What moves sovereign bond markets? The effects of economic news on U.S. and German yields

Economic announcements are an important source of information, containing news that spills over internationally across markets, affecting yields. An analysis of the U.S. and German sovereign bond markets finds that the largest moves in yields are associated with U.S. announcements on labor market conditions, real GDP growth, and consumer sentiment.Bond market ; Bond market - Germany ; International finance

Using an iPad to teach spontaneous communication of students with low-functioning autism

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of using the Apple iPad to assist students with low functioning autism in learning communication skills. Three non-verbal students identified as having autism and being low-functioning participated in the study. A multiple baseline design with AB phases across academic and social settings was used. During the baseline, students were given access to an iPad with the SonoFlex voice output communication aid (VOCA) application. Some of the students played games on the iPad, but none of them attempted to us it for communication purposes. During the intervention, students were taught to use the iPad to communicate with their teacher and peers. With a least-to-most prompting hierarchy, all students increased initiating requests, responding to questions and making social comments

Mechanisms of Endocytic Sorting: A Dissertation

Endocytosis is important for the regulation of signal transduction and for the movement of essential cellular components from outside the cell to their appropriate intracellular compartment(s). Two established mechanisms of endocytosis are clathrinmediated (CME) and clathrin-independent endocytosis, and they are responsible for internalization of different ligands. In this study, the newly established technique of total internal reflection fluorescent microscopy (TIRF-M) was used, along with standard biochemical and molecular biological tools, to systematically study the sorting and early trafficking of two established ligands of endocytosis, transferrin (Tf) and epidermal growth factor (EGF). TIRF-M studies revealed that Tf binds its receptor that is located in large clathrin arrays positioned just below the surface of the cell and that these large clathrin platforms serves as the major site of CME at the plasma membrane. EGF endocytosis is very different and occurs as follows 1) the liganded EGFR recruits Rab5 to the plasma membrane, 2) Rab5 concentrates around vesicles containing liganded EGFR and 3) these vesicles co-localize with EEA1 enriched endosomes. EEA1 was shown to play a pivotal role in EGF endocytosis, establishing a new role for EEA1 in vesicle trafficking in addition to its role in tethering and fusion. Finally, WDFY2, a new FYVE domain protein was shown to decorate a specific subset of vesicles, upstream of the EEA1 vesicle pool that appear to participate in Tf endocytosis. These studies establish new functions and components of endocytosis that enhances our understanding of this complex process

Electronic Filing in North Carolina: Using the Internet instead of the Interstate

Traditionally, an attorney working down to the wire on an appellate brief has to be done by the courier service’s deadline. If the deadline is missed, the attorney must then race, for possibly hours, down the interstate to reach the courthouse in time. North Carolina has adopted a system that eliminates this pressure

IPO Firms’ Voluntary Compliance with SOX 404 as Evidence on the Value Relevance of Internal Control Quality

Newly public firms are not required to comply with SOX 404 for their initial public offerings. This provides a unique setting in which to investigate the benefits of voluntary disclosure with SOX 404 and the value of information revealed as a consequence of compliance.  We investigate whether voluntary compliance with SOX 404, either fully or partially, impacts the perceived risk of firms conducting IPOs on the first day of trading (reflected in underpricing) or following the IPO. Our results indicate that neither full compliance with SOX 404 at the time of the IPO, nor a managerial discussion of internal controls prior to the IPO, result in lower underpricing or higher post-IPO performance. This suggests that the costs incurred through the SOX 404 compliance process may be unnecessary. Indirectly, our results provide additional evidence that some of the requirements of SOX extract costs from shareholders without supporting better quality information

IPO Firms\u27 Voluntary Compliance With SOX 404 As Evidence On The Value Relevance Of Internal Control Quality

Newly public firms are not required to comply with SOX 404 for their initial public offerings. This provides a unique setting in which to investigate the benefits of voluntary disclosure with SOX 404 and the value of information revealed as a consequence of compliance. We investigate whether voluntary compliance with SOX 404, either fully or partially, impacts the perceived risk of firms conducting IPOs on the first day of trading (reflected in underpricing) or following the IPO. Our results indicate that neither full compliance with SOX 404 at the time of the IPO, nor a managerial discussion of internal controls prior to the IPO, result in lower underpricing or higher post-IPO performance. This suggests that the costs incurred through the SOX 404 compliance process may be unnecessary. Indirectly, our results provide additional evidence that some of the requirements of SOX extract costs from shareholders without supporting better quality information

Characterization of Φ8, a Bacteriophage Containing Three Double-Stranded RNA Genomic Segments and Distantly Related to Φ6

AbstractThe three double-stranded RNA genomic segments of bacteriophage Φ8 were copied as cDNA, and their nucleotide sequences were determined. Although the organization of the genome is similar to that of Φ6, there is no similarity in either the nucleotide sequences or the amino acid sequences, with the exception of the motifs characteristic of viral RNA polymerases that are found in the presumptive polymerase sequence. Several features of the viral proteins differ markedly from those of Φ6. Although both phages are covered by a lipid-containing membrane, the protein compositions are very different. The most striking difference is that protein P8, which constitutes a shell around the procapsid in Φ6, is part of the membrane in Φ8. The host attachment protein consists of two peptides rather than one and the phage attaches directly to the lipopolysaccharide of the host rather than to a type IV pilus. The host range of Φ8 includes rough strains of Salmonella typhimurium and of pseudomonad

The National Woman's Party (1916-1919) : its story and its images

The purpose of this study was to explore the story of the National Woman's Party with regard to its images during the period from 1916 to 1919. The role of the Woman's Party was considered in the context of the larger women's suffrage movement; the image of the Woman's Party was compared and contrasted as it was presented in several media sources; and the reactions to the Woman's Party were analyzed in the context of contemporary social expectations. Historical background for the Woman's Party's origins and development was assembled chiefly from secondary sources. The Party's images during the period of 1916-1919 were explored through examination of materials written or compiled by the National Woman's Party and its members (including a limited amount of research in the National Woman's Party Papers in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress), materials written or compiled by the rival suffrage group—the National American Woman's Suffrage Association, and articles written for and published in several contemporary newspapers and periodicals over the period of time discussed. The specifics considered were images of the Woman's Party's leadership, political strategy, and methods. A model of a turn-of-the-century "ideal woman" was then considered as a standard for comparison with the images of the Woman's Party

Rhabdomyolysis After Laparoscopic Nephrectomy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Laparoscopic renal surgery has become a widely applied technique in recent years. The development of postoperative rhabdomyolysis is a known but rare complication of laparoscopic renal surgery. Herein, 4 cases of rhabdomyolysis and a review of the literature are presented with respect to pathogenesis, treatment, and prevention of this dire complication. METHODS: A retrospective review of over 600 laparoscopic renal operations over the past 8 years was performed. All cases of postoperative rhabdomyolysis were identified. A Medline search was performed to find articles related to the development of postoperative rhabdomyolysis. Cases of rhabdomyolysis developing after laparoscopic renal surgery and common risk factors between cases were identified. RESULTS: The incidence of postoperative rhabdomyolysis in our series is 0.67%. It is similar to the rate reported in other series. Male sex, high body mass index, prolonged operative times, and the lateral decubitus position are all risk factors in its development. CONCLUSION: The prevention and optimal management of postoperative rhabdomyolysis following laparoscopic renal surgery has yet to be defined. The risk factors we identified should be carefully addressed and minimized. A better understanding of the pathogenesis of rhabdomyolysis will also be a key component in its prevention