Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deviations from the Target Capital Structure of Financial Institutions

Using a large sample of U.S. financial institutions between 2000-2007, this paper documents that the distance from the target capital structure helps explain several capital structure adjustments. First, financial institutions which are either over-leveraged or under-capitalized with respect to their respective target are more likely to issue different securities which increase their financial flexibility. While both of these bank specific targets play an important role, the distance to the overall regulatory constraint further influences the banks' behavior. Second, this paper also provides evidence on the real effects which deviations from the target capital structure can have: The further under-capitalized banks are, the more they reduce the growth rate of customer loans and the more banks deviate from their leverage target, the more they increase their asset risk.
Understanding and probable area of difficulty of tax agents towards the proposed Goods and Service Tax in Malaysia

Malaysian Government wanted to replace the Sales and Service Tax with Goods and Service Tax (GST) by 2015. The government would only introduce once everyone understand and familiar with the tax. This study is aimed to explore the perception of tax agents towards the proposed GST.Two constructs namely understanding and probable area of difficulty were used to measure the GST perceptions. A survey was carried out to acquire the data from 1,200 tax agent throughout Malaysia. A total of 155 questionnaires were used to analyze using descriptive statistics. Test of reliability and validity were also done on the two constructs.The result indicated that tax agents in Malaysia have good understanding towards the Government intention to introduce GST.Respondents also indicated that the most prominent probable area of difficulties in GST was the understanding or knowledge of GST.All the items in the two constructs have mean score of above 3.00. Both the cronbach alpha value and KMO value have more than 0.800 for all the two constructs.The findings suggest that the attitude, awareness,understanding and preparedness of tax agents are positive towards the implementation of GST in Malaysia. This study provides important and valuable inputs for the Government to implement strategic plan to enhance the level of understanding to taxpayers so that GST can be introduced without obstacles.
Epithelial fibroblast triggering and interactions in pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterised by repeated injury to the alveolar epithelium with loss of lung epithelial cells and abnormal tissue repair, resulting in excessive accumulation of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts, deposition of extracellular matrix components and distortion of lung architecture, eventually leading to respiratory failure. There is growing circumstantial evidence to suggest that in IPF the alveolar epithelium is prone to undergoing programmed cell death following repeated injury, although the mechanism for inducing epithelial apoptosis is, as yet, unknown. Potentially, one explanation may be the formation of misfolded proteins and an unfolded protein response-mediated apoptosis in alveolar epithelial cells (AECs), in response to abnormal protein production and aggregation. Epithelial apoptosis is accompanied by damage to the basement membrane leading to the release of growth factors and chemokines, which recruit fibroblasts to the site of injury (fibroblastic foci). Instead of AECs healing by repair, myofibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix deposition continues unabated in IPF. The transformation of epithelial cells into mesenchymal cells, a process known as epithelial-mesenchymal transition, which allows direct communication between cells, is a possible explanation for the activation of alveolar epithelial cells in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The present article discusses this process and other potential mechanisms by which epithelial cell injury can lead to fibroblast recruitment and accumulation in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Psychiatric features in diffuse Lewy body disease

To the Editor: We were interested in the report of Klatka et a1.I describing psychiatric symptoms in 28 patients with diffuse Lewy body disease (DLBD) diagnosed pathologically. Of the patients with DLBD, 50% (14/28) experienced significant depression a t some time during their illness, compared with 13.8% (8/58) of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a significant difference. Some previous literature supports an excess of depressive symptoms in patients with senile dementia of Lewy body type (SDLT). McKeith et al.2 found significant depressive symptoms in 30% of patients with SDLT compared with 16% of patients with AD. This was a significant difference, but was not substantial enough to merit depression being included as one of the diagnostic criteria for SDLT. -! In two series of clinical patients with SDLT, Ballard et al. reported prevalence rates of depression of 43.8%? and 33.3? b4 determine if those patients were overrepresented in the depressed group. We agree that further studies are indicated to determine the relationship between depression and parkinsonism in DLBD.
A 30-ps Si bipolar IC using super self-aligned process technology

A new 30-ps Si bipolar IC technology has been developed by scaling down a bipolar transistor's lateral geometry and forming shallow junctions. The n-p-n transistor has a 0.35-µm-wide emitter and a 1.57-µm-wide base region fabricated using super self-aligned process technology (SST) with 1-µm rule optical lithography. The fTvalues achieved for this device are 13.7 GHz at a collector-emitter voltage of 1 V and 17.1 GHz at 3 V. Propagation delay times (fan-in = fan-out = 1) of 30 ps/gate at 1.48 mW/gate for nonthreshold logic and 50 ps/ gate at 1.46 mW/gate for low-level current mode logic have been achieved.
Achieving service quality through service innovation exploration-exploitation: The critical role of employee empowerment and slack resources

Purpose - This study investigates the effects of service innovation exploration-exploitation on financial performance through the delivery of quality services. Additional emphasis is also given to examining the extent to which employee empowerment and slack resources enhance or suppress the performance benefits of service firms engaging in service innovation exploration versus exploitation. Design/methodology/approach - Data were drawn from a multi-informant survey of service firms using a drop-and-collect approach. The survey gathered data from managers, customer service employees and customers to test the hypotheses. Findings - The results show that excelling at both exploitative and exploratory innovation helps enhance the quality of services, which in turn yield superior financial performance. Further, empowering employees enhances the relationship between exploratory and exploitative service innovation and service quality. We also show that the extent managers’ perceived their market to be competitive influences in the pursuit of high levels of both service innovation exploration and exploitation and that this relationship is impacted by the extent they believe they have available slack resources. Practical implications - The findings suggest that service firms need to pursue both exploitation and exploration at high levels simultaneously and empower their employees to stay ahead of competitors in delivering quality services, which ultimately contribute to the achievement of superior financial outcomes. Also, the findings highlight the importance of employee empowerment, market competitiveness and slack resources in the pursuit of high levels of both service innovation exploration and exploitation. Originality/value - These findings and our theory indicate that this study is the first to empirically examine organizational ambidexterity in the context of service innovation exploration – exploitation adopting the principles of combined and balanced innovation. The study provides insights into the critical role of customers’ perceptions of service quality in contributing to firms’ financial performance. Our insights are unique in that the study incorporates managers, employees and customers in an integrated service innovation model.
Effect of biological additives on growth indices and physiological responses of weaned Najdi ram lambs.

This study was carried out at Alkhurmah Governorate; Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Thirty weaned males of Najdi sheep aged between 3-4 months with average body weight 22.87±. 0.18 kg were used for study. Animals were allotted to three comparable groups (10 lambs/each), the first group served as control (fed ration composed of 60% concentrate feed mixture (CFM) plus 40 % alfalfa hay) while the second and third groups were fed with 5g and 10g/kg probiotics diet (Biovet -YC + a concentrate feed mixture) respectively, for six months. Lambs were weighed monthly and growth performance indices (growth rate, GR, %, average daily gain ADG, gram/head/day and Total weight gain, TWG, kg) were calculated. The results demonstrated that lambs supplemented with 5g/kg probiotics diet (level 1) had better performance (P<0.05) in GR, ADG and TWG than those supplemented with 10g/kg probiotics diet (level 2) and control groups. In General, lambs supplemented with probiotics shows significant improvement (P<0.05) the values of Hb, PCV, RBC's, and WBC's compared with control group. On the other hand, level 2 of probiotics group had higher concentrations of PCV, RBC’s (P<0.05) and WBC’s (P<0.05) than level 1 of probiotics and control groups. The mean values of plasma TP, AL, GL and GLU concentrations had higher values (P<0.05) for lambs under probiotics supplementation than control group, while total plasma CHO and CRE levels in all groups remained relatively stable throughout the study.
Analysis of the financial crisis effect on company mergers

This paper presents the first results of an electronic research project which has the aims to identify the problems appearing during the preparation of mergers in compliance with valid Czech regulations and to analyze economic causes and consequences of mergers. At the first stage it was necessary to compile a basic dataset in a structure needed for a statistical analysis. This dataset we created from two Czech alectronic databases - Trade bulletin and Trade register. The aim of the study is to explore, both theoretically and empirically from this dataset too, the effect of the financial crisis on the activity of company mergers in the conditions of the Czech economy. The temporal range of the study is the last 10 years, i.e. 2001-2010, when two financial crises occurred. The results of the analysis pointed out two main factors affecting the activities in the area of company mergers which took place during the last decade. At the next stage of the study, the research methodology will concentrate on the assessment of the economic efficiency of implemented mergers.
Americans' Financial Capability

This paper examines Americans' financial capability, using data from a new survey. Financial capability is measured in terms of how well people make ends meet, plan ahead, choose and manage financial products, and possess the skills and knowledge to make financial decisions. The findings reported in this work paint a troubling picture of the state of financial capability in the United States. The majority of Americans do not plan for predictable events such as retirement or children's college education. Most importantly, people do not make provisions for unexpected events and emergencies, leaving themselves and the economy exposed to shocks. To understand financial capability, it is important to look not only at assets but also at debt and debt management, as an increasingly large portion of the population carry debt. In managing debt, Americans engage in behaviors that can generate large expenses, such as sizable interest payments and fees. Moreover, more than one in five Americans has used alternative (and often costly) borrowing methods (payday loans, advances on tax refunds, pawn shops, etc.) in the past five years. The most worrisome finding is that many people do not seem well informed and knowledgeable about their terms of borrowing; a sizeable group does not know the terms of their mortgages or the interest rates they pay on their loans. Finally, the majority of Americans lack basic numeracy and knowledge of fundamental economic principles such as the workings of inflation, risk diversification, and the relationship between asset prices and interest rates.
Mutual Coupling Compensation Matrices for Transmitting and Receiving Arrays

A general method to obtain a matrix which allows the compensation of mutual coupling effects in transmitting arrays for the total field in all directions is introduced. This method is independent of the numerical method used in the analysis and it can include the effect of the antenna platform. The starting point can be the active element patterns or the spherical mode expansion from spherical near-field antenna measurements. Additionally, the spherical mode expansion is also used to find a matrix which allows the compensation of mutual coupling effects in receiving arrays. Through this theory, a simple relation between the compensation matrices of the transmitting and the receiving arrays is found. As a consequence, the scattering matrix of a circuit that allows the simultaneous compensation of mutual coupling effects for the transmission and the reception problem can be easily defined. Finally, it will be shown how the capabilities of the compensation in all directions depend strongly on the array element.
Herding Behaviour by Equity Foreign Investors on Emerging Markets

This article analyses empirically the herding behaviour on emerging markets, measuring the degree of herding by foreign investors on emerging equity markets, and evaluating the effects of this behaviour on the volatility and kurtosis of the markets. We use an adaptation of the LSV Herding measure, calculating the measure for a sample of nine emerging markets over the period 2000-2005. Our overall mean, although is lower than previous studies with emerging equity markets during the late 1990s, still indicates the presence of herding behaviour. Regarding the effects of Herding on the risk measures, our results are mixed. We found no effect of the Herding on the volatility. However, we found evidence that fat tails of equity return's distribution may be caused by this herding behaviour of foreigners.
Do Traded Risk Factors Outperform Non-Traded Factors?

I compare the explanatory power of equity multifactor models (where all the factors are excess returns) against ICAPM/macro models. I use a large cross-section of stocks and introduce a new cross-sectional R^2, based on the restriction that the risk price estimates are equal to the corresponding factor means. The equity factor models do not outperform significantly the ICAPM (and in some cases, the CAPM) in terms of explaining the broad cross-section of stock returns. This is especially true when the anomalies are not trivially related to the factors. This suggests that the performance of several multifactor models is probably overstated.
Differential Section of the Seventh Nerve as a Tertiary Procedure for the Treatment of Benign Essential Blepharospasm

Purpose To examine the efficacy of differential section of the seventh nerve in treatment of patients with blepharospasm refractory to botulinum toxin and eyelid protractor myectomy. Methods A retrospective noncomparative interventional case series consisting of a cohort of 228 patients with benign essential blepharospasm followed from 1987 to 1997 in a university ophthalmic plastic surgery referral practice. Patients were treated with botulinum toxin injections, eyelid protractor myectomy, and differential section of the seventh nerve in stepwise fashion as needed for symptomatic control. Results Thirty-four patients (15% of total) underwent eyelid protractor myectomy during this period. Eyelid protractor myectomy failed to control blepharospasm in 7 (21%) of these 34 patients, who then underwent differential section of the seventh nerve an average of 2 years after myectomy. Patients were followed up for an average of 36 months, with a success rate of 42% (3 of 7). The remaining 4 patients had repeat differential section of the seventh nerve with a 50% success rate, which brought the overall success rate from differential section of the seventh nerve to 71%. Lower eyelid ectropion requiring surgical repair complicated 27% of differential section of the seventh nerve procedures. Conclusions Differential section of the seventh nerve is a reasonable alternative in the treatment of patients who have persistent disability despite treatment with botulinum toxin injections and eyelid protractor myectomy.
Marrow irradiation with high-dose 153Samarium-EDTMP followed by chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell infusion for acute myelogenous leukemia

In four patients, aged 15 – 20 years, with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML), high-dose samarium 153-labelled ethylenediaminetetramethylenephosphonate (153Sm-EDTMP) was used for targeted marrow irradiation before preparative chemotherapy conditioning regimens and allogeneic (three patients) or autologous (one patient) hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The dose of 153Sm-EDTMP was 703 MBq/kg (n = 1) or 1110 MBq/kg (n = 3). No side-effects occurred during the 30-min infusion of 153Sm-EDTMP. Samarium – melphalan regimens were given to three patients; one had 153Sm-EDTMP – busulfan + cyclophosphamide. Total body radioactivity was below the 133 MBq safe limit before infusion of stem cells (day 14 after 153Sm-EDTMP). No hemorrhagic cystitis, nephrotoxicity or serious infections occurred. Leukocyte engraftment (white blood cell count >0.5×109/l) occurred between 12 and 23 days after stem cell infusion (mean of 17 days). Complete cytogenetic and morphologic remission of AML was evident on follow-up marrow aspirate and biopsy specimens from all patients. In two of the four study patients, the disease remains in complete remission and the patients have an excellent quality of life (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0; no medications) and no organ toxicity more than 2 years and more than 4 years, respectively, after their blood and bone marrow transplantations. Thus, in adolescents and adults, 153Sm-EDTMP may provide a relatively simple and effective means for using irradiation to eliminate AML within the marrow.
An endoscopic comparison of the effects of alendronate and risedronate on upper gastrointestinal mucosae

OBJECTIVES:The nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates alendronate and risedronate have been reported to have upper gastrointestinal (GI) safety and tolerability profiles comparable to those of placebo. Nevertheless, both agents have demonstrated similar potential for irritation of gastric mucosa at high doses in preclinical studies. The present study compared the potential for alendronate and risedronate to produce endoscopic upper GI mucosal irritation using the highest approved dosage regimens for the two agents.METHODS:This was a multicenter, randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in which a total of 235 patients (men or postmenopausal women, aged 45–80 yr) with normal upper GI endoscopy at baseline received 28-day treatments with the following: alendronate 40 mg/day (N = 90), risedronate 30 mg/day (N = 89), placebo (N = 36), or placebo with aspirin 650 mg q.i. d. for the last 7 days (N = 20). Endoscopy was repeated on day 29 using standardized scoring scales.RESULTS:After 28 days of treatment, the alendronate and risedronate groups had comparable mean gastric and duodenal erosion scores that were significantly lower than those of the aspirin group. Esophageal scores were comparable in all groups. Gastric ulcers and/or large numbers of gastric erosions occurred in approximately 3% of alendronate and risedronate patients versus 60% with aspirin. Both bisphosphonates were clinically well tolerated.CONCLUSIONS:The potential for gastroduodenal irritation is similar for alendronate and risedronate and is markedly less than for aspirin. The findings of this study, together with the large placebo-controlled clinical trial experience with both agents and extensive epidemiological data for alendronate, suggest that the risk for clinically important gastric irritation with these bisphosphonates is very low, even at the highest available doses.
Corneal Endothelium Cell Field Analysis by means of Interacting Bayesian Shape Models

A new method is proposed for the automatic detection and analysis of cell field contours in images of corneal endothelium. The algorithm is based on a set of single-cell contour models (a cell field), individually described statistically in term of shape a-priori information and a- posteriori image representation. Each cell can be individually identified (Maximum A Posteriori estimation) on the available image given a starting point and an appropriate optimization algorithm. Simulated Annealing has been adopted as the optimization algorithm to overcome the presence of several local minima in the resulting criterion function. When a cell field is considered, interaction between cell models can be used to introduce further information and improve the overall model identification. A statistical description of the cell field model is given by considering interaction between cell models. Preliminary results show that the extension from single cell models to field models improves the cell contours recognition. The developed theoretical framework is extremely flexible and can be easily adapted to different prior distributions or even to different object detection applications involving shape prior information.
[Effect of different doses of perindopril on myocardial energy expenditure in patients with heart failure following myocardial infarction].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the changes of myocardial energy expenditure in patients with heart failure following myocardial infarction after treatment with different doses of perindopril. METHODS Sixty-three patients with heart failure after myocardial infarction were treated with perindopril for 12 months at the doses of 4 mg (group N) and 8 mg (group H). Doppler imaging was used to measure the structural and systolic functional parameters before and after the treatment, and the circumferential end-systolic wall stress (cESS) and myocardial energy expenditure (MEE) were calculated. The biochemical indicators including serum creatinine and plasma NT-proBNP were detected before and after the treatment. RESULTS The two groups had similar measurements before treatment. After 12 months of perindopril treatment, the patients in group N showed higher LA, LV, RA, RV, LVIDs, AD, cESS, lgNT-proBNP, and MEE with lower LVFS and LVEF than those in group H. Compared to those before treatment, LVFS and LVEF were increased and LA, LV, RA, RV, AD, LVIDs, LVMI, lgNT-proBNP and MEEm lowered after the 12-month treatment in group H. Significant changes were also found in the measured parameters except for PWTs, LVET, LVSV and LVFS in group N after the treatment. Bivariate analysis showed a significant positive correlation between MEE and lgNT-proBNP (r=0.513, P<0.01). CONCLUSION A 12-month treatment with perindopril can suppress myocardial remodeling, improve left ventricular systolic function, and lower NT-proBNP and myocardial energy expenditure in patients with heart failure after myocardial infarction, and a higher dose can produce better results.