Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ECONOMIC VALUE ADDED AND MARKET VALUE ADDED OF PRIVATE STEEL COMPANIES

Financial status is the backbone of company’s economy system. The economy of the company is greatly influenced by the operation of finance. It is an essential for proper allocation of resources, which in turn helps sustain a healthy climate for analyzing the profit as well as performance. There are different financial tools like Ratios, Fund flow and Cash flow, Common size, Comparative statements etc., to assess the financial performance. This study takes an effort to use the Economic Value Added (EVA) and Market Value Added (MVA) i.e. to find out the economic profit and to measure the difference between equity and debts respectively in addition to the usual financial tools.
Interdisciplinary studies today

This volume of " New Directions for Teaching and Learning " is a practical compendium of advice and information on the development, administration, and assessment of interdisciplinary studies programs and schools. A bibliographic orientation to hands-on access, including electronic retrieval of information, precedes chapters reviewing the design of interdisciplinary courses, and how the role of administrators in interdisciplinary programs can further institutitonal goals. The final chapter looks beyond the local campus to national and international support networks. The contributors, who share their extensive experience in the teaching and administration of interdisciplinary studies, provide many examples of good (and bad) praxis. This is the 58th issue of the quarterly journal " New Directions for Teaching and Learning. "
Effects of aging and environmental tobacco smoke exposure on ocular and plasma circulatory microRNAs in the Rhesus macaque

Purpose To identify changes induced by environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in circulatory microRNA (miRNA) in plasma and ocular fluids of the Rhesus macaque and compare these changes to normal age-related changes. Tobacco smoke has been identified as the leading environmental risk factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods All Rhesus macaques were housed at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC), University of California, Davis. Four groups of animals were used: Group 1 (1–3 years old), Group 2 (19–28 years old), Group 3 (10–16 years old), and Group 4 (middle aged, 9–14 years old). Group 4 was exposed to smoke for 1 month. Ocular fluids and plasma samples were collected, miRNAs isolated, and expression data obtained using Affymetrix miRNA GeneTitan Array Plates 4.0. Bioinformatics analysis was done on the Affymetrix Expression Console (EC), Transcriptome Analysis Software (TAS) using ANOVA for candidate miRNA selection, followed by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). Results The expression of circulatory miRNAs showed statistically significant changes with age and ETS. In the plasma samples, 45 miRNAs were strongly upregulated (fold change >±1.5, p<0.05) upon ETS exposure. In the vitreous, three miRNAs were statistically significantly downregulated with ETS, and two of them (miR-6794 and miR-6790) were also statistically significantly downregulated with age. Some retinal layers exhibited a thinning trend measured with optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. The pathways activated were IL-17A, VEGF, and recruitment of eosinophils, Th2 lymphocytes, and macrophages. Conclusions ETS exposure of Rhesus macaques resulted in statistically significant changes in the expression of the circulatory miRNAs, distinct from those affected by aging. The pathways activated appear to be common for ETS and AMD pathogenesis. These data will be used to develop an animal model of early dry AMD.
Guiding Long-Short Term Memory for Image Caption Generation

In this work we focus on the problem of image caption generation. We propose an extension of the long short term memory (LSTM) model, which we coin gLSTM for short. In particular, we add semantic information extracted from the image as extra input to each unit of the LSTM block, with the aim of guiding the model towards solutions that are more tightly coupled to the image content. Additionally, we explore different length normalization strategies for beam search in order to prevent from favoring short sentences. On various benchmark datasets such as Flickr8K, Flickr30K and MS COCO, we obtain results that are on par with or even outperform the current state-of-the-art.
The Emergence and Evolution of Social Pacts: A Provisional Framework for Comparative Analysis

This paper provides the scientific framework for the NEWGOV project Distributive Politics, Learning and Reform. In Part I, we establish our own definition and conceptualization of social pacts. We distinguish four types of pacts with different scope and depth: shadow pacts, headline pacts, coordinated wage setting, and embedded pacts akin to neocorporatist concertation. Part II is concerned with institutional formation, i.e. how such social pacts come into existence. We outline some standard functionalist accounts of institutional emergence, and critically examine them before proposing an alternative bargaining model. Part III is concerned with institutional development, i.e. what determines the continuation and institutionalization of social pacts or their de-institutionalization and demise. Based on the taxonomy of social pacts presented in Part I, we define two alternative evolutionary paths for social pacts (institutionalization and de-institutionalization), and identify three types of trajectory along which social pacts develop (repetition vs. abandonment; integration vs. disintegration; and expansion vs. reduction). We then outline four alternative mechanisms that may potentially drive the institutionalization or de-institutionalization of pacts. Grounded in the four major approaches for analysing institutions, i.e. the functionalist, utilitarian, normative, and power-distributional perspectives, this section proposes four groups of hypotheses to be evaluated in our empirical research.
Turbo-coded decode-and-forward strategy resilient to relay errors

Cooperation in wireless systems can achieve spatial diversity gains as well as coverage enhancement. In the usual decode-and-forward (DF) strategy, a relay cooperates only when it can decode successfully the signal received from the source. This paper presents instead a DF strategy in which the receiver manages to take advantage of forwarded signals containing errors too. This increases the level of cooperation and is shown to offer significant gains in bit error rate.
Configuration and assessment of the GISS ModelE2 contributions to the CMIP5 archive

We present a description of the ModelE2 version of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) General Circulation Model (GCM) and the configurations used in the simulations performed for the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). We use six variations related to the treatment of the atmospheric composition, the calculation of aerosol indirect effects, and ocean model component. Specifically, we test the difference between atmospheric models that have noninteractive composition, where radiatively important aerosols and ozone are prescribed from precomputed decadal averages, and interactive versions where atmospheric chemistry and aerosols are calculated given decadally varying emissions. The impact of the first aerosol indirect effect on clouds is either specified using a simple tuning, or parameterized using a cloud microphysics scheme. We also use two dynamic ocean components: the Russell and HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) which differ significantly in their basic formulations and grid. Results are presented for the climatological means over the satellite era (1980–2004) taken from transient simulations starting from the preindustrial (1850) driven by estimates of appropriate forcings over the 20th Century. Differences in base climate and variability related to the choice of ocean model are large, indicating an important structural uncertainty. The impact of interactive atmospheric composition on the climatology is relatively small except in regions such as the lower stratosphere, where ozone plays an important role, and the tropics, where aerosol changes affect the hydrological cycle and cloud cover. While key improvements over previous versions of the model are evident, these are not uniform across all metrics.
The Impacts of Trade Facilitation Measures on International Trade Flows

This paper analyzes the impacts of selected trade facilitation measures on international trade flows. A gravity model is used to estimate four equations: a pooled cross-section model; a fixed-effects model; a random effects model; and a Poisson maximum likelihood estimator. The contribution of the paper is twofold. First, the analysis uses a recent data set, a panel that includes trade data from 2011 and 2012 for 72 countries. Second, to measure the impacts of trade facilitation measures, the analysis includes dummy variables for the presence of an authorized economic operator program, the existence of a single-window program in the countries in the sample, and the existence of a mutual recognition arrangement between pairs of countries in the sample. The results show that the presence of an authorized economic operator program and the existence of a single-window program will improve countries’ trade performance. By contrast, the existence of a mutual recognition arrangement will not necessarily improve countries’ trade performance. These results suggest that, in general, trade facilitation measures as a whole will help countries improve their trade performance.
Driving My Life Away? Essays examining the impact of commuting on income and well-being

Commuting is an important and increasing component of time use. In 1995/97, the average worker in Britain commuted for 48 minutes per day; by 2012 this had increased to 56 minutes, c. 12% of a standard fulltime working week (Department of Transport National Travel Survey (NTS), 2013). Since commuting is viewed as an economic bad, rational individuals should only undertake longer commutes if they are compensated for doing so. This compensation can be monetary (e.g. higher pay) and non-monetary (e.g. better housing). Because of this compensation, people with longer commutes should not report lower levels of subjective well-being (SWB) - a proxy for utility - than people with shorter commutes. The principle aim of this thesis is to examine commuting behaviour against a number of different outcomes. Chapter 2 uses data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) to investigate the causal relationship between commuting distance and pay. Specifically, we focus on exogenous shocks to commuting, similar to the papers by Mulalic et al (2010, 2013). We find evidence of a positive and significant relationship between commuting distance and income, suggesting that individuals receive financial compensation for longer commutes. Chapter 3 considers commuting and social capital, specifically in the presence of congestion charging. Using unique data, we analyse the impact that the Western Extension Zone (WEZ) had on an individual's stock of social capital. Following Putnam (2000), we proxy social capital by the frequency of visiting friends and family. Using difference-in-difference (D-i-D) techniques, we find that the WEZ did lead to lower levels of social capital. Chapters 4 and 5 then look at the relationship between commuting and well-being using data from the British Household Panel Survey. In chapter 4 we show that there is an insignificant relationship between commuting time and life satisfaction for individuals, albeit there is a relationship between the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) score and commuting for women. In chapter 5, we then consider the couple as the unit of analysis. Again we find no evidence of a negative relationship between commuting time and SWB. This is robust to including spousal commuting information. We conclude that commuting further increases individuals' pay. However, we find no evidence of a significant relationship between commuting and SWB, which is a broader measure of individual utility. This may be due to commuting being associated with lower levels of social capital, which cancels out the effect of income on well-being.
A MORPHOLOGICAL MODEL AND CT ASSESSMENT OF THE SKULL OF PACHYRHACHIS PROBLEMATICUS (SQUAMATA, SERPENTES), A 98 MILLION YEAR OLD SNAKE WITH LEGS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST

Pachyrhachis problematicus is a snake with well-developed hind limbs known from two specimens from the Cenomanian of the Middle East. One specimen has a complete and articulated, albeit crushed skull. The second specimen has a disarticulated skull crushed beneath the body. Pachyrhachis has recently been at the center of a debate on the origins and relationships of snakes, specifically whether Pachyrhachis is the sister taxon to all other snakes, or alternatively, a relatively advanced snake allied with boids and pythonids. Workers using the same specimens arrived at different interpretations of the morphology underlying the alternative hypotheses. The most complete skull was resin-embedded and acid-prepared for its original study nearly three decades ago, rendering the dorsal surface difficult to view using optical techniques, and thus significantly hampering later studies. This study utilizes CT scanning and computer reconstruction to test conflicting interpretations of morphology and thus provides a method to falsify alternative phylogenetic hypotheses. Pachyrhachis is found to possess an inclined quadrate with a well-developed stylohyal process and lacking a suprastapedial process, no squamosal, and a single mental foramen. The separation of exoccipitals above the foramen magnum cannot be demonstrated. There is no jugal. Confirmed morphology best supports the phylogenetic hypothesis that Pachyrhachis is a basal macrostomatan snake. Limb retention in a basal macrostomatan snake implies that loss of hind limbs occurred multiple times within Serpentes.
Clinical outcomes among persons with pulmonary tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates with phenotypic heterogeneity in results of drug-susceptibility tests.

BACKGROUND Patients with multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis may have phenotypic heterogeneity in results of drug-susceptibility tests (DSTs). However, the impact of this on clinical outcomes among patients treated for MDR tuberculosis is unknown. METHODS Phenotypic DST heterogeneity was defined as presence of at least 1 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolate susceptible to rifampicin and isoniazid recovered <3 months after MDR tuberculosis treatment initiation from a patient with previous documented tuberculosis due to M. tuberculosis resistant to at least rifampicin and isoniazid. The primary outcome was defined as good (ie, cure or treatment completion) or poor (ie, treatment failure, treatment default, or death). A secondary outcome was time to culture conversion. Cox proportional hazard models were used to determine the association between phenotypic DST heterogeneity and outcomes. RESULTS Phenotypic DST heterogeneity was identified in 33 of 475 patients (7%) with MDR tuberculosis. Poor outcome occurred in 126 patients (28%). Overall, patients with MDR tuberculosis who had phenotypic DST heterogeneity were at greater risk of poor outcome than those with MDR tuberculosis but no phenotypic DST heterogeneity (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2-3.6). Among HIV-infected patients with MDR tuberculosis, the adjusted hazard for a poor outcome for those with phenotypic DST heterogeneity was 2.4 (95% CI, 1.3-4.2) times that for those without phenotypic DST heterogeneity, whereas among HIV-negative patients with MDR tuberculosis, the adjusted hazard for those with phenotypic DST heterogeneity was 1.5 (95% CI, .5-4.3) times that for those without phenotypic DST heterogeneity. HIV-infected patients with MDR tuberculosis with phenotypic DST heterogeneity also had a longer time to culture conversion than with HIV-infected patients with MDR tuberculosis without phenotypic DST heterogeneity (aHR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.4-6.0). CONCLUSIONS Phenotypic DST heterogeneity among persons with HIV infection who are being treated for MDR tuberculosis is associated with poor outcomes and longer times to culture conversion.
Long Non-coding RNA H19 Induces Cerebral Ischemia Reperfusion Injury via Activation of Autophagy

Long non-coding RNA H19 (lncRNA H19) was found to be upregulated by hypoxia, its expression and function have never been tested in cerebral ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury. This study intended to investigate the role of lncRNA H19 and H19 gene variation in cerebral I/R injury with focusing on its relationship with autophagy activation. Cerebral I/R was induced in rats by middle cerebral artery occlusion followed by reperfusion. SH-SY5Y cells were subjected to oxygen and glucose deprivation and reperfusion (OGD/R) to simulate I/R injury. Real-time PCR, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence and Western blot were used to evaluate the level of lncRNA H19, apoptosis, autophagy and some related proteins. The modified multiple ligase reaction was used to analyze the gene polymorphism of six SNPs in H19, rs217727, rs2067051, rs2251375, rs492994, rs2839698 and rs10732516 in ischemic stroke patients. We found that the expression of lncRNA H19 was upregulated by cerebral I/R in rats, as well as by OGD/R in vitro in the cells. Inhibition of lncRNA H19 and autophagy protected cells from OGD/R-induced death, respectively. Autophagy activation induced by OGD/R was prevented by H19 siRNA. Autophagy inducer, rapamycin, abolished lncRNA H19 effect. Furthermore, we found that lncRNA H19 inhibited autophagy through DUSP5-ERK1/2 axis. The result from blood samples of ischemic patients revealed that the variation of H19 gene increased the risk of ischemic stroke. Taken together, the results of present study suggest that LncRNA H19 could be a new therapeutic target of ischemic stroke.
The Effects of a Historical Perspective Taking Scenario Activity on Classroom Discussion

This quasi-experimental, mixed-methods case study examined the effects of perspective taking on the discussion skills of one group of 9 grade World History students. Specifically, this study investigated the impacts of a historical perspective taking scenario activity on student participation in discussions, quality of discussions, student learning from discussions, teacher perceptions of discussions, and student and teacher enjoyment of discussions. The methods used to assess these impacts were classroom observations, frequency counts, teacher interviews, a student focus group interview, and document analysis. Results indicated that the use of a historical perspective taking scenario activity produced a dramatic increase in student participation in classroom discussions. Quality of student responses increased in scenario-based discussions, though not to a statistically significant degree. Students reported increased learning and enjoyment in scenario-based discussions. Additionally, the teacher’s perceptions of classroom discussions changed in numerous ways after participating in discussions that used a historical perspective taking scenario activity.
Regional anaesthesia and analgesia in fast track knee arthroplasty

Fast track surgery is defined as the synergetic effect on convalescence achieved by adding multi-modal evidence-based care principles and combining these with optimal logistics. The yield is quicker functional recovery, reduced need of hospitalisation, rapid resumption of normal activities of daily life and high levels of patient satisfaction. At the same time there are large economic benefits as a result of shorter hospitalisations.
MicroRNAs: New Regulators of Toll-Like Receptor Signalling Pathways

Toll-like receptors (TLRs), a critical family of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), are responsible for the innate immune responses via signalling pathways to provide effective host defence against pathogen infections. However, TLR-signalling pathways are also likely to stringently regulate tissue maintenance and homeostasis by elaborate modulatory mechanisms. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key regulators and as an essential part of the networks involved in regulating TLR-signalling pathways. In this review, we highlight our understanding of the regulation of miRNA expression profiles by TLR-signalling pathways and the regulation of TLR-signalling pathways by miRNAs. We focus on the roles of miRNAs in regulating TLR-signalling pathways by targeting multiple molecules, including TLRs themselves, their associated signalling proteins and regulatory molecules, and transcription factors and functional cytokines induced by them, at multiple levels.
A rare case showing subacute thyroiditis-like symptoms with amyloid goiter after anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy

Summary Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α therapy is established as a new standard for the treatment of various autoimmune inflammatory diseases. We report the first case showing subacute thyroiditis-like symptoms with an amyloid goiter after anti-TNF-α therapy. A 56-year-old man with Crohn's disease presented with fever and a diffuse, tender goiter. To control the diarrhea, anti-TNF therapy (infliximab) was administered 4 weeks before the thyroid symptoms emerged. The patient reported a swollen neck with tenderness on the right side and fever 4 days after the second infliximab injection. An elevated serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum thyroid hormone level with suppressed serum thyrotropin were observed. The thyroid-stimulating antibody was not elevated. An ultrasonograph of the thyroid revealed an enlarged goiter with posterior echogenicity attenuation and a low echoic region that was tender. The thyroid uptake value on technetium-99m scintigraphy was near the lower limit of the normal range. The patient was initially diagnosed with thyrotoxicosis resulting from subacute thyroiditis. Administration of oral prednisolone improved the fever, thyroid pain, and thyroid function, but his thyroid remained swollen. The patient developed diarrhea after prednisolone withdrawal; therefore, adalimumab, another TNF inhibitor, was administered. After three injections, his abdominal symptoms were alleviated, but the thyroid pain and fever recurred. Elevated serum CRP levels in the absence of thyroid dysfunction were observed. The patient's symptoms resolved after prednisolone retreatment, but an elastic, firm goiter persisted. A fine-needle biopsy revealed amyloid deposition in the thyroid. Learning points Many cases with thyroid dysfunction accompanied by amyloid goiter have been reported. There are cases that develop amyloid goiter with subacute thyroiditis-like symptoms after anti-TNF therapy. When the thyroid remains swollen after improvement of thyrotoxicosis following treatment with prednisolone, it should be assessed to differentiate between an amyloid goiter and common subacute thyroiditis.
Digital Watermarking in Video for Copyright Protection

In this paper we describe specific application of digital watermarking: Video watermarking for Copyright protection. Literature survey suggests that most video watermarking techniques use static 3D Discrete Cosine Transform technique. In this paper, we show the result of implementation of static 3 D DCT. We observe that this scheme works well on correlated videos. But it does not take care of scene change in the video. Hence we propose dynamic size 3D-DCT technique (by "scene change detection") for embedding binary/ gray scale/ color watermark on a color digital video and compare our results with existing fixed length 3D-DCT technique.