The Value-Relevance of Nonfinancial Information: The Biotechnology Industry

This study examines whether nonfinancial patent information is useful to investors in assessing and valuing biotech firm’s long-term financial performance. The biotech industry requires large R&D investments with uncertain payoffs. Current accounting practice expenses (rather than capitalizes) R&D expenditures. As a result, financial variables are often negative or excessively depressed. Because accounting assets do not reflect biotech firms’ valuable intangible assets, this study examines whether nonfinancial patent information supplement the information content of financial information in market valuation. Using six patent variables measuring both quantity and quality aspects of patents, I found evidence consistent with the idea that nonfinancial patent information captures the biotech firms’ value not currently formally valued by traditional financial indicators. In addition, patent information is associated with and can be useful in predicting a biotech firm’s long-term financial performance with a two-year lag

Beyond Histone and Deacetylase: An Overview of Cytoplasmic Histone Deacetylases and Their Nonhistone Substrates

Acetylation of lysines is a prominent form of modification in mammalian proteins. Deacetylation of proteins is catalyzed by histone deacetylases, traditionally named after their role in histone deacetylation, transcriptional modulation, and epigenetic regulation. Despite the link between histone deacetylases and chromatin structure, some of the histone deacetylases reside in various compartments in the cytoplasm. Here, we review how these cytoplasmic histone deacetylases are regulated, the identification of nonhistone substrates, and the functional implications of their nondeacetylase enzymatic activities

Towards Democratic Citizenship for Temporary Migrant Workers : A Non-domination Approach

This thesis considers political exclusion of temporary migrant workers (TMWs) a challenge to the legitimacy of the liberal democratic constitutional state, asking whether, and on what basis, the right to political participation is necessary for protecting TMWs and for legitimising the state’s coercive power over TMWs. It compares TMW programmes in Taiwan and Canada to demonstrate the common legal techniques of temporariness and alienage, which generate a particularly precarious and exploitable labour force. The temporariness and alienage of TMWs also mean TMWs are deemed irrelevant to the democratic legitimacy of the host state. To challenge this conventional view, this thesis critically engages with the neo-republican conception of freedom as non-domination to argue that the work relations of TMWs constitute private domination, which is conceptually connected with their exclusion from public participation. Moreover, the democratic boundary of the state should be drawn to include all who are present in the state’s territory and who are subject to the entire legal system, regardless of their legal citizenship. These arguments anticipate a conception of democratic citizenship applicable to TMWs. This thesis thus distinguishes itself from the two major camps for TMW protection: rights and citizenship approaches. It also suggests that TMW programmes, as they are now, weaken the democratic legitimacy of the liberal, democratic, constitutional order

Simulation of vertical tidal turbine based on OpenFOAM and influence of inlet turbulence

This paper first introduces the basic theory of CFD method, including basic control equations, finite volume method, control equation solving algorithm and turbulence model selection. Second, based on OpenFOAM, an open-source fluid mechanics software, a numerical simulation method of vertical axis tidal turbine was proposed by using k-ω SST turbulence model and PIMPLE algorithm. The hydrodynamic characteristics of the vertical axis turbine were studied, and the calculation results were compared with experiments. The higher consistency proves the feasibility of the numerical simulation method proposed in this paper. Finally, the influence of inlet turbulence on numerical simulation was explored, and a set of effective CFD simulation strategies was concluded, which provided a valuable reference for future CFD simulation and research on vertical axis tidal turbines

Text difficulty in extensive reading: Reading comprehension and reading motivation

This study investigates the effects of the text difficulty of extensive reading materials on the reading comprehension and reading motivation of English as a foreign language (EFL) vocational high school students in Taiwan. Two experimental groups were assigned, on an individual basis, to read graded readers at either one level below (‘i-1’) or one level beyond (‘i+1’) their current level, while a control group followed their regular curriculum. The results showed that after treatment, the ‘i-1’ group improved their overall comprehension and the subset of literal comprehension. They also outperformed the ‘i+1’ group on the same measures. For reading motivation, the ‘i+1’ group’s overall motivation was promoted. Both groups enhanced their reading engagement, while only the ‘i-1’ group inhibited reading avoidance. Moreover, the ‘i+1’ group outperformed the ‘i-1’ group in the perception of self-efficacy. Overall, the ‘i-1’ level yielded better effects on reading comprehension; the ‘i+1’ level, on reading motivation

Comorbidity and confounding factors in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and sleep disorders in children

Sleep problems are commonly reported in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Research data regarding the complex and reciprocal relationship between ADHD and sleep disturbances has now accumulated. This paper is focused on the types of sleep problems that are associated with ADHD symptomatology, and attempts to untangle confounding factors and overlapping symptoms. The goal is also to present an updated overview of the pathophysiology of and treatment strategies for sleep problems in children with ADHD. The review also points out that future research will be needed to clarify further the other psychiatric comorbidities and side effects of medication in order to improve treatment outcomes and prevent misdiagnosis in clinical practice