Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
National Differences in Capital Budgeting Systems: A Comparison between Indonesian and Australian Firms

Manuscript type: Research paper. Research aims: This study examines the impact of cross-cultural differences on capital budgeting systems. Design/ Methodology/ Approach: Drawing on the contingency theory, 67 non-financial firms listed in Indonesia and Australia were analysed on a comprehensive range of capital budgeting systems. Research findings: The findings support our predictions that relative to Australian firms, the Indonesian firms were found to emphasise more on sophisticated capital budgeting systems (e.g. real options). The results seem to be driven by Indonesia’s higher level of perceived environmental uncertainty coupled with Sharia governance rules that aim to mitigate risky transactions. This study also provides evidence to show that the emphasis on sophisticated capital budgeting systems was driven by firm size and finance managers’ level of education attainment. Theoretical contributions/ Originality: Prior research has docu- mented an incomplete picture of the link between national culture and capital budgeting systems. This is attributed to the lack of the development of contextual foundations for looking at cross-cultural differences followed by the narrow range of capital budgeting systems being considered in research. Practitioner/ Policy implications: The findings of this study reflect the capital budgeting practices of Indonesia and Australia. The findings are important for practitioners who wish to evaluate project investments in these two countries. Research limitation: Future research should consider looking into how Sharia impacts the use of capital budgeting systems and the performance effects of using different approaches. Keywords: Capital Budgeting Systems, National Culture, Indonesia, Australia, Environmental Uncertainty JEL Classification: M41
Life satisfaction and distress in family caregivers as related to specific behavioural changes after traumatic brain injury

Primary objective: To predict long-term outcome of those caring for family members who have sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods and procedures: A multivariate approach was used to examine the effectiveness of caregiver coping strategies in the context of TBI-related behavioural change. Self-administered questionnaire packages were collected from 72 adult survivor and family-member pairs who provided information on survivors’ altered executive function, behavioural control and emotional sensitivity as well as caregivers’ methods of coping, attitudes toward caregiving, indices of distress, mood ratings and quality of life. Main outcomes and results: Family members generally reported higher levels of satisfaction than dissatisfaction with their caregiving role. The type of neurobehavioural deficit and the approaches taken to cope with stress had specific effects on each dimension of caregiver outcome. Conclusions: Adequate family support requires finely tuned assessment of factors relevant to successful coping.
Comparison between Bilateral Cochlear Implants and Neurelec Digisonict SP Binaural Cochlear Implant: Speech Perception, Sound Localization and Patient Self-Assessment

An alternative to bilateral cochlear implantation is offered by the Neurelec Digisonict SP Binaural cochlear implant, which allows stimulation of both cochleae within a single device. The purpose of this prospective study was to compare a group of Neurelec Digisonict SP Binaural implant users (denoted BINAURAL group, n = 7) with a group of bilateral adult cochlear implant users (denoted BILATERAL group, n = 6) in terms of speech perception, sound localization, and self-assessment of health status and hearing disability. Speech perception was assessed using word recognition at 60 dB SPL in quiet and in a ‘cocktail party’ noise delivered through five loudspeakers in the hemi-sound field facing the patient (signal-to-noise ratio = +10 dB). The sound localization task was to determine the source of a sound stimulus among five speakers positioned between –90° and +90° from midline. Change in health status was assessed using the Glasgow Benefit Inventory and hearing disability was evaluated with the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit. Speech perception was not statistically different between the two groups, even though there was a trend in favor of the BINAURAL group (mean percent word recognition in the BINAURAL and BILATERAL groups: 70 vs. 56.7% in quiet, 55.7 vs. 43.3% in noise). There was also no significant difference with regard to performance in sound localization and self-assessment of health status and hearing disability. On the basis of the BINAURAL group’s performance in hearing tasks involving the detection of interaural differences, implantation with the Neurelec Digisonict SP Binaural implant may be considered to restore effective binaural hearing. Based on these first comparative results, this device seems to provide benefits similar to those of traditional bilateral cochlear implantation, with a new approach to stimulate both auditory nerves.
STRATEGIZING SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES DEVELOPMENT THROUGH ICT-RELATED INNOVATIONS ADOPTION: MODERATING INFLUENCE OF GENDER, AGE AND EXPERIENCE

The rapid advancement in information and communication technology (ICT) has brought huge entrepreneur benefits and challenges. A key challenge that has been less researched is the demand for skilled manpower in relation to the issue of the role employees’ age and gender play in driving SMEs’ ICT-related innovations adoption. This paper attempted to determine the moderating role of three important workers’ demographic characteristics (age, gender and experience) on the use of innovations related to ICT by SMEs. Adopting the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) perspective, a questionnaire was designed and administered to 400 employees selected from 43 SMEs in the Malaysian state of Selangor. The results of multiple regression analysis indicate that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions all have significant impacts on ICT-related technology innovations adoption (ICTRIA) while the moderator analysis confirmed that the two gender categories, different age groups and different experience levels have specific moderating influence on the relationship paths between the four predictors and technology innovations use. Novel findings show that performance expectancy and social influence are more salient for older female and younger female workers to run jobs related to ICT innovations use in the firm respectively.
Association study between the Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule (DSCAM) gene and bipolar disorder

Objectives Defects of neurodevelopmental processes are suggested to underlie the pathogenesis of bipolar disorder. Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule (DSCAM), a member of neural immunoglobulin superfamily playing a diverse role for neural development, is mapped to chromosome 21q22, a linkage locus for bipolar disorder, and is, therefore, an interesting candidate for the disease. Methods We performed a variation screening of the gene and association studies in 22 multiplex bipolar pedigrees of Caucasian descent and 119 Japanese patients with bipolar disorder and 140 controls. Expression levels of DSCAM were also examined in postmortem brains from the Stanley Medical Research Institute. Results We found 27 single nucleotide polymorphisms in DSCAM. Possible associations of SNP DC141 (IVS27-15A>G; P=0.042) and DC142 (IVS29+328C>A; P=0.036) were observed in pedigree samples, and G allele of DC141 was correlated with increased expression levels of DSCAM (P=0.038) in postmortem brains. Possible association of DC136 (4749C>T), which is in the same haplotype block with DC141 and DC142, was detected in Japanese populations (P=0.049). Conclusions These results suggest the possible contribution of DSCAM gene in bipolar disorder, and warrant further investigations.
Framing financial advertising: message effectiveness in intertemporal choice

Abstract The current study examined the effectiveness of retirement financial services advertising (RFSA) in consumer intertemporal choice. When consumers make decisions on retirement savings, they face trade-offs: when should they start saving, how much do they need to invest, and how much do they need to retire? Specifically, this study explored the effectiveness of a financial services advertisement stressing the investment process for retirement savings (that is, process framing) and a financial services advertisement emphasizing the outcome of investment (that is, outcome framing) in combination with gain and loss frames. The obtained data indicated that people in the process framing condition had a stronger tendency to choose the earlier saving option over the delay option when an ad was presented in terms of losses versus gains. In contrast, the advantage of gains (vs. losses) was found in the outcome framing condition. Some implications for strategic advertising messages to promote early retirement savings were discussed.
Evaluation of the automated COBAS AMPLICOR hepatitis C virus PCR system

To evaluate the reliability and feasibility of the automated Roche COBAS AMPLICOR PCR system for routine detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA, a total of 405 serum samples previously tested by an in-house nested PCR and manual Roche AMPLICOR microwell plate HCV test were examined. Complete concordance was found between the results with the HCV COBAS AMPLICOR system and the previously determined HCV RNA status. The automated HCV COBAS AMPLICOR system provides the clinical microbiology laboratory with a specific and sensitive PCR method for rapid and reliable detection of HCV RNA.
The efficacy of paracetamol versus tenoxicam on postoperative pain and morphine consumption after abdominal hysterectomy: a placebo-controlled, randomized study.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine the analgesic efficacy and side-effects of paracetamol and tenoxicam in comparison with placebo in patients with postoperative pain after elective abdominal hysterectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 120 patients were randomly divided into three groups to receive either paracetamol 1 g, tenoxicam 20 mg or placebo intravenously at the end of surgery, and then morphine was administered by a patient-controlled analgesia device postoperatively. RESULTS Tenoxicam was associated with lower pain scores at the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 24th hour postoperatively. Total morphine consumption was 44.8 +/- 17.4 mg, 64.6 +/- 19.6 mg, 69.2 +/- 22.1 (tenoxicam, paracetamol and placebo group, respectively) and there was a significant difference in the tenoxicam group compared with the other two groups (p < 0.05). Side-effects except for nausea were similar. CONCLUSION A single dose of 20 mg tenoxicam provided effective analgesia and reduced total morphine consumption in comparison with paracetamol and placebo after abdominal hysterectomy.
The Influence of Fiscal Policy of Local Government Towards the Level Of Community Welfare: Exhibition Of Caresidenan Surakarta And DIY

Abstract: This study aimed to examine the effect of local government fiscal policy on the public welfare in districts surrounding Surakarta and Yogyakarta. Operationalization of fiscal policy conducted using a measure of a degree of autonomy, revenue effectiveness, government activity, revenue growth, and efficiency, while public welfare was measured using the Human Development Index (HDI). The examination was done using multiple linear regression analysis. The results show that, together, a degree of autonomy, revenue effectiveness, government activity, revenue growth, and efficiency influence the achievement of HDI. However, measured individually, the only degree of autonomy and efficiency influence the achievement of HDI. Thus, it can be concluded that the government's fiscal policy affects the level of welfare. Further research should measure the difference between the achievements of the public welfare and variables affecting the health of District / Town surrounding of Surakarta and in the Province of DIY Abstrak: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji pengaruh kebijakan fiskal pemerintah daerah terhadap kesejahteraan masyarakat di kabupaten sekitar Surakarta dan Yogyakarta. Operasionalisasi kebijakan fiskal dilakukan dengan menggunakan ukuran tingkat otonomi, efektivitas pendapatan, aktivitas pemerintah, pertumbuhan pendapatan, dan efisiensi, sementara kesejahteraan masyarakat diukur dengan menggunakan Indeks Pembangunan Manusia (IPM). Pemeriksaan dilakukan menggunakan analisis regresi linier berganda. Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa, bersama-sama, tingkat otonomi, efektivitas pendapatan, aktivitas pemerintah, pertumbuhan pendapatan, dan efisiensi mempengaruhi pencapaian IPM. Namun, diukur secara individual, hanya tingkat otonomi dan efisiensi yang mempengaruhi pencapaian IPM. Dengan demikian, dapat disimpulkan bahwa kebijakan fiskal pemerintah mempengaruhi tingkat kesejahteraan. Penelitian lebih lanjut harus mengukur perbedaan antara pencapaian kesejahteraan masyarakat dan variabel yang mempengaruhi kesejahteraan Kabupaten/Kota di sekitar Surakarta dan di Provinsi DIY
The Relationship Between System Effectiveness and Subjective Usability Scores Using the System Usability Scale

This article examines the relationship between users’ subjective usability assessments, as measured using the System Usability Scale (SUS), and the ISO metric of effectiveness, using task success as the measure. The article reports the results of two studies designed to explore the relationship between SUS scores and user success rates for a variety of interfaces. The first study was a field study, where stereotypical usability assessments on a variety of products and services were performed. The second study was a well-controlled laboratory study where the level of success that users were able to achieve was controlled. For both studies, the relationship between SUS scores and their attendant performance were examined at both the individual level and the average system level. Although the correlations are far from perfect, there are reliable and reasonably strong positive correlations between subjective usability measures and task success rates, for both the laboratory and field studies at both the individual and system level.
An integrated model of the adoption of radio frequency identification technology in the hotel industry

Radio frequency identification (RFID) represents a brand new technology that promises to improve process efficiency in hospitality settings. The technology-organisation-environment (TOE) framework and technology acceptance model (TAM) are applied to gain insights into influences on the adoption intention of RFID in the hotel industry. By adopting the TOE framework and TAM as a theoretical base, this descriptive-survey study used questionnaire to collect data in 92 different hotels in Iran. The proposed research model is tested against using structural equation modelling (SEM). The results showed that TOE framework and TAM have positive effects on intentions to use RFID. Our results support the proposed conceptualisation and shed significant and useful insights on the key factors associated with hotels' adoption of RFID.
Recall Proliferation Potential of Memory CD8+ T Cells and Antiviral Protection1

Memory CD8+ T cells play a crucial role in mediating protection from infection with viruses and other intracellular pathogens. Memory T cells are not a homogenous cellular population and may be separated into central memory T cells with substantial recall proliferation capacity and effector memory T cells with limited recall proliferation capacity. It has been suggested that the protective capacity of effector memory T cells is more limited than that of central memory T cells in viral infections. Here, we show that pronounced recall proliferation potential is indeed key for protection against lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, which replicates in central lymphoid organs and is controlled by contact-dependent lysis of infected cells. In contrast, recall proliferation competence is not sufficient for protection against vaccinia virus, which is replicating in peripheral solid organs and is controlled by cytokines. To protect against vaccinia virus, high numbers of effector-like T cells were required to be present in peripheral tissue before viral challenge. These data indicate that the protective capacity of different subpopulations of memory T cells may vary dependent on the nature and the route of the challenge infection, which must be considered in T cell-based vaccine design.
Cryptocurrencies and monetary policy

This policy contribution was prepared for the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament (ECON) as an input for the Monetary Dialogue of 9 July 2018 between ECON and the President of the ECB. The original paper is available on the European Parliament’s webpage (here). Copyright remains with the European Parliament at all times. This Policy Contribution tries to answer two main questions- can cryptocurrencies acquire the.
carotenoid-pigmented feathers in birds Ancient origins and multiple appearances of Supplementary data tml

Supplementary data tml http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing. org/content/suppl/2014/06/24/rspb.2014. 0806.DC1. h "Data Supplement" References http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing. org/content/281/1788/20140806.full. html#ref-list-1 This article cites 37 articles, 13 of which can be accessed free Subject collections (1803 articles) evolution  Articles on similar topics can be found in the following collections Email alerting service here right-hand corner of the article or click Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article sign up in the box at the top
The Cost of Inappropriate Care at the End of life

Elderly patients patients (older than 65 years) account for only 11% of the US population yet they account for 34% of health care expenditure. The disproportionate usage of health care costs by elderly patients is in striking contrast with that of other Western Nations. It is likely that these differences are largely due to variances in hospitalization and the use of high technology health care resources at the end of life. The United States has 8 times as many intensive care unit (ICU) beds per capita when compared to other Western Nations. In the United States, elderly patients currently account for 42% to 52% of ICU admissions and for almost 60% of all ICU days. A disproportionate number of these ICU days are spent by elderly patients before their death. In many instances, aggressive life supportive measures serve only to prolong the patient’s death. Such treatment inflicts pain and suffering on the patient (with little prospects of gain) and incurs enormous financial costs to the health care system. We present the case of an 86-year-old female who spent almost 3 months in our ICU prior to her death. The fully allocated hospital costs for this patient were estimated to be US$254 945 (US$5100/d). With the increasing age of the population and the projected increased demand for ICU beds, we review the benefits and burdens of admitting elderly patients to the ICU.
Parallel and lineage‐specific molecular adaptation to climate in boreal black spruce

In response to selective pressure, adaptation may follow different genetic pathways throughout the natural range of a species due to historical differentiation in standing genetic variation. Using 41 populations of black spruce (Picea mariana), the objectives of this study were to identify adaptive genetic polymorphisms related to temperature and precipitation variation across the transcontinental range of the species, and to evaluate the potential influence of historical events on their geographic distribution. Population structure was first inferred using 50 control nuclear markers. Then, 47 candidate gene SNPs identified in previous genome scans were tested for relationship with climatic factors using an FST‐based outlier method and regressions between allele frequencies and climatic variations. Two main intraspecific lineages related to glacial vicariance were detected at the transcontinental scale. Within‐lineage analyses of allele frequencies allowed the identification of 23 candidate SNPs significantly related to precipitation and/or temperature variation, among which seven were common to both lineages, eight were specific to the eastern lineage and eight were specific to the western lineage. The implication of these candidate SNPs in adaptive processes was further supported by gene functional annotations. Multiple evidences indicated that the occurrence of lineage‐specific adaptive SNPs was better explained by selection acting on historically differentiated gene pools rather than differential selection due to heterogeneity of interacting environmental factors and pleiotropic effects. Taken together, these findings suggest that standing genetic variation of potentially adaptive nature has been modified by historical events, hence affecting the outcome of recent selection and leading to different adaptive routes between intraspecific lineages.
Angiomatoid malignant fibrous histiocytoma: Flow cytometric DNA analysis of six cases

Using flow cytometry, we examined the DNA content of six angiomatoid “malignant” fibrous histiocytomas (AMFH), seven nonangiomatoid MFH, and seven myxoid variants of MFH. All six AMFHs were diploid. All nonangiomatoid MFHs and six of seven of the myxoid variant were aneuploid. The clinical course, histological appearance, and ploidy pattern of AMFH are distinctly different from other MFH variants. These differences strongly suggest that AMFH is at the benign end of the clinicobiologic spectrum manifested by “malignant” fibrous histiocytomas.
Mutagenesis of hetR Reveals Amino Acids Necessary for HetR Function in the Heterocystous Cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. Strain PCC 7120

ABSTRACT HetR is the master regulator of heterocyst differentiation in the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. Genetic selection was used to identify 33 amino acid substitutions in HetR that reduced the proportion of cells undergoing heterocyst differentiation to less than 2%. Conservative substitutions in the wild-type HetR protein revealed three mutations that dramatically reduced the amount of heterocyst differentiation when the mutant allele was present in place of the wild-type allele on a replicating plasmid in a mutant lacking hetR on the chromosome. An H69Y substitution resulted in heterocyst formation among less than 0.1% of cells, and D17E and G36A substitutions resulted in a Het− phenotype, compared to heterocyst formation among approximately 25% of cells with the wild-type hetR under the same conditions. The D17E substitution prevented DNA binding activity exhibited by wild-type HetR in mobility shift assays, whereas G36A and H69Y substitutions had no affect on DNA binding. D17E, G36A, and H69Y substitutions also resulted in higher levels of the corresponding HetR protein than of the wild-type protein when each was expressed from an inducible promoter in a hetR deletion strain, suggesting an effect on HetR protein turnover. Surprisingly, C48A and S152A substitutions, which were previously reported to result in a Het− phenotype, were found to have no effect on heterocyst differentiation or patterning when the corresponding mutations were introduced into an otherwise wild-type genetic background in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. The clustering of mutations that satisfied the positive selection near the amino terminus suggests an important role for this part of the protein in HetR function.