Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does Corporate Ethics Help Investors Forecast Future Earnings

Purpose - A firm’s ethical behavior is commonly perceived beneficial to the firm and its investors in the literature. However, activities of corporate social responsibility (CSR) are often delivered with multiple purposes, and their expenses are aggregated with other expenditures in financial statements. These two features motivate us to hypothesize and find that investors’ ability to predict future earnings of ethical firms may not be improved through observing the CSR activities. Our study suggests that CSR spending should be expressed separately from other expenses in financial reports to help investors predict the future performance of CSR firms. Design/methodology/approach - We use future (forward) earnings response coefficients (FERC) to testing whether current stock returns reflect correct information about future earnings. The basic specification of FERC framework, initially developed by Collins, Kothari, Shanken, and Sloan (1994) is a regression of current-year stock returns on past, concurrent and future reported earnings with future stock returns as a control variable. A significantly positive FERC provides evidence that investors have rich and correct information about future earnings. Findings - We find less future earnings information contained in current stock returns for firms with higher intensity of CSR activities. The association is also negative between current stock returns and future earnings reported by firms with a higher degree of CSR spending aggregated with SG&A. In additional analyses, the intensity of CSR activities is positively associated the uncertainty of benefits, measured by the standard deviation of future earnings over the next five years. This future earnings variability does not exist, even though CSR spending is aggregated with SG&A, consistent with the basic principle that accounting expenses create no future economic impacts. Originality/value - We contribute to the current debate over consequences of CSR activities and accounting for CSR spending from a different angle. A common belief is that voluntary disclosure on CSR activities would aid in reducing costs of equity capital and financial reporting errors. These studies provide corporate managers with good reasons and motivations to expect beneficial consequences of voluntary disclosure. Our results show that general investors are less capable of predicting future earnings when there is a higher degree of CSR spending aggregated with SG&A. It also highlights potential problems in the disclosure of general-purpose financial reporting to accounting standard setters.
Laboratory ultrasonic measurements: Shear transducers for compressional waves

The ultrasonic measurements technique is well established to measure the elastic properties of rocks in the laboratory for seismic and well-log data interpretation. The key components of every laboratory ultrasonic setup are piezoelectric transducers, which generate and register elastic waves in rock samples. The elastic properties of rocks are determined through the velocities of elastic waves, which are measured by the times of the waves' travel from the source to the receiver transducer. Transducers can be specifically designed to generate P-waves (P-transducers) or S-waves (S-transducers). In limited studies, the measurement of P-wave velocities with S-transducers is mentioned. Such measurement is possible due to specific aspects of the operation of S-transducers. Namely, S-transducers are known to emit parasitic low-energy P-waves, which travel faster than high-energy S-waves and hence can be registered. However, no justification or elaboration of this method of measuring P-wave velocities was reported. To fill this gap, we first compare P-wave velocities measured with S-transducers against P-wave velocities measured with P-transducers in different rocks and materials. We show that the discrepancy between velocities measured with the two methods in homogeneous materials is less than 1% and can be up to 4% for natural rocks. Second, we numerically simulate the operation of S-transducers, show that parasitic P-waves have a dipole structure, and explain how the receiver transducer can register this compressional dipole. Finally, we use laser doppler interferometry to measure the displacement of the free surface of a sample caused by elastic waves emitted by the source S-transducer. We observed the dipole structure of the sample's surface displacement upon P-wave arrival on the surface.
United States Food and Drug Administration Approval Summary: Bortezomib for the Treatment of Progressive Multiple Myeloma after One Prior Therapy

Purpose: On March 25, 2005, bortezomib (Velcade for Injection; Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cambridge, MA, and Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C.) received regular approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) for the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) progressing after at least one prior therapy. This approval was based on bortezomib's efficacy and safety which was shown in a single, large, comparative international open-label phase 3 trial that randomized 669 patients with MM previously treated with at least one systemic regimen to receive single-agent bortezomib or high-dose dexamethasone. The FDA analysis of the trial data and bortezomib's regulatory development are summarized here. Experimental Design and Results: Following a preplanned interim analysis of time to disease progression (the primary end point), an independent data-monitoring committee advised the sponsor to halt the study and offer bortezomib to all dexamethasone-treated study patients. Time to progression was significantly prolonged in the bortezomib treatment arm (median, 6.2 months) compared with the dexamethasone arm (median, 3.5 months; log-rank test, P < 0.0001; hazard ratio, 0.55; 95% confidence interval, 0.44-0.69). Analysis of overall survival done on the interim database (with 20% of events) showed the superiority of bortezomib for patients (log-rank test, P < 0.05; hazard ratio, 0.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.40-0.81). Using criteria from the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, the response rate (complete plus partial response) with bortezomib was also superior to dexamethasone (38% versus 18%; P < 0.0001). Adverse events on the bortezomib arm were similar to those previously observed in phase 2 studies; some notable adverse events included asthenia, peripheral neuropathy, thrombocytopenia, and neutropenia. Conclusions: The U.S. FDA had earlier (May 2003) granted bortezomib accelerated approval for the treatment of patients with MM progressing after two prior therapies. The results of the phase 3 trial and the FDA analysis of the data, along with the sponsor's completion of other postmarketing commitments, confirm bortezomib's benefit and support regular approval.
Developmental history of the transient subplate zone in the visual and somatosensory cortex of the macaque monkey and human brain

The cytological organization and the timetable of emergence and dissolution of the transient subplate zone subjacent to the developing visual and somatosensory cortex were studied in a series of human and monkey fetal brains. Cerebral walls processed with Nissl, Golgi, electron‐microscopic, and histochemical methods show that this zone consists of migratory and postmigratory neurons, growth cones, loosely arranged axons, dendrites, synapses, and glial cells. In both species the subplate zone becomes visible at the beginning of the mid‐third of gestation as a cell‐poor/fiber‐rich layer situated between the intermediate zone and the developing cortical plate. The subplate zone appears earlier in the somatosensory than in the visual area and reaches maximal width at the beginning of the last third of gestation in both regions. At the peak of its size the ratio between the width of the subplate zone and cortical plate in the somatosensory cortex is 2:1 in monkey and 4:1 in man while in the occipital lobe these structures have about equal width in both species. The dissolution of the subplate zone begins during the last third of gestation with degeneration of some subplate neurons and the relocation of fiber terminals into the cortex. The subplate zone disappears faster in the visual than in the somatosensory area.
Bioactivation of cysteine conjugates of 1-nitropyrene oxides by cysteine conjugate beta-lyase purified from Peptostreptococcus magnus

To determine the role of cysteine conjugate beta-lyase (beta-lyase) in the metabolism of mutagenic nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, we determined the effect of beta-lyase on the mutagenicities and DNA binding of cysteine conjugates of 4,5-epoxy-4,5-dihydro-1-nitropyrene (1-NP 4,5-oxide) and 9,10-epoxy-9,10-dihydro-1-nitropyrene (1-NP 9,10-oxide), which are detoxified metabolites of the mutagenic compound 1-nitropyrene. We purified beta-lyase from Peptostreptococcus magnus GAI0663, since P. magnus is one of the constituents of the intestinal microflora and exhibits high levels of degrading activity with cysteine conjugates of 1-nitropyrene oxides (1-NP oxide-Cys). The activity of purified beta-lyase was optimal at pH 7.5 to 8.0, was completely inhibited by aminooxyacetic acid and hydroxylamine, and was eliminated by heating the enzyme at 55 degrees C for 5 min. The molecular weight of beta-lyase was 150,000, as determined by fast protein liquid chromatography. S-Arylcysteine conjugates were good substrates for this enzyme. As determined by the Salmonella mutagenicity test, 5 ng of beta-lyase protein increased the mutagenicity of the cysteine conjugate of 1-NP 9,10-oxide (10 nmol per plate) 4.5-fold in Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and 4.1-fold in strain TA100. However, beta-lyase had little effect on the cysteine conjugate of 1-NP 4,5-oxide (10 nmol per plate). Both conjugates exhibited only low levels of mutagenicity with nitroreductase-deficient strain TA98NR. In vitro binding of 1-NP oxide-Cys to calf thymus DNA was increased by adding purified beta-lyase or xanthine oxidase. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Genomic data detect corresponding signatures of population size change on an ecological time scale in two salamander species

Understanding the demography of species over recent history (e.g. <100 years) is critical in studies of ecology and evolution, but records of population history are rarely available. Surveying genetic variation is a potential alternative to census‐based estimates of population size, and can yield insight into the demography of a population. However, to assess the performance of genetic methods, it is important to compare their estimates of population history to known demography. Here, we leveraged the exceptional resources from a wetland with 37 years of amphibian mark–recapture data to study the utility of genetically based demographic inference on salamander species with documented population declines (Ambystoma talpoideum) and expansions (A. opacum), patterns that have been shown to be correlated with changes in wetland hydroperiod. We generated ddRAD data from two temporally sampled populations of A. opacum (1993, 2013) and A. talpoideum (1984, 2011) and used coalescent‐based demographic inference to compare alternate evolutionary models. For both species, demographic model inference supported population size changes that corroborated mark–recapture data. Parameter estimation in A. talpoideum was robust to our variations in analytical approach, while estimates for A. opacum were highly inconsistent, tempering our confidence in detecting a demographic trend in this species. Overall, our robust results in A. talpoideum suggest that genome‐based demographic inference has utility on an ecological scale, but researchers should also be cognizant that these methods may not work in all systems and evolutionary scenarios. Demographic inference may be an important tool for population monitoring and conservation management planning.
Ocular surface epithelial thickness evaluation with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography.

PURPOSE To use in vivo spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) to measure corneal, limbal, and bulbar conjunctival epithelial thickness. METHODS A total of 156 eyes of 79 subjects were enrolled in four groups: young control (YC group), < 40 years; middle-aged control (MAC group), > 40 years; patients with dry eye syndrome (KCS group); and patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension treated with intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering medication (G group). The central corneal epithelium (CE) thickness, and the limbal (LE) and bulbar conjunctival epithelium (BCE) thickness in four quadrants were measured using SD-OCT. RESULTS The mean thicknesses of the CE, LE, and BCE of the YC group were 48.3 ± 2.9 μm, 83.0 ± 14.3 μm, and 42.0 ± 7.5 μm, and for the MAC group were 48.8 ± 3.0 μm, 84.3 ± 10.1 μm, and 42.2 ± 7.9 μm, respectively. The ocular surface epithelial thickness was not significantly different between the YC and MAC groups. CE thicknesses were not significantly different between the KCS, G, and control groups. The mean LE thicknesses were significantly lower in the KCS and G groups compared with the MAC group. The mean BCE was significantly thicker in the KCS and G groups compared with the MAC group. CONCLUSIONS Anterior segment SD-OCT can provide a noninvasive evaluation of ocular surface epithelial thickness. LE and BCE thickness was modified in dry eye patients and patients using IOP-lowering eye drops, whereas aging seemed to have no effect.
Participation in a population-based physical activity programme as an aid for smoking cessation: a randomised trial

Objectives Exercise combined with nicotine therapy may help smoking cessation and minimise weight gain after quitting. Low participation in vigorous-intensity physical activity programmes precludes their population-wide applicability. In a randomised controlled trial, we tested whether a population-based moderate-intensity physical activity programme increases quit rates among sedentary smokers receiving nicotine therapy. Methods Participants (n=481; 57% male; mean age, 42.2 years (SD 10.1); mean cigarette consumption, 27 (SD 10.2) per day) were offered a nine-week smoking cessation programme consisting of a weekly 15-minute counselling session and the prescription of nicotine replacement therapy. In addition, participants in the physical activity group (n=229) also took part in a programme of moderate-intensity physical activity implemented at the national level, and offering nine weekly 60-minute sessions of physical activity. To ensure equal contact conditions, participants in the control group (n=252) attended weekly 60-minute health behaviour education sessions unrelated to physical activity. The primary outcome was continuous CO-verified smoking abstinence rates at 1-year follow-up. Results Continuous smoking abstinence rates were high and similar in the physical activity group and the control group at the end of the intervention (47% versus 46%, p=0.81) and at 1-year follow-up (27% versus 29%, p=0.71). The mean weight gain after one year was 4.4 kg and 6.2 kg among sustained quitters of the physical activity and control groups, respectively (p=0.06). Conclusion Participation in a population-based moderate-intensity physical activity programme for 9 weeks in addition to a comprehensive smoking cessation programme did not significantly increase smoking cessation rates. A non-significant reduction in weight gain was observed among participants who quit smoking in the physical activity group. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov; US National Institutes for Health (available online at http://clinicaltrials.gov/; Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT00521391)
Improved winner-take-all circuit for neural network based on frequency-modulated signals

This paper proposes a new winner-take-all (WTA) circuit for WTA neural network (WTANN) that is based on frequency modulated signals. WTA finds winner neuron that has the nearest internal weight vector to input vector, and reliable and efficient frequency comparator is required for the implementation of the WTA circuit. This paper proposes a cycle slip detector to estimate frequency difference of the signals. To evaluate the performance of the proposed WTA, VHDL simulation was conducted. Results revealed that accuracy in WTA operation of the proposed method is much better than the previously proposed WTA circuit.
Longitudinal Polysomnographic Assessment from Acute to Subacute Phase in Infratentorial versus Supratentorial Stroke

Background: Regulation of sleep and sleep-related breathing resides in different brain structures. Vascular lesions can be expected to differ in their consequences on sleep depending on stroke topography. However, studies addressing the differences in sleep and sleep-related breathing depending on stroke topography are scarce. The aim of the present investigation was to compare the sleep and sleep-related breathing of patients with supratentorial versus infratentorial stroke. Methods: This study was part of the prospective multicenter study SAS-CARE-1 (Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)/Ischemic Stroke and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Treatment Efficacy (SAS-CARE); NCT01097967). We prospectively included 14 patients (13 male, age 66 ± 6 years) with infratentorial lesions and 14 patients (14 male, age 64 ± 7 years) with supratentorial lesions, matched for age and stroke severity. Polysomnography was recorded in all during the acute phase within 9 days after stroke onset and 3 months later. Results: During the acute phase after stroke, patients with infratentorial lesions had significantly more sleep-related breathing disorders than patients with supratentorial lesions with an apnea-hypopnea index >20 observed in 8 (57%) patients with infratentorial stroke and in only 2 (14%) patients with supratentorial stroke. Sleep-related breathing improved from the acute to the subacute phase (3 months), albeit remaining elevated in a significant proportion of subjects. Sleep parameters did not differ between the two patient groups but there was a general improvement of sleep from the acute to the subacute phase which was comparable for both patient groups. Although stroke severity was mild, recovery after 3 months was worse in patients with infratentorial stroke with 12 of 14 patients with supratentorial stroke being symptom free (NIHSS = 0), while this was the case for only 6 of 14 patients with infratentorial stroke. Conclusions: Patients with infratentorial lesions are at an increased risk for sleep-related breathing disorders, which are frequent in this group. Monitoring of sleep-related breathing is therefore especially recommended in patients with infratentorial stroke. Because of the absence of reliable differences in sleep parameters between the two patient groups, polygraphy, with reduced diagnostic costs, rather than polysomnography could be considered. The higher prevalence of sleep-related breathing disorders and the poorer recovery of patients with infratentorial lesions suggest that early treatment interventions should be considered.
Complex organic molecules in organic-poor massive young stellar objects

Massive young stellar objects (MYSOs) with hot cores are classic sources of complex organic molecules. The origins of these molecules in such sources, as well as the small- and large-scale differentiation between nitrogen- and oxygen-bearing complex species, are poorly understood. We aim to use complex molecule abundances toward a chemically less explored class of MYSOs with weak hot organic emission lines to constrain the impact of hot molecular cores and initial ice conditions on the chemical composition toward MYSOs. We use the IRAM 30m and the Submillimeter Array to search for complex organic molecules over 8-16 GHz in the 1~mm atmospheric window toward three MYSOs with known ice abundances, but without luminous molecular hot cores. Complex molecules are detected toward all three sources at comparable abundances with respect to CH$_3$OH to classical hot core sources. The relative importance of CH$_3$CHO, CH$_3$CCH, CH$_3$OCH$_3$, CH$_3$CN, and HNCO differ between the organic-poor MYSOs and hot cores, however. Furthermore, the N-bearing molecules are generally concentrated toward the source centers, while most O- and C-bearing molecules are present both in the center and in the colder envelope. Gas-phase HNCO/CH$_3$OH ratios are tentatively correlated with the ratios of NH$_3$ ice over CH$_3$OH ice in the same lines of sight, which is consistent with new gas-grain model predictions. Hot cores are not required to form complex organic molecules, and source temperature and initial ice composition both seem to affect complex organic distributions toward MYSOs. To quantify the relative impact of temperature and initial conditions requires, however, a larger spatially resolved survey of MYSOs with ice detections.
Accelerated Algorithms for Labeling and Relabeling of Trees, with Applications to Distribution Problems

Adjacent extreme point problems involving a tree basis (e.g. the transportation problem) require the determination of cycles which are created when edges not belonging to the basis are added to the basis-tree. This paper offers an improvement over the predecessorindex method for finding such cycles and involves the use of a distance function defined on the nodes of the tree, in addition to the predecessor labels. I t is shown that the relabeling associated with a basis change can be minimized by defining yet another function called the successor function. The algorithms for labeling and relabeling are then specialized for the specific case of transportation problems.
Reusing Downstream Carrier in Colorless Laser Diode for Full-Duplex 64-QAM OFDM

Without the need of any inline data eraser, the downstream carrier is reused in an upstream colorless laser diode transmitter to demonstrate full-duplex bidirectional 64-QAM OFDM passive optical network (PON) at up to 18 Gb/s. Therein, the downstream signal is used to control the wavelength of upstream laser diode by injection locking, and the slave laser diode then generates the injection-locked carrier for carrying the upstream signal. Distributing the OFDM subcarriers into dual frequency regions for upstream (baseband at 0-3 GHz) and downstream (up-shifted band at 3-6 GHz) transmissions avoids the crosstalk and simplifies the full-duplex system. The downstream power splitting ratio of 60/40 is optimized for receiving/injection branches at user end. For the downstream 64-QAM OFDM data after propagating 25-km SMF, a sensitivity of received power at least -8.5 dBm is required to suppress the BER below 3.8 × 10-3 for the forward-error correction (FEC) criterion. When directly reusing the downstream carrier with unerased data to injection-lock the colorless laser diode, the 25-km SMF transmitted upstream 64-QAM OFDM data exhibits an SNR of 22.9 dB and an error vector magnitude of 4.1%, which provides a BER of 1.5 × 10-3 at a received power of -5.8 dBm. Such a downstream carrier reused colorless laser diode upstream transmitter with inline eraser-free operation has shown its applicability for full-duplex quadrature amplitude modulation orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing PON.