Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Performance of Conglomerate Firms: Recent Risk and Return Experience

THE PERFORMANCE of conglomerate corporations continues to be of interest to the financial community. Empirical research, however, remains somewhat limited. Studies by Reid (2) and by Weston and Mansinghka (8) have focused on operating performance characteristics of conglomerates. Reid concluded that firms stressing conglomerate diversification were "size-maximizers" which produced only a "serendipitous profitability performance. " On the other hand, Weston and Mansinghka contend that conglomerates actually performed quite well since they were able to improve their operating profitability from depressed positions to "average earnings performance" levels. Some empirical evidence relating to market performance characteristics of conglomerates also exists. This evidence is based on research conducted within the framework of the capital asset pricing model. Smith and Schreiner (4) attempted to measure the "potential efficiency of conglomerate diversification" on an ex ante basis through the employment of a simulation technique. Mutual funds were found, on the average, to have higher levels of "diversification efficiency. " Westerfield (7), in a response to the Smith and Schreiner study, also focused on conglomerate diversification by employing a measure of the correlation between the return on an individual security and the return on the market. He found some indication that conglomerates were able to reduce unsystematic risk (i.e., risk not attributable to the market) although conglomerates were not as completely diversified as mutual funds. ' This paper attempts to provide additional insight into the performance of conglomerate firms by examining both operating and market-related characteristics. Samples of conglomerate and non-conglomerate firms are compared on the basis of operating profitability and traditional market-related characteristics, as well as within the framework of the capital asset pricing model.
Patterns of Insulin Secretion During First-Phase Insulin Secretion in Normal Chinese Adults

Background The increase in diabetes worldwide is alarming. Decreased acute insulin response to intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) during first-phase insulin secretion (FPIS) is a characteristic of diabetes. However, knowledge of the insulin secretion characteristics identified by different time to glucose peak in subjects with different metabolic state is sparse. Aims This study aimed to find different patterns of FPIS in subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and analyzed the relationship between insulin secretion patterns and the risk for development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods A total of 126 subjects were divided into three groups during a 10-min IVGTT, including NGT with time to glucose peak after 3 min (G1, n = 21), NGT with time to glucose peak at 3 min (G2, n = 95), and prediabetes or diabetes with time to glucose peak at 3 min (G3, n = 10). Glucose, insulin, and C-peptide concentrations at 0, 3, 5, 7, and 10 min during the IVGTT were tested. IVGTT-based indices were calculated to evaluate the insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity. Results Age, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, triglyceride (TG), and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of subjects were gradually higher, while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was gradually lower from G1 to G3 (p for linear trend <0.05), and the differences between G1 and G2 were also statistically significant (p < 0.05). Glucose peak of most participants in G1 converged at 5 min, and the curves shape of insulin and C-peptide in G2 were the sharpest among three groups. There was no significant difference in all IVGTT-based indices between G1 and G2, but AUCIns, AUCIns/AUCGlu, and △Ins3/△Glu3 in G2 were the highest, and the p-value for linear trend of those indices among three groups were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusions Two patterns of FPIS were in subjects with NGT, while subjects with later time to glucose peak during FPIS might be less likely to develop T2DM in the future.
Management of Benign and Aggressive Intracranial Meningiomas

Benign and aggressive intracranial meningiomas, as the authors state, are seemingly simple tumors (even with benign histology) that can behave in a clinically malignant fashion solely by location. Clinicians with experience in the management of patients with aggressive, recurrent, or malignant meningiomas are all too well aware of the difficulties of recommending effective therapy beyond surgery and radiation therapy. Clearly, there is much room for improvement in the treatment of recurrent or malignant meningiomas with local or systemic chemotherapy and/or biologic therapies.
Modeling and Validation of Transmembrane Protein Structures

Transmembrane (TM) proteins comprise some 15% to 30% of the proteome, and the number of reported 3D structures has grown rapidly over the past decade. Nevertheless, owing to technical difficulties, the vast majority of TM protein structures are yet to be determined. Computational modeling techniques can be used to provide the essential structural data needed to shed light on structure-function relationships in TM proteins. In this chapter, we present some of the advanced modeling approaches that can help resolve the unique challenges encountered in predicting the three-dimensional (3D) structure of α-helical TM proteins. The usefulness of standard homology-modeling procedures is limited because the number of available TM-protein structures is small. In many cases, moreover, it is difficult to align the sequences of the query and the template proteins because of the weak sequence similarity between them. Additional ways to predict the location of TM helices in the polypeptide chain, by employing fold recognition, hydrophobicity scales, or other tools, may be helpful in improving the alignment accuracy. When a structural template is not available, lowresolution electron-density maps, obtained from cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) or preliminary X-ray diffraction studies, can be used to restrict the search in conformational space. At the right resolution, the locations of TM helices can be roughly determined even when the amino acids are not visible. When these data are combined with physicochemical characteristics of amino acids (such as their hydrophobicity) and with evolutionary information, the location of the amino acids can be modeled. After modeling, it is imperative to assess the quality of the structure and estimate the level of confidence of the prediction. To this end, it is often helpful to estimate the evolutionary conservation of the amino acids and project them onto the model-structure. The expectation is Wiley STM / Protein Structure Prediction: Methods and Algorithms Chapter 17 / Maya Schushan & Nir Ben-Tal / page 2 that the protein core and functional regions (such as narrow channel pores and ligand-binding sites) will accommodate evolutionarily conserved amino acids while the periphery will be more variable. Deviations from this pattern might reflect inaccuracies in the model. Furthermore, because X-ray crystal structures of TM proteins are often determined on the basis of electrondensity maps of limited resolution, it might be useful to examine their evolutionary profiles as an independent measure of their validity. Wiley STM / Protein Structure Prediction: Methods and Algorithms Chapter 17 / Maya Schushan & Nir Ben-Tal / page 3
Value of Laparoscopic Splenectomy as Salvage Treatment for Relapsed Thrombocytopenia after Partial Splenic Arterial Embolization

Background/Aims: Recently, partial splenic arterial embolization (PSE) has become a supportive intervention for cirrhotic patients with hypersplenism in the administration of interferon therapy. However, relapsed thrombocytopenia is often observed in patients following PSE. This study aimed to report the clinical efficiency of laparoscopic splenectomy as a salvage treatment for relapsed thrombocytopenia following PSE. Methods: From 2005 to 2009, 6 patients with prior PSE treatment underwent laparoscopic splenectomy. We reviewed the surgical method of laparoscopic splenectomy and the peri- and postoperative outcomes. Results: Laparoscopic splenectomy effectively provided sufficient increases in patient platelet counts. In all patients, laparoscopic splenectomy was performed safely with no significant complications despite PSE-associated dense adhesion to the diaphragm and/or retroperitoneal attachments. Conclusion: Laparoscopic splenectomy provides a sufficient increase in patient platelet counts in relapsed thrombocytopenia following PSE. Therefore, laparoscopic splenectomy appears to be a superior supportive therapy for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in cirrhotic patients.
A Snapshot of Australian University Career Services

For almost 100 years, career services in Australian universities have been providing assistance to students. Along with providing students with career development learning opportunities and employment services, career services have the potential to cross boundaries. Career services work with all faculties and disciplines of study, form vital links and partnerships with employers, liaise with organisations representing professional associations and work with prospective students. As universities make their own decisions about the type of career development support they offer their students, the level of this service has varied. In this context, the role of university career services within the Australian career community is unique. Often unnoticed by policy makers and funding bodies, traditionally career practitioners within these services have quietly delivered quality career services to diverse student populations. This article provides an overview of the career services in Australian universities. It begins with a brief history of the development of career services and the significant shifts leading to changes in these services, before noting the key roles undertaken by career services today and the importance of their work. The final section reviews some of the possible challenges facing career services in the future.
Risk and Capital Accumulation in a Small Open Economy

This paper examines the dynamics of capital accumulation in a small open economy where home capital is risky and consumers are risk-averse. It is assumed that the economy participates in perfect international bond markets but that risky home capital is held by domestic residents only. Under these assumptions the rate of investment is no longer independent of the saving rate, and they are positively related. As a result, a rise in savings does not increase foreign investment by the same amount but by less, and in some situations the quantity of foreign assets may even decrease.
Public employment and regional redistribution in Spain

We study the determinants, beyond the process of decentralisation, of the regional allocation of public jobs by the Central Government and the increase in the number of public employees at the Regional Governments in Spain during 1990-1999. Using standard panel data econometric procedures we show that the Central Government might have been increasing the number of public jobs in those regions with lower levels of GDP per capita. Also we show that the number of public employees is larger in those regions in which there has been a coincidence between the political orientation of the ruling parties in the Regional and Central Governments. Finally, we find that political variables might explain part of the increase in the number of public employees in the Regional Governments, together with the process of decentralisation and GDPpc.
Patterns of ED use and perceptions of the elderly regarding their emergency care: a synthesis of recent research.

INTRODUCTION The research literature reveals that the emergency care rendered to elderly patients may be of poor quality. Research examining elderly patients' ED use and their perceptions of their ED experiences was analyzed and synthesized, revealing gaps in the research and identifying areas for future research. METHODS A computerized search was made of 3 databases (medline, HealthSTAR, and CINAHL). Each of the studies was systematically evaluated with use of the Nursing Practice Research Analysis Tool. RESULTS Despite increased length of stay, more diagnostic tests, and higher expenses, the elderly have a higher rate of recidivism and are dissatisfied with their outcomes upon leaving the emergency department. Several areas that need to be explored further include quality of services rendered from the elderly ED patient's perspective; whether ageism exists within the emergency department; and the consequences of that ageism on the quality of care provided. DISCUSSION The elderly are being cared for by ED personnel who have limited geriatric education within an environment that is antithetical to their needs. Research and endeavors that concentrate on improving the care of the elderly ED patient must be given top priority.
Stock Return Predictability: Risk Premium or Dividend Growth?

J Account Mark ISSN: 2168-9601 JAMK, an open access journal Volume 2 • Issue 1 • 1000e111 The standard stock return-dividend yield predictive regression remains one of the most researched equations in empirical finance and yet one of the most controversial, requiring further thought and work. At its simplest level, the predictive equation can be viewed as measuring the ability to predict returns, which in turn, would make for improved trading and asset allocation decisions. However, its greater economic significance lies in the view that the returns predictability equation helps us understand the dynamics of asset price movements and their causes. That is, the predictive regression and the asset pricing models that underlie the regression can allow us to elicit from them whether prices predominantly move due to changes in expected future cash flow (dividends) or changes in discount rates (risk premium). Cochrane [1] highlighted this essential issue, which is captured by the simple equation:
Arrhythmia detection in single-lead ECG by combining beat and rhythm-level information

In this paper, we propose a method for detecting arrhythmia in single-lead electro-cardiogram (ECG) signal. By applying a sequence of pre-processing steps (filtering, baseline correction), beat classification and rhythm identification, six different beat-types and four abnormal rhythms are detected. Beat classification uses fast Fourier transform (FFT) as the feature and a support vector machine (SVM) classifier. Subsequently rhythm identification uses a deterministic finite state machine to detect abnormal rhythms. We evaluate the performance of our technique on the MIT-BIH database, to obtain 97% beat classification accuracy and perfect rhythm identification result.
Judgments in the Sharing Economy: The Effect of User-Generated Trust and Reputation Information on Decision-Making Accuracy and Bias

The growing ecosystem of peer-to-peer enterprise – the Sharing Economy (SE) – has brought with it a substantial change in how we access and provide goods and services. Within the SE, individuals make decisions based mainly on user-generated trust and reputation information (TRI). Recent research indicates that the use of such information tends to produce a positivity bias in the perceived trustworthiness of fellow users. Across two experimental studies performed on an artificial SE accommodation platform, we test whether users’ judgments can be accurate when presented with diagnostic information relating to the quality of the profiles they see or if these overly positive perceptions persist. In study 1, we find that users are quite accurate overall (70%) at determining the quality of a profile, both when presented with full profiles or with profiles where they selected three TRI elements they considered useful for their decision-making. However, users tended to exhibit an “upward quality bias” when making errors. In study 2, we leveraged patterns of frequently vs. infrequently selected TRI elements to understand whether users have insights into which are more diagnostic and find that presenting frequently selected TRI elements improved users’ accuracy. Overall, our studies demonstrate that – positivity bias notwithstanding – users can be remarkably accurate in their online SE judgments.
Skeletal disease in primary hyperparathyroidism

Most patients with primary hyperparathyroidism in the 1980s do not have evidence of bone disease when they are evaluated by conventional radiography. We sought to determine whether skeletal involvement can be appreciated when more sensitive techniques, such as bone densitometry and bone biopsy, are utilized. We investigated 52 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. They had mild hypercalcemia, 2.8 ± 0.03 mmol/liter (11.1 ± 0.1 mg/dl), low normal phosphorus, 0.9 ± 0.03 mmol/liter (2.8 ± 0.1 mg/dl), and no symptoms or specific radiological signs of skeletal involvement.
The correlation between crown-implant ratios and marginal bone resorption: a preliminary clinical study.

PURPOSE The crown-implant ratio is defined as the physical relationship between each individual restoration's parts located both inside and outside the bone. This relationship represents the physical concept of a type I lever, which may be of biomechanical importance in implant treatment outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS Specific patient data related to fixed implant prostheses were retrieved and studied in an effort to clinically and radiographically correlate crown-implant ratios. RESULTS Recorded marginal bone resorption around implants (2.11 +/- 1.30 mm) at the end of a defined observation period did not correlate with the measured crown-implant ratio, which yielded values between 0.43 and 1.5 mm (P > .05). CONCLUSION The mechanical determinants of implant success or failure are still not defined. It has been postulated that an increase in both crown-tooth, and comparably crown-implant, ratios would lead to a resultant increase in the magnitude of nonaxial forces transmitted to the tooth or implant. This could then lead to an increased vulnerability of either tooth or implant abutments to supporting bone loss. However, additional factors appear to impact long-term bone maintenance behavior around either type of abutment. Within the limited scope of this study, crown-implant ratios were not associated with recorded peri-implant bone loss. Int J Prosthodont 2010;23:33-37.
Elevated serum and cerebrospinal fluid levels of soluble human herpesvirus type 6 cellular receptor, membrane cofactor protein, in patients with multiple sclerosis

Membrane cofactor protein (CD46) is a member of a family of glycoproteins that are regulators of complement and prevent activation of complement on autologous cells. Recently, CD46 has been identified as the cellular receptor for human herpesvirus Type 6 (HHV‐6). Elevated levels of soluble CD46 have been described in several autoimmune disorders and may be implicated in the pathogenesis of these diseases. As several reports have supported an association of HHV‐6 and multiple sclerosis, it was of interest to compare levels of soluble CD46 in the sera of MS patients to that of healthy controls, other neurological disease controls, and other inflammatory disease controls. Using an immunoaffinity column comprised of immobilized monoclonal antibodies to CD46, serum levels of soluble CD46 were found to be significantly elevated in multiple sclerosis patients compared with healthy and other neurological disease controls. Moreover, multiple sclerosis patients who tested positive for HHV‐6 DNA in serum had significantly elevated levels of soluble CD46 in their serum compared with those who were negative for HHV‐6 DNA. A significant increase in soluble CD46 was also found in the serum of other inflammatory disease controls tested compared with healthy controls. Additionally, a significant correlation was demonstrated between levels of soluble CD46 in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of multiple sclerosis patients. Collectively, these data suggest that elevated levels of soluble CD46 may contribute to the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases, including MS.
The internal and cross market efficiency in index option markets: an investigation of the Italian market

The aim of the present paper is to provide evidence on the internal efficiency of the Italian index option market and to verify the consistency of the latter notion of efficiency with the cross market one. To this end a model-free approach is taken, whereby strategies involving only options are tested by means of a high frequency dataset. These strategies may provide a superior test of parity among index options since they do not involve the index replication issues and usefully complete previous studies which focused on cross-market efficiency only. The results obtained clearly support the efficiency of the Italian market and comparatively highlight a high level of consistency between internal and cross market efficiency.
A novel base station antenna based on rectangular waveguide

A novel base station antenna element is proposed. It consists of a surface of parallel strips to rotate the polarization direction and a segment of a rectangular waveguide. The surface is designed on a single-sided substrate, which has the same area as the aperture of the waveguide. In assembling, the non-copper side of the substrate is placed in direct contact with the aperture of the waveguide antenna. To achieve the polarization rotation, the parallel strips on the surface are rotated by 45° with respect to the walls of the waveguide antenna. By adding the surface, the linear polarization direction of the rectangular waveguide antenna is rotated by 45° to comply with the requirements of cellular industry. SMA connector with a conical probe is used as the coaxial-to-waveguide adaptor. Results have shown that the proposed antenna has a fractional impedance bandwidth of 35%, and a stable radiation pattern is also achieved.
ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 and cholesterol trafficking

Purpose of review Two hallmarks of cardiovascular disease are the presence of sterol-laden macrophages in the artery wall and reduced plasma HDL levels. A cell membrane protein named ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) mediates secretion of excess cholesterol from cells into the HDL metabolic pathway. The discovery of ABCA1 in 1999 triggered a deluge of studies conducted to characterize the properties of this important transporter. The present review summarizes the more recent of those studies and evaluates their implications for the role of ABCA1 in cholesterol transport, HDL metabolism, and atherogenesis. Recent findings Cell culture experiments have shown that ABCA1 transports cholesterol, phospholipids, and other lipophilic molecules across the plasma membrane, where they are picked up by apolipoproteins containing little or no lipids, but the mechanisms involved are still unclear. It is now apparent that factors in addition to sterols modulate ABCA1 expression by diverse transcriptional and post-transcriptional processes. Studies in humans and mice with ABCA1 mutations revealed that the relative activity of ABCA1 determines plasma HDL levels and influences susceptibility to cardiovascular disease. Mouse models are beginning to provide insights into the function of ABCA1 in vivo but are also raising new questions regarding the contribution of ABCA1 to total cholesterol flux. Summary Recent studies underscore the critical role of ABCA1 in clearing excess cholesterol from macrophages and generating HDL particles, implicating ABCA1 as an attractive new therapeutic target for treating cardiovascular disease.