Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interest Rate Derivatives and Firm Value: Evidence from Mandatory Versus Voluntary Hedging

This paper examines the impact of interest rate derivatives enforced by creditors and interest rate derivatives used voluntarily on firm value, separately in a sample of 3881 firm-years from 1998 to 2005. Voluntary hedging positions include derivatives for corporate risk management practices and those for private benefit of managers. Consequently, these derivatives might not have the positive impact on firm value predicted by risk management theories. However, there is no managerial incentive in the use of derivatives mandated by credit agreements. Therefore, shareholders refer to mandatory term of derivatives obliged by creditors and classify these instruments as real risk management practices and reward such positions by a premium on firm value. This argument is strongly supported by the results of this empirical research in which we find an economically large and statistically significant positive impact from mandatory interest rate derivatives on firm value and no significant impact from voluntary ones.
Consensus problem of the first-order linear network and the second-order linear network

Consensus problem have a long history in the field of computer science, particularly in automata theory and distributed computation. And in our life, consensus also an important role. In this article, we focus on the first-order linear consensus network with time-delay and the second-order linear consensus network with time-delay. We find out the solvability of asymptotic consensus for a network with time-delay using the Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI) technology, the Lyapunov stability theorem and the frequency-domain knowledge.
Credit Risk in Islamic Banks of GCC Countries

This study investigates factors which affect credit risk of Islamic banks in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The study uses secondary data obtained from the web sites of 25 Islamic banks during the period from 2006 to 2010. We exclude Saltant Oman which has no Islamic banks. This study uses Non-Performing loans (NPLs) as a proxy for credit risk which is dependent variable. The independent variables consist of three macroeconomic variables Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Inflation rate (INF) and London Inter-Bank Offered Rate and six other variables (bank specific) that are used as internal variables. These are management efficiency (MGTEFF), loan to deposit (L/D), risky asset (RSKAST), total assets (LNTA), regulatory capital (REGCAP) and loan loss provision (LLP). We find that GDP is significant and negatively related to credit risk, and it is similar with finding of past studies, but inflation rate and LIBOR are insignificantly related, and they are different with literature. We find that MGTEFF is significantly and negatively related to credit risk, while L/D and RSKAST are significant and positively related to credit risk. All of them are similar with finding of previous studies. And other internal variables (LNTA, REGCAP, and LLP) are not significantly related to the credit risk. Size of banks is differed with past studies, LNTA and REGCAP are positive related to credit risk, while LLP is negative related to the credit risk of Islamic banks in GCC countries.
The Causal Effects of Exporting on Japanese Workers: A firm-level analysis

Japan experienced rapid growth in non-regular workers under globalization in the 2000s. This study seeks to identify the causal effects of exporting on the growth in labor and the share of non-regular workers in the Japanese manufacturing and wholesale sectors using extensive firm-level data. I employed a propensity score matching technique and investigated whether firms that start exporting experience higher growth in labor and the share of non-regular workers than do non-exporters. I found positive effects of exporting on labor growth in manufacturing, but, in general, there was little evidence for the effects on the share of non-regular workers in both sectors, although exporting to single regions had positive effects on the share of dispatched workers.
The significance and the necessity of routinely performing lung ultrasound in the neonatal intensive care units

Abstract Various lung diseases are the most common conditions and the leading cause of hospital admission and death in newborns. Historically, the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of lung diseases primarily relied on conventional chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT) scans, however, chest X-ray and CT scans suffer from obvious limitations, while lung ultrasound has many kinds of advantages for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of lung diseases. The significance and the necessity of lung ultrasound in the diagnosis of neonatal lung diseases will be introduced in this paper.
Epidermal growth factor receptor transactivation by the cannabinoid receptor ( CB 1 ) and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 ( TRPV 1 ) induces differential responses in corneal epithelial cells

Corneal epithelial injury induces release of endogenous metabolites that are cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) agonists. We determined the functional contributions by CB1 and TRPV1 activation to eliciting responses underlying wound healing in human corneal epithelial cells (HCEC). Both the selective CB1 and TRPV1 agonists (i.e., WIN55,212-2 [WIN] and capsaicin [CAP], respectively) induced EGFR phosphorylation whereas either inhibition of its tyrosine kinase activity with AG1478 or functional blockage eliminated this response. Furthermore, EGFR transactivation was abolished by inhibitors of proteolytic release of heparin bound EGF (HB-EGF). CB1induced Ca2þ transients were reduced during exposure to either the CB1 antagonist, AM251 or AG1478. Both CAP and WIN induced transient increases in Erk1/2, p38, JNK1/2 MAPK and Akt/PI-3K phosphorylation status resulting in cell proliferation and migration increases which mirrored those elicited by EGF. Neither EGF nor WIN induced any increases in IL-6 and IL-8 release. On the other hand, CAP-induced 3and 6-fold increases, which were fully attenuated during exposure to CPZ, but AG1478 only suppressed them by 21%. The mixed CB1 and TRPV1 antagonist, AM251, enhanced the CAP-induced rise in IL-8 release to a higher level than that elicited by CAP alone. In conclusion, CB1 and TRPV1 activation induces increases in HCEC proliferation and migration through EGFR transactivation leading to global MAPK and Akt/PI-3K pathway stimulation. On the other hand, the TRPV1-mediated increases in IL-6 and IL-8 release are elicited through both EGFR dependent and EGFR-independent signaling pathways. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Functional analysis of six ORFs from Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome IV: two‐spored asci produced by disruptant of YDR027c and strain‐dependent DNA heterogeneity around YDR036c

Six S. cerevisiae FY1679 heterozygous deletion mutants were made by replacing six open reading frames (ORFs) of the chromosome IV right arm with kanMX4 selection marker. Haploid and homozygous diploid deletion mutants were obtained from sporulation, dissection and mating experiments. No essential genes were found. The basic phenotypic analysis showed that the haploid and homozygous deletants for the ORF YDR027c (LUV1, VSP54 or RKI1) grew slowly. The diploid homozygous deletants for this ORF had a low frequency of sporulation. They produced asci with no more than one or two haploid spores and the majority of these spores formed were not viable. The deletion of the other ORFs, YDR022c (CIS1), YDR030c (RAD28), YDR032c (PST2), YDR033w (MRH1) and YDR036c, did not change the phenotypes tested in strain FY1679 or the first four ORFs in strain CEN.PK2. This work showed some differences in the DNA sequences between FY1679 and CEN.PK2: the regions immediately 1 kb upstream from YDR036c in these two strains are too different to hybridize properly, preventing deletion of YDR036c in the CEN.PK2 background by recombination with a disruption cassette designed for FY1679. In addition, there are different sets of transposable elements on the other side of the ORF, the differences starting at about 3.5 kb downstream from YDR036c. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Acute pH-dependent Regulation of AE2-mediated Anion Exchange Involves Discrete Local Surfaces of the NH2-terminal Cytoplasmic Domain*

We have previously defined in the NH2-terminal cytoplasmic domain of the mouse AE2/SLC4A2 anion exchanger a critical role for the highly conserved amino acids (aa) 336–347 in determining wild-type pH sensitivity of anion transport. We have now engineered hexa-Ala ((A)6) and individual amino acid substitutions to investigate the importance to pH-dependent regulation of AE2 activity of the larger surrounding region of aa 312–578. 4,4′-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid (DIDS)-sensitive 36Cl- efflux from AE2-expressing Xenopus oocytes was monitored during changes in pHi or pHo in HEPES-buffered and in 5% \batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}{/}\mathrm{HCO}_{3}^{-}\) \end{document}-buffered conditions. Wild-type AE2-mediated 36Cl- efflux was profoundly inhibited at low pHo, with a pHo(50) value = 6.75 ± 0.05 and was stimulated up to 10-fold by intracellular alkalinization. Individual mutation of several amino acid residues at non-contiguous sites preceding or following the conserved sequence aa 336–347 attenuated pHi and/or pHo sensitivity of 36Cl- efflux. The largest attenuation of pH sensitivity occurred with the AE2 mutant (A)6357–362. This effect was phenocopied by AE2 H360E, suggesting a crucial role for His360. Homology modeling of the three-dimensional structure of the AE2 NH2-terminal cytoplasmic domain (based on the structure of the corresponding region of human AE1) predicts that those residues shown by mutagenesis to be functionally important define at least one localized surface region necessary for regulation of AE2 activity by pH.
Binding and Signal Transduction Characteristics of the Nonpeptide Vasopressin V1A Receptor-Selective Antagonist YM218 in Cultured Rat Mesangial Cells

Vasopressin (AVP) causes mesangial cell contraction, proliferation and hypertrophy. The present study investigated the effects of YM218, a potent, nonpeptide AVP V1A receptor-selective antagonist, on rat mesangial cells using binding, signal transduction and cell growth assays. Specific binding of 3H-AVP to rat mesangial cell plasma membranes was dependent upon time, temperature and membrane protein concentration. Scatchard plot analysis of equilibrium binding data revealed the existence of a single class of high-affinity binding sites with the expected V1A receptor profile. YM218 showed high affinity for V1A receptors, exhibiting a Ki value of 0.19 nmol/l. AVP concentration-dependently increased intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) levels, stimulated mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and induced hyperplasia. Conversely, YM218 potently suppressed [Ca2+]i elevation, activation of MAP kinase and hyperplasia induced by AVP. These results indicate that YM218 displays both high affinity for rat mesangial cell V1A receptors and high potency in inhibiting AVP-induced signal transduction and growth response. Therefore, YM218 is a useful pharmacologic tool for investigating the physiologic and pathophysiologic roles of AVP in kidney, and may have clinical application in the prevention or regression of mesangial cell growth.
Bacillus anthracis Peptidoglycan Integrity Is Disrupted by the Chemokine CXCL10 through the FtsE/X Complex

The antimicrobial activity of the chemokine CXCL10 against vegetative cells of Bacillus anthracis occurs via both bacterial FtsE/X-dependent and-independent pathways. Previous studies established that the FtsE/X-dependent pathway was mediated through interaction of the N-terminal region(s) of CXCL10 with a functional FtsE/X complex, while the FtsE/X-independent pathway was mediated through the C-terminal α-helix of CXCL10. Both pathways result in cell lysis and death of B. anthracis. In other bacterial species, it has been shown that FtsE/X is involved in cellular elongation though activation of complex-associated peptidoglycan hydrolases. Thus, we hypothesized that the CXCL10-mediated killing of vegetative cells of B. anthracis through the FtsE/X-dependent pathway resulted from the disruption of peptidoglycan processing. Immunofluorescence microscopy studies using fluorescent peptidoglycan probes revealed that incubation of B. anthracis Sterne (parent) strain with CXCL10 or a C-terminal truncated CXCL10 (CTTC) affected peptidoglycan processing and/or incorporation of precursors into the cell wall. B. anthracis ΔftsX or ftsE(K123A/D481N) mutant strains, which lacked a functional FtsE/X complex, exhibited little to no evidence of disruption in peptidoglycan processing by either CXCL10 or CTTC. Additional studies demonstrated that the B. anthracis parent strain exhibited a statistically significant increase in peptidoglycan release in the presence of either CXCL10 or CTTC. While B. anthracis ΔftsX strain showed increased peptidoglycan release in the presence of CXCL10, no increase was observed with CTTC, suggesting that the FtsE/X-independent pathway was responsible for the activity observed with CXCL10. These results indicate that FtsE/X-dependent killing of vegetative cells of B. anthracis results from a loss of cell wall integrity due to disruption of peptidoglycan processing and suggest that FtsE/X may be an important antimicrobial target to study in the search for alternative microbial therapeutics.
Association of variant in the ADIPOQ gene and functional study for its role in atherosclerosis

The burden of atherosclerosis is heritable and associated with elevated risk of developing CVDs. Here, we evaluated genetic variants of adiponectin (ADIPOQ) gene, which has important role in anti- atherosclerosis, with risk of atherosclerosis among a large Chinese population. Our results show that rs74577862 was significantly associated with risk of atherosclerosis (OR=2.08; 95%CI=1.48-2.91; P=2.2×10-5). When stratified by atherosclerosis site, rs74577862 was associated with increased risk of both carotid atherosclerosis (OR=2.03; 95%CI=1.35-3.06; P=6.3×10-4) and coronary atherosclerosis (OR=2.11; 95%CI=1.44-3.09; P=1.1×10-4). In addition, we also carried out site-directed mutagenesis and dual-luciferase reporter assay to confirm the positive finding, which presents a significant decrease in luciferase expression for the reconstructed plasmid with rs74577862 A allele in comparison to the one with G allele (P<0.001). Real-time PCR also confirmed the findings above. These results strongly suggest that the functional SNP, ADIPOQ rs74577862 might contribute to atherosclerosis susceptibility.
The risk factors and impact on survival of feeding tube placement in nursing home residents with severe cognitive impairment.

BACKGROUND The provision of artificial enteral nutrition to an aged person with severe cognitive impairment is a complex dilemma in the long-term care setting. OBJECTIVE To determine the risk factors and impact on survival of feeding tubes in nursing home residents with advanced cognitive impairment. METHODS We conducted a cohort study with 24-month follow-up using Minimum Data Set resident assessments on 1386 nursing home residents older than 65 years with recent progression to severe cognitive impairment in the state of Washington. Residents within this population who underwent feeding tube placement were identified. Clinical characteristics and survival for a period of 24 months were compared for residents who were and were not tube fed. RESULTS Among the residents with recent progression to severe cognitive impairment, 9.7% underwent placement of a feeding tube. Factors independently associated with feeding tube placement included age younger than 87 years (odds ratio [OR], 1.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.25-2.78), aspiration (OR, 5.46; 95% CI, 2.66-11.20), swallowing problems (OR, 3.00; 95% CI, 1.81-4.97), pressure ulcer (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.23-2.95), stroke (OR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.17-2.62), less baseline functional impairment (OR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.27-3.36), no do-not-resuscitate order (OR, 3.03; 95% CI, 1.92-4.85), and no dementia (OR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.43-3.22). Survival did not differ between groups of residents with and without feeding tubes even after adjusting for independent risk factors for feeding tube placement. CONCLUSIONS There are specific risk factors associated with feeding tube placement in nursing home residents with severe cognitive impairment. However, there is no survival benefit compared with similar residents who are not tube fed. These prognostic data are important for health care providers, families, and patients making decisions regarding enteral nutritional support in long-term care.
Research Note - Effects of Individual Self-Protection, Industry Self-Regulation, and Government Regulation on Privacy Concerns: A Study of Location-Based Services

This study seeks to clarify the nature of control in the context of information privacy to generate insights into the effects of different privacy assurance approaches on context-specific concerns for information privacy. We theorize that such effects are exhibited through mediation by perceived control over personal information and develop arguments in support of the interaction effects involving different privacy assurance approaches (individual self-protection, industry self-regulation, and government legislation). We test the research model in the context of location-based services using data obtained from 178 individuals in Singapore. In general, the results support our core assertion that perceived control over personal information is a key factor affecting context-specific concerns for information privacy. In addition to enhancing our theoretical understanding of the link between control and privacy concerns, these findings have important implications for service providers and consumers as well as for regulatory bodies and technology developers.
Graph-without-cut: An Ideal Graph Learning for Image Segmentation

Graph-based image segmentation organizes the image elements into graphs and partitions an image based on the graph. It has been widely used and many promising results are obtained. Since the segmentation performance highly depends on the graph, most of existing methods focus on obtaining a precise similarity graph or on designing efficient cutting/merging strategies. However, these two components are often conducted in two separated steps, and thus the obtained graph similarity may not be the optimal one for segmentation and this may lead to suboptimal results. In this paper, we propose a novel framework, Graph-Without-Cut (GWC), for learning the similarity graph and image segmentations simultaneously. GWC learns the similarity graph by assigning adaptive and optimal neighbors to each vertex based on the spatial and visual information. Meanwhile, the new rank constraint is imposed to the Laplacian matrix of the similarity graph, such that the connected components in the resulted similarity graph are exactly equal to the region number. Extensive empirical results on three public data sets (i.e, BSDS300, BSDS500 and MSRC) show that our unsupervised GWC achieves state-of-the-art performance compared with supervised and unsupervised image segmentation approaches.
Derivatives in Emerging Markets

Turnover of derivatives has grown more rapidly in emerging markets than in developed countries. Foreign exchange derivatives are the most commonly traded of all risk categories, with increasingly frequent turnover in emerging market currencies and a growing share of cross-border transactions. As the global reach of the financial centres in emerging Asia has expanded, the offshore trading of many emerging market currency derivatives has risen as well. Growth in derivatives turnover is positively related to trade, financial activity and per capita income.
Image motion compensation for a certain aviation camera based on Lucy-Richardson algorithm

According to the actual situation, when high quality and high precision are required for the image, both beforehand and afterwards compensation should be used. In this paper, we use Lucy-Richardson algorithm to compensate image motion of a certain aviation camera as an afterwards compensation. Firstly, we analyze the imaging principle of the camera and the reasons that cause image motion. Then we have a brief introduce of the Lucy-Richardson algorithm. At last, in order to show the feasibility of the method, we do some simulation. Through theoretical and practical analysis, experiments and test, we conclude the Lucy-Richardson algorithm can be used to compensate image motion for the certain camera.
Retention of allied health professionals in the south-west of Victoria.

The article reports on the research studies about the role of the allied health professionals in primary and preventive health care in Victoria. The studies shows that allied health practice in rural areas provide information on the strategies to maintain the health workforce. The results of the final report regarding the allied workforce issues in south-west Victoria was discussed. The details about the participants, methods and results of the survey regarding the retention of allied health professionals in south-west Victoria.
Practical approach for disease similarity calculation based on disease phenotype, etiology, and locational clues in disease names

Disease similarity is a useful measure to improve clinical decision support systems wherein it allows continuous presentation of similar diseases. In a previous study, we demonstrated that etiological and symptomatic information of diseases provide a reasonable approximation for the similarity of diseases. This study extends the previously proposed approach by incorporating the locational information of diseases, which may improve the performance against the baseline achieved only by the etiological and symptomatic features.
A comparative study of reduced order estimators applied to the speed control of six-phase generator for a WT applications

This article considers the speed control of asymmetrical dual three-phase generator by using an inner loop of Model Based Predictive Control (MBPC) to predict the effects of future control actions on the state variables. In order to achieve this goal, the algorithm uses both a Luenberger Observer and a Kalman Filter with the purpose of estimating the rotor currents. Thereafter, the speed control is used to reach the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT), which ensures that it is delivered to the load. Finally, a comparison of the efficiency of the MBPC when considering the rotor current estimators and when they are used an estimator based on the state space representation.
The role of coffee consumption on the 10-year (2004–2014) Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) incidence among cardiac patients: the GREECS observational study

Abstract The association between long-term coffee consumption and 10-year cardiovascular disease incidence among Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) patients was evaluated. From 2003 to 2004, 2172 ACS consecutive patients from six major Greek hospitals were enrolled. During 2013–2014, the 10-year follow-up was performed (88% participation rate) and recurrent fatal or non-fatal ACS was recorded. Baseline coffee consumption (cups/day) was assessed using a semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire. Multi adjusted analysis revealed that 1–2 cups of coffee/day versus no consumption had an adverse effect on the ACS incidence [odds ratio (OR) = 1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01, 1.79]. In subgroup analysis, with hypertension as strata, only the normotensive reached significance. Odds ratios for 1–2 and ≥3 cups relative to no consumption were [OR = 1.66, 95% CI 1.07, 2.60] and [OR = 1.86, 95% CI 1.06, 3.27], respectively, after controlling for potential confounders. Thus, avoidance of coffee may be of high importance to ameliorate disease prognosis among cardiac patients.