Abnormal Fees and Timely Loss Recognition - A Long-Term Perspective

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Accounting Association via the DOI in this recordWe examine the relation between timely loss recognition and abnormal audit, non-audit, and total fees over a long period (2001–2007 and 2010–2015). We use positive abnormal audit fees as a measure of abnormal audit effort, and positive abnormal non-audit fees as a measure of economic bond between the auditor and the auditee. Using the Ball and Shivakumar (2006) model, we report some evidence suggesting audit effort is associated with slower loss recognition in accruals before the Sarbanes–Oxley Act (SOX) became effective. However, we find stronger evidence that audit effort is associated with slower loss recognition post-SOX when clients raise substantial external funds or when the auditor is not an industry specialist. Using C_Score, we find a negative association between changes in abnormal audit fees and total fees, and changes in C_Score post-SOX, but not pre-SOX. We find no sample-wide evidence that abnormal non-audit fees are associated with the speed of loss recognition. Collectively, the results suggest post-SOX auditors exert more effort when losses are delayed and that non-audit services do not compromise auditor independence

Self-Supervised Polyp Re-Identification in Colonoscopy

Computer-aided polyp detection (CADe) is becoming a standard, integral part of any modern colonoscopy system. A typical colonoscopy CADe detects a polyp in a single frame and does not track it through the video sequence. Yet, many downstream tasks including polyp characterization (CADx), quality metrics, automatic reporting, require aggregating polyp data from multiple frames. In this work we propose a robust long term polyp tracking method based on re-identification by visual appearance. Our solution uses an attention-based self-supervised ML model, specifically designed to leverage the temporal nature of video input. We quantitatively evaluate method's performance and demonstrate its value for the CADx task.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, 4 tables, an supplementary materials (4 figures

Multigrid Analysis of Scattering by Large Planar Structures

Abstract Fast iterative analysis of two-dimensional scattering by a large but finite array of perfectly conducting strips requires efficient evaluation of the electric field. We present a novel multigrid algorithm that carries out this task in CN computer operations, where C depends logarithmically on the desired accuracy in the field, and N is the number of spatial gridpoints. Numerical results are presented, and extensions of the algorithm are discussed

Absent yet at All Times Present: Further Thoughts on Secrecy in the Shī‛ī Tradition and in Sunnī Mysticism

The article analyzes a tradition (<i>ḥadīṯh</i>) that is found in Sunnī and in Shī‛ī sources alike and which portrays the ideal believer as a hidden man who chooses to practice his religion away from the eyes of others. According to the author’s analysis, this tradition has its origins in the religious-political conflicts (<i>fitness</i>) of the 2^nd/8^th century. These conflicts gave rise to a pietistic attitude of noninvolvement and withdrawal from society in times of civil strife. In Shī‛ī versions of the tradition, the element of secrecy and <i>taqiyya</i> is added to the description of the ideal believer. These various motifs were to play an important role in Islamic mysticism, particularly in the teachings of movements such as the <i>malāmatiyya</i>. The author argues that while both Shī‛ī esotericism and Sunnī mysticism incorporated similar, early <i>ḥadīṯhs</i> in their discussions of the figure of the hidden saint, the Shī‛ī tradition contributed much to the development of this theme in its ethical-psychological and esoteric aspects.<br><br>Este artículo analiza el <i>ḥadīṯ</i> que se encuentra tanto en las fuentes šī‛íes como sunníes que retrata al creyente ideal como un hombre escondido que elige practicar su religión apartado de los ojos de los otros. Según el autor, esta tradición tiene su origen en las luchas político-religiosas (<i>fintas</i>) del siglo II/VIII, que propiciaron una actitud piadosa de retiro de la sociedad y no participación en tiempos de lucha civil. En las versiones šī‛íes del <i>ḥadīṯ</i> el elemento de secreto, <i>taqiyya</i>, se anade a la descripción del creyente ideal. Estos motivos habrán de desempenar un papel importante en movimientos místicos como el de <i>malāmatiyya</i>. Aunque el esoterismo šī‛í y el misticismo sunní incorporaron hadices similares a su elaboración del santo escondido, la tradición šī‛í contribuyó particularmente al desarrollo de este tema tanto en términos ético-psicológicos como esotéricos

Self-Supervised Learning for Endoscopic Video Analysis

Self-supervised learning (SSL) has led to important breakthroughs in computer vision by allowing learning from large amounts of unlabeled data. As such, it might have a pivotal role to play in biomedicine where annotating data requires a highly specialized expertise. Yet, there are many healthcare domains for which SSL has not been extensively explored. One such domain is endoscopy, minimally invasive procedures which are commonly used to detect and treat infections, chronic inflammatory diseases or cancer. In this work, we study the use of a leading SSL framework, namely Masked Siamese Networks (MSNs), for endoscopic video analysis such as colonoscopy and laparoscopy. To fully exploit the power of SSL, we create sizable unlabeled endoscopic video datasets for training MSNs. These strong image representations serve as a foundation for secondary training with limited annotated datasets, resulting in state-of-the-art performance in endoscopic benchmarks like surgical phase recognition during laparoscopy and colonoscopic polyp characterization. Additionally, we achieve a 50% reduction in annotated data size without sacrificing performance. Thus, our work provides evidence that SSL can dramatically reduce the need of annotated data in endoscopy.Comment: Accepted to MICCAI 202

Accounting for Human Capital When Labor Mobility is Restricted

Is human capital an asset? We empirically address this question using the accounting concept of assets – costs should be capitalized as assets if they are expected to generate future measurable benefits with reasonable certainty. Also, holding the investment opportunity set constant, disposal of these assets should lead to a reduction in future benefits. The analysis concentrates on the UK football industry, as it represents a case where human capital is highly significant, data on investment in human capital is available, and where investment in human capital is significant due to restrictions on labor mobility. Using a sample of 58 football clubs during 19902000, we examine the relation between measures of benefits that accrue to the firm on one hand and current and lagged transfer fees paid for new players and transfer fees received from selling players on the other hand. Results suggest that certain measures of future benefits are positively (negatively) associated with current and lagged transfer fees paid (received). That is, investing in human capital is capable of increasing future benefits and selling it may reduce them. Also, regression analysis demonstrates that the explanatory power of old investments is lower than that of more recent ones, consistent with the notion of amortization. Additional tests demonstrate the reliability of future sales but indicate uncertainty of other future benefits. Market values are positively (negatively) associated with transfer fees paid (received), suggesting that equity investors, on average, associate investments in players’ contracts with future benefits