Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Hyper- and Hypocapnia on Phonatory Laryngeal Airway Resistance in Women.

PURPOSE The larynx has a dual role in the regulation of gas flow into and out of the lungs while also establishing resistance required for vocal fold vibration. This study assessed reciprocal relations between phonatory functions-specifically, phonatory laryngeal airway resistance (Rlaw)-and respiratory homeostasis during states of ventilatory gas perturbations. METHOD Twenty-four healthy women performed phonatory tasks while exposed to induced hypercapnia (high CO2), hypocapnia (low CO2), and normal breathing (eupnea). Effects of gas perturbations on Rlaw were investigated as were the reciprocal effects of Rlaw modulations on respiratory homeostasis. RESULTS Rlaw remained stable despite manipulations of inspired gas concentrations. In contrast, end-tidal CO2 levels increased significantly during all phonatory tasks. Thus, for the conditions tested, Rlaw did not adjust to accommodate ventilatory needs as predicted. Rather, stable Rlaw was spontaneously accomplished at the cost of those needs. CONCLUSIONS Findings provide support for a theory of regulation wherein Rlaw may be a control parameter in phonation. Results also provide insight into the influence of phonation on respiration. The work sets the foundation for future studies on laryngeal function during phonation in individuals with lower airway disease and other patient populations.
A preliminary investigation of urinary testosterone and cortisol levels in wild male mountain gorillas

Urinary steroid hormone levels were measured in wild male mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei) to determine how levels of testosterone and cortisol corresponded with age and social rank. Urine samples were collected noninvasively from 18 males, ranging in age from 3–26 years, in three groups of wild mountain gorillas at the Karisoke Research Center, Rwanda, Africa, and samples were analyzed using radioimmunoassay procedures. Males were classified as being immature (<7 years), maturing (10–13 years), or adult (+13 years of age). Immature males had significantly lower levels of testosterone and higher levels of cortisol than both maturing and adult males. No differences in testosterone or cortisol levels were found between maturing and adult males. Dominant males exhibited a trend toward significantly higher levels of testosterone than subordinate males, but no difference was found between cortisol levels of dominant and subordinate males. These results suggest that the increase in testosterone associated with puberty occurs prior to any outward sign of development of secondary sexual characteristics. Within‐group male–male competition may affect testosterone levels, but the lack of difference in cortisol levels between dominant and subordinate males suggests that subordinate males are not socially stressed, at least as measured by cortisol. Am. J. Primatol. 43:51–64, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Project management in boundary spanned teams - diversified directions of social exchange. The meta-analytical approach

Summary The conceptual model of the types of social exchange in project teams has been presented in the study. The perspective of a boundary spanned organization has been accepted as the basis of the analysis. The author conducted a critical review of literature in the area of relation between the quality of social exchange (referred to models: LMX, TMX and MMX) and such variables as: IP, OCB, OCBO, OCBI and COCB. The analysis included 87 research studies. A vertical and horizontal meta-analysis was made. The legitimacy of a conceptual model has been confirmed. The results of analysis indicated future research directions for independent research projects Streszczenie Przedstawiono model konceptualny dotyczący rodzajów wymiany społecznej w zespołach projektowych. Do analizy przyjęto perspektywę organizacji o rozszerzonych granicach. Przeprowadzono krytyczną analizę literatury w zakresie relacji pomiędzy jakością wymiany społecznej LMX, TMX i MMX a zmiennymi opisującymi indywidualną wydajność pracy: IP, OCB, OCBO, OCBI i COCB. Na podstawie wyników badań zgromadzonych na podstawie analizy 87 opracowań stworzono wertykalną i horyzontalną metaanalizę. W wyniku analizy potwierdzono zasadność modelu konceptualnego oraz wskazano na możliwości przeprowadzenia odrębnych projektów badawczych
Uncertain Innovation and the Persistence of Monopoly

In a recent paper published in this Review, Gilbert and Newbery (1982) show that, because an incumbent firm enjoys greater marginal incentives to engage in R and D (under their assumption of deterministic invention), the incumbent firm will engage in preemptive patenting. Thus the industry will tend to remain monopolized, and by the same firm. They then argue heuristically that this result extends to the case in which innovation is uncertain. One form of this conjecture is that the incumbent patents the innovation more often than not. We briefly review the Gilbert and Newbery argument as well as those in related papers (Gilbert, 1981 and Craswell, 1981). We then present a model which incorporates uncertainty and concludes the contrary; that is, in a Nash equilibrium the incumbent firm invests less on the innovation than a challenger. Consequently, the incumbent firm will patent the innovation less often than not. This result indicates that one need worry far less about persistent monopoly than would be suggested by the Gilbert and Newbery analysis.
Investing for the Environment? The Limits of the UN Principles of Responsible Investment

International governance is often complicated by collective action problems. This is particularly true in the setting of international environmental governance in which attempts to establish effective international regimes are marred by countless private and public actors with distinct agendas, significant issue uncertainty, and a diversity of non-synchronized initiatives. In light of these difficulties, efforts are underway to embed an international environmental regime within the already developed and, arguably, better understood international regime of global finance. This developing ideology involves financial market participants no longer treating environmental consequences of economic growth as externalities but rather internalizing them as financial risks within their decision-making processes, and is often referred to as responsible investment. The United Nations Principles of Responsible Investment (UN PRI) has played a leading role in these efforts and has benefited significantly from uncritical optimism in doing so. However, an analysis of the UN PRI demonstrates that the organization’s lack of transparency, accountability and enforcement actually serve as obstacles to the mainstream adoption of responsible investment practices. The UN PRI, after early successes in legitimizing the responsible investment ideology, appears to be acting as a shroud of legitimacy for traditional 'non-responsible' investment practices. Although the UN PRI may have gained autonomous authority and have diverted from its original goals, the responsible investment ideology retains the promise of being an effective regime to address contemporary environmental change in a world driven by global finance, yet more support from both private and public actors, and corresponding oversight of all actors, is required.
Three Neo-Functional Hypotheses About International Integration

In an earlier article published in this journal Ernst Haas and this author suggested a set of strategic “background conditions,” “conditions at the time of initiation,” and “process conditions” intended (hypothetically) to assess the political consequences of an initial agreement to lower or remove mutual barriers to the movement of productive factors.
Corporate communication for Vietnamese listed firms

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of independent directors and ownership structure on voluntary disclosures of Vietnamese listed firms. Design/methodology/approach - Year-ending 2008 annual report disclosures of 45 Vietnamese listed firms are analyzed. Voluntary disclosure is measured using a Vietnamese Disclosure Index adapted from prior literature. Descriptive and inferential statistics ( Findings - The results indicate that the level of voluntary disclosure among Vietnamese listed firms is relatively low (24.23 per cent). There are higher levels of disclosure relating to director and senior management details but far lower in regards to social issues. State ownership and managerial ownership are negatively and positively related to the extent of voluntary disclosure respectively. Moreover, bigger firms are found to be positively associated with voluntary disclosure. Research limitations/implications - The results of this study are limited to one year – 2008 – and thus, could be biased as disclosures can change over time. Practical implications - Vietnamese regulators should focus on strengthening the regulations governing the level of corporate communication in firms with high state ownership as well as encouraging more disclosure of non-financial information to strengthen its market information transparency. Originality/value - This study is one of the first examining the level of corporate voluntary disclosure practices among Vietnamese listed firms. Evidence from this study extends the existing voluntary disclosure literature on emerging economies whilst providing valuable insights to Vietnamese policy makers in the process of developing and improving its financial reporting regulatory framework.
"Green" distance-aware base station sleeping algorithm in LTE-Advanced

In this paper, we propose a switch on/off algorithm for Base Stations (BSs), which exploits the knowledge of the distance between the User Equipments (UEs) and their associated BS. Our novel approach hopes to provide an improvement to the problem of energy consumption. The major concern lies on reducing the energy consumption of the telecommunication networks by optimizing the power utilization without sacrificing the offered Quality of Service (QoS). Our proposed scheme achieves a significant power saving, based on switching off the Base Stations that are underutilized during low traffic periods (especially during night) in the LTE-Advanced.
REIT Dividend Policies and Dividend Announcement Effects During the 2008–2009 Liquidity Crisis

Real estate investment trust (REIT) dividend policies and dividend announcement effects during the 2008–2009 liquidity crisis are examined. Multinomial logit results indicate that REITs with higher market leverage or lower market‐to‐book ratios are more likely to cut dividends, suspend dividends or pay elective stock dividends. These results imply that mitigating going‐concern risk is an important motive for REITs adjusting dividend policies during the crisis and support dividend catering theory where investor demand for dividends impacts corporate dividend policies. Moreover, REITs that cut or suspend dividends experience positive cumulative abnormal returns during the post‐announcement period after controlling for the potential influence from simultaneous funds from operation announcements. The positive market response over the post‐announcement period supports the notion that dividend decisions convey information to investors and is also consistent with the broad catering theory of dividend policy.
Information Literacy 2.0: hype or discourse refinement?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce the term Information Literacy 2.0 as a subset of information literacy, to describe its development and significance and give an outline of its underlying theoretical assumptions.Design/methodology/approach – The paper first examines the grounds for the possible re‐conceptualizations in the field of information literacy and identifies the current developments in the information universe as the principal drive for perception shifts. Based on a literature review and a descriptive analysis of contrasting features of library user education, information literacy and Information literacy 2.0, the paper highlights the main foci of paradigm shifts.Findings – The paper found that the new meaning and understanding of the central conceptions in information literacy are shifting the focus of classical information literacy towards Information literacy 2.0. Many of the aspects of current information literacy practices originate from a print‐based culture, which is inco.
Is family the key? Exploring the motivation and success factors of female Emirati entrepreneurs

This exploratory research attempts to identify the motivation factors and to understand the extent to which different aspects of family play a role in the success of an entrepreneurial business operated by an Emirati businesswoman. A survey was used to collect data from 224 Emirati female entrepreneurs. We carried out factor analyses using principle component method subject to varimax rotation and regression analysis to answer our research questions. It was found that family is an important, but not the ain motivating factor. Family support and contribution of family members to the business are important for business success.
Science in the most curious places : an analysis of an in-service science education program for elementary school teachers

According to recent reports, few elementary school students receive an adequate education in science, particularly in physical science. These reports go on to suggest that sustained and structured in-service programs can assist teachers who want to teach more science in their classrooms. This thesis is an exploratory, qualitative analysis of the effectiveness of an in-service science program for elementary teachers, specifically focussing on the experiences of some of the participants. The program consisted of a one week institute, conducted at Science World, British Columbia in August, 1991, and a subsequent field-based implementation course offered by Simon Fraser University, during the Fall term of 1991. Was this combination of summer institute and implementation course an effective and appropriate way to assist teachers who want to do more and better science with their students? How well did it address the "problem of elementary science education"? My relationship with the teachers evolved over two years from "participant" in the summer institute to "facilitator" during the implementation course and to "researcher" in the follow-up study. This multi-role perspective enabled me to develop a substantial and unique database for the study. Three aspects of the participating teachers'
Efficacy of adsorbents (bentonite and diatomaceous earth) and turmeric (Curcuma longa) in alleviating the toxic effects of aflatoxin in chicks

Abstract A study was conducted to determine the efficacy of bentonite clay (BC), diatomaceous earth (DE) and turmeric powder (TUM) in alleviating the toxic effects of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). A total of 250 Ross-308 d-old male broiler chicks were assigned to 10 dietary treatments (5 replicates of 5 chicks) from hatch to d 21. Dietary treatments were: basal diet; basal diet plus AFB1 (2 mg) or BC (0.75%), or DE (0.75%), or TUM (200 mg/kg curcuminoids) and different combinations of AFB1, BC, DE and TUM. Feed intake (FI), body weight gain (BWG) and feed gain (FG) of the birds fed on BC or DE separately were not different from control birds. Birds fed on TUM only had similar FI and FG but lower BWG than control chicks. Aflatoxin B1 reduced FI, BWG and serum concentrations of glucose, albumin, total protein calcium, but increased FG and relative liver and kidney weights. Chicks fed on the combination of AFB1 and BC had similar FI and FG to control chicks. Chicks fed on the combination of DE and AFB1 had lower FI (23.1%) and BWG (28.6%) compared with control chicks. Chicks fed on the combination of TUM and AFB1 also had decreased FI (26.2 %) and BWG (31%) compared with control chicks. Chicks fed on the combination of AFB1, BC and TUM consumed significantly higher amounts of feed compared with chicks fed on only AF, but gained less when compared with control diet chicks. Chicks fed on the combination of AFB1, DE and TUM diet had poorer growth performance than those fed on AFB1 alone. None of the combination diets reduced the severity of liver lesions.
Risk Models after the Credit Crisis

The 2008 credit crisis came as a complete surprise to most financial practitioners and academics. As risk models had largely been unable to predict the crisis and its impact on volatilities and correlations, the usefulness of such models has been widely called into question. This paper proposes a new model to remedy a number of important flaws. First, the possible start of a crisis is modeled by including a low-probability jump process. These jumps are associated with a significant drop in the stock market, lower risk-free interest rates, and a strong increase in credit spreads. Second, the risk characteristics of the crisis are captured by allowing for time-varying volatilities and correlations. Time variation in correlations is due to the changing importance of two sources: monetary shocks leading to a positive stock-bond correlation, and risk-aversion (or 'flight-to-safety') shocks leading to a negative stock-bond correlation. The model stays within the essentially affine class, thereby allowing for closed-form solutions for arbitrage-free nominal and real bond prices of all maturities. Moreover, equity options and swaption prices are included in the estimation procedure to enhance the proper modeling of the volatility on the equity and interest rate markets. The model captures a large part of the time-variation in financial risks for pension funds, due to both changing volatilities and correlations.
Desirable attributes of the ambulance technician, paramedic, and clinical supervisor: findings from a Delphi study

Objectives: To identify those attributes experts regard as desirable qualities in the ambulance technician, paramedic, and clinical supervisor. Methods: The Delphi technique was used to gain a consensus view from a panel of experts. The first round of the study asked the experts to list the attributes they believed were desirable for the ambulance technician, the ambulance paramedic, and the clinical supervisor. The first round of the study generated 3403 individual statements that were collapsed into 25 broad categories, which were returned to the experts, who were required to rate each of the attributes along a visual analogue scale in respect of each of the identified occupational groups. Results: On completion of the second round the data were analysed to demonstrate rank ordering of desirable attributes by occupational group. The level of agreement within each group was determined by analysis using the Kendall coefficient of concordance. This showed high levels of agreement within the technician group but less agreement within the paramedic and clinical supervisor group. All were highly significant p<0.0001. Conclusions: There was significant agreement among the experts as to the desirable attributes of ambulance staff, many of which do not feature in existing ambulance training curriculums. The findings of this study may therefore be of value in informing future curriculum development and in providing guidance for the selection of staff for each of the occupational groups.
Quantifying changes in the rates of forest clearing in Indonesia from 1990 to 2005 using remotely sensed data sets

Timely and accurate data on forest change within Indonesia is required to provide government, private and civil society interests with the information needed to improve forest management. The forest clearing rate in Indonesia is among the highest reported by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), behind only Brazil in terms of forest area lost. While the rate of forest loss reported by FAO was constant from 1990 through 2005 (1.87 Mha yr−1), the political, economic, social and environmental drivers of forest clearing changed at the close of the last century. We employed a consistent methodology and data source to quantify forest clearing from 1990 to 2000 and from 2000 to 2005. Results show a dramatic reduction in clearing from a 1990s average of 1.78 Mha yr−1 to an average of 0.71 Mha yr−1 from 2000 to 2005. However, annual forest cover loss indicator maps reveal a near-monotonic increase in clearing from a low in 2000 to a high in 2005. Results illustrate a dramatic downturn in forest clearing at the turn of the century followed by a steady resurgence thereafter to levels estimated to exceed 1 Mha yr−1 by 2005. The lowlands of Sumatra and Kalimantan were the site of more than 70% of total forest clearing within Indonesia for both epochs; over 40% of the lowland forests of these island groups were cleared from 1990 to 2005. The method employed enables the derivation of internally consistent, national-scale changes in the rates of forest clearing, results that can inform carbon accounting programs such as the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD) initiative.
Horizontal Mergers: A Solution of the Insiders' Dilemma

We show that in a three-firm infinitely repeated Cournot game, there exists a stick and carrot strategy equilibrium in which an exogenous bilateral horizontal merger is profitable and the incentive to remain out of the merger disappears. In this sub-game perfect equilibrium, the merged entity produces the duopoly quantity and the outsider limits its production to half the duopoly quantity. Our stick and carrot strategy entails that the merged entity threatens to produce twice the triopoly quantity for two periods if the outsider does not produce half the duopoly quantity. In this equilibrium, the aggregate price remains high enough to make the merger profitable for the insiders. Also, the quantity produced by the outsider is sufficiently low to eliminate the difference between the profit of the outsider and the merging firm.
Bottom Up and Top Down - Twig Pattern Matching on Indexed Trees

This PhD thesis is a collection of papers presented with a general introduction to the topic, which is twig pattern matching (TPM) on indexed tree data. TPM is a pattern matching problem where occurrences of a query tree are found in a usually much larger data tree. This has applications in XML search, where the data is tree shaped and the queries specify tree patterns. The papers included present contributions on how to construct and use structure indexes, which can speed up pattern matching, and on how to efficiently join together results for the different parts of the query with so-called twig joins. Paper 1 [18] shows how to perform more efficient matching of root-to-leaf query paths in so-called path indexes, by using new opportunistic algorithms on existing data structures. Paper 2 [19] proves a tight bound on the worst-case space usage for a data structure used to implement path indexes. Paper 3 [24] presents an XML indexing system which combines existing techniques in a novel way, and has orders of magnitude improved performance over existing commercial and open-source systems. Paper 4 [20] reviews and creates a taxonomy for the many advances in the field of TPM on indexed data, and proposes opportunities for further research. Paper 5 [21] bridges the gap between worst-case optimality and practical performance in current twig join algorithms. Paper 6 [22] improves the construction cost of so-called forward and backward path indexes for tree data from loglinear to linear.