Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Unit Trust Management Company Fund Investment on Investors' Risk

Investors in Malaysia tend to invest in unit trusts in a single Management Company because of the limited number of Management Companies. This study evidences that unit trust returns are more closely correlated within the funds of the company than across different companies. An increase in asset correlation lowers the diversification benefits for investors. Hence, investing in funds managed by the same Management Company increases the total portfolio risk and reduces diversification. This finding is in tandem with the U.S. evidence. It is concluded that Malaysian unit trust investors should avoid investing their money in funds in the same Management Company, even though by doing so they are able to enjoy a very low switching fees benefit and easier management of funds. Additionally, investors are also advised to diversify their portfolio by integrating their investment of conventional funds with Islamic funds. It is also noted that Money Market funds stand out as good diversification due to their low correlation with the other funds.Keywords: Correlation, Common holdings, Diversification, Islamic, Malaysia, Risk, Unit Trusts Companies
Home-based Entrepreneurs, Commercial Entrepreneurs and White-collar Workers: A Comparative Study of Attitudes toward Self-esteem, Personal Control and Business Growth

Abstract Home-based entrepreneurship, or operation of an independent income-generating business venture based in or from a business owner's place of principal residence (Roberts & Chrisman, 1997), is the small business ownership choice of over 27 million full-time and part-time workers in the US (US Dept. of Census, 2010) and Canada (Statistics Canada, 2006). This study compazes entrepreneurial attitudes toward perceived personal control of business outcomes, self-esteem and business growth in a random sample of 544 home-based entrepreneurs, non-home-based (commercial) entrepreneurs and white-collar employees in Alberta, Canada. One new attitudinal subscale was developed, tested and validated. Significant findings were found for personal control, self-esteem and preference for business growth in revenue. Four significant predictors of non-homebased operation were identified, and the mediating effects of organizational-level vaziables over individual-level vaziables on the relationship between entrepreneurial attitude and behaviour were noted. Data analysis included ANOVA, LOGIT regression, and LISREL Structural Equation Modeling.
THE NEW LIVES OF TEACHERS: RESEARCH WHICH INFLUENCES

The paper focuses upon external and internal challenges for the research and teaching communities - the perils as well as excitements of border crossings in research conducted on and in the policy and practice contexts which are associated with the new lives of teachers. The paper is organised in four parts. Part 1 deals with the scholar-practitioner dilemmas faced by university teachers and researchers. Part 2 raises issues about knowledge production in which the researcher is also a change agent. Part 3 focuses, briey, upon what research tells us about key areas of importance which aect the work and lives of teachers in schools and the nature of professionalism which those who conduct research with teachers need to understand if they seek to inuence them, directly or indirectly. Part 4 ends the address by focusing upon research in education, why we do what we do in the ways that we do it.
The development of the Personality Audit: a psychodynamic multiple feedback assessment instrument

The Personality Audit (PA) was developed to meet a need for a relatively simple multiple feedback instrument that could clarify the various motivational needs of executives. Using a psychodynamic approach to leadership, the PA allows the test-taker to assess him- or herself in seven personality dimensions important in human behaviour and to identify personal ‘blind spots’. The resulting insights can be used to formulate appropriate leadership development goals. The objective of this paper is to describe the design and psychometric properties of the PA. This instrument, in contrast with other tools that can be used to clarify the inner theatre of individuals, is designed not only to report information given by the test-taker but also to reflect the perceptions of observers representing both the test-taker's public and private spheres. This paper describes in detail the conceptual foundations of the questionnaire, the psychometric methods used to confirm its validity and reliability, and possible directions for future research.
The manganese superoxide dismutase Ala16Val dimorphism modulates both mitochondrial import and mRNA stability

A genetic dimorphism incorporates either alanine (Ala) or valine (Val) in the mitochondrial targeting sequence (MTS) of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). The Ala-MTS confers a 40% higher MnSOD activity than the Val-MTS after import into isolated mitochondria in vitro. The present study aimed to characterize functional consequences in whole cells. HuH7 human hepatoma cells were transfected with vectors encoding for the human Ala- or Val-MnSOD variants fused to a Myc-His-tag. The Ala-variant resulted in four-fold higher levels of the mature exogenous protein and MnSOD activity than the Val-variant. Studies with a proteasome inhibitor indicated that precursor proteins are either imported into the mitochondria or degraded by the proteasome. Despite identical levels 8 h after transfection, mRNA levels at 36 h were two-fold higher for the Ala-encoding mRNA than the Val-mRNA. Decreasing the mitochondrial membrane potential decreased both MnSOD mitochondrial import and its mRNA levels. Much larger differences in the activity of the human Val- and Ala-MnSOD variants are observed in whole cells rather than after import experiments performed in vitro. First, the slowly imported Val-MnSOD is degraded by the proteasome in cells. Second, the slower mitochondrial import of the Val-variant may be associated with decreased mRNA stability, possibly due to impaired cotranslational import.
Openness and Inflation: A New Assessment

Romer [1993] uses a Barro-Gordon-type model' to argue that openness puts a check on the government's incentive to engage in unanticipated inflation, because of induced exchange rate depreciation.2 Therefore, in the absence of precommitment in monetary policy, more open economies will tend to have lower inflation rates. Romer finds that empirically, over a large sample of countries and over a broad time frame, "average inflation rates are lower in smaller, more open economies. This relationship is significant, quantitatively large, and robust. " Moreover, "these findings suggest that models in which the absence of precommitment in monetary policy leads to inefficiently high average levels of inflation are essential to understanding inflation in most of the world. " This comment suggests that the negative link between inflation and openness Romer found may be largely driven by the responses of severely indebted countries (SICs) to the debt crisis of the 1980s. Figures I and II show the scatterplots of the logarithms of average inflation and openness for the subperiods 1973 to 1981 (predebt crisis) and 1982 to 1990 (the debt crisis period). Different groups of countries are separated according to their indebtedness level.3 The solid lines in the figures represent the predicted value of inflation, obtained from a regression of openness on inflation for the countries in each group. As the scatterplots show, there is indeed a strong negative relation between openness and inflation among SICs during the debt crisis
Functional Imaging Demonstrates Source of Epileptiform Discharges in Generalized Epilepsy

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the hemodynamic response of the cerebral cortex and thalamus during generalized spike-and-wave or polyspike-andwave (GSW) bursts in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE). The hemodynamic response is measured by fMRI [blood oxygenation level–dependent (BOLD) effect]. We used combined EEG–functional MRI, a method that allows the unambiguous measurement of the BOLD effect during bursts, compared with measurements during the interburst interval. Fifteen patients with IGE had GSW bursts during scanning and technically acceptable studies. fMRI cortical changes as a result of GSW activity were present in 14 (93%) patients. Changes in the form of activation (increased BOLD) or deactivation (decreased BOLD) occurred symmetrically in the cortex of both hemispheres, involved anterior as much as posterior head regions, but were variable across patients. Bilateral thalamic changes also were found in 12 (80%) patients. Activation predominated over deactivation in the thalamus, whereas the opposite was seen in the cerebral cortex. These results bring a new light to the pathophysiolocal mechanisms generating GSW. The spatial distribution of BOLD responses to GSW was unexpected: it involved as many posterior as anterior head regions, contrary to the usual frontocentral predominance seen in EEG. The presence of a thalamic BOLD response in most patients provided, for the first time in a group of human patients, confirmation of the evidence of thalamic involvement seen in animal models. The possible mechanisms underlying these phenomena are discussed. COMMENTARY
Price Movements as Indicators of Tender Offer Success

This paper examines movements in the prices of target stocks as predictors of the ultimate success or failure of tender offers. An empirical investigation of 100% cash tender offers during the years 1976 to 1981 leads to the conclusion that, with few exceptions, market prices are well-calibrated, i.e., the current target price during the offer period measures the expected (discounted) stock price at the conclusion date. The market's probability predictions improve monotonically over time.
Risk reporting: An exploratory study on risk management disclosure in Malaysian annual reports

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the availability of risk disclosures in the annual reports of Malaysian companies by focusing on the non-financial section of the reports. In addition, the paper aims to empirically test the sampled companies' characteristics and to compare the levels of risk faced by these companies with the disclosures made. Design/methodology/approach - The method used in this study is content analysis. A total of 100 listed companies' annual reports were analyzed in order to trace the extent of risk disclosure and the relationship against firm characteristic and diversification strategy were tested. Stakeholder theory was used in explaining the linkages between the variables. Findings - The total number of sentences dedicated for discussion of risk information by the sampled Malaysian companies is very much less when compared to a 2006 study done by Lisley and Shrives in the UK. Size does matter and proven significant by the regression results. This finding is expected and explainable from stakeholder theory. Research limitations/implications - Future research is encouraged to look deeper into the different variables that may be involved. The development of a local risk measurement checklist will help researchers to better reflect on the findings in the local context. Practical implications - Findings in regards of the current state of risk disclosure should be of concern to relevant reg ulatory bodies. Originality/value - This paper provides an initial understanding of risk management disclosure practices in Malaysia. The government, through various relevant parties, should devise the means to enhance companies' involvement in risk management disclosure practices.
The evolution of digit form in Gonatodes (Gekkota: Sphaerodactylidae) and its bearing on the transition from frictional to adhesive contact in gekkotans

Although the phenomenon of adhesion in geckos has been intensively studied for over 200 years, our understanding of how the morphological apparatus associated with this arose is less clear. Indeed, whether or not all of the intricate morphological hierarchy that is implicated in the attachment and removal of the adhesive setae originated at the same time is unknown. To explore whether setae may have arisen prior to the other parts of this structural hierarchy, we undertook morphological observations of Gonatodes, an ancestrally padless, sphaerodatyline genus known to exhibit the expression of incipient subdigital pads in some species. Focusing on this geographically and morphologically well‐circumscribed genus, for which intraspecific relationships are adequately known and ecology is quite well documented, allowed us to deduce trends in digit proportions, shape, scalation, and skeletal structure, and associate these with the micro‐ornamentation of the subdigital surfaces. Our findings indicate that in Gonatodes, setae capable of inducing adhesion are present without the modifications of the digital musculotendinous, circulatory and skeletal systems that are generally considered to be necessary for the operation of a functional adhesive apparatus. The acquisition of these latter characteristics (independently in many lineages of gekkotans, and incipiently so in Anolis) may have been preceded by a suite of modifications of the digits that enhanced static clinging in relation to sit‐and‐wait predation and the ability to take refuge on surfaces unavailable to other taxa. These possibilities await further testing. J. Morphol. 276:1311–1332, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Generation and characterization of embryonic striatal conditionally immortalized ST14A cells

Neural progenitor cells have been isolated from the embryonic central nervous system (CNS) of several mammalian species. These exhibit properties of immature cells, including expression of the intermediate filament protein Nestin, the ability to self renew, and to give rise to terminally differentiated cell types. In this study we describe some of the properties of ST14A cells, which were established via retroviral transduction of the temperature‐sensitive mutant of the SV40 Large T Antigen into primary cells derived from the embryonic day 14 (E14) rat Striatum primordia. At 33° C, ST14A cells proliferate and express Nestin, whereas at the nonpermissive temperature, cell growth becomes restricted in coincidence with the disappearance of the immortalizing oncoprotein. We also describe the ability of ST14A cells to differentiate and express MAP2. Furthermore, we analyzed the expression of specific growth factors and growth factor receptors in the ST14A cells, and found that nerve growth factor (NGF) and Trk receptors are most commonly expressed. J. Neurosci. Res. 53:223–234, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Two Streams of Attention-Dependent β Activity in the Striate Recipient Zone of Cat's Lateral Posterior–Pulvinar Complex

Local field potentials from different visual cortical areas and subdivisions of the cat's lateral posterior–pulvinar complex of the thalamus (LP-P) were recorded during a behavioral task based on delayed spatial discrimination of visual or auditory stimuli. During visual but not auditory attentive tasks, we observed an increase of β activity (12–25 Hz) as calculated from signals recorded from the caudal part of the lateral zone of the LP-P (LPl-c) as well as from cortical areas 17 and 18 and the complex located at the middle suprasylvian sulcus (MSS). This β activity appeared only in the trials that ended with a successful response, proving its relationship to the mechanism of visual attention. In contrast, no enhanced β activity was observed in the rostral part of the lateral zone of the LP-P and in the pulvinar proper. Two subregions of LPl-c (ventromedial and dorsolateral) were distinguished by visually related, attentional β activity of low (12–18 Hz) and high (18–25 Hz) frequencies, respectively. At the same time, area 17 exhibited attentional activation in the whole β range, and an increase of power in low-frequency β was observed in the medial bank of MSS, whereas cortical area 18 and the lateral bank of the MSS were activated in the high β range. Phase-correlation analysis revealed that two distinct corticothalamic systems were synchronized by the β activity of different frequencies. One comprised of cortical area 17, ventromedial region of LPl-c, and medial MSS, the second involved area 18 and the dorsolateral LPl-c. Our observations suggest that LPl-c belongs to the wide corticothalamic attentional system, which is functionally segregated by distinct streams of β activity.
WHY FIRMS VOLUNTARILY DISCLOSE BAD-NEWS

This paper provides evidence on corporate voluntary disclosure practices through an examination of the earnings-related disclosures made by a random sample of 93 NASDAQ firms during 1981-90. ' I find that, consistent with prior studies, earnings-related voluntary disclosures occur infrequently (on average, one disclosure for every ten quarterly earnings announcements); good news disclosures tend to be point or range estimates of annual earnings-per-share (EPS), while bad news disclosures tend to be qualitative statements about the current quarter's earnings; the (unconditional) stock price response to bad
Trade unions, politics and parties: is a new configuration possible?

Trade unions are not merely economic (or ‘industrial relations’) actors: they are necessarily protagonists in the political arena. Regulating the labour market is a question of power resources. Yet if unions are inescapably both economic and political actors, the relationship between the two roles is complex and contradictory, and the priority assigned to each varies across countries and over time. Four factors seem of particular importance in explaining these distinctive patterns: ideology, opportunity structures, organizational capacity and contextual challenges. We explore these issues with reference to ten west European countries, and end by pointing to some of the ideational and practical reasons why unions must explicitly redefine their political identities. Les syndicats ne sont pas uniquement des acteurs économiques (ou « des relations professionnelles »). Ils sont nécessairement des protagonistes de l’arène politique. La réglementation du marché du travail est une question de ressources de pouvoir. Pourtant, si les syndicats sont inévitablement à la fois des acteurs économiques et politiques, la relation entre ces deux rôles est complexe et contradictoire et la priorité accordée à chacun varie d’un pays à l’autre et avec le temps. Quatre facteurs semblent être particulièrement importants pour expliquer ces différences: l’idéologie, les structures d’opportunités, la capacité organisationnelle et les défis contextuels. Les auteurs examinent ces questions en faisant référence à dix pays d’Europe de l’Ouest et concluent en soulignant certaines raisons conceptuelles et pratiques pour lesquelles les syndicats devraient redéfinir de manière explicite leur identité politique. Gewerkschaften sind nicht nur wirtschaftliche Akteure (oder Akteure der Arbeitsbeziehungen), sondern spielen zwangsläufig auch in der politischen Arena eine wichtige Rolle. Die Regulierung des Arbeitsmarktes ist eine Frage der Machtressourcen. Gewerkschaften sind zwar unweigerlich sowohl wirtschaftliche als auch politische Akteure, aber die Beziehung zwischen diesen beiden Rollen ist komplex und widersprüchlich, und die Priorität, die ihnen eingeräumt wird, ist je nach Land unterschiedlich und verändert sich im Lauf der Zeit. Für diese unterschiedlichen Muster scheinen vier Faktoren ausschlaggebend zu sein: ideologische Faktoren, Möglichkeitsstrukturen (opportunity structures), die Fähigkeit zur Mitgliedergewinnung und kontextbezogene Herausforderungen. Der Beitrag untersucht diese Aspekte in zehn westeuropäischen Ländern und verweist abschließend auf einige ideelle und praktische Gründe, weshalb Gewerkschaften ihre politische Identität unbedingt neu definieren müssen.
Down to Earth: Local government and greenhouse policy in Australia

Global environmental politics and policy are conventionally seen as the province of nation-states and international negotiations. However, there has been increasing attention devoted to the part that local places can play in the pursuit of (global) sustainable development. In this paper, I explore the role of local government in Australian greenhouse policy. A brief outline of the role of local government in environmental management is followed by a short history of greenhouse policy in Australia. From its initial marginal position, local government has begun to occupy a more prominent role in greenhouse policy development and implementation. The paper examines the processes that have led to this change, the development of local greenhouse and energy policies in Newcastle, New South Wales, and the initiation of the 'Cities for Climate Protection' program by the federal government. In conclusion, some thoughts on the problems and prospects of a local approach to the greenhouse issue are offered.
Evaluating measures of global coherence ability in stories in adults.

BACKGROUND Discourse coherence is a reflection of the listener's ability to interpret the overall meaning conveyed by the speaker. Measuring global coherence (maintenance of thematic unity of the discourse) is useful for quantifying communication impairments at the discourse level in clinical populations and for measuring response to discourse-level treatments. AIMS The aim was to determine feasibility of a four-point global coherence scale developed by the authors. Specifically, they were (1) to estimate measurement reliability of the four-point global coherence scale; and (2) to estimate construct validity for the four-point global coherence scale. METHOD & PROCEDURES Fifty cognitively healthy adults aged between 28 and 58 years participated in the study. Participants viewed and then told the stories depicted in two wordless picture books. Participants' stories were orthographically transcribed and segmented into communication units (C-unit). Raters scored each participant's story for global coherence using two global coherence scales (four- and five-point scales). Each C-unit received an individual score, then the mean global coherence score was computed, resulting in two mean global coherence scores for each coherence scale, one for each story, for all participants. OUTCOMES & RESULTS Results indicated high reliability estimates for the scale. In addition, construct validity, specifically face validity and convergent validity, was effectively estimated for using the four-point scale as a measure of maintenance of global coherence in stories told by cognitively healthy adults. Lastly, it was found that the wordless picture books elicited stories that are comparable and can be reliably interchanged as different forms to evaluate maintenance of global coherence. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS The assumptions that the measure is feasible were achieved and face and convergent validity were adequately estimated. Future investigations should consider estimating predictive validity, concurrent validity and discriminant validity of the measure.