Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Board and corporate social responsibility disclosure of multinational corporations

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the effects of board model and board independence on corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure of multinational corporations (MNCs). Design/methodology/approach The authors developed an empirical model in which CSR disclosure is the dependent variable and board model (two-tier vs one-tier), board independence (a proportion of independent directors on a board) and the interaction variable of board model and board independence together with several variables conventionally used as control variables are independent variables. The authors collated the panel dataset of 244 Fortune World’s Most Admired (FWMA) corporations from 2005 to 2011 of which 117 MNCs use the one-tier board model, and 127 MNCs use the two-tier board model from 20 countries. They used the random-effect regression method to estimate the empirical models with the data they collated and also ran regressions on the alternative models for robustness check. Findings The authors found a significantly positive effect of a board model on CSR disclosure by MNCs. Two-tier MNCs tend to reveal more CSR information than one-tier MNCs. The results also confirm the significant moderating impact of board model on the effect of board independence on CSR disclosure. The effect of board independence on CSR disclosure in the two-tier board MNCs tends to be higher than that in the one-tier board MNCs. The results do not support the effect of board independence on CSR disclosure in general for all types of firms (one-tier and two-tier board). The impact of board independence on CSR disclosure is only significant in two-tier board MNCs and insignificant in one-tier board MNCs. Practical implications The authors advise the MNCs who wish to improve CSR reporting and transparency to consider the usage of two-tier board model and use a higher number of outside directors on board. They note that once a firm uses one-tier model, number of IDs on a board does not matter to the level of CSR disclosure. They advise regulators to enforce an application of two-tier board model to improve CSR reporting and transparency in MNCs. The authors also recommend regulators to continue mandating publicly traded companies to include more external members on their boards, especially for the two-tier board MNCs. Originality/value This paper is the first that investigates the role of board model on CSR disclosure of MNCs.
Reduction of Ash Sintering Precursor Components in Rice Straw by Water Washing

The thermal conversion of rice straw is an attractive option for recovering its energy, but the process requires exhaustive control because of ash-related problems. Straw washing is one method of reducing ash-related problems and improving combustion behaviour. In this study, the ash of washed and unwashed rice straw samples was chemically characterized, tested using thermogravimetric analysis and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), and subjected to higher combustion temperatures in a muffle furnace. Results showed that silicon was the most important component in the ash. Furthermore, a reduction in undesirable inorganic compounds related to ash problems, such as chlorine and potassium, was achieved by washing the straw samples. This practice could improve thermal behaviour and decrease the sintering formation of ash.
Biochemical factors and enzymes governing resistance in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) against Sclerotinia stem rot (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum)

Four mustard cultivars possessing different degrees of resistance to Sclerotinia stem rot (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) were used to study the biochemical and enzymatic basis of resistance. These include two moderately resistant cultivars (RGN-13 and RRN-505) and two susceptible cultivars (Bio-902 and T-59). Phenol content in all the mustard cultivars tested was found to increase at all three stages of inoculation, that is, 60, 75 and 90 days after sowing in diseased plants as compared to their respective healthy plants. Reduction in the contents of total sugars and reducing sugars were observed in diseased plants of all four cultivars irrespective of their susceptibility towards S. sclerotiorum. Peroxidase (PO) activity was observed to be high in moderately resistant cultivars as compared to susceptible ones. Maximum increase in PO activity was measured in diseased tissue of moderately resistant cultivar RRN-505 followed by RGN-13 and minimum PO activity in susceptible Bio-902. Significant increase in polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity was recorded in moderately resistant cultivars as compared to susceptible cultivars. The phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity was maximum in moderately resistant cultivar RGN-13. The PAL activity increased with days of inoculation in healthy as well as in diseased plants. Significant decrease in catalase activity was observed in diseased plants as compared to healthy ones and this decrease was more pronounced in susceptible cultivar T-59. The pathogen related enzymes polygalacturonase trans-eliminase (PGTE), pectin trans-eliminase (PME), polygalacturonase (PG) and cellulolytic (Cx) activities were found to be lower at initial stages of enzymes activity. Key words: Enzymes, phenol, peroxidase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase and polyphenol oxidase.
Role of CCR5 in the Pathogenesis of IL-13-Induced Inflammation and Remodeling1

IL-13 is a major effector at sites of Th2 inflammation and tissue remodeling. In these locations, it frequently coexists with the CCR5 chemokine receptor and its ligands MIP-1α/CCL3 and MIP-1β/CCL4. We hypothesized that CCR5 induction and activation play important roles in the pathogenesis of IL-13-induced tissue responses. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the effects of IL-13 on the expression of CCR5 in the murine lung. We also compared the effects of lung-targeted transgenic IL-13 in mice treated with anti-CCR5 or an Ab control and mice with wild-type or null CCR5 loci. These studies demonstrate that IL-13 is a potent stimulator of epithelial cell CCR5 expression. They also demonstrate that CCR5 neutralization or a deficiency of CCR5 significantly decreases IL-13-induced inflammation, alveolar remodeling, structural and inflammatory cell apoptosis, and respiratory failure and death. Lastly, these studies provide mechanistic insights by demonstrating that CCR5 is required for optimal IL-13 stimulation of select chemokines (MIP-1α/CCL3, MIP-1β/CCL4, MCP-1/CCL-2), matrix metalloproteinase-9 and cell death regulators (Fas, TNF, TNFR1, TNFR2, Bid), optimal IL-13 inhibition of α1-antitrypsin, and IL-13-induction of and activation of caspases-3, -8, and-9. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that CCR5 plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of IL-13-induced inflammation and tissue remodeling.
Campylobacter, polyneuropathy, and Guillain-Barré syndrome in Denmark, 1994–2003

We examined the incidence of Campylobacter infections, Guillain-Barré syndrome and unspecified polyneuropathies in an ecological study from 1994 to 2003. The increase in Campylobacter cases in Denmark in the 1990s was comparable to an increase in cases of unspecified polyneuropathies; however, the incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome cases remained stable during the period.
Detecting Opportunistic Special Items

The frequency of special items has increased dramatically over time, both because of the underlying economics of firms, but also because of inappropriate misclassification of recurring expenses as non-recurring. Building on prior research, we propose a method to identify the higher- and lower-quality components of special items. We find that approximately two-thirds of the magnitude of the reported special items reflects appropriately classified, economically driven, transitory items that are not associated with future expenses, cash outflows, or restatements related to special items. The remaining one-third, however, we classify as lower-quality in that they are more likely to contain opportunistically misclassified recurring expenses that should have been recognized as such in prior, current or future periods. These lower-quality special items are associated with lower future earnings, lower future cash flows, and future restatements related to special items. We conclude that this portion of special items is more likely to contain expenses that would be better characterized as recurring. Our additional analyses examine the incentives to misclassify expenses (to meet the analyst forecast which generally excludes special items), as well as the effect of external monitoring on the prevalence of lower-quality special items (where more external monitoring is associated with fewer lower-quality special items). Finally, although our main models use future information, we present a modification that eliminates the need for forward-looking data and performs reasonably well. Thus, we provide meaningful partitions of special items that should be useful to investors, analysts, creditors, auditors and regulators, as each of these parties must assess the future implications of special items.
Maximum Likelihood Timing and Carrier Frequency Offset Estimation for OFDM Systems With Periodic Preambles

Symbol timing offset (STO) and carrier frequency offset (CFO) estimation are two main synchronization operations in packet-based orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. To facilitate these operations, a periodic preamble is often placed at the beginning of a packet. CFO estimation has been extensively studied for the case of two-period preambles. In some applications, however, a preamble with more than two periods is available. A typical example is the IEEE802.11a/g wireless local area network system, which features a ten-period preamble. Recently, researchers have proposed a maximum likelihood (ML) CFO estimation method for such systems. This approach first estimates the received preamble using a least squares method and then maximizes the corresponding likelihood function. In addition to the standard calculations, this method requires an extra procedure to solve the roots of a polynomial function, which is disadvantageous for real-world implementations. In this paper, we propose a new ML method to solve the likelihood function directly and thereby perform CFO estimation. Our method can obtain a closed-form ML solution, without the need for the root-finding step. We further extend the proposed method to address the STO estimation problem as well as derive a lower bound on the estimation performance. Our simulations show that while the performance of the proposed method is either equal to or better than the existing method, the computational complexity is lower.
Craniosynostosis in a patient with a de novo 15q15‐q22 deletion

Interstitial deletions involving the chromosomal band 15q15 are very rare. A total of five cases were previously reported. Here another case of a 15q15.2‐q22.2 deletion is reported, presenting with severe craniosynostosis of coronary, metopic, and sagittal sutures. The chromosome 15 with the 17.7‐Mb deletion was of the paternal origin. A critical region for craniosynostosis may be located at the 734‐kb segment at 15q15.2. Interestingly, the entire FBN1 gene was deleted in this patient. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Hypertension Canada’s 2016 Canadian Hypertension Education Program guidelines for pharmacists

The Canadian Hypertension Education Program (CHEP) has been preparing and publishing guidelines for diagnosis and management of hypertension since 1999.1 The 2016 guidelines,2 released earlier this year, mark the 18th yearly production and update of evidence to date in the area of hypertension. Those guidelines, among other Hypertension Canada activities, can be considered as major contributors to the high levels of awareness and control of hypertension in Canada.3,4 Indeed, it has been reported that Canada has higher levels of awareness, treatment and control and lower prevalence of hypertension when compared with the United States and England.3
XCP-Winf and RCP-Winf: Improving Explicit Wireless Congestion Control

Congestion control in wireless networks is strongly dependent on the dynamics and instability of wireless links. Therefore, it is very difficult to accurately evaluate the characteristics of the wireless links. It is known that TCP experiences serious performance degradation problems in wireless networks. Moreover, congestion control mechanisms that rely on network interaction and network parameters, such as XCP and RCP, do not evaluate accurately the capacity and available link bandwidth in wireless networks. In this paper we propose new explicit flow control protocols for wireless mesh networks, based on XCP and RCP. We name these protocols XCP-Winf and RCP-Winf. They rely on the MAC layer information gathered by a new method to accurately estimate the available bandwidth and the path capacity over a wireless network path. The estimation is performed in real time and without the need to intrusively inject packets in the network. These new congestion control mechanisms are evaluated in different scenarios in wireless mesh and ad hoc networks and compared against several new approaches for wireless congestion control. It is shown that both XCP-Winf and RCP-Winf outperform the evaluated approaches, showing its stable behavior and better channel utilization.
PENGARUH PENDAPATAN SEKTOR PARIWISATA TERHADAP KINERJA KEUANGAN DAERAH DENGAN PERTUMBUHAN EKONOMI SEBAGAI VARIABEL MEDIASI PADA KABUPATEN/KOTA DI JAWA TENGAH

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh Pendapatan Sektor Pariwisata terhadap Kinerja Keuangan Daerah dan pengaruh Pendapatan Sektor Pariwisata terhadap Kinerja Keuangan Daerah dengan Pertumbuhan Ekonmi sebagai variabel mediasi. Subjek penelitian dalam penelitian ini adalah Kabupaten/ Kota di Jawa Tengah. Objek penelitian dalam penelitian ini adalah Pendapatan Sektor Pariwisata, Kinerja Keuangan Daerah dan Pertumbuhan Ekonomi tahun 2014 -2016 Kabupaten/Kota di Provinsi Jawa Tengah. Teknik pengumpulan data dalam penelitian ini adalah dokumentasi. Teknik analisis yang digunakan adalah analisis Path analysis. Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa Pendapatan Sektor Pariwisata berpengaruh terhadap Kinerja Keuangan Daerah Nilai t hitung untuk pengaruh pendapatan sektor pariwisata terhadap kinerja keuangan daerah (2,200) lebih besar dari nilai t tabel (1,669), dan signifikansi 0,000< 0,05. Penelitian ini juga menunjukkan hasil bahwa Pendapatan Sektor Pariwisata berpengaruh terhadap Kinerja Keuangan Daerah, tetapi Pertumbuhan Ekonomi tidak memediasi hubungan pengaruh Pendapatan Sektor Pariwisata terhadap Kinerja Keuangan Daerah. Hal tersebut ditunjukkan dengan nilai Dari hasil penghitungan uji Sobel nilai thitung variabel pendapatan sektor pariwisata terhadap kinerja keuangan daerah melalui pertumbuhan ekonomi (0,010) lebih kecil dari nilai ttabel (1,998).
CD81 Is a Central Regulator of Cellular Events Required for Hepatitis C Virus Infection of Human Hepatocytes

ABSTRACT Infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is still a major public health problem, and the events leading to hepatocyte infection are not yet fully understood. Combining confocal microscopy with biochemical analysis and studies of infection requirements using pharmacological inhibitors and small interfering RNAs, we show here that engagement of CD81 activates the Rho GTPase family members Rac, Rho, and Cdc42 and that the block of these signaling pathways drastically reduces HCV infectivity. Activation of Rho GTPases mediates actin-dependent relocalization of the HCV E2/CD81 complex to cell-cell contact areas where CD81 comes into contact with the tight-junction proteins occludin, ZO-1, and claudin-1, which was recently described as an HCV coreceptor. Finally, we show that CD81 engagement activates the Raf/MEK/ERK signaling cascade and that this pathway affects postentry events of the virus life cycle. In conclusion, we describe a range of cellular events that are manipulated by HCV to coordinate interactions with its multiple coreceptors and to establish productive infections and find that CD81 is a central regulator of these events.
Dopamine D1 receptors have subcellular distributions conducive to interactions with prodynorphin in the rat nucleus accumbens shell

Activation of dopamine (DA) D1 receptors (D1Rs) in the nucleus accumbens (Acb) markedly affects the levels of prodynorphin, the precursor of aversion‐associated dynorphin peptides. The location of prodynorphin, specifically as related to the dopaminergic inputs and D1Rs in the Acb, is fundamental for establishing the physiologically relevant sites. To determine these sites, we examined the electron microscopic dual‐immunolabeling of prodynorphin and D1R or tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), a marker of catecholamine terminals in the rat Acb shell. This subregion is targeted by mesolimbic dopaminergic inputs affecting reward‐aversion responses and locomotor activity. Prodynorphin was prominently localized to large (100–200 nm) granular aggregates in somatodendritic and axonal profiles, some of which expressed dynorphin A/B. In somata and dendrites, prodynorphin was often found in punctate clusters in the cytoplasm. Of the total prodynorphin‐labeled dendrites, approximately 63% expressed D1Rs, which were largely located on the plasma membranes. In comparison with dendrites, many more axon terminals contained prodynorphin, although only 15% of these terminals contained D1R‐labeling. Prodynorphin terminals formed symmetric synapses with D1R‐labeled or unlabeled dendrites, and also apposed TH‐containing axon terminals. Our results provide ultrastructural evidence that in the Acb shell, the prodynorphin is available for cleavage to physiologically active peptides in both dendrites and terminals of neurons that express D1Rs. They also indicate that dynorphin peptides have distributions that would enable their participation in modulation of DA release or D1R‐mediated postsynaptic responses in Acb shell neurons. Synapse 60:1–19, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Design and Development of the Father-Child Instrument (FCI) for Assessing the Characteristics of Fathers’ Availability and Engagement With Their Preschool Children

Despite the fact that father—child involvement has extensive effects on the health and well-being of the family, there is a paucity of research on fathers’ presence in health care research. The design and development of an instrument for assessing the characteristics of fathers’ availability and engagement with their preschool-aged children in Finland is presented. Data collection was undertaken in two separate periods involving 263 and 821 fathers. Results indicate that the father—child instrument (FCI) is ready for use in research seeking to assess fathers’ availability and engagement with their preschoolers. Further research is nonetheless required to assess the potential for a more sensitive interaction and for the generalization of the FCI.
The Influence of Urban Crossroad Facilities on Pedestrian Safety in Shanghai, China

With the development of economic, the traffic requirement rapidly increases in Shanghai. Besides building more new infrastructures, the administrators put forward to many countermeasures to increase the vehicle traffic capacity previously and to meet the traffic requirement in China. At the same time, the urban traffic facilities are set up by different departments of government during different periods, and the urban traffic facilities designers and administrators do not pay more attentions to the vulnerable road users' safeguard. As a consequence, there are many imperfect urban traffic facilities which put vulnerable road users in a high risk situation. The pedestrian is the most vulnerable among road users. The crossroad is a typical and practical intersection. The crossroad facilities mainly comprise of vehicle lane, crosswalk, safety island, pavement, pedestrian signal light, guardrail, and other facilities nearby crossroad such as bus station and pillar of high elevation in Shanghai. To research the influence of urban facilities on pedestrian safety, the rate of traffic law violation (RTLV) evaluates the behavior character and dangerous situation of pedestrian. Based on investigation of five types of twice-crossing intersection and sixteen pavements in Shanghai, the more number of vehicle lanes there are at crossroad, the more time pedestrian will wait for, and the less RTLV there is. Within 90 seconds the RTLV decreases with the waiting time increasing, while more than 90 seconds the RTLV is irregular. The reasonable time which pedestrian waits for is 90 seconds. The width of pavement has more effective impacts on pedestrian traveling along pavement than length of guardrail. The imperfect installation of bus station nearby crossroad and crosswalk nearby the pillar of high elevation are analyzed in the paper. Considering the blind area between pedestrian and driver due to parking bus, the minimum distance between crosswalk and bus station is given. The integration safety evaluating coefficient (ISEC) comprises of five factors, including pedestrian signal light, guardrail, safety island, number of vehicle lane and whether pedestrian starting from sidewalk. The RTLV of pedestrian decreases when the ISEC of crossroad increases. For the covering abstract see ITRD E138091. This paper is available from http://ictct.org/dlObject.php? document_nr=534&/2_2Qian%20Yubin64_73. pdf
Green Intellectual Capital and Firm Competitive Advantage: Evidence from Malaysian Manufacturing Firms

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between green intellectual capital and firms’ competitive advantage in Malaysia. More specifically this study examines the impact of four dimensions of green intellectual capital; green human capital, green innovation capital, green organisational capital and green relational capital on firms’ competitive advantage. Using survey as a method to collect data from 224 managers of manufacturing firms in Malaysia, the result shows that green intellectual capital and its dimensions, specifically the green innovation capital, green organizational capital and green relational capital have significant and positive relationship with firms’ competitive advantage. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of green intellectual capital as a valuable business resource which in turn enhances firm performance and competitiveness.
Regulation of Mucosal Dendritic Cell Function by Receptor Activator of NF-κB (RANK)/RANK Ligand Interactions: Impact on Tolerance Induction

The mucosal immune system is uniquely equipped to discriminate between potentially invasive pathogens and innocuous food proteins. While the mechanisms responsible for induction of mucosal immunity vs tolerance are not yet fully delineated, recent studies have highlighted mucosal dendritic cells (DC) as being important in determining the fate of orally administered Ag. To further investigate the DC:T cell signals involved in regulating the homeostatic balance between mucosal immunity and tolerance, we have examined the expression and function of the TNFR family member receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK) and its cognate ligand, RANKL, in vitro and in vivo. Our data show that although DC isolated from mucosal lymphoid tissues expressed similar levels of surface RANK compared with DC isolated from peripheral lymphoid tissues, DC from the distinct anatomical sites displayed differential responsiveness to RANK engagement with soluble RANKL. Whereas splenic DC responded to RANKL stimulation with elevated IL-12 p40 mRNA expression, Peyer’s patch DC instead preferentially displayed increased IL-10 mRNA expression. Our data also show that the in vivo functional capacity of mucosal DC can be modulated by RANKL. Treatment with RANKL in vivo at the time of oral administration of soluble OVA enhanced the induction of tolerance in two different mouse models. These studies underscore the functional differences between mucosal and peripheral DC and highlight a novel role for RANK/RANKL interactions during the induction of mucosal immune responses.