Liquidity and fire sales

A “fire sale” occurs when the owner of a good offers it for sale at a price strictly below the price that some buyers would willingly pay for the good. He does so because the advantage of the quick sale made possible by the lower price outweighs the higher price that other potential buyers would pay, given the likely delay in locating these buyers in the latter case. Fire sales can occur only in illiquid markets. This paper generalizes earlier treatments of illiquid markets by assuming that the asset can be offered for sale at any time, rather than only after its owner loses his capacity to operate it profitably. Also, it specifies that profitability follows a random walk.Liquidity (Economics) ; Econometric models

Infusing Infographics into the Business Curriculum: A Study of Infographic Interpretations in China, New Zealand, and the United States

The present study sought to identify whether infographics should be infused into business curriculum as a tool for improving the efficiency of cross-cultural business communication. Students from the United States, New Zealand, and China were presented with a series of 10 infographics with all text in French, a language not spoken by any of the student participants. Of the infographics, eight were designed with traditional visual relationships, one was designed based upon metaphor, and one relied upon visual relationships and incorporated metaphor. The majority of students in both samples were able to successfully interpret the information in each infographic except for the infographic that relied upon a combination of visual relationships and metaphor. Additionally, the New Zealand students struggled with the Venn Diagram. As such, it is concluded that infographics should be taught as a business communication tool, but instructors should exercise caution in training students to use color metaphor or Venn Diagrams

Whole genome sequencing-based mapping and candidate identification of mutations from fixed zebrafish tissue

As forward genetic screens in zebrafish become more common, the number of mutants that cannot be identified by gross morphology or through transgenic approaches, such as many nervous system defects, has also increased. Screening for these difficult-to-visualize phenotypes demands techniques such as whole-mount in situ hybridization (WISH) or antibody staining, which require tissue fixation. To date, fixed tissue has not been amenable for generating libraries for whole genome sequencing (WGS). Here, we describe a method for using genomic DNA from fixed tissue and a bioinformatics suite for WGS-based mapping of zebrafish mutants. We tested our protocol using two known zebrafish mutant alleles, gpr126st49 and egr2bfh227, both of which cause myelin defects. As further proof of concept we mapped a novel mutation, stl64, identified in a zebrafish WISH screen for myelination defects. We linked stl64 to chromosome 1 and identified a candidate nonsense mutation in the F-box and WD repeat domain containing 7 (fbxw7) gene. Importantly, stl64 mutants phenocopy previously described fbxw7vu56 mutants, and knockdown of fbxw7 in wild-type animals produced similar defects, demonstrating that stl64 disrupts fbxw7. Together, these data show that our mapping protocol can map and identify causative lesions in mutant screens that require tissue fixation for phenotypic analysis

Sensor node localisation using a stereo camera rig

In this paper, we use stereo vision processing techniques to detect and localise sensors used for monitoring simulated environmental events within an experimental sensor network testbed. Our sensor nodes communicate to the camera through patterns emitted by light emitting diodes (LEDs). Ultimately, we envisage the use of very low-cost, low-power, compact microcontroller-based sensing nodes that employ LED communication rather than power hungry RF to transmit data that is gathered via existing CCTV infrastructure. To facilitate our research, we have constructed a controlled environment where nodes and cameras can be deployed and potentially hazardous chemical or physical plumes can be introduced to simulate environmental pollution events in a controlled manner. In this paper we show how 3D spatial localisation of sensors becomes a straightforward task when a stereo camera rig is used rather than a more usual 2D CCTV camera

Consumer insights and the importance of competitiveness Factors for mature and developing destinations

This article aims to understand the importance of various destination attributes to the competitiveness of tourism destinations from a consumer perspective, while at the same time contrasting these in a mature versus developing destination. A sample of Australian-based domestic tourists were surveyed to assess the relative importance of tourism destination competitiveness (TDC) attributes in the context of developing and mature destinations. This research firstly appears to verify that the importance of many TDC elements, highlighted by consumers, is not dissimilar from other stakeholder-based TDC studies. Furthermore, this research effort established that in terms of attribute performance, relative destination immaturity may well constrain a developing destination’s ability to satisfy the needs of consumers

Constellations: A New Paradigm for Earth Observations

The last decade has seen a significant increase in the number and the capabilities of remote sensing satellites launched by the international community. A relatively new approach has been the launching of satellites into heterogeneous constellations. Constellations provide the scientists a capability to acquire science data, not only from specific instruments on a single satellite, but also from instruments on other satellites that fly in the same orbit. Initial results from the A-Train (especially following the CALIPSO/CloudSat launch) attest to the tremendous scientific value of constellation flying. This paper provides a history of the constellations (particularly the A-Train) and how the A-Train mission design was driven by science requirements. The A-Train has presented operational challenges which had not previously been encountered. Operations planning had to address not only how the satellites of each constellation operate safely together, but also how the two constellations fly in the same orbits without interfering with each other when commands are uplinked or data are downlinked to their respective ground stations. This paper discusses the benefits of joining an on-orbit constellation. When compared to a single, large satellite, a constellation infrastructure offers more than just the opportunities for coincidental science observations. For example, constellations reduce risks by distributing observing instruments among numerous satellites; in contrast, a failed launch or a system failure in a single satellite would lead to loss of all observations. Constellations allow for more focused, less complex satellites. Constellations distribute the development, testing, and operations costs among various agencies and organizations for example, the Morning and Afternoon Constellations involve several agencies within the U.S. and in other countries. Lastly, this paper addresses the need to plan for the long-term evolution of a constellation. Agencies need to have a replenishment strategy as some satellites age and eventually leave the constellation. This will ensure overlap of observations, thus providing continuous, calibrated science data over a much longer time period. Thoughts on the evolution of the A-Train will also be presented

EGFR/Met association regulates EGFR TKI resistance in breast cancer

Breast cancers show a lack of response to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), despite 30% of tumors expressing EGFR. The mechanism of this resistance is unknown; however, we have recently shown that Met kinase activity compensates for loss of EGFR kinase activity in cell culture models. Met has been implicated in the pathogenesis of breast tumors and therefore may cooperate with EGFR for tumor growth. Here we have found that EGFR phosphorylation and cell proliferation is in part regulated by Met expression. In addition, we found that Met constitutive phosphorylation occurred independent of the Met ligand hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). Ligand-independent Met phosphorylation is mediated by Met amplification, mutation, or overexpression and by Met interaction with other cell surface molecules. In SUM229 breast cancer cells, we found that Met was not amplified or mutated, however it was overexpressed. Met overexpression did not directly correlate with ligand-independent Met phosphorylation as the SUM229 cell line was the only Met expressing breast cancer line with constitutive Met phosphorylation. Interestingly, Met expression did correlate with EGFR expression and we identified an EGFR/Met complex via co-immunoprecipitation. However, we only observed Met constitutive phosphorylation when c-Src also was part of this complex. Ligand-independent phosphorylation of Met was decreased by down regulating EGFR expression or by inhibiting c-Src kinase activity. Lastly, inhibiting EGFR and Met kinase activities resulted in a synergistic decrease in cell proliferation, supporting the idea that EGFR and Met functionally, as well as physically interact in breast cancer cells to regulate response to EGFR inhibitors

Peoria-Pekin Regional Ground-Water Quality Assessment

This study reports the results of sampling a major aquifer in central Illinois and seeks to define a baseline measure of ground-water quality. The area was targeted because of the use of hazardous substances in proximity to ground-water users. The initial assumption that potential problems might exist proved to be overly pessimistic. The overall quality of ground water from the Sankoty aquifer was found to be excellent, although very hard. The study does recognize, however, that naturally occurring organic carbon occurs more frequently than was previously thought. Methane is dissolved in ground water and frequently occurs, in the eastern portion of the study area, as a volatile organic compound (VOC).Ope