Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Authenticity and eco-cultural tourism development in Kazakhstan: a country branding approach

The country of Kazakhstan is not a well known tourism destination, either globally or within Central Asia. Although the number of inbound tourists is relatively small, the country possesses numerous eco-cultural tourism attractions based on its past Soviet ti- mes, nomadic culture and a variety of unique landscapes. As heritage is inherently a contested phenomenon, especially when communities are comprised of multiple ethnic groups, belief systems, cultures and social norms, the concept of authenticity applied to cultural heritage in Kazakhstan has become particularly relevant to the specialists of cultural and sustainable tou- rism in the country. :KHUHDVWKHWRXU LVPLQGXVWU\�WHQ GVWRSURYLGHLW VRZQGHAQLWLRQV �RIWKH� traditional or typical, the question of authenticity in eco-cultural tourism practices becomes crucial as they tend to be negotiated through what is locally perceived as authentic and what tourists and developers view as key travel experiences. The proposed exploratory study aims at recording and reviewing through semi-structured in-depth interviews the perception of au- thenticity of community members, policy makers and tourism developers of eco-cultural tours in Central Kazakhstan. In particular, the research relates to how the concept of authenticity can contribute to position Kazakhstan as a tourism destination and develop its brand equity on the international tourism market. Recommendations will be made to the different stake- holders involved in the development of Kazakhstani eco-cultural tourism practices through a better incorporation of the notion of authenticity when attracting new visitors in the country. H\ZRUGV��authenticity, eco-cultural tourism, country branding, Kazakhstan.
The Impact of Political Connections on the Performance and Solvency of Canadian Financial Institutions

This articlei¯s main goal is to analyze the impact of political connections on the financial performance of Canadian financial institutions. Data on Canadian financial institutions from the S&P/TSX Composite Index over a five-year period was analyzed, and the results demonstrate that contrary to previous studies on companies in other industries, political connections had a negative influence on solvency, return on assets and return on equity for these Canadian financial institutions. Only the market-to-book ratio was positively and significantly influenced by political connections.
An African grassland responds similarly to long-term fertilization to the Park Grass experiment

We compared the results of a long-term (65 years) experiment in a South African grassland with the world’s longest-running ecological experiment, the Park Grass study at Rothamsted, U.K. The climate is warm and humid in South Africa and cool and temperate in England. The African grassland has been fertilized with two forms of nitrogen applied at four levels, phosphorus and lime in a crossed design in 96 plots. In 1951, about 84% of plant cover consisted of Themeda triandra, Tristachya leucothrix and Setaria nigrirostris. Currently, the dominant species are Panicum maximum, Setaria sphacelata and Eragrostis curvula, making up 71% of total biomass. As in the Park Grass experiment, we found a significant (additive) interaction effect on ANPP of nitrogen and phosphorus, and a (marginally significant) negative correlation between ANPP and species richness. Unlike the Park Grass experiment, there was no correlation between ANPP and species richness when pH was included as a covariate. There was also a significant negative effect of nitrogen amount and nitrogen form and a positive effect of lime on species richness and species diversity. Soil pH had an important effect on species richness. Liming was insufficient to balance the negative effects on species richness of nitrogen fertilization. There was a significant effect of pH on biomass of three abundant species. There were also significant effects of light on the biomass of four species, with only Panicum maximum having a negative response to light. In all of the abundant species, adding total species richness and ANPP to the model increased the amount of variance explained. The biomass of Eragrostis curvula and P. maximum were negatively correlated with species richness while three other abundant species increased with species richness, suggesting that competition and facilitation were active. Consistent with the results from the Park Grass and other long-term fertilization experiments of grasslands, we found a positive effect of soil pH and a negative effect of nitrogen amount on species richness, a more acutely negative effect on species richness of acidic ammonium sulphate fertilizer than limestone ammonium nitrate, a negative relationship between species richness and biomass, and a positive effect on species richness of lime interacting with nitrogen.
Non-Linear Aspects of Capital Market Integration

Mancuso, Anthony Joseph. Non-Linear Aspects of Capital Market Integration. (Under the direction of Thomas Grennes.) According to classic economic theory, if global capital markets are fully integrated then arbitrage should force real interests rates to be equal among countries. However, a large body of empirical evidence suggests that this parity is not achieved. One potential factor in this failure of economic theory is that international capital transactions are not frictionless. The costs involved in the purchase or sale of a capital asset imply a neutral area in which arbitrage is not profitable and rates freely deviate from equality. This paper uses a variety of econometric methods to investigate the behavioral characteristics of real interest rates and determine the existence and form of transactions costs. This work is divided into six sections. Section One introduces the concept of capital market integration and details the current state of the literature on the topic. Section Two describes the data used in the analyses. Section Three uses a nonparametric regression method to analyze bilateral real interest rate relationships. Section Four examines these relationships in a multivariate setting, employing a method which incorporates non-linear behavior. Section Five investigates the data for structural instability. Section Six briefly summarizes and concludes the paper. NON-LINEAR ASPECTS OF CAPITAL MARKET INTEGRATION by ANTHONY JOSEPH MANCUSO A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Hypoxia-induced transcriptional repression of the melanoma-associated oncogene MITF

Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) regulates normal melanocyte development and is also a lineage-selective oncogene implicated in melanoma and clear-cell sarcoma (i.e., melanoma of soft parts). We have observed that MITF expression is potently reduced under hypoxic conditions in primary melanocytes and melanoma and clear cell sarcoma cells through hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF1)-mediated induction of the transcriptional repressor differentially expressed in chondrocytes protein 1 (DEC1) (BHLHE40), which subsequently binds and suppresses the promoter of M-MITF (melanocyte-restricted MITF isoform). Correspondingly, hypoxic conditions or HIF1α stabilization achieved by using small-molecule prolyl-hydroxylase inhibitors reduced M-MITF expression, leading to melanoma cell growth arrest that was rescued by ectopic expression of M-MITF in vitro. Prolyl hydroxylase inhibition also potently suppressed melanoma growth in a mouse xenograft model. These studies illuminate a physiologic hypoxia response in pigment cells leading to M-MITF suppression, one that suggests a potential survival advantage mechanism for MITF amplification in metastatic melanoma and offers a small-molecule strategy for suppression of the MITF oncogene in vivo.
A novel method for estimating the baseband Doppler centroid of conventional synthetic aperture radar

The Doppler centroid is a crucial parameter for the purpose of implementing azimuth processing for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. In this paper, we propose a scheme for estimating the Doppler centroid of conventional SAR. Virtual multi-channel SAR data can be generated by sub-sampling the original SAR data in azimuth. Consequently, each channel data is aliased and the spectrum components within each Doppler bin can be viewed as sources from different known directions. Then the Capon spectral estimator can be utilized to estimate the antenna pattern. Based on the estimated antenna pattern, we can obtain the baseband Doppler centroid of the original SAR data. Finally, experiments are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Mathematical methods to determine quantitative parameters of myocardial 123I-MIBG studies: a review of the literature

123I-meta-iodobenzyl-guanidine (123I-MIBG) scintigraphy is used to visualize and quantify the sympathetic nerve activity. Although it has been used since 1980 to identify myocardial innervation, it is not yet regarded a routine sympathetic imaging agent in this respect. The lack of large multicentre studies and the presence of variations in the protocols that are used for planar MIBG acquisition confines the comparability of study results and application of normal values. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the variations in mathematical methods that are currently used to quantify the heart-to-mediastinum ratio and washout rate (WOR). In addition, normal values were evaluated in concordance with these methods. A systematic literature search yielded 169 unique manuscripts, of which 30 contained a complete description of the acquisition protocol for planar MIBG acquisition, image analysis and quantification of the parameters. The results indicate not only large variations in mathematical methods, but also in various aspects of the protocols that are used during acquisition. In many manuscripts method-specific normal values were used; however, these values were generally generated from small, single-centre studies. This study stresses the need to produce guidelines to achieve a standardized method for MIBG acquisition, image analysis and methods to quantify parameters.
Insights into performance-based budgeting in the public sector: a literature review and a research agenda

ABSTRACT In the spirit of New Public Management (NPM), performance-based budgeting (PBB) has (re-)attracted the interest of both academics and practitioners. A wide variety of approaches and results have enlivened the debate on this topic, but the growing amount of theoretical and empirical works calls for systematization. Therefore, a systematic review is carried out on public management and accounting studies published in international academic journals from 1990 to 2014. Through descriptive and thematic investigations, this article explores the results achieved to date and identifies gaps and avenues for future research, answering two questions: What has been done? What else should be done?
Antidiabetic Effects of Simple Phenolic Acids: A Comprehensive Review

Diabetes mellitus (DM) has become a major public health threat across the globe. Current antidiabetic therapies are based on synthetic drugs that very often have side effects. It has been widely acknowledged that diet plays an important role in the management of diabetes. Phenolic acids are widely found in daily foods such as fruits, vegetables, cereals, legumes, and wine and they provide biological, medicinal, and health properties. Simple phenolic acids have been shown to increase glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis, improve glucose and lipid profiles of certain diseases (obesity, cardiovascular diseases, DM, and its complication). The current review is an attempt to list out the antidiabetic effects of simple phenolic acids from medicinal plants and botanical foods. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Use of Transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner Corn Hybrids to Determine the Direct Economic Impact of the European Corn Borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) on Field Corn in Eastern Canada

Abstract Transgenic corn expressing Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt corn) (Maximizer and Yieldgard hybrids, Novartis Seeds), non-Bt isolines and high-performance (check) hybrids were evaluated for European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner), damage and grain yield in commercial strip plots across Ontario in 1996 and 1997. Bt corn hybrids reduced stalk tunneling damage by 88–100%. In 1996, minimal damage was found in locations where only one generation of European corn borer occurred per year. Bt corn proved its greatest potential for reducing the number and length of cavities below the primary ear in locations where two generations of European corn borer were present. A yield response to using Bt hybrids only occurred when levels of tunneling damage exceeded 6 cm in length. European corn borer infestations resulted in a 6 and 2.4% reduction in yield for 1996 and 1997, respectively, when Bt hybrids were compared with their non-Bt isolines. A linear relationship was found between tunnel length per plant in centimeters (x) and yield protection (%) obtained from using Bt corn (y) (y = 1.02 + 0.005x, r2 = 0.7217). At a premium of $34.58 Canadian (CDN) per hectare for Bt corn seed, an infestation of at least 6 cm of corn borer tunneling per plant was required to break even at a market price for corn of $2.50 per bushel CDN. During the period of study, low infestations (0–2 cm) of European corn borer occurred at 25% of the locations assessed, moderate infestations (4–6 cm) occurred at 42% of the locations, and high infestations (>6 cm) occurred at 33% of the locations. At a corn price of $3.00 per bushel CDN and seed premiums of $34.58 per hectare CDN, 5 cm of tunneling was required for a return on investment in Bt seed, comprising only 55% of the growers in the study. With infestations of more than 6 cm of tunneling occurring only 33% of the time, a return on seed investment would be realized in only one of three growing seasons. At a seed premium of $24.70 per hectare CDN per year, at least $74 per hectare CDN in the year of infestation would be required to make up for the two years of no return. In this study, a $74 per hectare CDN return at a corn price of $9.26 per hectare CDN with >16 cm of tunneling damage would have occurred only 7.3% of the time.
Educational outcomes of a medical physicist program over the past 10 years in Japan

Abstract The promotion plan for the Platform of Human Resource Development for Cancer (Ganpro) was initiated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan in 2007, establishing a curriculum for medical physicists. In this study, we surveyed the educational outcomes of the medical physicist program over the past 10 years since the initiation of Ganpro. The Japan Society of Medical Physics mailing list was used to announce this survey. The questionnaire was created by members of the Japanese Board for Medical Physicist Qualification, and was intended for the collection of information regarding the characteristics and career paths of medical physics students. Students who participated in the medical physics program from 2007 to 2016 were enrolled. Thirty-one universities (17 accredited and 14 non-accredited) were represented in the survey. In total, 491, 105 and 6 students were enrolled in the Master's, Doctorate and Residency programs, respectively. Most students held a Bachelor's degree in radiological technology (Master's program, 87%; Doctorate program, 72%). A large number of students with a Master's degree worked as radiological technologists (67%), whereas only 9% (n = 32) worked as medical physicists. In contrast, 53% (n = 28) of the students with a Doctorate degree worked as medical physicists. In total, 602 students (from 31 universities) completed the survey. Overall, although the number of the graduates who worked as medical physicists was small, this number increased annually. It thus seems that medical institutions in Japan are recognizing the necessity of licensed medical physicists in the radiotherapy community.
Soft Lands Breed Soft Men? The Climatic Roots of Risk Preferences

This study examines the historical origins of differences in attitudes towards risk and uncertainty across different cultures. It establishes a robust positive relationship between cross-country temperature volatility and Hofstede’s (2011) [Hofstede, 2011] measure of uncertainty avoidance. This link holds for intermonthly, interseasonal and interannual measures of temperature volatility, and is robust to the inclusion of a wide range of controls. These findings are strengthened by analyses using data from the World Value Survey that show that individuals and countries that have been exposed to volatile climates are generally more supportive of economic protection by the government and prefer secure and stable lifestyles. Moreover, this research obtains similar relationships studying attitudes of second generation migrants from the European Social Survey, thereby isolating the cultural transmission of risk preferences from unobserved country-level heterogeneity and direct geographical effects. Moreover, it establishes that these climatic characteristics seem to have had a culturally embodied impact on meaningful economic behavior and institutions, such as the degree of self-employment and labor market protection, as well as on the differences in income inequality across countries.I argue that these results are consistent with evolutionary theories that emphasize the differential advantage of risk aversion across more or less volatile climates. In particular, I propose two different explanations. Climate volatility may induce more risk averse nomadic foragers to shift into a sedentary lifestyle, leading to a population increase because of lower child-rearing costs. Moreover, the findings are in line with a model in which more risk averse subsistence farmers have an evolutionary advantage in volatile climates because they choose to insure against adverse population shocks. All in all this study suggests that cultural differences in attitudes towards risk and uncertainty have deep climatic roots: geographical differences seem to ultimately translate into rigid institutional and cultural configurations.
A Blood-Based Gene Expression Test for Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease Tested in Symptomatic Nondiabetic Patients Referred for Myocardial Perfusion Imaging The COMPASS Study

Background—Obstructive coronary artery disease diagnosis in symptomatic patients often involves noninvasive testing before invasive coronary angiography. A blood-based gene expression score (GES) was previously validated in nondiabetic patients referred for invasive coronary angiography but not in symptomatic patients referred for myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). Methods and Results—This prospective, multicenter study obtained peripheral blood samples for GES before MPI in 537 consecutive patients. Patients with abnormal MPI usually underwent invasive coronary angiography; all others had research coronary computed tomographic angiography, with core laboratories defining coronary anatomy. A total of 431 patients completed GES, coronary imaging (invasive coronary angiography or computed tomographic angiography), and MPI. Mean age was 56±10 years (48% women). The prespecified primary end point was GES receiver-operating characteristics analysis to discriminate ≥50% stenosis (15% prevalence by core laboratory analysis). Area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve for GES was 0.79 (95% confidence interval, 0.73–0.84; P<0.001), with sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value of 89%, 52%, and 96%, respectively, at a prespecified threshold of ⩽15 with 46% of patients below this score. The GES outperformed clinical factors by receiver-operating characteristics and reclassification analysis and showed significant correlation with maximum percent stenosis. Six-month follow-up on 97% of patients showed that 27 of 28 patients with adverse cardiovascular events or revascularization had GES >15. Site and core-laboratory MPI had areas under the curve of 0.59 and 0.63, respectively, significantly less than GES. Conclusions—GES has high sensitivity and negative predictive value for obstructive coronary artery disease. In this population clinically referred for MPI, the GES outperformed clinical factors and MPI. Clinical Trial Registration—URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT01117506.
Determination of Cytochrome P450 Metabolic Activity Using Selective Markers

Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP) play a pivot role in phase I of xenobiotic biotransformation. Many of CYP enzymes are known to be polymorphic, with many allelic variants. As a consequence of huge number of possible allele combinations, a wide range of metabolic activity can be observed among patients in population. Individual CYP activity may be also affected by various xenobiotics – either induction or inhibition of distinct CYP isoenzyme may cause failure or toxicity of pharmacotherapy. Due to this, some prediction of metabolic activity is worthwhile in clinical practice. This chapter is going to briefly summarize the possibilities of in vivo and in vitro CYP metabolic activity assessments of CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 enzymes.
Mn(II) Oxidation Is Catalyzed by Heme Peroxidases in “Aurantimonas manganoxydans” Strain SI85-9A1 and Erythrobacter sp. Strain SD-21

ABSTRACT A new type of manganese-oxidizing enzyme has been identified in two alphaproteobacteria, “Aurantimonas manganoxydans” strain SI85-9A1 and Erythrobacter sp. strain SD-21. These proteins were identified by tandem mass spectrometry of manganese-oxidizing bands visualized by native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in-gel activity assays and fast protein liquid chromatography-purified proteins. Proteins of both alphaproteobacteria contain animal heme peroxidase and hemolysin-type calcium binding domains, with the 350-kDa active Mn-oxidizing protein of A. manganoxydans containing stainable heme. The addition of both Ca2+ ions and H2O2 to the enriched protein from Aurantimonas increased manganese oxidation activity 5.9-fold, and the highest activity recorded was 700 μM min−1 mg−1. Mn(II) is oxidized to Mn(IV) via an Mn(III) intermediate, which is consistent with known manganese peroxidase activity in fungi. The Mn-oxidizing protein in Erythrobacter sp. strain SD-21 is 225 kDa and contains only one peroxidase domain with strong homology to the first 2,000 amino acids of the peroxidase protein from A. manganoxydans. The heme peroxidase has tentatively been named MopA (manganese-oxidizing peroxidase) and sheds new light on the molecular mechanism of Mn oxidation in prokaryotes.
Development and Construct Validation of the Individuation Test for Emerging Adults (ITEA)

This article presents the construction, exploratory dimensionality analysis (Study 1), and validation (Study 2) of the self-report and 36-item Individuation Test for Emerging Adults (ITEA). It is the first instrument to measure different aspects of individuation (in relation to mother and father) specifically in emerging adulthood. The construct validity of the final 5-factor structure (Support Seeking, Connectedness, Intrusiveness, Self-Reliance, and Fear of Disappointing the Parent) was satisfactory. The results of multigroup analyses demonstrated that the factor structure is stable across male and female emerging adults for ITEA assessments in relation to both mother and father. The ITEA scales also show good internal consistency and concurrent validity against Emotional, Conflictual, and Functional Dependence scales of the Psychological Separation Inventory.