Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Securities Litigation Reform on the Disclosure of Forward-Looking Information by High Technology Firms

type="main" xml:lang="en"> This study evaluates corporate voluntary disclosure of forward-looking information under the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Using a sample of 523 computer hardware, computer software, and pharmaceutical firms, we find a significant increase in both the frequency of firms issuing earnings and sales forecasts and the mean number of forecasts issued following the Act’s passage. To provide more direct evidence that our findings are attributable to the Act reducing firms’ legal exposure, we develop a proxy for litigation risk and examine whether the increase in disclosure is more pronounced for firms at greatest risk of a lawsuit. As expected, we find that the change in disclosure is increasing in firms’ ex ante risk of litigation. Finally, we report that the safe harbor had no adverse impact on the quality of forward-looking information. Forecast errors, whether directional or non-directional, were not significantly affected by the Act’s passage.
Biological Diversity in Agriculture and Global Change

Biological diversity of agriculture consists of several analytic levels and spatial management scales that are subject to complex interactions with global change. The complexity of interactions is related to the bidirectional impacts and influences of global land use and climate change in combination with social-environmental shifts (globalization of agricultural development; market integration; technological change; and regulation through global treaties, policies, and institutions). This article develops a conceptual framework of the complexity of interactions using four thematic nodes—biological diversity in agriculture; global change; management and scale; and social-environmental adaptation, vulnerability, and resilience. It argues for the increased relevance of this framework. Linking expanded scientific research and policy to this group of conceptual nodes yields insight into the impacts of global change on biological diversity in agriculture and into the design of conservation strategies, monitoring approaches, and sustainability policies. Future policy must anticipate interactions of biological diversity, agroecosystem complexity, and global change stemming from the acceleration and integration of region-scale land-use intensification and disintensification.
Communicating corporate image into existence: the case of the Saudi banking industry

Purpose – The paper seeks to explore the factors that would make an impact on the corporate image of large commercial banks in Saudi Arabia through the perceptions of direct customers. It proposes an appropriate way of measuring corporate image in the Saudi banking industry through the development of a questionnaire.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire, presented in English and Arabic, was piloted and tested to a group of banking customers in three major cities of Saudi Arabia.Findings – Results indicate that three factors significantly influence perception: “financial prospects”, “corporate management” and “corporate communication”. These explain 67.7 per cent of the total variance. The notion of “market presence” was not strongly felt in the Saudi banking industry despite the growing trend of internationalization of large commercial banks in the country.Research limitations/implications – Corporate image is regarded as a critical, strategic and enduring intangible asset for an organization. A f.
Result of photodynamic therapy for idiopathic subfoveal choroidal neovascularization.

PURPOSE To investigate the factors that affect final vision following photodynamic therapy (PDT) for idiopathic subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV). METHODS A retrospective review of 16 patients whose eyes were diagnosed as idiopathic subfoveal CNV and were followed up for a minimum of 9 months. Statistical analysis was performed to investigate relationships between sex, age, size of the lesion, and initial vision compared to final vision. RESULTS In the PDT group (10 eyes), the mean age of the patients was 34 years, mean size of the lesion was 1300 microm, mean initial vision was 20/60, and 7 of the 10 patients (70%) showed more than a two-line improvement in vision. Factors affecting final vision were sex (p=0.049), initial vision (p=0.0455), and size of the lesion (p=0.006). In the observation group (6 eyes), the mean age of the patients was 39 years, mean size of the lesion was 575 microm, mean initial vision was 20/32, and 5 of the 6 patients (83%) showed more than a two-line improvement in vision. CONCLUSIONS The prognosis of idiopathic CNV was favorable as was reported in other studies. In the PDT group, statistically significant factors affecting final vision were initial vision, size of the lesion, and sex. However, since the number of patients sampled was insufficient and the average size of the lesions in the female patients was smaller, the size of the lesion seems to be the most important factor.
Ureases as a target for the treatment of gastric and urinary infections

Urease is known to be a major contributor to pathologies induced by Helicobacter pylori and Proteus species. In H pylori, urease allows the bacteria to survive in an acidic gastric environment during colonisation, playing an important role in the pathogenesis of gastric and peptic ulcers. Ureolytic activity also results in the production of ammonia in close proximity to the gastric epithelium, causing cell damage and inflammation. In the case of Proteus species (notably Proteus mirabilis) infection, stones are formed due to the presence of ammonia and carbon dioxide released by urease action. In addition, the ammonia released is able to damage the glycosaminoglycan layer, which protects the urothelial surface against bacterial infection. In this context, the administration of urease inhibitors may be an effective therapy for urease-dependent pathogenic bacteria. This is a review of the role of ureases in H pylori and Proteus species infections, focussing on the biochemical and clinical aspects of the most promising and/or potent urease inhibitors for the treatment of gastric and urinary tract infections.
A Note on 'Corporate Social Responsibility and Marketing Channel Coordination'

Goering (2012) works on a bilateral monopoly with perfect marketing channel coordination to analyze the effects of corporate social responsibility. He starts the analysis of a bilateral monopoly with socially concerned firms where either the manufacturer or the retailer is additionally to its profit interested in a share of consumer surplus. In this short note, we extend this analysis and study the case where both firms are socially concerned. As a result, we enlarge the analysis started by Goering (2012) and get further interesting insights into a bilateral monopoly with corporate social responsibility. First, we are able to summarize ‘Proposition 1’ and ‘Proposition 4’ into a common one and figure out the circumstances when the wholesale price fixed by the manufacturer is below marginal costs. Second, we explain analytically the findings from ‘Proposition 3’ and ‘Proposition 6’. We point out the model's key assumption – the perfectly coordinated marketing channel – as the driver of the results and the reason for the equilibrium results' independence from retailer's social concern.
Tat‐dependent targeting of Rieske iron‐sulphur proteins to both the plasma and thylakoid membranes in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC6803

Cyanobacteria possess a differentiated membrane system and transport proteins into both the periplasm and thylakoid lumen. We have used green fluorescent protein (GFP)‐tagged constructs to study the Tat protein transporter and Rieske Tat substrates in Synechocystis PCC6803. The Tat system has been shown to operate in the plasma membrane; we show here that it is also relatively abundant in the thylakoid membrane network, indicating that newly synthesized Tat substrates are targeted to both membrane systems. Synechocystis contains three Rieske iron‐sulphur proteins, all of which contain typical twin‐arginine signal‐like sequences at their N‐termini. We show that two of these proteins (PetC1 and PetC2) are obligate Tat substrates when expressed in Escherichia coli. The Rieske proteins exhibit differential localization in Synechocystis 6803; PetC1 and PetC2 are located in the thylakoid membrane, while PetC3 is primarily targeted to the plasma membrane. The combined data show that Tat substrates are directed with high precision to both membrane systems in this cyanobacterium, raising the question of how, and when, intracellular sorting to the correct membrane is achieved.
Market-Timing and Agency Costs: Evidence from Private Equity

Private equity (PE) funds operate at the interface of private and public capital markets. This paper investigates whether PE fund managers have private information about the valuations of publicly traded securities. Using a dataset of cash flows from 941 buyout and venture funds, I show that PE funds' distribution patterns predict returns of public securities in the industries of the funds' specialization, but fund managers tend to sell at the market peaks only when they have performance fees to harvest. I find that the cost of this agency tension increases in the manager's survival risk and that the managers' knowledge pertains to the public firms' future earnings rather than the discount-rates. My tests distinguish market-timing from reactions to the variation in risk premia and spillover effects of PE activity on public firms. The results help better understand PE performance and have strong implications for PE manager selection. It follows that PE activity embeds private information into the prices of public securities.
Localizing NADPH Oxidase–Derived ROS

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) function as signaling molecules to mediate various biological responses, including cell migration, growth, and gene expression. ROS are diffusible and short-lived molecules. Thus, localizing the ROS signal at the specific subcellular compartment is essential for activating redox signaling events after receptor activation. NADPH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) oxidase is one of the major sources of ROS in vasculature; it consists of a catalytic subunit (Nox1, Nox2, Nox3, Nox4, or Nox5), p22phox, p47phox, p67phox, and the small guanosine triphosphatase Rac1. Targeting of NADPH oxidase to focal complexes in lamellipodia and membrane ruffles through the interaction of p47phox with the scaffold proteins TRAF4 and WAVE1 provides a mechanism for achieving localized ROS production, which is required for directed cell migration. ROS are believed to inactivate protein tyrosine phosphatases, which concentrate in specific subcellular compartments, thereby establishing a positive feedback system that activates redox signaling pathways to promote cell movement. Additionally, ROS production may be localized through interactions of NADPH oxidase with signaling platforms associated with lipid rafts and caveolae, as well as with endosomes. There is also evidence that NADPH oxidase is found in the nucleus, indicating its involvement in redox-responsive gene expression. This review focuses on targeting of NADPH oxidase to discrete subcellular compartments as a mechanism of localizing ROS and activation of downstream redox signaling events that mediate various cell functions. This STKE Review, with 3 figures and 55 citations, describes evidence for localized production of reactive oxygen species in targeted or polarized cell movement. Targeting of NADPH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) oxidase to the focal complexes in lamellipodia and membrane ruffles of cells provides a mechanism for achieving localized ROS production. This targeting is achieved by the interaction of the p47phox subunit of the NADPH oxidase with various scaffold proteins such as TRAF4 and WAVE1. ROS are believed to inactivate protein tyrosine phosphatases, thereby establishing a positive feedback system that promotes directed cell migration. Additionally, ROS production may be localized through interactions of NADPH oxidase with signaling platforms associated with lipid rafts and caveolae, as well as with endosomes and the nucleus. These mechanisms may explain how localized ROS activate discrete signaling pathways.
Multipliers, Vacancy Chains, and Filtering in Housing

Abstract Looking at housing policy in terms of the careers of vacancies in the system offers a new perspective for deciding on program priorities. Available data indicate that the filtering process enables four families to move for every new unit built. The filtering process can be modeled using probabilities for the movement of housing vacancies. New vacancies are generated by the flow of families out of the metropolitan area as well as by the flow of new houses into the metropolitan stock.
Transcranial Doppler Monitoring in Angioplasty and Stenting of the Carotid Bifurcation

Purpose: To assess the impact of cerebral embolism and hemodynamic changes during the successive stages of carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS) using transcranial Doppler (TCD) monitoring of the middle cerebral artery (MCA). Methods: In 297 patients (206 men; mean age 69.9±8.0 years), the association of various TCD emboli and velocity variables with procedure-related death and cerebral events (amaurosis fugax, transient ischemic attacks, and stroke) was evaluated. Baseline patient characteristics (age, sex, preoperative cerebral symptoms, and prior carotid endarterectomy) and their associations with procedure-related cerebral events were also assessed. A distinction was made between adverse events that occurred during CAS and those that happened within 7 days. Results: Of the 36 procedure-related retinal and cerebral events, 28 (78%) were encountered intraprocedurally; an additional 6 (2%) events occurred within 7 days after the procedure. Two (0.7%) patients died. At 1 week, the combined minor and major stroke and death rate was 3.7%. Adverse outcome was associated with >4 showers of microemboli at postdilation (odds ratio [OR] 3.2, 95% CI 1.3 to 7.8, p = 0.03), particulate macroemboli (OR 9.1, 95% CI 5.1 to 16.1, p<.001), massive air embolism from ruptured balloons (OR 11.3, 95% CI 7.6 to 16.6, p<0.001), and angioplasty-induced asystole with significant hypotension plus MCA blood flow reduction (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.4 to 8.3, p = 0.03). Of the patient characteristics, male gender (OR 10.5, 95% CI 1.4 to 75.8, p = 0.02) and preoperative cerebral ischemia (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.6 to 6.6, p = 0.003) were also related to outcome. Conclusions: In CAS, TCD monitoring provides insight into the pathogenesis of procedure-related cerebral events. Microemboli during poststent dilation, particulate macroembolism, massive air embolism, and angioplasty-induced asystole are associated with adverse outcome, as are male gender and prior cerebral ischemia.
Exploring the mechanisms of the relationship between website characteristics and organizational attraction

With the development and application of Internet technology, the Internet has become a critical tool for employee recruitment. The main purpose of this study is to investigate whether the characteristics of corporate websites would predict job seekers' perceptions of person–organization fit and person–job fit, which in turn would predict the seekers' attraction to the organization. Data were collected from 353 job seekers through a bulletin board system and websites of job-related forums. The results indicate that the website content (i.e. organizational culture, compensation, and job preview) and website stylistic features (i.e. aesthetics and navigational usability) had differential effects on job seekers' fit perceptions, which in turn affected organizational attraction. Directions for future research and practical implications are also discussed in this paper.
Implementing atomic actions on decentralized data (Extended Abstract)

In this paper, a new approach to coordinating accesses to shared data objects is described. We have observed that synchronization of accesses to shared data and recovering the state of such data in the case of failures are really two sides of the same problem—implementing atomic actions on multiple data items. We describe a mechanism that solves both problems simultaneously in a way that is compatible with requirements of decentralized systems. In particular, the correct construction of a new atomic action can be done without knowledge of all other atomic actions in the system that might execute concurrently. Further, the mechanisms degrade gracefully if parts of the system fail—only those atomic actions that require resources in failed parts of the system are prevented from executing.
Relationships and impacts of service quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction, and image: an empirical study

In today's world of intense competition, satisfying customers is only the base line and may not be sufficient for survival. Management should focus on gaining customer loyalty by enhancing customer perceptions of service quality and increasing as perceived by the consumer value. Although previous studies have addressed the importance of service quality, satisfaction, perceived value, and image, the precise nature of the relationships that exist between these constructs and the understanding of their effect on customer behaviour still remains a key issue. This empirical study seeks to understand the relationships that exist between service quality and perceived value and how they impact customer satisfaction, corporate image, and behavioural intentions. The proposed model indicates that delivering high quality service and creating superior customer value can result in achieve high customer satisfaction, thus effecting the firm's corporate image, and ultimately leading to consumer retention.
GENETIC BASIS OF DIFFERENCES IN GENITAL MORPHOLOGY AMONG THREE SIBLING SPECIES OF DROSOPHILA

There is currently a debate about the relevance of microevolutionary studies to understanding macroevolutionary patterns. The classical view (e.g., Harland, 1936; Dobzhansky, 1970; Charlesworth et al., 1982) is that macroevolutionary phenomena such as adaptive radiation represent simple extrapolations of processes which can be studied in the field and laboratory. An alternative idea is that microand macroevolutionary events have qualitatively different causes and genetic underpinnings (Goldschmidt, 1933; Stanley, 1979; 1982; Gould, 1980; Vrba, 1980). Much of the controversy is about genetic change during speciation. The classical neo-Darwinian view maintains that the genetic basis of phenotypic differences among populations and individuals within a species is similar to that among species
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Angiogenesis in congenital vascular malformations : a dynamic view on a static lesion

Congruency of the development of peripheral nerves and blood vessels has been well described and usually nerves and blood vessels follow each other during development. While little is known about the existence of a substantial neural component in vascular malformations we investigate the presence of an intralesional component of nerve bundles in congenital vascular malformations of soft tissues. Resection specimens of 130 congenital vascular malformations of soft tissue were retrospectively screened for the presence and extent of intralesional mature nerves bundles. Lesions were histopathologically categorized in arteriovenous malformations (AVM, n=83), pure venous malformations (VM, n=33) and lymphaticvenous malformations (LVM, n=14). For identification of nerves, all sections were immunostained with anti-S100. GLUT1 immunostaining excluded the presence of infantile hemangiomas in these series. Ninety six (96) of 130 cases (74%) showed a substantial increase of intralesional nerves in close apposition to the vessels. The nervous component appeared to be more extensive in the head and neck region and upper extremities than in malformations of other topographic sites. Most cases of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) showed an increase in nerve elements (87% of all AVMs), which was more than in pure venous malformations (VM, 55%). In cases of lymphatic-venous malformations the areas composed of lymphatic vessels showed an almost complete absence of nerves. Prior surgery in the malformation gave no different nerve pattern compared to cases which were surgically treated for the first time. The abundant presence of intralesional mature nerves in the majority of congenital vascular malformations suggests that, at least in a large subset of lesions, neural components are an integral part of the developmental disorder. This is particularly evident in the arteriovenous type of malformations, and lesions that arise in the head and neck region of the body. LorineMeyerJorna27-3-12.indd 144 27-3-2012 10:40:58 145 11 A neural component in congenital vascular malformations
The Impact of Visible and Dark Orders

Using publicly-available market data we construct a three component order flow imbalance vector that represents executions against displayed quotes, executions against dark liquidity and the net imbalance in the flow of limit orders. The main accomplishment of this paper is to provide empirical evidence on how these different components of order flow affect returns. We find that market order executions against dark liquidity have the smallest impact on stock returns. In contrast, market executions against displayed liquidity provide the highest pressure on market returns, followed by the price impact from the net limit order flow. Drawing from these results, we define a scalar imbalance that correlates to stock returns more closely than the traditional Lee-Ready imbalance.
Short‐Selling Pressure and Last‐Resort Debt Finance: Evidence from 144A High‐Yield Risk‐Adjusted Debt

This study examines why non-financial publicly traded firms knowingly issue wealth destroying Rule 144A debt, which is associated with a negative announcement return and a higher yield. We provide a plausible ‘demand-side’ explanation (i.e. last-resort debt financing) for the motivation for issuing such debt. We also provide evidence as to what drives this negative reaction. Our findings suggest that the negative market impact is mainly driven by short-selling pressure from convertible bond arbitrageurs.
Price Shocks, News Disclosures, and Asymmetric Drifts

ABSTRACT: Motivated by investor disagreement and corporate disclosure literatures, we examine how stock price shocks affect future stock returns. We find that both large short-term price drops and hikes are followed by negative abnormal returns over the subsequent year, consistent with the conjecture that price shocks are useful indicators of intertemporal spikes in investor disagreement and investor opinion converges gradually. The asymmetric drifts involve return continuation for negative price shocks versus return reversal for positive price shocks, and are in sharp contrast to the general findings of symmetric drifts in corporate event studies. Moreover, price shocks associated with public news events are followed by significantly weaker downward drifts, suggesting that news disclosures mitigate disagreement-induced overpricing. Examining the dynamics of a disagreement proxy during and after price shocks, we provide further evidence for the disagreement hypothesis. The economic significance of the pri.
Modest efficacy of voriconazole against murine infections by Sporothrix schenckii and lack of efficacy against Sporothrix brasiliensis

The efficacy of voriconazole (VRC) was evaluated against two strains of each of the two most common species causing sporotrichosis, Sporothrix schenckii sensu stricto and Sporothrix brasiliensis, using a murine model of disseminated infection. Voriconazole was administered at doses of 20 or 40 mg kg−1 per day by gavage. The drug showed some efficacy, especially at 40 mg kg−1 per day, in prolonging the survival and reducing fungal load in spleen and liver in mice infected with S. schenckii, whereas in animals infected with S. brasiliensis the drug did not work.