Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Underpricing of Initial Public Offerings in the Indian Capital Market

This paper investigates the reasons behind the underpricing of initial public offerings (IPOs) in the Indian Capital Market. Initial Public Offerings are the one of the largest source of capital for the firms to invest in the growth opportunities. It encourages investment activities in the economy by mobilizing funds from the low growth opportunities to the high growth opportunities. It has been observed that Initial Public Offerings are underpriced in most of the countries (Loughran, Ritter and Rydqvist 1994). Underpricing is the pricing of the issue at lesser price than the true value of the issue. The degree of underpricing varies from country to country and issue to issue in the same country. The underpriced Initial Public Offering leaves money on the table which is cost for the company and the same becomes a gain for the investors in the form of positive initial returns on the underpriced shares. Though underpricing is a cost for the issuing company, the issuing company underprices the issue. There are many theoretical explanations for underpricing of initial public offerings. This is an empirical study which aims to find out the reasons which are causing the underpricing in the Indian Capital Market. The underpricing of initial public offerings is a serious problem for any economy. As on the one side high underpricing tendency in the primary market discourages initial public offerings by those companies which cannot afford or do not want underpricing or leaving the money on the table. On the other hand it creates arbitrage activities in the secondary market and in the grey market. The underpricing of initial public offerings thus hampers the growth opportunities and creates instability in the secondary market.In the Indian Capital Market introduction of book building mechanism of initial public offerings in 1998 aimed to reduce the underpricing. As in the book building mechanism the offer price of the issue is determined on the basis of market feedback . The present study on 227 bookbuilt IPOs for the period of 2004 to 2009 found that the average underpricing during this period was 28 percent while the maximum underpricing was around 242 percent. Thus underpricing of IPOs is still a issue of concern. Section 1 of the paper contains introduction, section 2 an overview of the regulatory system of initial public offerings in India, section 3 the review of literature on the subject, section 4 a description of sample and data set used in this study, section 5 the model and empirical results of the model and section 6 summarizes the findings.
A Long-Term Study of Policosanol in the Treatment of Intermittent Claudication

Policosanol is a cholesterol-lowering drug with concomitant antiplatelet effects. This study was undertaken to investigate the long-term effects of policosanol administered to patients with moderately severe intermittent claudication. The study consisted of a 6-week single-blind, placebo-controlled run in phase, followed by a 2-year double-blind, randomized treatment step. Fifty-six patients who met study entry criteria were randomized to receive placebo or poli cosanol 10 mg twice daily. Walking distances on a treadmill (constant speed 3.2 km/h, slope 10°, temperature 25°C) were assessed before and after 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of treatment. Both groups were similar at randomization. After 6 months of therapy, policosanol significantly increased (p < 0.0 1) the initial claudication distance from 125.9 ±8.7 m to 201.1 ±24.8 m and the absolute claudication distance from 219.5 ± 14.1 m to 380.7 ±50.2 m. Both variables remained unchanged in the placebo group (p<0.01). These effects did not wear off but improved after long-term therapy, so that final values were 333.5 ±28.6 m (initial claudication distance) and 648.9 ±54.1 m (absolute claudication distance); both significantly greater (p<0.0001) than those obtained in the placebo group, which showed values of 137.9 ±21.8 m (initial claudication distance) and 237.7 ±28.1 m (absolute claudication distance), respectively. At study completion, 21 policosanol and 5 placebo patients attained increases in claudication distance values > 50% (p < 0.001). Policosanol, but not placebo, significantly increased the ankle/arm pressure index. In addition, from month 6 up to study completion, the frequency of patients reporting improve ment of lower limb symptoms was greater in the policosanol group than in the placebo group. The treatment was tolerated well. There were 16 withdrawals (12 placebo, 4 policosanol) from the study. Eight patients in the placebo group experienced a total of 10 serious adverse events, 8 of which were vascular events, compared with none in the policosanol group (p<0.01). In addition, 3 patients in the policosanol group and 3 patients in the placebo group reported mild adverse events during the study. The present results demonstrate the long-term usefulness of policosanol therapy to treat patients with intermittent claudication.
The influence of start-up motivations on forest entrepreneurs' performance

This study examines motivational factors in connection with entrepreneur start-up ventures in Québec's forestry sector. The objective is to determine whether these factors can be influenced by the industrial sector selected, and then study the effects of these factors on small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) configuration and performance. A factor analysis of a survey of 535 forest entrepreneurs has revealed five distinct motivational factors. These results were compared with those previously obtained through studies using a probability sample of entrepreneurs from various backgrounds as well as research from other specific industries. It would appear that certain factors do not apply to certain specific environments, such as the forest industry, and that other factors figure into the picture with forest start-up ventures exclusively. Furthermore, there is a positive relationship between starting up a forest business for financial success and out of affection for that type of work and business performance. There is also a negative relationship between starting a business in response to involuntary constraints as a motivational factor and subsequent performance.
Empirical study of relationship value in industrial services

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assist industrial service providers in building relationships that maximize value to their customers. The study aims to add to relationship value research by examining its dimensions, antecedents, outcomes, and cross‐culture relevance.Design/methodology/approach – Using structural equation modeling, the study examines the influence that relationship value has on commitment and intentions, as well as the determinants of value encompassing the core offering, sourcing process and buyer operations. The sample covers 42 countries for cross‐cultural perspectives.Findings – By understanding the factors creating relationship value, providers are more likely to build enduring relationships with their buyers. Findings confirm that commitment and intentions are influenced by relationship value, which, in turn, is impacted by benefits such as performance, efficiency, and reliability as well as comparative costs and switching costs.Research limitations/implications – The study.
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA): Validation study for Frontotemporal Dementia

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a brief instrument developed for the screening of milder forms of cognitive impairment, having surpassed the well-known limitations of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The aim of the present study was to validate the MoCA as a cognitive screening test for behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bv-FTD) by examining its psychometric properties and diagnostic accuracy. Three matched subgroups of participants were considered: bv-FTD (n = 50), Alzheimer disease (n = 50), and a control group of healthy adults (n = 50). Compared with the MMSE, the MoCA demonstrated consistently superior psychometric properties and discriminant capacity, providing comprehensive information about the patients’ cognitive profiles. The diagnostic accuracy of MoCA for bv-FTD was extremely high (area under the curve AUC [MoCA] = 0.934, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.866-.974; AUC [MMSE] = 0.772, 95% CI = 0.677-0.850). With a cutoff below 17 points, the MoCA results for sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and classification accuracy were significantly superior to those of the MMSE. The MoCA is a sensitive and accurate instrument for screening the patients with bv-FTD and represents a better option than the MMSE.
Antimicrobial Activity of a Bovine Hemoglobin Fragment in the Tick Boophilus microplus *

Antifungal and antibacterial activities were detected in the hemolymph and gut contents of the cattle tick,Boophilus microplus. A peptide with antibacterial activity from the tick gut contents was purified to homogeneity by reversed-phase chromatography. The molecular mass of the purified peptide was 3,205.7 Da, measured by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. The amino acid sequence was obtained by Edman degradation and showed that the peptide was identical to a fragment of the bovine α-hemoglobin. A synthetic peptide based on the sequence obtained showed characterization data identical to those of the isolated material, confirming its structure. The synthetic peptide was active in micromolar concentrations against Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. These data led us to conclude that the antibacterial activity detected in tick gut contents is the result of enzymatic processing of a host protein, hemoglobin. This activity may be used by ticks as a defense against microorganisms.
Synthesis and photocatalytic activity of undoped and doped TiO2 nanopowders

Undoped and doped TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared from titanium tetraisopropoxide hydrolysis using sol-gel method. TiO2 nanoparticles were dried and then annealed at 120 °C for 2 h and used without any other treatments for characterization and photocatalytic measurements. Characterizations of nano titania powders were carried out with several experimental techniques such as Thermal Analysis (DSC/TG), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope and Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX), UV-Vis spectrophotometry, and Raman spectroscopy. Methyl orange photocatalytic degradation by TiO2 powders was investigated.
Artificial introduction of defects into vertically aligned multiwalled carbon nanotube ensembles: Application to electrochemical sensors

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) inevitably contain defects that exert a significant influence on their physical, electrical, and electrochemical properties. In this study, we subject vertically aligned multiwalled CNT ensembles to argon and hydrogen ion irradiation, to artificially introduce defects into the structure. Subsequently, Raman spectroscopy in conjunction with electrochemical analyses was used to characterize the amount and nature of disorder within the CNTs. While an increased disorder with ion irradiation was generally observed, argon and hydrogen exhibit different effects on the Raman intensity spectra. Argon irradiation seems to cause charged defects, e.g., in the form of dangling bonds, and increases the in-plane correlation length (La), while hydrogen irradiation passivates residual defects and decreases the La. It was noted that hydrogen treated CNTs could serve as electrochemical sensors with quicker response time.
Do Annual Stock Price Effects of Extreme Cash Dividend Pay-Out Events Differ from Their Short Term Effects?

In this paper, we assess the long-term stock price impact of 1327 cash dividend payment initiations and 1156 cash dividend payment omissions of firms listed on the NYSE and the NASDAQ, from 1972 to 2012. In particular we compare the annual returns of dividend initiating and omitting firms and firms that are equally likely to initiate (or omit). We find larger price effects during the years of cash dividend initiation and omission than is measured by earlier short period event studies, but we find no price impact after the year has elapsed. When measuring such long-run effects, contemporaneous (same year) determinants of price effects may confound the findings of pure dividend initiations or omissions. We therefore test whether there are also unexpected changes in the contemporaneous determinants of returns, and we find that risk measures and net income differ systematically between firms that initiate (or omit) and firms that have similar characteristics, but do not change their payout policy. When correcting for such effects we find that systematic risk does not influence concurrent returns in the years of initiations or omissions, though total risk does. Idiosyncratic risk changes only influence the returns after dividend omissions. With and without correction for ‘contemporaneous’ factors, we find –also for several robustness tests- that the one year price impact of initiations is larger than that of omissions, which suggests that the surprise effects of dividend omissions are on average smaller than those of dividend initiations.
Quality of life in diabetic patients depending on duration of the disease

The presence of diabetes mellitus leads to a decrease in life quality in all domains. The aim of our study was to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) in diabetic patients and the factors affecting it in type 2 diabetic mellitus patients. We conducted a cross-sectional study that included 86 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, in the territory of the City of Niš. Health-related QOL of patients was measured using the short form survey (SF-36) that produces an 8-scale health profile. The average duration of diabetes was 12.76±8.08 years. The best QOL in all areas was observed in patients diagnosed with diabetes less than 10 years ago p<0.05) and younger than 65 years. Male respondents perceived a better QOL compared to women, especially in the vitality and pain domains. The patients with comorbidity (93.64%) had lower QOL score in all domains. There was no significant difference in the QOL of patients with diabetes compared to the level of education. High QOL represents an ultimate goal and an important outcome of all medical interventions in diabetic patients. Factors related to lower QOL included: older age, female gender, and existence of comorbidities. Uncontrolled diabetic patients had a lower QOL than controlled diabetics.
Exploring Ethnocentric Consumer Behavior in Children and Latino- Americans

Globalization is a force that is causing our world to be both more unified and fragmented simultaneously. The blending of cultures and products from around the globe can often lead individuals in search for a point of orientation, a sense of control, and a sense of identity. The purpose of this research is to explore the largest minority group in the United States, the Latino group, and to address where their consumer preferences lie within the United States ever globalizing market. It also will address generational differences in both the Latino and Caucasian groups and causes for these differences. It will conclude with the development of recommendations of how this research can be applied to better match the Latino consumer preferences.
Dynamic system reliability study modeling

System response and plant process response to equipment failure will considerably contribute to plant overall system reliability. So far most industrial plant reliability studies did not consider these effects on the system reliability. This paper presents a reliability study modeling which incorporates the system dynamic performance into system reliability evaluation. The system load reliability indices are derived by accumulating all system segment failure contributions. The modeling also includes equipment age and maintenance quality effects on equipment reliability indices using adjustment multiplier on component failure rates. The proposed modeling is demonstrated in an industrial distribution system.
A megavoltage scatter correction technique for cone-beam CT images acquired during VMAT delivery

Kilovoltage cone-beam CT (kV CBCT) can be acquired during the delivery of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), in order to obtain an image of the patient during treatment. However, the quality of such CBCTs is degraded by megavoltage (MV) scatter from the treatment beam onto the imaging panel. The objective of this paper is to introduce a novel MV scatter correction method for simultaneous CBCT during VMAT, and to investigate its effectiveness when compared to other techniques. The correction requires the acquisition of a separate set of images taken during VMAT delivery, while the kV beam is off. These images—which contain only the MV scatter contribution on the imaging panel—are then used to correct the corresponding kV/MV projections. To test this method, CBCTs were taken of an image quality phantom during VMAT delivery and measurements of contrast to noise ratio were made. Additionally, the correction was applied to the datasets of three VMAT prostate patients, who also received simultaneous CBCTs. The clinical image quality was assessed using a validated scoring system, comparing standard CBCTs to the uncorrected simultaneous CBCTs and a variety of correction methods. Results show that the correction is able to recover some of the low and high-contrast signal to noise ratio lost due to MV scatter. From the patient study, the corrected CBCT scored significantly higher than the uncorrected images in terms of the ability to identify the boundary between the prostate and surrounding soft tissue. In summary, a simple MV scatter correction method has been developed and, using both phantom and patient data, is shown to improve the image quality of simultaneous CBCTs taken during VMAT delivery.
Large-scale Continual Road Inspection: Visual Infrastructure Assessment in the Wild

This work develops a method to inspect the quality of pavement conditions based on images captured from moving vehicles. This task is challenging because the appearance of road surfaces varies tremendously, depending on the construction materials (e.g., concrete, asphalt), the weather conditions (e.g., rain, snow), the illumination conditions (e.g., sunny, shadow), and the interference of other structures (e.g., manholes, road marks). This problem is amplified by the lack of a sufficiently large and diverse dataset for training a pavement classifier. Our first contribution in this paper is the development of a method to create a large-scale dataset of pavement images. Specifically, using map and GPS information, we match the ratings by government inspectors found in public databases to Google Street View images, creating a dataset containing more than 700K images from 70K street segments. We use the dataset to develop a deep-learning method for road assessment, which is based on Convolutional Neural Networks, Fisher Vector encoding, and UnderBagging random forests. This method achieves an accuracy of 58.2% and significantly outperforms various other texture classification methods.
Exploring Consumer Motivations for Creating User-Generated Content

ABSTRACT The advent of Web 2.0 technologies has enabled the efficient creation and distribution of user-generated content (UGC), resulting in vast changes in the online media landscape. For instance, the proliferation of UGC has made a strong impact on consumers, media suppliers, and marketing professionals while necessitating research in order to understand both the short and long-term implications of this media content. This exploratory study (n = 325) seeks to investigate consumer consumption and creation of UGC and the attitudinal factors that contribute to these actions. The data confirm the established relationship between attitude and behavior and indicate attitude serves as a mediating factor between the use and creation of UGC. With regard to the creation of UGC, the ego-defensive and social functions of attitude were found to have the most explanatory power.
Effect of acute endurance and strength exercise on circulating calcium‐regulating hormones and bone markers in young healthy males

Physical activity plays a role in the maintenance of the skeleton but the mechanical, metabolic and hormonal mechanisms involved are largely unknown. The influnence of acute endurance and strength exercise on circulating levels of calcitonin, parathyroid hormone (PTH), PTH‐related peptide (PTHrP), osteocalcin, carboxyterminal cross‐linked telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP) and ionized calcium (Ca2+) was therefore evaluated. Eight healthy young males performed three exercise bouts on separate accasions: endurance exercise i.e. cycling on a cycle ergometer for 45 mim at 55% of Vo2max (E55%) and 15 min at 85% of Vo2max (E 85%) and strength exercise at 85% of three repetitions maximum using a legpress device (STR). Control experiments included the same subjects with the same time schedule but without exercise. Blood samples were taken before, immediately after exercise and during the recovery period. Hormones and bone markers were measured by use of various immunoassays. There was no obvious influence on calcitonin and PTHrP levels, whereas PTH was increased after strength exercise. ICTP and osteocalcin levels correlated positively at all times and showed regular variations. In comparison with the controls, ICTP levels showed a more pronounced decrease following physical activity whereas osteocalcin followed the same pattern as the controls except for after prolonged endurance exercise when a decrease was abolished. In conclusion, an increase in PTH after strength exercise and a pronounced decrease in ICTP after all exercise together with a relative increase in osteocalcin after prolonged endurance exercise might reflect some mechanisms involved in the positive effect of physical activity on bone mass.
Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide and Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide Inhibit Expression of Fas Ligand in Activated T Lymphocytes by Regulating c-Myc, NF-κB, NF-AT, and Early Growth Factors 2/31

Activation-induced cell death in T cells, a major mechanism for limiting an ongoing immune response, is initiated by Ag reengagement and mediated through Fas/Fas ligand interactions. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), two multifunctional neuropeptides, modulate innate and adaptive immunity. We reported previously that VIP/PACAP protect T cells from activation-induced cell death through down-regulation of Fas ligand (FasL). In this study, we investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in the protective effect of VIP and PACAP. VIP/PACAP reduce in a dose-dependent manner anti-CD3-induced apoptosis in 2B4.11 T cell hybridomas. The protective effect is mediated through the specific type 2 VIP receptor, and the cAMP/protein kinase A pathway. A functional study demonstrates that VIP/PACAP inhibit activation-induced FasL expression. VIP/PACAP inhibit the expression and/or DNA-binding activity of several transcriptional factors involved in FasL expression, i.e., c-myc, NF-κB, NF-ATp, and early growth factors (Egr) 2/3. The inhibition of NF-κB binding is due to the stabilization of I-κB (inhibitory protein that dissociates from NF-κB), through the inhibition of I-κB kinase α activity. Subsequently, p65 nuclear translocation is significantly reduced. The inhibition in NF-ATp binding results from a calcineurin-independent reduction in NF-ATp nuclear translocation. VIP/PACAP inhibit the expression of Egr2 and 3, but not of Egr1. The effects on the transcriptional factors are mediated through type 2 VIP receptor with cAMP as secondary messenger.