Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pathways to Power: The Role of Political Parties in Women’s National Political Representation1

The authors extend previous research on women’s participation in politics by examining the role of female elites in political parties in selecting and supporting women as political candidates. They hypothesize that political parties, in their role as gatekeepers, mediate the relationship between country‐level factors, such as women’s participation in the labor force, and political outcomes for women. The article focuses on three outcomes for women: the percentage of female political party leaders, the percentage of female candidates in a country, and the percentage of women elected. New cross‐national measures of women’s inclusion in political parties are developed and analyzed in a cross‐national, path‐analytic model of women in politics to find that (1) women’s position in party elites translates into gains for women as candidates only under proportional representation systems, (2) women’s position in party elites increases the likelihood that female candidates will be elected only in nonproportional representation systems, and (3) parties may be overly sensitive to the perceived liability of women as candidates, when in fact, women have success as candidates across all regions of the world.
Relation between board composition and firm performance in Japan

This paper presents an examination of the relation between firm performance and board structure in Japan in the early 1990s, considering some other Japanese corporate governance mechanisms such as financial keiretsu. These analyses reveal two salient results. First, a U-shaped relation is apparent between board size and firm performance in Japan, as exists in the U.S. Therefore, very large or small boards are better for firms in Japan. Second, we can find no significant relation between Japanese corporate governance features such as financial keiretsu and firm performance during the early 1990s.
Corporate Social Responsibility Performance & ETF Historical Market Volatility

In investment and trading, different CSR moral ethical firms, categorized in a number of groups, may be suitable for different financial instruments (i.e. USA sector ETFs) and different market volatility situations. For the purpose of this article we first (i) analyze the trading return performance of four CSR categories (in particular: activism, community development, corporate governance, and environment); and then (ii) examine and comment the correlation between the market performance of a number of firms belonging in these four CSR categories and historical ETF market volatility. Finally, we (iii) suggest CSR firms as trading tools according to dominant market volatility. Other CSR categories (like: fair trade & supply chain, green building, philanthropy & corporate contributions, etc.) would be examined in future research by following the introduced by this paper approach. Paper concludes that, in relatively less volatile markets the Environment CSR ethical firms display better results. On the other hand, in strong market volatile situations it is better to trade Community Development CSR and Corporate Governance CSR ethical firms. Finally, the Activism CSR ethical firms are uncorrelated with the market volatility, as well as their performance is poor in all market cases.
Facilitation strategies used in e-learning by nurse educators in Rwanda

Knowledge and skills for teachers to deliver course contents in an e-learning environment is essential. Information Communication Technology (ICT) is being increasingly used in tertiary education as it is flexible and offers many possibilities to meet the needs of a large number of learners. The implementation of e-learning platforms in Rwanda in 2012 for nursing and midwifery instruction has had a positive impact on the quality of nursing education. Educators' facilitation skills play an important role in motivating students in the computer-mediated learning environment. The aim of this paper is to explore the facilitation strategies used in e-learning by nurse educators in Rwanda. A non-experimental quantitative design was used, with 44 nurse educators from three campuses completing the research instruments. The results from this study indicated that the majority of the participants (84.1%) had the same vision of integrating ICT in teaching and learning as their colleagues, the institutional administration, and other staff. 97.7% used computers and/or the internet to prepare lesson and deliver instructions 95.5% reported using facilitation strategies of self-directed learning, 93.2% case studies, 88.6% group discussions, 81.8% small group activities, 72.7% formal lectures, 70.5% role play, 68.2% brainstorming, 63.6% situations of integration, and 63.6% videos. An average of 50% reported using research, and 43.2% workbooks. 27.3% used projects, 25% core lectures, and 11.4% Portfolio. E-learning requires a comprehensive approach of incorporating ICT in teaching and learning. The success of e-learning does not only depend on technological tools available, but also on the pedagogical design, with teachers being required to use innovative teaching approaches to deliver their course contents.
ROLE OF ULTRASOUND AND MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING IN TRAUMATIC SHOULDER JOINT INJURIES.

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate role of magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound in diagnosis of traumatic shoulder injuries. Patients and methods: Fifty patients who had one or more of post traumatic shoulder dislocation, pain or limitation of the affected shoulder joint movements were examined by gray scale ultrasound and conventional magnetic resonance imaging. Results: 18 cases were diagnosed as supraspinatus tears (11 partial tear and 7 complete tear). 8 cases were diagnosed as supraspinatus tendinosis. Four cases were diagnosed as acromioclavicular joint lesions 2 of them were diagnosed as acromioclavicular joint separation and 2 cases were diagnosed as acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis and all of cases with acromioclavicular joint lesions were associated with impingement syndrome. 11 cases were diagnosed as Hill Sach`s fracture; 5 of them were associated with Bankart lesion. Two cases were diagnosed as biceps tendon instability. Four cases were diagnosed as biceps tenosynovitis. Conclusion: ultrasound should be increasingly used as the first-line imaging modality in the assessment of traumatic shoulder lesions. Further magnetic resonance imaging is needed in order to evaluate the joint in more detailed manner
Daily functioning, problem solving and satisfaction for quality of life in visually impaired old persons

Abstract Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of several dimensions of functioning on satisfaction for quality of life (QoL) experienced by visually impaired older adults. Participants: A sample of 58 older adults (37 women and 21 men) was involved in the study. Their age ranged from 50 to 88 years (M=68.95, SD=1.51). They were characterized by visual impairment of different origin and visual acuity (VA) ranging from 4/10 to total blindness. The QoL questionnaire was used along with short form-12 health Survey, the National Eye Institute visual function questionnaire-25 and problem solving inventory (PSI) which analyzes problem solving appraisal. Results: A stepwise regression analysis was conducted in order to find predictors of satisfaction for QoL. A contribution of mental and physical health, more specifically, of problem solving appraisal was found. Conclusion: Results support the notion that the functional relationship between visual impairment and satisfaction for QoL must be understood in terms of approaches that incorporate psychological and socio-cognitive elements. Problem solving appraisal, in fact, makes a substantial contribution to the prediction of variance in life satisfaction and it may play an important role for intervention strategies.
Genetic Parameters, Breeding Values and Genetic Trends for Some Productive and Reproductive Traits of Holstein Cows in Egypt

This study aimed to estimate the genetic parameters (heritability and genetic correlation), breeding value and genetic trends for some productive and reproductive traits of Holstein Friesian cows in Egypt with animal model statistical method. A total of 3400 lactation records collected from 1060 cow's progeny of 99 sires and 691 dams through the period from 1998 to 2010 were used in this study. Results of genetic correlations showed great variability from very high positive to very low negative values. High heritability estimates were recorded for all studied traits with the exception of days in milk, calving interval and days open which revealed low estimates. The ranges of cows breeding values have been found to be higher than either sires or dams for all studied traits. Genetic trends were positive for 305-day milk yield (2.68 kg), age at first calving (0.020), fat yield (0.031kg), fat% (0.001%) and protein % (0.002%), but were negative for protein yield (-0.098 kg) and days open (-0.219). In conclusion, higher range of the cow breeding values than either sires or dams revealed a wider genetic variation and a good opportunity for selecting the superior cows. Positive genetic trends for 305-day milk yield, age at first calving, fat%, fat yield and protein% indicated that there was a genetic improvement in these traits in desirable direction, but negative genetic trends for days open and protein yield indicating a decrease in mean breeding value for these traits over the study period.
S O C I A L C A P I T A L A N D P O V E R T Y I N I N D I A

This paper is a motivated by the need to expand research on social capital and its effects on poverty. Studies of social capital and its economic payoffs have tended to focus on industrialised countries, whilst those studies which have focused on developing countries have been based on micro level survey data. This paper therefore addresses the need to look at social capital at the wider macro level while examining the impact of social capital on poverty. The paper focuses on poverty at the state level in India and asks the question: have those states with larger endowments of social capital been more successful at reducing poverty? In order to answer this question an econometric model of poverty is constructed that not only captures the effects of physical and human capital, but also includes social capital as a determinant of poverty. The paper concludes that there is some evidence to support the hypothesis that a state’s endowment of social capital does affect the ability of that state to reduce poverty.
Bound states of a converging quantum waveguide

We consider a two-dimensional quantum waveguide composed of two semi-strips of width 1 and 1 − e, where e > 0 is a small real parameter, i.e. the waveguide is gently converging. The width of the junction zone for the semi-strips is 1 + O (√e). We will present a sufficient condition for the existence of a weakly coupled bound state below π 2 , the lower bound of the continuous spectrum. This eigenvalue in the discrete spectrum is unique and its asymptotics is constructed and justified when e → 0+ .
The Effect of Pyrethroid Compounds on the Expression of Estrogen Receptors in Mouse Sertoli Cells and Implications for Male Infertility

Male fertility is largely controlled by the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, a careful balance between stimulating and suppressing gene expression and the secretion of hormones. The critical factors for male fertility have in the past been thought to be limited to testosterone and the gonadotropins. Estrogen has only recently been demonstrated to be both a crucial requirement for fertility and a cause of infertility. Reports in the early 1990s demonstrated a decrease in mean sperm counts over the last 50 years. A hypothesis for this observation is the increase of xenoestrogens in the environment that are able to mimic and potential disrupt the natural estrogens involvement in fertility. Although the mechanisms of estrogens involvement are not yet defined, the Sertoli cells are a potential sites of action as they possess receptors for the hormone and are able to locally produce it. Sertoli cells both act to protect and provide for the male germ cells and the developing spermatozoa. Pyrethroids are common synthetic insecticides of which some have previously shown estrogenic activity. Therefore this investigation examined the effects of pyrethoids, whose estrogenicity was confirmed via the yeast assay, on the estrogen receptor expression in mouse Sertoli cells as a model for general effects of estrogenic chemicals on male fertility. The results first confirmed the estrogenicity of some pyrethroids and these pyrethroids when exposed to mouse Sertoli cells effected estrogen receptor mRNA expression however in a different way to the natural ligand 17β-estradiol.
Ordered distribution of Au and Ag in the crystal structure of muthmannite, AuAgTe2, a rare telluride from Sacarîmb, western Romania

Abstract Muthmannite, AuAgTe2, a rare gold-silver telluride was discovered in a sample from the historical mineralogical collection of the Naturhistorisches Museum of Vienna. The sample is from the gold-telluride deposit of Sacarîmb, Metaliferi Mountains, western Romania. Muthmannite occurs as anhedral grains up to 200 µm associated with large sylvanite crystals and does not show any inclusions or intergrowths of other minerals. The associated minerals are sylvanite, calaverite, and petzite, whereas the gangue mineral is quartz. Muthmannite is pale bronze in color and shows a gray-black streak. No cleavage was observed, the fracture is uneven, and the Vickers hardness (VHN15) is 186 kg/mm2. Muthmannite is grayish white in reflected light, with very low bireflectance and pleochroism. When observed near sylvanite it is darker and shows a gray color with a slightly bluish tint. Reflectance percentages for Rmin and Rmax were found to be 40.1, 40.8 (471.1 nm), 38.3, 38.6 (548.3 nm), 37.9, 38.3 (586.6 nm), and 37.7, 38.1 (652.3 nm), respectively. Muthmannite is monoclinic, space group P2/m, with the following unit-cell parameters: a = 5.124(2), b = 4.419(1), and c = 7.437(2) Å, β = 89.96(1)°, V = 168.4(4) Å3, and Z = 2. Electron microprobe analyses gave the chemical formula Au0.97Ag0. 99Te2.03. The calculated density (from the ideal formula) is 11.04 g/cm3. The crystal structure was solved and reÞ ned to R = 5.52%. It is based on the NiAs-type structure, with a distorted hexagonal closest-packed array of Te2- atoms with Au3+ and Ag+ occupying all the octahedral sites. The crystal-chemical relationships with other gold-silver tellurides are outlined.
Trends in Offensive Team Activity in Basketball

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the structure of the models of offense and to determine their efﬁ ciency. We were able to determine the teamwork structure by using a system of analysis of the offensive process. The analysis of the team activity as an integrated whole becomes very important. For this research we observed the Tallinn University basketball team, which plays in Division One of the Estonian league. The data was gathered from 600 ball possessions in 8 recorded games of the regular season. The data we collected was analyzed by the means of data mining. This research has helped to work out the basics of the analytical system of the teamwork aspect. The analyzing system of the competitive activity of the game, enables us to ﬁ nd out interesting offensive models from the data. The results show that the team scoring (points/possession) as the main indicator of analyzed offenses was equal to 1.13 on average with a frequency of 48%. The 1—2 s duration period of ball possession in offensive zone proves to be most effective (scoring 68%). The most effective transition period is under 1.82 s (62%). The scoring of set offense is 44% in the mean. On the basis of this information, the coach can ﬁ nd more convenient time lapses in the game’s performance. The analyzing system worked out through that, helps coaches to develop performance and promote learning.Keywords: performance analysis, data mining, efficiency.
The Relative Leverage Premium

The existing empirical evidence does not yet provide a clear understanding of how leverage and expected equity returns are related. While some studies show a positive relationship between financial leverage and returns, others conclude that returns are either insensitive or decrease with leverage, after controlling for size and book-to-market. We re-examine this evidence by explicitly accounting for the dynamic nature of a firm’s optimal leverage policy in the presence of frictions. Specifically, consistent with recent dynamic models of capital structure, we allow firms to temporarily deviate from their optimal capital structure due to adjustment costs. For each firm we estimate target leverage, and compute relative leverage as the difference between observed and target leverage. We find that relative leverage is positively and significantly related to expected equity returns, and has a dominant effect over size and book-to-market. The relative leverage premium shows a remarkable symmetry for over- and under-leveraged firms. Finally, the relative leverage premium is not captured by Fama and French’s three-factor model, and it appears to be consistent with rational asset pricing. We conjecture that risk-averse investors require a higher expected return for over-leveraged stocks than for under-leveraged ones because the former are counter-cyclical, while the latter are cyclical.
Antioxidative Constituents of the Aerial Parts of Galium spurium

Abstract glucosides (Salvatore et al. , 2000). Some iridoids (Deliorman et al. , 2001), anthraquinones (Koyama et al. , 1993) and ﬂ a-vonoids (Cai et al. , 2009) were analyzed from G. spurium . Its aerial parts have been used for the treatment of the bones and sinews pain and hematuria. Crude extract of G. spurium was also used as a anticancer agent in folk medicine. It has been reported to have immunostimulant and anti-tumor activ-ity (Yoon et al. , 2005). However, information concerning the antioxidant activity of G. spurium is unavailable. This paper deals with the isolation and structural characterization of these compounds and their scavenging activity of the stable DPPH free radical and superoxide quenching activities. MATERIALS AND METHODS General experimental procedures NMR spectra were determined on a JEOL JMN-EX 400 spectrometer. Sephadex LH-20 was used for column chroma-tography (25-100 μm; Fluka, Buchs, Switzeland). Prep-HPLC was carried out on a Jaigel GS310 column (Tokyo, Japan). TLC was carried out on Merck (Darmstadt, Germany) pre-coated silica gel F
Bank Ownership and Cost Efficiency in Russia, Revisited

Abstract This paper investigates the cost efficiency of Russian banks with regard to their heterogeneity in terms of ownership form, capitalization and asset structure. Using bank-level quarterly data over the period 2005–2013, we perform stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and compute cost efficiency scores at the bank and bank group levels. We deduct from gross costs the negative revaluations of foreign currency items generated by official exchange rate dynamics rather than by managerial decisions. The results indicate that the core state banks, as distinct from other state-controlled banks, were nearly as efficient as private domestic banks during and after the crisis of 2008–2009. Foreign banks appear to be the least efficient market participants in terms of costs, which might reflect their lower (and decreasing over time) penetration of the Russian banking system. We further document that the group ranking by cost efficiency is not permanent over time and depends on the observed differences in bank capitalization and asset structure. We find that foreign banks gain cost efficiency when they lend more to the economy. Core state banks, conversely, lead in terms of cost efficiency when they lend less to the economy, which can result from political interference in their lending decisions in favor of unprofitable projects Private domestic banks that maintain a lower capitalization significantly outperform foreign banks and do not differ from the core state banks in this respect.
Responding to spatial and temporal variations in predation risk: space use of a game species in a changing landscape of fear

Predators generate a “landscape of fear” within which prey can minimize the risk of predation by selecting low-risk areas. Depending on the spatial structure of this “landscape”, i.e., whether it is coarse- or fine-grained, prey may respond to increased risk by shifting their home ranges or by fine-scale redistributions within these ranges, respectively. We studied how wild boar (Sus scrofa L., 1758) responded to temporal changes in risk in hunted areas (risky habitat) surrounding a nature reserve (refuge habitat). Animals with home ranges “in contact” with the reserve during the low-risk season were the only ones to shift toward the refuge when the risk increased. These shifts occurred at two temporal scales in response to the increased risk during the daytime and during the hunting season. Whereas animals not influenced by the reserve found food and shelter in forest during the hunting season, shifts to the refuge area were detrimental to the rather scarce forest areas in the reserve. This confirms that.
The Efficacy of two Improvement-Over-Chance Effect Sizes for Two-Group Univariate Comparisons under Variance Heterogeneity and Nonnormality

The efficacy of two improvement-over-chance or I effect sizes, derived from predictive discriminant analysis (PDA) and logistic regression analysis (LRA), was investigated for two-group univariate mean comparisons. Data were generated under selected levels of population separation, variance pattern, sample size, and distribution shape. Based on the accuracy of sample estimates, both I indices are acceptable under optimal conditions except when both population separation and sample size are small. Under variance heterogeneity and normality, I derived from LRA is acceptable if n sizes are equal. When n sizes are unequal, I derived from LRA is acceptable only if variance heterogeneity is moderate and population separation is not small. Under nonnormality, I derived from LRA is acceptable regardless of the variance pattern provided n sizes are equal. Finally, for greater precision, I derived from LRA should be used under large sample sizes.
comPARAFAC: a library and tools for rapid and quantitative comparison of dissolved organic matter components resolved by Parallel Factor Analysis

Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC) is a well‐established method for characterizing dissolved organic matter (DOM). While methods for sample processing and PARAFAC analysis are well defined and robust, subsequent classification of DOM fluorescence components and comparisons of components among studies remain highly qualitative. Because these comparisons often guide the interpretation of subsequent data, it is important that quantitatively accurate comparisons be made. We developed a statistical tool, comPARAFAC, using a modified Tucker's Congruence Coefficient (mTCC), an established method of factor comparison, to provide a quantitative basis for comparing models. To develop and test this tool we used mTCC to compare factors from 35 DOM fluorescence studies using Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC) in marine and freshwater environments. We compared mTCC‐guided component matching with qualitative comparisons made in the literature to describe the current perceptions of component equivalence. Based on our analysis, 21% of the direct comparisons made using the qualitative approach are potentially erroneous, whereas possible matches are missed 14% of the time using that same approach. The procedure and accompanying PARAFAC model library for performing quantitative mTCC‐guided comparisons are available as an R package (see Web Appendix A). This method simplifies and standardizes the process by which researchers identify and compare fluorescent DOM components across studies.