Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sustainable livelihood for a better adaptation towards climate change among small scale fishermen in Malaysia

Adaptation towards climate change among the community has becoming a pressing issue, hence, effort to strengthen it has become a priority. It is recognized that not every adaptation strategy fit to every group of community, each of the groups have their own strength. In this study, the focus is placed on one of the important groups in Malaysia – the small scale fishermen whereby efforts are placed to strategize specific climate adaptation strategies via intensification of their livelihood assets. Initially, the paper looks on the background of fisheries industry in Malaysia, the small scale fishermen in Malaysia and the climate change scenario in Malaysia. Then, it gears the readers to the discussions on the impacts of climate change on the livelihood assets, the need to strengthen the assets, the relations between the assets and subsequently to the prime aim of the paper – the recommendations to strengthen the small scale fishermen climate adaptation via the intensification of their livelihood assets.
Physical and mechanical properties of plywood manufactured from treated red-heart beech (Fagus orientalis L.) wood veneers

Effects of drying temperature and artificial UV irradiation on the pH of veneer surfaces, water absorption, thickness swelling, as well as shear strength of plywood manufactured from untreated and treated veneer sheets were evaluated. Rotary cut veneer sheets from beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) log were selected. The veneer sheets were dried at either 100°C or 180°C after peeling. Then the surfaces were exposed to artificial UV irradiation in an UV chamber for 1, 2, and 3 days representing a natural sun irradiation of 2, 4, and 6 months, respectively. Tests by UV microspectrophotometry showed that after high temperature drying and UV irradiation treatment, lignin condensation occurs. Also with increasing drying temperature and UV irradiation duration phenolic extractives are mainly concentrated in parenchyma cells and vessel lumens. HPLC analysis of the treated tissue showed distinct signals of catechin and 2,6-dimethoxybenzoquinon, which are two chromophoric compounds in discolored red hearted beech wood. Increasing drying temperature up to 180°C improved water absorption, thickness swelling, and shear strength of plywood samples. Especially, when veneers were exposed to UV irradiation (6 months), increased water absorption and thickness swelling and decreased the shear strength of plywood samples were observed.
New insights into critical events of avian gastrulation

The formation and progression of the primitive streak are key events of avian gastrulation. We examine these processes in detail, using various morphological approaches. We show that formation of the primitive streak occurs locally at the caudal midline of the area pellucida, as cells in the caudal midline undergo an epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transformation, and that extensive migration of delaminated cells arising from more rostral or peripheral areas of the blastoderm is not involved in streak formation. Instead, such delamination occurs earlier and is restricted to the process of hypoblast formation. Moreover, we provide evidence that progression of the primitive streak involves two processes: convergent‐extension movements within the streak per se, and progressive delamination of midline epiblast cells in a caudal‐to‐rostral sequence. We have identified a subpopulation of primitive‐streak cells located at its dorsal midline surface that undergoes extensive rostral displacement concomitant with streak progression. The fact that these cells are located only dorsally and do not elongate ventrally as do adjacent ingressing cells, suggests that these cells retain their residency within the primitive streak, at least until regression of the primitive streak occurs. Finally, by following labeled cells over time we establish the timing of movement of epiblast cells toward and into the primitive streak, providing direct evidence that cell–cell intercalation occurs within the primitive streak during its progression. Collectively, our results provide new insight into complex and central events of avian gastrulation. Anat Rec 262:238–252, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Perceived Export Barriers of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises: An Analysis from Lesotho-Based Manufacturing Enterprises

Small enterprises represent a large proportion of enterprises in most economies and are a driving force for economic growth. Most small enterprises refrain from exporting due to a number of challenges. The aim of this study was to determine the exporting barriers perceived to constrain exporting from Lesotho-based manufacturing micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive design. Data were collected from 162 Lesotho-based manufacturing enterprises through a self-administered questionnaire. Factor analysis revealed three export barrier groupings, namely international, distribution, and financial constraints. The descriptive statistics showed that Lesotho-based manufacturing MSMEs perceive lack of financial resources for market research, lack of financial resources to finance export sales, and lack of excess capacity for exports, all internal to an enterprise-loading under financial barriers as constraints to exporting. The study added to the literature new classes of export barriers. The findings suggest that the government of Lesotho has to put in place mechanisms that can reduce financial constraints to enable MSMEs to contribute as expected.
Effect of ionophore antibiotics on experimentally induced lactic acidosis in cattle.

Salinomycin, a new ionophore antibiotic, was tested and compared with lasalocid and monensin for preventing experimentally induced lactic acidosis. Five rumen-fistulated adult cattle were used in a 5 X 5 Latin square design, and the treatments were as follows: no treatment (control), 0.11 mg of salinomycin/kg of body weight (S1), 0.22 mg of salinomycin/kg (S2), 0.66 of lasalocid/kg, and 0.66 mg of monensin/kg. Acidosis was induced by intraruminal administration of a ground corn-corn starch mixture (50:50, 12.5 g/kg) once a day for up to 4 days. Antibiotics were administered along with grain-starch mixture. Rumen and blood samples were obtained before and at 6, 12, and 24 hours after each carbohydrate-antibiotic dosing to monitor acid-base status. Control and S1-treated cattle became ruminally acidotic within 54 hours, whereas cattle treated with S2, lasalocid, and monensin resisted acidosis for up to 78 hours after dosing. Cattle treated with S2, lasalocid, or monensin had higher rumen pH and lower L(+)- and D(-)-lactate concentrations than did control or S1-treated cattle. Rumen pH decrease to below 5.0 in S2-, lasalocid-, and monensin-treated cattle was not due to lactic acid, but to increased production of volatile fatty acids. Rumen propionate proportion increased initially in antibiotic-treated cattle, but after 48 hours, butyrate proportion increased significantly. Despite low rumen pH and high lactate concentration, lacticacidemia was not evident, and the systemic acid-base disturbance was mild in control cattle. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Neuroimaging and APOE Genotype: A Systematic Qualitative Review

Apolipoprotein E (APOE) is the major genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and has also been implicated in cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline and cognitive changes in healthy ageing. The aim of this paper is to systematically review and critically assess the association between the APOE genotype and structural/functional cerebral changes as evidenced by brain imaging studies. A second aim is to determine whether these observed associations between APOE and the brain reflect changes which are consistent with the progression of AD neurodegenerative changes described in Braak stages. A search of Pubmed, Psycinfo, and Web of Science databases identified 64 articles available for qualitative review. The review found that presence of the APOE Ε4 allele is associated with (1) hippocampal, amygdalar and entorhinal cortex atrophy, (2) increased brain atrophy, (3) increased white matter hyperintensity volumes and (4) altered cerebral blood flow and glucose metabolism patterns. It is possible that there are critical age ranges when these effects are evident and that the APOE Ε2 genotype might present a risk. We conclude that structural brain change is associated with the APOE genotype and that it is more salient in younger ageing individuals.
Decolonisation of the African mind and intellectual landscape

This paper deals with the question of what the goal of African philosophy ought to be. It will argue that African philosophy ought to be instrumental in the project of decolonising the African mind. In order to argue for this conclusion, there will be an investigation with regards to what it might mean to decolonise one’s mind, and, more precisely, what the relationship is between the decolonisation of the mind and the decolonisation of the intellectual landscape. The intellectual landscape refers to universities and other institutions of knowledge production. The claim is that the decolonisation of the intellectual landscape will result in the decolonisation of the mind. It will be argued that African philosophy has the ability to develop concepts with their roots in Africa, and that this is African philosophy’s main project if taken from a perspective of understanding of African philosophy as “philosophy-in-place”. The development of concepts rooted in Africa has the prospect of working towards the decolonisation of the African intellectual landscape and so eventually the African mind. As a philosophy which aims for health, African philosophy therefore has a responsibility to focus on such a development of concepts rooted in Africa.
The Shareholder Wealth Effects of Corporate Divestitures in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Compared to mergers and acquisitions (MA however, in recent years, corporate divestitures have become increasingly important as a means of corporate strategy. This development underlines the need for in-depth academic research in this field. Although there has been substantial research undertaken in the US and – to a lesser extent – recently also in Europe, the research about corporate divestitures has been widely neglected in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (the D-A-CH region). This thesis, which is part of the capital market studies, investigates the shareholder value effects of corporate selloffs and spinoffs for Austrian, Swiss and German publicly traded companies during the period from 2000 to 2014. The research applies event study methodology, which rests on the assumption of efficient capital markets in the semi-strong form, i.e. shareholder value effects are evaluated based on unexpected changes in the market value of the seller immediately at the divestiture announcement. Moreover, the research identifies several factors influencing shareholder value creation. These factors are related to the divestiture transaction itself and the characteristics of the parties involved in such transactions. The results confirm the findings of previous US and European studies and show that in the D-A-CH region corporate divestitures are creating shareholder value. The abnormal announcement returns in a two-day event window, including the day before the initial public announcement, as well as the actual day of the announcement, average 1.24% for selloffs and 1.92% for spinoffs. In addition, the research shows that the relative size of the transaction in particular, as well as an increase in the corporate focus through the transaction, the use of proceeds, the financial situation of the seller and the type of buyer, influence the magnitude of shareholder value creation. Corporate management should consider these factors prior to making decisions about divestitures.
Trends for diverse production strategies of plant medicinal alkaloids.

Covering: 1999 to 2009 Alkaloids represent a large and highly diverse group of low-molecular-weight compounds related only by the presence of a nitrogen atom in a heterocyclic ring, and are organized into groups according to the structure of their carbon skeleton. Alkaloids are predominantly derived from amino acids and are found in approximately 20% of plant species. As secondary metabolites, alkaloids are thought to play a defensive role in providing protection for the plant against herbivores and pathogens. Due to their potent biological activity, many of the approximately 20 000 known alkaloids have been exploited as pharmaceuticals, stimulants, narcotics and poisons. Plant-derived alkaloids that are currently in clinical use include the anti-neoplastic agents vinblastine and vincristine, the analgesics morphine and codeine, the anti-hypertensives ajmalicine and serpentine, the anti-arrhythmic ajmaline, the muscle relaxants (+)-tubocurarine and papaverine, and the sedative scopolamine. Other well-known plant alkaloids include caffeine, cocaine and nicotine. Within the plant cell culture experimental system, molecular and structural biology techniques have allowed the application of enzymatic engineering strategies to attempt to improve medicinal alkaloids, through the exploration of metabolic engineering of biosynthetic pathways to create new ‘natural’ alkaloids that can be used for structure–activity relationship studies.
The Impact of Institutional Investors on Real and Accrual Earnings Management around IPO: Evidence from Malaysian Emerging Market

The study examines whether Malaysian IPO firms engage in real and accrual earnings management and determines the impact of institutional ownerships on the earnings management discretionary behaviour. The modified Jones (1991) and Roychowdhury (2006) models were used to investigate accrual and real activity behaviours. Institutional ownerships were classified into Conservative and Neutral Pressure Groups. The results indicate Malaysian IPO firms engage in both real and accrual earnings around IPO corporate event. The multivariate analysis shows institutional shareholders constrain real and accrual earnings management which supports the various regulatory reforms by Securities Commission and Bursa Malaysia. The study suggests the need to encourage the Neutral Pressure Group of institutional investors to engage more in shareholders activism in order to safeguard the value of their investments and for investors to examine real activity behaviours in making their investment strategy while standard setters and regulatory agencies need to enforce additional measures to constrain real activity discretionary behaviour.
Quercetin 3-O-β-glucoside is better absorbed than other quercetin forms and is not present in rat plasma

The effect of the nature of the sugar moiety on quercetin absorption has been investigated in rats. Four groups of rats received an experimental meal containing 20 mg of quercetin equivalents, supplied as quercetin, quercetin 3-O-β-glucoside, quercetin 3-O-β-rhamnoside or rutin. Four hours after the meal, the metabolites identified in hydrolysed plasma were identical in all groups (3′- and 4′-methylquercetin). However, the total concentration of metabolites was markedly different: 11.2±1.8, 2.5±2.0 and 33.2±3.5 μM for the quercetin, rutin, and quercetin 3-glucoside meals respectively. After quercetin 3-rhamnoside consumption, we failed to detect any metabolites in the plasma. These data suggest that the 3-O-glucosylation improves the absorption of quercetin in the small intestine, whereas the binding of a rhamnose to the aglycone markedly depresses it. Additional experiments have shown that the higher plasma levels measured after quercetin 3-glucoside meal compared to the quercetin meal were maintained throughout the 24-hour period following the meal. Using a multi-electrode coulometric detection, together with suitable chromatographic conditions, we were able to distinguish between the conjugated and the glycosylated forms. Thus, we clearly showed the absence of quercetin 3-O-β-glucoside in the plasma from rats fed a diet containing this glucoside. This result suggests that quercetin 3-O-β-glucoside is hydrolysed before or during its intestinal absorption.
New hires' job satisfaction time trajectory

This study is aimed at quantifying the job satisfaction trajectory of new hires. The authors compared job satisfaction of 815 new hires to 1,925 non-new employees, asking all participating employees a simple daily question for ten months: 'how happy are you today at work? '. With a sample of 187.137 data points, we found a high heterogeneity in job satisfaction among employees from 12 different companies that participated in our study. On the tenets of acculturation theory and more fine-grained data, we support previous research that new hires started with a 27% higher job satisfaction compared to the non-new employees. The level of job satisfaction kept on decreasing (until 64th day), continuing at a slower pace, gradually bottoming out after eight months. The ratio of new hires' job satisfaction to non-new employees began an upward trend between the sixth and the seventh month (195th day).
Place Effect on Health Food Consumption Patterns: Among Malaysian Consumers

Purpose: Healthy foods refer to foods that are safe for consumption, fine in quality and are nutritious in meeting the principle for sustainability of health. Recently consumption of healthy food has emerged as alternative approach for preventing form obesity and chronic diseases, that affecting Malaysia with high threat , in which unhealthy food consumption is now the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in low and middle-income social classes. The aim of this paper is to investigate on effect of the variable place on the consumption patterns of healthy food with mediating effect of consumer lifestyle. Based on that, this conceptual framework is constructed of four variables place as independent variables, consumption patterns of healthy food as dependent variable. Moreover, this research also proposed consumer lifestyle as mediator. Based on the arguments in the article, three major hypotheses were developed to refine our understanding of the consumption patterns.
Forgive Me All My Sins: How Penalties Imposed on Banks Travel Through Markets

From 2005 to 2015, the 25 largest global financial institutions paid more than 285 billion US dollars in legal penalties, corresponding to approximately 20% of their market value. We examine the stock, bond, and CDS market reaction to the announcements of fines and settlements for banks. We document positive stockholder and bondholder valuation effects as well as a tightening of CDS spreads for banks to these resolution announcements. These reactions can be attributed to the resolution of uncertainty surrounding legal proceedings. Moreover, even though monetary penalties are cash-flow-effective, they are not income-effective in the year they are announced, suggesting that banks make adequate provisions for these penalties. In addition, we observe positive spillover effects to other banks facing pending lawsuits with the same plaintiff.
Apolipoprotein A-I and B levels and the risk of ischemic heart disease during a five-year follow-up of men in the Québec cardiovascular study.

BACKGROUND Results obtained largely from case-control studies have suggested that an elevated plasma concentration of apolipoprotein (apo) B may be considered an important risk factor for ischemic heart disease (IHD). Prospective data on the relevance of measuring apo A-I and apo B levels in the assessment of IHD risk, however, remain sparse as well as controversial. METHODS AND RESULTS Plasma lipid, apo B, and apo A-I levels as well as other risk factors were evaluated at baseline in 1985 in a sample of 2155 men (45 to 76 years old) who were followed for a period of 5 years for clinical signs of IHD. Proportional-hazards analyses indicated that plasma apo B concentrations measured at entry were strongly associated with onset of IHD (relative rate, 1.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2 to 1.7), independent of covariables such as age, smoking, diabetes mellitus, and systolic blood pressure. Controlling for triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and total/HDL cholesterol ratio did not eliminate the relationship between plasma apo B levels and IHD. The association between apo A-I and IHD was of lower magnitude (relative rate, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.7 to 1.0), and adjustment for selected plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels eliminated this association. Stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed that, among metabolic variables, apo B was the strongest correlate of IHD. CONCLUSIONS These prospective results emphasize the importance of apo B as a risk factor for IHD. Apo B may be regarded as a relevant tool in the assessment of IHD risk in men, because it may provide information that would not be obtained from the conventional lipid-lipoprotein profile.
Volunteer Tourism and Host Community

The paper examines the status of volunteer tourism by providing an analysis of its conceptualization, development,cross-cultural misunderstanding and impacts on host society. Findings indicate the requirement of sustainableapproach in order to maximize positive and minimize negative impacts on community. Existence of cross-culturalmisunderstanding in volunteer tourism to be addressed adequately, research related to influences on host should beinitiated and focused for development of impact measurement tools are some of the key findings of this paper.
Treatment of a Demented Patient's Anger with Cognitive-Behavioral Strategies

The effect of cognitive-behavioral strategies in treatment of a demented patient's anger was studied. Ratings from a 10-point Likert-type scale were used to quantify the patient's outbursts of anger during a 2-wk. baseline period and a 6-wk. treatment. At a 3-mo. follow-up the number of outbursts of anger was noted by nursing staff on the patient's chart. The combination of interventions seemed effective in controlling outbursts.
Replacing Contracts with Handshakes: A Study of Social Networks of Entrepreneurs in the Weaving Sector

Informal institutions like kinship based networks play a crucial role in business activity. The flow of information in such networks, based on trust and reciprocity helps in creating an environment where opportunism is curtailed and relational based governance mechanism prevails. This paper studies, whether such factors play a role as an alternative governance mechanism for contracts as opposed to the formal institutions or not. The effectiveness of such network factors hinges on the network structure, and therefore network density and network size are taken as independent variables. Though network density was positively and significantly related to the use of social networks for management of breach of contracts, network size was negatively related to management of breach of contracts. Network size and network density were positively related to ex-post transaction costs of dispute resolutions however, they were not statistically significant.