Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
University of Huddersfield Repository Managerial Perceptions of Political Risk in International Projects Original Citation Managerial Perceptions of Political Risk in International Projects Managerial Perceptions of Political Risk in International Projects

Users may access full items free of charge; copies of full text items generally can be reproduced, displayed or performed and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational or not­for­profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided: • The authors, title and full bibliographic details is credited in any copy; • A hyperlink and/or URL is included for the original metadata page; and • The content is not changed in any way. ABSTRACT This paper examines the vulnerability of international projects to political risks. A brief review of the literature on general risks – natural, financial, cultural and political – is undertaken and then a more detailed review of the literature on political risk is presented. It was found that relatively few studies of political risk, particularly in the context of international projects, have been carried out. More particularly the focus has been almost exclusively on developed, rather than developing, countries. Questionnaires were distributed therefore to the entire target population of Jordanian international projects. The findings suggest that the political risk associated with international projects poses a threat to the majority of respondents and that the vulnerability to political risk is related to a firm's degree of internationalisation. International projects are more concerned about host-society and interstate related risks than host-government related risks.
Noninvasive Evaluation of Exercise Training in College‐age Men

The purpose of this study was to assess noninvasively the effects of intense aerobic training on cardiac structure and function in a group of healthy, college-age men (25 experimental and 11 control, mean age 22 years). Echocardiographic, electrocardiographic (ECG), and fitness measurements were obtained before and after a 3-month endurance training program and compared with similar measurements obtained in nonexercising subjects. The supervised training program consisted of 50-minute jogging sessions 5 days a week at 85% of maximal heart rate. Compared with the control group, echocardiography after training showed an increase in left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic dimension (p < 0.05). LV posterobasal wall thickness, septal wall thickness and ejection fraction did not change significantly. ECG measurements revealed a decrease in resting heart rate (p < 0.05) and an increase in R-wave voltage in leads V5 and V, (p < 0.01). The measured maximal oxygen consumption increased by 16% (p < 0.001). These data indicate that intense aerobic training in college-age men results in a significant increase in resting LV end-diastolic dimension and volume. The increase in maximal stroke volume associated with exercise training may be partially explained by these changes in cardiac dimensions.
Preparation and Characterization of Fuel Pellets from Corn Cob and Wheat Dust with Binder

This study concentrates on pelletization of powdered corn cob and wheat dust with 40% Epoxy binder. Two cylindrical pellets of different sizes and a new hexagonal one were investigated in this work. By densification process, the bulk density increased 8-10 times, having its maximum value fora hexagonal shape (new shape). It was found that the compressive resistance, the water resistance and the impact resistance of the pellets were in general higher for pellets produced at higher pressure. It was found that due to the binder and pelletization, the fuel quality was enhanced compared to the raw biomass as: the moisture content decreased, both fixed carbon and carbon contents increased, ash content reduced, oxygen content decreased and higher heating value (H.H.V) increased. Scanning Electron Microscopy was used to identify the binding mechanism of biomass dust particles in pellets. Pelletization process had improved combustion characteristics compared to raw biomass as: high combustion temperature ranges [T_onset becomes lower and T_offset becomes higher], maximum weight loss rates decreased and reduced residues which leads to a higher combustion efficiency. The analysis of ash yields of combustion process was investigated. It was found that the fouling index (FI) and slagging index (SI) tendency of wheat dust pellets are higher than that of corn cob pellets.
Connecting autophagy: AMBRA1 and its network of regulation

During autophagy, a double-membraned vesicle called the autophagosome is responsible for the degradation of long-lived proteins and damaged/old organelles, thus contributing to the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Physiological stimuli and stressors enhance autophagy in order to accomplish important processes such as cell differentiation or as a cytoprotective response. In line with this, numerous studies have demonstrated the relevance of proper autophagy regulation to health. Autophagy defects are associated with the insurgence of neurological/neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Moreover, the autophagy pathway is often potentiated in cancer cells to increase cell survival. Increased knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying autophagy regulation and their interplay with other cellular pathways would provide advances in cancer treatment. In this context, post-translational modifications, protein–protein interactions, and regulative feedback loops offer promising insights. In this review, we focus on AMBRA1, a proautophagic protein that was recently demonstrated to participate in numerous crucial regulative mechanisms of the autophagy process.
Selection for Cognitive Control: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study on the Selection of Task-Relevant Information

The complex environment we live in makes it necessary to distinguish relevant from irrelevant information constantly and reliably. The aim of the present study was to investigate the neural substrate underlying the selection of task-relevant information. We devised a new paradigm in which participants had to switch between two different tasks that were instructed by task cues. The task cues had a relevant and an irrelevant cue dimension. In congruent trials, both cue dimensions indicated the same task; in incongruent trials, they indicated different tasks; and in neutral trials, only the relevant dimension indicated a task. By comparing trials in which both cue dimensions were informative (congruent and incongruent trials) with trials in which only the relevant dimension was informative (neutral trials), we were able to show that the lateral prefrontal cortex and a region in the intraparietal sulcus are involved in the selection of task-relevant information. Furthermore, the present paradigm allows the influence of the selected task and stimulus dimension to be investigated. No significant influence was found in the prefrontal cortex, indicating that this region serves a very abstract role in the selection of task-relevant information.
Adaptive Rate Control of Dedicated Short Range Communications Based Vehicle Networks for Road Safety Applications

Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) is a promising technique for vehicle ad-hoc network (VANET) and collaborative road safety applications. As road safety applications require strict quality of services (QoS) from the VANET, it is crucial for DSRC to provide timely and reliable communications to make safety applications successful. In this paper we propose two adaptive message rate control algorithms for low priority safety messages, in order to provide highly available channel for high priority emergency messages while improve channel utilization. In the algorithms each vehicle monitors channel loads and independently controls message rate by a modified additive increase and multiplicative decrease (AIMD) method. Simulation results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed rate control algorithms in adapting to dynamic traffic load.
Design of a chimeric 3-methyl-1,2,3-triazene with mixed receptor tyrosine kinase and DNA damaging properties: a novel tumor targeting strategy.

The mixed epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-DNA targeting properties of SMA41, a 6-(3-methyl-1,2,3-triazen-1-yl)-4-anilinoquinazoline designed to release N(4)-m-tolyl-quinazoline-4,6-diamine henceforth referred to as SMA52 [an inhibitor of EGFR tyrosine kinase (TK)] and methyldiazonium (a DNA methylating species) were studied in the O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT)-proficient and high EGFR-expressing epidermoid carcinoma of the vulva cell line A431. The effects of SMA41 were compared with those of SMA52 alone, and temozolomide (TEM), a clinical prodrug of 5-(3-methyltriazen-1-yl)imidazole-4-carboxamide (MTIC) that is inactive in MGMT-proficient cells. The results showed that 1) the chimeric SMA41 could degrade in serum-containing medium (t(1/2) of approximately 30 min) to generate, as predicted, the free inhibitor SMA52 as the most abundant metabolite (approximately 81% yield); 2) in contrast to SMA52 alone, the chimeric SMA41 and TEM induced significant DNA damage in A431 cells after 30-min or 2-h drug exposures, as confirmed by alkaline single-cell gel microelectrophoresis (comet) assay; 3) SMA41 showed 5-fold greater affinity for the ATP binding site of EGFR than independently synthesized SMA52 in an enzyme assay and blocked EGF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation and EGFR autophosphorylation in A431 cells in a dose-dependent manner; 4) these mixed targeting properties of SMA41, combined with its ability to be converted to another potent EGFR TK inhibitor (e.g., SMA52) by hydrolytic cleavage, translated into over 8-fold greater antiproliferative activity than TEM, which showed no EGFR targeting properties (IC(50) competitive binding >100 microM); 5) under continuous drug exposure (3-6-day sulforhodamine and clonogenic assays), SMA41 was almost equipotent with SMA52; however, in a short 2-h drug exposure followed by incubation in drug-free media, SMA52 showed an almost complete loss of antiproliferative activity over the whole dose range. In contrast, SMA41 retained almost 100% of its activity, indicating a more sustained growth inhibitory activity. The results in toto suggest that the superior antiproliferative activity of SMA41 may be due to a combination of events associated with its binary EGFR TK and DNA targeting properties.
Gaussian Process Conditional Copulas with Applications to Financial Time Series

The estimation of dependencies between multiple variables is a central problem in the analysis of financial time series. A common approach is to express these dependencies in terms of a copula function. Typically the copula function is assumed to be constant but this may be inaccurate when there are covariates that could have a large influence on the dependence structure of the data. To account for this, a Bayesian framework for the estimation of conditional copulas is proposed. In this framework the parameters of a copula are non-linearly related to some arbitrary conditioning variables. We evaluate the ability of our method to predict time-varying dependencies on several equities and currencies and observe consistent performance gains compared to static copula models and other time-varying copula methods.
The TaqIB and −629C>A polymorphisms at the cholesteryl ester transfer protein locus: associations with lipid levels in a multiethnic population. The 1998 Singapore National Health Survey

The Singapore population comprises Chinese, Malays and Asian Indians. Within this population, Asian Indians have the highest rates of coronary heart disease, whereas Chinese have the lowest. Conversely, Indians have the lowest high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) concentrations, followed by Malays and Chinese. We studied the TaqIB and −629C>A polymorphisms at the CETP locus in 1300 Chinese, 364 Malay and 282 Asian Indian men, and in 1558 Chinese, 397 Malay and 306 Asian Indian women, to determine whether these polymorphisms are responsible for the ethnic difference in HDL‐C concentration. The frequency of the B2 allele in Chinese, Malays and Indians was 0.384, 0.339 and 0.449 in men, and 0.379, 0.329 and 0.415 in women, respectively (p < 0.001). For the A‐629 allele, the relative frequencies were 0.477, 0.423 and 0.592 in men and 0.486, 0.416 and 0.575 in women (p < 0.001). The two polymorphisms were in linkage disequilibrium (D / Dmax= 0.9772, p < 0.00001). The B2 and the A‐629 alleles were associated with increased HDL‐C concentrations in a dose‐dependent manner. The B2 allele continued to show an association with HDL‐C concentration, even after controlling for the genotype at position −629. Dietary cholesterol showed a significant interaction with the TaqIB polymorphism in determining HDL‐C concentrations in Indians and Malays, but not in Chinese. In conclusion, the high frequencies of these polymorphisms in Asian Indians could not explain the observed ethnic differences in HDL‐C concentration. Moreover, we observed an ethnic‐specific interaction among dietary cholesterol, the TaqIB polymorphism and HDL‐C concentrations.
Chern classes of graph hypersurfaces and deletion-contraction

We study the behavior of the Chern classes of graph hypersurfaces under the operation of deletion-contraction of an edge of the corresponding graph. We obtain an explicit formula when the edge satisfies two technical conditions, and prove that both these conditions hold when the edge is multiple in the graph. This leads to recursions for the Chern classes of graph hypersurfaces for graphs obtained by adding parallel edges to a given (regular) edge. Analogous results for the case of Grothendieck classes of graph hypersurfaces were obtained in previous work. Both Grothendieck classes and Chern classes were used to define `algebro-geometric' Feynman rules. The results in this paper provide further evidence that the polynomial Feynman rule defined in terms of the Chern-Schwartz-MacPherson class of a graph hypersurface reflects closely the combinatorics of the corresponding graph.The key to the proof of the main result is a more general formula for the Chern-Schwartz-MacPherson class of a transversal intersection, which may be of independent interest. We also describe a more geometric approach, using the apparatus of `Verdier specialization'.
Vocal-Source Biomarkers for Depression: A Link to Psychomotor Activity

1 A hypothesis in characterizing human depression is that change in the brain‟s basal ganglia results in a decline of motor coordination [6][8][14]. Such a neuro-physiological change may therefore affect laryngeal control and dynamics. Under this hypothesis, toward the goal of objective monitoring of depression severity, we investigate vocal-source biomarkers for depression; specifically, source features that may relate to precision in motor control, including vocal-fold shimmer and jitter, degree of aspiration, fundamental frequency dynamics, and frequency-dependence of variability and velocity of energy. We use a 35-subject database collected by Mundt et al. [1] in which subjects were treated over a six-week period, and investigate correlation of our features with clinical (HAMD), as well as self-reported (QIDS) Total subject assessment scores. To explicitly address the motor aspect of depression, we compute correlations with the Psychomotor Retardation component of clinical and self-reported Total assessments. For our longitudinal database, most correlations point to statistical relationships of our vocal-source biomarkers with psychomotor activity, as well as with depression severity.
The Impact of Fragility Fractures on Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis

Background: Osteoporosis occurs frequently in patients with chronic cholestatic liver diseases, yet data are scarce regarding the prevalence of osteoporosis and fragility fractures and their impact on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC). Objectives: We aimed to assess Bone Mineral Density (BMD), physical activity and incidence of fragility fractures in patients with PSC. We also sought associations between prior fractures and HRQoL. Patients and Methods: The study was performed on 33 patients (11 females, 22 males) aged 35.3 ± 13 years. HRQoL was assessed by Short Form (SF)-36, Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC)-40 and PBC-27 questionnaires. BMD was measured by densitometry in the lumbar spine and hip. Physical activity was assessed by questionnaire. Results: In 32% of patients, BMD measured in the hip or spine was below 1.0 Standard Deviation. A history of fragility fractures (distal forearm and ribs) was reported in six patients (18%). In SF-36 assessment, patients with fractures had lower scores in the role functioning, general health and vitality domains and Physical Component Summary (PCS) than those without fractures. Prior fractures adjusted for gender and PSC duration were associated with lower PCS and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores. Symptoms and fatigue (assessed by PBC) and prior fractures were inversely associated with MCS (P = 0.007). Conclusions: In middle-aged subjects with PSC, we found a high rate of non-vertebral fractures and a moderately decreased BMD in lumbar spine and hip. Fragility fractures had an impact on physical and mental aspects of HRQoL.
Effect of essential oil from Citrus aurantium in maternal reproductive outcome and fetal anomaly frequency in rats.

Citrus aurantium L. , commonly known as bitter orange, is widely used in folk medicine, but there is little data in the literature about the effects on pregnancy. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of essential oil obtained from fruits of Citrus aurantium on the maternal reproductive outcome and fetal anomaly incidence in rats. Pregnant Wistar rats were randomized into four groups (n minimum = 12 animals/group): G1 = control, G2 to G4 = treated with essential oil from C. aurantium at dose 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg, respectively. Rats were orally treated, by gavage, with plant essential oil or vehicle during pre-implantation and organogenic period (gestational day 0-14). On gestational day 20 the rats were anaesthetized and the gravid uterus was weighed with its contents and the fetuses were analyzed. Results showed that the treated group with 500 mg/kg presented decreased placental weights and placental index, although the treatment with bitter orange essential oil did not show any alteration in maternal reproductive performance, toxicological effect, changes in ossification sites, and malformation index. In conclusion, the treatment of Citrus aurantium essential oil was not teratogenic and did not alter the maternal reproductive outcome.
Evidence of Bartonella sp. in questing adult and nymphal Ixodes ricinus ticks from France and co-infection with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Babesia sp.

Ticks are known vectors for a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms. Their role in the transmission of some others is so far only suspected. Ticks can transmit multiple pathogens, however, little is known about the co-existence of these pathogens within questing ticks. We looked for the presence of DNA from three micro-organisms, Bartonella sp. , Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Babesia sp. which are known or suspected tick-borne pathogens, using a cohort of 92 questing Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from pastures in northern France. DNA was extracted from each individual tick and the presence of the three pathogens was investigated using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification. Nine among 92 samples (9.8%) demonstrated PCR products using Bartonella specific primers, 3 among 92 (3.3%) using Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato specific primers and 19 among 92 (20.6%) using Babesia specific primers. Seven among 92 samples (7.6%) were PCR positive for at least two of the pathogens and one sample was positive for all three. Adult ticks (12/18; 67%) showed significantly higher infection rates compared to nymphs (11/74; 15%) for all three pathogens (P < 0.001). This study is the demonstration of the simultaneous presence of Bartonella sp. , Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Babesia sp. in questing Ixodes ricinus ticks.
IFN Upon T Cell Activation Down-Modulation of Responses to Type I

The immunomodulatory role of type I IFNs (IFN- (cid:1) / (cid:2) ) in shaping T cell responses has been demonstrated, but the direct effects of IFN on T cells are still poorly characterized. Particularly, because IFN exert an antiproliferative activity, it remains elusive how the clonal expansion of effector T cells can paradoxically occur in the event of an infection when large amounts of IFN are produced. To address this issue, we have studied the effects of type I IFN in an in vitro differentiation model of human primary CD4 (cid:3) T cells. We found that IFN- (cid:1) treatment of resting naive T cells delayed their entry into the cell cycle after TCR triggering. Conversely, the ongoing expansion of effector T cells was not inhibited by the presence of IFN. Moreover, activated T cells showed a signiﬁcantly reduced induction of IFN-sensitive genes, as compared with naive precursors, and this decline occurred independently of subset-speciﬁc polarization. The residual type I IFN response measured in activated T cells was found sufﬁcient to inhibit replication of the vesicular stomatitis virus. Our data suggest that the activation of T lymphocytes includes regulatory processes that restrain the transcriptional response to IFN and allow the proliferation of effector cells in the presence of this cytokine. The Journal of Immunology, 2003, 170: 749–756.
Bayesian analysis for uncertainty estimation of a canopy transpiration model

A Bayesian approach was used to fit a conceptual transpiration model to half‐hourly transpiration rates for a sugar maple (Acer saccharum) stand collected over a 5‐month period and probabilistically estimate its parameter and prediction uncertainties. The model used the Penman‐Monteith equation with the Jarvis model for canopy conductance. This deterministic model was extended by adding a normally distributed error term. This extension enabled using Markov chain Monte Carlo simulations to sample the posterior parameter distributions. The residuals revealed approximate conformance to the assumption of normally distributed errors. However, minor systematic structures in the residuals at fine timescales suggested model changes that would potentially improve the modeling of transpiration. Results also indicated considerable uncertainties in the parameter and transpiration estimates. This simple methodology of uncertainty analysis would facilitate the deductive step during the development cycle of deterministic conceptual models by accounting for these uncertainties while drawing inferences from data.
Classification and treatment of trochanteric fractures.

THE PURPOSE of this paper is to present the data obtained from the study of 300 trochanteric fractures of the femur treated by the staff of the Campbell Clinic. The results obtained by internal fixation are compared with those following nonoperative methods. A classification is given based on prognosis and the difficulty of securing and maintaining reduction. The number of cases was arbitrarily limited to 300 to facilitate calculation of data. These were as nearly consecutive as possible, consistent with the availability of roentgenograms and completeness of records. All were private patients and most were treated at the Campbell Clinic, since a complete series of roentgenograms was not always preserved at other hospitals. Avulsion fractures of the greater or lesser trochanter were excluded. A number of classifications of trochanteric fractures are recorded in the literature. These have generally been based on the anatomic site of the fractures. Stuck 1 (using Boehler's classification), Moore, 2 Briggs and Keats 3