Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk Management Assessment Systems: An Application to Islamic Banks

Risk management is central in operations of financial institutions, both from business and regulatory perspectives. Risk management is not only about identifying and mitigating risks, but involves a strong risk management system that includes establishing appropriate risk management environment, maintaining an appropriate risk management process, and instituting adequate internal controls. This paper provides a measurable tool to assess the risk management framework in Islamic banks. The structured assessment methodology provide indices that gives a quantitative assessment of not only the overall risk management system of a financial institution, but also indicates the strengths and weaknesses of various aspects of this system. The assessment process can be used by Islamic banks and regulatory authorities to identify the weaknesses and improve upon the risk management framework. The paper provides examples of how the assessment method outlined can be used to estimate the status of risk management system for two Islamic banks.
Diagnosis of melanoma aspirates on ThinPrep®: The University of Michigan experience

The purpose of this study was to compare the cytologic features of melanoma fine‐needle aspirates (FNAs) prepared by ThinPrep® (TP) with those in conventional smears (CS) and to identify any diagnostic pitfalls. Fifty‐one aspirates diagnosed as melanoma were obtained, 36 of which were prepared by both TP and CS. The preparations were evaluated for cellularity, cell aggregates, cellular appearance, melanin pigment, cytoplasmic, and nuclear features. Categorical data were analyzed by the chi‐square test and continuous data by the Wilcoxin‐signed rank test. Correlation was determined by Spearman's test for bivariate correlations (rho). Good correlation between the two methods was identified for the following features: cellularity, cell type, bi/multinucleated cells, cytoplasmic features, NC ratio, and presence of macronucleoli. TP exhibits coarser chromatin compared to CS (P = 0.005). Six of 36 CS contained large cellular groups; none of the TP contained them (P = 0.018). Twenty‐five of 36 CS contained intranuclear inclusions as opposed to 12/36 TP (P < 0.001). The number of inclusions was significantly reduced on TP. The amount of intracellular melanin was the same with both techniques. Background melanin was markedly reduced on TP except when either trapped by fibrin or attached to cellular clusters (P = 0.006). Background blood was also markedly reduced on TP (P < 0.005). In summary, the cytological features of TP and CS for FNA evaluation of melanoma correlate well; however, one needs to be aware of the cytologic alterations introduced by TP. TP is a sufficient preparation method in the diagnosis of melanoma FNA aspirates when performed by clinicians. It is also a useful adjunct in bloody or low‐cellular aspirates, where it tends to reduce the background blood and concentrate the cells. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2002;26:334–339. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Transcript Expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae at High Salinity* 210

Transcript expression of Saccharomyces cerevisiae at high salinity was determined by microarray analysis of 6144 open reading frames (ORFs). From cells grown in 1 mNaCl for 10, 30, and 90 min, changes in transcript abundance >2-fold were classified. Salinity-induced ORFs increased over time: 107 (10 min), 243 (30 min), and 354 (90 min). Up-regulated, functionally unknown ORFs increased from 17 to 149 over this period. Expression patterns were similar early, with 67% of up-regulated transcripts after 10 min identical to those at 30 min. The expression profile after 90 min revealed different up-regulated transcripts (identities of 13% and 22%, respectively). Nucleotide and amino acid metabolism exemplified the earliest responses to salinity, followed by ORFs related to intracellular transport, protein synthesis, and destination. Transcripts related to energy production were up-regulated throughout the time course with respiration-associated transcripts strongly induced at 30 min. Highly expressed at 90 min were known salinity stress-induced genes, detoxification-related responses, transporters of the major facilitator superfamily, metabolism of energy reserves, nitrogen and sulfur compounds, and lipid, fatty acid/isoprenoid biosynthesis. We chose severe stress conditions to monitor responses in essential biochemical mechanisms. In the mutant, Δgpd1/gpd2, lacking glycerol biosynthesis, the stress response was magnified with a partially different set of up-regulated ORFs.
Developing IS competence during cross-cultural collaboration in ad hoc virtual teams: a tale of one case analysis project

As information technology continues to transform the workplace, developing business-relevant skills through traditional classroom instruction becomes increasingly more complex. Globalization of the business environment leads to the need for increased ability to collaborate on projects across borders. One technological application which may be able to combine students' need to develop information technology competence with their need to adapt to a culturally diverse environment is the Internet. This paper describes a case study that was used to investigate the viability of using the Internet as the means of group communication on a case analysis project for geographically-dispersed groups from different cultures. Results to-date indicate that the students' technological competence with respect to the Internet has been enhanced, their general perception of the importance and value of communication media has been changed, and the group dynamics traditionally applied in case analysis appear to be affected. Specifically, a deep sense of trust, cooperation and cohesiveness appear to be missing, while the groups appear to enjoy the opportunity for direct interaction with a different culture.
Effects of Interventions to Raise Voluntary Enrollment in a Social Health Insurance Scheme: A Cluster Randomized Trial

A cluster randomized controlled trial was undertaken, testing two sets of interventions to encourage enrollment in the Philippines' Individual Payer Program. Of 243 municipalities, 179 were randomly assigned as intervention sites and 64 as controls. In early 2011, 2,950 families were interviewed; unenrolled Individual Payer Program-eligible families in intervention sites were given an information kit and a 50 percent premium subsidy until the end of 2011. In February 2012, the "non-compliers" had their voucher extended, were re-sent the enrollment kit, and received Short Message Service (SMS) reminders. Half were told that in the upcoming end-line interview the enumerator could help complete the enrollment form, deliver it to the insurer, and have identification cards mailed. The control and intervention sites were balanced at baseline. In the control sites, 9.9 percent (32/323) of eligible individuals had enrolled by January 2012, compared with 14.9 percent (119/801) in intervention sites. In the sub-experiment, enrollment was 3.4 percent (10/290) among eligible non-compliers and who did not receive assistance but 39.7 percent (124/312) among those who did. A premium subsidy combined with information can increase voluntary enrollment in a social health insurance program, but less than an intervention that reduces the enrollment burden; even that leaves enrollment below 50 percent.
Opportunities for strategic use of e-learning in scaling up disaster management capacity in Eastern Africa: a descriptive analysis.

Background : The growing need for disaster management skills at all levels in Eastern Africa requires innovative approaches to training planners at all levels. While information technology tools provide a viable option, few studies have assessed the capacity for training institutions to use technology for cascading disaster management skills. Methods : The design was an explorative survey. A pre-training survey was conducted among 16 faculty members (9 academic staff and 7 information technology (IT) staff) from 7 schools of public health in Eastern Africa. Key informant interviews with 4 students and 4 staff members were conducted at the school of public health in Makerere. IT staff also conducted observations on trends of use of information technology infrastructure. Results : Current levels of use of ICT among teaching and IT staff is variable. On-site use of the internet is high, but off-site access is low. Personal computers, e-mail, discussion forums and other web-based learning management platforms and open education resources (OERs) have been variably used by faculty and students to facilitate learning. On the other hand, videos, web-conferencing, social media, web-based document management tools, and mobile telephone applications were much less frequently used. A disaster management short course produced by the Health Emergencies Management Project (HEMP) has been adapted to a web-based open education resource and an interactive CD-ROM. Challenges included low levels of awareness and skills in technology options among students and faculty and access to reliable internet. Conclusions : Despite the existing challenges, technology tools are a viable platform for cascading disaster management skills in Eastern Africa. Keywords : Information and Communication technology, e-learning
Arginine Kinase from Nautilus pompilius, a Living Fossil

Arginine kinases were isolated from the cephalopods Nautilus pompilius, Octopus vulgaris, and Sepioteuthis lessoniana, and the cDNA-derived amino acid sequences have been determined. Although the origin and evolution of cephalopods have long been obscure, this work provides the first molecular evidence for the phylogenetic position of Cephalopoda in molluscan evolution. A crystal structure forLimulus arginine kinase showed that four amino acid residues (Ser63, Gly64, Val65, and Tyr68) are hydrogen-bonded with the substrate arginine. We introduced three independent mutations, Ser63→ Gly, Ser63 → Thr, and Tyr68 → Ser, inNautilus arginine kinase. One of the mutants had a considerably reduced substrate affinity, accompanied by a decreasedV max. In other mutants, the activity was lost almost completely. It is known that substantial conformational changes take place upon substrate binding in arginine kinase. We hypothesize that the hydrogen bond between Asp62 and Arg193stabilizes the closed, substrate-bound state. Site-directed mutagenesis studies strongly support this hypothesis. The mutant (Asp62→ Gly or Arg193 → Gly), which destabilizes the maintenance of the closed state and/or perhaps disrupts the unique topology of the catalytic pocket, showed only a very weak activity (0.6–1.5% to the wild-type).
Why Shareholders Want Their CEOS to Lie More after Dura Pharmaceuticals

The Supreme Court's recent Dura Pharmaceuticals decision requires a plaintiff to show a market decline (ex post losses), as opposed to price inflation at the time of purchase (ex ante losses), in order to maintain an action for securities fraud. Since fraud is actionable only where a market decline attributable to the fraud occurs under the ex post loss rule, firms that can bundle together disclosures or business projects are under-deterred by the antifraud regime: the success of one project may compensate for the failure of another, the firm can time the release of good and bad news to mask fraud's effect on price, and other factors that would have caused a loss of investment value even without the fraud can disallow a claim for damages. Strategically, firms may bundle to minimize exposure to liability. On the other hand, firms that value transparency may wish to unbundle. In this sense, the credibility of disclosure under an ex post loss rule depends on the extent to which firms can and do unbundle, whereas an ex ante regime is theoretically perfect in any case. This analysis also reveals two additional problems with an ex post rule: market tests for ex post damages awards (a chief purported benefit) are generally not available for bundled firms, and awarding ex post damages may over-punish small frauds but reward big ones.
The Effect of Parathyroid Hormone on the Renal Accumulation of Lead 1

The effect of parathyroid hormone (RTH) on renal accumulation of lead has been assessed in two experiments on mature rats. In the first experiment, lead was given per OS, followed by subcutaneous injections of PTH (100 units of parathyroid extract, Lilly) or vehicle alone over the next 2 days. In the second experiment, anesthetized rats were given lead 2 PTH (bovine l-34, Beckman; primed with 1.33 pg and a constant infusion of 4.2 r&minute) intravenously over a 2-hour period. In both experiments, FTH caused significant increments in renal lead concentration (52 and 29%. respectively) compared to groups treated with lead but not PTH. Since total body lead is also increased with F’TH treatment in the first experiment, a gastrointestinal (GI) mechanism is suggested: however, stimulation of GI absorption cannot account for the effect in the second experiment in which lead was administered iv. In both experiments. the increment in renal lead in the absence of changes in lead in other soft tissues (liver, red cell, or plasma) suggests a selective effect of F’TH on renal lead. The possible mechanisms for this effect are discussed.
The Agency Credit Spread

We study the impact of agency frictions on the price of defaultable debt in the context of a structural model of corporate decisions. Our model features dynamic investment and long-term debt financing, thus allowing us to analyze many types of possible agency distortions: under- and over-investment, debt claim dilution and excess dividend distributions. We show that shareholders’ incentives to deviate from firm (i.e., equity plus debt) value optimizing policies contribute a significant part of a firm’s credit spread, which we refer to as the agency credit spread. As deviations from firm value maximizing policies are most significant when the firm approaches financial distress, typically in economic downturns, the agency credit spread is large. We find that the mismatch in the maturity of assets and liabilities, the liquidation cost of assets, and the operating leverage of the firm are positively associated with the theoretical agency credit spread. We confirm those predictions in a sample of large S&P500 firms.
Critical Current Density and Ferromagnetic Resonance Affected by Perpendicular Anisotropy in Spin Valve

Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and magnetization-switching-induced spin-transfer torque (STT) in spin valve had been investigated by 3-D micromagnetic simulations. The simulation results show that three resonance peaks attributing to various resonance modes were found. FMR frequencies can be controlled by the perpendicular anisotropy strength. At the same time, the critical current density of STT-induced magnetization switching can be obviously reduced by tuning the perpendicular anisotropy constant too.
Analysis of Knowledge Management, Organizational Learning and Innovation: How Facebook has effectively integrated these three elements in its Structure

The key motive for this study had been to investigate and explore the current state of knowledge in organizational learning, knowledge management process and its impact on innovation with the help of frameworks. The report commence by a brief introduction of organizational learning and knowledge management. This is followed by a literature review carrying out an in depth analysis of conceptual and theoretical frameworks of knowledge management and organizational learning. The paper then reviews the application of these concepts on the social network service; Facebook. It will then go on to discuss the exploitation of knowledge and innovation within the organization. Finally the paper will conclude by summarizing the analysis with an attempt to validate the significance of the study. Keywords: organizational learning, knowledge management, innovation, social network
Financing Mechanisms for Capital Improvements: Interchanges

This report examines the use of alternative local financing mechanisms for interchange and interchange area infrastructure improvements. The financing mechanisms covered include transportation impact fees, tax increment financing, value capture financing, local improvement districts, transportation corporations, state infrastructure banks, local option transportation taxes, fair share mitigation, and transportation concurrency. The financing alternatives are assessed in the context of Interchange Area Management Plans, which are required by the Oregon Transportation Commission, as well as in the context of the Oregon Department of Transportation’s responsibilities under the state’s Transportation Planning Rule.
Correlations of Swimming Patterns with Spinal Deformities in the Sand Tiger Shark, Carcharias taurus

Spinal deformities among captive sand tiger sharks, Carcharias taurus, are unfortunately common, and abnormal swimming behavior due to constrained aquarium space has been hypothesized to contribute to the development of this condition. Public aquaria across the United States were surveyed for number, condition (healthy vs. affected), and total length of resident C. taurus specimens and for dimensions of their aquaria. They were also asked to record 10 minute video segments of individual C. taurus swimming in lateral view. Total length of sharks, regardless of condition, averaged 225 ± 5 (mean ± SE) cm. Aquarium shapes varied widely, but aquaria held median volumes of 1.03 X 106 L, and were a median of 4.6 m in depth and 20.7 m in greatest horizontal distance. The greatest horizontal distance of aquaria was negatively correlated with disease prevalence of resident populations in a logarithmic fashion (r = 0.72). Behaviorally, sharks were assessed for total time and percentage of time spent swimming in a specific direction (clockwise, counter-clockwise, or linear), in a glide, and tail-beat duration. Regardless of condition, C. taurus spent a median of 98.9% of time swimming and 0.62% of time gliding. Healthy sharks spent a median of 0.67% gliding versus a median of 0% for afflicted sharks (p= 0.036), suggesting an increased swim-to-glide ratio among the latter group. All sharks swam asymmetrically in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction for a median of 99.7% of observed time. Affected specimens had tail beat durations of 3.37 ± 0.23 s vs. 2.72 ± 0.10 s for healthy sharks (p = 0.005). The increase in swim-to-glide ratios and inordinate time spent swimming asymmetrically for all affected sharks support the hypothesis that swimming patterns induced by captive exhibits may contribute to spinal deformities in C. taurus due to more stress placed on the spine. Large, complex aquarium designs are recommended in the planning of new exhibits to discourage stereotypical swimming behavior and also to provide sufficient length for sharks to complete natural swimming repertoires. Comprehensive behavioral enrichment activities that encourage complex movement are also recommended as well as considerations such as even weight distribution of the animal during capture, sourcing of appropriately aged sharks, and nutritional supplementation.
A mechanism achieving low latency for wireless datacenter applications

Recently, several wireless/optical datacenter architectures are designed to overcome the drawbacks of wired datacenter topologies, such as expensive high-end switches, high cabling complexity, congestion caused by a few hot nodes. Compared with wired switches, current commodity wireless switches usually suffer lower throughput as well as higher packet loss ratio and latency. However, todays datacenter applications, such as web search, require quite low latency to improve user experience. In this paper, a mechanism, named pECN, is proposed to achieve low latency for delay-sensitive flows. pECN makes use of Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) to maintain a small queue length and a priority-based scheduling mechanism to provide delay differentiated services. The priority-based scheduling mechanism works at the packet level. When transmitting, the packet with the highest priority will be sent. Since the queue length is controlled within a small value by the ECN mechanism, the scheduling mechanism does not incur large overhead. Also, since it works at the packet level, it can support unlimited number of services. Besides, pECN does not need to maintain any flow state at switches. We implemented the proposed mechanism and evaluated the performance on the ns-2 platform. The simulation results show that pECN works better compared with TCP, DCTCP and D2TCP in terms of the flow completion time and the number of flows that can be supported without compromising deadlines.
Dipole Antenna With Left-Handed Loading

A new small antenna consisting of a dipole with left-handed loading is proposed. The antenna is composed of a ladder network periodic structure of unit cells having series capacitors and shunt inductors. Placing capacitors into one side of the network leads to out of phase currents with different amplitudes that allow strong radiation. The numerical analysis show that the antenna has a length of 0.15 wavelengths in free space, input impedance close to 50 Omega and well-behaved radiation patterns, but that losses in the loading components reduce efficiency to 16%. The antenna is compared with other right-handed periodically loading dipoles and shown to less efficient than inductive loading, but much easier to match
Adherence of Candida albicans to the surface of polymethylmethacrylate--E glass fiber composite used in dentures.

PURPOSE The use of reinforcing fibers in dentures has raised concerns about possible increased adherence of yeasts to the surface. The aim of this in vitro study was to compare the adherence of Candida albicans to the surface of denture-base polymer and to E-glass fibers. MATERIALS AND METHODS Test specimens were made from an autopolymerized denture-base resin (Palapress) reinforced with preimpregnated unidirectional E-glass fibers, which were exposed at the surface. The test specimens were pretreated with parotid saliva and incubated without agitation in standardized yeast suspensions (10(8) colony-forming units per mL) in phosphate-buffered saline at 37 degrees C for 1 hour. The test specimens were then washed to remove nonadherent cells. After being air dried, they were sputter coated with gold-palladium for scanning electron microscopy (SEM). To compare the adherence to different surfaces, the number of yeast cells found either on the polymer matrix or on the glass fibers was counted from SEM fields (170 microns x 120 microns, 600 x) of randomly selected areas. RESULTS The mean density of yeast cell found on the surface of the polymer matrix was significantly higher (P < 0.001) than that on the surface of glass fibers. The number of adherent yeast cells found at the interface between the fibers and polymer matrix was high. CONCLUSION The adherence of C albicans to E-glass fibers was lower than to polymer matrix in the denture composite. If fibers are exposed only during polishing of the composite, the reinforcing material appears not to increase the adherence of this common oral yeast. However, areas with permanently exposed fibers may provide mechanical retention for yeast cells at the interface of the components.