Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
University Students' Knowledge and Attitude about Genetic Engineering

Genetic engineering and biotechnology made possible of gene transfer without discriminating microorganism, plant, animal or human. However, although these scientific techniques have benefits, they cause arguments because of their ethical and social impacts. The arguments about ethical ad social impacts of biotechnology made clear that not only getting basic knowledge about biotechnology and genetic engineering, also ethical and social issues must be thought in the schools, because the level of knowledge and the attitudes of new generation is very important for the society. So, in this study it is tried to determine the university students’, level of knowledge about genetic engineering and their attitude towards genetic engineering applications. For determining the students’ level of knowledge and attitude about genetic engineering, a questionnaire, which include 2 open ended questions and Likert type attitude scale with 12 statements, is given to students and wanted to answer. Answers of the open ended questions in the questionnaire are subjected to content analysis and students’ level of knowledge about this field is tried to determine. The statements in attitude scale with 12 subject is grouped under 3 titles; and to evaluate the answers to the statements in attitude scale, percentage values and group differentiations are calculated by SPSS. The results have shown that students do not have sufficient knowledge about basic principles of genetic engineering and their attitudes towards the applications change according to species of organisms and the objective of the study.
The myth of the risk-tolerant entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs have long been assumed to be more risk-tolerant than the general population. In this article, we analyze the financial risk propensity of business founders using a unique, representative dataset of nascent entrepreneurs in the United States. We deploy two models of entrepreneurial behavior: a strategic model of risk tolerance, based on investment choices; and a non-strategic model of risk tolerance, based on information bias about business success. For both models, our empirical results consistently show that nascent entrepreneurs are more risk-averse than non-entrepreneurs. To reconcile the financial risk aversion of entrepreneurs with the high risk of financial loss among startups, we suggest that many of the motivations that individuals have for founding business ventures are non-pecuniary in nature.
What Level of Trust is Needed for Sustainability

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to argue that the main ontological position of modern capitalism, founded on the philosophy of utilitarianism, derived of course from the work of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, is fundamentally flawed as it ignores power inequalities and assumes that the economic fiction of perfect competition can actually exist. Design/methodology/approach - Nevertheless it provides a legitimating mechanism for modern capitalism and the operation of firms within a market economy. More significantly, from the viewpoint of this paper, is the problem caused by the naive assumption that the firm as nexus of treaties is sufficient to negotiate the contracts between the various stakeholders. This is significantly inadequate because it ignores the aspect of trust between the parties – the focus of the paper. Findings - In this paper it is argued that the sustainability of a firm is not predicated in the negotiated contracts it enacts but rather in the underlying trust which is implied and that one of the problems of the modern firm is that this trust has been negated in the drive for efficiency and shareholder value. The purpose of this paper therefore is to explore the nature of trust between the various stakeholders to the social contract which the firm enacts, paying particular attention to the involuntary stakeholders. In doing so, the role of trust in each aspect of sustainability identified in a previous paper is analysed and consider whether it is necessary for each stakeholder or just they key ones, or whether it is different for each aspect? In doing so, particular attention is paid to involuntary stakeholders. Originality/value - This argument has implications for every business in managing its stakeholder relations.
Interpreting Intelligence Test Results for Children with Disabilities: Is Global Intelligence Relevant?

School psychological and neuropsychological evaluations typically include intellectual and other standardized assessment tools in the identification of children with disabilities. The clinical utility of intellectual assessment in the identification and treatment of these children has been repeatedly challenged, with alternatives such as a response to intervention or global intelligence score interpretation offered to replace the long-held tradition of idiographic interpretation of intellectual factors or subtests for the purpose of differential diagnosis and individualized intervention. Replicating previous work, this study examined the structure of intellectual functioning for children diagnosed with Learning Disability (LD; n = 128), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; n = 71), and traumatic brain injury (TBI; n = 29) using regression commonality analysis. Across groups, results provide substantial evidence for a multifactorial representation of intellectual functioning for children with LD, ADHD, or TBI, with little shared variance among factor predictors of FSIQ in each analysis. As global intellectual functioning, represented by the shared variance among all predictors, was largely absent and instead composed of several discrete elements with the requisite specificity for individual interpretation, idiographic interpretation appears to be warranted for children with disabilities.
Does Inequality Matter for Poverty Reduction? Evidence from Pakistan's Poverty Trends

The paper explores the linkages between poverty, growth and inequality in the context of Pakistan. Time series macro data are used for the period 1979 to 2002. Consistent poverty and inequality measures are interpolated to facilitate the estimation of poverty elasticity with respect to growth and inequality in a multivariate regression framework. The paper also attempts to find out macroeconomic and structural correlates of inequality. The empirical findings—high poverty elasticity with respect to inequality measures—confirm the importance of inequality in poverty reducing effort. Inflation, sectoral wage gap, and terms of trade in favour of manufacturing exacerbate inequality, while progressive taxation, investment and development expenditure on social services play a significant role in reducing inequality. The results also indicate a positive correlation between per capita GDP and income inequality.
Measuring Organizational Performance: A Case for Subjective Measures

We review the organizational performance (OP) measurement literature highlighting the limitations of both objective and subjective measures of performance. We argue that, with careful planning, subjective measures can be successfully employed to assess OP. This is because often consistent, reliable and comparable compatible objective data on OP measures – particularly across countries and sectors – is difficult to come by. Considering that an inflated OP measure can be cross‐checked with the use of secondary data, managers have little incentive to report such figures. As a result, when quizzed over the stand‐alone performance measures of their organizations or vis‐a‐vis their rivals, managers accurately assess and respond to questions on the performance of their organizations. An in‐depth statistical exercise conducted on the subjective measures of OP as reported by managers of four sets of companies in four separate countries, show consistent results, thus lending support to this premise.
The Systematic-Risk Determinants of the European Accommodation and Food Services Industry in the Period 2003-2011

An analysis of factors that affect the discount rates and stock risk of European tourism firms during the period of 2003–2011 finds that macroeconomic variables have the greatest effect. Using the capital asset pricing model (CAPM), the study tests seven macroeconomic variables and seven accounting variables to better understand what most affects a stock price beta. The size of European tourism firms (measured by assets) is the only accounting factor that influences stock risk, while three macroeconomic factors, namely, European gross domestic product growth, exchange rate variation (between the euro and the U.S. dollar), and the profitability of the Dow Jones industrial average, have high explanatory power to predict variation of European companies’ stock risk.
Econometric Modeling of Panel Data on the Saving Patterns of Philippine Agricultural Households

This study aims to identify signifi cant determinants of Philippine agricultural household saving using aggregate (regional) household panel data from the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) (1991 to 2006). Two defi nitions of saving are used — with and without expenses on durable goods as expenditure item. Using fi xed effects models for panel data, the study identifi es age of household head, self-employment of household head, land distribution, and young dependency rate as signifi cant determinants of agricultural household saving. Self-employment, however, is signifi cant only when expenses on durable goods is considered as an expenditure item. Also, time and cross-section fi xed effects suggest that there are certain years and regions which had less agricultural household saving.
The Effects of Board Composition and Board Size on the Informativeness of Annual Accounting Earnings

This study extends earlier research on corporate governance by examining whether the information-usefulness of annual accounting earnings varies with the fraction of outside directors serving on the board and board size. Using panel data from New Zealand (NZ) firms for the financial years 1991-97, we find that earnings informativeness is negatively related to board size but is not related to the fraction of outside directors serving on the board. Our results are robust to controlling for various firm-specific factors that are known to be associated with earnings informativeness.
Clinical Holistic Medicine: Developing from Asthma, Allergy, and Eczema

This paper shows how consciousness-based holistic medicine can be used in the case of asthma, allergy, and eczema. We have many fine drugs to relieve patients from the worst of these symptoms, where many children and adults suffer health problems related to hyper-reactivity of the immune system. Many symptoms remain throughout life because the drugs do not cure the allergy and allergy today is the sixth leading cause of chronic illness. The etiology of the immune disturbances is mostly unknown from a biomedical perspective. Consciousness-based holistic medicine could therefore be used to treat these diseases if the patient is willing to confront hidden existential pain, is motivated to work hard, and is dedicated to improve quality of life, quality of working life, and personal relationships. Improving quality of life is not always an easy job for the patient, but it can be done with coaching from the physician. An increased physical health is often observed after only a few sessions with a physician skilled in using holistic medical tools and able to coach the patient successfully through a few weeks of dedicated homework. Children with allergy and asthma can also be helped if their parents are able to do work on personal development, to improve the general quality of life in the family and their relationship with the child.
Organisational culture and innovativeness of firms - an integrative view

This conceptual paper analyses the role of the contents of an organisational culture (i.e. values, norms and knowledge), its strength, and structure (i.e. dealing with the culture-subculture problem) as well as their interdependencies within the different stages of technological innovation processes. Issues such as hierarchical thinking, communication, conflicts, team diversity, strength of cultural values a.s. o. as well as their positive and negative effects on the various stages of innovation will be analysed. Finally, the paper will illustrate and integrate the presented concept by the example of the case of a Swiss hospital, which is introducing a new information system.
Purchasing power parity across Mexican cities: a panel data analysis

This article presents three different unit root tests for panel data, the main objective is to find the level of internal integration market through the purchasing power parity (PPP) evidence, based in the Balassa–Samuelson approach. Thus, eight kinds of markets, as tradable and nontradable goods for 16 main Mexican cities during a 21 year period have been contrasted. While two tests showed the PPP validity for seven markets, the other rejected it. The results obtained moreover feed the present controversy about which test is most appropriate to test the PPP, as soon as it is highlighted new elements emerge to explain the half-life analysis.
Acquisition of apparently intact and unmodified lipopolysaccharides from Escherichia coli by Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus

The ability of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus to relocalize the OmpF major outer membrane porins from its Escherichia coli prey to its own outer membranes is diminished in prey expressing smooth lipopolysaccharide (S-LPS). Since porins exist in the membrane complexed with LPS, we examined the LPS associated with relocalized porin to determine whether it had been acquired intact, mixed or replaced with Bdellovibrio LPS, or derivatized by the bdellovibrios. The relocalized trimers were found associated with the same LPS originally bound to them in the E. coli. The bulk-phase LPS from bdellovibrios grown on various chemotypes of rough prey was analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to determine whether more than the trimer-bound LPS was acquired by the bdellovibrios. This analysis revealed bands of Bdellovibrio LPS matching the LPS chemotype of the prey. One or two other bands were identical in migration to the LPS of prey-independent mutants of B. bacteriovorus and represented bdellovibrio-synthesized LPS. The LPS of bdellovibrios grown on prey with radiolabeled lipid A showed radioactivity only in gel band positions identical with those of the prey's LPS. The amount of this prey-derived LPS was shown by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to reach a constant value during the purification of the bdellovibrios, and it represented approximately 25% of the total Bdellovibrio LPS. Immunoelectron microscopy confirmed the presence of prey-derived LPS on the cell surface of bdellovibrios, and no evidence could be found for bdellovibrio-induced modifications of the relocalized prey LPS.
Comparison of Propofol and Methohexitone in Anaesthesia for ECT: Effect on Seizure Duration and Outcome

The effect of the induction agents propofol and methohexitone on seizure duration and clinical outcome was assessed in a prospective, randomised, double blind study in 32 depressed patients receiving electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Assessments comprised Hamilton rating scales pre-ECT, weekly during the course, and at one month follow-up. Patients showed a significant improvement in depression as measured by the Hamilton rating scale across the course of the ECT treatment. This improvement was not significantly different in the propofol and methohexitone groups. Nor was the amount of improvement related to either the total duration of seizure experienced by the patient during the ECT series or the use of tricyclic antidepressants by some patients.
Enhancing Physical Network Robustness Against Earthquake Disasters With Additional Links

We study the problem of evaluating and improving the robustness of communication networks against earthquake disasters. Earthquakes occur at various geographical locations with different intensities and can disrupt specific parts of the networks. To enhance network robustness, additional links can be installed to reduce the disconnection probabilities when earthquakes occur. The aim of this research was therefore to develop an algorithm that, on the basis of actual seismic hazard information and geographical maps, determines the new links to be added to a network and their corresponding geographical routes under a given cost constraint in order to minimize the total end-to-end disconnection probabilities. The proposed algorithm includes an efficient algorithm based on dynamic programming that determines newly added links and an algorithm that determines the geographical routes of the new links, which are the Pareto solutions of a local multi-objective optimization problem. The performance of our proposed algorithm was evaluated through extensive experiments on randomly generated networks as well as realistic networks.
Local governance: Bureaucratic performance and health care delivery in Calcutta.

This thesis is based on a comparative case study of two bustee neighbourhoods located in two separate wards of Calcutta, and of the factors which have affected the performance of public officials providing primary health care services to their inhabitants. It is argued that poor bureaucratic performance and a lack of accountability lie at the heart of problems with the health system in West Bengal. The thesis evaluates the effectiveness of 'governance' reforms, comprising decentralisation and the application of the principles of New Public Management (NPM), on the performance of public officials. NPM and decentralisation apply the core assumptions of neo-classical economics to the study of bureaucratic decision-making. The thesis argues that local officials in Calcutta may not always have chosen to behave in a way which maxmised their personal welfare, but that history, culture and politics may have affected the choices that they made. The thesis questions the view that decentralization necessarily leads to greater community participation challenges contemporary notions of what constitutes 'civil society' and suggests a more nuanced view of the relationship between civil society and good government. It questions NPM's claims to universality, which have resulted in its widespread application without due regard to local context, and argues that NPM inspired reforms have had a limited effect on health officials in Calcutta, in part, because of their failure to address the underlying causes of poor bureaucratic performance. The final chapter argues that the political influence of public sector workers has affected the willingness of the ruling Party to enforce the incentives to improve the performance of health care officials in West Bengal.
The Estimation of the Incidence of Employer Contributions to Social Security in Japan

The present paper estimates the incidence of the employer portion of social security contributions in Japan. One of the purposes of the paper is to examine whether the employer portion is shifted entirely or partly in many industrialized countries. The paper concludes, based on our estimation method, that there is very little apparent backwards shifting on to employees and, therefore, employers bear nearly all of their portion of social security contributions. Firms in Japan could use their contributions to social security for other purposes to reduce the financial burden on firms.
Deviations from Expected Stakeholder Management, Firm Value, and Corporate Governance

In this paper, we examine the relation between deviations from expected investment in stakeholder management and corporate governance. Building good relations with various stakeholders may help create firm value, but investment in stakeholder management beyond what is necessary to create shareholder value may be an agency cost. We propose that high quality corporate governance may mitigate value-destroying investments in stakeholder management. Using an unbalanced panel of 9,051 firm-year observations for 1,631 firms, we find that deviations from expected SM are increasing in CEO portfolio delta. We find, however, that deviations from expected stakeholder management are negatively related to proxies for effective board monitoring. More independent boards effectively control deviations from expected investment in stakeholder management. These results are consistent with both the CEO perquisite and the board monitoring hypotheses. We also document that the effect of governance mechanisms varies by industry (consumer or industrial orientation) and SM dimension; their influence is similar in dimensions expected to provide similar benefits across industry orientation, but differs when the benefits are expected to benefit one industry more than the other. Consistent with Jensen’s “Enlightened Value Maximization” theory, the results show that corporations with good governance pursue shareholder value maximization while constraining unnecessary investment in stakeholders.
HFE gene mutations in susceptibility to childhood leukemia: HuGE review

The hereditary hemochromatosis (HHC) gene, HFE on chromosome 6p21.3, encodes a protein involved in iron homeostasis. HFE mutations have low penetrance with a mild effect on serum iron levels. Animal, twin, and population studies have shown that carrier state for C282Y can increase iron levels. A proportion of heterozygotes show slightly elevated serum iron levels. Increased serum iron has been suggested to increase the risk for oxidative damage to DNA. Epidemiologic studies established a correlation between iron levels and cancer risk. Case-control studies have reported associations between HFE mutations C282Y/H63D and several cancers, some of which in interaction with the transferrin receptor gene TFRC or dietary iron intake. Increased cancer risk in C282Y carriers is likely due to higher iron levels in a multifactorial setting. In childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), there is an association of C282Y with a gender effect in two British populations. No association has been found in acute myeloblastic leukemia and Hodgkin disease in adults. The childhood leukemia association possibly results from elevated intracellular iron in lymphoid cells increasing the vulnerability to DNA damage at a critical time window during lymphoid cell development. Interactions of HFE with environmental and genetic factors, most of which are recognized, may play a role in modification of susceptibility to leukemia conferred by C282Y. Given the population frequency of C282Y and the connection between iron and cancer, clarification of the mechanism of HFE associations in leukemia and cancer will have strong implications in public health.
Management accounting change and agency in embedded situations

Focusing on internal micro-processes, this study contributes to the management accounting change literature showing what conditions allow agency in embedded situations. We analyse a family company in the period 1904–1969 in that, after more than 50 years of ongoing reproduction of highly institutionalised management practice, the chief executive officer (CEO) fostered a radical institutional transformation in whose process the implementation of a cost accounting system was driven. As main conclusions, first, we argue that management accounting change drivers are strongly influenced by actors’ interests and by the perception and interpretation that actors make about institutional contradictions or external critical events and their effects on the organisation. Second, we shed light about the interrelated influences that institutions and individuals exert on meanings and roles attributed to management accounting in institutional change, even impelling the implementation of a completely new system to support it. Finally, we illustrate that both process and content of accounting change are moulded by normative influences intertwined with the cognitive schemes of actors involved.