Calcium (Ca2+) permeability in excitable cells was first documented over 35 years ago, shortly after the discovery that sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) ions moved across squid giant axon membranes in a voltage-dependent fashion. This permeability was facilitated by membrane proteins of a distinct class called ion channels. Since then, much progress has been made in understanding the role of ion channels in transduction of voltage signals into cellular responses. However, characterization of Ca2+ channels has lagged behind their better understood counterparts, the Na+ and K+...

The initial goal established at the commencement of the research was to build a novel hedge fund investment thesis that exploited information asymmetries over short-term windows. This study commenced in mid-2009, at the early stages of the recovery of the US economy (which is debatable) following the 2007-2008 financial and economic crises. We were presented a unique opportunity to explore the successes and failings of hedge funds in general through the years immediately preceding the crisis. We were hoping to uncover sector-specific investment theses which demonstrated a strong...