Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
GLOBAL VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS: A PRIMER

The global economy is increasingly structured around global value chains (GVCs) that account for a rising share of international trade, global GDP and employment. The evolution of GVCs in sectors as diverse as commodities, apparel, electronics, tourism and business service outsourcing has significant implications in terms of global trade, production and employment and how developing country firms, producers and workers are integrated in the global economy. GVCs link firms, workers and consumers around the world and often provide a stepping stone for firms and workers in developing countries to integrate into the global economy. For many countries, especially low-income countries, the ability to effectively insert themselves into GVCs is a vital condition for their development. This supposes an ability to access GVCs, to compete successfully and to " capture the gains " in terms of national economic development, capability building and generating more and better jobs to reduce unemployment and poverty. Thus, it is not only a matter of whether to participate in the global economy, but how to do so gainfully. The GVC framework allows one to understand how global industries are organized by examining the structure and dynamics of different actors involved in a given industry. In today's globalized economy with very complex industry interactions, the GVC methodology is a useful tool to trace the shifting patterns of global production, link geographically dispersed activities and actors of a single industry, and determine the roles they play in developed and developing countries alike. The GVC framework focuses on the sequences of value added within an industry, from conception to production and end use. It examines the job descriptions, technologies, standards, regulations, products, processes, and markets in specific industries and places, thus providing a holistic view of global industries both from the top down and the bottom up. The comprehensive nature of the framework allows policy makers to answer questions regarding development issues that have not been addressed by previous paradigms; additionally, it provides a means to explain the changed global-local dynamics that have emerged within the past 20 years (Gereffi & Korzeniewicz, 1994). As policy makers and researchers alike have come to understand the pros and cons of the spread of globalization, the GVC framework has gained importance in tackling new industry realities such as the role of emerging economies like China and India as new drivers of global value chains, the importance of international product and process certifications …
Apoptosis and Ovarian Function: Novel Perspectives from the Teleosts1

Abstract Apoptosis is a fundamental mechanism in follicular atresia and postovulatory regression in mammals, but its role in teleost ovarian function is currently unknown. This study tested the hypotheses that apoptosis mediates follicular atresia in teleosts and is inducible in vitro by incubation in serum-free conditions. Vitellogenic follicles from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and goldfish (Carassius auratus) were incubated overnight in serum-free medium and examined for apoptosis by 3′-end-labeling and/or TUNEL analysis. Primary, postovulatory, and oocytectomized vitellogenic trout follicles and atretic goldfish follicles were evaluated in similar fashion. Overall, goldfish follicles had lower levels of DNA fragmentation than trout follicles. The DNA fragmentation in atretic goldfish follicles was similar to that measured in healthy vitellogenic and prematurational follicles; DNA fragmentation did not change after incubation. In the trout, postovulatory and oocytectomized vitellogenic follicles showed significantly greater in vitro susceptibility to apoptosis than intact vitellogenic follicles, whereas primary follicles were least susceptible. The TUNEL analyses revealed that in trout vitellogenic follicles, more thecal/epithelial cells than granulosa cells showed fragmented DNA in vivo, but incubation (24 h) did not result in increased apoptosis in cells of either type. These results indicate that apoptosis is involved in normal ovarian growth and postovulatory regression in teleosts, but that it does not appear to be an early event in teleost follicular atresia.
Running versus weight lifting in the treatment of depression.

We compared the effectiveness of an aerobic and nonaerobic exercise in the treatment of clinical depression in women. A total of 40 women, screened on the Research Diagnostic Criteria for major or minor depressive disorder, were randomly assigned to an 8-week running (aerobic), weight-lifting (nonaerobic), or wait-list control condition. Subjects were reassessed at mid- and posttreatment, and at 1-, 7-, and 12-month follow-ups. Depression was monitored by the Beck Depression Inventory, Lubin's Depression Adjective Check List, and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression; fitness level was assessed using submaximal treadmill testing. Results were remarkably consistent across measures, with both exercise conditions significantly reducing depression compared with the waitlist control condition, and generally appearing indistinguishable from each other. No significant between-group fitness changes were noted. These findings indicate that both types of exercise conditions significantly reduce depression and that these results are not dependent on achieving an aerobic effect.
Gender differs: assessing a model of online purchase intentions in e‐tail service

Purpose – This study proposes a model of online purchase intentions. Four exogenous constructs – namely, personal awareness of security, personal innovativeness, perceived ease of purchasing, and perceived usefulness – have not only direct influences on attitudes and online purchase intentions, but also have indirect influences on online purchase intentions through the mediation of attitudes.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected via questionnaires from customers of the leading internet service provider (ISP) in Taiwan. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the model.Findings – The influences of personal innovativeness and perceived usefulness on attitudes and online purchase intentions are similar for males and females. The influences of personal awareness of security on both attitudes and online purchase intentions are strong for males, while no such effects exist for females. The influences of perceived ease of purchasing on both attitudes and online purchase intentions are .
Synchronization of coupled rotators: Josephson junction ladders and the locally coupled Kuramoto model.

We show that the resistively shunted junction (RSJ) equations describing a ladder array of overdamped, critical-current disordered Josephson junctions that are current biased along the rungs of the ladder can be mapped onto a Kuramoto model with nearest neighbor, sinusoidal couplings. This result is obtained by an averaging method, in which the fast dynamics of the RSJ equations are integrated out, leaving the dynamics which describe the time scale over which neighboring junctions along the rungs of the ladder phase and frequency synchronize. We quantify the degree of frequency synchronization of the rung junctions by calculating the standard deviation of their time-averaged voltages, sigma(omega), and the phase synchronization is quantified by calculating the time average of the modulus of the Kuramoto order parameter, 
. We test the results of our averaging process by comparing the values of sigma(omega) and 
 for the original RSJ equations and our averaged equations. We find excellent agreement for dc bias currents of I(B)/ greater, similar 3, where is the average critical current of the rung junctions, and critical current disorders of up to 10%. We also study the effects of thermal noise on the synchronization properties of the overdamped ladder. Finally, we find that including the effects of junction capacitance can lead to a discontinuous synchronization transition as the strength of the coupling between neighboring junctions is smoothly varied.
An Exploratory Analysis of the Board Composition in Spanish Innovative Firms

The main goal of this work is to develop an exploratory analysis of the board composition of Spanish companies that belong to innovative economic sectors. We seek to contribute to the inconclusive literature that analyses the relationship between board composition and innovation, exploring the characteristics of the board in an organizational context of innovative behaviour. To do so, we collected data from 86 Spanish companies belonging to innovative sectors from 2003 to 2011. The results confirm the relevance of medium size boards with a majority of affiliated directors and CEO duality; male directors are predominant, but the proportion of women, despite its minimum level, is significantly growing. There are relevant differences in the board composition of different Spanish innovative sectors. However, its evolution over time is quite stable, with the exception of the proportion of women on the board. This board composition is characteristic in situations in which the innovative behaviour of companies is significantly improving.
Late-phase pulse-inversion sonography using the contrast agent levovist: differentiation between benign and malignant focal lesions of the liver.

OBJECTIVE We assessed the ability of contrast-enhanced sonography to reveal differences between benign and malignant focal hepatic lesions. SUBJECTS AND METHODS We examined 67 patients with focal hepatic lesions in a prospective study. The causes of the lesions were confirmed by histology, CT, MR imaging, or scintigraphy. The liver was screened for focal lesions using sonography. Thereafter, 2 g of Levovist (300 mg/mL; 1 mL/sec) was injected IV as a bolus. After a delay of at least 2.5 min without scanning, the liver was examined via three different scans using pulse-inversion sonography. RESULTS For the discrimination of malignant versus benign liver lesions, contrast-enhanced sonography improved sensitivity from 85% to 100% and specificity from 30% to 63%, as compared with baseline sonography. Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed a significant improvement in this discrimination (A(z) = 0.692 +/- 0.065 at baseline sonography, A(z) = 0.947 +/- 0.037 with contrast-enhanced sonography, p < 0.001). Furthermore, a lower interobserver variability was found for contrast-enhanced sonography (weighted kappa = 0.947), as compared with baseline sonography (weighted kappa = 0.469). All lesions that had homogeneous enhancement in the late phase of Levovist enhancement were benign. In distinction, 90% of lesions without contrast enhancement in the late phase were malignant. All lesions were malignant that were isoechoic (invisible) on baseline sonography but visible because of lack of enhancement after injection. CONCLUSION Contrast-enhanced sonography has greater specificity and sensitivity than baseline sonography for the differentiation of benign and malignant liver lesions.
On Some Quaternary Self-Orthogonal Codes

This paper studies families of self-orthogonal codes over Z4. We show that the simplex codes (Type α and Type β) are self-orthogonal. We partially answer the question of Z4-linearity for the codes from projective planes of even order. A new family of self-orthogonal codes over Z4 is constructed via projective planes of odd order. Properties such as shadow codes, self-orthogonality, weight distribution, etc. are studied. Finally, some self-orthogonal codes constructed from twistulant matrices are presented.
Dictyostelium discoideum lipids modulate cell-cell cohesion and cyclic AMP signaling

During Dictyostelium discoideum development, cell-cell communication is mediated through cyclic AMP (cAMP)-induced cAMP synthesis and secretion (cAMP signaling) and cell-cell contact. Cell-cell contact elicits cAMP secretion and modulates the magnitude of a subsequent cAMP signaling response (D. R. Fontana and P. L. Price, Differentiation 41:184-192, 1989), demonstrating that cell-cell contact and cAMP signaling are not independent events. To identify components involved in the contact-mediated modulation of cAMP signaling, amoebal membranes were added to aggregation-competent amoebae in suspension. The membranes from aggregation-competent amoebae inhibited cAMP signaling at all concentrations tested, while the membranes from vegetative amoebae exhibited a concentration-dependent enhancement or inhibition of cAMP signaling. Membrane lipids inhibited cAMP signaling at all concentrations tested. The lipids abolished cAMP signaling by blocking cAMP-induced adenylyl cyclase activation. The membrane lipids also inhibited amoeba-amoeba cohesion at concentrations comparable to those which inhibited cAMP signaling. The phospholipids and neutral lipids decreased cohesion and inhibited the cAMP signaling response. The glycolipid/sulfolipid fraction enhanced cohesion and cAMP signaling. Caffeine, a known inhibitor of cAMP-induced adenylyl cyclase activation, inhibited amoeba-amoeba cohesion. These studies demonstrate that endogenous lipids are capable of modulating amoeba-amoeba cohesion and cAMP-induced activation of the adenylyl cyclase. These results suggest that cohesion may modulate cAMP-induced adenylyl cyclase activation. Because the complete elimination of cohesion is accompanied by the complete elimination of cAMP signaling, these results further suggest that cohesion may be necessary for cAMP-induced adenylyl cyclase activation in D. discoideum.
He's Home, but He's Not the Same: A Pastoral Counseling Impression of Family Care after Combat Related Traumatic Brain Injury

As the occurrence of direct contact with heavy improvised explosive devices has increased in Operation Enduring Freedom, more and more veterans are returning home from combat deployment with traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Although these injuries are associated with many different neurological, physiological, and emotional symptoms, perhaps most difficult for families is the phenomenon of perceived personality change. This article examines common clinical interventions in treating personality change associated with TBI, and offers pastoral context and insights for complementary care with families during the return and reunion process.
Caring for tomorrow’s workforce

Background: Preparing tomorrow’s healthcare workforce for managing the growing complexity of care places high demands on students, educators, and faculties. In the light of worrying data about study-related stress and burnout, understanding how students manage stressors and develop resilience has been identified as a priority topic of research. In addition to study-related stressors, also moral stressors are known to characterize the students’ first clinical experiences. Objectives: However, current debates show that it remains unclear how healthcare ethics education should address them. In order to clarify this issue, this study first develops the notion of moral resilience as a response to moral stressors involving both situations of moral complexity and moral wrongness. Second, it explores the potential of healthcare ethics education in fostering moral resilience. For this purpose, it defines moral resilience operationally as a reduction of moral distress in a given axis of time measured by a validated tool. Research design, participants, and context: The educational transferability was assessed within an explorative, quantitative pre–post interventional study with a purposive sample of 166 nursing students. The educational intervention comprised a lecture introducing the typology of moral stressors. Before and after the lecture, students were presented vignettes depicting morally stressful situations. Ethical considerations: The competent research ethics committee confirmed that no ethical approval was needed. Informed consent was obtained from participants. Findings: Three of four vignettes showed a modest but statistically significant reduction in measured levels of distress after the lecture (p < 0.05, α = 5%). Discussion: The study shows the potential of healthcare ethics education in providing students with transformative knowledge that fosters moral resilience. Conclusion: In times of global scarcity of educational resources, healthcare ethics education has an important contribution to offer in the promotion of students’ mental and physical health by strengthening the knowledge base of moral resilience. This legitimates its costs for societies, faculties, and professional bodies.
Influence of Inflammation on Voriconazole Metabolism

ABSTRACT Voriconazole pharmacokinetics shows a large inter- and intrapatient variability. Inflammation is associated with changes in the expression of CYP isoenzymes. Here, we evaluated the influence of inflammation, marked by C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in blood, on the metabolism of voriconazole. Observational data showed an association between CRP level and the ratio of voriconazole N-oxide to voriconazole.
Comparing the Efficacy of Policy-Capturing Weights and Direct Estimates for Predicting Job Choice

When studying applicants' job attribute preferences, researchers have used either direct estimates (DE) of importance or regression-derived statistical weights from policy-capturing (PC) studies. Although each methodology has been criticized, no research has examined the efficacy of weights derived from either method for predicting choices among job offers. In this study, participants were assigned to either a DE or PC condition, and weights for 14 attribute preferences were derived. Three weeks later, the participants made choices among hypothetical job offers. As predicted, PC weights outperformed DE weights when a noncompensatory strategy was assumed, and DE weights outperformed PC weights when a compensatory strategy was assumed. Implications for researchers' choice of methodology when studying attribute preferences are discussed.
Principles of business process management

Looks at the problems organizations face in moving from a functionally‐based structure to one that is business process‐based. Notes the drivers that demand change, such as the need for simultaneous improvement of customer focus, responsiveness and lead time and cost reductions. Based on research, presents and discusses in detail ten principles for managing business processes. Cautions that success in managing by process is not guaranteed and requires experimentation, but claims that large pay‐offs can be achieved over time.
COMBINING ABILITY IN THE F 1 GENERATIONS OF DIALLEL CROSS FOR YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS IN WHEAT

Eight parents of bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) were crossed in a full diallel fashion and the ir F1s were evaluated for combining ability for yield components at the exper imental farm of Plant Breeding and Genetics Departm ent, NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar during 2001-03. T he traits included number of fertile tillers plant , grain yield plant , number of grains spike , grain weight spike -1 and 1000-grain weight. The results indicated signi ficant differences among the parents for general combining ability (GCA) and cro sses for specific combining ability (SCA) for all t he characters studied. Reciprocal combining ability (RCA) was significant for all the traits except grain weight spike . The GCA and SCA components of variance were significant for all the raits. However, the GCA component of variance was predominant indicating the importance of additive gene effects for number of grain spike -1 and grain weight spike -1 while for number of fertile tillers plant , grain yield plant -1 and 1000-grain weight SCA component of variance wa s predominant indicating the importance of non-additive gene effects for these t raits. Tatara was the best general combiner for gra in yield plant, grain weight spike and 1000-grain weight. Khattakwal and Ghaznavi-98 were the best general combiners for number of ferti le tillers plant and number of grain spike , respectively. The best crosses were, KW x PS for number of fertile tillers plant , KW x GZ for grain yield plant , Inq x ID for number of grain spike , GZ x Inq for grain weight spike , KW x Tkb for 1000-grain weight and Tkb x Tat for number of grain s spike, grain yield plant -1 and grain weight spike . These best parents and cross combinations could be effectively utilize d in wheat breeding for the improvement of yield co mponents and thus their incorporation in further breeding program is suggested. The overall study reveals the importance of both additive and non-additive genetic variability which suggests the use of integrated breeding strategies which can ef ficiently utilize the additive as well as non-additive genetic variabilit y. Thus, use of diallel mating with recurrent selec tion could provide the better conditions for recombination and accumulatio n of desirable genes and is recommended for such ty pe of study.
Structural Mineralogy of Clays

The investigation of clay minerals utilizing X-ray crystallograpliie techniques has been very actively pursued for the last 20 years and a considerable wealth of information has been collected and organized into a coherent body of knowledge. This interest is reflected in the number of books dealing with the mineralogy of clays that has appeared in recent j-^ears. The following may be mentioned t : Sedletskij, 1. D. , KoUoidno-Dispersnaja Mineralogia,
Self-Control Without a “Self”?

Self-control constitutes a fundamental aspect of human nature. Yet there is reason to believe that human and nonhuman self-control processes rely on the same biological mechanism—the availability of glucose in the bloodstream. Two experiments tested this hypothesis by examining the effect of available blood glucose on the ability of dogs to exert self-control. Experiment 1 showed that dogs that were required to exert self-control on an initial task persisted for a shorter time on a subsequent unsolvable task than did dogs that were not previously required to exert self-control. Experiment 2 demonstrated that providing dogs with a boost of glucose eliminated the negative effects of prior exertion of self-control on persistence; this finding parallels a similar effect in humans. These findings provide the first evidence that self-control relies on the same limited energy resource among humans and nonhumans. Our results have broad implications for the study of self-control processes in human and nonhuman species.
Vertical integration in supply chains: driving forces and consequences for a manufacturer's downstream integration

Purpose – Strategic concentration is a key issue for manufacturing companies when designing a supply chain. As a corporate strategy and a supply chain governance strategy, vertical integration relates to organisational economics and strategic supply chain management. Numerous explanations have been created for vertical integration, and transaction cost economics (TCE) provides a theoretical basis to help understand the process. However, the current popularity of vertical integration seems inspired by something more than altering industry structure and minimising cost, which are the traditionally accepted explanations for vertical integration This paper aims to explore the driving forces for vertical integration, particularly downstream integration of distribution, and the consequences of vertical integration in a manufacturer‐distributor‐reseller chain.Design/methodology/approach – This study adopted an exploratory case study approach to examine a Swedish‐based timber manufacturer that vertically integrat.