Destruction of Value in the New Era of Chapter 11

The Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978 placed corporate managers in control of corporate debtors in bankruptcy and of the bankruptcy process. Although the act remains law, between 2000 and 2001 it became common for creditors to control financially distressed firms and the bankruptcy process. This study tests whether the change from manager to creditor control created or exacerbated managerial incentive to delay filing for bankruptcy or gave secured creditors an opportunity to delay such filing. We observe a significant and prolonged deterioration in the financial condition of firms that filed for bankruptcy after 2001 as compared to firms that filed before 2000. We also observe patterns of operating losses and liquidations that suggest adverse economic consequences from such delay

Short range correlations and the isospin dependence of nuclear correlation functions

Pair densities and associated correlation functions provide a critical tool for introducing many-body correlations into a wide-range of effective theories. Ab initio calculations show that two-nucleon pair-densities exhibit strong spin and isospin dependence. However, such calculations are not available for all nuclei of current interest. We therefore provide a simple model, which involves combining the short and long separation distance behavior using a single blending function, to accurately describe the two-nucleon correlations inherent in existing ab initio calculations. We show that the salient features of the correlation function arise from the features of the two-body short-range nuclear interaction, and that the suppression of the pp and nn pair-densities caused by the Pauli principle is important. Our procedure for obtaining pair-density functions and correlation functions can be applied to heavy nuclei which lack ab initio calculations.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Destruction of Value in the New Era of Chapter 11

The Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978 placed corporate managers in control of corporate debtors in bankruptcy and of the bankruptcy process. Although the act remains law, between 2000 and 2001 it became common for creditors to control financially distressed firms and the bankruptcy process. This study tests whether the change from manager to creditor control created or exacerbated managerial incentive to delay filing for bankruptcy or gave secured creditors an opportunity to delay such filing. We observe a significant and prolonged deterioration in the financial condition of firms that filed for bankruptcy after 2001 as compared to firms that filed before 2000. We also observe patterns of operating losses and liquidations that suggest adverse economic consequences from such delay

Effect of a liquid multi-vitamin-mineral supplement on anaerobic exercise performance

This is the publisher's version, also found at http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=10f44d64-ddff-470e-a85a-b4c63b016efa%40sessionmgr10&vid=1&hid=2&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=s3h&AN=20338872The purpose of this study was to determine if supplementation with a liquid multi-vitamin/mineral would improve anaerobic exercise performance. Fourteen resistance-trained men performed a 30-second cycle sprint and one set of squat exercise on 2 separate days before and following 8 weeks of supplementation with either a liquid multi-vitamin/ mineral or a placebo. Heart rate, perceived exertion, blood lactate, peak and mean power, and rate of fatigue were determined for all tests. No differences were noted for any variable (P > 0.05). When controlling for presupplementation values, however, a decreased rate of fatigue was noted for both exercise tests following the multi-vitamin/mineral supplementation. These data suggest that in resistance trained men consuming a nutritionally sound diet, supplementation with a liquid multi-vitamin/mineral does not favorably impact most anaerobic exercise performances. Such supplementation, however, may result in a minor decreased rate of fatigue. It appears that, in terms of improved short duration anaerobic exercise performance, supplemental micronutrients may not be efficient ergogenic agents for well-trained individuals consuming an adequate diet

Sixteen years of Collaborative Learning through Active Sense-making in Physics (CLASP) at UC Davis

This paper describes our large reformed introductory physics course at UC Davis, which bioscience students have been taking since 1996. The central feature of this course is a focus on sense-making by the students during the five hours per week discussion/labs in which the students take part in activities emphasizing peer-peer discussions, argumentation, and presentations of ideas. The course differs in many fundamental ways from traditionally taught introductory physics courses. After discussing the unique features of CLASP and its implementation at UC Davis, various student outcome measures are presented showing increased performance by students who took the CLASP course compared to students who took a traditionally taught introductory physics course. Measures we use include upper-division GPAs, MCAT scores, FCI gains, and MPEX-II scores.Comment: Also submitted to American Journal of Physic

Extending Halogen-based Medicinal Chemistry to Proteins: IODO-INSULIN AS A CASE STUDY

Insulin, a protein critical for metabolic homeostasis, provides a classical model for protein design with application to human health. Recent efforts to improve its pharmaceutical formulation demonstrated that iodination of a conserved tyrosine (Tyr(B26)) enhances key properties of a rapid-acting clinical analog. Moreover, the broad utility of halogens in medicinal chemistry has motivated the use of hybrid quantum- and molecular-mechanical methods to study proteins. Here, we (i) undertook quantitative atomistic simulations of 3-[iodo-Tyr(B26)]insulin to predict its structural features, and (ii) tested these predictions by X-ray crystallography. Using an electrostatic model of the modified aromatic ring based on quantum chemistry, the calculations suggested that the analog, as a dimer and hexamer, exhibits subtle differences in aromatic-aromatic interactions at the dimer interface. Aromatic rings (Tyr(B16), Phe(B24), Phe(B25), 3-I-Tyr(B26), and their symmetry-related mates) at this interface adjust to enable packing of the hydrophobic iodine atoms within the core of each monomer. Strikingly, these features were observed in the crystal structure of a 3-[iodo-Tyr(B26)]insulin analog (determined as an R6 zinc hexamer). Given that residues B24-B30 detach from the core on receptor binding, the environment of 3-I-Tyr(B26) in a receptor complex must differ from that in the free hormone. Based on the recent structure of a "micro-receptor" complex, we predict that 3-I-Tyr(B26) engages the receptor via directional halogen bonding and halogen-directed hydrogen bonding as follows: favorable electrostatic interactions exploiting, respectively, the halogen's electron-deficient σ-hole and electronegative equatorial band. Inspired by quantum chemistry and molecular dynamics, such "halogen engineering" promises to extend principles of medicinal chemistry to proteins

Solution structure of an ultra-stable single-chain insulin analog connects protein dynamics to a novel mechanism of receptor binding

Domain-minimized insulin receptors (IRs) have enabled crystallographic analysis of insulin-bound "micro-receptors." In such structures, the C-terminal segment of the insulin B chain inserts between conserved IR domains, unmasking an invariant receptor-binding surface that spans both insulin A and B chains. This "open" conformation not only rationalizes the inactivity of single-chain insulin (SCI) analogs (in which the A and B chains are directly linked), but also suggests that connecting (C) domains of sufficient length will bind the IR. Here, we report the high-resolution solution structure and dynamics of such an active SCI. The hormone's closed-to-open transition is foreshadowed by segmental flexibility in the native state as probed by heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy and multiple conformer simulations of crystallographic protomers as described in the companion article. We propose a model of the SCI's IR-bound state based on molecular-dynamics simulations of a micro-receptor complex. In this model, a loop defined by the SCI's B and C domains encircles the C-terminal segment of the IR α-subunit. This binding mode predicts a conformational transition between an ultra-stable closed state (in the free hormone) and an active open state (on receptor binding). Optimization of this switch within an ultra-stable SCI promises to circumvent insulin's complex global cold chain. The analog's biphasic activity, which serendipitously resembles current premixed formulations of soluble insulin and microcrystalline suspension, may be of particular utility in the developing world

Markers of Inflammation and Fibrosis in Alcoholic Hepatitis and Viral Hepatitis C

High levels of profibrinogenic cytokine transforming factor beta (TGF-β), metalloprotease (MMP2), and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloprotease 1 (TIMP1) contribute to fibrogenesis in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and in alcohol-induced liver disease (ALD). The aim of our study was to correlate noninvasive serum markers in ALD and HCV patients with various degrees of inflammation and fibrosis in their biopsies. Methods. Serum cytokines levels in HCV-infected individuals in the presence or absence of ALD were measured. Student's-t-test with Bonferroni correction determined the significance between the groups. Results. Both tumor-necrosis-factor- (TNF)-α and TGF-β levels increased significantly with the severity of inflammation and fibrosis. TGF-β levels increased significantly in ALD patients versus the HCV patients. Proinflammatory cytokines' responses to viral and/or toxic injury differed with the severity of liver inflammation. A combination of these markers was useful in predicting and diagnosing the stages of inflammation and fibrosis in HCV and ALD. Conclusion. Therapeutic monitoring of TGF-β and metalloproteases provides important insights into fibrosis