Firms' operational restructuring involves information relevant to strategic choices as well as future demand and cost conditions. This study examines the relationship between peer firms' restructuring and a company's responsiveness to its growth opportunities. Peer firm restructuring can increase uncertainty with respect to a company's payoffs regarding its investment projects, leading to decreased responsiveness to growth opportunities. Using a large sample of public companies during 2006–2020, I find that peer firms' restructuring is negatively associated with the responsiveness of capital expenditures (Capex) to growth opportunities. The results suggest that peer firms' restructuring activities provide information about a company's investment projects above and beyond industry shocks reflected in changes in industry sales. Furthermore, these associations are moderated by industry competition. The negative effects of peer firms' restructuring on Capex sensitivity are the strongest in high-competition industries.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Tobacco smoking is considered a major modifiable risk factor for periodontal disease. Tobacco contains about 6700 compounds and almost 4000 compounds of these have been identified in tobacco smoke. Nicotine is the addictive ingredient in tobacco and has been shown to affect multiple cellular processes. Cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) is the particulate matter of smoke. It is believed to be a powerful inducer of inflammatory responses. Neutrophils are the first line of host defense and are critical cells in the maintenance of periodontal health through their role in the control of bacteria, but they can also contribute to the progression of periodontal disease by the production and release of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Virulence factors from periodontal pathogens, such as Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis), stimulate the respiratory burst of neutrophils. In this dissertation, three studies aimed at understanding the oxidative activity of neutrophils when stimulated with either nicotine, cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) or four other components of tobacco smoke (2-naphthylamine, hydroquinone, acrolein, and acetaldehyde) with or without P. gingivalis supernatant. The release of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) was also examined. ROS production increased significantly when the neutrophils were stimulated with nicotine. P. gingivalis induced the maximum ROS production when compared to all the other components examined. The combination of nicotine and P. gingivalis did not have an additive effect on ROS production. Nicotine significantly increased the MMP-9 release from the neutrophils. On the contrary, CSC inhibited ROS production at all the concentrations examined. The combination of CSC and P. gingivalis resulted in the inhibition of ROS production. MMP-9 release was also increased from the CSC-treated neutrophils. The four other tobacco smoke components examined affected ROS production and MMP-9 release differently. These projects demonstrated that CSC inhibited the ROS production from neutrophils, which can be attributed to several components in tobacco smoke that may include acrolein and hydroquinone. More research is needed to determine the mechanisms of inhibition and if other tobacco components are involved in ROS inhibition

In this report, we evaluate the role of visual areas responsive to motion in the human brain in the perception of stimulus speed. We first identified and localized V1, V3A, and V5/MT+ in individual participants on the basis of blood oxygenation level-dependent responses obtained in retinotopic mapping experiments and responses to moving gratings. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) was then used to disrupt the normal functioning of the previously localized visual areas in each participant. During the rTMS application, participants were required to perform delayed discrimination of the speed of drifting or spatial frequency of static gratings. The application of rTMS to areas V5/MT and V3A induced a subjective slowing of visual stimuli and (often) caused increases in speed discrimination thresholds. Deficits in spatial frequency discrimination were not observed for applications of rTMS to V3A or V5/MT+. The induced deficits in speed perception were also specific to the cortical site of TMS delivery. The application of TMS to regions of the cortex adjacent to V5/MT and V3A, as well as to area V1, produced no deficits in speed perception. These results suggest that, in addition to area V5/MT+, V3A plays an important role in a cortical network that underpins the perception of stimulus speed in the human brain.

"Technology has been a key element in the changing creative possibilities available to filmmakers, but deep down the questions of staging, point of view, pace, suspense, time and psychology faced by filmmakers as they walk onto the set in the morning have remained remarkably consistent". Cousins, 2004, s13. Sättet att göra film på har ständigt förändrats och fortsätter att förändras men som citatet syftar till så verkar inställningen till film stå sig lika genom tiderna. I grund och botten handlar det om att berätta en historia som berör publiken. En historia berättad utifrån filmskaparnas olika stilar. Tack vare teknikutvecklingen har många effekter i film, både digitala och fysiska blivit möjliga och vem vet vad den tekniska, och kanske framförallt den digitala utvecklingen, kommer att leda till för effekter i film i framtiden? Vi är trots allt bara i början av den digitala eran. Samtidigt som det nya introduceras kanske de gamla beprövade fysiska effekterna etsar sig fast som klassiska och erkända arbetsmetoder. Vad vi behandlar i den här uppsatsen är hur digitala och fysiska tekniker att skapa effekter används och nyttjas i den svenska filmbranschen. Hur ser beslutsfattare i branschen på effekter som filmskapande och varför ser användandet ut som det gör idag? Vi har också undersökt vad det är som styr användandet av effekter inom filmskapande utifrån ekonomiska, tekniska och konstnärliga överväganden. Vi har samlat in information genom kvalitativa, djupgående intervjuer med tre produktionsbolagsföreträdare och tre finansiärer. Vi har även samlat in information kring begreppen fysiska effekter och digitala effekter bland sex stycken filmarbetare som aktivt arbetar med effektskapande på olika sätt. Det har visat sig att det råder meningsskiljaktigheter när det kommer till definition av begreppen kring digitala effekter och fysiska effekter mellan de bolagsföreträdare och finansiärer vi har intervjuat och de aktiva effektmakare som vi har bett definiera begreppen. För att underlätta framtida kommunikation kommer vi i den här uppsatsen definiera dessa begrepp utifrån våra resultat. Våra resultat tyder på att det finns en vilja inom filmbranschen att arbeta med effekter inom film men att det samtidigt saknas resurser och kompetens idag. Samtidigt tycker vi oss utläsa en okunskap kring effekter vilket ställer till det för dem som vill arbeta med effekter. Exempelvis gällande Guldbaggegalan, där kategorin "Bästa Visuella Effekter" togs bort efter bara några år efter införandet för att det ansågs vara för svårt att utläsa vad som var effekter och inte i en film. Utifrån det vi kan utläsa från våra resultat finner vi det motsägelsefullt att vilja utveckla branschen och arbetet med effekter och samtidigt inte utveckla kunnandet kring det, när man istället för att plocka bort en kategori på grund av okunskap istället borde lära sig mer om det. / "Technology has been a key element in the changing creative possibilities available to filmmakers, but deep down the questions of staging, point of view, pace, suspense, time and psychology faced by filmmakers as they walk onto the set in the morning have remained remarkably consistent." Cousins, 2004, s13. The way of filmmaking has always been changing and it continues to change but as the quote leads up to it seems like the attitude stays the same. It is essentially about telling a story, which affects the audience. To tell a story with the different approaches the creators favors. Thanks to the technical development, many of these effects, both physical and digital have become practicable and who knows what the technique and digital progress will lead to in the future of filmmaking. After all, we are only in the beginning of the digital era. In the same time, the old and proven effect making techniques might inculcate as both classic and recognizable working methods. In this essay, we will talk about how the techniques of digital and practical effects are being used in the Swedish film industry. What does the decision makers in the business think about using effects in filmmaking and why are effects being used the way they are in todays film industry? We also wanted to examine what regulates he use of effects based on economical, technical and artistic considerations. We have collected our data from interviews with three representatives from production companies and three film financiers. We have also collected information considering the definitions of visual effects and special effects from six filmmakers who that works with effect making on a daily basis. It has become apparent that there are some confusion considering the definitions of the concepts of visual effects and special effects between the producers and financiers and the filmmakers. In order to ease future communication, we will in this essay define these concepts out of our results. Our result suggests that there is a will in the Swedish film industry to work with effects in filmmaking but in the same time parts of the industry lacks of resources and capability. Simultaneously, we can note that the ignorance around the concept of effects causes communication problems for digital artists and prop makers. For instance, on the Swedish film gala "Guldbaggegalan" they added a new category only a few years back and this year they took it away because of the problems of recognizing what's visual effects and what's not. It is interesting that there is an interest in developing effects in filmmaking and at the same time takes away the award. Instead of taking it away, they should focus on educating people about effects.

The main purpose of this thesis was to investigate the fit between four achievement goals, personal goal attributes and self-regulation strategies, and the generalisation of goal-strategy patterns to (1) different life domains (academic and physical activity settings), (2) two cultures (individualistic/the UK and collectivistic/Romania) and (3) over time, in two contexts (academic and sport university settings) in the UK. Additionally, differences between high level English and Romanian athletes in self-construals (individualism versus collectivism), achievement goals and self-regulation processes was investigated in one study. Method. The participants in the four studies of this thesis were: English university students (N = 591; study 1), English university athletes and exercise participants (N = 294 and N = 288, respectively; study 2), English and Romanian elite/sub-elite athletes (N = 91, N = 109 respectively; study 3a), Romanian university students involved in sport at elite and sub-elite levels (N = 196; study 3b), and English university student-athletes (N= 295; study 4). Three main questionnaires were used: the Achievement Goals Questionnaire (AGQ; Elliot & McGregor, 2001) (studies 1, 3b, and 4) and the Achievement Goals Questionnaire for Sport (AGQ-S; Conroy, Elliot & Hofer, 2003) (studies 2, 3ab and 4) measured four achievement goals in academic and sport settings, respectively (mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals); the third questionnaire, the Goal Systems Assessment Battery (GSAB; Karoly & Ruehlman, 1995) (all studies) required participants to state their most important personal goal, and measured two goal attributes (efficacy and value) and five self-regulation strategies used during goal pursuit (planning, self-monitoring, social comparison, self-reward and self-criticism). The fourth questionnaire, was the Self-Construal Scale-Revised (SCS-R; Hardin, 2006) which measured individualistic and collectivistic self-definitions in study 3a. Studies 1, 2 and 3a and 3b employed a correlational design, structural equation modelling analyses, and multivariate and univariate analyses of covariance (study 3a only), while study 4 employed a longitudinal design, latent growth curve analyses and structural equation modelling. Studies 1 and 2 Results. The goal-strategy models identified in education (study 1), sport and exercise (study 2) in the UK were very similar to each other, and consisted of both positive and negative paths (see figure A overleaf). Furthermore, in study 1, the total sample was divided into two samples according to the difficulty and specificity of personal goals: students in sample 1 (N = 325) set easy and vague goals, while students in sample 2 (N = 266) set difficult and specific goals. The model found in the total sample was tested again simultaneous in these two samples in order to ascertain the potential moderation effects of goal difficulty and specificity. As the model was invariant across groups it was concluded that personal goal difficulty/specificity was not a moderator of achievement goal relations with self-regulation processes. Finally, in study 2 Map relations with planning/self-monitoring was fully and partially mediated by goal efficacy and value in the sport and exercise domains, respectively. Study 3a and 3b Results. In study 3a, Romanian athletes had higher collectivistic self-construals than English athletes, while the two groups were similar in individualism. After controlling for collectivism, Romanian athletes, regardless of sport type (individual or team sport) had higher scores than English athletes on Pap and Pav goals, social comparison and self-motivation strategies (self-reward and self-criticism); and Romanian team sport athletes had higher scores on Map and planning/self-monitoring than their English counterparts. In study 3b the goal-strategy models identified in moderately competitive academic and physical activity settings in an individualistic West European culture (UK) were tested in highly competitive academic and elite sport settings in a collectivistic East European culture (Romania). The academic and sport domain models identified in Romania were similar to each other, and to those found in the UK. The following differences in model paths were noted in Romania: in the academic domain, four paths were not significant (Map and Mav to efficacy, efficacy to self-reward, and social comparison to self-criticism); and a new negative path was identified, from Map to social comparison; in the sport domain, five paths were not significant (Mav to efficacy, Pap to efficacy and social comparison, efficacy to reward and social comparison to self-criticism) and three new paths emerged, two positive paths, Pav to social comparison, and efficacy to planning/self-monitoring, and one negative path from efficacy to criticism. The positive path from Pav to social comparison (found in highly competitive sport settings) represents the most notable difference between the UK and Romanian models. Study 4 Results. The goal-strategy models identified in academic and sport contexts in studies 1 and 2 (described earlier) emerged again in these settings in study 4 (minus the path from efficacy to reward in both settings, and efficacy to criticism in academia) at three measurement times (start, middle and end of academic year/competitive season). Therefore, the model was stable over time. Unconditional growth curve analyses showed that, during one year, achievement goals and self-regulation processes followed different patterns of change: Map and Pav goals declined, while Pap and Mav goals were stable in education, and all goals declined in sport settings; goal commitment (a composite measure of goal efficacy and value) declined and planning/self-monitoring remained stable (in both settings); social comparison and self-motivation (a composite measure of self-reward and self-criticism) increased in education, while in sport the former was stable and the latter declined . Finally, associative growth curve models showed that in both domains: 1) temporal changes in Map were positively related to changes in goal commitment and planning/monitoring, and changes in the latter were associated with changes in self-motivation; 2) changes in Pap, social comparison and self-motivation were positively related; and 3) Mav changes were not related to changes in SR processes. Conclusion. This thesis advocates a conceptualisation of achievement goals as a dynamic, cyclical interplay between situated reasons, standards and self-regulated action; 2) an exploration of goal standards dimensions beyond the mastery-performance focus with the reason-standard complex; and 3) an expanded achievement motivation and self-regulation model, including the why (achievement goals), the what (personal goals/goal setting), and the how (self-regulated action), where the focus of enquiry is sifted from the correlates to the mechanisms of achievement goal effects.

There is a significant current need to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the side-effects caused by widely-used pharmaceuticals. Examples include the acute nephrotoxicity and irreversible ototoxicity promoted by the cationic drugs gentamicin and cisplatin. Gentamicin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic used for the prevention and treatment of life-threatening gram-negative bacterial infections, such as tuberculosis and meningitis. Cisplatin is used to treat a broad spectrum of cancers including head and neck, ovarian, cervical, stomach, bladder, sarcoma, lymphoma, testicular cancer and others. The objective of this study is to design and synthesize rhodamine derivatives that can be used for the construction of geometrically well-defined cationic drug conjugates. The long-term goal is to use the conjugates as tools to aid in elucidating the properties and identities of ion channels involved in the uptake of cationic pharmaceuticals into kidney and cochlear hair cells. This will shed light on the origin and potential prevention of unwanted side effects such as nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity associated with specific cationic drugs. A series of extended rhodamine analogs with reactive groups for biomolecule conjugation has been synthesized. These fluorophores show similar spectral properties to their prototype, Texas Red succinimidyl ester (TR-SE). However, they contain rigid linkers between the fluorophore and amine-reactive moiety. The resultant gentamicin conjugates of these materials are rigidified enabling one to assess channel pore dimensions without the confounding issue of conjugate folding. Preliminary cell studies are promising, as one observes reduced gentamicin uptake in both kidney and sensory hair cell upon systematically increasing the dimension of the fluorophore. This work has enabled us to tentatively assign the maximum dilated MET channel pore size as between 1.44 nm to 1.56 nm. However, this preliminary finding, though encouraging, needs further validation via ongoing studies with larger diameter fluorophore conjugates, A cisplatin-Texas Red conjugate has also been synthesized to enable studies of cellular uptake mechanisms. This conjugate preserves not only the spectral properties of Texas Red after conjugation, but also the cytotoxicity of cisplatin. This has been validated in zebrafish. The series of rhodamine probes that have been conjugated to gentamicin should be similarly useful for cisplatin studies. These studies are planned. Additional future work includes the synthesis of semi-flexible (glycol) and flexible (alkyl) linkers to evaluate structure-activity relationships.

This study investigated teachers' perceptions of African- American principals' leadership and the extent to which those perceptions varied according to their race, gender, years of teaching experience, and years working with the principal. The results of this exploratory study are intended to enhance the empirical data reflecting the leadership characteristics of the African-American principal and to contribute to the research on leadership in general. The participants in this study consisted of 32 African-American principals and 164 teachers in schools representing 12 states during the 2004-2005 school year. Each teacher participant completed either an electronic or paper version of the Leadership and Management of Schools Survey Instrument (LMSS) which addressed the leadership and management traits of the principal and the demographic data on the teachers. The findings indicated that African-American principals are perceived as using high levels of transformational and transactional leadership. Additionally, results indicated that race influences the leadership credibility of the African-American principal. There did not appear to be a significant relationship between teachers' perceptions and gender of a teacher, gender of the principal, or both, and no relationship was found between the years of teachers' experience and their perceptions of the African- American principals. However, teachers' perceptions of African- American principals' leadership and management qualities increased positively with the number of years of experience working with the principal. Indications from these findings can be useful to universities, colleges, and school districts in making informed decisions concerning the training, recruitment, and placement of African-American principals.

Os efeitos tóxicos decorrentes da exposição ambiental e ocupacional ao benzeno são amplamente descritos na literatura. Seus produtos de biotransformação fenólicos, entre os quais os compostos hidroxilados como FE e hidroquinona HQ, são indutores importantes de efeitos citotóxicos e genotóxicos responsáveis pela toxicidade ao sistema imune. No entanto, a contribuição de cada metabólito e os mecanismos envolvidos não estão completamente esclarecidos. Desta forma, o presente trabalho teve por objetivo estudar a capacidade da resposta inflamatória em ratos expostos à HQ, ao FE, ou a ambos simultaneamente (HQ+FE). Para tanto, ratos Wistar machos foram expostos aos agentes químicos por período de tempo prolongado (doses diárias de 5 ou 10mg/kg; i.p.; com 5 doses/semana no período de 17 ou 23 dias). Animais controles receberam o veículo pela mesma via. As respostas inflamatórias foram induzidas 24 horas após a última dose administrada. Foram avaliadas a resposta inflamatória inespecífica, decorrente da instilação intranasal de LPS de Salmonella abortus e a resposta inflamatória específica em animais previamente sensibilizados e desafiados pela OVA. Na resposta inflamatória inespecífica, as exposições à HQ e à HQ+FE provocaram redução acentuada no influxo de leucócitos para o pulmão inflamado, pelo menor número de leucócitos no LBA e pela atividade enzimática da MPO reduzida no tecido pulmonar. O efeito não é dependente de modificações no número de leucócitos circulantes nem de alterações nas expressões de moléculas de adesão nos leucócitos circulantes (L-selectina e β2 integrina) e no endotélio pulmonar (ICAM-1 , VCAM-1 e PECAM-1) envolvidas na interação leucócito-endotélio. Na vigência de resposta inflamatória específica, as exposições à HQ, FE ou HQ+FE reduziram significativamente a migração de leucócitos para o LBA e para o tecido pulmonar. Da mesma forma que a RI induzida pelo LPS, não foram detectados alterações nos número de leucócitos circulantes e na expressão de moléculas de adesão. No entanto, os resultados obtidos em ensaios de anafilaxia passiva cutânea e reação anafilática in vitro mostraram que o efeito é dependente, pelo menos em parte, da menor concentração de imunoglobulinas anafiláticas circulantes e, consequentemente, da menor habilidade de desgranulação mastocitária. Em conjunto, os dados obtidos demonstram que as exposições à HQ, ao FE ou à HQ+FE prejudicam a migração de leucócitos para o foco de lesão na vigência de respostas inflamatórias de origem inata ou adquirida. / The toxic effects of the ambiental and occupational exposures to benzene is widely described in the literature. Phenolic hydroxylated compounds obtainded from its biotransformation, such as phenol (PHE) and hydroquinone (HQ), induce important of cytotoxic and genotoxic effects responsible for the immunotoxicity. However, the role of each metabolite and mechanisms of toxicity are unknown. Then, the present work aimed to study the inflammatory response in rats exposed to HQ, PHE, ar both simultaneously (HQ+PHE). Male Wistar rats were exposed to they chemical agents for extended period of time (5 or 10mg/kg/day; ip.; during 17 or 23 days; 2 days intervals each 5 doses). Control animais received the vehicle. Inflammatory reactions were induced 24 hours after the last dose by they intranasal instillation of lipopolysaccharide of Salmonella aborlus (non-specific response) or by inhalation of ovalbumin in animals previously sensitized to the same antigen (specific response, produced by anaphylactic immunoglobulins). Animais exposed to HQ or HQ/PHE presented reduced n,3umbers of PMN and MN cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lesser myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in the pulmonary tissue. The reduced influx of leukocytes is not dependent oh alterations on the numbers of circulating leukocytes either adhesion molecules expressions on leukocytes (L-selectin or β2 integrin) and on lung microvascular endothelium (ICAM-1, V CAM-1 or PECAM-1) responsible for leukocyte-endothelial interactions. On the other hand, rats exposed to ali schedules of exposures presented reduced numbers of leukocytes in the BALF and lesser MPO activity in the pulmonary tissue after an antigenic stimulus. As shown to inflammation induced by LPS, no alterations on circulating leukocyte numbers and adhesion molecules expressions were detected. However, the impaired leukocyte migration to the inflamed lung may be dependent, at last in part, on reduced levels of circulating anaphylactic antibodies, as detected by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis test, and by consequent reduced ability of mast cell desgranulation, evidenced by in vitro trachea contraction. Together, our data show that HQ and PHE exposure differently affect the specific and non-specific ínflammatory reactions.

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to study the possible existence of day-of-the-week effects and month-of-the-year effects in the Singapore stock market over the period January 1st 1993 to December 31st 2011. The findings are analysed with the intention of developing investment strategies and to investigate if behavioural finance can help to explain the existence of seasonal anomalies.  Background: A number of previous studies have found evidence of seasonal anomalies in global stock markets, and by challenging the core assumptions of market efficiency, such anomalies may make it possible to predict the movement of stock prices at certain periods during the year. Consequently, there may be substantial profit-making opportunities that clever investors can benefit from, raising two important questions: (1) can such anomalies be strategically used to outperform the market and (2) why do such cyclical return patterns exist? Method: Daily closing prices from the Singapore Straits Times Index (STI) are used to compute average daily and monthly returns, which are further analysed through the use of statistical significance analysis and hypothesis testing to identify the possible existence of day-of-the-week effects and month-of-the-year effects in the Singapore stock market.  The results of the statistical investigation are used to develop investment strategies that are designed to take advantage of both positive and negative effects, and the theories of behavioural finance are applied to help explain why seasonalities occur at certain points in time. Conclusions: This study finds evidence of several seasonal anomalies in the Singapore stock market. Both day-of-the-week effects and month-of-the-year effects are present in the STI over the full sample period. Many of these effects can be explained by behavioural finance, and used to develop investment strategies that outperform the market.

The following report describes the pre-production, production, and post-production of the short film, 8.BIT.BROS, designed from its inception to fully exploit the years-developed, cumulative and varied skills of its director. The fantastical narrative focuses on the strained emotional dynamic between two adult brothers that have yet to come to terms with having witnessed their father’s death as children. Their trauma is dramatized and encapsulated in the videogame-themed psychotic hallucinations of the film’s protagonist. The director’s specialized skill-set was put to practical use in both the creation of animatronic creature effect, “Commander Gorgo,” and during the post-production phase of the film, wherein green screen compositing, animation, and motion graphics were used at length to bring the narrative life. / text