Choice Of Structure Research Articles

Comparison of Methodologies for Absolute Binding Free Energy Calculations of Ligands to Intrinsically Disordered Proteins.

Modulating the function of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDPs) with small molecules is of considerable importance given the crucial roles of IDPs in the pathophysiology of numerous diseases. Reported binding affinities for ligands to diverse IDPs vary broadly, and little is known about the detailed molecular mechanisms that underpin ligand efficacy. Molecular simulations of IDP ligand binding mechanisms can help us understand the mode of action of small molecule inhibitors of IDP function, but it is still unclear how binding energies can be modeled rigorously for such a flexible class of proteins. Here, we compare alchemical absolute binding free energy calculations (ABFE) and Markov-State Modeling (MSM) protocols to model the binding of the small molecule 10058-F4 to a disordered peptide extracted from a segment of the oncoprotein c-Myc. The ABFE results produce binding energy estimates that are sensitive to the choice of reference structure. In contrast, the MSM results produce more reproducible binding energy estimates consistent with weak mM binding affinities and transient intermolecular contacts reported in the literature.

Utilizing large‐scale insurance data sets to calibrate sub‐county level crop yields

AbstractCrop yields are crucial for research on agricultural risk and productivity but are typically only available at highly aggregated levels. Yield data at more granular levels of observation have the potential to enhance econometric identification and improve statistical power but are typically inaccessible. Crop insurance contracts offered via the US Federal Crop Insurance Program (FCIP) are priced, in part, based on past yields of the farm meaning year‐to‐year variation in premium rates has the potential to provide insight into how yields vary over time. This paper introduces methods to use observed FCIP rating parameters to calibrate yields for insurance transactions lacking such data. These methods are validated with 148,243 farm‐level observations from Kansas for which yields are known. The calibrated yields are applied empirically to examine the impact of asymmetric information in the FCIP via choice of insurance unit structure and the extent to which legislative changes mitigated this effect.

Channel structures of third-party platforms

The growing prominence of third-party (3P) platforms in the online retail sector has made the selection of an appropriate channel structure strategy a critical concern for manufacturers, 3P platforms, and retailers operating within this environment. We construct a Stackelberg game model with the manufacturer as the leader, evaluating four channel structures: (A) reselling and retailer agency selling, (B) agency selling and retailer agency selling, (C) reselling and agency selling, and (D) reselling, agency selling, and retailer agency selling. The supply chain can adopt two pricing strategies: uniform pricing (UP) and differential pricing (DP). Research indicates that expanding the number of channels may not always enhance profitability for suppliers and supply chain participants. Under strategy UP, the 3P platform opts for structure B, whereas the retailer favors structure C. Incorporating agency selling is advantageous for the manufacturer; however, structure A represents the least beneficial option for the supply chain. Under strategy DP, a substantial portion of the pareto optimal region is present. Intense competition and reduced agency fees lead both the supply chain as a whole and individual member to prefer structure A. The addition of a reselling or retailer agency channel boosts the manufacturer's profits, and benefits the 3P platform, while structure D emerges as the least favorable option for the retailer. Furthermore, under strategy DP, structure C is rendered obsolete, signifying the retailer's essential role in the supply chain to the advantage of all involved parties. Our study advances the scholarly understanding of sales models and platform economies by offering valuable insights into the decision-making processes of manufacturers, third-party (3P) platforms, and retailers regarding channel structure choices in a 3P platform environment.

Capital structure of special-purpose governments

PurposeThe paper examines whether special purpose governments follow the pecking order model when raising capital, replacing firm equity in the original model with local intergovernmental revenues. Special purpose governments are a relatively underexamined component of state and local governments, and their capital structure choices have important implications for America’s aggregate fiscal health. This paper seeks to illuminate special purpose governments’ choices among available forms of capital.Design/methodology/approachTo address our research inquiry regarding whether special-purpose governments adhere to the pecking order theory, we narrow our focus to a specific group of transit entities. Our investigation utilizes data sourced from two distinct repositories: the United States Census of Governments and the National Transit Database. To facilitate integration of these disparate datasets, we establish a correspondence between them using the Federal Information Processing Standard and the transit identification number. Initially, our analysis employs maximum likelihood estimation, comparing these estimates to those generated by a naïve model. Subsequently, we derive parameter estimates through the application of a bivariate probit model.FindingsThe paper supports the pecking order hypothesis where internal funds are consumed first, debt is consumed next and IGR is consumed last. The results are robust and are not influenced by simultaneity bias.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper uses transit special purpose governments as the special purpose government of interest. These transit special purpose governments have high fixed costs that may inform their capital structure decisions relative to non-transit special purpose governments. Additionally, transit special purpose governments often have a profit-maximizing objective that may not uniformly apply to other special purpose governments, such as school districts, who lack such an incentive.Practical implicationsOur research should grab the attention of state and local politicians, voters, policy experts and scholars. Special-purpose governments, a key part of our governmental system, are on the rise. Understanding them better can guide decision-making on how to allocate resources, set policies and plan strategically. This knowledge boosts financial reporting quality, transparency, accountability and public confidence. Journalists can leverage our findings to ensure accurate and thorough reporting, fostering accountability and trust. Additionally, debt markets and analysts can factor this information into their risk assessments.Originality/valueThe paper enhances our understanding of how special purpose governments interact with existing models of corporate finance when making capital structure decisions.

Comparative Study of Tube-In-Tube and Bundled Tube System in High Rise Buildings

This study evaluates the seismic performance of Tube-in-Tube and Bundled Tube structural systems for high-rise buildings, following IS 1893 standards. Key parameters, including storey displacement, drift, and shear, were assessed in Seismic Zones 3 and 5. In Seismic Zone 5, the Bundled Tube system reduces storey displacement by about 33% compared to the Tube-in-Tube system. Similarly, in Seismic Zone 3, displacements are lowered by 21-24%. The Tube-in-Tube system exhibits higher storey drift, particularly in Seismic Zone 5, where the Bundled Tube system offers a remarkable 85% reduction. In Seismic Zone 3, this reduction ranges from 45-50%. In terms of storey shear, the Bundled Tube system consistently outperforms the Tube-in-Tube system, reducing shear forces by 24-30% across both seismic zones. Overall, the Bundled Tube system proves to be more effective under seismic conditions, minimizing displacements, drifts, and shear forces, making it the superior choice for high-rise structures in earthquake-prone regions. This improvement in performance contributes to safer structural designs in compliance with IS 1893 standards.

Analisis Kalimat Efektif Pada Teks Opini Dalam Laman “Harian Jogja” Edisi Agustus 2023 Sebagai Bacaan Edukasi

Syntax is a branch of linguistics that studies phrases, clauses and sentences. This article focuses more on analyzing sentences in a text, where the sentence itself is a language unit that is relatively independent, has final intonation, and actually or potentially consists of clauses. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of sentences in opinion texts on the August 2023 edition of “Harian Jogja” as educational reading in terms of sentence structure and word choice. The type of research method used is descriptive qualitative research method and syntactic approach. The research data are the results of identifying ineffective sentences used in opinion texts on the “Harian Jogja” August 2023 Edition as Educational Reading. The data collection technique used is the syntactic approach in the form of listening and note-taking techniques. The informal method is used as a data presentation technique in this research. The data presentation is written in the form of a table containing some ineffective sentences and their improvements. From the analysis, 121 sentences were found consisting of 58 effective sentences and 63 ineffective sentences. In the opinion text titled “Peubahan Iklim dan Peran Masyarakat Memilah Sampah” there are 17 effective sentences and 22 ineffective sentences. In the opinion text titled “Mencermati Arsitektur RAPBN 2024,” there are 19 effective sentences and 18 ineffective sentences. In the opinion text titled “Peluang dan Tantangan Pertukaran Karbon,” there are 22 effective sentences and 23 ineffective sentences. This research produces several ineffective sentences which are classified into 3 namely waste in the use of words, inaccuracy in the use of words, and the last is the incompatibility of the information provided. In this analysis, the researcher uses one of the opinion texts as an example or sample, namely the opinion text entitled “Perubahan Iklim dan Peran Masyarakat dalam Memilah Sampah”. From the analysis of the opinion text which is composed of 39 sentences, there are 22 ineffective sentences. This study is useful as a guideline for writing effective sentences, besides that writers can pay more attention to writing in an opinion text that is by the rules of language.

Le style pragmatique et commatique de Porphyre à Simplicius

Abstract In this study, we aim to analyze the notions of “pragmatic” and “commatic” we encounter in what we highlight to be a process of canonization of style appropriate to each content and theological level since Porphyry. This research is divided into three parts: primarily, we investigate the sense in which the Neoplatonists use the adjective “commatic”, which includes on the one hand (1) defining what the Neoplatonists mean by “unity of meaning”, and on the other hand distinguishing between a “woven” and continuous style and a “disjointed” and broken style, collecting the stylistic criticisms made by the Neoplatonists of the ancient texts; then (2) we seek to establish the areas of application of the “commatic” style in Neoplatonic discourse, distinguishing on the one hand inspired and ethical discourse, and on the other hand clear and sharp dialectical discourse, bordering on that which eludes philosophical demonstration, namely, the ἀσάφεια; finally (3), we aim to study the “pragmatic” style associated with each theological content in order to highlight its corresponding style and vocabulary. The present research stems from the need to show how behind the lexical and structural choices of the Neoplatonic writings there is a precise theory of style, produced by a process of aesthetic canonization that emerges clearly as early as Porphyry’s rhetorical fragments and from Neoplatonic exegetical activity on rhetorical works, as well as from an innumerable amount of references to a rhetorical tradition on the period and its parts, the commata and côla, which the Neoplatonists, as this study aims to show, master and apply on their own structuring and formalization of theological content.

Dynamics of capital structure determinants: empirical evidence from GCC countries

AbstractThe study empirically examines the factors affecting the financing decisions of non-financial listed companies in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Using static and dynamic two-step generalized method of moments techniques, it analyzes unbalanced panel data from 364 non-financial companies across six GCC countries from 2011 to 2021. The findings partially support optimal capital structure theories, highlighting significant internal factors such as profitability, market-to-book ratio, firm size, earnings volatility, and growth opportunities that influence financing decisions. While no single theory fully explains the financing choices, the association of internal factors with book and market leverage is consistent. The study provides robust and generalizable results, aiding financial institutions and policymakers in formulating pro-development policies and regulations. This research facilitates better coordination between corporate managers and financial institutions, supporting the region’s economic transition. It is the first study to use extensive data from GCC non-financial firms to investigate financing decisions, offering valuable insights for investors and a basis for further analysis of capital structure choices in the region and beyond.

The Impact of Employee Stock Ownership Plans on Capital Structure Decisions: Evidence from China

The determination of the capital structure is a critical component of a company’s financial decision-making process. The question of how to optimize a firm’s capital structure to increase its value has been a significant topic of interest within the financial community. The employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) has developed rapidly in China’s capital market over the past decade, providing a suitable context for studying the impact of employee equity incentives on capital structure decisions. This paper employs cross-sectional ordinary least squares regression models and unbalanced panel fixed effect models to investigate the impact of employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) on firms’ capital structure decisions. The analysis is conducted on a sample of Chinese A-share listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges. The research considers both static capital structure choice and dynamic capital structure adjustment. We find that the implementation of an ESOP reduces the level of corporate debt and accelerates the dynamic adjustment of capital structure, suggesting that employee equity incentives play a role in optimizing firms’ capital structure decisions. We also find that the impact of ESOPs on the dynamic adjustment of capital structure is asymmetric. Specifically, the implementation of ESOPs markedly accelerates the downward adjustment of capital structure, yet has no impact on the upward adjustment of capital structure. Further analysis demonstrates that the impact of ESOPs on capital structure decisions is contingent upon the macroeconomic environment, industry characteristics, corporate governance, and ESOP contract designs. First, the optimization of ESOPs on capital structure decisions is more pronounced in an economic boom environment, in a poor market climate, or in competitive industries. Second, the reduction effect of ESOPs on corporate debt is more pronounced in non-state-owned companies, high-tech companies and those with lower ownership concentration. In contrast, the acceleration effect of ESOPs on capital structure adjustment is more pronounced in state-owned companies, non-high-tech companies and those with higher ownership concentration. Ultimately, ESOPs financed by loans from a firm’s major shareholders—or with a longer lock-up period, smaller shareholding size or executive subscription ratio—demonstrate a more pronounced optimization effect on capital structure decisions. This paper not only contributes to the existing literature on the relationship between equity incentives and capital structure decisions, but also provides guidance for listed companies on the reasonable design of their ESOPs and the optimization of their capital structure decisions.

Does ligation risk matter for the choice between bank debt and public debt?

We examine the impact of liberal judge ideology, as an exogenous proxy for litigation risk, on firms' choice of debt structure. In line with the substitution of governance mechanisms hypothesis, we find that U.S. firms headquartered in circuits dominated by liberal judges rely less on bank debt financing. We also show that the substitution away from bank borrowing arising from liberal judge ideology leads to a greater reliance on other financing alternatives, such as public debt and equity financing. Additional analyses indicate that the effect of liberal judge ideology is amplified for firms operating in competitive markets, firms facing tighter financial constraints, and firms with more growth opportunities. The governance substitution effect is however less pronounced for firms with higher institutional ownership. Overall, our findings suggest that, by exacerbating litigation risk, liberal judge ideology induces firms to trade-off creditor governance stemming from bank debt with governance by litigation, thus decreasing their reliance on bank debt in favor of alternative financing sources with less strict constraints and lower monitoring of managerial behavior.

Determinants of the Factors Affecting the Governance Structure Choice of the Pineapple Value Chain: A Case Study on Market-based Agroforestry in Bangladesh

This study examines the governance structures selected by pineapple farmers in the agroforestry system of Bangladesh and the determinants that impact their choices for these structures. To evaluate the factors influencing farmers' decisions to participate in spot markets, bilateral agreements, or association transactions, the study utilizes both quantitative and qualitative approaches, including surveys of 200 farmers, 15 focus group discussions (FGDs), and 2 key informant interviews (KIIs). In order to choose individual participants, the study employed a stratified random sampling technique. Utilising a multivariate probit (MVP) model, the study reveals crucial factors like age, education, farming experience, farm size, market certainty, weather influence, market connection, and pre-delivery conditions. Analysis indicates that spot market is the most favored governance structure (GS) among the three options in the agroforestry system, followed by bilateral transactions and association agreements. Evidence suggests that younger and less educated farmers tend to favor associations, whereas more experienced farmers tend to favor bilateral partnerships. Farms of bigger size typically refrain from joining groups, and unfavorable weather circumstances decrease the probability of engaging in spot markets. The study also demonstrates that robust market links exert an impact on the selection of governance frameworks. Considering the results, the study suggests enhancing training programs to facilitate farmers' understanding and involvement in associations, motivating farmer associations to appeal to larger farms and small farmers, and enhancing market information systems to establish robust market connections.

Issues of efficiency of financing the agricultural sector

In many economically developed countries, state support, financial investments in the agricultural industry, increasing productivity and profitability, ensuring the availability of food are the main factors of economic growth, first of all, employment of the population. Purpose - the main problems of financing the agro-industrial complex of the republic and scientific approaches to their solution are considered. Methods - comparative analysis, synthesis, monographic, logical evaluation to determine the mechanisms affecting the effectiveness of state aid and investment. Results - the article analyzes the sources of budgetary allocation of the agrarian sector. The significance of the implementation of targeted programs aimed at improving the quality of life of rural residents through price, tax, leasing mechanisms, soft loans and subsidies is shown. The study presents information for 2018-2022, supplemented by the data of the National Project on the development of agro-industrial complex of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2021-2025, including the total volume of agro-industrial production and the size of capital investments. The study notes the need to increase the volume of domestic processing industry, allowing agricultural producers to expand the market for products, create conditions for new jobs, attract investment, and contribute to economic and social stability. Conclusions - specialization of rural areas, development of technical map and related organization of production in promising villages and district centers, increase in exports, distribution of online services are strategic directions of development of food complex, economic activity of agroformations. The use of external resources gives an opportunity to improve financial results, and farms - to increase income from core activities. When planning large investments in agricultural projects, one of the key criteria is the choice of capital structure to support the investment process.

Развитие теории и принципов планирования многономенклатурных технологических процессов механообработки и сборки

Instructional guidelines for planning a multiproduct manufacturing activity (MA) for machining and assembly aimed at solving currently existing problems of machining industries process design, i.e. subjectivity of making design decisions, insufficient automation, and inability of the observing of current production situation are presented. The objective reasons for the need to improve approaches to the development of MA are the long cycle of the process design period, the low quality of the processes operation, and the impossibility to adjust MA at the implementation stage. The main structural elements of multiproduct manufacturing activity planning are described. Based on a systematic approach, all stages of work on technological support of production systems are combined, making possible to use the information arrays of data on the real state of the production system and operational information on production tasks in a short time frame. The results of theoretical work provide for the process of making MA as a system that combines the design and implementation of technology, taking into account the impact of changes in the production situation. In the process of approbation and use of the presented methodological approaches, significant areas of research were identified, smoothing away difficulties connected with the performance targets, enabling the development path of the system. Among them: the interaction with the design preparation of production; detailing data on the initial workpieces in connection with the choice of the MA structure and the appointment of a rational set of technological equipment; determining the requirements for technological equipment, focused on ensuring the flexibility of their use; determining the correlations between the multiple-path design of parts manufacturing process and the requirements for accuracy indicators in the assembly of products. The developed formalized models for the implementation of the stages of technological preparation of machining industries are a background for full automation of MA design and highly efficient functionality of machine-building complexes.

COLLOQUIAL REGISTER IN THE PRAGMATICS OF A LITERARY TEXT

The purpose of the article is a linguistic analysis of communicative registers based on the material of works of art in the Kazakh language. The communicative register is a type of information represented in the text and allows you to judge: the statics or dynamics of what is happening (reproductive-descriptive and reproductive-narrative registers); the speaker’s position in relation to action: inside events (reproductive), distanced from events (informative, generative registers); the speaker’s intentions: expression of will (voluntary register) or reaction to the interlocutor’s remark, as well as the situation as a whole (reactive register). The communicative register is a type of information represented in the text and allows you to judge: the statics or dynamics of what is happening (reproductive-descriptive and reproductive-narrative registers); the speaker’s position in relation to action: inside events (reproductive), distanced from events (informative, generative registers. O. V. Evstafiadi compares directional and non-directional communicative registers, highlighting in the communicative register such quality as addressability. A person strives not only for mutual understanding when using linguistic symbols, but also to evoke a reaction from the listener to the information expressed by him. All these phenomena are realized in the speech act. In the mind of the speaker, based on internal and external factors of society, a communicative goal arises, the purpose of which is to influence the actions, attitude of the addressee or determine the essence of a specific problem. The choice of certain linguistic means and linguistic structures is based on the pragmatics of the dialogue text, the communicative goal of the speaker, his own opinion, approach, and the general level of knowledge of the communicants, depending on specific circumstances. Keywords: speech registers, communicative units, linguistic stylistics, speech activity, pragmatics.

Taxes, Leverage, and Profit Shifting in Banks

The goal of this research is to investigate whether taxation affects the leverage decisions of banks and if the response of leverage to tax increases depends on profit-shifting opportunities available to individual banks. This topic remains controversial since it is often believed that banking regulation is such an essential driver of leverage choices that little room is left for other considerations studied in the corporate finance literature. Using a difference-in-differences setup encompassing the period from 2006 to 2017, we exploit two exogenous income tax rate increases applicable to 225 Brazilian banks, employing novel identification strategies based on the intricacies of local taxation rules and on the distinctions between individual banks and financial conglomerates. We find stark differences in the behavior of banks around the two events, with a substantial increase in leverage following the first tax hike but no leverage response following the second. In addition, we find no evidence of heterogeneous effects based on the amount of profit-shifting opportunities available to individual banks. Regulatory concerns possibly became more relevant for leverage decisions during the period around the second tax hike because it coincided with the implementation of stricter capital requirements associated with the Basel III framework. Taken together, our results suggest that financial institutions balance considerations regarding the tax-shield benefits of debt against regulatory concerns specific to the banking industry when making capital structure choices.

Does firm culture influence corporate financing decisions? Evidence from debt maturity choice

This study establishes a relation between corporate culture and debt maturity choice. Specifically, superior corporate culture is associated with the choice of shorter-term debt, supporting the notion that superior culture reduces managerial agency problems resulting in managers being more receptive to external monitoring through the choice of shorter-term debt. The culture subcomponents of integrity, teamwork, and innovation are found to have a meaningful influence on the debt maturity structure choice. The relation between culture and debt maturity is more pronounced in firms with higher managerial stock ownership and those that are financially constrained, but is weakened in firms with a greater CEO sensitivity to stock prices. Additionally, firms with superior culture are shown to have higher long-term credit ratings. These findings contribute at the confluence of corporate culture and debt financing literatures. A battery of robustness tests, including addressing endogeneity concerns, validate the findings.

Data-driven blood glucose level prediction in type 1 diabetes: a comprehensive comparative analysis

Accurate prediction of blood glucose level (BGL) has proven to be an effective way to help in type 1 diabetes management. The choice of input, along with the fundamental choice of model structure, is an existing challenge in BGL prediction. Investigating the performance of different data-driven time series forecasting approaches with different inputs for BGL prediction is beneficial in advancing BGL prediction performance. Limited work has been made in this regard, which has resulted in different conclusions. This paper performs a comprehensive investigation of different data-driven time series forecasting approaches using different inputs. To do so, BGL prediction is comparatively investigated from two perspectives; the model’s approach and the model’s input. First, we compare the performance of BGL prediction using different data-driven time series forecasting approaches, including classical time series forecasting, traditional machine learning, and deep neural networks. Secondly, for each prediction approach, univariate input, using BGL data only, is compared to a multivariate input, using data on carbohydrate intake, injected bolus insulin, and physical activity in addition to BGL data. The investigation is performed on two publicly available Ohio datasets. Regression-based and clinical-based metrics along with statistical analyses are performed for evaluation and comparison purposes. The outcomes show that the traditional machine learning model is the fastest model to train and has the best BGL prediction performance especially when using multivariate input. Also, results show that simply adding extra variables does not necessarily improve BGL prediction performance significantly, and data fusion approaches may be required to effectively leverage other variables’ information.

ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ОСНОВЫ ВЫБОРА БЕРЕГОУКРЕПИТЕЛЬНЫХ СООРУЖЕНИЙ ПРИ РЕКОНСТРУКЦИИ ПЛЯЖЕЙ КРЫМСКОГО ПОБЕРЕЖЬЯ

The relevance of improving the methods of engineering and environmental survey of coastal protection objects is determined by their existing violations, which reduce environmental safety in general and create a danger for the organization of tourism on the coast. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the choice of bank protection structures during the reconstruction of the beaches of the Crimean coast in the conditions of recreational specialization of the region. The nature and extent of deformations of the coastal zone of the sea and shore protection structures on the coast of the Kalamitsky Bay of the Black Sea are described. The authors proposed the design and location of the breakwater, which will make it possible to more effectively cope with the damping of waves during a storm period compared to classical breakwaters. Materials and methods. The study of the state of coastal territories and the solution of problems of coastal protection structures is based on the theory of geomorphology of the surface and underwater parts of the coast, the regularities of the hydrophysical parameters of the sea in the coastal zone, and climatic and seismic conditions. The methods of field observations and experimental studies in the wave basin were used to take into account the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors on the ecological parameters of the coastal zone of the Crimean coast. Results. In 2022, a team of authors carried out a visual survey of the coast in the territory of the Bakhchisaray district of the Republic of Crimea with a total length of 11.5 km. from s. Coastal to with. Angular. As a result of the inspection, sections of the coast that are potentially dangerous to the health and life of people and are not suitable for normal use for recreational purposes were identified. Conclusions. Long-term field observations show that the creation of bank protection in certain local areas, having given only a temporary positive effect for these areas, can have a very negative impact on neighboring and even remote areas; that is why the issue of protecting the coast should be resolved at least on the scale of the coast of settlements, taking into account the conditions of a single system. The shape of the coast protection structure proposed by the authors can make it possible to more effectively dampen waves compared to classical rectangular breakwaters. However, when designing coastal protection measures, it should be taken into account that separate protection of small areas of eroded coastal territories within a large zone of eroded coast is ineffective, since adjacent unprotected shores will recede under the influence of a system of natural factors.

Space Efficiency of Tall Buildings in Singapore

Space efficiency in Singaporean tall buildings results from a complex interplay of historical, architectural, engineering, technological, socioeconomic, and environmental factors. The city-state’s innovative and adaptive approach has enabled it to overcome the challenges associated with skyscraper construction, leading to the development of some of the most advanced and sustainable high-rise structures in the world. However, there is currently a lack of detailed analysis on space utilization in Singaporean high-rise buildings. This study addresses this gap by examining 63 cases. The main findings of this research: 1. Residential functions, central core layouts, and prismatic shapes are the most frequent. 2. Concrete material with a shear-walled frame system is the preferred structural choice. 3. Average spatial efficiency is 80%, and the core-to-GFA (Gross Floor Area) ratio averages 17%. These metrics vary from a minimum of 68% and 5% to a maximum of 91% and 32%, respectively. These insights offer valuable guidance for Singaporean construction professionals, particularly architects, helping them make informed design decisions for high-rise projects.

Capital structure decisions and R&D investment: The contingency role of firm size

This paper explores how the size of a firm influences the relationship between capital structure choices and research and development (R&D) investment. By analyzing data from publicly listed U.S. pharmaceutical firms between 2011 and 2020 and using an instrumental variables regression, we present evidence that the impact of capital structure on R&D investment varies depending on firm size. Our findings show that firm size plays a critical role in shaping financing decisions to support R&D. Specifically, large and small firms employ different strategies for developing and implementing R&D projects. Our results reveal that R&D investment is negatively (positively) and significantly associated with debt financing (equity financing). Moreover, we show that firm size attenuates the adverse effect of debt financing on R&D investment and accentuates the positive effect of equity financing. Our study provides a refined distinction between debt and equity financing and clarifies the importance of structural characteristics in explaining a firm’s R&D investment decisions. Our study assists policymakers and practitioners in designing effective policies to enhance the understanding of the complex relationship between capital structure decisions and R&D investment.