Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Insider Trading and the Classification of Seasoned Equity Offerings: Evidence from Taiwan

This paper investigates whether insider purchasing or selling before Season equity offerings (SEO) announcement have the impact on the cumulative abnormal returns (CAR) around SEO announcement in Taiwan. We find that there are negative announcement effects around the SEO announcement, which is not consistent with the argument that there are usually positive announcement effects around the SEO announcement in Taiwan. Moreover, long-run abnormal returns following SEOs are negative. Therefore, the motivation of SEO has changed from investment to overvaluation. Although there is net buying prior to SEO announcement, the outside investors still regard SEO announcement as a signal of overvaluation instead of growth potential.
On the mechanism of overproduction of uric acid in patients with primary gout.

In order to study the rate of generation of uric acid in man, Benedict, Roche, Yu, Bien, Gutman, and Stetten (5-7) administered relatively large doses of glycine-N15 orally to control and gouty subjects and measured the appearance of isotope in urinary uric acid. With this technique, they demonstrated overincorporation of isotope into uric acid only in gouty subjects excreting large quantities of uric acid in urine. Subsequently, however, excessive incorporation of tracer quantities of glycine-1-C14 into uric acid was demonstrated in all of seven subjects studied, regardless of the stage of severity of the disease or of the magnitude of urinary uric acid excretion (8). These results indicated that overproduction of uric acid from glycine and other small molecules was the fundamental defect responsible for hyperuricemia in primary gout. The characteristics of the curves of uric acid enrichment indicated that excessive biosynthesis of uric acid occurred in these gouty subjects without the intermediary intervention of nucleic acids (5, 7, 8). Since the mechanism of overproduction of uric acid in primary gout has not been defined in detail, it was decided to investigate the incorporation of glycine-1-C'4 into various urinary purine bases and to compare enrichment patterns with those of uric acid determined simultaneously. From such comparisons, information was sought regarding purine intermediates involved in normal and abnormal uric acid production. These studies have suggested two types of mechanism resulting in uric acid synthesis in man and have strengthened the present concepts (5, 7, 8-12) that over-
TCAD Simulation of Hot-Carrier and Thermal Degradation in STI-LDMOS Transistors

Physically based models of hot-carrier stress and dielectric-field-enhanced thermal damage have been incorporated into a TCAD tool with the aim of investigating the electrical degradation in integrated power devices over an extended range of stress biases and ambient temperatures. An analytical formulation of the distribution function accounting for the effects of the full band structure has been employed for hot-carrier modeling purposes. A quantitative understanding of the kinetics and local distribution of degradation is achieved, and the drift of the most relevant parameters is nicely predicted on an extended range of stress times and biases.
Overview of Ontario's Screening and Outcome Measurement Initiative in Children's Mental Health.

INTRODUCTION Ontario's mental health practitioners strive to provide the best services for the most children and youth in the face of limited resources and increasing demand. METHOD To do this efficiently and ethically necessitates identifying those at greatest risk, determining which services are most effective for a variety of children, and demonstrating improved functioning post-treatment. Standardized screening can assist in triaging those at greatest risk and outcome measurement can demonstrate improvement and treatment effectiveness. RESULTS To this end, Ontario has initiated systematic screening and outcome measurement for children ages 6 to 17 years receiving mental health services in selected hospital-based and community organizations. CONCLUSION Standardized screening and outcome tools are key building blocks for improving the quality of service and promoting the use of evidence-based practices across the system. The lessons learned to date suggest there is a need to build individual and organizational readiness for change, to improve the state of technological literacy and infrastructure across the sector, and to improve the exchange of knowledge among stakeholders regarding the clinical benefits of the toolsand the data they will produce regarding the state of children and youth receiving mental health service in Ontario.
Problems and Pseudo-Problems in Understanding Cooperation in Social Dilemmas

The principal aim of this article is to clarify whatis and what is not problematic in understanding co-operation in the dyadic Prisoner’s Dilemma game andin multiplayer social dilemmas. A secondary aim is toprovide a brief overview of the most important propos-als for solving the genuine problems. Our commentaryon the very interesting target article (Krueger, DiDo-nato, & Freestone, this issue) is embedded in a moregeneral critical review of explanations for cooperationin social dilemmas. We hope to clarify some of theissues that are commonly misunderstood in the wide-ranging literature on cooperation in social dilemmas.Figure 1 shows the payoff matrix of the Prisoner’sDilemma game in one of its most familiar forms (e.g.,Axelrod, 1984). In the generalized payoff matrix forsymmetric 2 × 2 games on the right, any game isa Prisoner’s Dilemma game if the rank order of thepayoffs obeys the inequalities
Stable isotopes and archaeology in central Chile: methodological insights and interpretative problems for dietary reconstruction

This paper discusses the problems faced when making interpretations of human stable isotope values due to the various explanatory alternatives that arise when reading archae- ological data. These interpretative issues are analysed and discussed using the isotopic results for approximately 100 human individuals from archaeological contexts spanning from 5000 BC to 1540 AD in central Chile, supported by data for more than 50 plant and animal samples to establish a local C3and C4 baseline. A number of assumptions are frequently used to establish the bridge between isotopic results in human tissues and their corresponding diets. The problem is that different assumptions lead to different dietary reconstructions. Past feeding experimentsonherbivores, pigs,ratsandmicegive different results, so weneedto be cautious when applying these models to human isotope data. One specific problem concerns estimates of % C4 from collagen and apatite data, a very important issue when looking for evidence of maize in archaeological contexts, which was one of the major objectives we had in the isotopic analyses of archaeological specimens in central Chile. We conclude that the opportunity for estimating the actual percentage of C4 foods in human diets is limited, since a specific apatite fractionation value for humans cannot be experimentally determined, while maize consumption is underrepresented in bone collagen. This may be addressed in our study by sampling more specimens of wild gramineae to establish baseline plant values, more humans that could have had a low maize intake, and more Archaic period individuals when there was certainly no maize in the region. Copyright 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of thalidomide on Fgf8, Bmp4 and Hoxa11 expression in the limb bud in Kbl:JW rabbit embryos

Thalidomide (TM) induces limb defects in humans and some animal species including rabbits. Although the mechanism of TM‐induced limb defects has been investigated for a long period, the limb development‐related genes expressions have not been vigorously characterized in rabbits. In this study, we investigated the Fgf8, Bmp4 and Hoxa11 expressions in TM‐treated JW rabbit embryos on gestation days (GDs) 10, 11 and 12 by whole mount in situ hybridization. On GDs 10 and 11, growth retardation of the embryo was induced by TM treatment. The Fgf8 expression lengths on GDs 10 and 11 in the forelimb bud were significantly or tended to be decreased in the TM‐treated embryos, which was correlated to the growth retardation and was not considered to be directly relevant to the teratogenic effect of TM in the forelimb. The TM‐induced characteristic changes in the expression pattern of Hoxa11 and Bmp4 on GDs 10 and/or 11 were not noted. On GD 12, TM‐induced growth retardation was not noted and the Fgf8 and Bmp4 expressions were not changed. On the contrary, Hoxa11 expression was narrowed at the anterior region, which was located on the radial side, and was not changed at the middle and posterior regions in the forelimb bud and in all regions in the hindlimb bud. Because the radius malformations were induced by TM treatment, we concluded the decrease in the Hoxa11 expression was related to the TM‐induced limb defects and can be a good marker for early prediction of the teratogenic effect of TM.
Plasmacytoid dendritic cells in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease.

BACKGROUND Patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) show defects in immunoregulatory mechanisms. Herein we assessed the expression of different regulatory receptors in circulating and thyroid dendritic cells (DCs). DESIGN Peripheral blood samples from 49 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, 35 with Graves' disease, and 34 healthy subjects were studied. Clinical parameters included grades of goiter and ophthalmopathy, thyroid function, and antibody tests. Thyroid tissue samples from 10 AITD patients were also analyzed. Levels of DCs and their expression of different regulatory molecules (IDO, ILT2, ILT3, PSGL-1, PD-L1) were studied. In vitro interferon-α response by plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) and tryptophan (Trp) metabolites were determined. RESULTS Significant low levels of pDCs, but not conventional DCs, were detected in the peripheral blood from AITD patients, mainly in those with severe disease. Furthermore, a diminished expression of ILT3, PSGL-1, and CD69 by peripheral blood pDCs from AITD patients was observed. An increased number of pDCs was found in thyroid tissue, showing a diminished expression of ILT3 and PSGL-1. A lower proportion of IDO+ pDCs, a significant increase in Trp levels, a decrease in the kyneruine/Trp ratio, and an increased in vitro interferon-α response were present in AITD patients. Finally, a significant correlation was found between the in vitro synthesis of IL-10 by stimulated T cells and expression of IDO by pDCs. CONCLUSIONS The diminished number of pDCs in the peripheral blood from AITD patients as well as their abnormal phenotype could contribute significantly to the pathogenesis.
Do Incentives Increase Response Rates to an Internet Survey of American Evaluation Association Members

Want to use your own pictures instead of ours? No problem! Just right Change Picture. Maintain the proportion of pictures as you resize by dragging a corner. Do Incentives Increase Response Rates to an Internet Survey of American Evaluation Association Members? Findings From a Randomized Experiment Lyssa N. Wilson1, Chris L. S. Coryn1, Carl D. Westine2, Pedro F. Mateu3, Kristin A. Hobson4, Anne T. Vo5, Daniela C. Schröter1, Erica L. Fiekowsky1, Ruqayyah N. Abu-Obaid1, & Mary Ramlow1 1 Western Michigan University, 2 University of West Georgia, 3Universidad del Pacifico, 4Indiana University, 5University of Southern California
Association between ERCC2 Lys751Gln polymorphism and the risk of pancreatic cancer, especially among Asians: evidence from a meta-analysis

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of Excision repair cross-complementing group 2 (ERCC2) gene are suspected to affect the risk of pancreatic cancer. Many studies have reported the association between ERCC2 Lys751Gln polymorphism (rs13181) and the susceptibility to pancreatic cancer, but the outcomes remained controversial. To comprehensively determine this association, we conducted a meta-analysis based on a total of eight studies. Evidence for this association was obtained from the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases. In general, a significant association was found between ERCC2 rs13181 polymorphism and the susceptibility to pancreatic cancer in four genetic models [CC vs. AA: OR = 1.56, (95% CI: 1.28-1.90), P = 0.470; AC/CC vs. AA: OR=1.20, (95% CI: 1.06-1.36), P = 0.396; CC vs. AC/CC: OR = 1.50; (95% CI: 1.24-1.81), P = 0.530; C vs. A: OR=1.22, (95%CI:1.11-1.34), P = 0.159]. Furthermore, stratified analyses by ethnicity indicated a significant association only in the Asian population. Our results indicate that the ERCC2 Lys751Gln polymorphism might be important in stimulating the development of pancreatic cancer, especially for Asians.
Forecasting day-ahead electricity prices using data mining and neural network techniques

A feed forward neural network model combined with a data mining technique at the pre-processing stage is presented to forecast day-ahead hourly electricity prices for the wholesale electricity market in the province of Ontario, Canada. For each forecasting day, a set of 135 days is selected for the training of the neural network. Moreover, five similar prices days are identified for each hour from a set of 90 days corresponding to each training day. The average price of these five days at the particular hour is used as one of the inputs to the neural network to improve the forecasting accuracy. Forecasting experiments are carried out for nine days in 2012. Test results show that the proposed technique reduces the mean absolute percentage error significantly.
Research on process modeling and analyzing methods of distributed equipment system-of-systems

Based on the system-of-systems (SoS) engineering theory, the composition and conceptual model of equipment SoS process was analyzed. The modeling methods for SoS process were developed based on U.S. DoDAF1.5 (Department of Defense Architecture Framework). A brief example of ground attack SoS of shipboard aircraft on Nimitz aircraft carrier was given to illustrate the detailed modeling and analysis procedure of SoS process, the simulation and analysis was employed by ExSpect simulation software that is based on timed colored Petri Nets.
The Impact of Service Innovation on Tourist Satisfaction: Evidence from the Malaysian Tourism Industry

Objective – This study proposed a model to test the impacts of the four dimensions of service innovation (i.e., process innovation, organisational innovation, marketing innovation and product innovation) on tourist satisfaction in the Malaysian tourism. Methodology/Technique – Measurement items for the dimensions of services innovation were developed through focus group interviews. A convenience sampling approach was adopted with the distribution of 400 questionnaires among local and foreign tourists. Statistical tolls in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) were adopted to analyse the reliability of items and the hypothesised relationships in the proposed research model. Findings – The findings reveal that the respective dimensions of service innovation are significantly related to tourist satisfaction. These findings contribute to the services marketing body of knowledge by providing insight on the impact of service innovation on tourist satisfaction. Novelty – Limited studies have been done to examine the impact of service innovation dimensions on tourist satisfaction. The findings of this study contribute to the services marketing body of knowledge by providing insight on the impact of service innovation on tourist satisfaction. At the same time to address practical implications by recommending relevant and effective service innovation strategies for the tourism industry in Malaysia. This knowledge is useful for benchmarking better service innovation practices among the industry practitioners. Type of Paper: Empirical.
Structure and function in bacteriorhodopsin: the role of the interhelical loops in the folding and stability of bacteriorhodopsin.

Bacteriorhodopsin functions as a light-driven proton pump in Halobacterium salinarium. The functional protein consists of an apoprotein, bacterioopsin, with seven transmembrane alpha helices together with a covalently bound all-trans retinal chromophore. In order to study the role of the interhelical loop conformations in the structure and function of bacteriorhodopsin, we have constructed bacterioopsin genes where each loop is replaced, one at a time, by a peptide linker consisting of Gly-Gly-Ser- repeat sequences, which are believed to have flexible conformations. These mutant proteins have been expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and reconstituted with all-trans retinal in l-alpha-1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC)/3-(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio-1-propane sulfonate (CHAPS)/SDS and l-alpha-1,2-dihexanoylphosphatidylcholine (DHPC)/DMPC/SDS micelles. Wild-type-like chromophore formation was observed in all the mutants containing single loop replacements. In the BC and FG mutants, an additional chromophore band with an absorption band at about 480 nm was observed, which was in equilibrium with the 550 nm, wild-type band. The position of the equilibrium depended on temperature, SDS and relative DMPC concentration. The proton pumping activity of all of the mutants was comparable to that of wild-type bR except for the BC and FG mutants, which had lower activity. All of the loop mutants were more sensitive to denaturation by SDS than the wild-type protein, except the mutant where the DE loop was replaced. These results suggest that a specific conformation of all the loops of bR, except the DE loop, contributes to bR stability and is required for the correct folding and function of the protein. An increase in the relative proportion of DHPC in DHPC/DMPC micelles, which reduces the micelle rigidity and alters the micelle shape, resulted in lower folding yields of all loop mutants except the BC and DE mutants. This effect of micelle rigidity on the bR folding yield correlated with a loss in stability of a partially folded, seven-transmembrane apoprotein intermediate state in SDS/DMPC/CHAPS micelles. The folding yield and stability of the apoprotein intermediate state both decreased for the loop mutants in the order WT approximately BC approximately DE>FG>AB>EF> or =CD, where the EF and CD loop mutants were the least stable.
Estimating True Antimalarial Efficacy by Heteroduplex Tracking Assay in Patients with Complex Plasmodium falciparum Infections

ABSTRACT Heteroduplex tracking assays (HTAs) of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 1 block-2 were used to assess complexity of infection and treatment efficacy in a trial of three antimalarial treatments in 141 Malawian pregnant women. An elevated complexity of infection (COI) was associated with anemia, parasite burden, and human immunodeficiency virus infection but was not associated with age or gravidity. Comparisons of HTA patterns before and after treatment allowed the classification of 20 of 30 (66%) recurrent episodes as either definite treatment failures or reinfections. An elevated COI was strongly associated with treatment failure (P = 0.003). An algorithm was developed to assign a probability of failure for the 10 indeterminate participants, some of whose infections shared a single variant of high prevalence (>10%). By summing these probabilities, treatment efficacy was estimated.
Effectiveness of beta-blockers depending on the genotype of congenital long-QT syndrome: A meta-analysis

Background Beta-blockers are first-line therapy in patients with congenital long-QT syndrome (LQTS). Objective This study sought to determine the differences in effectiveness of beta-blockers on risk reduction according to LQTS genotype. Methods We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases to investigate the use of beta-blockers (atenolol, nadolol, propranolol, and metoprolol) in patients with LQTS. Hazard ratio (HR) and relative risk (RR) were extracted or calculated from studies reporting cardiac events (syncope, aborted cardiac arrest (ACA), or sudden cardiac death (SCD)). Results Among 2,113 articles searched, 10 studies (7 registry-based cohort studies (Cohort) and 3 interrupted time series studies (ITS)) involving 9,727 patients were included. In a meta-analysis using a random-effect model, the use of beta-blocker was associated with significant risk reduction of all cardiac events (HR 0.49, p<0.001 in Cohort; RR 0.39, p<0.001 in ITS) and serious cardiac events (ACA or SCD) (HR 0.47, p<0.001 in Cohort). In both LQT1 and LQT2, the risk was reduced with beta-blocker therapy in Cohort (HR 0.59 in LQT1; HR 0.39 in LQT2) as well as ITS (RR 0.29 in LQT1; RR 0.48 in LQT2). Among the beta-blockers, nadolol showed a significant risk reduction in both LQT1 and LQT2 (HR 0.47 and 0.27, respectively), whereas atenolol and propranolol decreased the risk only in LQT1 (HR 0.36 and 0.46, respectively). Metoprolol showed no significant reduction in either genotype. In LQT3, beta-blocker therapy was not as effective as LQT1 or LQT2; however, it was inconclusive due to data insufficiency. Conclusion This meta-analysis showed that beta-blockers were effective in reducing risk of cardiac events in patients with LQTS. Among them, nadolol was effective in LQT1 and LQT2, whereas other drugs showed different effectiveness depending on LQT genotype.
STUDY OF THREE FACTORS MODEL FAMA AND FRENCHIN INDONESIA STOCK EXCHANGE(Study on the Stock LQ 45)

This study examined empirically Three Factor Model Fama and French on stock returns LQ 45, using data over the period 2007-2009. Specifically, this study examines the behavior of stock prices in relation to company size and book-tomarket ratio. The main objective of this study was to provide evidence that will contribute to the effort to explain the Three Factor Model Fama and French in emerging markets. Our findings indicate a significant positive effect between the risk premium with stock returns, while the firm size and book-to-market ratio is negatively effect, but no significant on stock returns. Therefore, the two-factor Fama and French no proven effect on stock returns.
Inversion of teleseismic S particle motion for azimuthal anisotropy in the upper mantle: a feasibility study

SUMMARY We have developed a technique for the inversion of teleseismic S-waveforms in terms of azimuthal anisotropy in the upper mantle. We test different models of the Earth upper mantle by transforming the observed horizontal components into a synthetic vertical component and comparing this with the observed vertical component. The optimum model is found by minimizing the difference between the synthetic vertical component and the observed one. Using this method, we explore the possibility of constraining the distribution of azimuthal anisotropy with depth. We present examples of seismic observations where the data are clearly in favour of an anisotropic model. These observations can be interpreted in terms of two anisotropic layers with different directions of fast velocity axes.
X-ray imaging with YSO scintillating crystal array

We developed an X-ray imager using Yttrium OxyorthoSilicate (Y2SiO5:Ce, YSO) scintillating crystal array and Multi-Anode PhotoMultiplier Tubes (MAPMTs) with the capability of fast X-ray counting and X-ray energy measurement. YSO scintillating crystal array has many advantages. First of all, there is no intrinsic background. We can detect the low energy X-ray photon without internal noise. The X-ray imager consists of detector, readout and readout electronics. The detector consists of 36 YSO scintillating crystal arrays of 8×8 pixels. This detector is read out by 36 64-channel MAPMTs with 36 SPACIROC ASICs in readout electronics. The imager has total 2304 YSO and MAPMT channels that make an array of 48×48 pixels. We will present the design and fabrication and performance of the X-ray imager.