Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PENGUJIAN LEVERAGE SEBAGAI KEMUNGKINAN INTERVENING PENGARUH FREE CASH FLOW TERHADAP DIVIDEND POLICY

Free Cash Flow (FCF) merupakan arus kas sisa pendanaan dari aktivitas operasi yang dikurangkan dengan biaya modal perusahaan pada suatu periode tertentu yang belum ditentukan penggunaanya. FCF dapat digunakan untuk pembayaran hutang dan dapat didistribusikan dalam bentuk dividen. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji relasi FCF, leverage, dan kebijakan dividen dengan dugaan yang dikemukakan adalah kemungkinan leverage sebagai variabel intervening. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah seluruh perusahaan manufaktur yang terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia tahun 2013-2015. Sampel ditentukan dengan menggunakan teknik purposive sampling dan diperoleh sampel sejumlah 32 perusahaan. Data yang digunakan adalah data sekunder. Pengumpulan data dengan menggunakan metode dokumentasi. Pengujian hipotesis dilakukan dengan menggunakan analisis regresi linier sederhana. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa FCF berpengaruh signifikan terhadap leverage dan FCF juga berpengaruh signifikan terhadap kebijakan dividen. Namun, leverage berpengaruh tidak signifikan terhadap kebijakan dividen sehingga dapat dikatakan bahwa leverage bukan merupakan variabel intervening pada relasi FCF dan kebijakan dividen karena untuk menguji adanya mediasi, seluruh model dalam penelitian harus signifikan.
Bone marrow-derived monocyte infusion improves hepatic fibrosis by decreasing osteopontin, TGF-β1, IL-13 and oxidative stress

AIM To evaluate the therapeutic effects of bone marrow-derived CD11b+CD14+ monocytes in a murine model of chronic liver damage. METHODS Chronic liver damage was induced in C57BL/6 mice by administration of carbon tetrachloride and ethanol for 6 mo. Bone marrow-derived monocytes isolated by immunomagnetic separation were used for therapy. The cell transplantation effects were evaluated by morphometry, biochemical assessment, immunohistochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS CD11b+CD14+ monocyte therapy significantly reduced liver fibrosis and increased hepatic glutathione levels. Levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β, in addition to pro-fibrotic factors, such as IL-13, transforming growth factor-β1 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 also decreased, while IL-10 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 increased in the monocyte-treated group. CD11b+CD14+ monocyte transplantation caused significant changes in the hepatic expression of α-smooth muscle actin and osteopontin. CONCLUSION Monocyte therapy is capable of bringing about improvement of liver fibrosis by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, as well as increasing anti-fibrogenic factors.
Control of CYP11B2 Gene Expression through Differential Regulation of Its Promoter by Atypical and Conventional Protein Kinase C Isoforms*

We reported previously that the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor GF109203X stimulated the hamsterCYP11B2 promoter activity in transfected NCI-H295 cells. PKCα, -ε, and -ζ were detected in hamster adrenal zona glomerulosa and NCI-H295 cells, and PKCθ in NCI-H295 cells. 12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) inhibited basal and stimulated cytochrome P450 aldosterone synthase mRNA expression by angiotensin (AII), dibutyryl cyclic adenosine 3′:5′-monophosphate (Bt2cAMP), or KCl in NCI-H295 cells. BasalCYP11B2 promoter activity was inhibited in cells cotransfected with constitutively active (CA) PKCα, -ε, and -θ mutants, whereas it was increased with CA-PKCζ. Dominant negative (DN) PKCα, -θ, -ε, and -ζ mutants stimulated the promoter activity. AII-, KCl-, and Bt2cAMP-stimulatory effects were abolished in cells cotransfected with CA-PKCα, -ε, or -θ. The effect of Bt2cAMP was abolished by CA-PKCζ but AII and KCl were still able to enhance the promoter activity. DN-PKCα, -ε, -θ, or -ζ did not inhibit these effects. Gö6976 enhanced promoter activity, providing further evidence that PKCα was involved. Various CYP11B2 promoter constructs were used to identify the area associated with TPA and PKC inhibition. TPA and CA-PKCα, -ε, or -θ abolished the effects of AII, KCl, and Bt2cAMP on the activity of −102 and longer constructs. In summary, our findings suggest that the hamster CYP11B2 gene is under differential control by conventional (α) and atypical (ζ) PKC.
Facial Expression Classification using Gabor and Log-Gabor Filters

Facial expression classification has achieved good results in the past using manually extracted facial points convolved with Gabor filters. In this paper, classification performance was tested on feature vectors composed of facial points convolved with Gabor and log-Gabor filters, as well as with whole image pixel representation of static facial images. Principal component analysis was performed on these feature vectors, and classification accuracies compared using linear discriminant analysis. Experiments carried out on two databases show comparable performance between Gabor and log-Gabor filters, with a classification accuracy of around 85%. This was achieved on low-resolution images, without the need to precisely locate facial points on each face image
Differences in neuropathologic characteristics across the Lewy body dementia spectrum

Background: The objective of this comparative neuropathologic study was to determine the extent to which dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson disease dementia (PDD) are distinct entities or part of a continuum with respect to the duration of parkinsonism. Methods: We evaluated the relationship between cortical α-synuclein pathology, plaques (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease [CERAD]), tangles (Braak staging), and cholinergic deficits (choline acetyltransferase in temporal cortex) in 57 prospectively assessed patients (29 DLB, 28 PDD), confirmed at autopsy. The PDD group was divided according to the median duration of parkinsonism prior to dementia. Results: There was an association between longer duration of parkinsonism prior to dementia and less severe cortical α-synuclein pathology (χ2 10.4, df 2, p = 0.006) and lower CERAD plaque scores (χ2 26.6, df 9, p = 0.002), but not Braak staging. These findings were confirmed in a further correlation analysis, which also identified an unexpected correlation between more pronounced cortical cholinergic deficits and longer duration of parkinsonism prior to dementia (R = −0.37, p = 0.04). Conclusion: While there is a clear relationship between the duration of Parkinson disease prior to the onset of dementia and key neuropathologic and neurochemical characteristics, there is a gradation of these differences across the dementia with Lewy bodies/Parkinson disease dementia spectrum and the findings do not support an arbitrary cut-off between the two disorders.
Pressure effects on the structure of oligomeric proteins prior to subunit dissociation.

In studies of pressure-induced subunit dissociation of protein aggregates, now widely used to evaluate the association free energy, entropy and enthalpy of very stable complexes, it is assumed that high pressure does not influence their structure/thermodynamic parameters and that some peculiarities of these equilibria, such as the decrease in subunit affinity at larger degrees of dissociation (alpha) and hysteresis in alpha/pressure diagrams are imputable to the slow conformational drift of isolated subunits. To test this premise, the conformation of dimeric alcohol dehydrogenase from horse liver and alkaline phosphatase from Escherichia coli was monitored as a function of pressure (up to 3 kbar) and temperature (0 to 50 degrees C) by means of the intrinsic Trp fluorescence and phosphorescence emission and binding of the 1-anilinonaphatalene-8-sulphonic acid (ANS) fluorophore. The results show a distinct influence of high pressure on the native dimers whose changes in conformation may, depending on whether or not these alterations are promptly reversed, be distinguished in elastic and inelastic changes. Elastic changes are ubiquitous and refer to pronounced modulations of the phosphorescence lifetime which is a monitor of the internal flexibility of the macromolecules. They attest to a tightening of the globular structure in the lower pressure range (below 1.5 kbar) as opposed to an increased fluidity in the higher range. The trend is similar between the two proteins and the tightening/loosening effect is fully consistent with the role that internal cavities and hydration of polypeptide is expected to play in determining the compressibility of these biopolymers. Inelastic perturbations reveal a more profound loosening of the globular fold and were observed only with alcohol dehydrogenase under conditions (low temperature (t < 10 degrees C) and high pressure (p > 2.5 kbar)) that favour protein hydration. They involve slow consecutive reactions that produce drastic reductions in phosphorescence lifetime, spectral red shifts, quenching of fluorescence and phosphorescence emission and modulation of ANS binding. Judging from the full protection afforded by glycerol as cosolvent, or the remarkable enhancement caused by modest concentrations of urea, the driving force of these perturbations appears to be pressure-induced hydration of the protein. Inelastic conformational changes are accompanied by a slow and often incomplete recovery of enzymatic activity. The characteristic times of these processes, their pressure dependence and the slow, thermally activated, reversibility are discussed in the light of hysteresis phenomena and changes of subunit affinity in dissociation equilibria.
Visual constraints in foraging bumblebees: Flower size and color affect search time and flight behavior

In optimal foraging theory, search time is a key variable defining the value of a prey type. But the sensory-perceptual processes that constrain the search for food have rarely been considered. Here we evaluate the flight behavior of bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) searching for artificial flowers of various sizes and colors. When flowers were large, search times correlated well with the color contrast of the targets with their green foliage-type background, as predicted by a model of color opponent coding using inputs from the bees' UV, blue, and green receptors. Targets that made poor color contrast with their backdrop, such as white, UV-reflecting ones, or red flowers, took longest to detect, even though brightness contrast with the background was pronounced. When searching for small targets, bees changed their strategy in several ways. They flew significantly slower and closer to the ground, so increasing the minimum detectable area subtended by an object on the ground. In addition, they used a different neuronal channel for flower detection. Instead of color contrast, they used only the green receptor signal for detection. We relate these findings to temporal and spatial limitations of different neuronal channels involved in stimulus detection and recognition. Thus, foraging speed may not be limited only by factors such as prey density, flight energetics, and scramble competition. Our results show that understanding the behavioral ecology of foraging can substantially gain from knowledge about mechanisms of visual information processing.
The Anti-Competitive Effects of Brand-Controlled "Pseudo- Generics" in the Canadian Pharmaceutical Market

Brand-name pharmaceutical firms in Canada, upon the expiry of their patent, always license a "pseudo- generic" firm to compete directly against generic firms. This pseudo-generic is identical to the brand-name product, but is marketed as a generic, with the pseudo-generic firm receiving a distribution fee. This strategy deters entry into smaller drug markets, since the threat of pseudo-generic competition deters other generics from making the investment required to enter; and slows the process of entry by competing generic firms.
Factors influencing the early prediction of outcome from burns.

OBJECTIVE 1. To reexamine the predictive value of the variables usually used in admission scores in burned patients (age, total body surface area burned (TBSAB), full thickness burn (FTB), inhalation injury (IHT) and sex). 2. To evaluate whether risk factors (alcohol abuse (AA), nicotine abuse (NA)) or preexisting diseases influence outcome significantly. DESIGN Retrospective study of prospectively collected data. PATIENTS 498 burned patients admitted to the burn ICU within a 5 years period. The mean TBSAB was 29% and the mean age 38 years. 42% of the patients suffered burns greater than 30% and the incidence of IHT amounted to 43%. METHODS Univariate analyses were used to determine the independent relation of the variables to mortality. The relative weight of the variables was estimated using the step-wise logistic regression model. An additional analysis of subgroups was performed using classification and regression trees (CART). RESULTS The univariate analyses identified the following variables to have significant influence on mortality: age, TBSAB, FTB, IHT, sex, AA, NA, the combination of AA and NA, preexisting neurological diseases and cardiovascular diseases. The step-wise logistic regression analysis identified age and TBSAB to have the most important influence on the outcome. Of minor weight was IHT followed by FTB and sex. The weight of IHT was found to be 1.7 fold higher than the impact of FTB and sex. A significant influence of IHT was found in all patients, but especially in patients with a medium risk of death (20%-45%) regarding age and TBSAB. In this group AA and NA additionally caused a significant impact on mortality. In patients with a higher or lower probability of survival AA and NA did not influence the outcome. The CART analysis identified TBSAB to be the most discriminative variable followed by age. In the group up to 20% TBSAB age was the only additionally significant variable regarding the outcome. In the group with a TBSAB between 20% and 60% age, sex and AA became important variables. In patients up to 72 years with a medium risk of mortality (20%-70%) IHT, AA, combined AA and NA, sex, preexisting neurological diseases and cardiovascular diseases significantly influenced outcome. In older patients IHT was the only additional variable of importance. CONCLUSIONS The study demonstrates that besides the "classical" variables of bum scores as age, TBSAB and IHT other variables such as sex, AA, NA and preexisting diseases have significant influence on the outcome. These variables especially gain important predictive value in patients with a medium risk of mortality.
Isolated tumor cells and micrometastases in regional lymph nodes in stage I to II endometrial cancer

Objective The aim of this study was to clarify the clinical significance of isolated tumor cells (ITCs) or micrometastasis (MM) in regional lymph nodes in patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage I to II endometrial cancer. Methods In this study, a series of 63 patients with FIGO stage I to II were included, who had at least one of the following risk factors for recurrence: G3 endometrioid/serous/clear cell adenocarcinomas, deep myometrial invasion, cervical involvement, lympho-vascular space invasion, and positive peritoneal cytology. These cases were classified as intermediate-risk endometrial cancer. Ultrastaging by multiple slicing, staining with hematoxylin and eosin and cytokeratin, and microscopic examination was performed on regional lymph nodes that had been diagnosed as negative for metastases. Results Among 61 patients in whom paraffin-embedded block was available, ITC/MM was identified in nine patients (14.8%). Deep myometrial invasion was significantly associated with ITC/MM (p=0.028). ITC/MM was an independent risk factor for extrapelvic recurrence (hazard ratio, 17.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4 to 232.2). The 8-year overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were more than 20% lower in the ITC/MM group than in the node-negative group (OS, 71.4% vs. 91.9%; RFS, 55.6% vs. 84.0%), which were statistically not significant (OS, p=0.074; RFS, p=0.066). Time to recurrence tended to be longer in the ITC/MM group than in the node-negative group (median, 49 months vs. 16.5 months; p=0.080). Conclusions It remains unclear whether ITC/MM have an adverse influence on prognosis of intermediate-risk endometrial cancer. A multicenter cooperative study is needed to clarify the clinical significance of ITC/MM.
Emergence of Macrolide Resistance in Throat Culture Isolates of Group A Streptococci in Ontario, Canada, in 2001

ABSTRACT Of 500 group A streptococci isolated from pharyngeal swabs, 72 (14.4%) were macrolide resistant, compared to 2.1% in 1997. Of these, 66 (92%) were of the M phenotype and 6 (8.3%) were of the MLS phenotype. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis found that two clones, with patterns identical to those of serotypes M1 and M4, accounted for 19.4 and 68.1% of the macrolide-resistant isolates, respectively.
Banks, Insider Connections, and Industrialization in New England: Evidence from the Panic of 1873

This paper studies the role of bank affiliations in mitigating frictions related to asymmetric information. The analysis focuses on Massachusetts, and tests whether firms with bank directors on their boards fared better following the Panic of 1873, which did not directly impact the state’s commercial banks, but produced a prolonged economic slump. Around 59 percent of all non-financial corporations in the state had a bank director on their board in 1872. These firms survived the recession of the 1870s at higher rates, grew faster and experienced less of a deterioration in their credit ratings. Consistent with banker-directors helping to resolve problems related to asymmetric information, these effects were strongest among young firms. Counterfactual estimates suggest that in the absence of bank affiliations, the total assets of the non-financial corporations in Massachusetts that existed in 1872 would have been 35 percent lower in the wake of the recession. These results suggest an important role for the banking sector in New England’s industrialization, namely that affiliations with commercial banks helped nonfinancial corporations maintain access to external finance during economic downturns.
Political risk effect on financial market returns; between magnification and neglection: Evidence from Egyptian stock market

I wish to express my deep gratitude for the people who invested their time and effort to finish this thesis; I truly appreciate Dr. Aliaa Bassiouny's help, advice, patience, good heart, wit, and guiding ideas to get this done. Also I would like to thank Dr. Mohamed Bouaddi for having an always opened door and his help with the model, never sparing time nor effort to offering help and knowledge. I would like to thank Dr. Neveeen for accepting reading my thesis on such short notice. Thanks to my father, mother, sister, wife, and my friend Kareem Al-Massry, without their support and prayers, this paper will have never been completed.
The relative influence of facial neoteny and waist-to-hip ratio on judgements of female attractiveness and fecundity

Abstract Numerous studies have demonstrated that waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) affects perceptions of female physical attractiveness and fecundity. This study tested the assumption that facial attractiveness explained more variance in overall ratings and fecundity than WHR, when the latter is manipulated within the normal range (0.67 – 0.85). One hundred and sixty-one participants (mean age = 21.5) rated the attractiveness, youthfulness, fertility, healthiness and likelihood of being pregnant for 27 photographs of three females in which facial attractiveness in terms of neoteny (three levels) and WHR (three levels) had been systematically digitally manipulated. Facial attractiveness exerted a significant influence on judgements of attractiveness, youthfulness, fertility and healthiness, whereas WHR only affected likelihood of being pregnant. Results are interpreted in terms of neotenous facial attractiveness providing potential mates with information concerning phenotypic and genetic quality.
The effect of profitability in income smoothing practice with good corporate governance and dividend of payout ratio as a moderation variable

One of the factors that influence income smoothing is profitability. Profitability is the ability of a company to earn profits or profits in a certain period and as a measure of the management effectiveness of a company. The variables of good corporate governance and dividend payout ratio are thought to play a role in moderating the effect of profitability on the probability of the occurrence of income smoothing practices. The sample selection method in this study used a purposive sampling method with the criteria of all companies listed on the Stock Exchange which were included in the CGPI ranking from 2012-2016 and companies that distributed dividends from 2012-2016. The sample in this study were 7 companies with 5 years of observation. The variable income smoothing practice is measured using the eckel index. The variable profitability is measured using the ROA (Return On Asset) ratio. Variables of good corporate governance are measured using the CGPI score. Dividend payout ratio variables are measured using the dividend per share formula divided by earnings per share. The analysis technique used is logistical binary regression and Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA).
Synthetic Aperture Radar for Earth Observation from a Lunar Base: Performance and Potential Applications

Starting from the reborn international interest in lunar exploration and the widely documented need for hyper-accurate measurements of Earth crustal dynamics, at a high revisit frequency and on a global scale, the idea of a Moon-based interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is presented. After introducing models to describe synthetic antenna formation and discussing key issues of a Moon-based radar for Earth remote sensing, a preliminary system design and performance analysis are conducted. Quantitative results are presented in terms of achievable resolutions and needed radar parameters. Although the Moon-based observatory requires technical solutions and a budget that likely make its realization distant, a comparison with currently planned spaceborne interferometric systems shows that it offers height measurement accuracies at a level and with a frequency not achievable otherwise.