Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of Family Takaful (Islamic Life Insurance) Demand: A Conceptual Framework for a Malaysian Study

Family Takaful is one of the service sectors that are expected to continue to drive growth in the economy. Thus, the family Takaful market continues to play an important role in supporting economic and social development. However, in Malaysia, family Takaful market is still at a lower penetration level if we were to compare to other developed countries even though the Takaful industry continues to sustain strong performance amidst challenges in a competitive environment. Evidence has shown that the percentage of society covered by family Takaful contracts in Malaysia is still very low compared to conventional insurance. Therefore, the study aims to propose a conceptual framework for the determinants of family Takaful demand in Malaysia. From a review of the literature available in this particular area of interest, there are two categories of factors that are found to be the main determinants of family Takaful. These factors are the socio-demography and economic factors.
Consumer Responses to Recent BSE Events

Recent bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, a.k.a. mad cow disease) discoveries in Canadian and U.S. beef cattle have garnered significant media attention, which may have changed consumersâ€™ meat-purchasing behavior. Consumer response is hypothesized and tested within a meat demand system in which response is measured using single-period dummy variables, longer-term dummy variables, and media indices that count positive and negative meat-industry articles. Parameters are estimated using retail scanner data, and cross-species price elasticities are calculated. Results suggest that the BSE events negatively impacted ground beef and chuck roasts, while positively impacting center-cut pork chop demand. Dummy variables explained the variation in meat-budget shares better than did media indices.
Shadow Economy in three very different Mediterranean Countries: France, Spain and Greece. A MIMIC Approach

This paper offers estimations of the shadow economy evolution in three very different Mediterranean countries: France, Spain and Greece. A multiple indicator and multiple cause model based on the latent variable structural theory has been applied; following Giles (1995) filtered data to solve the non-stationarity problems are used. The model includes tax burden (as a whole and decomposed in indirect taxes, direct taxes and social security contributions), regulation, unemployment rate and self-employment as causes of shadow economy and the participation ratio and currency ratio as indicators of the underground economy. Results confirm that unemployment, fiscal burden and self-employment are the main causes of shadow economy in these countries.
Tensile bond strength of four adhesive systems to dentin.

PURPOSE To assess, in vitro, the tensile bond strength to dentin of the following adhesive systems: Single Bond (3M), One Coat Bond (Coltène), Clearfil Liner Bond 2 V (Kuraray) and Etch & Prime 3.0 (Degussa). MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty third molars, extracted according to therapeutic indication, were used. The roots were removed at the cement-enamel junction level and the crowns were sectioned in a mesial-distal direction, obtaining buccal and lingual halves. The dental portions were included in self-cured acrylic resin, abraded on a lathe under water spray and polished to 400 and 600 grit. The adhesive systems were applied on dentin according to manufacturers' instructions and resin-based composite (Z100) cones were bonded. For each adhesive system, 15 specimens were prepared, stored in distilled water at 37 degrees C during 24 hrs and submitted to tensile bond strength tests on a universal testing machine (EMIC DL-2000) at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. RESULTS The mean tensile bond strength to dentin (MPa +/- SD) were statistically different (ANOVA, Tukey's tests, P < or = 0.01, shown by asterisks) from each other: (1) Clearfil Liner Bond 2 V* = 24.8 +/- 3.3; (2) One Coat Bond** = 20.4 +/- 2.0; (3) Single Bond** = 18.1 +/- 2.4; (4) Etch & Prime 3.0*** = 5.8 +/- 2.4.
Modeling, representing and learning of visual categories

This thesis is concerned with the modeling, representing and learning of visual categories for the purpose of automatic recognition and detection of objects in image data. The application area of such methods ranges from image-based retrieval over driver assistance systems for the automotive industry to applications in robotics. Despite the exciting progress that has been achieved in the field of visual object categorization over the last 5 years, we have still a long way to go to measure up to the perceptual capabilities of humans. While humans can recognize far beyond 10000 categories, machines can nowadays recognize only close to 300 categories with moderate accuracy in constraint settings. For more complex tasks the number of categories is a magnitude lower. Existing approaches reveal a surprising diversity in the way how they model, represent and learn visual categories. To a large extend, this diversity is a result of the different scenarios and categories investigated in the literature. This motivated us to develop methods that combine capabilities of previous methods along these 3 axes: Modeling, Representing and Learning. The resulting approaches turn out to be more adaptive and show better performance in recognition and detection tasks on standard datasets. Therefore, the scientific contribution of this thesis is structured into 3 parts: Combination of different modeling paradigms: One basic difference in modeling is, whether a method models the similarities within one category or the differences with respect to other categories. Since both views have their assets and drawbacks, we have developed a hybrid approach that successfully combines the strength of both approaches. Combination of different learning paradigms: While supervised approaches typically tend to have better performance, the high annotation efforts poses a big obstacle towards a larger number of recognizable categories. Unsupervised methods in combination with the overwhelming amount of data at hand (e.g. internet search) constitute an appealing alternative. Given this background we developed a method which makes use of different levels of supervision and consequently achieves better performance by considering unannotated data. Combination of different representation paradigms: Previous approaches differ strongly in the way they represent visual information. Representations range from local structures over line segments to global silhouettes. We present an approach that learns an effective representation directly from the image data and thereby extracts structures that combine the mentioned representation paradigms in a single approach.
Comparing Public, Private, and Market Schools: The International Evidence

Would large-scale, free-market reforms improve educational outcomes for American children? This question cannot be reliably answered by looking exclusively at domestic evidence, much less by looking exclusively at existing “school choice” programs. Though many such programs have been implemented around the United States, none has created a truly free and competitive education marketplace, being too small, too restriction laden, or both. To understand how genuine market forces affect school performance, we must cast a wider net, surveying education systems from all over the globe. The present paper undertakes such a review, assessing the results of decades of international research comparing market and government provision of education and explaining why these international experiences are relevant to the United States. In more than 150 statistical comparisons covering eight different educational outcomes, the private sector outperforms the public sector in the overwhelming majority of cases. Moreover, this margin of superiority is greatest when the freest and most market-like private schools are compared to the least open and least competitive government systems (i.e., those resembling typical U.S. public school systems). Given the breadth, consistency, relevance, and decisiveness of this body of evidence, the implications for U.S. education policy are significant.
Neutralizing Anti‐p21ras Fabs Suppress Rat Sympathetic Neuron Survival Induced by NGF, LIF, CNTF and cAMP

In purified cultures of newly isolated rat sympathetic neurons plated on laminin, apoptosis is suppressed by the cytokines leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), by the permeant cAMP analogue 8‐(4‐chlorophenylthio)cAMP, and by nerve growth factor. Whilst nerve growth factor, 8‐(4‐chlorophenylthio) cAMP and LIF/CNTF initiate survival by using different kinases, in each case survival is inhibited by a Fab fragment of Y13‐259, a neutralizing antibody to p2lras proteins, but not by rat IgG Fab. The inhibitory effect of Y13‐259 could be partially attenuated by cotrituration of the Fab with T′24(inactive)ras. Thus, prevention of apoptosis in rat sympathetic neurons by several different survival factors appears to be critically dependent on p21 ras protein activity.
De Novo Assembly of Transcriptome and Development of Novel EST-SSR Markers in Rhododendron rex Lévl. through Illumina Sequencing

Transcriptome sequences generated by next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies can be utilized to rapidly detect and characterize a large number of gene-based microsatellites from different plants. Rhododendron rex Lévl. is a perennial woody species from the family Ericaceae and an endangered plant with high ornamental value endemic to Southwestern China. Nevertheless, the genetic and genomic information of R. rex remain unknown. In this study, we performed transcriptome sequencing for R. rex leaf samples, and generated large transcript sequences for functional characterization and development gene-associated SSR markers. A total of 164,242 unigenes were assembled and 115,089 (70.07%) unigenes were successfully annotated in public databases. In addition, a total of 15,314 potential EST-SSRs were identified, and the frequency of SSRs in the R. rex unigenes was 9.32%, with an average of one EST-SSR per 5.65 kb. The most abundant type was repeated di-nucleotide (54.63%), followed by mono- (26.03%) and tri-nucleotide (18.51%) repeats. Based on the SSR-containing sequence, 100 primer pairs were randomly selected and synthesized and used for assessment of the polymorphism. Thirty-six primer pairs were polymorphic and revealed polymorphism among 20 individuals from four R. rex populations. A total of 197 alleles were identified, with an average of 5.472 alleles per locus. The Polymorphism Information Content ranged from 0.154 to 0.870, with a mean of 0.482. The newly developed EST-SSR markers exhibited high transferability (58.33–83.33%) among the six subgenera. Thus, these novel EST-SSR markers developed would provide valuable sequence resources for population structure, genetic diversity analysis, and genetic resource assessments of R. rex and its related species.
Acute Metabolic Changes Associated With Analgesic Drugs: An MR Spectroscopy Study

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is used to measure brain metabolites. Limited data exist on the analgesic‐induced spectroscopy response. This was an explorative study with the aims to investigate the central effects of two analgesic drugs, an opioid and a selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, and to explore the association between metabolite changes and the analgesic effect and side effects.
Genetic Analysis of Japanese Children With Acute Recurrent and Chronic Pancreatitis

Objectives: Causes of acute recurrent pancreatitis (ARP) or chronic pancreatitis (CP) are sometimes difficult to determine in children. In such patients, genetic analysis may prove helpful. The present study analyzed mutations of cationic trypsinogen (PRSS1), serine protease inhibitor Kazal type 1 (SPINK1), chymotrypsin C (CTRC), and carboxypeptidase A1 (CPA1) and investigated the clinical features of children with these mutations. Methods: Genetic analyses of mutations in these 4 genes were conducted in 128 patients with ARP or CP. Characteristics of the patients showing mutations were investigated using medical records. Results: Fifty of the 128 (39.1%) subjects had at least 1 mutation (median age at onset, 7.6 years). Abdominal pain was the presenting symptom of pancreatitis in 48 of the 50 patients (96%). Fifteen of those 50 patients (30.0%) had a family history of pancreatitis. Gene mutations were present in PRSS1 in 26 patients, SPINK1 in 23, CTRC in 3, and CPA1 in 5. In the 31 patients with mutations in SPINK1, CTRC, or CPA1, 16 (51.6%) had homozygous or heterozygous mutations with other mutations. Three patients underwent surgery and another 4 patients underwent endoscopy to manage ARP or CP. Although 3 of the 7 patients complained of mild abdominal pain, none of those 7 patients experienced any obvious episode of ARP after treatment. Conclusions: In pediatric patients with idiopathic ARP and CP, genetic analysis is useful for identifying the cause of pancreatitis. Early endoscopic or surgical treatment prevents ARP by extending the interval between episodes of pancreatitis in this population.
Let’s bring in the floods: de-poldering in the Netherlands as a strategy for long-term delta survival?

Controlled flooding, while heavily contested, is being experimented with in the Dutch delta as a new and ecologically oriented strategy to deal with floods, in contrast to the conventional flood prevention paradigm. The Noordwaard project (2012–15) represents an exemplary case. At the expense of agricultural practices, land is set aside occasionally to accommodate river floods, while restored flood and tidal dynamics aim to benefit nature development. It is argued that although controlled flooding aims to restore historical land and water dynamics in the area, the role of sedimentation processes has remained largely unaddressed in relation to shaping long-term delta futures.
Emotional Hazard in a Power-to-Take Experiment

In this experimental study of a two player power-to-take game, players earn an income in an individual effort task preceding the game. The game has two stages. First, one player can claim any part of the other"s income (take rate). Then, the latter player can respond by destroying own income. We focus on how emotions influence responses and show: (1) a higher take rate increases (decreases) intensity of negative (positive) emotions; (2) negative emotions drive destruction; (3) at high emotional intensity, responders destroy everything; (4) expectations affect the probability of punishment. "Emotional hazard" is identified as a new source of efficiency costs. Copyright Royal Economic Society 2002
Two Approaches To Estimating Public Expenditures

Traditionally, the demand for public expenditures has been estimated using for explanatory variables the average values of per capita income, as well as other variables. The results of this approach are disappointing, due to the lack of a theoretical basis. The public choice model, on the other hand, uses the political decision-making process (median voter model) to explain expenditures. Taking the same set of data, it can be shown that the public choice approach yields superior results. It also offers a solution to the unfruitful discussion about the influence of "political" determinants of public expenditures
The response of voluntary sports clubs to Sport England’s Lottery funding: cases of compliance, change and resistance

In 1995 the Sports Council began to distribute funding from the Sports Lottery Fund. This source of funding was to be the biggest that had ever been made available to sport and regular updates through the media inform the public of the benefits being achieved by the Fund. In England, by far the greatest number of awards have been destined for the grass roots of sport and in particular voluntary sports clubs (VSCs). However, the effectiveness of Lottery funding distributed by Sport England should not be measured simply by its amount as the success of funding allocated at the grass roots of sport depends to a great extent on the willingness, determination, honesty and ability of the VSCs that receive funding to adhere to the funding conditions. With Lottery funding being distributed to sport to further the policy aims and objectives of the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) the conditions of Sport England’s Lottery funding reflect those aims and objectives. However, this paper provides evidence to suggest that whilst VSCs are positive about receiving their Lottery funding from Sport England, their willingness and ability to fulfil their funding conditions are more varied. Thus the amount of funding distributed may not reflect the actual level of benefit accruing to sport in England.
Research Joint Ventures Cartelization with Asymmetric RDSpillovers

The paper analyzes the profitability of RDcooperation under asymmetric spillovers. It is shown that a firm prefers RDcompetition to RJV cartelization when its own spillover rate is low and the spillover rate of its competitor is high. While it prefers RDcartelization to RJV cartelization when the spillover rate of its competitor is sufficiently high. The equilibrium configuration is RJV cartelization for low spillover asymmetries, RDcompetition for intermediate asymmetries, and RDcartelization for high asymmetries.
Effects of Resistance Training on Insulin‐Like Growth Factor and its Binding Proteins in Men and Women Aged 60 to 85

OBJECTIVES: We have reported that resistance training (RT) elevates insulin‐like growth factor (IGF‐I) in healthy young adults. Our goals were to determine whether RT produces a similar effect in the healthy older persons and to determine the effects of low‐ versus high‐intensity RT on hormonal status.
Therapeutic Regulation of T Cells in Rheumatoid Arthritis

TCR repertoire studies in RA have yielded conflicting data. These studies were initiated on the premise that clonal expression of T cells at the site of inflammation could serve as a target for immune therapies designed on the basis of the option to inactivate or eliminate the presumed pathogenic T cells. These analyses have demonstrated the existence of a highly diverse overall TCR repertoire on the basis of extensive usage of TCR V genes both in synovial fluid and tissue. However, clusters of RA patients can be recognized who share increased usage frequencies of defined TCR V genes among synovial fluid or synovial tissue lymphocytes. Subsequent analysis of the CDR3 regions among diverse overall TCR repertoires have revealed the presence of conserved amino acid sequences in the CDR3 regions of the variable portions of TCRs in T lymphocytes derived from the site of inflammation. These findings suggest that a selective, antigen-driven expansion of T lymphocytes is occurring in the inflamed joints. Parallel to the TCR-repertoire studies, we investigated whether vaccines prepared from synovial T cells could modulate T-cell reactivity. The studies were based on previous work on TCV in animals, revealing that attenuated non-specific T-cell lines could serve as a vaccine. The results obtained in 13 RA patients showed no clear indication for a cellular or humoral immune response. Our experience with TCV in RA patients showed that this technique is feasible and safe. We found some evidence for a modulated T-cell reactivity both in vivo and in vitro. These results show at least some immunomodulatory effect af T-cell vaccination, although the antigen specificity of the effect of this intervention remains to be shown. Because of the convincing studies in animals and MS patients, further studies in RA should focus on the effect of vaccination using vaccines prepared from disease-inducing cells. In this respect, determination of the CDR3 regions of synovial T cells could lead to the identification of those T cells that are relevant for the disease.
Internationalizing the Family Business: Facilitating and Restraining Factors

Family businesses are faced with many factors that either facilitate or restrain internationalization. The company's strategy, organizational structure, culture, and developmental stage are intertwined with the family's international characteristics, and each area involves different facilitating or restraining factors. This article, based on experience, previous studies, and a series of interviews, examines internationalization in family businesses. The authors suggest that if the company is unable to take advantage of the factors that facilitate internationalization or overcome the factors that restrain it, the process will probably fail.
Low quantum cost realization of generalized peres and toffoli gates with multiple-control signals

Multiple-control Toffoli gates are basic building blocks for reversible and quantum circuits. 3-bit Peres gate can be considered as a pair of 3-bit and 2-bit Toffoli gates, which can be implemented with fewer elementary quantum gates (what defines a metric called quantum cost) than the total number of elementary quantum gates required by each of Toffoli gates implemented separately. Due to this property, Peres gates are often used for quantum cost reduction of reversible circuits. This paper introduces a generalization of the Peres gate with n > 2 control signals. For such generalized gates corresponding quantum circuits are presented. The realizations have quantum cost of n2 and require no ancillary signals. The proposed designs are built from elementary quantum gates, which consist of NOT, controlled NOT, controlled `square-roots-of-NOT' (known as controlled V/V+ gates) and controlled `higher roots-of-NOT' (up to 2n-1-roots-of-NOT). The obtained quantum circuits are not entangled. The proposed designs are used to construct Toffoli gates of n control signals with quantum cost of 2n2 - 2n + 1 and using no ancillary signals. This is an improvement in comparison with 2n+1 - 3 and 48n2 + O(n), which are quantum costs of the known designs of the multiple-control Toffoli gate without ancillary signals.
Nucleolar Disruption Ensures Nuclear Accumulation of p21 upon DNA Damage

p21cip1 is a protein with a dual function in oncogenesis depending mainly on its intracellular localization: tumor suppressor in the nucleus and oncogenic in the cytoplasm. After DNA damage, p21cip1 increases and accumulates in the nucleus to ensure cell cycle arrest. We show here that the nuclear accumulation of p21cip1 is not only a consequence of its increased levels but to a DNA damage cellular response, which is ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3 related (ATR)/ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and p53 independent. Furthermore, after DNA damage, p21cip1 not only accumulates in the nucleoplasm but also in the disrupted nucleolus. Inside the nucleolus, it is found in spherical structures, which are not a protrusion of the nucleoplasm. The steady‐state distribution of p21cip1 in the nucleolus resulted from a highly dynamic equilibrium between nucleoplasmic and nucleolar p21cip1 and correlated with the inhibition of p21cip1 nuclear export. Most interestingly, inhibition of ribosomal export after expressing a dominant‐negative mutant of nucleophosmin induced p21cip1 accumulation in the nucleus and the nucleolus in the absence of DNA damage. This proved the existence of a nucleolar export route to the cytoplasm for p21cip1 in control conditions that would be inhibited upon DNA damage leading to nuclear and nucleolar accumulation of p21cip1.