Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Agency Theory and “Management Research” A Comment

The application of agency theory to management research issues such as organisational design, strategic management and corporate policy is becoming increasingly common (Lyles 1990). Within this broad suite of topics, corporate governance issues have become the focus of increasing concern. Relevant issues include “appropriate” board structures (i.e., independent versus executive directors) as well as the separation of the chief executive officer (CEO) and chairperson’s (chair) rôles (i.e., the “duality” question). 1 Donaldson and Davis (1991) address the latter issue, comparing the relative merits of what they call the agency perspective to one they term “stewardship theory”. In addition to serious problems with their methodology (Whittred 1993), their analysis is based on a misunderstanding of agency theory. Donaldson and Davis characterise the agency perspective in a relatively simplistic and misleading fashion, such that natural conflicts of interest between widely dispersed owners (i.e., shareholders) and professional managers preclude managers acting in shareholders’ best interests. Modern agency theory argues to the contrary: that firms create long-term wealth for their owners because those owners are relatively diverse and cannot intervene, while managers motivated by (among other things) debt and capital structure are put in charge. In contrast, Donaldson and Davis present stewardship theory as a stark alternative which gives due recognition to managers’ “desires” to perform satisfactorily. We contend that
Responses of trifoliate orange (poncirus trifoliata (l.) raf.) to continuously and gradually increasing nacl concentration

Abstract The effect of continuous or gradual stress due to NaCl on in vitro growth, proline and sugar accumulation and nutrient acquisition of trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. ) explants was studied. Apical shoot tips obtained from previous subculture were transferred to a Murashige and Skoog nutrient medium for proliferation and were exposed to continuous or gradual salinity stress for 42 days. The salt used to induce salinity was NaCl added in six concentrations: 0, 50, 100, 150, 200 and 300 mM. Gradual salinization was achieved by transferring the explants sequentially every week to the above mentioned NaCl concentrations. Most salt treatments had a negative effect on the growth parameters of explants. Sodium concentration of explants increased in all NaCl treatments compared to control and it was higher in the treatments with gradual exposure to salinity. Potassium concentration was reduced, mostly in the treatments with continuous exposure. Calcium andMg concentrations increased in all saline treatments. In general, the high salinity level in the substrate enhanced the proline and sugar concentrations of the studied explants. In conclusion, salinity had significant impacts on the growth and chemical status of P. trifoliata.
Sleep is not disrupted by exercise in patients with chronic fatigue syndromes.

PURPOSE Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) report that exertion produces dramatic symptom worsening. We hypothesized this might be due to the exacerbation of an underlying sleep disorder, which we have previously demonstrated to exist. METHODS Female patients with CFS and matched healthy controls with no evidence of major depressive disorder were studied with overnight polysomnography on a baseline night and on a night after their performance of a maximal exercise test. RESULTS CFS patients as a group had evidence for disturbed sleep compared with controls. Although exercise improved sleep for healthy subjects, it did not do this for the group as a whole. When we stratified the sample on the basis of self-reported sleepiness after a night's sleep, the patient group with reduced morning sleepiness showed improvement in sleep structure, whereas those with increased morning sleepiness continued to show evidence for sleep disruption. CONCLUSIONS Sleep is disturbed in CFS patients as a group, but exercise does not exacerbate this sleep disturbance. Approximately half the patients studied actually sleep better after exercise. Therefore, activity-related symptom worsening is not caused by worsened sleep.
Personality Traits, Medication Beliefs & Adherence to Medication among Diabetic Patients Attending the Diabetic Clinic in a Teaching Hospital in Southwest Nigeria

Background: Non-adherence to drug therapy is an important cause of treatment failure among patients with chronic conditions like diabetes. Previous researches have presented associations among personality traits, medication beliefs and adherence to long-term medication treatment in individuals with different chronic diseases. However, there is limited knowledge about associations among personality traits, medication belief and adherence to diabetic treatment in Africa. It was on this basis that this study was undertaken to assess the personality traits and personal beliefs of patients on medication for Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and to also assess adherence to treatment. Methodology: This study was a descriptive cross sectional study. Using a systematic random sampling technique, 223 patients attending the diabetic clinic of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Lagos were selected over a period of 12 weeks. Patients were interviewed using the Big Five-factor Personality Inventory, Medication Belief Questionnaire and the Medication Adherence Report Scale. Data were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics, Student’s t-tests, Chi Square Tests and Pearson’s correlations analysis. Results: Non-adherence was estimated to be 40.8%. Non-adherent respondents had lower mean score of neuroticism personality traits compared to adherent respondents. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed a weak negative relationship between neuroticism personality trait and adherence behaviour (P < 0.05). There was also a statistically significant weak correlation (r = 0.1) between specific concern medication belief and adherence to medication among respondents in the study (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Personality traits of diabetic patients can influence their adherence to treatment. Patients with neuroticism personality trait and specific concern medication belief tend to be non-adherent to medication. Healthcare providers should therefore pay more attention to the personality traits and medication beliefs of patients in providing effective management for diabetic patients.
HIV-related stigma, asset inheritance and chronic poverty: Vulnerability and resilience of widows and caregiving children and youth in Tanzania and Uganda

This article develops a framework of risk and protective factors to conceptualize the relationship between HIV-related stigma, asset inheritance and chronic poverty among widows and caregiving children and youth in Eastern Africa. Analysis of two qualitative studies with 85 participants in rural and urban areas of Tanzania and Uganda reveals that gendered and generational inequalities and stigmatization sometimes leads to property grabbing and chronic poverty. Human and social capital and preventative measures however may help widows and caregiving young people in HIV-affected households to safeguard land and other assets, within a wider supportive environment that seeks to tackle structural inequalities.
Interleukin-6 Signaling Pathway and Its Role in Kidney Disease: An Update

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine that not only regulates the immune and inflammatory response but also affects hematopoiesis, metabolism, and organ development. IL-6 can simultaneously elicit distinct or even contradictory physiopathological processes, which is likely discriminated by the cascades of signaling pathway, termed classic and trans-signaling. Besides playing several important physiological roles, dysregulated IL-6 has been demonstrated to underlie a number of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, metabolic abnormalities, and malignancies. This review provides an overview of basic concept of IL-6 signaling pathway as well as the interplay between IL-6 and renal-resident cells, including podocytes, mesangial cells, endothelial cells, and tubular epithelial cells. Additionally, we summarize the roles of IL-6 in several renal diseases, such as IgA nephropathy, lupus nephritis, diabetic nephropathy, acute kidney injury, and chronic kidney disease.
Stage-Specific Deletion of Olig2 Conveys Opposing Functions on Differentiation and Maturation of Oligodendrocytes

The temporal and spatial patterning involved in the specification, differentiation, and myelination by oligodendroglia is coordinated in part by the activation and repression of various transcriptional programs. Olig2 is a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor necessary for oligodendroglial development and expressed continuously throughout the lineage. Despite evidence for the critical role of Olig2 in oligodendroglial specification and differentiation, the function for Olig2 during later stages of oligodendroglial development, namely, the transition into mature oligodendrocytes (OLs) and the formation of the myelin sheath, remains unclear. To address the possibility for a stage-specific role, we deleted Olig2 in oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) under the control of the CNPase-promoter or in immature OLs under the inducible proteolipid protein promoter. As expected, ablation of Olig2 in OPCs significantly inhibits differentiation, resulting in hypomyelination. However, deletion of the Olig2 gene in immature OLs significantly enhances the maturation process and accelerates the kinetics of myelination/remyelination. Underlying the stage-specific roles for Olig2 is the compensatory expression and function of Olig1, a transcription factor that promotes OL maturation and (re)myelination. Olig1 expression is significantly reduced upon Olig2 deletion in OPCs but is dramatically increased by nearly threefold when deleted in immature OLs. By enforcing expression of Olig1 into OPCs in a null Olig2 background, we demonstrate that overexpression of Olig1 is sufficient to rescue the differentiation phenotype and partially compensates for the Olig2 deletion in vitro. Our results suggest a stage-specific regulatory role for Olig2, mediated by Olig1 that conveys opposing functions on the differentiation and maturation of oligodendrocytes.
ICAMs support B cell interactions with T follicular helper cells and promote clonal selection

The germinal center (GC) reaction begins with a diverse and expanded group of B cell clones bearing a wide range of antibody affinities. During GC colonization, B cells engage in long-lasting interactions with T follicular helper (Tfh) cells, a process that depends on antigen uptake and antigen presentation to the Tfh cells. How long-lasting T–B interactions and B cell clonal expansion are regulated by antigen presentation remains unclear. Here, we use in vivo B cell competition models and intravital imaging to examine the adhesive mechanisms governing B cell selection for GC colonization. We find that intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and ICAM-2 on B cells are essential for long-lasting cognate Tfh–B cell interactions and efficient selection of low-affinity B cell clones for proliferative clonal expansion. Thus, B cell ICAMs promote efficient antibody immune response by enhancement of T cell help to cognate B cells.
Corrections in the Community

1. The Criminal Justice System 2. Sentencing and Community Corrections 3. Probation in America 4. Parole in America 5. What Works in Probation and Parole 6. Juveniles and Community Corrections 7. Roles of Probation and Parole Officers 8. Offender Assessment 9. Strategies for Managing and Providing Services to Offenders 10. Intermediate Sanctions 11. Community Residential Correctional Programs 12. Special Populations in Community Corrections 13. Drug and Other Problem-Solving Courts 14. Evaluating Community Corrections 15. The Future of Corrections in the Community
The Chinese Economy: Introduction

china at the crossroads China’s at the crossroads, again. With the decennial transfer of political power comes uncertainty about the future direction of the country. This is always the case. What is different this time is that the past decade has been a period of economic growth in China which is perhaps unparalleled in human history, anywhere. But there is anxiety among the political elite and the increasingly prosperous middle classes about how sustainable the current path is. Growth has been slowing, albeit from a remarkably high rate, fuelling unrest among those afraid of losing their new-found gains. Inequality has been rising at an alarming rate. The ‘have-nots’ have begun to make their voices heard, both through social media and on the ground with industrial unrest a major problem for the regime, particularly in the interior. Some question whether the Chinese model of ‘socialist capitalism’ is compatible with long-term growth, arguing that democracy is a prerequisite for sustainable growth. Others think the current arrangements are more robust and that China’s road to a market economy has been laid by sound political decision-making, especially at provincial, regional and city level where many of the policy experiments behind China’s success have been devised, piloted and implemented. Seen in this light, some of the recent difficulties China has been facing, such as wage inflation, can be seen as part of the typical difficulties countries face as they transit towards a market
Two cultures? The disconnect between the web standards movement and research-based web design guidelines for older people

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), are increasingly being adopted as a core aspect of the Web Standards movement, a cultural revolution in web design that among other things seeks to produce Web content that can be accessed regardless of a user’s browsing technology or any disability they may have. Yet, according to a survey conducted by the author, this movement has not similarly embraced evidence-based guidelines that encapsulate necessary steps to overcome additional factors that limit older people’s ability to use Web sites. This paper discusses some of the reasons why such a gap exists, and what can be done by gerontechnology researchers and Web developers alike to address it.
Impact of Rural Infrastructure on Farm and Non-Farm Enterprise Choice and Income in Bangladesh

Impact of rural infrastructure on economic development is indirect and complex. The present study jointly determines the impact of rural infrastructure on the decision to choose between farm and non-farm enterprises vis-à-vis income by Bangladeshi rural households (4,195 households from 139 villages) using a bivariate Tobit model. The model diagnostic reveals that the decision to choose enterprises is significantly correlated, justifying use of a bivariate approach. Rural infrastructure has a significant but opposite impact on enterprise choices vis-à-vis income. Other major determinants with varying level of influences are farm size, livestock resources, education, farming experience and household assets. However, female-headed households are doubly disadvantaged as they have failed to participate in both enterprises and consequently earned significantly less. Policy implications include investment in rural infrastructure, irrigation, rural electrification, education, livestock resources, tenurial reforms, as well as targeted approach to promote welfare of the female-headed households, e.g., creation of a hired labor market for females.
Supervision and Wages across Industries

This paper uses supervision data from a supplement to the 1977 wave of the Panel Survey of Income Dynamics to examine differences in supervision and wages across industries and to evaluate relationships between supervision practices and interindustry wage differentials. The results demonstrate that workers in high-wage industries are supervised with equal or greater stringency than secondary sector workers. Further, the results offer no evidence that interindustry differences in monitoring contribute to interindustry wage differentials. Such findings appear to contradict explanations for industry wage premiums that are motivated by efficiency wage models of shirking. Copyright 1993 by MIT Press.
Conjoint analysis of consumer preferences for roasted peanut products in Haiti

This study evaluated Haitian consumers’ preferences for three attributes of roasted peanuts: form (dry-roasted vs. honey-roasted), country of origin (Haiti vs. USA) and price (lowest vs. most common vs. highest). A sample of 199 respondents from three locations near Port-au-Prince revealed that price was overwhelmingly the most important attribute, although three well-differentiated consumer segments were identified: the largest (44% of the sample) based strictly on price; a second (29%) distinguished by preference for honey-roasted peanuts of Haitian origin; and a third (27%) preferring dry-roasted peanuts imported from the USA. Segment membership was predicted by gender, education, household size, survey location and whether or not respondents were themselves the purchasers of the peanuts and peanut butter they consumed. Market simulation of a proposed, new domestic product (honey-roasted peanuts from Haiti) revealed that a price near that of the currently imported product would maximize domestic revenues at about 15% above the current base.
The Federal Reserve System and Control of the Money Supply in the 1970s

THIS PAPER ADDRESSES THE QUESTION of whether the Federal Reserve System in the 1970s used the money supply as its predominant intermediate target of policy.l Did the Federal Reserve "control" the money supply in the 1970s, where "control" is defined as requiring that the behavior of the money supply accurately reflect the stance of monetary policy desired by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the Federal Reserve System? The question just posed is approached through an examination of the system's operating procedures for implementing monetary policy in the 1970s. What intermediate target of policy was the FOMC trying to achieve, as inferred by its choice of operating procedures? 2
Variational Fourier Features for Gaussian Processes

This work brings together two powerful concepts in Gaussian processes: the variational approach to sparse approximation and the spectral representation of Gaussian processes. This gives rise to an approximation that inherits the benefits of the variational approach but with the representational power and computational scalability of spectral representations. The work hinges on a key result that there exist spectral features related to a finite domain of the Gaussian process which exhibit almost-independent covariances. We derive these expressions for Matern kernels in one dimension, and generalize to more dimensions using kernels with specific structures. Under the assumption of additive Gaussian noise, our method requires only a single pass through the data set, making for very fast and accurate computation. We fit a model to 4 million training points in just a few minutes on a standard laptop. With non-conjugate likelihoods, our MCMC scheme reduces the cost of computation from O(NM2) (for a sparse Gaussian process) to O(NM) per iteration, where N is the number of data and M is the number of features.
JUVENILE DIABETES MELLITUS, OPTIC ATROPHY, HEARING LOSS, DIABETES INSIPIDUS, ATONIA OF THE URINARY TRACT AND BLADDER, AND OTHER ABNORMALITIES (WOLFRAM SYNDROME)

A review of 88 cases from the literature with personal observations on 3 new patients is given of the syndrome featured by juvenile diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy, hearing loss, diabetes insipidus, atonia of the urinary tract and bladder and other abnormalities. The postmortem in one of our cases is mentioned. The pattern of inheritance is autosomal recessive. The interpretation of the data on diabetes insipidus from the literature and in our three patients is also discussed. It can only be stated that neurohypophyseal diabetes insipidus can be a component of the syndrome and that in many cases--particularly in the presence of lesions of the efferent urinary tract--the possibility of nephrogenous diabetes insipidus can not be excluded with certainty. It seems probable that the same mechanism can be held responsible for the lesions of the olfactory, optic, vestibular and cochlear nerves, the hypophyseal form of diabetes insipidus, retarded sexual maturation, abnormal pupillary reaction, myelopathy and the electro-encephalographic, electroneurological and electromyographic changes in the Wolfram syndrome. The process underlying this affection of neural structures remains obscure.
From Research to Practice: A Framework for Contextualizing Teaching and Learning

Developmental reading instructors are increasingly pressured to include real-world content in their curriculum to bring contextualized teaching and learning to life. The purpose of this practitioner-focused article is to tie knowledge about contextualized teaching and learning with classroom application techniques. We present a framework that addresses our understanding of contextualized teaching and learning, and we provide examples of how contextualized teaching and learning can be applied directly to developmental reading practice.
How Precisely Can We Estimate Vulnerability to Poverty?

There are alternative definitions of vulnerability to poverty. Most researchers prefer to define vulnerability to poverty as the probability of a household or individual falling into poverty in the future. Based on this definition and using household survey panel data from rural China, this paper attempts to assess the extent to which we can measure vulnerability to poverty. The assessment is based on comparisons between estimated vulnerability and actually observed poverty. The authors find that the precision of estimation, first, varies depending on the vulnerability line; their results suggest setting the line at 50% in order to improve predictive power. Second, precision depends on how permanent income is estimated. Assuming log-normal distribution of future income, it is preferable to use past weighted average income as an estimate of permanent income rather than using regressions to gauge permanent income. Third, estimation precision depends on the chosen poverty line. The percentage of overlap between households estimated to be vulnerable and those actually poor rises when a higher poverty line of US$2 is used instead of US$1.