Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Asbestos and Environmental Reserves Increases and Shareholder Wealth

Between 1992 and 2000, significant reserves increase announcements were made by several major property/liability insurers. These reserves increases were for the purpose of funding expected asbestos and environmental liability. Although most analysts agree that U.S. insurers are underreserved for asbestos and environmental liability, how the market reacts to an insurer's announcement of an increase in these reserves has not been analyzed. An insurer that is significantly underreserved is likely to be viewed by the market as lacking f'mancial stability for the long term. However, when a company increases its reserves there is a charge to income and a reduction in capital. If surplus is diminished sufficiently as a result of the increased reserving, regulatory attention and eroding shareholder and market confidence could result as well. The goal of this study is twofold. First, by calculating the sample insurers' cumulative abnormal returns surrounding the largest asbestos and environmental reserves increase announcements made between 1992 and 2000, the study estimates and documents the market's reaction to these reserves increase announcements. Second, by considering the market reaction for both announcing and non-announcing fLrms, the study seeks to evaluate the reasons for this reaction. Using market data for both announcing and non-announcing insurers with potential environmental exposure provides a useful paradigm for identifying the most likely explanation for the market's reaction to the announcements of environmental reserves increases. When looking at reserves increase announcements from 1992 to 1995, we find that most insurers announcing large increases in asbestos and environmental reserves experience a significant reduction in stock price in the days surrounding the announcement. During the period 1996 to 2000, a period during which additional information disclosures of A & E payments and reserves were required of insurers, many of the announcing insurers saw little impact on their stock prices. We find some evidence that the additional required accounting disclosures provided valuable valuation information to the market. We also find that with the exception of the largest announcement, the stock price reaction is isolated to the announcing firm, indicating that the announcement by one firm does not impact the market's assessment of the entire industry.
A 900 MHz CMOS balanced harmonic mixer for direct conversion receivers

A 900 MHz balanced harmonic mixer for direct conversion receivers is fabricated in a 0.35 /spl mu/m standard digital CMOS process. The self-mixing-induced DC offset is about 44 dB lower than that of the conventional mixer. The input referred offset is reduced to the noise level. Specific techniques on flicker noise reduction are also discussed. At 3 V power supply and -15.4 dBm LO power, it achieves 13 dB conversion gain, 24.5 dB noise figure at 10 kHz, -10 dBm third-order input intercept point and +36 dBm second-order input intercept point. The total power consumption is about 5 mW.
Identification of genes required for Mycobacterium abscessus growth in vivo with a prominent role of the ESX-4 locus

Significance The coevolution of mycobacteria and amoebae seems to have contributed to shaping the virulence of nontuberculous mycobacteria in macrophages. We identified a pool of genes essential for the intracellular survival of Mycobacterium abscessus inside amoebae and macrophages and discovered a hot spot of transposon insertions within the orthologous ESX-4 T7SS locus. We generated a mutant with the deletion of a structural key ESX component, EccB4. We demonstrate rupture of the phagosomal membrane only in the presence of an intact eccB4 gene. These results suggest an unanticipated role of ESX-4 T7SS in governing the intracellular behavior of a mycobacterium. Because M. abscessus lacks ESX-1, it is tempting to speculate that ESX-4 operates as a surrogate for ESX-1 in M. tuberculosis. Mycobacterium abscessus, a rapidly growing mycobacterium (RGM) and an opportunistic human pathogen, is responsible for a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from pulmonary to skin and soft tissue infections. This intracellular organism can resist the bactericidal defense mechanisms of amoebae and macrophages, an ability that has not been observed in other RGM. M. abscessus can up-regulate several virulence factors during transient infection of amoebae, thereby becoming more virulent in subsequent respiratory infections in mice. Here, we sought to identify the M. abscessus genes required for replication within amoebae. To this end, we constructed and screened a transposon (Tn) insertion library of an M. abscessus subspecies massiliense clinical isolate for attenuated clones. This approach identified five genes within the ESX-4 locus, which in M. abscessus encodes an ESX-4 type VII secretion system that exceptionally also includes the ESX conserved EccE component. To confirm the screening results and to get further insight into the contribution of ESX-4 to M. abscessus growth and survival in amoebae and macrophages, we generated a deletion mutant of eccB4 that encodes a core structural element of ESX-4. This mutant was less efficient at blocking phagosomal acidification than its parental strain. Importantly, and in contrast to the wild-type strain, it also failed to damage phagosomes and showed reduced signs of phagosome-to-cytosol contact, as demonstrated by a combination of cellular and immunological assays. This study attributes an unexpected and genuine biological role to the underexplored mycobacterial ESX-4 system and its substrates.
A mechanism for gene conversion in fungi.

A mechanism for gene conversion is proposed which overcomes many of the difficulties that any copy choice model encounters. It is suggested that along with general genetic pairing of homologous genomes at meiosis, effective pairing over short regions of the genetic material occurs at the molecular level by the separation of the strands of the DNA double helices, followed by the annealing of strands from two homologous chromatids. If the annealed region happens to span a heterozygous site, mispairing of bases will occur. Such a situation may be analogous to that in DNA which is damaged by mutagens; the same or similar repair mechanisms may operate, and these, by adjusting the base sequences in order to restore normal base pairing, would bring about gene conversion in the absence of any genetic replication. The model indicates how precise breakage and rejoining of chromatids could occur in the vicinity of the conversion, so that conversion would frequently be accompanied by the recombination of outside markers. The model also proposes that the distance between two mutant sites on a fine structure map depends not so much on the frequency of a recombinational event occurring between them, but rather on the degree of inhibition of the processes of genetic pairing by the mutants themselves. The model will explain almost all the data in a formal way, and it has the advantage over copy choice mechanisms for gene conversion in (1) being compatible with semi-conservative replication of DNA, (2) not invoking DNA synthesis during or after genetic pairing, (3) providing a molecular mechanism for close specific pairing, (4) making it unnecessary to postulate sister strand exchange or a process akin to this, (5) suggesting why rates of gene conversion in opposite directions are sometimes unequal and (6) providing an explanation of the clustering of mutant sites, a basis for map expansion and for the apparently capricious departure of fine structure maps from additivity. Although the model proposed is a general rather than a specific one, it suggests that the process of conversion and intragenic recombination is more complex than is usually believed, since it depends on several interacting factors. Nevertheless, it is hoped that the introduction of a model with this complexity will help to stimulate specific experiments, and that these will provide definitive information which would never be obtained if simpler models of conversion and intragenic recombination were believed to explain the genetic data sufficiently well.
The comparison of cytotoxicity of the anticancer drugs doxorubicin and ellipticine to human neuroblastoma cells

The comparison of cytotoxicity of the anticancer drugs doxorubicin and ellipticine to human neuroblastoma cells Ellipticine is an antineoplastic agent, whose mode of action is based mainly on DNA intercalation, inhibition of topoisomerase II and formation of covalent DNA adducts mediated by cytochromes P450 and peroxidases. Here, the cytotoxicity of ellipticine to human neuroblastoma derived cell lines IMR-32 and UKF-NB-4 was investigated. Treatment of neuroblastoma cells with ellipticine was compared with that of these cancer cells with doxorubicin. The toxicity of ellipticine was essentially the same as that of doxorubicin to UKF-NB-4 cells, but doxorubicin is much more effective to inhibit the growth of the IMR-32 cell line than ellipticine. Hypoxic conditions used for the cell cultivation resulted in a decrease in ellipticine and/or doxorubicin toxicity to IMR-32 and UKF-NB-4 neuroblastoma cells.
Structural Characteristics of HLA-DQ that May Impact DM Editing and Susceptibility to Type-1 Diabetes

Autoreactive CD4+ T cells initiate the chronic autoimmune disease Type-1 diabetes (T1D), in which multiple environmental and genetic factors are involved. The association of HLA, especially the DR-DQ loci, with risk for T1D is well documented. However, the molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. In this review, we explore the structural characteristics of HLA-DQ and the role of HLA-DM function as they may contribute to an understanding of autoreactive T cell development in T1D.
Color separation to facilitate handwriting examination

Often the forensic document examiners encounter cases where the ink of handwriting interferes with other writings. In these cases, a serious problem is to distinguish and to separate the different color components. The purpose of this paper is shows an image processing method that could accomplish this task without use of expensive material/equipment or to solve cases in which even high level technical instrumentation (IR absorption or luminescence) does not provide good results. In the proposed system one user can choose more than one point for each different color component, respectively desired, undesirable and background. The results obtained with our color separation methods to specific color combinations (i.e. handwriting ink/handwriting ink and handwriting ink/rubber stamp ink) show that the effect of the intersecting ink may indeed be minimized if not canceled altogether.
The Role of the Psychiatric Mental Health: Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in the Scope of Psychiatric Practice.

To the Editor: T his commentary is an invited response to Dr McCall's editorial and related to a lively discussion on a recent International Society for ECTand Neurostimulation (ISEN) Listserv about whether psychiatric mental health (PMH)-advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) have the education and training needed to administer electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Supported by evidence, we assert that PMH-APRNs are essential to providing comprehensive psychiatric practice. This includes providing psychotherapy, prescribing medications, and, potentially, to administering ECT. We are not suggesting that PMH-APRNs are substitutes for psychiatrists. The limited research comparing psychiatrist with PMH-APRN practice suggests that psychiatrists may be specialists best suited to managing especially complex patients and providing expert consultation. 2 Evidence also supports that PMH-APRNs spend more time with patients, provide more education, promote advocacy for lifestyle changes, and facilitate transition from hospital to home. Rather than focusing on the unique scope of psychiatrist practice, it may be more productive to ask, “What roles, responsibilities, and working relationships between psychiatrists, PMHAPRNs, and allied health care professionals can optimize health outcomes for persons with psychiatric conditions and frequent medical comorbidities? ” Dr McCall attests that “primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, advanced practice nurses, and physician's assistants in primary care write the lion's share of antidepressant prescriptions. ” We note that nurse practitioners are APRNs. Under the APRN title, 2 groups of health care professionals are credentialed to practice as specialists in psychiatric mental health nursing—the psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner and the psychiatric and mental health clinical nurse specialist. There is little difference between their roles except that psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioners may provide primary health care for patients, and in all states, they have prescriptive authority. Psychiatric
Design of a Low Profile and Compact Omnidirectional Filtering Patch Antenna

A low profile omnidirectional patch antenna with filtering response is investigated in this paper. The triangular patch antenna is axially fed by a probe at its center, exciting both its TM<sub>10</sub> and TM<sub>11</sub> modes. Comparing with the traditional circular patch, the triangular patch can not only minimize the patch size but also can generate a radiation null at the upper band edge. A ring slot and a series of shorting vias are introduced into the patch to merge the two modes, enhancing the bandwidth of the passband. The combination of the two elements simultaneously generates a radiation null at the lower band edge. Consequently, a compact filtering patch antenna with quasi-elliptic bandpass response is obtained without involving specific filtering circuits. The prototype with profile of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$0.03~\lambda _{0}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> has a 10-dB impedance bandwidth of 8.9% (4.3–4.7 GHz), an average gain of 6.0 dBi within passband, an out-of-band suppression level of more than 30 dB within lower stopband (0–3.6 GHz), and more than 20 dB within upper stopband (5.1–6.3 GHz).
An empirical investigation on how social responsibility changes between public and private organizations

Article history: Received May 12, 2013 Received in revised format 20 June 2013 Accepted 25 June 2013 Available online June 27 2013 Organization theory often focuses on stakeholders’ interests as well as the organization's social responsibility and while the focus is normally more on private organizations, but these issues must be considered in public organizations as well. People expect the public organizations to think and to act more generally. The purpose of this study is to compare the tendencies of private and public organizations in the field of social responsibility. This is an applied research and is a descriptivesurvey study in terms of research method. The statistical population of this study covers all 670 managers of private and public organizations of city of Tehran, Iran. Using Morgan table and by conducing stratified sampling, a sample size of 140 was selected. Data gathering tool was a questionnaire consisted of 18 items. To confirm the questionnaire validity, we obtained the experts’ opinions on acceptable face validity and content validity. To evaluate the questionnaire reliability, the Cronbach's alpha was used (alpha coefficient = .88). Research hypotheses were tested using independent t-test and all of them were confirmed.
Neural reprogramming in retinal degeneration.

PURPOSE Early visual defects in degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) may arise from phased remodeling of the neural retina. The authors sought to explore the functional expression of ionotropic (iGluR) and group 3, type 6 metabotropic (mGluR6) glutamate receptors in late-stage photoreceptor degeneration. METHODS Excitation mapping with organic cations and computational molecular phenotyping were used to determine whether retinal neurons displayed functional glutamate receptor signaling in rodent models of retinal degeneration and a sample of human RP. RESULTS After photoreceptor loss in rodent models of RP, bipolar cells lose mGluR6 and iGluR glutamate-activated currents, whereas amacrine and ganglion cells retain iGluR-mediated responsivity. Paradoxically, amacrine and ganglion cells show spontaneous iGluR signals in vivo even though bipolar cells lack glutamate-coupled depolarization mechanisms. Cone survival can rescue iGluR expression by OFF bipolar cells. In a case of human RP with cone sparing, iGluR signaling appeared intact, but the number of bipolar cells expressing functional iGluRs was double that of normal retina. CONCLUSIONS RP triggers permanent loss of bipolar cell glutamate receptor expression, though spontaneous iGluR-mediated signaling by amacrine and ganglion cells implies that such truncated bipolar cells still release glutamate in response to some nonglutamatergic depolarization. Focal cone-sparing can preserve iGluR display by nearby bipolar cells, which may facilitate late RP photoreceptor transplantation attempts. An instance of human RP provides evidence that rod bipolar cell dendrite switching likely triggers new gene expression patterns and may impair cone pathway function.
Humour and the Media. Definitions, Genres and Cultures

In order to discuss humour in the media, the field has to be restricted to intentionally humorous output. This immediately excludes, as pointed out by Patrick Charaudeau and Anne-Marie Houdebine, the more general question of laughter and the laughable. Obviously, the recipient may not recognise the humorous intention (misappreciation), or not grasp it (incomprehension), or even reject it (normative reduction), for reasons we will discuss below. A further point is that humorous communication i.
Atypical Pestivirus and Severe Respiratory Disease in Calves, Europe

In 2010, a HoBi-like pestivirus was isolated from clinically affected calves in Italy. This European virus reproduced a milder form of disease under experimental conditions and was genetically related to previously reported HoBi-like strains. Isolation of this novel virus from a clinical outbreak may have implications for cattle health and prophylactic programs.
Genetic analysis of reaction time variability: room for improvement?

Background Increased reaction time variability (RTV) on cognitive tasks requiring a speeded response is characteristic of several psychiatric disorders. In attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the association with RTV is strong phenotypically and genetically, yet high RTV is not a stable impairment but shows ADHD-sensitive improvement under certain conditions, such as those with rewards. The state regulation theory proposed that the RTV difference score, which captures change from baseline to a rewarded or fast condition, specifically measures ‘state regulation’. By contrast, the interpretation of RTV baseline (slow, unrewarded) scores is debated. We aimed to investigate directly the degree of phenotypic and etiological overlap between RTV baseline and RTV difference scores. Method We conducted genetic model fitting analyses on go/no-go and fast task RTV data, across task conditions manipulating rewards and event rate, from a population-based twin sample (n=1314) and an ADHD and control sibling-pair sample (n=1265). Results Phenotypic and genetic/familial correlations were consistently high (0.72–0.98) between RTV baseline and difference scores, across tasks, manipulations and samples. By contrast, correlations were low between RTV in the manipulated condition and difference scores. A comparison across two different go/no-go task RTV difference scores (slow-fast/slow-incentive) showed high phenotypic and genetic/familial overlap (r = 0.75–0.83). Conclusions Our finding that RTV difference scores measure largely the same etiological process as RTV under baseline condition supports theories emphasizing the malleability of the observed high RTV. Given the statistical shortcomings of difference scores, we recommend the use of RTV baseline scores for most analyses, including genetic analyses.
What Does It Take to Implement Change Successfully? A Study of the Behaviors of Successful Change Leaders

This article seeks to explore the impact of leaders’ behaviors on the successful implementation of change. A qualitative empirical study of change leader behaviors based on interviews with leaders from 33 organizations is presented. Analyses of the data indicated that leader-centric behaviors have an adverse impact on change implementation. In contrast, behaviors that may be described as being more facilitating and engaging are positively related to change success. Four critical behavior sets are identified. It was evident that leaders who experienced the highest levels of success deployed all four of the behavior sets and minimal presence of leader-centric behaviors. The study findings provide support for some of the recent research into change leadership. However, they provide a more detailed picture of the nature of behaviors associated with successful change implementation. The article concludes with a brief discussion of limitations and areas for further research.
Robust coordination for large sets of simple rovers

The ability to coordinate sets of rovers in an unknown environment is critical to the long-term success of many of NASA's exploration missions. Such coordination policies must have the ability to adapt in unmodeled or partially modeled domains and must be robust against environmental noise and rover failures. In addition such coordination policies must accommodate a large number of rovers, without excessive and burdensome hand-tuning. In this paper we present a distributed coordination method that addresses these issues in the domain of controlling a set of simple rovers. The application of these methods allows reliable and efficient robotic exploration in dangerous, dynamic, and previously unexplored domains. Most control policies for space missions are directly programmed by engineers or created through the use of planning tools, and are appropriate for single rover missions or missions requiring the coordination of a small number of rovers. Such methods typically require significant amounts of domain knowledge, and are difficult to scale to large numbers of rovers. The method described in this article aims to address cases where a large number of rovers need to coordinate to solve a complex time dependent problem in a noisy environment. In this approach, each rover decomposes a global utility, representing the overall goal of the system, into rover-specific utilities that properly assign credit to the rover's actions. Each rover then has the responsibility to create a control policy that maximizes its own rover-specific utility. We show a method of creating rover-utilities that are "aligned" with the global utility, such that when the rovers maximize their own utility, they also maximize the global utility. In addition we show that our method creates rover-utilities that allow the rovers to create their control policies quickly and reliably. Our distributed learning method allows large sets rovers be used unmodeled domains, while providing robustness against rover failures and changing environments. In experimental simulations we show that our method scales well with large numbers of rovers in addition to being robust against noisy sensor inputs and noisy servo control. The results show that our method is able to scale to large numbers of rovers and achieves up to 400% performance improvement over standard machine learning methods