, i.e., that nucleosome occupancy might influence CpG methylation. Correlations are indeed evident between nucleosomes, CpG density and CpG methylation—at least near promoter sites. It is however less established whether there is an immediate causal relation between nucleosome occupancy and the presence of CpG sites—or if nucleosome occupancy could be influenced by other factors. In this work, we test for such causality in human genomes by analyzing the three quantities both near and away from promoter sites. For data from the human genome we compare promoter regions with given CpG densities with genomic regions without promoters but of similar CpG densities. We find the observed correlation between nucleosome occupancy and CpG density, respectively CpG methylation, to be specific to promoter regions. In other regions along the genome nucleosome occupancy is statistically independent of the positioning of CpGs or their methylation levels. Anti-correlation between CpG density and methylation level is however similarly strong in both regions. On promoters, nucleosome occupancy is more strongly affected by the level of gene expression than CpG density or CpG methylation—calling into question any direct causal relation between nucleosome occupancy and CpG organization. Rather, our results suggest that for organisms with cytosine methylation nucleosome occupancy might be primarily linked to gene expression, with no strong impact on methylation.
Analgesia in acute pancreatitis: comparison of buprenorphine and pethidine.

Les 2 produits ont une efficacite analgesique a peu pres equivalente. Cependant la pethidine, moins couteuse, presente un danger d'assuetude: pour les malades jeunes atteints d'episodes repetes et pancreatite, parfois lies a l'alcoolisme, la buprenorphine est plus sure
A nighttime temperature maximum in the thermosphere above Saint Santin in winter

[1] The Saint Santin (45°N) incoherent scatter radar data base shows a local enhancement in nighttime ion temperature that occurs in winter only. Its amplitude can exceed 100 K and averages 40 K on the basis of a conservative computation. The enhancement peaks near 4 LT and has a duration of about 4 hours. We discuss two possible explanations for this feature: (1) it is caused by the convergence of global winds at the global pressure minimum, under which Saint Santin rotates at winter solstice, and (2) it is an extension or propagation of the well-known low-latitude midnight temperature maximum to midlatitudes, perhaps to that pressure minimum.
Self-Serving Behaviour and the Voluntary Disclosure of Capital Market Performance

Research suggests that where preparers have discretion in reporting, they will report in a self-serving way, both in mandated and voluntary disclosures. This study investigates the self-serving behaviour of preparers of annual reports by examining the voluntary disclosure of share performance graphs in Australian listed company’s annual reports. The results show that better performing firms are more likely to disclose share performance graphs. This ‘selectivity’ combined with the decision to utilize comparisons within these graphs and the choice of comparison used resulted in 87% of the firms performing better than the disclosed comparisons. The implications of preparer discretion in reporting and the incidence of bias observed is discussed.
Vildagliptin in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus

Introduction: Inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-4) augments glucose-dependent insulin release and is a new approach to the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Vildagliptin is a new DPP-4 inhibitor approved in many countries for the treatment of T2DM. This review provides an overview of vildagliptin with emphasis on its pharmacology and clinical effectiveness. Areas covered: Results of preclinical and several Phase II and III studies from 2004 – 2010 are discussed. Expert opinion: Vildagliptin acts to inhibit the breakdown of glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1, which in turn enhances the beta-cell response to glucose and inhibits glucagon secretion. It is an effective agent alone or in combination in patients with T2DM, resulting in modest improvements in HbA1c usually in the 0.5 – 1% range. Advantages include weight neutrality and a lesser incidence of hypoglycemia. Concerns remain regarding its use in renal disease and potential complications seen in animal models.
Is Regime Switching in Stock Returns Important in Portfolio Decisions?

The stock market displays regime switching between upturns and downturns. This paper provides a Bayesian framework for making portfolio decisions that takes this regime switching into account, together with asset pricing model uncertainty and parameter uncertainty. The findings reveal that the economic value of accounting for regimes is substantially independent of whether or not model and parameter uncertainties are incorporated: the certainty-equivalent losses associated with ignoring regime switching are generally above 2% per year and can be as high as 10%. These results suggest that the more realistic regime switching model is fundamentally different from the commonly used single-state model, and hence should be employed instead in portfolio decisions irrespective of concerns about model or parameter uncertainty.
Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling, Skeletal Muscle, and Chronic Health Conditions: The Potential Interactions

The suppressor of cytokine gene family (suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)) is a recently described gene family that has the ability to affect a variety of physiological functions in the human body. This review will discuss the potential role that the SOCS proteins may have in skeletal muscle and the virtually unexplored interaction with exercise training.
A channel connecting the mother cell and forespore during bacterial endospore formation

At an early stage during Bacillus subtilis endospore development the bacterium divides asymmetrically to produce two daughter cells. The smaller cell (forespore) differentiates into the endospore, while the larger cell (mother cell) becomes a terminally differentiated cell that nurtures the developing forespore. During development the mother cell engulfs the forespore to produce a protoplast, surrounded by two bilayer membranes, which separate it from the cytoplasm of the mother cell. The activation of σG, which drives late gene expression in the forespore, follows forespore engulfment and requires expression of the spoIIIA locus in the mother cell. One of the spoIIIA-encoded proteins SpoIIIAH is targeted specifically to the membrane surrounding the forespore, through an interaction of its C-terminal extracellular domain with the C-terminal extracellular domain of the forespore membrane protein SpoIIQ. We identified a homologous relationship between the C-terminal domain of SpoIIIAH and the YscJ/FliF protein family, members of which form multimeric rings involved in type III secretion systems and flagella. If SpoIIIAH forms a similar ring structure, it may also form a channel between the mother cell and forespore membranes. To test this hypothesis we developed a compartmentalized biotinylation assay, which we used to show that the C-terminal extracellular domain of SpoIIIAH is accessible to enzymatic modification from the forespore cytoplasm. These and other results lead us to suggest that SpoIIIAH forms part of a channel between the forespore and mother cell that is required for the activation of σG.
Investor Composition and Liquidity: An Analysis of Japanese Stocks

In the late 1990s, the Japanese government initiated a number of reforms that resulted in lower transaction costs and made the Japanese equity market more attractive for foreign institutions. Following these changes, foreign institutional holdings more than doubled, providing an opportunity to study how changes in the composition of investors affect market liquidity. Our analysis of a panel of firm-level ownership data indicates that Japanese stocks that are held more by foreign institutions tend to trade more actively, but are less liquid as measured by their quoted and effective bid-ask spreads, their short-term idiosyncratic volatilities and return reversals. To address endogeneity concerns we use index membership, the number of English news stories about Japanese companies, and their export to sales ratios as instruments for changes in foreign institutional holdings. We find that over the entire sample period, spreads and return reversals decrease less and idiosyncratic volatilities increase more for those stocks with higher foreign holdings.
A humanized anti-CD3 antibody, HuM291, with low mitogenic activity, mediates complete and reversible T-cell depletion in chimpanzees.

BACKGROUND An anti-CD3 antibody that reduces cytokine release syndrome (CRS) while maintaining immunosuppression would be a major advance in the treatment of acute allograft rejection. A humanized (Hu) anti-CD3 IgG2 Ab, HuM291 gamma2 M3 (HuM291; Protein Design Labs, Inc., Mountain View, CA), was engineered with mutations in the upper CH2 region of the Fc domain. The mutations were intended to reduce affinity for Fcgamma receptors, thought to be relevant to CRS. METHODS In vitro studies using chimpanzee peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were conducted to characterize HuM291 and to establish an animal model. A multidose study was conducted in chimpanzees to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics, immunomodulatory activity, and immunogenicity of HuM291, when administered at doses ranging from 0.1 to 10 mg. RESULTS HuM291 bound to and effectively downmodulated CD3 from chimpanzee PBMCs and stimulated substantially less cytokine secretion and proliferation of chimpanzee PBMCs compared with OKT3 (Orthoclone OKT3; Ortho Pharmaceutical Corp., Raritan, NJ). Multiple doses of HuM291 (0.1, 1.0, or 10 mg/dose) were not associated with adverse events, signs of toxicity, or CRS, despite cytokine release. HuM291 exhibited a long elimination t1/2 (81.5 hr) and, after three 10-mg doses, sustained serum concentrations > 1000 ng/ml were maintained for 1 week. Multiple 10-mg doses induced complete depletion of circulating CD2+CD3+ T cells for up to 10 days after the last dose; T cells recovered by Day 28. Anti-HuM291 Abs were observed in only 4 of 12 animals and were transient in 2 of those animals. CONCLUSIONS In vitro, HuM291 is substantially less mitogenic than OKT3. In chimpanzees, HuM291 effectively depleted peripheral T cells without eliciting clinical signs of CRS, and recovered T cells were functionally normal.
Generating explanations in a simulation-based learning environment

In formative pilot studies medical students interacting with a simulation-based learning environment were found to require additional support. In particular, students wanted both the interactive qualities of the human tutor's feedback and, access to more expository reference material. To improve the support provided, an explanation-generating component was added to the simulation. This employed rhetorical schemata capable of dynamic specialization to meet multiple communicative goals within a single response. Moreover, responses contained Hyper-media links to pre-stored reference material, allowing the student to follow-up generated explanations with self-directed browsing. The mechanisms for producing help explanation, through rhetorical predicates, are described. An underlying knowledge-base formalism was adopted which permitted the expression of domain concepts in cohered text form, and enabled the generation of textual descriptions of animated-graph simulation output. Using this prototype as a platform, current work is aimed at supporting knowledge negotiation between computer-based system and student, in order to further the development of students' diagnostic reasoning skills.
Feeding growth restricted preterm infants with abnormal antenatal Doppler results

Absence or reversal of end diastolic flow (AREDF) in the umbilical artery is associated with poor outcome, and elective premature delivery is common. Feeding these infants is a challenge. They often have poor tolerance of enteral feeding, and necrotising enterocolitis may develop. This review explores current practice to see if there is evidence on which to base guidelines. The incidence of necrotising enterocolitis is increased in infants with fetal AREDF, especially when complicated by fetal growth restriction. Abnormalities of splanchnic blood flow persist postnatally, with some recovery during the first week of life, providing justification for a delayed and careful introduction of enteral feeding. Such a policy exposes babies to the risks of parenteral nutrition, with no trials to date showing any benefit of delayed enteral nutrition. Trials are required to determine the optimum timing for introduction of enteral feeds in growth restricted infants with fetal AREDF.
Service quality in the hotel sector and the influence of personality traits

3 Chapter 1 Research Scope . 6 1.1. Motive and relevance of the research . 6 1.2 Research questions . 6 1.3 Overview . 7 Chapter 2 Literature study . 8 2.0. Introduction . 8 2.1 What is service quality? 9 2.2 Which factors influence the service quality? 10 2.2.1 General remarks . 10 2.2.2 Service quality dimensions / factors of SERVQUAL . 12 2.2.3 Attributes / factors for the hotel sector . 13 2.3 Which models are used for measuring service quality? 15 2.3.1 Expectation disconfirmation theory and the gap model . 15 2.3.2 The gap model and the SERVQUAL instrument . 15 2.3. 3 SERVPERF versus SERVQUAL . 17 2.4 What are personality traits? 18 2.4.1 Five-Factor Model . 18 2.4. 2 Other instruments for measuring personality traits . 19 2.4. 3 Instrument used for this research . 20 2.4. 4 Results other studies, hypothesis and research model . 20 Chapter 3 Methodology . 22 3.0. Data collection method . 22 3.1 The survey instrument . 23 3.2 Data analysis methodology . 24 Chapter 4 Results . 25 4.0. Sample and descriptive statistics . 25 4.1 Data analysis . 27 Chapter 5 Discussion, conclusions, limitations and recommendations . 31 5.0 Discussion of the results and conclusions . 31 5.1 Limitations of this research . 32 5.2 Managerial implications . 33 5.3 Recommendations for future research . 33 References . 34 Appendix 1: the determinants/key categories of the SERVQUAL model developed by Parasuraman (1985) . 42 Appendix 2: example of a survey with dimensions and items of the SERVQUAL model . 43 Appendix 3: overview of the used questionnaires (English and Dutch) . 46 Appendix 4: linear reqression results SPSS . 55 Service quality in the hotel sector and the influence of personality traits Chapter 1. Research Scope Abstract
Large signal stability analysis of DC power systems with constant power loads

This paper presents a detailed analysis of the dynamic behaviour under large disturbances of a high voltage DC electric power system representative of the power distribution networks which are commonly being proposed for future ldquomore electricrdquo vehicles. Numerical simulations are undertaken to analyze the region of asymptotic stability of the system under different operating conditions. Analytical derivations based on the use of the Brayton-Moser Mixed Potential are employed along with Lyapunov stability theorems to determine an analytical estimation of the stability region.
Hypercompetitive Rivalries: Competing in Highly Dynamic Environments

Thank you for downloading hypercompetitive rivalries competing in highly dynamic environments. As you may know, people have look numerous times for their chosen readings like this hypercompetitive rivalries competing in highly dynamic environments, but end up in infectious downloads. Rather than reading a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they cope with some malicious virus inside their computer.
Three dimensional image restoration in fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy

A microscope set‐up and numerical methods are described which enable the measurement and reconstruction of three‐dimensional nanosecond fluorescence lifetime images in every voxel. The frequency domain fluorescence lifetime imaging microscope (FLIM) utilizes phase detection of high‐frequency modulated light by homodyne mixing on a microchannel plate image intensifier. The output signal at the image intensifier's phosphor screen is integrated on a charge coupled device camera. A scanning stage is employed to obtain a series of phase‐dependent intensity images at equally separated depths in a specimen. The Fourier transform of phase‐dependent data gives three‐dimensional (3D) images of the Fourier coefficients. These images are deblurred using an Iterative Constrained Tikhonov–Miller (ICTM) algorithm in conjunction with a measured point spread function. The 3D reconstruction of fluorescence lifetimes are calculated from the deblurred images of the Fourier coefficients. An improved spatial and temporal resolution of fluorescence lifetimes was obtained using this approach to the reconstruction of simulated 3D FLIM data. The technique was applied to restore 3D FLIM data of a live cell specimen expressing two green fluorescent protein fusion constructs having distinct fluorescence lifetimes which localized to separate cellular compartments.
Knockout of secretin receptor reduces large cholangiocyte hyperplasia in mice with extrahepatic cholestasis induced by bile duct ligation

During bile duct ligation (BDL), the growth of large cholangiocytes is regulated by the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)/extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) pathway and is closely associated with increased secretin receptor (SR) expression. Although it has been suggested that SR modulates cholangiocyte growth, direct evidence for secretin‐dependent proliferation is lacking. SR wild‐type (WT) (SR+/+) or SR knockout (SR−/−) mice underwent sham surgery or BDL for 3 or 7 days. We evaluated SR expression, cholangiocyte proliferation, and apoptosis in liver sections and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) protein expression and ERK1/2 phosphorylation in purified large cholangiocytes from WT and SR−/− BDL mice. Normal WT mice were treated with secretin (2.5 nmoles/kg/day by way of osmotic minipumps for 1 week), and biliary mass was evaluated. Small and large cholangiocytes were used to evaluate the in vitro effect of secretin (100 nM) on proliferation, protein kinase A (PKA) activity, and ERK1/2 phosphorylation. SR expression was also stably knocked down by short hairpin RNA, and basal and secretin‐stimulated cAMP levels (a functional index of biliary growth) and proliferation were determined. SR was expressed by large cholangiocytes. Knockout of SR significantly decreased large cholangiocyte growth induced by BDL, which was associated with enhanced apoptosis. PCNA expression and ERK1/2 phosphorylation were decreased in large cholangiocytes from SR−/− BDL compared with WT BDL mice. In vivo administration of secretin to normal WT mice increased ductal mass. In vitro, secretin increased proliferation, PKA activity, and ERK1/2 phosphorylation of large cholangiocytes that was blocked by PKA and mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase inhibitors. Stable knockdown of SR expression reduced basal cholangiocyte proliferation. SR is an important trophic regulator sustaining biliary growth. Conclusion: The current study provides strong support for the potential use of secretin as a therapy for ductopenic liver diseases. HEPATOLOGY 2010