Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Drug-induced changes in fibrillation cycle length and organization index can predict chemical cardioversion of long-lasting atrial fibrillation with bepridil alone or in combination with aprindine.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate whether drug-induced changes in fibrillation wave characteristics can predict pharmacological conversion of long lasting persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS AND RESULTS The study group comprised 23 consecutive patients with AF lasting > or =1 month. Patients first received bepridil (200 mg/day) for 2-4 weeks. When sinus rhythm was not restored with bepridil, oral aprindine (40 or 60 mg/day) was added to bepridil. Fast Fourier transform analysis of fibrillation waves using lead V1 was performed to calculate the fibrillation cycle length (FCL). The spectral areas were measured and the maximum area divided by the total area was termed the fibrillation organization index (FOI). Sinus rhythm was restored in 16 of 23 patients (70%); 8 of these 16 patients received only bepridil (Group I) and the other 8 responders received bepridil and aprindine (Group II). In Group I bepridil increased both FCL (p<0.001) and FOI (p<0.01) and terminated AF after 20+/-12 days. In Group II bepridil increased FCL (p<0.001), but did not change FOI. The addition of aprindine terminated AF in association with an increase in both FCL (p<0.005) and FOI (p<0.005) within 19+/-8 days. In the remaining 7 patients who did not have restoration of sinus rhythm, bepridil increased both FCL and FOI significantly, but less than in Group I, and the addition of aprindine did not further increase either of them. Chemical cardioversion of AF occurred in all patients with FCL > or =190 ms and FOI > or =45% after drug administration. CONCLUSION Bepridil alone or in combination with aprindine converted long lasting persistent AF in association with an increase in both FCL and FOI. The combination of FCL and FOI after drug administration is helpful in predicting chemical cardioversion of persistent AF.
An Empirical Study on Exchange Rate Volatility and it Impacts on Bilateral Export Growth: Evidence from Bangladesh

This is an empirically study to investigate the exchange rate volatility and it impacts on bilateral exports growth: evidence from Bangladesh. The countries are considered to determine based on the bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and the other countries under a range of regional economic blocks such as North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, SAARC, ASEAN, and Asia-Pacific regions. To establish the empirical relationship between exchange rate volatility and impact on exports growth, cointegration and error correction techniques are used by considering the data from 2003 to 2008. From the investigation, the result shows that the exchange rate volatility has a negative and major effect both in short run and long run with important trading partners, which are Western European and North American countries. Similar pattern was also experienced in case of few countries such as Singapore, Japan, Malaysia and China where the volume of trade with Bangladesh is comparatively consistent and less volatile. The relationship between exchange rate volatility and growth of export for India and Pakistan is observed only in long run perspective. However, there is no empirical relationship being observed of exchange rate volatility and it impacts on export growth between Bangladesh and Iran and other s Gulf countries.
The Politics of Climate Policy in China: Interests, Institutions and Ideas

Over the past five years, China has adopted increasingly ambitious reforms aimed at mitigating its greenhouse gases (GHGs). These reforms stand in sharp contrast to the view that China would struggle to craft a comprehensive climate policy due to conflicts with national interests and fragmented policymaking institutions. This paper argues that this view pays insufficient attention to 1) how domestic institutional reforms influence national interests; and 2) how the diffusion of ideas can strengthen interactions between institutions and interests. This paper attributes China recent reforms to these two omitted dynamics. It demonstrates that institutional reforms that granted the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) the climate portfolio and forged linkages between subnational promotional incentives and energy efficiency targets helped China recognize climate change can complement its national interests. It also contends that leadership embrace of the concept of scientific development and repeated interactions in climate-related fora enabled these reforms by demonstrating mutually reinforcing synergies between climate change and development goals. Thanks to the interplay between interests, institutions and ideas, the paper argues, China has moved from a fragmented and reactive negotiating position to a more coherent and proactive climate policy.
Business group affiliation, performance, context, and strategy: a meta-analysis

Research on business groups—legally independent firms tied together in various formal and informal ways—is accelerating. Through meta-analytical techniques employed on a database of 141 studies covering 28 different countries, we synthesize this research and extend it by testing several new hypotheses. We find that affiliation diminishes firm performance in general, but also that affiliates are comparatively better off in contexts with underdeveloped financial and labor market institutions. We also trace reduced affiliate performance to specific strategic actions taken at the firm and group levels. Overall, our results indicate that affiliate performance reflects complex processes and motivations.
Translational research on Trichoderma: from 'omics to the field.

Structural and functional genomics investigations are making an important impact on the current understanding and application of microbial agents used for plant disease control. Here, we review the case of Trichoderma spp. , the most widely applied biocontrol fungi, which have been extensively studied using a variety of research approaches, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, etc. Known for almost a century for their beneficial effects on plants and the soil, these fungi are the subject of investigations that represent a successful case of translational research, in which 'omics-generated novel understanding is directly translated in to new or improved crop treatments and management methods. We present an overview of the latest discoveries on the Trichoderma expressome and metabolome, of the complex and diverse biotic interactions established in nature by these microbes, and of their proven or potential importance to agriculture and industry.
Introduction of a High‐Energy Diet Acutely Up‐Regulates Hypothalamic Cocaine and Amphetamine‐Regulated Transcript, Mc4R and Brown Adipose Tissue Uncoupling Protein‐1 Gene Expression in Male Sprague‐Dawley Rats

Obesity is an escalating problem in Western societies. Susceptibility to weight gain within an obesogenic environment is variable. It remains unclear how the range of weight gain responses are generated. It is possible that an individual's immediate and/or sustained appetite for apparently palatable foods, or metabolic adaptations to a new diet could be important. The present study therefore examined the short‐ to medium‐term effects of a high‐energy (HE) diet on bodyweight, food intake, and energy balance‐related signalling systems. Sprague‐Dawley rats were fed either chow or an HE diet for 12 h, 24 h, 48 h or 14 days. Blood hormones and metabolites were assayed, and expression of uncoupling protein‐1 (UCP‐1) and hypothalamic energy‐balance related genes were determined by Northern blotting or in situ hybridisation, respectively. Short‐term exposure (12 h, 24 h, 48 h) to the HE diet had no effect on grams of food consumed, but caloric intake was increased. Exposure to HE diet for 14 days (medium term) established a bodyweight differential of 7.7 g, and animals exhibited a transient increase in caloric intake of 5 days duration. Terminal levels of leptin, insulin, glucose and non‐esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) were all increased in HE‐fed animals. UCP‐1 mRNA was elevated in interscapular brown adipose tissue from HE‐fed rats only at 12 h. Cocaine and amphetamine‐regulated transcript (CART) and Mc4R gene expression in the hypothalamus were increased after 12 h and 24 h on an HE diet, respectively. The rats appear to passively over‐consume calories as a result of consuming a similar weight of a more energy dense food. This evokes physiological responses, which adjust caloric intake over several days. Circulating NEFA and insulin concentrations, UCP‐1, Mc4R and CART gene expression are increased as an immediate consequence of consuming HE diet, and may be involved in countering hypercaloric intake. Circulating leptin is increased in the HE‐fed animals after 48 h, reflecting their increasing adiposity.
Product market regulation, innovation, and distance to frontier

This article contributes to the literature on competition and innovation. It tests the impact of market regulation on innovation conditional to the closeness to the technological frontier with a panel of 15 industries for 17 OECD countries over the period 1979–2003. One of the main conclusions of this literature is that of a negative impact of regulation growing in intensity with the proximity to the frontier. A simple model of innovation and growth shows that one should not necessarily expect this result. Empirical tests on a variety of pecifications show that the impact of regulation can be positive when industries are close to the technological frontier. We argue that this result is in fact line with previous evidence.
Twenty Years of the Ncreif Property Index

This study overviews the performance of the NCREIF Property Index, by property type, over its initial twenty-year period. As a precursor to more exact analytical methods, the study displays the path of earnings, cash flow and property values over this twenty-year period. More exactly, the performance is analyzed from the perspective of the "fundamental" sources of return: initial earnings yield, "dividend" pay-out ratios, earnings growth, shifts in capitalization rates and other (less significant) effects. (While this approach has been applied to private real estate equities, nothing precludes its application to variety of other investment classes.) Our results indicate the fundamental sources that have contributed to the Index's considerable cross-sectional variation as well as its time-series variation. As such, this study should be viewed as a useful historical account for those interested in understanding the ex post return-generating process of the Index and its property-type components as well as those who wish to model the ex ante return-generating process for a variety of applications in both the equity and debt markets, regardless of whether the securities are publicly or privately traded.
Part Time Employment: The Australian Experience

This paper aims to provide an overview of the changing role of part-time work in Australia and was released on 12 June 2008. The objectives of the paper are to - provide a comparison of part-time work in Australia and overseas, and possible reasons for our relatively high reliance on this form of work; present an assessment of the changing role of part-time work in Australia; identify groups that are availing themselves of part-time work and industries that have higher proportions of part-time workers and how these have been changing over time. The views expressed in this paper are those of the staff involved and do not necessarily reflect those of the Productivity Commission.
Stabilization Policies in Developing Countries with a Parallel Market for Foreign Exchange: A Formal Framework

The paper develops and tests a model of a developing economy that incorporates trade and capital restrictions, illegal transactions, a parallel foreign exchange market, currency substitution features, and forward-looking rational expectations. Temporary expansionary demand policies are associated with an increase in output and prices, a fall in the stock of net foreign assets, and a depreciation of the parallel exchange rate. The speed of adjustment is inversely related to the degree of rationing in the official foreign currency market. A once-for–all devaluation of the official exchange rate has no long-term effect on the premium.
The Resources Boom and Economic Policy in the Long Run

Australia's current resources boom has three elements: high terms of trade, strong investment and increased resource exports. For a decade, the net effect has been strongly positive: the boost to incomes and activity from the first two has more than offset the impact of the high Australian dollar. But, both resource investment and the terms of trade will fall in due course and the economy will face a major deflationary shock. A sustained policy response will be needed that recognises the limits of monetary policy and hence involves fiscal stimulus, together with innovative approaches to ensure that infrastructure investment rises rapidly.
Reconsidering Spence: Signaling and the Allocation of Individuals to Jobs

Critics claim higher education often does not increase productivity. In his classic signaling work, Spence (1974a) considered a variant of his signaling model in which signaling improves the allocation of individuals to jobs. Using results in signaling games since then---the Riley outcome (Riley, 1979), the intuitive criterion (Cho and Kreps, 1987), and undefeated equilibrium (Mailath et al., 1993)--we find the likelihood of equilibria involving efficient signaling, inefficient signaling, and pooling depends on the fraction of more able individuals in the population. With non-trivial gains from job allocation, inefficient signaling does not appear to be the most likely outcome. JEL category: D82
Risk Measurement and Hedging

It is difficult to judge the intentions and performance of corporate managers when it comes to their risk management programs. To evaluate the effectiveness of a risk management program or to test financial theories of risk management, a firms underlying risk exposure must be known. This paper examinesa setting where the firms derivative strategies are known and asks how well we can measure the effect of their hedging program on the firms fundamental accounting and market value measures. We study two gold mining firms which have diametrically opposed policies toward derivatives. American Barrick aggressively hedges its gold price risk using derivatives; Homestake Mining uses no derivatives. Instead Homestake Mining uses a combination of operating, financial, and accounting decisions to manage its risk. The result is that the exposure of the two firms equity to gold price risk is surprisingly similar. The multitude of risk management alternatives available to firms and thediversity of methods used by firms in the same industry means that tests of risk management theory must account for the different methods, not just the different objectives, which firms use in managing risk.
Valuing Employee Reload Options Under Time Vesting Requirement

Upon the exercise of an employee stock option, the embedded reload provision entitles the holder to receive additional units of new options from the employer. The number of units of new options received is equal to the number of shares tendered as payment of strike and the new strike is set at the prevailing stock price. The reload provision may be subject to a time vesting requirement, that is, after each exercise, the employee is prohibited from exercising the reload until the end of a vesting period. In this paper, we construct an efficient numerical algorithm that computes the market value of the employee reload options under a time vesting requirement. Also, we explore the analytic properties of the price functions and optimal exercise policies of the employee reload options.
Why are Californians interested in hybrid cars?

This paper explores quantitatively Californians' interest in hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) based on a statewide phone survey conducted in July 2004 by the Public Policy Institute of California. The paper develops ordered choice models and factors that summarise beliefs about energy and the environment using principal component analysis. As expected, Californians concerned about the environment, energy efficiency, global warming and recent increases in the price of gasoline state a higher interest in hybrids; an even more important reason for considering hybrid electric vehicles, however, is the possibility of using high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes while driving alone, especially for people with potentially long commutes to work. The findings also suggest that beliefs about energy and the environment should be included in vehicle type choice models.
The physical demands of electrical utilities work in North America

ABSTRACT We assessed the physical demands associated with electrical utilities work in North America and how they influence the level of thermal and cardiovascular strain experienced. Three common job categories were monitored as they are normally performed in thirty-two electrical utility workers: (i) Ground Work (n = 11), (ii) Bucket Work (n = 9), and (iii) Manual Pole Work (n = 12). Video analysis was performed to determine the proportion of the work monitoring period (duration: 187 ± 104 min) spent at different levels of physical effort (i.e., rest as well as light, moderate and heavy effort). Core and skin temperatures as well as heart rate were measured continuously. On average, workers spent 35.9 ± 15.9, 36.8 ± 17.8, 24.7 ± 12.8, and 2.6 ± 3.3% of the work period at rest and performing work classified as light, moderate, and heavy physical effort, respectively. Moreover, a greater proportion of the work period was spent performing heavy work in Ground Work (1.6 ± 1.4%) relative to Bucket Work (0.0 ± 0.0%; P<0.01) and in Manual Pole Climbing (5.5 ± 3.6%) in comparison to both other work job (both P≤0.03). Furthermore, the proportion of time spent during work classified as heavy physical effort was positively correlated to the mean (r = 0.51, P<0.01) and peak (r = 0.42, P = 0.02) core temperatures achieved during the work period as well as the mean heart rate response (presented as a percentage of heart rate reserve; r = 0.40, P = 0.03). Finally, mean and peak core temperatures and mean heart rate responses increased from the first to the second half of the work shift; however, no differences in the proportion of the work spent at the different intensity classifications were observed. We show that Manual Pole Work is associated with greater levels of physical effort compared to Ground or Bucket Work. Moreover, we suggest that the proportion of time spent performing work classified as heavy physical exertion is related to the level of thermal and cardiovascular strain experienced and that workers may not be employing self-pacing as a strategy to manage their level of physiological strain.
Cognitive functioning in chronic post-stroke aphasia

ABSTRACT There is a minimal amount of knowledge regarding the cognitive abilities of people with aphasia. We evaluated the performance of individuals with chronic aphasia (AP) and control participants without aphasia (CP) with left hemisphere stroke in a battery of nonverbal cognitive tests and its relationship with aphasia severity, comprehension abilities, and speech fluency in a prospective cross-sectional study. Cognitive evaluation comprised 10 nonverbal tests. Scores were converted to age and education adjusted standard scores. Forty-eight AP and 32 CP were included. AP average scores were below normal range in three tests: Camel and Cactus Test, immediate recall of 5 Objects Test and Spatial Span. The mean test scores were significantly lower in AP than in CP, except in four tests. Aphasia severity and verbal comprehension ability correlated significantly with semantic memory, constructive abilities and attention/processing speed tests. Subjects with nonfluent aphasia had lower scores than CP in memory, executive functions and attention tests, while subjects with fluent aphasia showed lower scores in memory tests only. On average half of the individuals with aphasia exhibit results within the normal range. Nonetheless, their performance was worse than that of controls, despite the fact that many tests do not correlate with the severity of language disorder.
Explaining the Performance of Swedish Mergers & Acquisitions: Follow the Money or the Stock Market?

Title: Explaining the performance of Swedish mergers & acquisitions - Follow the money or the stock market? Seminar date: 2015-06-04 Course: FEKH89, Degree Project in Corporate Finance, Undergraduate Level, 15 ECTS-Credits Authors: Eleonor Andrae, Leonard Bergstrom, Ebba Friberg, Gustav Krieger Advisor: Rikard Larsson Key words: CAR, Pretax operating cash flow, Mergers, Sweden, Regression analysis Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the relationship between the market‟s reaction to a merger and the development of operating perfromance during the subsequent years. Methodology: This is a study conducted with a deductive approach and of quantitative nature. The study uses regression analysis and correlation analysis in order to analyze and compare secondary data collected. Theoretical Framework: The theory of this study is based on previous research in the area of M&A‟s. The reference studies have been focusing on different measurements of post-merger performance. Former studies concentrate primarily on the market of North America and use a different time frame. Empirical Foundations: The empirical foundation of this study is information collected from 50 companies during the years of 2001-2007. CAR, pretax operating cash flow, and 4 different key ratios have been tested on these companies. Conclusion: This thesis finds no statistical evidence that the stock market efficiently predicts and accounts for the development of operating performance following an M&A. However, firm size appears to have an effect on the stock markets reaction to a merger announcement and the revaluation connected.
Foundations, Schools and The State

Abstract The public school systems of both Germany and the United States face environmental pressures to provide better and more equitable results, while at the same time they are criticized for high degrees of bureaucracy and structural inertia. Public–private partnerships are frequently praised for their potential to provide a remedy to these deficits. In this article, I investigate the role of private philanthropic foundations that co-operate with public actors in school improvement partnerships. Drawing on institutional theory and empirical data derived from the exploratory research project ‘Strategies for Impact in Education’, the article concludes that an important function of such arrangements is the generation of legitimacy in case of ‘successful failure’.
Private Club Leaders’ Emotional Intelligence: Development and Validation of a New Measure of Emotional Intelligence

This study specifically focuses on identifying the emotional intelligence (EI) of leaders in the private club industry, via an online survey assessment. This study identifies emerging issues and theoretical gaps in the current existing EI framework and describes the development of a new measure of EI. An initial six-factor structure of EI model was not supported; however, confirmatory factor analyses of the responses of 926 private club participants suggests that the revised three-factor structure of EI model (20 items), comprising IN, OUT, and RELATIONSHIPS, shows evidences of convergent and discriminant validity. This newly developed EI scale is psychometrically sound and, practically, sufficiently short to be a useful tool for application to real private club organizational settings. This study concludes with theoretical and practical implications, together with suggestions regarding future study that can advance current knowledge of EI.