Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Innovation and Market Value. The Case of Tourism Enterprises

In contemporary economics companies operate in a fast changing environment which forces them to adapt constantly. The never ending development seems to constitute the necessary condition for achieving the ultimate purpose of a company’s function - the maximization of shareholder wealth. The main objective of the research was to measure the short- and long-term impact of innovation announcements on the market value of equity of tourism enterprises. Research aimed also at creating and verifying empirically the model explaining the relationship between innovation and the market value of tourism enterprises. In this research a systematic model-building procedure was applied. In order to build the exhaustive design the method of systematic literature studies SALSA was employed. The study covered the period between 2000 and 2015. The empirical research covered all the tourism enterprises listed on the main markets of the most important stock exchanges in the European Union in the period between February 2011 and February 2016. There were 111 such companies. The abnormal changes in the market value of equity resulting from innovation announcements of tourism enterprises constituted the subjects of analysis. Content analysis of the 9,000 innovation announcements was performed. The first result of the empirical research reported in the book is the indication of the positive relationship between innovation announcements and the market value of equity of tourism enterprises. In the short term the effect concentrated in the event windows directly surrounding the event. In the +/- 1 day event window, the statistically significant increase in market value of equity was 0,38%. In the 6-months period it was 3,94%. Moreover in line with the initial hypothesis the research demonstrated that the effect of product innovation on the changes in market value resulting from innovation announcements was greater than that of other innovation types. New products may directly increase sales and impact positively on the company’s cash flow. Furthermore it pointed out the positive effect of the first innovation announcement in relation to second and further releases. The informative value of the announcements beyond the first one was relatively small and caused little market reaction. In the context of market reactions the delivering of new information is essential. Moreover it was ascertained that in the short term the market rewarded the high advancement of the announced innovation and the high R&D intensity of the announcing company. In the case of hardly innovative tourism enterprises the market responded slightly to the development news and waited for the proof in the form of the innovation introduction. The high level of R&D intensity allowed tourism companies to differentiate themselves and increase innovative capabilities which was positively perceived by investors. In the long term investors acknowledged the positive effects of developing innovation in collaborative structures as it allows companies to benefit from the experience of collaborators and diminishes the risk.
Micro-payment systems and their application to mobile networks

This Paper summarizes the first phase of an ongoing investigation into the application of mobile-enabled commerce (m-Commerce) in developing markets. The Paper was commissioned by infoDev, in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the GSM Association (GSMA). The investigation is aimed at identifying the opportunities provided to mobile networks in offering an m-Commerce service, as well as establishing the drivers of a successful implementation.
The impact of HR practices on employee motivation and performance

The purpose of this dissertation is to research into the title; ‘The impact of HR practices on employee motivation and performance’. Therefore, the main question asked is what impact do HR practices have on employee motivation and performance? The aims and objectives of this research are based on four areas, which include; analysing the meaning of HR, the importance of HR in organisational output, what factors affect job satisfaction in the workplace and to identify factors that motivate employees. The method used in this research is qualitative research. This method was used to conduct interviews with employees who work within an organisation that have their own HR department. This was relevant as it refers back to the aims and objectives of this research. (Word count – 12352) Acknowledgements The completion of my dissertation was made possible through the help and support from everyone that has helped me through this past year, including; lecturers, family, friends and, especially, I would like to express my acknowledgement of gratitude to my dissertation supervisor. I’d like to thank all my lecturers who have taught me over the past 4 years at Cardiff Metropolitan University, their knowledge and understanding have been instrumental to the completion of my degree thus far. Secondly I’d like to express my appreciation to my dissertation supervisor Rachel MasonJones for her continuous support throughout my preparation for my research and helping me when experiencing any problems in my study. Thirdly, I’d like to thank my family and friends for their encouragement and all the support they have given me. Their support has been an invaluable source of motivation in my studies. Finally, I’d like to thank all the employees at Circle IT who took their time to participate in my interviews. Without your willingness to be involve, I wouldn’t have been able to successfully complete my primary research. Abbreviations HR – Human Resources HRM – Human Resource Management TM – Talent management PA – Performance appraisal Table of figures/tables Figure/table Description Figure 1 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Figure 2 Herzberg’s two factor theory Table 1 Job titles for each participant Table 2 How long each employee has worked at CircleIT Figure 3 The selection process of each participant Table 3 What the organisation does to build team comradery Figure 4 What motivates the employees the most Table 4 What can influence the employees’ motivation to decrease
Risk and Climate Change: Perceptions of Key Policy Actors in Canada

This article examines factors that predict perceptions of risk associated with global climate change. The research focuses on the perceptions of those associated with climate change policy making in the prairie region of Canada. The data are from an online survey (n= 851) of those policy actors. The analysis integrates several dominant approaches to the study of risk perception: psychometric approaches that examine the effects of cognitive structure; demographic assessments that examine, for example, differences in perception based on gender or family status; and political approaches that suggest that one's position in the policy process may affect his or her perceived risk. Attitudes toward climate change are to a degree predicted by all of these factors, but only when indirect effects are observed. Sociodemographic characteristics have little direct effect on perceived risk, but do affect general beliefs that affect risk perceptions. Perceived risk is related more strongly to these general beliefs or world views than to more specific beliefs about the effects of climate change on weather patterns. Position within the policy process also contributes to our understanding of perceptions, with industry and governmental actors demonstrating similar attitudes, which contrast with environmental groups and university researchers.
Skill or Effort? Institutional Ownership and Managerial Efficiency

Using a sample of U.S. firms during the 1989–2015 period, we study whether the efficiency with which managers generate revenue is sensitive to monitoring by institutional shareholders. We find that institutional ownership is positively related to managerial efficiency. Our identification relies on a discontinuity in ownership around the Russell 1000/2000 Index threshold and suggests that the positive effect of institutional ownership on managerial efficiency is causal. Furthermore, we document that monitoring by institutions helps improve managerial efficiency, and that an exogenous increase in institutional ownership leads to higher pay-for-performance sensitivity. Finally, we find consistent results after excluding from our sample forced CEO turnovers, suggesting that institutional shareholders force incumbent managers to exert greater effort rather than influence the replacement of less efficient CEOs. Taken together, our findings highlight the important role played by institutional shareholders in getting the most out of corporate executives.
Quantitative measurements of N‐linked glycoproteins in human plasma by SWATH‐MS

SWATH‐MS is a data‐independent acquisition method that generates, in a single measurement, a complete recording of the fragment ion spectra of all the analytes in a biological sample for which the precursor ions are within a predetermined m/z versus retention time window. To assess the performance and suitability of SWATH‐MS‐based protein quantification for clinical use, we compared SWATH‐MS and SRM‐MS‐based quantification of N‐linked glycoproteins in human plasma, a commonly used sample for biomarker discovery. Using dilution series of isotopically labeled heavy peptides representing biomarker candidates, the LOQ of SWATH‐MS was determined to reach 0.0456 fmol at peptide level by targeted data analysis, which corresponds to a concentration of 5–10 ng protein/mL in plasma, while SRM reached a peptide LOQ of 0.0152 fmol. Moreover, the quantification of endogenous glycoproteins using SWATH‐MS showed a high degree of reproducibility, with the mean CV of 14.90%, correlating well with SRM results (R2 = 0.9784). Overall, SWATH‐MS measurements showed a slightly lower sensitivity and a comparable reproducibility to state‐of‐the‐art SRM measurements for targeted quantification of the N‐glycosites in human blood. However, a significantly larger number of peptides can be quantified per analysis. We suggest that SWATH‐MS analysis combined with N‐glycoproteome enrichment in plasma samples is a promising integrative proteomic approach for biomarker discovery and verification.
Transcriptomics of environmental acclimatization and survival in wild adult Pacific sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) during spawning migration

Environmental shifts accompanying salmon spawning migrations from ocean feeding grounds to natal freshwater streams can be severe, with the underlying stress often cited as a cause of increased mortality. Here, a salmonid microarray was used to characterize changes in gene expression occurring between ocean and river habitats in gill and liver tissues of wild migrating sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka Walbaum) returning to spawn in the Fraser River, British Columbia, Canada. Expression profiles indicate that the transcriptome of migrating salmon is strongly affected by shifting abiotic and biotic conditions encountered along migration routes. Conspicuous shifts in gene expression associated with changing salinity, temperature, pathogen exposure and dissolved oxygen indicate that these environmental variables most strongly impact physiology during spawning migrations. Notably, transcriptional changes related to osmoregulation were largely preparatory and occurred well before salmon encountered freshwater. In the river environment, differential expression of genes linked with elevated temperatures indicated that thermal regimes within the Fraser River are approaching tolerance limits for adult salmon. To empirically correlate gene expression with survival, biopsy sampling of gill tissue and transcriptomic profiling were combined with telemetry. Many genes correlated with environmental variables were differentially expressed between premature mortalities and successful migrants. Parametric survival analyses demonstrated a broad‐scale transcriptional regulator, cofactor required for Sp1 transcriptional activation (CRSP), to be significantly predictive of survival. As the environmental characteristics of salmon habitats continue to change, establishing how current environmental conditions influence salmon physiology under natural conditions is critical to conserving this ecologically and economically important fish species.
The Effect of Achievement Badges on Students' Behavior: An Empirical Study in a University-Level Computer Science Course

Achievement badges are a form of gamification that are used in an attempt to increase user engagement and motivation in various systems. A badge is typically a graphical icon that appears as a reward for the user after reaching an achievement but that has no practical value. In this study, we describe and evaluate the use of achievement badges in the TRAKLA2 online learning environment where students solve interactive, automatically assessed exercises in a Data Structures and Algorithms course throughout the semester. We conducted an experiment where the students (N=281) were randomly divided into a treatment and a control group, with and without achievement badges. Students in the treatment group were awarded achievement badges, for example, for solving exercises correctly on the first attempt, doing exercises early, or solving all the exercises in a round with full points. Grading was the same for both groups, i.e. collecting badges did not affect the final grade, even though the exercise points themselves did. Students’ activity in TRAKLA2 was logged in order to find out whether the achievement badges had an effect on their behavior. We also collected numerical and open-ended feedback in order to find out students’ attitudes towards the badges. Our results show that achievement badges can be used to affect students’ behavior. Statistically significant differences were observed in the time used per exercise, number of sessions, total time, and normalized total number of badges. Furthermore, the majority of the students reported being motivated by the badges. Based on our findings, achievement badges seem to be a promising method to motivate students and to encourage desired study practices.
Earning investor trust: The role of past earnings management

HDoes earnings management, even though legal, hamper investor trust in reported earnings? Or do investors regard earnings management as a way for firms to convey private information, or simply as a neutral feature of financial reporting? We find that past abstinence from earnings management increases investor responses to future earnings surprises. Importantly, this effect occurs where managers would in the past have had strong incentives and ample opportunities to misrepresent earnings. Overall, investors seem to interpret the extent to which management resists temptations for misreporting as a “litmus test” of trustworthiness.
Hormone-independent repression of AP-1-inducible collagenase promoter activity by glucocorticoid receptors

The role of the ligand in glucocorticoid receptor-mediated transactivation and transrepression of gene expression was investigated. Half-maximal transactivation of a mouse mammary tumor virus-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene in transfected cells expressing the human glucocorticoid receptor mutant GRL753F, from which the rate of ligand dissociation is four to five times higher than the rate of dissociation from normal receptors, required a 200- to 300-fold-higher concentration of dexamethasone than was required in cells expressing the normal receptor. Immunocytochemical analysis demonstrated that this difference was not the result of a failure of the mutant receptor to accumulate in the nucleus after steroid treatment. In contrast, in cells cotransfected with a reporter gene containing the AP-1-inducible collagenase gene promoter, the concentration of dexamethasone required for 50% transrepression was the same for mutant and normal receptors. Efficient receptor-mediated transrepression was also observed with the double mutant GRL753F/C421Y, in which the first cysteine residue of the proximal zinc finger has been replaced by tyrosine, indicating that neither retention of the ligand nor direct binding of the receptor to DNA is required. RU38486 behaved as a full agonist with respect to transrepression. In addition, receptor-dependent transrepression, but not transactivation, was observed in transfected cells after heat shock in the absence of the ligand. Taken together, these results suggest that unlike transactivation, transrepression of AP-1 activity by the nuclear glucocorticoid receptor is ligand independent.
KOMPETENSI MAHASISWA JURUSAN AKUNTANSI DAN KESIAPANNYA DALAM MENGHADAPI DUNIA KERJA ERA MASYARAKAT EKONOMI ASEAN (MEA )

The objective of this research is to know accounting student’s competency and their readiness to enter working environment in ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) era. Accounting student’s competency measured by ethical competency, knowledge competency, capability competency, relationship competency, and analysis competency. This research used primary data from questionnaires given to Tarumanagara University accounting students as respondents. The result of this research showed that Tarumanagara University accounting students have adequate ethical, capability, relationship, and analysis competency, but still not adequate for knowledge competency. Ethical, knowledge, and capability competency have significant influences to accounting student’s readiness, while relationship and analysis competency have insignificant influences to accounting student’s readiness to enter working environment in AEC era.
Strong Association of a Renin Intronic Dimorphism with Essential Hypertension

The objectives of this project were two-fold: to identify the genetic mutation that has been detected as an MboI dimorphism in intron 9 of the human renin (REN) gene and to confirm a previously reported, putative association between the REN MboI dimorphism and clinical diagnosis of essential hypertension (EHT) in a population of Gulf Arabs from the United Arab Emirates. Sequencing of the MboI dimorphic site was carried out on DNA of randomly chosen cases and controls. A retrospective case-control study was carried out in 689 unrelated subjects (326 first-time, clinically diagnosed hypertensives and 363 age- and gender-matched normotensive subjects), selected from the resident population of the Abu Dhabi Emirate. A polymerase chain reaction/MboI-RFLP based method was employed to compare genotype and allele distributions. Nucleotide sequences at the MboI site of the cut and uncut alleles were determined to be GATC and GGTC, respectively. This A>G mutation is located 10,631 base pairs (bp) 3′ to the start of the REN gene, and 79 bp 3′ to the end of exon 9. The genotype distributions of the REN 10631A>G dimorphism were found to be significantly different between hypertensive and normotensive subjects (χ2= 42.29, df=2, p<0.001). Frequencies of A alleles were 0.54 in EHT vs. 0.37 in normotensive subjects, which is even more demarcated than what was found previously. The frequency of AA genotypes was higher in the hypertensive group than in the normotensive group (34.7% vs. 14.0%). The quantification of the association of A alleles with increased risk of EHT was assessed with corresponding odds ratios (OR), which gave the following values: OR of GG vs. AG genotypes, 1.3 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.90–1.88); OR of GG vs. AA, 3.75 (95% CI: 2.41–5.86). In conclusion, REN 10631A alleles are significantly associated with EHT in the Emirati population. This has now been found in two different and therefore independent sample populations from the Abu Dhabi Emirate. Moreover, this genetic effect seems to be acting in a recessive fashion. Hence, either the REN gene itself, or another gene that is in linkage disequilibrium with REN 10631A>G, is implicated in the pathogenesis of EHT in Emirati.
Antigen 43 from Escherichia coli Induces Inter- and Intraspecies Cell Aggregation and Changes in Colony Morphology of Pseudomonas fluorescens

ABSTRACT Antigen 43 (Ag43) is a surface-displayed autotransporter protein ofEscherichia coli. By virtue of its self-association characteristics, this protein is able to mediate autoaggregation and flocculation of E. coli cells in static cultures. Additionally, surface display of Ag43 is associated with a distinct frizzy colony morphology in E. coli. Here we show that Ag43 can be expressed in a functional form on the surface of the environmentally important Pseudomonas fluorescens strain SBW25 with ensuing cell aggregation and frizzy colony types. Using green fluorescence protein-tagged cells, we demonstrate that Ag43 can be used as a tool to provide interspecies cell aggregation betweenE. coli and P. fluorescens. Furthermore, Ag43 expression enhances biofilm formation in P. fluorescens to glass surfaces. The versatility of this protein was also reflected in Ag43 surface display in a variety of other gram-negative bacteria. Display of heterologous Ag43 in selected bacteria might offer opportunities for rational design of multispecies consortia where the concerted action of several bacterial species is required, e.g., waste treatment and degradation of pollutants.
COLA. III. RADIO DETECTION OF ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS IN COMPACT MODERATE LUMINOSITY INFRARED GALAXIES

We present results from 4.8 GHz Very Large Array (VLA) and global very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations of the northern half of the moderate FIR luminosity (median LIR = 1011.01 L☉) COLA sample of star-forming galaxies. VLBI sources are detected in a high fraction (20/90) of the galaxies observed. The radio luminosities of these cores (∼1021 W Hz−1) are too large to be explained by radio supernovae or supernova remnants and we argue that they are instead powered by active galactic nuclei (AGNs). These sub-parsec scale radio cores are preferentially detected toward galaxies whose VLA maps show bright 100–500 parsec scale nuclear radio components. Since these latter structures tightly follow the FIR to radio-continuum correlation for star formation, we conclude that the AGN-powered VLBI sources are associated with compact nuclear starburst environments. The implications for possible starburst–AGN connections are discussed. The detected VLBI sources have a relatively narrow range of radio luminosity consistent with models in which intense compact Eddington-limited starbursts regulate the gas supply onto a central supermassive black hole. The high incidence of AGN radio cores in compact starbursts suggests little or no delay between the starburst phase and the onset of AGN activity.
Chemical composition of pollen with particular reference to cation exchange capacity and uronic acid content.

Normal methods of plant analysis proved suitable for the analysis of pollen, despite its extremely durable and unique outer coat of sporopollenin. The cation-exchange capacity (CEC), uronic acid content (UA) and mineral composition of pollen from 53 Angiosperm and 5 Gymnosperm species were determined. The values found were of the same order as those of leaves, roots and seeds of the same species. Only minor differences in composition and CEC exist between pollen of monocotyledons (monocot) and dicotyledons (dicot), in marked contrast to other plant tissues, where generally the CEC and levels of elements in the dicot plant are higher than in the monocot plant. Relationships connecting CEC with uronic acid, total cations and nitrogen, already established for leaves and roots, also held for pollen although the correlation coefficients were not so high. On the other hand, correlations between CEC and individual cations, especially Ca, in pollen tended to be higher. Pollen of the same species from England and Sweden had similar UA contents (r = 0.91***), suggesting that this constituent and its related CEC value may be characteristic of a species and relatively independent of external soil nutritional factors, as has been found for root CEC.