Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of Intellectual Capital Disclosure : Evidence From Shariah Listed Companies

This paper aims to investigate the determinants of intellectual capital disclosure (ICD) in the annual reports of the Malaysian listed Shari’ah approved companies. Using a content analysis, a disclosure index was developed which consists of 31 modified disclosure items to measure the ICD in the 2013 annual reports. The obtained data were analyzed using correlation and regression analysis. This paper also utilizes the ordinary least squares regression analysis to test the relationship between intellectual capital disclosure and company characteristics. The findings show that there is a significant relationship between profitability and intellectual capital disclosure. Although the scope of this study is only limited to oneyear annual reports for the year 2013, it able to provide a starting point for future research on the issue of transparency and disclosure in Shari’ah approved companies. In addition, the result of this study is expected to give several benefits to the investors and shareholders of listed Shari’ah approved companies, academicians as well as to researchers.
Evaluating the Efficacy of an Attention Modification Program for Patients with Fibromyalgia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Persons with chronic musculoskeletal pain may be hypervigilant for pain-related cues which, paradoxically, may be maintaining their pain. Several randomized controlled trials have assessed whether a modified dot-probe protocol (i.e., attention bias modification; ABM) reduces chronic pain- and pain-related symptoms in persons with several diagnoses, including fibromyalgia. Scalability and economic efficiency potentiates the appeal of ABM protocols; however, research results have been mixed, with only some studies evidencing significant symptom gains from ABM and some evidencing gains for the control group. The current randomized controlled trial sought to replicate and extend previous ABM research using idiosyncratic word stimuli and a 1-month follow-up. Participants included treatment-seeking adult women (n=117) with fibromyalgia who were randomly assigned to a standard (i.e., control) or active (i.e., ABM) condition. The protocol was delivered online and involved twice-weekly 15-min sessions, for 4 weeks, with questionnaires completed at baseline, post-treatment, and 1-month follow-up. Symptom reports were analysed with mixed hierarchical modelling. There was no evidence of differences between the control and ABM groups. Both groups had small significant (ps<.05) improvements in pain experiences at post-treatment, but not at follow-up (ps>.05). There were no significant changes for either group on measures of anxiety sensitivity, illness/injury sensitivity, pain-related fear, pain-related anxiety, or attentional biases (ps>.05). The current findings add to the emerging and mixed literature regarding ABM for pain by demonstrating that ABM produces no substantive improvements in pain or pain-related constructs in a large sample of patients with fibromyalgia.
Effects of different stripping methods of female and activation medium on fertilization success in northern pike (Esox lucius)

In this study, the quality of northern pike eggs collected by the traditional method (hand stripping) and the pneumatic method (air stripping) was compared. Additionally, different activation solutions (Billard solution, hatchery water, and Woynarovich solution) were tested for their effects on egg fertilization under artificial conditions. After the eggs were collected, the Pseudo-Gonado-Somatic Index (PGSI) was measured. Although the values of the PGSI in the samples obtained with use of air stripping were lower (13.8 ± 3.9%), they did not differ statistically from those obtained by hand stripping (16.5 ± 5.4%). Hatchery water and Woynarovich solution were found to be the most suitable solutions for sperm activation using the ComputerAssisted Sperm Analysis (CASA) system as compared to the Billard solution. Hand stripping was found to negatively affect the percentage of fertilized eggs and the percentage of hatched larvae in samples fertilized in hatchery water and Woynarovich solution. When the traditional method of egg collection was used, there were no differences in the percentage of fertilization and the percentage of hatched larvae between Billard solution (54.0 ± 21.5% and 44.1 ± 21.9%, respectively), hatchery water (60.0 ± 22.5% and 55.9 ± 22.8%, respectively), and Woynarovich solution (72.0 ± 25.8% and 69.0 ± 23.9%, respectively) treatments. Air stripped eggs showed a higher fertilization rate when hatchery water or Woynarovich solution was applied (86.2 ± 9.3% and 92.4 ± 3.9%, respectively). Also hatching rate was the highest in these samples (83.0 ± 8.4% and 88.3 ± 6.2%). The application of the pneumatic method and Woynarovich solution for northern pike artificial fertilization resulted in higher fertilization and hatching rates as compared to other techniques. Because this was successful in northern pike, the use of air stripping is a promising option for artificial reproduction in other fish species.
Property rights and democratic values in Bronze Age and Archaic Greece

In the present essay we introduce the concept of macroculture as a complex of mutually supporting values, norms and beliefs in various areas of human activity, like war, religion, politics, athletics, etc. in a model. Then, by applying the concept of bounded rationality, we analyse how some macrocultures that are favorable or the ‘precondition’ for the emergence of democracy and institutions develop, in particular property rights, that foster economic development. We analyze this for Bronze Age and Archaic Greece, as being the historical case where such a macroculture favorable to democracy and stable property rights first emerged. Our main findings indicate that during Mycenaean and Archaic age period, the emergence of various elements of macroculture, in warfare, religion, city-state environment and athletic games evolved into similar proto-democratic values leading to the establishment of democracy as a political phenomenon in Classical Greece.
Exploring Consumers’ Propensity for Online Shopping in a Developing Country: A Demographic Perspective

Abstract The advent of the Internet continues to open new frontiers in digital marketing. One visible impact of the Internet in marketing has been the growing increase in online transactions which profits marketers and seemingly satisfies customers. However, in developing countries, the potential of online shopping has not been fully explored, and in some cases, are just non-existent. Lack of online infrastructure has often been attributed to the slower growth in online transactions in Africa, however, the customers’ preparedness and inclination to use the service is ignored. Against this backdrop, this study seeks to analyze consumers’ propensity to engage in online transactions with a focus on demographic attributes such as age, gender and education. Using customers in Ghana as a case study, key reasons as well as the demographics that fancy online transactions are revealed. The results indicate that delivery problems, poor internet connection, privacy and security issues are some of the reasons preventing customers to shop online
Forest growth and climate change: evidences from the ICP-Forests intensive monitoring in Italy

Abstract: A few concurrent and/or counteracting factors (increase of average air temperature, rainfall shortage, drought, CO2 enrichment, ozone, nitrogen fertilization, sulphate deposition) drive today the soil-tree-atmosphere relationships in the Mediterranean area. Radial stem growth measured within the ICP-Forests level II Italian network provides a sensitive response to these occurrences. Climate fluctuations and repeated anomalous seasons or extreme events are the major evidences of the change in progress. The 2003 heat wave is the main event occurred in this decade over large part of Europe. In Italy, it provoked a marked water deficit coupled to high air temperature, which resulted in a heavy water stress. The growth performance in different forest types was analyzed in this paper: growth rate in 2000-2004, compared with 1997-1999, showed reductions up to 50% on half of the plots examined. Most of them were: (i) in northern-central Italy within the southern continental border of the climatic deviation; (ii) at low elevation, which is more sensitive to high air temperature and drought; (iii) made up of deciduous broadleaved forests (beech and oaks), i.e., species showing growth effects also in the following year. Over the time-window 2005-2009, a significant growth decrease was vice-versa detected within the coniferous spruce forests located at medium-high elevation in the Alps. Repeated seasonal deviations in temperature and rainfall were recorded in the Alps in 2005-2009. Climate effects at local scale were examined in a site where two oak species with a different auto-ecology (sessile oak and Turkey oak) grow together. The on-going change produced heavy mortality and reduced the growth of the more demanding and less drought-tolerant sessile oak; in a few years Turkey oak became prevailing in the stand composition and structure.
Marketing the improvements in the supply chain for domestic agricultural produce: Legislation, Consumer Behavior, Estimation of market penetration potentiality

The traceability system in the agro-food supply chain, as well as the other food safety tools, can be viewed as performing a double task: On one hand, government interventions are intended to ensure the hygiene and healthiness of processes; on the other hand, the voluntary traceability can be used as marketing tool by manufacturers and processors for the differentiation of its products. With this study we conducted a marketing analysis aimed at evaluating the worthiness of some improvements that could take place in the early potato supply chain. Such improvements consist of the method of production, the distribution typology, the respect of certain ethics, the type of packaging, and the information concerning the origin. Results can be used to enhance the market penetration of this product and inform on possible advantages these improvements in the organization of the supply chain could bring about for producers.
Long noncoding RNA FAM83A-AS1 facilitates hepatocellular carcinoma progression by binding with NOP58 to enhance the mRNA stability of FAM83A

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as one of the commonest cancers globally, is a primary malignancy in human liver with a characteristic of high mortality rate. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are confirmed to be implicated with multiple cancers including HCC. LncRNA FAM83A-AS1 has also been validated as an oncogene in lung cancer, but its mechanism in HCC is poorly understood. Our research is intended to investigate the underlying mechanism of FAM83A-AS1 in HCC. In the present study, we found the abundantly increased expression level of FAM83A-AS1 in HCC tissues and cells. FAM83A-AS1 inhibition hampered cell proliferation, migration and elevated cell apoptosis in HCC. Moreover, FAM83A-AS1 could positively regulate FAM83A, and FAM83A could also promote the progression of HCC. In addition, FAM83A-AS1 and FAM83A were both verified to bind with NOP58, and FAM83A-AS1 enhanced the mRNA stability of FAM83A by binding with NOP58. In rescue assays, the suppressed influence of down-regulated FAM83A-AS1#1 on cell proliferation, migration as well as the accelerated influence of FAM83A-AS1#1 knockdown on cell apoptosis could be partially recovered by overexpression of FAM83A. In conclusion, FAM83A-AS1 facilitated HCC progression by binding with NOP58 to enhance the stability of FAM83A. These findings offer a novel biological insight into HCC treatment.
Crime, Citizenship and Community: Neoliberal Communitarian Images of Governmentality

This article discusses the emergence, in the field of crime and safety, of a formula of government that can be called neoliberal communitarianism. This is a paradoxical governmental strategy that combines a focus on ‘individual responsibility’, ‘community’ and a ‘selectively tough state’. The discussion is based on the Foucaultian triangle of strategy, political programmes and techniques. The substance of this application consists of a discussion of recent Dutch political programmes and techniques in crime and safety policies. The discussion includes the local case of Rotterdam, a city at times regarded as a ‘policy laboratory’. Specifically, the role that notions of citizenship and community play in crime and safety policies is analysed. We hereby point at two different manifestations of responsibilization – repressive responsibilization and facilitative responsibilization – aimed at two governmentally differentiated populations. In addition, we describe how neoliberal communitarianism entails the selective exclusion of subjects imagined as ‘high risk’. Because the government of crime tells us much about the government of ‘society’, neoliberal communitarianism is a useful concept to grasp contemporary changes in government in the Netherlands and in other European countries.
Relationship between Proactive Personality, Conscientiousness, Perceived Supervisor Support and Proactive Behavior of the Bid Boland Gas Refinery Workers

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between proactive personalities, organizational culture, Conscientious, management supports with proactive behavior. The sample of this study was 260 Bid Boland gas refinery workers that selected by simple random manner. To assess the variables proactive behavior scale. The results of regression analysis showed that proactive personality, Conscientious, Perceived Supervisor Supportplayed a major role in predicting proactive behavior (F= 77.879, P< 0.00). The results of Regression analysis showed that predictive variables determine around 63 percent of criterion variable.
Autumn stopover on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec by woodland nearctic-neotropic migrants

--The Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern M6xico seems to cause a concentration of Nearctic-Neotropic mi•;rant landbirds during migration. Despite its possible importance as an area for fat deposition, almost nothing is known about how this area is used by migrants. Of 11 small passefine species examined, 6 showed significant diurnal increases in body condition in relation to time of capture. All six showed gains suggesting low to moderate levels of fat deposition, concordant with the concept of the Isthmus as an important source of stopover esources. The area is not used in the same manner by all of these common species, however. The migrants at this site in autumn probably have not arrived via a longdistance, trans-Gulf migration. Comparison with data from other sources uggests that the energetic costs of molt are important at northerly stopover sites, and that modifications are needed in our concepts of Middle American migration routes. Received 8 February 1994, accepted I April 1994. THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC in southern M•xico is the northernmost severe narrowing of the North American continental landmass. As such, it seems to result in a funneling and concentration of Nearctic-Neotropic migrant landbirds. The role that this comparatively small area of land plays in the migration strategies of these migrants is essentially unknown. Given the large numbers of migrants that occur on the Isthmus each year, the potential demand in this region for food resources to replenish fat reserves is great. My study was designed to provide data on stopover mass gains among common songbird migrants in this region. The data address broad questions regarding geographic patterns of fat deposition, route selection, and the stopover ecology of some of these species. At present, the lack of knowledge about these basic life-history phenomena prevents an understanding of the selective pressures operating upon migrant populations in Middle America. A new technique of mass-gain analysis (see Winker et al. 1992a) is applied to 11 species of woodland-associated passefine migrants in autumn. The technique examines all captured birds, and has decided advantages over more traditional methods that examine only recaptured individuals. These advantages include the ability to examine larger samples for each species and to avoid the tenuous assumptions associated with mass analysis of recaptures (Winker et al. 1992a). The method might be used effectively to increase our knowledge of migrants in poorly known areas like the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The evidence presented shows different levels of apparent use, however, and a comparison of the results with other studies suggests that we have a long way to go before we achieve a reasonable understanding of the Nearctic-Neotropic migration system and its evolution, particularly that part occurring in
Predicting Firm Failure: A Behavioral Finance Perspective

In this article we first argue that researchers in the area of financial distress and failure cannot ignore the human/managerial/decision-making side of the business and just focus on the business' operations side; as has been the case so far for almost all the research in the area. We then discuss how psychological phenomena and principles, known as heuristics or mental shortcuts, could be utilized in building more powerful success/failure prediction models especially for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
Association Between Head and Neck Cancers and Polymorphisms 869T/C, 509C/T, and 915G/C of the Transforming Growth Factor-β1 Gene: A Meta-Analysis of Case-Control Studies

Background Worldwide, head and neck cancers are the eighth most common malignancy. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with susceptibility to cancer and sensitivity to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The inflammatory cytokine, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), is involved in the progression of malignancy. This study aimed to systematically review the literature and undertake a meta-analysis of case-control studies on the association between 869T/C, 509C/T, and 915G/C polymorphisms of the TGF-β1 gene and head and neck cancers. Material/Methods The published literature in the English and Chinese languages were searched to identify relevant studies reporting TGF-β1 gene polymorphisms and head and neck cancer. The PubMed, Embase, Wanfang Data, and CNKI databases were searched. Data were extracted from eligible studies, and meta-analysis was performed using Stata version 12.0 software. Results Ten case-control studies were identified. There was a significant association between the 869T/C polymorphism of the TGF-β1 gene and susceptibility to head and neck cancer. Subgroup analysis showed that the 869T/C polymorphism was not significantly associated with the histological type of head and neck cancer, but was significantly associated with susceptibility to head and neck cancer in the Asian population. The 509C/T polymorphism of the TGF-β1 gene was not significantly associated with susceptibility to nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC), but the 915G/C polymorphism was associated with susceptibility to oral cancer. Conclusions Data from this meta-analysis showed that the 869T/C and 915G/C polymorphisms of the TGF-β1 gene might be associated with susceptibility to head and neck cancer.
Structural characterization of the saxitoxin-targeting APTSTX1 aptamer using optical tweezers and molecular dynamics simulations

Optical tweezers have enabled the exploration of picoNewton forces and dynamics in single–molecule systems such as DNA and molecular motors. In this work, we used optical tweezers to study the folding/unfolding dynamics of the APTSTX1–aptamer, a single-stranded DNA molecule with high affinity for saxitoxin (STX), a lethal neurotoxin. By measuring the transition force during (un)folding processes, we were able to characterize and distinguish the conformational changes of this aptamer in the presence of magnesium ions and toxin. This work was supported by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to propose an unfolding mechanism of the aptamer–Mg+2 complex. Our results are a step towards the development of new aptamer-based STX sensors that are potentially cheaper and more sensitive than current alternatives.
Annual CO 2 budget and seasonal CO 2 exchange signals at a high Arctic permafrost site on Spitsbergen, Svalbard archipelago

The annual variability of CO2 exchange in most ecosystems is primarily driven by the activities of plants and soil microorganisms. However, little is known about the car- bon balance and its controlling factors outside the growing season in Arctic regions dominated by soil freeze/thaw pro- cesses, long-lasting snow cover, and several months of dark- ness. This study presents a complete annual cycle of the CO2 net ecosystem exchange (NEE) dynamics for a high Arctic tundra area at the west coast of Svalbard based on eddy covariance flux measurements. The annual cumula- tive CO2 budget is close to 0 g C m 2 yr 1 , but displays a strong seasonal variability. Four major CO2 exchange sea- sons have been identified. (1) During summer (snow-free ground), the CO2 exchange occurs mainly as a result of bi- ological activity, with a dominance of strong CO2 assimila- tion by the ecosystem. (2) The autumn (snow-free ground or partly snow-covered) is dominated by CO2 respiration as a result of biological activity. (3) In winter and spring (snow- covered ground), low but persistent CO2 release occurs, over- layed by considerable CO2 exchange events in both direc- tions associated with high wind speed and changes of air masses and atmospheric air pressure. (4) The snow melt sea- son (pattern of snow-free and snow-covered areas) is associ- ated with both meteorological and biological forcing, result- ing in a carbon uptake by the high Arctic ecosystem. Data related to this article are archived at http://doi.pangaea. de/
Circulating-Free DNA Analysis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Promising Strategy to Improve Patients’ Management and Therapy Outcomes

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common malignancy worldwide, representing the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. HCC genetic characterization at the tumor level has been recently completed, highlighting how a number of genes are frequently mutated in this pathology. Actionable somatic mutations found in a HCC tumor may represent targets for innovative drugs as well as prognostic/predictive markers. Nonetheless, surgical or bioptic tissue is hardly accessible in HCC and a single tumor sample is poorly representative of the tumor genetic heterogeneity. In this context, analyzing the circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) and its tumor-derived fraction (ctDNA) could represent a promising strategy of liquid biopsy. Recent data suggested that the fluctuation of the ccfDNA quantity in the plasma of HCC patients could anticipate the detection of tumor progression. The presence of somatic mutations in p53 signaling, Wnt/β-catenin, chromatin remodeling, response to oxidative stress and telomerase maintenance pathways can also be studied in ccfDNA bypassing the need to perform a tumor biopsy. The profiling of ccfDNA fragmentation and the methylation pattern could further improve the clinical management of HCC patients. Performing a dynamic monitoring in the course of systemic treatment with sorafenib or regorafenib is a possible way to provide insights into the resistance mechanism, and to identify predictive and prognostic genetic alterations, helping the clinicians in terms of treatment decision making. This review will discuss the most recent literature data about the use of ccfDNA to monitor and improve the treatment of HCC.