Digital Commons Network^™

Is Portfolio Performance Related To Whether A Manager Has An Ivy League Education?, Jonathan Janos

Business/Business Administration

No abstract provided.

Performance Attribution: Are Sector Fund Managers Superior Stock Selectors?, Nicholas Scala

Business/Business Administration

Abstract:

Do equity sector fund managers outperform diversified equity fund managers? This paper examines this question during 2000-2009 by formulating simulated portfolios of Fidelity Select Sector Funds with weights similar to the sector weightings of actual multi-sector equity fund portfolios. The returns of the simulated portfolios were then netted against the actual portfolios to determine which outperforms. The results indicate that Sector Fund managers have superior stock selection ability, with one notable exception: the small-cap value investment style. Small-cap value multi-sector equity fund managers outperformed the simulated portfolios, indicating superior stock selection ability by fund managers in that category. Although …

The Anti-Epileptic Drugs Phenytoin And Valproate Produce Reproductive Endocrine Dysfunction Among Reproductive Endocrine Dysfunction Among Female Rats Through Its Effects On Progesterone And Its 5 Alpha-Reduced Metabolites, Fareed Haddad

Biological Sciences

Background: Many people with seizure disorder experience reproductive endocrine dysfunction (RED). The extent to which RED is due to intrinsic aspects of seizure disorder, and/or therapies used to manage epilepsy, is not well understood. Many anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), such as phenytoin or valproate, can have effects that alter endocrine status. Phenytoin is a cytochrome p450 enzyme-inducing drug. Valproate is a cytochrome p450 enzyme-reducing AED. Objective: To evaluate the effects and mechanism of some AEDs on RED in a rodent model. Hypothesis: If AEDs produce RED in part by altering the activities of cytochrome p450 enzymes, then AEDs that disrupt estrous …

1 The Mechanical Function Of The Postorbital Bar In Eulemur Fulvus Analyzed Using Finite Element Analysis, Danielle Parisi

Biological Sciences

No abstract provided.

Activity-Dependent Sharpening Of The Retinotectal Map In Zebrafish: The Role Of The Par Complex, Laura Mariconda

Biological Sciences

Visual activity acts via NMDA (N-methyl D-aspartate) receptors in order to refine developing retinotectal maps by shaping retinal arbors. In zebrafish larvae, each arbor forms synapses by adding and deleting many trial and error branches. Branches with synapses in retinotopic sites are selectively stabilized and new branches are added next to existing synapses, while distant branches are deleted. The resulting arbor is compact and has a bushy appearance. When NMDARs are blocked, arbors become larger and dynamic rates increase almost twofold, suggesting that the release of a stabilizing signal has been prevented. A likely suspect for this retrograde stabilizing signal …

In Vitro Analysis Of Microfluidic Neural Probes, Joshua Kessler

Biological Sciences

The clinical impact of neural prostheses has been inhibited by a lack of functional stability of the devices due to acute and chronic reactive tissues' responses in the brain. However, prosthetic stability could be improved via local drug administration or delivery of siRNA to mitigate the reactive tissues using microfluidic probes. Neural prosthetic probes have been previously developed, but had asymmetric and uneven distribution of fluid delivery to brain phantoms. Therefore, probes with different geometries and fluid delivery pores (holes ranging from 10 to 20 μm) were tested for functionality in vitro using a crystal violet/PBS solution. Compound light microscopy …

Biophysical Investigation Of The Cataract Associated Mutant, E107a Of Human Gamma-D Crystalline And Constructing A Fluorescent System For Manipulating Pip2 Concentration In The Plasma Membrane Of Xenopus Oocytes., Julita Patrosz

Biological Sciences

Chapter 1: Biophysical investigation of the cataract associated mutant, E107A of human gamma-D crystallin. Several human genetic cataracts are associated with mutations in a single amino acid residue of the protein known as D crystallin. Recently, the Glu107Ala (or E107A) mutation has been included in this list, and it has been associated with a nuclear congenital cataract. We have made recombinant human D crystallin and its E107A mutant and conducted preliminary comparisons of its structure and biophysical properties with that of the wild-type protein. In this process we made use of several techniques – Circular Dichroism (CD), Iso-electric focusing (IEF) …

Formation Of Testosterone's 5alpha-Reduced, Versus Aromatized, Products Can Have Beneficial Cognitive And Anti-Anxiety Effects Without Negative Effects On Prostate Or Sexual Behavior Of Male Rats, Daniel Dacosta

Biological Sciences

Testosterone (T) can alter sexual, social, anxiety-like, and/or cognitive behavior of male rodents and exert trophic effects on the prostate. However, whether these effects are due to actions of T, or its 5-reduced and/or aromatized metabolites, is of interest. We tested the hypothesis that T’s effects to enhance prostate proliferation, sexual, social, cognitive and/or anti-anxiety-like behavior require formation of 5-reduced and/or aromatized metabolites. Gonadectomized (GDX) or gonadally-intact rats were administered T-containing, or empty, silastic capsules in conjunction with a 5-reductase inhibitor (finasteride; Experiment 1) or an aromatase inhibitor (formestane; Experiment 2). The performance of rats in sexual, cognitive (object recognition, …

Bioengineering Tissue Constructs Using Elastic Alginate Hydrogels, Barbana A. Graham

Biological Sciences

Bioengineered 3-D tissue constructs have great potential for understanding tissue development and tissue repair in patients lacking functional organs. One of the major challenges faced in the field, however, is to build functional tissue constructs that resemble tissue found in vivo. Cells and tissues in the body are organized into three-dimensional architectures, which interact with fibrillar extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins at a nanoscale. Both the topology and elasticity of the ECM play critical roles in regulating tissue formation. Alginate, a naturally occurring polysaccharide, is a good candidate to use as a biomaterial to mimic the topography and elasticity of the …

Neuropsychological Performance In Cannabis Users And Non-Users Following Motivation Manipulation, Michelle Stiles

Psychology

Background: Previous research has yielded conflicting results regarding the long term consequences of cannabis use on cognitive functioning. Although in the cannabis literature, there is a commonly held belief associated with cannabis use called, “amotivational syndrome” the authors were unable to find any studies of neuropsychological performance that attempted to manipulate motivation. Methods: Fifty-five undergraduates (34 cannabis users and 21 non-users) participated in an extensive neuropsychological battery. The experimenter read a statement at the beginning of the battery designed to induce motivation. Group differences on test performance were calculated with a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for tests that did …

The Role Of Progesterone Receptor In Development Of Medial Prefrontal Cortex And Impulsive Behavior, Vanessa Costanzo

Psychology

Human behaviors are regulated by the complex functions of the brain and many behavioral disorders are assumed to be the result of alterations or deficits in neural function. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), characterized by differences in complex behaviors such as attention, memory and impulse control has been linked to alterations in dopaminergic activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Therefore, factors that regulate development of this region may be implicated in ADHD. For example, steroid hormones can alter fundamental processes of neural development through interaction with their nuclear receptors, which act as transcription factors. Progesterone receptor (PR) is transiently …

The Effect Of Recurrent Hypoglycemia On Mental Flexibility, Justin Ramcharitar

Psychology

A major side-effect of intensive insulin replacement therapy, is recurrent hypoglycemia (RH). Clinical and experimental evidence suggest that RH may be associated with deficits in higher cognitive processes; specifically, in judgment and mental flexibility, processes believed to be mediated in large part by the medial prefrontal cortex. The present study investigates the effects of short-term RH on mental flexibility in rats. Animals underwent food restriction and were extensively handled and habituated. Prior to testing animals were randomly assigned to one of four groups with varying levels of RH. Animals were then tested for two consecutive days on a set-shift maze …

Gamete Donation Understanding Prospective Donors’ Motivations, Alexa Grafmuller

Anthropology

The technological imperative that exists within the framework of society in the United States has facilitated the unprecedented emergence of new reproductive technologies, including the use of donated gametes. The 2002 National Survey of Family Growth informs us that 7.4% of married women aged 15-44 are unable to get pregnant for at least 12 consecutive months, labeled infertility, and that 11.8% of women aged 15-44 have an impaired ability to have children, labeled impaired fecundity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2005). This, paired with the social conventions of child rearing, is one prime indication that gamete donation is an …

The Hellenization Of Cyprus In The Late Cypriot Iii And Beyond: Detecting Migrations In The Archaeological Record, Robert Jennings

Anthropology

No abstract provided.

Do Hedged Mutual Funds Hedge?, Steven Newton

Business/Business Administration

Mutual funds using hedge fund strategies, known as “hedged mutual funds,” have experienced rapid growth in recent years. In theory, these funds should provide a source of diversification for retail investors however the 2008 credit crisis negated the expected benefits of many equity diversifiers. Between 2004 and 2009, hedged mutual funds underperform hedge funds using similar strategies. In contrast, hedged mutual funds outperform the S&P 500 although funds with a market neutral strategy underperform the risk-free rate. These findings suggest that, when compared to a long-only equity strategy, hedged mutual funds offer retail investors improved performance in bear markets.

Investigating Efficiencies Of Long And Inverse Etf Pairs, Daren Pon

Business/Business Administration

No abstract provided.

The Financial Crisis 2010: The Role Of The Shadow Banking System, John Grogan

Business/Business Administration

The financial crisis of 2008 was the result of a number of factors affecting the global economy. Although the problems originated with subprime borrowers and the fear of loan defaults, several other factors contributed to the crisis. The Federal Reserve, rating agencies and the shadow banking system played significant roles in the 2008 collapse. The shadow banking in particular affected the financial crisis in unprecedented ways that magnified the problem and created a global credit crisis. The government sponsored entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac made loan guarantees and involved themselves in other questionable practices that the American taxpayers have …

Towards A Deeper Understanding Of The Use And Effectiveness Of Human Resource Dashboards, Roopa Shashikant Bhopale

Business/Business Administration

The goal of this thesis is to examine the factors which influence the effectiveness of human resource (HR) dashboards and the antecedents which motivate employees to use them. To do this, I have examined research on executive information systems (EIS) and dashboards and have developed models of the factors which lead to HR dashboard use and success. Looking to this idea that a dashboard is a relative of executive information systems, EIS literature was used to provide the factors in the models of dashboard use and success. In hopes of being able to develop more used and more effective dashboards, …

Bank Liquidity Management, Brendan Van Der Vossen

Business/Business Administration

No abstract provided.

Certain Two-Parameter Representations Of The Lie Algebra Sl(2,C), Scott Sidoli

Mathematics and Statistics

Classical Lie algebras, like sl(2,C) can be represented using differential operators that act on polynomial space. These operators will take a different form when they are used on the space of polynomials of several variables and when the differentials are taken to be of higher order. We recall some known realizations and discuss possible deformations. In our two-parameter case we describe decomposition into indecomposable components.

Body Part Words In Copala Triqui And A Brief Spatial Sketch, Ann Weiner

Linguistics

No abstract provided.

A Situation For Revolt: A Study Of The Situationist International’S Influence On French Students During The Revolt Of 1968, Ryan Gallagher

History

No abstract provided.

“You Must Fight To Win”: The Media, State Department And Vietnam 1967-1968, Jeffrey H.S. Knaack

History

No abstract provided.

An American Tragedy Theodore Dreiser’S Fight Against Intellectual Censorship And Early Hollywood, Brittany Jolles

History

No abstract provided.

Untitled: A Life In Art, Marissa Molina

Art & Art History

No abstract provided.

The Dynamics Of Male/Female Relationships In Jon Donne's Love Poetry, Amanda Boyd

English

No abstract provided.

“Tragical History” And “Tragedy” As Inquisitive Vehicles: Examining The Implications Of Marlowe’S Two Faustus Texts, Joseph Sturcken

English

No abstract provided.

Unemployment Insurance And The Role Of Retained Earnings From Part-Time Work, Chris Hocker

Economics

No abstract provided.

Celebrities And Causes: Where Does The Focus Lie In Print Media Coverage?, Amanda Jones

Communication

Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of, and depth of coverage of celebrity lives. Celebrities are now appearing in hard news stories, pictured performing mundane daily activities, and seen supporting various causes. This research explores the increased emergence of entertainment news in the print media by examining the dominance of celebrity coverage in articles involving activist causes. Does print media coverage of celebrity activism focus more on the cause or the celebrity involved? Using the data collected from September 2008 to September 2009 issues of Time magazine, Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report, this research …

Drug Users In Fall 2009 Television Dramas: Character Profiles, Lucy E. Place

Communication

How do narrative structures inform us about our own world? This study was conducted to discover the implications of drug content depicted in primetime television through the evaluation of contemporary and stereotypical characterization trends. This study examines drug content in two medical dramas and two crime dramas: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘House’, ‘Law & Order SVU’, and ‘CSI’.