Existence Of Options Research Articles

Explicating the Culture of Historiographic Discourse. Does History Have the Subjunctive Mood?

History has no subjunctive mood. This cliché has done a lot of harm to the science of history, even though it is usually voiced on its behalf and is presumed to express its basic methodological attitude. However, the maxim obviously disagrees with the practice of historiography as attested by numerous examples or, rather, counterexamples from classical texts, Greek as well as Roman, ancient Chinese as well as modern European, including Russian. Rejection of the subjunctive mood is usually due to the belief that conjectures can serve no positive function in the science of history and, therefore, have no right to appear in historical writings. However, if a serious scholar’s natural distaste for vain speculations turns into a virtual taboo on the study of historic opportunities, one is prone to ask whether this healthy scepticism about the trustworthiness of our cognitive procedures when applied to such fleeting matters as opportunities, possibilities and potentialities would not eventually lead to utter denial of the very existence of options and alternatives other than those actualised, i.e. to full-fledged fatalism. The matter is not that fatalism is unacceptable on both ontological and epistemological grounds, though it is. From the perspective of this paper the matter consists in that fatalism renders the historian’s craft meaningless. For to assert that there is but one reality is one thing, but to allege that this one reality is devoid of alternative opportunities is something dramatically different. It is impossible even to describe, least so understand, the course of events without reference to alternatives. He who ignores alternatives presents a distorted, oversimplified image of the past — an artificial, contrived construct that does not correspond to the past reality. A reality without alternatives is not a reality as it was, hence, any analysis, any explanation based on it or ensuing from it proves inadequate. Past was not devoid of alternative opportunities, and though these are not easy to study, they should not be left unstudied. And they are, indeed, not easy to study, because, unlike opportunities availed of, those unrealised are seldom properly portrayed in our sources. But who says that science is easy?

Staying silent or speaking up: reactions to racialization affecting Muslims in Madrid

ABSTRACT This study examines the reactions of Muslims in Madrid to racialized interpellations in their everyday lives. Considering that political subject positions are formed at the intersection of interpellations from different discursive contexts, this study aims to grasp how Muslims living in Madrid discursively perceive and interpret the existence of options to raise their voice and be heard. How do they consider being addressed and in which spaces does this occur? Who makes the interpellation and from which position? What are their reactions? The audio and transcript material on which this research is based was obtained from six discussion groups representing Muslim populations in Madrid, held in October 2016. The analysis shows that Muslims in Madrid feel discriminated against in their daily lives, but have limited possibilities to speak up and be heard.

A utilização de graxas em revestimentos durante a construção de poços de petróleo: análise de Fichas de Informações de Segurança de Produtos Químicos

A poluição oceânica vem ganhando cada vez mais notoriedade, tamanha a frequência da constatação de que muitas espécies aquáticas e regiões (até então preservadas) têm sido afetadas direta ou indiretamente por ações individuais e corporativas. Diante da lacuna existente nos registros relacionados à utilização de graxas em revestimentos instalados em poços de petróleo (tanto onshore quanto offshore), considerando as premissas da ecotoxicologia, este estudo destaca a fragilidade na divulgação dos parâmetros ambientais relacionados a algumas das graxas de estocagem (Kendex OCTG e Jet-LubeKorr-Guard) e descida (Lubrax Lith PM1 e Bestolife 72733) mais utilizadas no Brasil. Considerando a existência de opções que dispensam a utilização de tais produtos químicos durante todo o ciclo de vida dos produtos (tecnologia “dope-free”), o aprofundamento de estudos afins (especialmente testes de toxicidade), bem como a adoção de medidas com menor potencial poluidor nas atividades de construção de poços, são sugeridos.

Potential Regulatory Obstacles to Crossborder Mergers and Acquisitions in the EU Banking Sector

Over the past decade, cross-border merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the EU banking sector has remained far below its pre-crisis levels, despite the regulatory reforms implemented after the financial crisis. While the EU equipped itself with the Single Rulebook, convergent supervisory practices, a common crisis management framework and the creation of the Banking Union, ring-fencing and limits to the circulation of funds across borders are still present and the EU still does not reap the full benefits of the Single Market. The purpose of this paper is to map and analyse the elements of the current EU prudential framework that create obstacles to banking groups operating across borders. The results highlight the existence of a number of potential issues at both regulatory and supervisory levels. First, policy reviews, cases and survey-based evidence suggest that the current regulatory framework relies on a territorial approach (cross-border waivers for capital and minimum requirements for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL), inefficient intra-group financial support arrangements, a multiplicity of macroprudential tools and the existence of options and national discretions within the Single Rulebook), favours pre-positioning resources with the subsidiaries and entails market fragmentation. Ultimately, this may endanger the comparability of institutions across countries and reduce the incentive to conduct cross-border consolidation. Second, despite the progress made in achieving convergence of supervisory practices across the EU, a number of approaches are not yet fully consistent, in particular with respect to the link between prudential requirements and restrictions on distributions, and to a more transparent approach when setting risk-by-risk requirements. The absence of common and fully transparent EU practices for prudential assessment of M&A transactions, including the determination of capital requirements, further adds to the complexity. Finally, it is also suggested that the completion of the Banking Union, by further strengthening the institutional cooperation among Member States and national authorities, has a fundamental role to play in freeing up the potential of enhanced financial integration. There should also be no further delay in the progress made towards the Banking Union’s achievement of single jurisdiction status.

Modern approaches to diagnostics and treatment of migraine in children

This article reviews modern approaches to diagnostics and treatment of a very common and simultaneously underestimated and often maltreated disorder in children. It is fallacious management of migraine masked behind the diagnoses such as autonomic vessel dysfunction and vascular headache here in Ukraine. This is a tremendous problem and it should be solved with appropriate information spread across the medical community.
 Up-to-date classification according to the International Headache Society, diagnostic criteria, differential diagnosis, investigation and treatment strategies are presented in the article. All supported data are com-pliant with guidelines of developed countries with evidence-based medicine (US, Canada, Great Britain, Japan, Australia, New Zealand) enhanced with new trials and approved methods. Migraine management is a rapidly evolving concept, where major changes were done during recent years (transcranial Deep Brain Stimulation, vagus stimulation, CGRP-receptor mono-clonal antibodies).
 Considering disorder incidence and its impact on life quality and the existence of options for alleviating symptoms, this information is important for physicians who work with children, especially for general practitioners, pediatrics, pediatric and adult neurologists.

Informed Trading, Information Asymmetry, and Pricing of Information Risk: Empirical Evidence from the NYSE

We analyze commonality in informed trading across stocks, and how informed trading varies with the structural and trading characteristics of a firm. We thereby isolate the residual level of informed trading that is unrelated to commonality, trading characteristics, and structural charac-teristics and analyze this measure with respect to its characteristics and pricing relevance. We find evidence of commonality in informed trading, and a systematic dependence of the level of informed trading on firm characteristics, such as, tick size, the existence of options, and the size of the ownership stake of outside parties. Most importantly, we find that the residual level of in-formed trading is the component of informed trading most strongly related to required returns. This indicates that an important part of the information risk premium is related to the inability to differentiate between price fluctuations that are caused by changes in fundamental value from random price moves.

Value of Climate Forecasts for Adjusting Farming Strategies in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sustaining and increasing crop production and productivity has to be a major policy thrust for developing countries. Using a simulation approach different production strategies were evaluated conditioned on climate information to derive optimal strategies to help farmers reduce risk and increase productivity. By examining the existence of options in this case planting dates the study provides an analyses of the expected value and risks associated with changing decisions based on the availability of climate forecasts. The 15-March planting date produced the highest mean yield for the two cultivars examined although 1-April, 15-April and 1-May plantings had one to zero probability of crop failures compared to 15-March with crop failures in 4 out of 20 years. Results indicate losses of between 25 and 35 kg/day due to delays in planting from 15-March planting to 1-June planting for the 120- and 150-day cultivar. El nino years were associated with positive yield deviations for both cultivars and most planting dates. Farmers are known to make tactical adjustments to their management in light of information perceived relevant to the prospects of forthcoming crop. Although in its present form most current forecast products do not provide information on onset of the rainfall, however the information they do provide could play a crucial role in helping farmers reduce the risks posed by climatic variability.