Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AN ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF THE PROBABILITY OF INFORMED TRADING (PIN) ON CORPORATE DIVERSIFICATION DISCOUNT AND CEO PAY-PERFORMANCE SENSITIVITY: EVIDENCE FROM CHINA

An analysis of the effects of the probability of informed trading (PIN) on corporate diversification discount and CEO pay-performance sensitivity: Evidence from China by JIN Man Master of Philosophy This thesis includes estimating the probability of informed trading, PIN, developed by Easley, Kiefer and O’Hara (1996, 1997a, 1997b), for a large sample of listed firms in China from 2002 to 2008, and I use PIN to explore two independent research questions in corporate finance. First, the probability of informed trading is applied to explain the discount in value for firms with diversified business operations. Although aiming to increase firm value, the corporate diversification decision usually results in a firm value discount, for a variety of reasons, one of which is the transparency problem. My study directly tests the relation between the information asymmetry revealed from the stock market and the firm value discount due to diversification decision. The results show that the corporate diversification decisions result in a lower firm value in China, mainly because the diversified firms suffer from a higher level of information asymmetry or a lower level of transparency. After controlling for the measure of information asymmetry, the strategy of diversification itself does not reduce firm value. Second, the probability of informed trading is applied to explain the payperformance sensitivity of CEO compensation in Chinese listed firms. The payperformance sensitivity measures the change in managerial compensation based on the change in shareholder wealth. A higher information asymmetry helps and encourages shareholders to spend more on incentivizing the management team. My results show that higher level information asymmetry is associated with higher payperformance sensitivity of CEOs in China. The result also holds if information asymmetry is approximated by analysts’ forecast errors. According to the estimates of PIN in this thesis, Chinese firms are shown to exhibit a higher level of information asymmetry than what has been found in the U.S. market. The thesis ends with a brief discussion of the results and what future research could follow.
The Crown and Stem of the V3 Loop Play Distinct Roles in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Envelope Glycoprotein Interactions with the CCR5 Coreceptor

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 envelope glycoprotein gp120 interacts with CD4 and the CCR5 coreceptor in order to mediate viral entry. A CD4-induced surface on gp120, primarily composed of residues in the V3 loop and the C4 domain, interacts with CCR5. In the present study, we generated envelope glycoproteins comprising chimeric V3 loops and/or V3 loops with deletions and studied their binding to CCR5 amino-terminal domain (Nt)-based sulfopeptides and cell surface CCR5, as well as their ability to mediate viral entry. We thus delineated two functionally distinct domains of the V3 loop, the V3 stem and the V3 crown. The V3 stem alone mediates soluble gp120 binding to the CCR5 Nt. In contrast, both the V3 stem and crown are required for soluble gp120 binding to cell surface CCR5. Within the context of a virion, however, the V3 crown alone determines coreceptor usage. Our data support a two-site gp120-CCR5 binding model wherein the V3 crown and stem interact with distinct regions of CCR5 in order to mediate viral entry.
Local segment-based dense depth reconstruction from very sparsely sampled data

In this paper, we propose two relatively simplistic and efficient methods for depth reconstruction from very sparsely sampled random depth data. Both the proposed approaches exploit the segmentation cue from a registered colour image of the same scene. The first approach which we term as plane fitting depth reconstruction (PFitDR), involves cost computations on plane-fitted depth values over local segments. The second approach, which we call median filled depth reconstruction (MFillDR) is an even simpler method, wherein the reconstruction is carried out using computation of median of depth values over local segments. We demonstrate dense reconstruction from very less number of available depth points (e.g. as low as 1%). Our methods favorably compare with a recent related state-of-the-art method, both qualitatively as well as quantitatively in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity (SSIM) indices.
Does Driver Safety Education have an Impact on Texting While Driving

In today’s society, Americans are more connected than ever. Gone are the days of pulling to the side of the road in order to find a pay phone to call for help, check in with family or find an address of a business in the yellow pages. All these tasks can now be accomplished while driving down the road. Most Americans have become accustomed to driving with distractions; changing the radio station, eating a snack or carrying on an in car conversation with passengers. Many profess that these distractions can be accomplished while maintaining an awareness of traffic conditions and eye contact on the road ahead. The driver of today is surrounded by technology that takes their attention away from the road; checking navigation systems, starting a movie for passengers or reading/sending text messages to family and friends. As automobilists take to the road in the 21rst century, they will not only be faced with the continued threat of drunk drivers and those that complete daily tasks that should be accomplished in a bathroom, but now will have to contend with the driver who is distracted by reading or sending a text. While many of these drivers are teenagers and young adults, distracted driving is not limited to young drivers. This new phenomena is rapidly moving to the forefront of public safety. The purpose of this study was to determine if a driver safety education class could positively affect the perceptions of drivers with regard to texting while driving. The study was a quantitative, repeated measures quasi-experimental design. The hypothesis was a driver safety education class focusing on the hazards of texting and driving, would improve distracted driving perceptions in middle school teachers. The results showed a change in driver perceptions of the hazards associated with texting and driving. The driver safety education had a positive influence on the participants of the study. Further, the effects of the educational intervention continued to DOES DRIVER SAFETY EDUCATION HAVE AN IMPACT ON 3 have a positive influence four weeks post education.
Demographic Variables predicting Employees Willingness to share Tacit Knowledge in Service Occupations

Review of literature on tacit knowledge sharing revealed a dearth of empirical research on the connection between demographic variables and willingness to share tacit knowledge. This study therefore extend tacit knowledge sharing literature by exploring the influence of age, gender, job tenure, and educational level on willingness to share tacit knowledge among 328 (nurses = 258; doctors = 70) health workers, whose ages averaged 32.35 (SD = 2.97). Results showed that willingness to share tacit knowledge increased with age. Employees with longer job tenure also reported high willingness to share tacit knowledge than employees with short job tenure. Moreover, female health workers were more willing to transfer tacit knowledge than male health workers. Moreover, willingness to share tacit knowledge increased as employees' level of education increased. This suggests that management of service occupations may need to consider these demographic variables when designing knowledge management policy.
The profitability of the Irish tobacco market and the benefits of a new levy on tobacco company profits

Using available financial information, this report develops a series of profit estimates for the firms operating in the Irish tobacco market which show they are significantly more profitable than other European consumer staple companies. Between 2010 and 2012 the industry is found to have earned more than €110m annually in profits, and it could quite conceivable have been as high as €150m. Such profits give the large transnational tobacco companies the financial means and a concomitant strong incentive to fight any public health measures that might disrupt the continuation of the tobacco market in its current form. An attractive policy response identified would be for the Irish government to implement a special tobacco levy that is imposed on each company as a proportion of the profits they generate in the Irish market. Such a levy imposed at a rate of 25% would have raised between €27m and €38m annually in each of the years studies. Such revenue could be used to address tobacco related harm, such as funding cessation services, but would also start to address the massive level of profit being earned at the expense of Irish consumers. Furthermore, such a levy could also help facilitate a longer term move towards the direct regulation of tobacco prices which would be even more beneficial. To allow for this future policy possibility, the forthcoming review of the EU Tobacco Tax Directive needs to be used to make appropriate revisions. In the process of developing the estimate of industry profits, current accounting and reporting practices are also identified as being worthy of examination and reform.
Discretization of the Frobenius-Perron Operator Using a Sparse Haar Tensor Basis: The Sparse Ulam Method

The global macroscopic behavior of a dynamical system is encoded in the eigenfunctions of the associated Frobenius-Perron operator. For systems with low dimensional long term dynamics, efficient techniques exist for a numerical approximation of the most important eigenfunctions; cf. [M. Dellnitz and O. Junge, SIAM J. Numer. Anal. , 36 (1999), pp. 491-515]. They are based on a projection of the operator onto a space of piecewise constant functions supported on a neighborhood of the attractor—Ulam's method. In this paper we develop a numerical technique which makes Ulam's approach applicable to systems with higher dimensional long term dynamics. It is based on ideas for the treatment of higher dimensional partial differential equations using sparse grids [C. Zenger, Sparse grids, in Parallel Algorithms for Partial Differential Equations (Kiel, 1990), Vieweg, Braunschweig, 1991, pp. 241-251; H. -J. Bungartz and M. Griebel, Acta Numer. , 13 (2004), pp. 147-269]. Here, we use a sparse Haar tensor basis as the underlying approximation space. We develop the technique, establish statements about its complexity and convergence, and present two numerical examples.
Independent directors, executive remuneration and the governance of the corporation: some empirical evidence from the United Kingdom

One aspect of the study of executive remuneration that has received comparatively little attention is its ability to shed light on the governance of the corporation. The level of a Chief Executive Officerâ€™s remuneration will embody information on both the market within which a business operates and the effectiveness of its independent directors as instruments of corporate governance. Differences in the salaries of top directors that cannot be accounted for by differences in business performance may provide useful evidence on the health of a companyâ€™s governance mechanisms. This paper contains the results of an empirical investigation into the role of external competition and internal controls in generating the executive salaries that we observe in the United Kingdomâ€™s leading firms. It also considers whether compliance with the corporate structures prescribed by external committees is likely to curtail some of the excesses seen in the past.
End-to-End Adversarial Memory Network for Cross-domain Sentiment Classification

Domain adaptation tasks such as cross-domain sentiment classification have raised much attention in recent years. Due to the domain discrepancy, a sentiment classifier trained in a source domain may not work well when directly applied to a target domain. Traditional methods need to manually select pivots, which behave in the same way for discriminative learning in both domains. Recently, deep learning methods have been proposed to learn a representation shared by domains. However, they lack the interpretability to directly identify the pivots. To address the problem, we introduce an end-to-end Adversarial Memory Network (AMN) for cross-domain sentiment classification. Unlike existing methods, the proposed AMN can automatically capture the pivots using an attention mechanism. Our framework consists of two parameter-shared memory networks with one for sentiment classification and the other for domain classification. The two networks are jointly trained so that the selected features minimize the sentiment classification error and at the same time make the domain classifier indiscriminative between the representations from the source or target domains. Moreover, unlike deep learning methods that cannot tell which words are the pivots, AMN can offer a direct visualization of them. Experiments on the Amazon review dataset demonstrate that AMN can significantly outperform state-of-the-art methods.
How to put the evidence into practice: implementation and dissemination strategies

The strategic intent of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is to work with others for the health of all Australians, by promoting informed debate on ethics and policy, providing knowledge-based advice, fostering a high quality and internationally recognised research base, and applying research rigour to health issues. NHMRC documents are prepared by panels of experts drawn from appropriate Australian academic, professional, community and government organisations. NHMRC is grateful to these people for the excellent work they do on its behalf. The work is usually performed on an honorary basis and in addition to their usual work commitments. This document is sold through Government Info Bookshops at a price that covers the cost of printing and distribution only. For publication purchases please contact AusInfo on their toll-free number 132 447, or through their Internet address:
Corporate Social Responsability and Loyalty in Services Sector

The current paper analyses the influence of corporate social responsibility on consumer behaviour, since it brings up new questions related to the effect of this issue on traditional loyalty models. Starting from a literature review about the concept, several hypotheses about the influence of corporate social responsibility on the traditional antecedents of loyalty, image and valuation of services are formulated. Using a methodology support in personal surveys, the study is able to verify a direct effect of corporate social responsibility on service valuation and , therefore, an indirect influence on loyalty and image.
Community vulnerability and symptoms of acute respiratory infection among preschool age children in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi and Nigeria: evidence from Demographic and Health Surveys

Background As a consequence of the global spread of HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa, the impact of the AIDS pandemic has contributed to more than 40 million orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) in sub-Saharan Africa. The children's vulnerability is hypothesised to increase the risk of acute respiratory infection (ARI), which remains one of the major infectious causes of child mortality and morbidity in this region. This study examines the linkages between children's vulnerability and ARI symptoms, with a focus on the individual as well as community levels. Methods Using population-based Demographic and Health Surveys of preschool age children (0–59 months old) from the Democratic Republic of Congo (n=7755), Malawi (n=17 559) and Nigeria (n=28 049), multilevel logistic models were conducted to establish the relationships between ARI symptoms among OVC and community-level vulnerability, adjusting for children's and household characteristics and a season variation. Results The child's OVC status and community vulnerability were shown to be significantly associated with an increased likelihood of the child suffering from ARI symptoms in three countries. In contrast, the relationship between ARI symptoms and some selected variables associated with community development was not consistent across the 3 countries. Conclusions Community vulnerability demonstrates a significant influence on whether or not the child exhibits ARI symptoms. Being OVC contributes to differences in children's likelihood of ARI symptoms between communities. In addition to industrial pollution, specific components, such as community development, vary in their associations with the ARI symptoms across different countries. The large differences in childhood ARI symptoms across countries suggests that policies aimed at promoting child health need to be context specific.
Heterogeneous signal pathways through TSH receptors in porcine thyroid cells following stimulation with Graves' immunoglobulin G.

OBJECTIVE We compared different signal transduction pathways through thyroid stimulating hormone receptor (TSH-R) in porcine thyroid cells (PTC) following stimulation with thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and 11 thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin samples (TSI) obtained from patients with Graves' disease. DESIGN Following stimulation with TSI, the level of inositol trisphosphate (IP3) and [Ca2+]i, as well as the membrane bound protein kinase C (PKC) activity and the intensity of the arachidonic acid (AA) cascade, were determined in PTC. RESULTS Seven out of eleven TSI samples activated PTC through IP3 generation, elevated [Ca2+]i from the intracellular pools, exhibited verapamil-insensitive membrane-bound PKC activation, and enhanced release of [14C]AA derivates (however, one of the samples was also able to take up Ca2+ from the extracellular space). Four out of eleven TSI samples did not activate the phospholipase C (PLC) system in which case the Ca2+ signal occurred only in the presence of extracellular Ca2+, the membrane bound PKC activation was verapamil sensitive, and in two of these four TSI samples, the AA release was extremely high. CONCLUSIONS The simultaneous examination of the majority of the known signal pathways using TSI samples showed that TSI samples from different patients activate thyroid cells through different pathways. Their effects differ from that of TSH and, to a certain extent, from each other. The results give a certain new insight into the intracellular mechanisms exerted by TSI.
A Survey of Anxiety and Depression Symptoms among Primary-Care Physicians in China

Objective: Anxiety and depression disorder are the most prevalent mental health problems. However, few studies are available pertaining to these problems among Chinese doctors, especially the assessment of the anxiety and depression symptoms among primary-care providers. The aim of this study was to assess the anxiety and depression symptoms among Chinese primary-care physicians and their associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 451 primary-care physicians in Shanghai China (effective response rate was 79.8%). There were 177 male physicians and 274 female physicians with average age of 37.8 (SD ± 11.1) years. Questionnaire pertaining to depression disorder was indicated by the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and anxiety disorder was indicated by the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). Results: The average SAS and SDS standard scores of the primary-care physicians were 41.1 ± 11.5 and 46.5 ± 11.8 respectively. Both of the scale scores were higher than those of Chinese national norms (P both < 0.001). SDS standard score ⩾ 53 and SAS standard score ⩾ 50 were regarded as screening-positive criteria. SAS and SDS screening positive rates of primary-care physicians were 18.0% and 31.7% respectively. In addition, married/cohabited and divorced/widowed physicians aged over 30 years with educational background of junior college had higher risks of anxiety and depression disorders. Conclusions: Chinese primary-care physicians were at considerably high risk of anxiety and depression disorders, which was worthy of attention during healthcare system reform in China.
Ageing is associated with diminished muscle re‐growth and myogenic precursor cell expansion early after immobility‐induced atrophy in human skeletal muscle

• Elderly individuals require a prolonged recovery phase in order to return to initial muscle mass levels following short‐term immobilisation. • The cellular mechanisms responsible for the attenuated re‐growth and associated molecular signalling processes in ageing human skeletal muscle are not fully understood. • The main study finding was the observation of a less marked muscle mass recovery after immobilisation in elderly compared to young individuals that was paralleled by an elevation in myogenic precursor cell content in young individuals only, whereas the elderly failed to demonstrate any change in myogenic precursor cells. • No age‐related differences were observed in the expression of major myogenic regulating factors known to promote skeletal muscle hypertrophy or satellite cell proliferation (IGF‐1Ea, MGF, MyoD1, myogenin, HGF gene products). • In contrast, the expression of myostatin demonstrated a more pronounced up‐regulation following immobilisation along with an attenuated down‐regulation in response to reloading in older compared to young individuals, which may have contributed to the present lack of satellite cell proliferation in ageing muscle.
Time to Grow Up: Large Sample Evidence on the Maturation Dynamics of Private Venture-Backed Firms

Using a large quasi-time-series dataset, this paper describes and analyzes how a wide range of the economic characteristics of venture-backed firms change as such firms mature through their private, pre-exit stages of life. Three patterns emerge that I interpret as being consistent with a firm-level interpretation of Gort and Klepper's (1982) theory of the life cycle dynamics of a new industry. First, many firm characteristics evolve as a linear function of the number of venture funding rounds received. This is consistent with venture investors seeing firm maturity in terms of business and/or technological milestones, since meeting milestones is a common requirement for firms to obtain a given round of venture funding. Second, as they mature, firms' revenues per employee and the number of patents granted rise, and the fraction of employees in sales (technical) functions increases (falls). This supports the proposition that venture-backed firms transition from establishing technological milestones to establishing business milestones as they mature. Third, departures from linear maturation tend to occur at the Seed round of funding that precedes the 1st (Series A) round. At the Seed round, managers hold unusually large amounts of equity and their firms are less likely to provide full employee benefits or have adopted formal corporate policies. I interpret this as indicating that venture investors exert their biggest influence at the Series A round and that this influence is permanent, not transitory.
Some possible effects of birth control on the incidence of disorders and on the influence of birth order

Selective limitation of family size will reduce the relative incidence R of a disorder if for different values of i there are differences in the probability pi that a child born to the ith set of parents is affected, and if the size si of the ith sibship (in the absence of affected offspring) is independent of pi. When si=s for all i, R will be reduced more when the criterion of termination is A= 1 (i.e. when the presence of one affected offspring terminates the sibship) than when the value of A is greater than one, and this reduction in R for any value of A (A< s) will increase with increasing values of s. To facilitate the measurement of R under various general conditions, and to assess the magnitude of the effect of selective limitation on R, various formulae are given herein.