Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Value-at-Risk of banks : a European perspective

Risk management can be considered as one of the core activities of banks. Especially in the current financial crisis, sound risk management is of the utmost importance. The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision has played a central role in the achievement of a regulatory framework to secure proper risk management of internationally active banks. One of the aspects of this framework concerns the treatment of market risk. To measure market risk, banks are allowed to use internal Value-at-Risk models. We extend the field of empirical research with an analysis of the quality of these models, using a sample of five large European banks. Furthermore, the banks’ internal models are compared with five benchmark models. We find that four out of five internal models are incorrectly specified; three banks overstate their risks and one bank understates its risks. Also, several benchmark models (e.g. a RiskMetrics model) yield better Value-at-Risk estimates than the internal models. The degree of risk underor overstatement is quantified and the costs of overstatement are expressed in monetary terms. The results are mixed, ranging from an understatement of 6,5% to an overstatement of 63,1%. Monetary costs of risk overstatement tend to be rather small in the context of the banks’ financial statements. ∗ Student number: 294831
Monteggia fracture dislocation: A study on the functional outcome of surgical treatment in patients attending Osmania General Hospital, Hyderabad, Telangana, India

The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of surgical treatment by open reduction and internal fixation of Monteggia fracture dislocation and evaluate the union of fracture, complications encountered during treatment and assess the functional outcome of the results. The study comprised of 18 cases including adults and children, admitted in orthopaedic wards of Osmania General Hospital, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The patients age range was 7 >50 yrs. The incidence of injury was of Type I in 77.77% and Type II 22.23% cases, no cases of type III and Type IV fracture dislocation and children had only Type I fracture dislocation. The acute cases were treated surgically, using medullary nails, plate fixation and lag screw as implants. Open reduction was done in 77.73% and closed reduction in 22.22% cases. Regular follow up was done between 4 to 8 weeks duration and all fractures healed satisfactorily. The functional outcome of the results were evaluated using Anderson’s scoring system and graded as excellent / good, fair and poor depending on the range of motion in flexion-extension and pronationsupination. Our study results were excellent/good in 46.15% cases, fair and satisfactory in 7.69% and bad results in 46.15% patients. The functional outcome of surgical treatment in fresh cases of our study was good in 62.50% cases, fair in 12.5% and bad results in 25% patients. Out 3 cases of conservative treatment, 1 case showed good results and 2 cases bad results were observed in n = 2 (67%) cases. In this study, 2 old cases treated surgically showed bad results.
Leptospira spp. and Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) in Botucatu region, SP, Brazil

The destruction of natural ecosystems has caused several problems to humans and other animals; herein we investigate the close relationship among vampire bats, humans and domestic animals. Toxoplasma gondii and Leptospira spp. infections are two worldwide zoonoses that provoke serious damage to animals. To determine the prevalence of bats seropositive for toxoplasmosis and leptospirosis in the Botucatu region, 204 serum samples of vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) were tested for T. gondii antibodies by modified agglutination test (MAT-t) and for Leptospira spp. by microscopic agglutination test (MAT-l). No animal was tested positive for T. gondii while leptospiral positivity was 7.8% for Pyrogenes, Shermani and Javanica serovars, with titers varying from 100 to 1,600. Thus, it was verified that D. rotundus does not play a relevant role in toxoplasmosis epidemiology. However, these bats can be important in the maintenance of Leptospira spp. in the environment.
RETROSPECTIVE STUDY ON SEROPREVALENCE OF BORRELIA BURGDORFERI IN ELK AND MOOSE IN MINNESOTA

The database of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, University of Minnesota, was searched over a ten year period (2001-2010)to determine the seroprevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi (B.burgdorferi)in elk ( Cervus elaphus)and moose (Alces americanus) in Minnesota,A total of 597 serum sample s(62 from elk and 535 from moose) were tested for antibodies against B. burgdorferiusing an indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test. Samples with titers of >1:320 were considered positive. Out of597 sera tested, 135 (27%) were positive with IFA titers ranging between 1:320 and 1:1280. The rate ofsero-prevalence was 5 2in elk and 19% in mo ose. Theseresults indicate exposure of both species of cervidae toB. burgdorferiin Minnesota.
Exosomes released from pancreatic cancer cells are heterogeneous particle populations

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles that are released from cells and comprise microRNAs (miRNAs); however, little is known about the homogeneity of their contents. In this study, we assessed the homogeneity of exosomes by measuring the number of particles and miRNA copies released by pancreatic cancer PK-45H cells. miR-204-3p and miR-638 were abundant in the exosomes released by PK-45H cells and were present as one-to-several copies per 10,000 particles. The number of miR-638 copies released by PK-45H cells significantly declined following treatment with 10 μM GW4869, a neutral sphingomyelinase 2 (nSMase2) inhibitor. These findings suggest that exosomes form heterogeneous particle populations and nSMase2 may be involved in the exosomal uptake of miR-638.
Fates of live trees retained in forest cutting units, western Cascade Range, Oregon

Live trees, standing dead trees, and downed logs have been retained in some forest harvest sites in the Pa- cific Northwest to fulfill various ecological objectives. To assess the fates of retained trees following partial cutting of mature forests in the central western Cascade Range in Oregon, we inventoried standing live and dead trees and top- pled trees in 21 cutting units in 1993 and 2001. In 1993, 1-10 years after cutting, an average of 65% of the initially retained trees (average of counts for all sites) were alive and standing, 12% had been toppled or topped by wind, 13% had become snags by natural processes, and 10% were converted to snags by management action, including cutting, blasting, girdling, and inoculation with fungi. By 2001, when cutting-unit ages ranged from 9 to 18 years, 54% of the retained trees were alive and standing, 10%-21% had been toppled or topped by wind, 11%-22% had become snags by natural processes, and 14% had been converted to snags by management action. The highest levels of mortality oc- curred at sites with abundant intentional snag creation and (or) prescribed fire following harvest. The rate of mortality due to windthrow declined over time, possibly because the remaining trees were more windfirm. Resume : Des arbres vivants, des arbres morts debout et des billes au sol ont ete conserves dans certains sites ou la foret a ete recoltee dans le Pacifique Nord-Ouest dans le but d'atteindre divers objectifs d'ordre ecologique. Pour eva- luer le sort des arbres qui ont ete conserves a la suite d'une coupe partielle dans des forets matures situees dans la partie centrale des Cascades, en Oregon, nous avons fait l'inventaire des arbres debout, vivants et morts, et des arbres renverses dans 21 unites de coupe en 1993 et 2001. En 1993, un a 10 ans apres la coupe, 65 % en moyenne des arbres conserves a l'origine (moyenne des resultats de tout sites) etaient encore en vie et debout, 12 % avaient ete renverses ou casses par le vent, 13 % etaient devenus des chicots sous l'effet de processus naturels et 10 % avaient ete convertis en chicots a la suite d'interventions d'amenagement, incluant la coupe, le dynamitage, l'annelage et l'inoculation avec des champignons. En 2001, alors que l'âge des aires de coupes variait de neuf a 18 ans, 54 % des arbres conserves etaient en vie et debout, 1 0%-2 1 %a vaient ete renverses ou casses par le vent, 1 1%-2 2 %etaient devenus des chicots sous l'effet de processus naturels et 14 % avaient ete convertis en chicots a la suite d'interventions d'amenagement. Le taux de mortalite etait le plus eleve dans les sites ou beaucoup de chicots avaient ete crees inten- tionnellement ou dans ceux qui avaient subis un brulage dirige a la suite de la recolte. Le taux de mortalite due au chablis a diminue avec le temps, possiblement parce que les arbres restants etaient plus resistants au vent. (Traduit par la Redaction) Busby et al. 2560
Investment-Cash Flow Sensitivity: A Study of Iranian Listed Companies

The main objective of the current study is to examine the effect of audit report on cash-flow investment sensitivity of 123 listed companies in Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) during 2006-2010. Regression analysis and synthetic data were used for data analysis. The results showed that receiving modified report has a significant negative effect on cash flow-investment sensitivity. The findings also suggest the significant effect of receiving qualified report and unqualified report with explanatory paragraphs on cash flow-investment sensitivity.
Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of a Library of Podocarpic Acid Derivatives

A variety of compounds, with a related structure to podocarpic acid, have been found to possess a wide variety of biological activities, including antileukemic activity, inhibition of plant cell growth, insect toxicity and antifungal properties. In the present study, a series of synthetic derivatives of podocarpic acid have been prepared by chemical synthesis for potential biological evaluation as useful compounds for use in medicine and agriculture.
Constraints to quality education and support for all: A Western Cape case

CITATION: Dreyer, L. M. 2017. Constraints to quality education and support for all : a Western Cape case. South African Journal of Education, 37(1):Art. # 1226, doi:10.15700/saje.v37n1a1226.
The Effects Of Drying Temperatures And Oil Contents On Properties Of Biodegradable Film From Konjac Flour

Biodegradable film is material made of biopolymer that can degrade naturally. Konjac flour is a soluble dietary fiber obtained from the root of the konjac plant ( Amorphophallus konjac ). The objective of this research was to study the effects of drying temperatures and olive oil concentrations on physical and mechanical properties, water vapor permeability (WVP) and solubility of biodegradable film from Konjac flour. The concentrations of olive oil were varied from 0, 1 to 3% in the experiment. The film drying was performed using a heat pump dryer at drying temperatures of 45 and 55oC. The results showed that tensile strength and solubility of film were significantly decreased ( p ≤ 0.05) when the olive oil concentration and drying temperature were increased. Percentage of elongation and thickness of the film were significantly increased ( p ≤ 0.05) when olive oil concentrations and drying temperatures were raised. In addition, water vapor permeability of the film was significantly increased ( p ≤ 0.05) when the olive oil concentrations and drying temperatures were increased.
Effect of Pragmatic Instruction versus Educational Sojourn on Knowledge of Conventional Expressions

Conventional expressions are crucial for social interactions. However, despite their communicative value, they are not acquired even by advanced language learners. Therefore, some sort of pragmatic intervention in the form of pragmatic instruction or educational sojourn should be provided to help language learners develop their knowledge of target language conventional expressions. To this end, the current study was conducted on two groups of participants including 15 Malaysian undergraduate students of English education at a university in Malaysia and 15 Malaysian undergraduate students of English education from the same Malaysian university on a one-semester academic exchange program at a university in the United States to compare the effect of pragmatic instruction and educational sojourn on the development of knowledge of target language conventional expressions. Knowledge of target language conventional expressions was assessed through a discourse completion task. The results of independent-samples t-test revealed the superiority of the effect of pragmatic instruction to educational sojourn in developing knowledge of target language conventional expressions. The pedagogical implications of the findings suggested incorporation of pragmatic features of the target language into foreign language class instruction.
African leafy vegetables consumed by households in the Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal provinces in South Africa

Abstract Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the availability of, access to and nutrition-related uses of African leafy vegetables in rural and urban households; and to determine the β-carotene content of the dominant African leafy vegetable. Design: The study consisted of a qualitative explorative phase (field walks, semi-structured interviews with key informants, focus group discussions) at two rural sites; and a quantitative household survey (questionnaire) at two rural and one urban site. Amaranth leaves were analysed for β-carotene content. Setting and subjects: The household survey included households at a rural site in Limpopo province (n = 100); and a rural (n = 101) and urban (n = 391) site in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. Results: A variety of edible plants were identified during field walks at the two rural sites. Focus group discussions narrowed this down to ten plants at the rural Limpopo site and six at the rural KwaZulu-Natal site. The most popular leaves were amaranth (Amaranthus spp), spider plant (Cleome gynandra), wild watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) and blackjack (Bidens spinosa), consumed individually or mixed with other leaves. Rural households procured leaves mostly from the wild whereas urban households relied more on informal markets. In Limpopo, leaves were dried and stored for consumption during winter. KwaZulu-Natal households considered African leafy vegetables food for the poor. Leaves were boiled in salted water, or steamed and then fried in oil. Fried and boiled amaranth leaves contained 627 and 429 µg retinol activity equivalents/100 g respectively. Conclusions: Availability of, access to and nutrition-related uses of African leafy vegetables are context-specific, with inter- and intraprovincial rural/urban differences. Information collected during small studies within a specific area can therefore not be generalised for the overall South-African population. Amaranth can potentially contribute significantly to vitamin A requirements of nutritionally vulnerable communities.
Confirming Recognition: P300 as a reliable index for witness identification through the Guilty Face Test (GFT)

This paper provides an answer to the requests that has been made for witness confrontations to become an accurate and reliable tool in the court. This was achieved by the development and testing of the Guilty Face Test (GFT). Facial stimuli was used in a Target Present lineup were the enhanced elicitation of the Even-Related Potential component P300 confirmed recognition of the culprit. The participants were thereafter asked to respond to a task of color recognition and the paradigm does thus include both a Memory oddball (the culprit) and an Attention oddball (the target color). The results provided significant effects of both Memory and Attention and thereby confirms the hypotheses of an enhanced P300 when the culprit is present. Importantly was this effect of recognition independent from the attention that was directed to the task and with that could did this study confirm the P300 as a reliable index for witness identifications through the GFT. The study also found fascinating tendencies of a possible differentiation on the spatial distribution -dependent of Memory and Attention.
Does Productivity Cause Exports or vice versa

Empirical evidence linking exports and productivity growth has been mixed and inconclusive. This study re-examines the direction of the causality between them for Malaysian industries by testing for Granger causality using the error-correction and earlier vector autoregressive models. By including other variables like size and capital intensity in my models, I have captured the indirect effects besides the direct effects between exports and productivity. In a panel of 63 manufacturing industries, for the period of 1981 to 1999, I find that these industries support the export-led growth hypotheses, not the growth-driven export hypothesis. However, a further look into the results indicates that there is a possibility of an indirect causality from productivity growth to export through size, as productivity cause size and size, in turn cause exports.
May the Best (Looking) Man Win: The Unconscious Role of Attractiveness in Employment Decisions

Excerpt] In 1972, Karen Dion, Ellen Berscheid, and Elaine Walster set out to determine whether people hold “stereotyped notions of the personality traits possessed by individuals of varying attractiveness. ” The results of the study were astonishing: based only on the photographs provided, participants predicted attractive subjects would be happier, possess more socially desirable personalities, practice more prestigious occupations, and exhibit higher marital competence. Their findings were published in an article entitled “What is Beautiful is Good” and gave rise to an enduring theory of the same name. In the decades since the Dion et al. experiment, the “what is beautiful is good” hypothesis has played a particularly meaningful role in occupational studies. Given the high-stakes nature of job acquisition, many researchers have asked, for example, whether attractive job candidates are more likely to be hired than their peers. In short, attractive individuals will receive more job offers, better advancement opportunities, and higher salaries than their less attractive peers—despite numerous findings that they are no more intelligent or capable. This article aims to explore the sources and potential resolution of appearance-based employment decisions. In other words, now that we know appearance-based employment discrimination exists, where does it come from and what do we do about it? Part I examines the psychology of attractiveness, exploring what registers as attractive and what unconscious responses attractiveness commonly evokes. It begins with a definition of beauty in terms of both biological and performed traits and concludes with a discussion of beauty facts versus fictions. Part II provides an overview of existing legal remedies to victims of appearance-based discrimination and explains why legal reform is an illsuited solution. After ruling out the law, this article concludes that appearance-based employment decisions should be curbed internally, via management and human resources efforts.
Win at All Costs or Lose Gracefully in High-Stakes Competition? Gender Differences in Professional Tennis

This article examines line-call challenges by male and female professional tennis players in major tournaments around the world. In terms of utilization rates, we find that the genders behave similarly. Nevertheless, we do detect some intriguing gender differences in these challenges. First, male players’ challenges are more likely to be provoked by those of their opponents. More importantly, at tiebreaks, females are more likely to reverse an umpire’s unfavorable call, while males make relatively more unsuccessful challenges. Furthermore, we find that men are a lot more likely to make “embarrassing” line-call challenges at tiebreaks and offenses (i.e., when the shot lands at the opponent’s side of the tennis court) than women. These significant gender differences suggest that women particularly diverge from men at crucial junctures of the match such as tiebreaks. Differences in factors such as risk aversion, overconfidence, pride, shame, and strategic signalling behavior might help us to explain these gender-difference findings in line call challenges.
Screening of Hemoglobin Disorders in Referral Cases to the Hospital’s Laboratory in Northeast Iran

Determining the frequencies of hemoglobin disorders in referral cases to the hospital’s laboratory for designing the best program for prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of these disorders. Hemoglobin electrophoresis and CBC were performed on 6033 cases referred to Imam Reza hospital, Mashhad, Iran from 2004 to 2009. Normal and abnormal electrophoretic patterns were identified in 77.55% (4679 cases) and 22.44% (1354 cases), respectively. The most common hemoglobin disorders, in order of frequency, were s-thalassemia minor (19.44%), Hb D (1.63%), Hb S (0.38%), thalassemia intermedia to major (0.24%), thalassemia major (0.23%), δs-thalassemia (heterozygous) (0.18%), hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (heterozygous) (0.1%), Hb H (0.1%), Hb C,E or O (0.07%), HbLepor (heterozygous) (0.03%), Hb D/s-thalassemia (0.02%) and Hb S/s-thalassemia (0.02%). Based on our study hemoglobin disorders are a common problem in this region as the abnormal results in electrophoresis were observed in the 22.44% of individuals. These results show the importance of a premarital screening program for hemoglobin disorders in this geographic area.
INFLUENCE OF PARENTAL AGE ON THE GROWTH OF NESTLING SWALLOWS (Hirundo rustica)

The growth (mass) of67 nestling swallows is studied and factors influencing growth parameters are investigated. The logistic model best fits the data; there is no evidence that clutch-size influences any of the growth parameters. On the other hand, brood effect is highly significant for each of the parameters. The influence of parental age is only detected for maximum mass, the young from older parents being heavier than those from yearlings. Parental age also affects the growth of nestling's wings, as faster growth is observed for young from older parents.
cDNA Microarray Analysis of Differential Gene Expression in Boar Testes during the Prepubertal Period

In an attempt to understand the biochemical mechanism for the synthesis of the anabolic steroid, 19-nortestosterone, produced by prepubertal boar testes and its physiological role, normalized complementary DNA (cDNA) from boar testes was generated. DNA sequencing of 2,016 randomly selected clones yielded 794,116 base pairs of high quality nucleotide sequence. Computer-assisted assembly of the nucleotide sequence of each clone resulted in 423 contigs and 403 singletons including several genes for steroidogenic enzymes and molecules related to steroid metabolism. Analysis of gene expression pattern by use of the presently-fabricated cDNA microarray identified a number of genes that were differentially expressed during the postnatal development period in boar testes. Two genes of unknown function were identified to be highly expressed in the testis of 2-weeks-old neonatal boar. In addition, the sequencing of open reading frames of these genes revealed their homology with human alpha hemoglobin and Homo sapiens hypothetical LOC643669, transcript variant 1. Moreover, the transcripts of these genes were also detected in porcine muscle and adipocytes, in addition to Leydig cells of pigs.