Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Framework for Diagnosing Board Effectiveness

Pressure on boards to improve corporate performance and management oversight has led to a series of inquiries and reports advocating governance reform. These reports largely reflect an agency perspective of governance and seek to ensure greater board independence from and control of management. While board independence is important to good governance, we contend that frameworks, models and advice centred on one element of governance ignore the complexity of how boards work. We develop a holistic board framework based upon the concept of board intellectual capital to address this concern. Our framework proposes a series of inputs (e.g. company history, company constitution, legal environment) that lead to a particular mix of board intellectual capital. We contend that the balance of the different elements of board intellectual capital will lead to a series of board behaviours. Further, the board needs to mobilise its intellectual capital to carry out a series of roles. The exact nature of these roles will depend on the company's requirements. Thus, the governance outputs of organisational performance, board effectiveness and director effectiveness will depend on the match between the board's intellectual capital and the roles required of it. We conclude by demonstrating the benefits of this framework as a diagnostic tool. We outline how boards wishing to improve their governance systems can diagnose common governance problems by evaluating their own board's capabilities in relation to the different components of the framework.
Asset Pricing Models with Higher Moments

In this paper, we introduce an asset-pricing model with higher moments than the variance using the Risk-adjusted Return Theory developed by Roland and Xiang (2004a). The model is multi-factor. It can include a three-moment CAPM, a four-moment CAPM, and other models used by practitioners and researchers. We also discuss issues related to the test of the model and how to construct an optimal portfolio with the model.
Force Mapping during the Formation and Maturation of Cell Adhesion Sites with Multiple Optical Tweezers

Focal contacts act as mechanosensors allowing cells to respond to their biomechanical environment. Force transmission through newly formed contact sites is a highly dynamic process requiring a stable link between the intracellular cytoskeleton and the extracellular environment. To simultaneously investigate cellular traction forces in several individual maturing adhesion sites within the same cell, we established a custom-built multiple trap optical tweezers setup. Beads functionalized with fibronectin or RGD-peptides were placed onto the apical surface of a cell and trapped with a maximum force of 160 pN. Cells form adhesion contacts around the beads as demonstrated by vinculin accumulation and start to apply traction forces after 30 seconds. Force transmission was found to strongly depend on bead size, surface density of integrin ligands and bead location on the cell surface. Highest traction forces were measured for beads positioned on the leading edge. For mouse embryonic fibroblasts, traction forces acting on single beads are in the range of 80 pN after 5 minutes. If two beads were positioned parallel to the leading edge and with a center-to-center distance less than 10 µm, traction forces acting on single beads were reduced by 40%. This indicates a spatial and temporal coordination of force development in closely related adhesion sites. We also used our setup to compare traction forces, retrograde transport velocities, and migration velocities between two cell lines (mouse melanoma and fibroblasts) and primary chick fibroblasts. We find that maximal force development differs considerably between the three cell types with the primary cells being the strongest. In addition, we observe a linear relation between force and retrograde transport velocity: a high retrograde transport velocity is associated with strong cellular traction forces. In contrast, migration velocity is inversely related to traction forces and retrograde transport velocity.
Hybrid self organizing map for overlapping clusters

The Kohonen self organizing map is an excellent tool in exploratory phase of data mining and pattern recognition. The SOM is a popular tool that maps high dimensional space into a small number of dimensions by placing similar elements close together, forming clusters. Recently researchers found that to capture the uncertainty involved in cluster analysis, it is not necessary to have crisp boundaries in some clustering operations. In this paper to overcome the uncertainty, a two-level clustering algorithm based on SOM which employs the rough set theory is proposed. The two-level stage Rough SOM (first using SOM to produce the prototypes that are then clustered in the second stage) is found to perform well and more accurate compared with the proposed crisp clustering method (Incremental SOM) and reduces the errors.
The p_T Spectrum in Heavy-Flavour Photoproduction

We consider the transverse-momentum distribution of heavy flavours in photon-hadron collisions. We present a formalism in which large transverse-momentum logarithms are resummed to the next-to-leading level, and mass effects are included exactly up to order alpha_em alpha_s^2, so as to retain predictivity at both small and large transverse momenta. Phenomenological applications relevant to charm photoproduction at HERA are given.
Clinical outcomes of stage I endometrial carcinoma patients treated with surgery alone: Siriraj Hospital experiences

Objective To evaluate the recurrence rates and patterns of failure in patients with stage I endometrial carcinoma after surgical staging without adjuvant therapy. Methods Medical records of 229 patients with stage I endometrial carcinoma, treated with surgery alone between 2002 and 2010 at Siriraj Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. The primary objective of this study was recurrence rates. The secondary objectives were patterns of failure, disease-free survival, overall survival, and prognostic factors related to outcomes. Results During median follow-up time of 53.3 months, 11 recurrences (4.8%) occurred with a median time to recurrence of 21.2 months (range, 7.7 to 77.8 months). Vaginal recurrence was the most common pattern of failure (8/11 patients, 72.7%). Other recurrences were pelvic, abdominal and multiple metastases. Factors that appeared to be prognostic factors on univariate analyses were age and having high intermediate risk (HIR) (Gynecologic Oncology Group [GOG] 99 criteria), none of which showed significance in multivariate analysis. The recurrence rates were higher in the patients with HIR criteria (22.2% vs. 4.1%, p=0.013) or patients with stage IB, grade 2 endometrioid carcinoma (9.4% vs. 4.3%, p=0.199). Five-year disease-free survival and 5-year overall survival were 93.9% (95% CI, 89.9 to 5.86) and 99.5% (95% CI, 97.0 to 99.9), respectively. Conclusion The patients with low risk stage I endometrial carcinoma had excellent outcomes with surgery alone. Our study showed that no single factor was demonstrated to be an independent predictor for recurrence.
Fractional Calculus of the Generalized Mittag-Leffler Type Function

We introduce and study a new function called R-function, which is an extension of the generalized Mittag-Leffler function. We derive the relations that exist between the R-function and Saigo fractional calculus operators. Some results derived by Samko et al. (1993), Kilbas (2005), Kilbas and Saigo (1995), and Sharma and Jain (2009) are special cases of the main results derived in this paper.
Emotional Health and Language 1 Emotional Health in Adolescents with and without a History of Specific Language Impairment (sli) Emotional Health and Language 2

Online is checked for eligibility for copyright before being made available in the live archive. URLs from City Research Online may be freely distributed and linked to from other web pages. Enquiries If you have any enquiries about any aspect of City Research Online, or if you wish to make contact with the author(s) of this paper, please email the team at publications@city.ac. uk. (2008), Emotional health in adolescents with and without a history of specific language impairment (SLI). Abstract Objective: This study examined the emotional health of adolescents with and without specific language impairment (SLI). Method: 139 adolescents with a history of SLI (15;10 years) and a peer group of 124 adolescents with normal language development (NLD) (15;11 years) participated, who were in their final year of compulsory schooling. The risk of emotional difficulties was assessed using the Moods and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) and the Child Manifest Anxiety Scale-R (CMAS-R). Comprehensive language and cognition data were available for all participants (NLD and SLI) concurrently and also longitudinally for those with SLI. Results: A clear increased risk of emotional health symptoms was found for the SLI group on both self-and parental-report. Girls scored less favourably than boys when groups were combined, but these were due to the effect of the NLD group, with no gender differences found in the SLI group. Direct links with language and cognition were not obvious. Instead more diffuse factors such as family history of emotional health difficulties may warrant further investigation. Conclusion: There is a marked higher rate of anxiety and depression symptoms in adolescents with SLI. However these do not appear to be a direct result of impoverished communicative experiences. Emotional health and language 3 Emotional Health in adolescents With and Without a History of Specific Language Impairment (SLI) Specific language impairment (SLI) is a developmental communication disorder in which language develops atypically without identifiable cause such as low general intelligence, neurological damage, hearing impairment or autism. Whilst SLI used to be thought of as a largely early years disorder, there is now mounting evidence that the language difficulties can persist into adulthood (Clegg et al., 2005). For about half the children with language difficulties at 5 years of age, continuing lifelong impairment appears to be a reality, and furthermore, as these individuals develop, the challenges widen to include areas of difficulty that are not directly concerned with communication skills. Despite being a relatively common …
Off-farm Work and Fertilizer Intensification among Smallholder Farmers in Kenya: A Cross-Crop Comparison

Off-farm work accounts for a substantial and growing share of household income among smallholder farmers in most of Sub-Saharan Africa, but evidence on the effects of these earnings on farm investments remains sparse. We use panel data from a sample of smallholder farmers in Kenya to estimate input demand for fertilizer, testing the effects of earnings from nonfarm activities, agricultural wage labor on other farms, and combined off-farm sources. We compare effects among three types of crops: a major food staple (maize), and emerging cash crop (vegetables), and a traditional export crop (tea). We find that, holding other factors constant, off-farm work detracts from fertilizer application rates on maize and vegetables. Nonfarm income drives these results. Off-farm work has no effect on fertilizer application to tea. Results suggest competition for household resources between farm and nonfarm sectors, with implications for public investments in rural development as Kenyan smallholders commercialize.
Organizational Turnover and the Evolution of Localized Populations

This paper studies the effect of organizational turnover on firm survival within the Dutch accounting service industry during the period 1880-1986. We address four issues: (1) estimating the effect of organizational turnover on organizational dissolution; (2) uncovering this effect under variable conditions of firm vitality; (3) showing the significance of propinquity in isolating that effect; and (4) demonstrating this effect to be also a function of member status. The results of our analysis confirm that turnover is an important endogenous force shaping the evolution of localized populations of organizations. Controlling for firm vitality, the risk of organizational dissolution increases when turnover entails losses of valuable human and social capital (e.g., long-term owners) to peer firms. The results also show that such risk is even higher when organizational members join a competitor or found a new venture within the same geographical area. We discuss the implications of this multi-level analysis for exposing market processes or population 3 Netherlands). We gratefully acknowledge suggestions from
Characteristics of the 2004-05 Cohort of New Teachers in Philadelphia.

In recent decades, federal, state, and local policies have demonstrated renewed efforts to address the concerns of both teacher quality and quantity, resulting in initiatives to attract, reward, and retain qualified people in the teacher profession. Concerns about teacher quality have increased as the accountability measures stemming from the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 have intensified pressure on schools and districts to push student achievement to new levels. This pressure is especially prevalent in lowperforming schools, where low-income and minority students are those most likely to be taught by underqualified and inexperienced teachers (The Education Trust, 2003; Oakes, Franke, Quartz, & Rogers, 2002; Hirsch et al., 2001; Haycock, 1998; National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, 1996). Furthermore, according to any of the commonly used indicators of teacher quality – years of experience, college major, or subject-area certification – urban students are less likely to have well-qualified teachers (Neild, Useem, & Farley, 2005; Hardy, 2002; Jerald, 2002; Lankford, Loeb, & Wyckoff, 2002; Useem & Neild, 2001).
Transmembrane domain is crucial to the subcellular localization and function of Myc target 1

Deregulation of c‐MYC occurs in a variety of human cancers. Overexpression of c‐MYC promotes cell growth, proliferation, apoptosis, transformation and genomic instability. MYC target 1 (MYCT1) is a direct target gene of c‐MYC, and its murine homologue MT‐MC1 recapitulated multiple c‐Myc‐related phenotypes. However, the molecular mechanism of MYCT1 remains unclear. Here, we identified the transmembrane (TM) domain of MYCT1, not the nuclear localization sequence, is indispensable to the vesicle‐associated localization of MYCT1 protein in the cytoplasmic membrane vesicle. Overexpression of MYCT1, not MYCT1 (ΔTM), decreased cell viability under serum deprivation and increased tumour cell migration ability. We further identified CKAP4 interacted with MYCT1 and contributed to the function of MYCT1. In addition, we found that a mutation, A88D, which is observed in patient sample, changed the localization, and abolished the effect on cell viability and cell migration, suggesting that the TM domain is critical to MYCT1.
Identification of bapA in Strains of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Isolated from Wild Animals Kept in Captivity in Sinaloa, Mexico

bapA, previously named stm2689, encodes the BapA protein, which, along with cellulose and fimbriae, constitutes biofilms. Biofilms are communities of microorganisms that grow in a matrix of exopolysaccharides and may adhere to living tissues or inert surfaces. Biofilm formation is associated with the ability to persist in different environments, which contributes to the pathogenicity of several species. We analyzed the presence of bapA in 83 strains belonging to 17 serovars of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica from wildlife in captivity at Culiacan's Zoo and Mazatlán's Aquarium. Each isolate amplified a product of 667 bp, which corresponds to the expected size of the bapA initiator, with no observed variation between different serovars analyzed. bapA gene was found to be highly conserved in Salmonella and can be targeted for the genus-specific detection of this organism from different sources. Since bapA expression improves bacterial proliferation outside of the host and facilitates resistance to disinfectants and desiccation, the survival of Salmonella in natural habitats may be favored. Thus, the risk of bacterial contamination from these animals is increased.
Maturity Choices Effects on Loan Guarantee Portfolios

In this paper we analyse the maturities choices effects by accounting in the model for the coupon-bearing bonds, the absolute priority violation, the net-asset process of the insurer, the interest rate risk, and the volatility risk. We find these extensions to allow a better hedging strategy for the insurer. Vasicek term structure has an impact on the credit spread, but the spread is insensible to CIR process. The portfolio insurance coverage is improved when the maturity structure consists of long-term debt for the less risky firm and short-term debt for the more risky firm for a given portfolio risk level. In the simultaneous projects choice, depending on its horizon objective, the insurer will prefer to insure a project less risky short-term and risky long-term if it has a short or mediumterm objective, and a project more risky short-term and less risky long-term if it has a long-term objective. For the sequential choice, it is always better to start with a longer maturity low-risk project. However, if the first project is high-risk, then it is advantageous to keep its maturity short, and choose the next project as low-risk. JEL Classification code: G11, G12, G13, G22, G33.
Glycogen metabolism in regenerating liver and liver neoplasms.

Summary Maximum DNA synthesis occurred later after partial hepatectomy in mouse liver than in rat liver, and there was a similar delay in maximum glycogen depletion. The decline in activities of glycogen synthetase and phosphorylase did not parallel changes in glycogen concentration in the regenerating rat liver, being less pronounced and occurring later after partial hepatectomy. The glycogen concentration of two slowly growing hepatomas (9618A and 7787) was greater than in the rapidly growing hepatomas examined (5123tc and 7777). In vitro assays of tumor glycogen synthetase activity showed a decrease to less than 25% of the activity in normal or host liver. On addition of glucose 6-phosphate this change was less marked, and in the slowest growing hepatoma (9618A) there was no significant difference in activity. Glycogen phosphorylase activity was decreased in the hepatomas, and, most noticeably in the rapidly growing hepatomas, there was an increase in the stimulation of activity by AMP. The effect of cystcinc on glycogen phosphorylase activity in the rapidly growing hepatoma 7777 differed from that in rat liver or gastrocnemius muscle. Acid α-glucosidase activity was increased in the rapidly growing hepatomas but not in regenerating rat liver. It was concluded that glycogen metabolism in slowly growing hepatomas more closely resembles that in normal rat liver than does glycogen metabolism in rapidly growing hepatomas.
Seed Location Impacts Whole-Brain Structural Network Comparisons between Healthy Elderly and Individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease

Whole-brain networks derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data require the identification of seed and target regions of interest (ROIs) to assess connectivity patterns. This study investigated how initiating tracts from gray matter (GM) or white matter (WM) seed ROIs impacts (1) structural networks constructed from DTI data from healthy elderly (control) and individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and (2) between-group comparisons using these networks. DTI datasets were obtained from the Alzheimer’s disease Neuroimaging Initiative database. Deterministic tractography was used to build two whole-brain networks for each subject; one in which tracts were initiated from WM ROIs and another in which they were initiated from GM ROIs. With respect to the first goal, in both groups, WM-seeded networks had approximately 400 more connections and stronger connections (as measured by number of streamlines per connection) than GM-seeded networks, but shared 94% of the connections found in the GM-seed networks. With respect to the second goal, between-group comparisons revealed a stronger subnetwork (as measured by number of streamlines per connection) in controls compared to AD using both WM-seeded and GM-seeded networks. The comparison using WM-seeded networks produced a larger (i.e., a greater number of connections) and more significant subnetwork in controls versus AD. Global, local, and nodal efficiency were greater in controls compared to AD, and between-group comparisons of these measures using WM-seeded networks had larger effect sizes than those using GM-seeded networks. These findings affirm that seed location significantly affects the ability to detect between-group differences in structural networks.
ICT and Elections in Nigeria: Rural Dynamics of Biometric Voting Technology Adoption

Applications of Information and Communications Technology (ICT)-driven innovations are profound in the electoral cycle. Among them, biometric technology is currently sweeping across developing countries. It is, however, only poorly adopted among rural voters. Does the use of biometric technology in the conduct of elections reconstruct rural voters’ behaviour, amid prevailing social challenges? The links between these realities and their consequences are currently less understood, and lacking in supporting literature. I argue that the public perception of bio-metric technology, the availability of proper infrastructure, and the distance between polling stations and the dwellings of rural voters all affect the latter's level of adoption of biometric technology. These interactions combine to produce specific modalities that shape voting behaviour and general political culture. I elicit primary data from voters in Nigeria's remote villages, so as to predict the implications and consequences of glossing over the dimensions and magnitude of the biometric technology adaptation challenge by policymakers. I conclude by reflecting on how these interplays and interactions create “spatial differentials” in electoral outcomes/credibility, and proffer possible strategies for institutional intervention.
Conditional Gradient Sliding for Convex Optimization

In this paper, we present a new conditional gradient type method for convex optimization by calling a linear optimization ($LO$) oracle to minimize a series of linear functions over the feasible set. Different from the classic conditional gradient method, the conditional gradient sliding (CGS) algorithm developed herein can skip the computation of gradients from time to time and, as a result, can achieve the optimal complexity bounds in terms of not only the number of calls to the $LO$ oracle but also the number of gradient evaluations. More specifically, we show that the CGS method requires ${\cal O}(1/\sqrt{\epsilon})$ and ${\cal O}(\log (1/\epsilon))$ gradient evaluations, respectively, for solving smooth and strongly convex problems, while still maintaining the optimal ${\cal O}(1/\epsilon)$ bound on the number of calls to the ${\rm LO}$ oracle. We also develop variants of the CGS method which can achieve the optimal complexity bounds for solving stochastic optimization problems and an important class.