Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Political, Economic, Socio-Cultural, and Educational Challenges of Administering a Sino-US Joint Venture Campus in China

This qualitative study explored the political, economic, socio-cultural, and educational challenges of administering a Sino-U.S. joint-venture campus in the People’s Republic of China. China American University (CAU) is an educational joint venture between China Investment Company (CIC) and American University (AU) in the U.S. that resulted in naming CAU a branch campus of AU. Data were acquired through semi-structured interviews, surveys, and participant observations. The researcher interviewed, surveyed and observed U.S. administrators and executives, American teachers, Chinese students, and Chinese staff. This study concluded that there are many challenges of administering such a Sino-U.S. joint venture campus in China. Administering a Sino-U.S. joint venture campus in China requires a broad understanding of the host country and a significant amount of flexibility. More research is needed to understand how American the so-called American education is in China, including what the standards are and who is, as Knight (2004) says, “monitoring” and “assuring the relevance and quality” of such programs (p. 84). * Osman Ozturgut served as a faculty member and administrator at various higher education institutions in Turkey, China, and the USA. He is currently a faculty member at a Sino-U.S. joint venture campus in China. His research interests include comparative and international education, multicultural education, and organizational leadership. Dr. Ozturgut is an expert in the area of Sino and U.S. education, program development, and project management.
Regimes of mediation: advertising practitioners as cultural intermediaries?

This paper explores the status of advertising practitioners as cultural intermediaries and uses that analysis to think through the contested relationship between consumption and production, and culture and economy. Using examples and illustrations from interview data with advertising practitioners in the UK, I explore how the circulation of rhetoric in the advertising industry functions as one form of mediation performed by advertising practitioners. I argue that practitioners’ role should not be understood solely in terms of a mediation between producer and consumer; instead, their role should be conceived in terms of a negotiation between multiple “regimes of mediation”, including that of the relationship between advertising agencies and their clients. Agencies perform commercial relationships, bringing them into being and constantly redefining them. Attending to these multiple modes of mediation opens up questions about the status of advertising, the role of cultural intermediaries, and the relationship between production and consumption, economy and culture.
Species identification of birds through genetic analysis of naturally shed feathers

Genetic analysis of noninvasively collected bird feathers is of growing importance to avian ecology; however, most genetic studies that utilize feathers make no mention of the need to verify their species of origin. While plumage patterns and collection location often are indicative of species identity, broad-scale feather collections may require definitive species identification prior to analysis. Genetic species identification has been applied to noninvasively collected samples from a wide range of taxa but, to date, these techniques have not been widely used on bird feathers. Here, we develop and test a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based technique for identifying eastern imperial eagle ( Aquila heliaca ) samples among a vast number of noninvasively collected feathers. Species identification is accomplished by amplifying a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I gene, then digesting that fragment with a restriction enzyme. The resulting species-specific restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) are easily visualized by gel electrophoresis. We tested this PCR-RFLP assay on over 300 individuals that had been genetically identified from noninvasively collected feathers and demonstrated that the assay is both reliable and robust for DNA of low quality and quantity. The genetic methods of species identification used to develop this assay can readily be applied to other bird assemblages, making them particularly relevant to a broad range of future avian research.
A note on soil erosion and the loss in crop production: case study of Fiji's ginger farms

This study focuses on soil erosion and incorporates this in a stochastic production framework using Fijian ginger farmers as a case study. Empirical estimates using cross sectional data showed that these farmers on average were producing at 61% of the maximum potential output. They faced a 17% loss of output due to low soil erosion and about 27% output loss if soil erosion was moderate to high. In addition, profit, land ownership, ethnicity of farmer, and education affected technical efficiency while distance from an agricultural station, slope of land, and hot water treatment were insignificant in their effect on efficiency.
Dynamic ‘hour glass’ model for SET and RESET in HfO2 RRAM

An analytic dynamic hour glass model for HfO2 RRAM is demonstrated, describing the reset as a dynamic equilibrium process and the set as a constriction growth limited by ion mobility and current compliance. The dependence on time, voltage and forming conditions is in good constriction growth agreement with experiments. Since the model is fully analytical, it can be implemented in a circuit simulator.
Sequential Entry in a Vertically Differentiated Market

This paper considers a sequential entry game of homogeneous firms in a vertically differentiated market. A firm can choose any variety of products, with a fixed cost per product. Each product can be withdrawn afterwards without exit costs. Then each firm chooses one product at most in equilibrium because of a commitment problem. The first firm chooses the highest quality if the fixed cost is so large that subsequent entry is blockaded. It chooses middle quality to deter entry of a low? quality firm if the fixed cost decreases. Hence everyone becomes worse off as the entrant becomes more dangerous.
Dynamic Factors and Asset Pricing

Abstract This study develops an econometric model that incorporates features of price dynamics across assets as well as through time. With the dynamic factors extracted via the Kalman filter, we formulate an asset pricing model, termed the dynamic factor pricing model (DFPM). We then conduct asset pricing tests in the in-sample and out-of-sample contexts. Our analyses show that the ex ante factors are a key component in asset pricing and forecasting. By using the ex ante factors, the DFPM improves upon the explanatory and predictive power of other competing models, including unconditional and conditional versions of the Fama and French (1993) 3-factor model. In particular, the DFPM can explain and better forecast the momentum portfolio returns, which are mostly missed by alternative models.
Phosphate-specific transport system of Escherichia coli: nucleotide sequence and gene-polypeptide relationships

The DNA nucleotide sequence of four genes for the phosphate-specific transport system of Escherichia coli is reported. Along with the DNA sequence for the phoS gene reported previously (Surin et al., J. Bacteriol. 157:772-778, 1984; Magota et al., J. Bacteriol. 157:909-917, 1984), this study completes the nucleotide sequence of the phosphate-specific transport region. The complete sequence (including phoS) contains five open reading frames oriented in the same direction, each preceded by a putative ribosome-binding site near the presumed translation initiation codon ATG. The complete sequence is transcribed counterclockwise, in the order phoS pstC pstA pstB phoU. Genetic complementation shows that of the four open reading frames in the new sequence, three correspond to known mutant alleles; the fourth, which was designated pstC, has not been described before and could not be related to any known mutant allele. We have confirmed that pstA was allelic to phoT32. The pstC, pstB, and phoU gene products were identified as peripheral membrane proteins. The pstA gene product appears to be an integral membrane protein.
Cellular Response to Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Intestinal Epithelial Caco-2 Cells is Dependent on Endocytosis-Associated Structures and Mediated by EGFR

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is one of the most applied nanomaterials and widely used in food and non-food industries as an additive or coating material (E171). It has been shown that E171 contains up to 37% particles which are smaller than 100 nm and that TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) induce cytotoxicity and inflammation. Using a nuclear factor Kappa-light-chain enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) reporter cell line (Caco-2nfkb-RE), Real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and inhibition of dynamin and clathrin, it was shown that cellular responses induced by 5 nm and 10 nm TiO2 NPs (nominal size) depends on endocytic processes. As endocytosis is often dependent on the epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR), further investigations focused on the involvement of EGFR in the uptake of TiO2 NPs: (1) inhibition of EGFR reduced inflammatory markers of the cell (i.e., nuclear factor (NF)-κB activity, mRNA of IL8, CCL20, and CXCL10); and (2) exposure of Caco-2 cells to TiO2 NPs activated the intracellular EGFR cascade beginning with EGFR-mediated extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK)1/2, and including transcription factor ELK1. This was followed by the expression of ERK1/2 target genes CCL2 and CXCL3. We concluded that TiO2 NPs enter the cell via EGFR-associated endocytosis, followed by activation of the EGFR/ERK/ELK signaling pathway, which finally induces NF-κB. No changes in inflammatory response are observed in Caco-2 cells exposed to 32 nm and 490 nm TiO2 particles.
Ikaros Enforces the Costimulatory Requirement for IL2 Gene Expression and Is Required for Anergy Induction in CD4+ T Lymphocytes1

T cell activation results in dynamic remodeling of the chromatin at the IL2 promoter and induction of IL2 gene transcription. These processes are each dependent upon CD28 costimulation, but the molecular basis for this requirement is not clear. The IL2 promoter contains consensus-binding elements for Ikaros, a lymphocyte-specific zinc-finger DNA-binding protein that can regulate gene expression by recruiting chromatin-remodeling complexes. We find that native Ikaros in CD4+ T cells exhibits sequence-specific binding to these elements in vitro, and interacts with the endogenous IL2 promoter in vivo, in a manner dependent upon its DNA-binding domain. This binding has important consequences on the regulation of the IL2 gene, because CD4+ T cells with reduced Ikaros DNA-binding activity no longer require signals from the TCR or CD28 for histone acetylation at the endogenous IL2 promoter, and no longer require CD28 costimulation for expression of the IL2 gene. Furthermore, CD4+ T cells with reduced Ikaros activity are resistant to clonal anergy induced by TCR ligation in the absence of either CD28 or IL-2R signals. These results establish Ikaros as a transcriptional repressor of the IL2 gene that functions through modulation of chromatin structure and has an obligate role in the induction of anergy.
Characteristics of UK Firms Related to Timing of Adoption of Statement of Standard Accounting Practice No. 20

This study examines whether the timing of adoption of the UK Statement of Standard Accounting Practice No. 20 'Foreign Currency Translation' depended on firms' financial characteristics. Consistent with US studies, we find that early adopters tended to be larger firms, and that variables, such as growth options, profitability, leverage and management payout, have strong predictive power. In general, the decision to adopt the Statement of Standard Accounting Practice No. 20 did not appear to adversely affect the profitability measures or dividend payout. Firms tended to adopt when the adverse economic consequences of the adoption were likely to be minimal. They also appeared to defer the adoption of the standard to influence their financial performance and, hence, to achieve certain corporate financial objectives. © 2006 AFAANZ.
Committee bias in legislatures with a high degree of party cohesion: Evidence from Danish municipalities

The institution of committees in democratic legislatures has for years been said to bias policy making because the preferences of committee members differ from, and are more alike than, those of other legislators due to self-selection to the committees. Based on an analysis of United States Senate committees, Hall and Grofman suggested in 1990 that the preferences of committee members primarily diverge from, and are more alike than, those of non-committee members on policy issues that are salient to constituencies or at least to an easily definable segment of constituencies. This article argues that the logic of Hall and Grofman should in fact be reversed in legislatures characterised by highly cohesive parties. Accordingly, the main hypothesis is that in such legislatures the preferences of committee members are more likely to be alike than those of non-committee members in the committees that work with policy issues of less salience to constituencies. Using a large-scale comparative design comprising data collected in 2008 on the spending preferences of 1,348 Danish local politicians, evidence is found supporting this hypothesis. This finding points to the importance of considering the role of parties when assessing committee bias.
Spanish hotel industry: indebtedness determinants

This article analyses the indebtedness of the companies belonging to the Spanish hotel industry. The internationalization process of Spanish hotel companies requires a new approach to their financial strategies. The form of expansion chosen in this process has an impact on the pace and volume of the funds needed for it. Other items are incorporated to observe different behaviour among hotel companies in relation with their indebtedness process. Among analysed factors, we can observe the importance of solvency, liquidity, and asset structure. The hotel industry's means to explain individual indebtedness is also relevant, demonstrating the fact that firms usually follow the sector's benchmark when determining the level of indebtedness. Studies such those of Grinblatt and Titman (2003) or Frank and Goyal (2009) confirm this same hypothesis.
New evidence on subjective well-being and the definition of unemployment in South Africa

Access to new nationally representative, individual-level panel data from South Africa has allowed for the revalidation of Kingdon and Knight's discussion on the definition of unemployment. This paper investigates subjective well-being as a measure of comparison between labour-market statuses. It finds that on the grounds of subjective well-being the non-searching unemployed (or ‘discouraged’) are significantly worse-off than the not economically active. Moreover, evidence suggests that, with regard to the relationship between life satisfaction and labour-market status, the non-searching unemployed consistently are the worst-off. This is especially true of both the young and senior non-searching unemployed; however, the findings are largely driven by the African subsample. This paper does not advocate for a change in the official definition of unemployment but does advocate for the inclusion and recognition of the non-searching unemployed in policy relating to labour and development in South Africa.
MODELLING ASSET PRICES WITH TIME-VARYING BETAS *

This paper pursues the idea that the relevant distributional moments for the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) are the conditional, rather than the unconditional, covariances of returns. Thus, asset Betas may be time-varying and random rather than constant. The model is parameterized and estimated on monthly U.K. data by an application of the Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (ARCH) formulation of Engle and its generalization (GARCH) due to Bollerslev. We also estimate a more general model which nests the consumption-based CAPM of Breeden. The results suggest that perceptions of risk, i.e. conditional variances and covariances, are time-varying but that memories are long and agents update their perceptions relatively slowly. Despite this, measured asset Betas show substantial short-term variation. Estimates of an extended CAPM, nesting both traditional and consumption-based variants, suggest that whilst significant time-variation in risk premia is still evident, no single measure of r Copyright 1989 by Blackwell Publishers Ltd and The Victoria University of Manchester
Allosteric Noncompetitive Small Molecule Selective Inhibitors of CD45 Tyrosine Phosphatase Suppress T-Cell Receptor Signals and Inflammation In Vivo

CD45 is a receptor-like member of the protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) family. We screened in silico for small molecules binding at a predicted allosteric pocket unique to the CD45 intracellular domain, and validated inhibitors by in vitro phosphatase assays. Compound 211 exhibited a CD45 IC50 value of 200 nM and had >100-fold selectivity over six related PTPs. The relevance of the allosteric pocket was verified through site-directed mutagenesis. Compound 211 has a noncompetitive mechanism of action, and it is extremely effective at preventing dephosphorylation of substrate Lck phosphotyrosine (pY)-505 versus preventing dephosphorylation of Lck pY-393. In cultured primary T cells, compound 211 prevents T-cell receptor–mediated activation of Lck, Zap-70, and mitogen-activated protein kinase, and interleukin-2 production. In a delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction in vivo, compound 211 abolished inflammation. This work demonstrates a novel approach to develop effective allosteric inhibitors that can be expanded to target the corresponding allosteric domains of other receptor PTPs.
Home Market and the Artisans in Colonial India: A Study of Brass-ware

Studies on Indian artisans in the recent times have tended to be guided by the notion of a world market which, it is believed, drove them towards obsolescence through changing tastes or productivity. This framework, however, is not without problems. First, the presence of older industries in modern India, or their long continuance, tends to be seen in terms of ‘survivals’ or ‘revivals’, which terms deny them any inherent dynamics. On the other hand, the impression that many of them ‘survive’ today in strikingly modernized forms, utilizing production and marketing institutions vastly different from those that prevailed a hundred years ago, would demand of historians an account of how old industries evolve, and become integrated into the rest of the economy. Secondly, the crux of the world market story is the economy's opening up to trade. That foreign trade had a critical impact on crafts such as textiles, partially decimated by imports, or leather, where trade commercialized an erstwhile custom-bound exchange, is indisputable. But there are other notable examples where the effect of trade was benign, minor, or indirect, where artisans remained producers of a mass consumable; and where neither did they face significant competition from imported goods, nor were reduced to fodder for metropolitan industrialization. Yet they changed profoundly. In a way, their history reflects not the play of a dominant exogenous process, but the totality of the economy's structural change. Crafts history does not yet provide us with prototypes of this endogenous transformation.
Ethical aspects of participation in the Database of Genotypes and Phenotypes of the National Center for Biotechnology Information

The rapid pace of genetics research, coupled with evolving standards for informed consent, can create ethical challenges regarding future use of tissue or information from completed clinical trials. The Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) Oncology Cooperative Group was faced with an ethical dilemma regarding sharing genetic data from a completed genome‐wide association study (GWAS) that was conducted as part of a large, multicenter breast cancer clinical trial with a national database: the Database of Genotypes and Phenotypes National Center for Biotechnology Information (dbGaP).
Ranking Performance Measures in Multi-Task Agencies

ABSTRACT: We derive sufficient conditions for ranking performance evaluation systems in multi-task agency models (using both optimal and linear contracts) in terms of a second-order stochastic dominance (SSD) condition on the likelihood ratios. The SSD condition can be replaced by a variance-covariance matrix of likelihood ratios (VCM) condition when the utility function is square-root, the performance measures are normally distributed, and for LEN models. We identify existing results derived under the LEN assumptions that rely on the VCM condition and, thus, also hold for optimal contracts.
Environmental Regulation and Firm Level Innovation

Many analysts argue that environmental regulation is a barrier to innovation in business firms. A competing view holds that environmental regulation contributes to firm level innovation. This article attempts to partially reconcile these two views. The article argues that organizational and individual level variables moderate the effect of environmental regulation generally on the radicalness of innovation at the firm level. It proposes that four moderating variables the degree to which information analysis about environmental issues is centralized, firm size, the intensity and integration of research and development (R&D) units within the firm, and whether regulation is perceived as an opportunity change the sign of the relationship between environmental regulation and the radicalness of firm level innovation. Empirically testable propositions are presented and a regulation innovation profile is suggested. Directions for future research and implications for practicing managers are highlighted.
Academic Dishonesty: How Do Part-Time and Full-Time Accounting Students Compare?

The upsurge in demand for university education in Zimbabwe as well as the reduced state funding has given rise the introduction of part-time degree programmes that run parallel with the full-time programmes. Apart from addressing the surge in demand these programmes also address the funding gap in higher education. Of major concern has been the poor performance of the part-time students. One area in academic performance which may affect the performance of students is academic dishonesty. To this end therefore the study sought to find out whether there were differences in attitude and behaviour towards academic dishonesty between part-time and full-time students. A survey instrument was administered to 162 final year accounting students at one of Zimbabwe’s largest state university during the first semester of the 2012/13 academic year. Out of the 11 attitude statements to do with academic dishonest significant differences were observed on four statements: that is the effect of cheating on learning; perception regarding academic dishonesty; students’ ethics codes and tolerance of friends who cheated. Faculty is therefore advised to take note of the differences between the two student groups in as far as academic dishonesty is concerned. It is worthwhile to study further whether there is a relationship between ethical maturity and employment and also why females seem to have a more relaxed view on some aspects of academic dishonesty.
Acquisition of local market information in international joint ventures: service sectors

This research attempts to identify key factors affecting the acquisition of local market information in foreign majority-owned international joint ventures (IJVs). By using Spearman rank correlation coefficient and ordinary least squares regression, we reveal that most of the factors included in our model play a pivotal role in enhancing learning for foreign parents of IJVs. These results contribute to current knowledge by filling several research gaps and provide useful and practical implications for multinational enterprises.