The sound of silence: equilibrium filtering and optimalcensoring in financial markets

Following the approach of standard filtering theory, we analyse investor-valuation of firms, when these are modelled as geometric-Brownian state processes that are privately and partially observed, at random (Poisson) times, by agents. Tasked with disclosing forecast values, agents are able purposefully to withhold their observations; explicit filtering formulas are derived for downgrading the valuations in the absence of disclosures. The analysis is conducted for both a solitary firm and m co-dependent firms

Authoritarian populist Americans who feel a sense of victimhood and white identity are most likely to support political violence

The capitol insurrection of January 6, 2021 brought the rise of political violence in America into sharp focus. But who supports the use of violence to achieve their political goals? In new survey research, Miles T. Armaly and Adam M. Enders find that feelings of victimhood, authoritarian and populist sentiments and white identity have the strongest link to support for political violence. They also find that support for political violence is not closely linked to support for a political party, nor is it widespread, with only 13 percent of respondents supporting it

Preparing to Take the Field: A Temporal Exploration of Stress, Emotion, and Coping in Elite Cricket

The purpose of this study was to explore the stress, emotion, and coping (SEC) experiences of elite cricketers leading up to and on the day of their first competitive fixture of the season. Four elite male cricketers (M = 21.25, SD = 1.5) completed Stress and Emotion Diaries (SEDs) for the 7-day period leading up to and on the day of their first competitive fixture of the season. We then interviewed the cricketers to explore the content of the SEDs in more detail. We used semistructured interviews to glean insight into the stressors, cognitions, emotions, coping strategies, and behaviors. Inductive and deductive content data analysis provided a holistic and temporal exploration of the SEC process underpinned by the cognitive-motivational-relational theory of emotions (Lazarus, 1999). The results highlighted the ongoing and continuous nature of the SEC process while illustrating the coping strategies the cricketers used leading up to and on the day of competition

Fundamentals of Arabic cryptology and covert communication networks

The need for accurate intelligence concerning possible terrorist attacks, spies, and other hostile military type actions, whether it be at home or abroad, remains of critical importance to the U.S. Intelligence Community. In this context, this paper focuses directly on the foundational aspects of covert communication networks and how they may be formed by groups or organizations such as al-Qaeda, jihadists, insurgents, etc. using spy tradecraft, cryptography and the language of Modern Standard Arabic. The paper itself is divided into two parts, one that focuses upon communicating covertly through methods without the use of electronics, and the other with electronics. The reason for this division is to highlight the fact that a group of individuals or an organization may purposefully choose to use one style of covert communication over the other in order to achieve a particular objective. For instance, electronic surveillance may be a concern. The examples that will be given in each part are centered around theoretical covert network operations conducted in the countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. Accompanying these examples, a useful system for network organization is presented in order to help the reader, in this case U.S. intelligence officials, to analyze the flow of covert communications in general. Not only does this system demonstrate the differences between electronic and non-electronic networks, but it also shows that with proper planning and training, the groups formerly mentioned could possibly create intensely abstract and complicated networks in order to adapt to certain battlefield conditions. With this said, it is the author’s suggestion to the reader to think ‘outside of the box’ when approaching the paper and to know that everything may not always be as it appears

F21RS SGB No. 7 (Appropriation bill threshold)

A Bill To amend the Student Government Cod

Flood Extent and Volume Estimation using Multi-Temporal Synthetic Aperture Radar.

Ph. D. Thesis.Satellite imagery has the potential to monitor flooding across wide geographical regions. Recent launches have improved the spatial and temporal resolution of available data, with the European Space Agency (ESA) Copernicus programme providing global imagery at no end-user cost. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is of particular interest due to its ability to map flooding independent of weather conditions. Satellite-derived flood observations have real-world application in flood risk management and validation of hydrodynamic models. This thesis presents a workflow for estimating flood extent, depth and volume utilising ESA Sentinel-1 SAR imagery. Flood extents are extracted using a combination of change detection, variable histogram thresholding and object-based region growing. An innovative technique has been developed for estimating flood shoreline heights by combining the inundation extents with high-resolution terrain data. A grid-based framework is used to derive the water surface from the shoreline heights, from which water depth and volume are calculated. The methodology is applied to numerous catchments across the north of England that suffered from severe flooding throughout the winter of 2015-16. Extensive flooding has been identified throughout the study region, with peak inundation occurring on 29th December 2015. On this date, over 100 km2 of flooding is identified in the Ouse catchment, equating to a water volume of 0.18 km3. The SAR flood extents are validated against satellite optical imagery, achieving a Total Accuracy of 91% and a Critical Success Index of 77%. The derived water surfaces have an average error of 3 cm and an RMSE of 98 cm compared to river stage measurements. The methods developed are robust and globally applicable, shown with an additional study along the Mackenzie River in Australia. The presented methodology, alongside the increased temporal resolution provided by Sentinel-1, highlights the potential for accurate, reliable mapping of flood dynamics using satellite imagery.NERC, (DREAM) CD

Developing, Delivering, and Assessing the ‘Performance and Personal Excellence Programme’: A Multiphase, Mixed-Methods Research Project

The purpose of this research project was to develop, deliver, and assess the effectiveness of a life skills (LS) programme for promoting performance excellence and personal excellence in elite athletes. Multiple types of programme evaluation, underpinned by a multiphase, mixed-methods design that spanned three studies, were used to address the purpose of this research project. A needs-analysis evaluation was conducted to explore the specific needs of the target population in Study One. The participants for Study One were 12 experienced, male professional cricketers (Mage = 28.83yrs; SDage = 3.04yrs). A semi-structured interview technique was used to interview these cricketers regarding their perceptions of the LS development during their professional cricket careers. Narrative thematic analysis revealed four main themes associated with communication, self-regulation, motivation, and problem-solving; skills that could be integrated into a strength-based LS programme for professional cricketers. The findings from Study One informed the development of a LS programme for professional cricketers (The Performance and Personal Excellence Programme; PPEP). The purpose of Study Two was to examine the instrumental and conceptual processes associated with delivering the PPEP using a process-improvement evaluation. A process-improvement evaluation was conducted with three groups of cricketers during two pilots and the delivery of the PPEP. The first two evaluations were conducted during pilot deliveries of the PPEP with four professional cricketers (Mage = 22.62yrs; SDage = 2.09yrs) and 13 male amateur cricketers (Mage = 17.12yrs; SDage = 0.86yrs), and the third evaluation was conducted during the delivery of the PPEP to six male professional cricketers (Mage = 22.00yrs; SDage = 1.83yrs). Anderson’s (1999) reflective practice model was employed to better understand critical events that occurred during the delivery of the PPEP in Pilot One, Pilot Two, and Programme Delivery. Content analysis of the reflection data revealed three main themes (internal assets, context, and external assets). These findings can be used to understand the ongoing development of the PPEP and to guide neophyte practitioners during programme design, delivery, and development. The purpose of Study Three was to assess the processes and outcomes of the PPEP using multiple types of programme evaluation. The PPEP was delivered to six male professional cricketers (Mage = 22.00yrs; SDage = 1.83yrs). These cricketers participated in six group workshops and completed nine online take-home tasks over a 12-week period. An outcome-assessment evaluation, using series of A1BA2 single-case designs and follow-up interviews, was conducted to evaluate the PPEP effects on LS acquisition, athletic identity commitment, and psychological need satisfaction. Effect sizes indicated moderate support for LS acquisition during the PPEP, whilst athletic identity commitment increased, and psychological need satisfaction decreased. Narrative thematic analysis of the qualitative data highlighted multiple experiences that occurred during the intervention and post-intervention phases that likely influenced the participants’ ability to display both performance and personal excellence. An outcome-improvement evaluation was conducted using extended social validation procedures (i.e., one questionnaire and two interviews). Content analysis of the data revealed that the PPEP was an enjoyable and valuable experience, with the taught LS being utilised in both sport and non-sport contexts. The main knowledge contributions from this research project include: (i) the value of understanding the unique needs of the athletic population under investigation, adopting a systematic process to assist with the development of the PPEP, and the use of multiple evaluation procedures to assess various processes and outcomes of LS programmes; (ii) The content and structure of the PPEP was effective for developing LS in a group of professional cricketers and the skills taught were perceived as beneficial for promoting competence in current and future life domains; (iii) to better support athletes’ throughout and beyond their athletic careers, future researchers might extend upon the findings from this research project by examining the mediating processes that influence LS acquisition, identity development, and need-satisfaction

Exploring Predictors of Sense of Belonging in Trinidad and Tobago

Over the past two decades, Trinidad and Tobago has promoted explosive expansion of tertiary education. As with many growing postsecondary education systems, this increase in tertiary enrollment has led to the development of student support services (Haddad & Altbach, 2009). The field of student services is growing throughout the Caribbean (Reynolds, 2008), but there is currently little research on the role of student services in fostering students’ sense of belonging specific to the Caribbean cultural context. Using data from over 900 students at the University of Trinidad and Tobago, we examined students’ sense of belonging in the context of T&T. Findings point to the key role that student services professionals play in promoting students’ sense of belonging, but the limited interactions that students are having with student services staff and key differences by students’ race, religion, program level, and major should be noted. We also identified the indirect role of cocurricular engagement in promoting sense of belonging and the main barriers that prevent students from participating in more cocurricular activities. These findings have important implications for the work of student services professionals in T&T and also expand our understanding of constructs, such as student engagement and sense of belonging, ideas that have been well-researched in the US to a very different tertiary education system

Ascorbic acid and ascorbate-2-phosphate decrease HIF activity and malignant properties of human melanoma cells

Background: Hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) is thought to play a role in melanoma carcinogenesis. Posttranslational regulation of HIF-1α is dependent on Prolyl hydroxylase (PHD 1–3) and Factor Inhibiting HIF (FIH) hydroxylase enzymes, which require ascorbic acid as a co-factor for optimal function. Depleted intra-tumoral ascorbic acid may thus play a role in the loss of HIF-1α regulation in melanoma. These studies assess the ability of ascorbic acid to reduce HIF-1α protein and transcriptional activity in metastatic melanoma and reduce its invasive potential. Methods: HIF-1α protein was evaluated by western blot, while transcriptional activity was measured by HIF-1 HRE-luciferase reporter gene activity. Melanoma cells were treated with ascorbic acid (AA) and ascorbate 2-phosphate (A2P) to assess their ability to reduce HIF-1α accumulation and activity. siRNA was used to deplete cellular PHD2 in order to evaluate this effect on AA’s ability to lower HIF-1α levels. A2P’s effect on invasive activity was measured by the Matrigel invasion assay. Data was analyzed by One-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparisons test, or Student-T test as appropriate, with p\u3c.05 considered significant. Results: Supplementation with both AA and A2P antagonized normoxic as well as cobalt chloride- and PHD inhibitor ethyl 3, 4-dihydroxybenzoate induced HIF-1α protein stabilization and transcriptional activity. Knockdown of the PHD2 isoform with siRNA did not impede the ability of AA to reduce normoxic HIF-1α protein. Additionally, reducing HIF-1α levels with A2P resulted in a significant reduction in the ability of the melanoma cells to invade through Matrigel. Conclusion: These studies suggest a positive role for AA in regulating HIF-1α in melanoma by demonstrating that supplementation with either AA, or its oxidation-resistant analog A2P, effectively reduces HIF-1α protein and transcriptional activity in metastatic melanoma cells. Our data, while supporting the function of AA as a necessary cofactor for PHD and likely FIH activity, also suggests a potential non-PHD/FIH role for AA in HIF-1α regulation by its continued ability to reduce HIF-1α in the presence of PHD inhibition. The use of the oxidation-resistant AA analog, A2P, to reduce the ability of HIF-1α to promote malignant progression in melanoma cells and enhance their response to therapy warrants further investigation