Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE ANALYSIS OF SHORT-RUN AND LONG-RUN PERFORMANCE OF PRIVATIZATION INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERINGS IN MALAYSIA

Privatization is a government policy of transferring state ownership of state-owned enterprises to private. It is a multipurpose program aimed at improving the performance of state-owned enterprises. One methods of privatization is selling stocks in a capital market. The objective of this article is to evaluate the performance of privatization initial public offerings (IPOs) in Malaysia and to investigate the determinants of the short-run and the long-run of IPOs performance. Data used in this study comes from single country which is more homogeneous. In addition, this study uses a theory on IPO introduced by Perotti and Enrico (1995) which specifically deals with privatization IPOs. Finally, this study produces information about the degree of initial excess return and long-run return of privatized IPOs up to five years and their determinants which are valuable to investors in designing their security selection processes. The evidence indicated that, on average, the IPOs are underpriced. This is in line with the evidences from private sector IPOs. On the other hand, the IPOs show a pattern of underperformance (negative returns) in the long-run up to five years. However, the statistical evidence showed that in the long-run the IPOs are neither under nor overpriced. Through statistical analysis of the dependency of several independent variables it is found that the percentage of share sold, the uncertainty about the future value of the firm, the market index fluctuation, the size of firm and the value of issue on the first day of trading are significantly influence the initial excess returns. On the other hand, the degree of the initial returns is the only variable that significantly affects the long-run IPOs performance.
The Effect of Interval Aerobic Exercises on Some Dynamic Pulmonary Volumes of Non- athlete Female Students

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of interval aerobic exercise on dynamic pulmonary volumes in non-active female students. Out of 100 non athlete female students without cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, 80 students (18 – 24 years) were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (Flow-Volume test=20, Maximal Voluntary Ventilation test =20) and two control groups (Flow-Volume test=20, Maximal Voluntary Ventilation test =20). The experimental groups performed 36 sessions of 45-minute interval aerobic running with 65-80% of heart rate reserve while control group had no training program. Before beginning exercise plan and after 18 th , 24 th and 36 th session of training program, dynamic pulmonary volumes were evaluated by use of Lung Test1000 Spirometer. The results were analyzed by General Linear ModelRepeated Measures ANOVA and the mean differences were tested. The results showed that interval aerobic training had significant effect on FEV1, MEF75%, MEF50% and MVV (P<0.05) but the interval aerobic exercise had no significant effect on MEF25%. It seems interval aerobic training programs can be used for improving females’ respiratory system function and its efficacy.
Finite Element Analysis of Vane Geometry for Shear Thinning Materials

Various materials such as cellulose nanofibers (CNF) suspensions contain non-isotropic structures that can lead to strong shear thinning behaviour in parallel-plate geometries; a slip layer seems to form between the plate and the material in such standard geometries. The link between parallel-plate results and data from vane geometries is not clear in the literature. The power-law viscosity model was used to fit the steady-shear results from parallel-plate geometry. The torquerotation rate results were also obtained from a vane geometry for CNF suspensions at three solids levels (2-4 wt%). A finite element method was used to solve the flow equations for calculating the torque applied on the solid surfaces in the vane geometry. The power-law model gave reasonable results for the prediction of torque. It was shown by shear rate distributions that the shearing layers of the fluid existed predominately at radial positions close to the vane radius and the viscosity value at this shear rate becomes important in determination of the torque.
Induction of water stress tolerance of mustard plants using Trichoderma as biological seed treatment

Water scarcity is one of the main consequences of changing climate which adversely affects the plant growth and productivity. Enhanced root development results in increased surface area of active absorption for water and nutrient uptake which helps in tolerating abiotic stresses including drought in plants. Trichoderma is well known for its biocontrol and growth promontory effect in plants in addition to alleviate abiotic stress. In our study, thirty isolates of Trichoderma were grown on sterilized cow dung at different moisture content ranges from 5 to 30 percent to investigate their ability to grow and multiply under water stress condition. Mustard plants were grown under glass house condition by treating seeds with selected isolates of Trichoderma subjected to water stress subsequently. All isolates of Trichoderma grew upto 20% moisture whereas only eleven isolates exhibited growth at 10% moisture. Isolate PB23 was only isolate which was able to grow and resulted in 1.0 x109 cfu/g air dried cow dung even at 5% moisture content and induced the tolerance of mustard plants under water stress conditions when applied as seed treatment before sowing.
The effect of stem girdling on xylem and phloem formation in Scots pine

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is a resilient, wide spread species. This paper reports on the xylem and phloem cell formation process, before and after, the species was put under artificial stress by stem girdling. Microcore method was applied to a healthy control group and a standing group of girdled trees within an 80-year-old pine forest for two consecutive growing seasons (2013 and 2014). The stem girdling was applied in the middle of the first growing season (July 2013). Cambial activity timings (onset and cessation of cell division), cell formation intensity, cell differentiation, and the dynamics of the annual radial increment in the stem were analyzed. Cambial activity was inhibited and eventually ceased below the stem girdling immediately after the removal of the strip. Therefore, no latewood tracheids were formed. However, above the stem girdling and in the control trees, cell formation and tissue differentiation continued until the end of the growing season, with the girdled trees moving at a less intensive pace but for a longer period of time. During the following growing season (2014), the cambial zone was reactivated only above the stem girdling, not below, and eventually the girdled trees died. In 2014, the onset of the cambial activity was delayed and the division rate of the cells was slower in the girdled trees. Furthermore, the girdled trees formed less phloem cells than the control trees.
The Israeli Disengagement Plan : Unilateralism in the Face of Multilateral Agreements

O VER THE PAST DECADE U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have spearheaded efforts, mediated by key international players, to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Two initiatives to emerge from these dialogues, the 1993 Israel and PLO: Declaration of Principles on Interim SelfGovernment Arrangements, or Oslo Agreement (Oslo), and the 2003 Performance-Based Roadmap to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (Roadmap) have garnered approval from Israel and the Palestinians and remain significant instruments of peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Although both accords call for an eventual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, it was envisioned as part of a multilateral, negotiated solution. Israel’s unilateral Disengagement Plan stands in marked contrast to this backdrop of cooperation, replacing it with nonnegotiable terms and, in effect, an imposed peace. The unilateral decision to withdraw arguably fails to move the peace process forward, instead threatening the fragile agreements currently in place. Although Israel claims that abandoning a negotiated settlement does not violate or prejudice any of its agreements with the Palestinian Authority (PA),1 this article argues that the unilateral Disengagement Plan violates both Oslo and the Roadmap and that these violations will have significant negative impacts on the peace process. This article is not an exhaustive study of all documents and agreements that are relevant to this conflict, but rather is offered as a legal and textual basis for judging the Disengagement Plan through the use of two documents that have served as the bases and starting points for negotiations and further agreements.
Responses of pea plants to heat stress and spermine treatment.

The effects of high temperature and the polyamine spermine on the physiological and biochemical status of garden pea plants were investigated. The plants were preliminary treated with 1 mM spermine and 24 h later were subjected for 48 h to conditions with daily temperature up to 38°C. High temperature stress caused more than 20% decrease of leaf pigments content and significant suppression of net photosynthesis rate. An enhanced level of lipid peroxidation was observed in leaves suggesting that oxidative stress occurred. A decrease in the content of free proline, total phenolics, and hydrogen peroxide accompanied by an increase of the activity of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and guaiacol peroxidase was established in plants subjected to high temperature. The harmful physiological effects of high temperature were alleviated by spraying the plants with spermine. The preliminary application of spermine retarded leaf pigment loss and maintained photosynthetic rate and antioxidant enzyme activities, as well as content of non-enzymatic antioxidants.
Differences in Discipline Consequence Assignment by Student Ethnicity/Race: A Multiyear, Texas Analysis

A connection exists between public education and attaining the American dream. Education is the key to the American dream (Hochschild & Scovronick, 2003; Reardon, 2013). A diverse group of students are enrolled in the public school system in the United States with hopes of acquiring an education that will lead to success (Jones, Slate, & Martinez-Garcia, 2014). Unfortunately, however, the American dream is difficult to realize for some groups of students because of the color of their skin or the nation of their origin.
DAILY OBSERVATION OF ANTIBODY LEVELS AMONG DENGUE PATIENTS DETECTED BY ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY (ELISA)

Serial serum specimens from forty eight dengue patients admitted to the hospital on day 2, day 3, or day 4 post onset were examined sequencially by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for laboratory diagnosis according to the criteria set by Innis et al. (3) Cumulative ELISA positive rates among forty secondary dengue infection patients were 95 % and 100 % at day 6 and day 7 post onset, respectively while the ELISA positive rates at day 3, day 4, and day 5 were 17.5 %, 37.5 %, and 75 %. Cumulative ELISA positive rates among eight primary dengue patients were 87.5 % and 100 % at day 6 and day 7 post onset, while the rates at day 4, and day 5 were 12.5 % and 50 %. Thus, in order to achieve better diagnostic efficiency according to the criteria, convalescent sera should be taken after the 6th day from the onset of the disease. Four out of 74 secondary infection patients, corresponding to 5 % of the patients, showed poor response of dengue-specific IgM antibody (less than 10 units) even when discharged, indicating that both IgG and IgM examinations are necessary in secondary dengue infection.
STK25- a new key regulator of metabolic profile and a possible target for anti-diabetic drug

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) affects at least 285 million people worldwide and its prevalence is rapidly increasing. Understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling ectopic lipid deposition and insulin response in metabolic tissues is essential for developing new pharmacological strategies to effectively treat T2D. Obesity and overweigh are the main risk factors for developing T2D, but nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) also contributes to the pathogenesis of T2D. Today, achieving good glycemic control in T2D patients with the current treatment alternatives remains challenging and no specific therapy exists against NAFLD. In this thesis, we describe protein kinase STK25 as a new key regulator of ectopic lipid deposition in skeletal muscle, liver and pancreas as well as whole-body metabolism. We have found that STK25 overexpression in mice challenged with a high-fat diet (HFD) results in an increased ectopic lipid deposition in skeletal muscle and pancreas, accompanied by an aggravated fibrosis and inflammation. The overexpression of STK25 also leads to impairments in β-oxidation and decrease in in vivo insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle and reduced endurance exercise capacity in mice. The pancreas of Stk25 transgenic animals shows a significant decrease in islet β/α-cell ratio and alterations in the islet architecture with an increased presence of α-cells within the islet core, together with an impaired insulin production during IPGTT after a HFD challenge. We also show that treatment with Stk25 antisense oligonucleotides in obese mice protects against HFD-induced liver steatosis, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. In addition, we found a significant positive correlation between nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) development and STK25 protein abundance in human liver biopsies. Furthermore, we have identified four common non-linked SNPs in the human STK25 gene that are associated with altered liver fat: two associated with increased hepatic fat levels and two associated with decreased levels. Taken together, our studies suggest that pharmacological inhibition of STK25 potentially provides a new-in-class therapeutic strategy for the treatment of NAFLD, T2D and related metabolic complications.
Can Student Engagement in Online Courses Predict Performance on Online Knowledge Surveys

The link between student engagement and academic performance has been widely examined. However, most of these studies have focused on ascertaining the existence of such a relationship on the summative assessment level. By comparing students’ experience points in an online course and students’ scores on online knowledge surveys (KS), this study examined the relationship between student engagement and performance on online KS on the formative assessment level. Knowledge surveys were developed and formatively administered in four sections of an online Integration of ICT in Education course. Using Moodle Feedback Module, knowledge surveys were designed based on three key elements: learning objectives, the course content, and the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy of learning objectives. Using rated multiple choice KS questions, the correlation between students’ scores on KSs and students’ experience points was calculated using SPSS. The results show that students’ confidence levels in ability to answer KS questions increased in some of the course sections and decreased in others. The student engagement in online course was positively—but weakly—related to student performance on online KS and the strength of this relationship increased as the course unfolded. Our conclusion is that student engagement in online courses would not be an accurate predictor of student performance on online Knowledge surveys right at the beginning of an instructional process.
Sampling frequency and pass-band frequency effects on neuromuscular signals (EMG) recognition

This paper treats the effects of EMG signal sampling frequency and the pass-band frequency on neuromuscular signal recognition which are of a great importance. It improves the optimisation of the choice of those parameter values that guarantees the best performance. The considered EMG signal sampling frequency and pass-band frequency have a significant importance in viewpoint of the extracted information from this signal. It will be shown that this information depends on both sampling and pass-band frequency values. The signal information do not have the same pass-band frequency location and also do not have the same sampling frequency value for all the features, but these parameters are then self depending on the type of the feature. In this case the classification of the EMG signals is done by using only the beginning part of the signal, which is equal in our case to 256ms. The classification is done using two intelligent computational methods: Radial Basis Function network (RBF) and Fuzzy Subtractive Clustering network (FSC). Each method has been applied using four different values of spread and radius values corresponding to RBF and FSC respectively.
Sources of Innovation in China's Manufacturing Sector: Imported or Developed in-House?

The author investigates the innovative behavior of large and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises in China. It is revealed that in-house research and development (R&D) efforts, rather than imported technologies, are the primary sources of industrial innovation in China. Regarding in-house R&D efforts, it is found that in-house R&D laboratories are important sources for the creation of new products as measured by patents, though it is enterprise-wide R&D spending rather than the mere presence of in-house facilities that is more likely to lead to market success. Concerning importation of technologies, it is revealed that the limited nature of efforts to absorb imported technologies has become a serious barrier to fulfilling the potential of these technologies and to upgrading China's internal creative capabilities. In addition, domestic technology markets have not been effectively linked to large and medium-sized industrial enterprises, despite China's enduring efforts in this direction since the middle 1980s. It is therefore concluded that the organization of R&D activities in China's industrial enterprises is still fragmented, with only weak linkages between technology importation and assimilation, between industrial R&D and domestic technology markets, and between business and R&D activities within enterprises.
Government and Human Capital in a Model of Development Through Modernization and Specialization

Economic development is associated with the shift of production from the traditional sector (e.g. traditional agriculture and the urban informal sector) to the modern sector (e.g. modern manufacturing and commercial agriculture). Human capital accumulation, particularly, education and job training of skilled workers, is a crucial factor in the modernization of an economy. Several institutions such as the protection of property rights and the strength of the rule of law also are considered essential. Thus, the government has an important role as the main provider of ’institution-maintaining’ services, although it often faces a diculty in providing adequate amounts of the services due to costly hiring of educated ocers and tax avoidance. This paper analyzes interactions among taxation, the provision of the public services, human capital accumulation, and modernization, based on a dynamic dual economy model, which draws on the Becker and Murphy (1992) model of skill and task specialization, and examines conditions for successful development. Distributions of political power and wealth as well as sectoral productivities and the cost of education aect the outcome qualitatively. In particular, the socially desirable distribution of political power is such that educated (uneducated) individuals should have dominant power at an early (late) stage of development. Further, it is shown that several novel or overlooked ineciencies arise naturally from realistic features of the model and appropriate redistribution can correct the ineciencies except at a fairly early stage of development.
Solar wind magnetic turbulence: Inferences from spectral shape

Some differences between theoretical, numerical and observational determinations of spectral slopes of solar wind turbulence are interpreted in the thermodynamical sense. Confirmations of turbulent Kolmogorov slopes in solar wind magnetic turbulence and magnetohydrodynamic simulations exhibit tiny differences. These are used to infer about entropy generation in the turbulent cascade and to infer about the anomalous turbulent collision frequency in the dissipative range as well as the average energy input in solar wind turbulence. Anomalous turbulent collision frequencies are obtained of the order of v < 200 Hz. The corresponding stationary solar wind magnetic energy input into magnetic turbulence in the Kolmogorov inertial range is obtained to be of the order of 50 eV/s. Its thermal fate is discussed.
Effect of Indigenous Pseudomonas sp. and Bacillus sp. Strains on Yield and Main Chemical Growth Parameters of Radicchio

Summary Pseudomonas sp. and Bacillus sp. belong to plant growth promoting rhizobacteria which are able to colonize the plants roots and stimulate growth. In this study, the effect of two indigenous plant growth promoting rhizobacterial strains Pseudomonas sp. Q4 and Bacillus sp. Q10 and their mixture (mix Q4+Q10) on content of the main chemical growth parameters (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium) and the yield of dry biomass of radicchio (Cichorium spp. var. rossa di treviso) aerial parts and root, was investigated. The study was carried out with stagnosol type of soil in pot experiments under semi-controlled conditions in the Institute of Soil Science (Belgrade), in the period from July to October in 2013. Phosphorus was determined by spectrophotometer, potassium - by flame emission photometry and total nitrogen and carbon - using elemental CNS analyzer, while calcium and magnesium were determined by AAS. The data on yield of both aerial parts and root dry biomass of radicchio showed that its treatment with Q4 and Q10 strains, as well as with their mixture, caused noticeably increase in this parameter in relation to the control, whereby the strain Q4 was more effective for aerial parts, while mix Q4+Q10 - for roots. The obtained data on the studied chemical parameters of radicchio root and aerial parts were in total accordance with their yield. Concluding, studied strains have a potential in promoting the biomass yield and main chemical growth parameters of both aerial parts and root of radicchio.
Weed management strategies for castor bean crops.

Castor bean crops are agriculturally relevant due to the quality and versatility of their oil, both for the chemical industry and for biodiesel production. Proper weed management is important for both the cultivation and the yield of castor bean crops; therefore, the intention of the present work is to review pertinent information regarding weed management, including the studies regarding weed interference periods, chemical controls for use in different crop production systems and herbicide selectivity, for castor bean crops. Weed science research for castor bean crops is scarce. One of the main weed management challenges for castor bean crops is the absence of herbicides registered with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MALFS). Research for viable herbicides for weed control in castor bean crops should be directed by research and/or rural extension institutions, associations and farmers cooperatives, as well as by manufactures, for the registration of these selective herbicides, which would be primarily used to control eudicotyledons in castor bean crops. New studies involving the integration of weed control methods in castor bean also may increase the efficiency of weed management, for both small farmers using traditional crop methods in the Brazilian Northeast region, as well as for areas with the potential for large scale production, using conservation tillage systems, such as the no-tillage crop production system.