Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Attributes used by young consumers when assessing a fashion product: a conjoint analysis approach

Voorkeurkeuse-ontleding (""Conjoint analysis"") as 'n navorsingstegniek word baie populer onder akademici en praktisyns. Hierdie navorsingstegniek word aangewend om verbruikers se voorkeure rakende produkte met multi attribute te bepaal. Die doel van hierdie studie was om deur middel van 'n voorkeurkeuse-ontleding die dimensies te bepaal wat jong verbruikers gebruik ten einde 'n modeproduk te evalueer. Hipoteses is ontwikkel en betekenisvolle resultate is verkry ten opsigte van produkattribute. 'n Hoofbevinding is dat jong verbruikers handelsmerk as die mees belangrike attribuut tydens die aankoop van 'n denim jean beskou. Die resultate en hoofbevindinge wat uit hierdie studie na vore kom is baie belangrik vir plaaslike bemarkers van modeprodukte indien hul bemarkingstrategiei? ½ wil ontwikkel wat gerig is op die teikenmark.
Flux study for ultra fine pitch flip chip packages

Flux used in 25um ultra fine pitch flip chip attachment process has been found to play an important role in the bump joint and performance. It is commonly used in cleaning the surfaces of solder balls and the surfaces to be soldered to ensure a good wetting of the solder bumps on the substrate pads. Here we use Cu pillar bump with solder cap and substrate pad surface finish is plating tin, and furthermore the standard reflow process was used to perform the evaluation. Due to higher bonding temperature requirement, a Pbfree compatible no clean flux is needed. This kind of flux is formulated to work well with small bump diameter and pitch which have low residual after reflow profile and low weight loss during the whole process. Of course they are achieving compatibility with the underfill. For this new generation flip chip products, how to select a suitable flux is the most challenge. This paper gives a detailed description of the challenges encountered during assembly, such as the flux selection process, flux height study. The characteristics of flux can be determined by using TGA, wet-ability test, and thermal resistance. For ultra fine pitch flip chip application, no clean and low residue flux is the basic demand. Besides, jetting type flux will be the best choice because the flux height is hard to control and the flux amount might not be enough to provide the solder joint ability. Finally, we conclude that the most rigid bonding method, and parameter for fine pitch Cu pillar bump flip chip package.
Towards automatic assessment of aphasia speech using automatic speech recognition techniques

Aphasia is a type of acquired language impairment caused by brain injury. This paper presents an automatic speech recognition (ASR) based approach to objective assessment of aphasia patients. A dedicated ASR system is developed to facilitate acoustical and linguistic analysis of Cantonese aphasia speech. The acoustic models and the language models are trained with domain- and style-matched speech data from unimpaired control speakers. The speech recognition performance of this system is evaluated on natural oral discourses from patients with various types of aphasia. We analyze the recognition outputs for a set of selected utterances in the aspects of supra-segmental duration and linguistic content, and confirm the effectiveness of the relevant features in the assessment of aphasia speech.
Management Predisposition, Motive, Opportunity, and Earnings Management for Fraudulent Financial Reporting in Malaysia

This study examines two issues relating to fraudulent financial reporting in Malaysia. The first issue examines factors involved with fraudulent financial reporting practices; i.e. predisposition (i.e. related party transactions, history of prior violations, founders on board), motive (i.e. economic factor, ownership factor, political factor) and opportunity (i.e. poor corporate governance). Then, the second issue looks into the relationship between earnings management and the occurrences of fraudulent financial reporting. The study uses a matched sample of 47 firms that were convicted of issuing fraudulent financial statements during the period from 1996 to 2006. Our results show that firms with fewer related party transactions, higher number of prior violations, and higher proportion of founders on board are more likely to "tip" over the edge into fraudulent financial reporting. We also find that the corporate environment most likely to lead to fraudulent financial reporting is characterized by accounting practices that are already "pushing the envelope" on earnings management. Furthermore, we find that firms are embroiled in fraudulent financial reporting when non-family and non-foreigners own the company, and when the level of financial distress is high. As expected, our results also show that firms involved in fraudulent financial reporting have significantly poor corporate governance structures whereby the audit quality is lower and outside directors seem overcommitted. However, we find no evidence that firm's political connection factor or the level of board independence play a significant role in the potential for fraudulent financial reporting.
Behavior patterns of quality cost categories

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to find out the behavior patterns of different quality cost categories to enable us to take the right decisions in allocating resources for reducing quality costs.Design/methodology/approach – Costs of quality, existing in a small‐scale industry in India, in the financial year 2006‐2007, were found out. At the start of the financial year 2007‐2008 a quality cost program was implemented in that organization and more resources were allocated for prevention and appraisal cost activities. Subsequently, the costs of quality related to the financial year 2007‐2008 and 2008‐2009 were found out. Based on the quality cost data of three years, co‐relation co‐efficient between the different quality cost categories were calculated.Findings – The co‐relation co‐efficient between different quality cost categories suggest that by increasing the efforts towards prevention and appraisal activities, costs of non conformance decrease. Furthermore, there exists positive co‐relation with.
Government Policies and Institutional Diversity of Private Higher Education: Thailand in Regional Perspective

Abstract This article examines government policies on private higher education (PHE) in Thailand. Focusing on three aspects of public policy – the PHE Act and ministerial regulations, quality assurance and student loans, the article analyzes how such policies play out for different types of PHE (religious-/ cultural-oriented, semi-elite, demand-absorbing). The article seeks to illuminate the role of different PHE types and government policies influencing them based upon data collected by the author in Praphamontripong (2010). Where possible, the Thai case is placed in regional (East Asia) and global perspective.
Heuristics for the multi-product satiating newsboy problem

Due to the preference of satiation (of the profit target) over maximization (of expected profit) in uncertain situations, the newsboy problem with the satiation objective is an important practical problem. In the multi-product setting, practically usable solution methods are available only for two-product and some restricted three-product problems. We develop heuristics to solve larger problems (more number of products). Two search-based heuristics are developed and tested with a large number of versatile test problems.
The Three Waves of Globalization: A History of A Developing Global Consciousness

A new reading of western history argues that human interconnections achieved global proportions for the first time 500 years ago, producing three waves of destabilizing globalization. The first wave, post-1500, devastated America and contributed to European wars and revolutions. In the nineteenth century, the rush to monopolize wealth and power escalated into rivalries between classes, nations, empires. After 1945, a new global social architecture with transnational capital as its main factor threatens world stability.
New Supply and Price Dynamics in the Singapore Housing Market

In this paper, VAR models are employed to trace the price response of existing houses to the quantity of new units launched by homebuilders in Singapore between 1996 and 2009. Contrary to the ‘competition’ hypothesis prediction of a negative reaction, it is found that marginal supply Granger-cause existing house prices in a positive manner. The effect is robust to the inclusion of exogenous demand factors as well as price interaction in the primary (new houses) and secondary (existing houses) market segments. The ‘contagion’ effect is consistent with the hypothesis that developers, due to their ability to predict the market, are price leaders in the housing market. It is also found that homebuilders exhibit ‘herding’ behaviour in mimicking each other’s timing on when to market their new residential projects.
Product differentiation and the gains from trade under Bertrand duopoly

In the literature on the welfare effects of free trade under imperfect competition, one important case seems to have been overlooked, and that is the Bertrand duopoly model with differentiated products. Although many authors have analysed the welfare effects of free trade under Cournot duopoly and demonstrated the possibility of losses from trade, there has been no thorough analysis of the welfare effects of free trade under Bertrand duopoly. In this article we present a thorough analysis of the welfare effects of free trade under Bertrand duopoly with differentiated products, and it is shown that there are always gains from trade. JEL Classification: F12
The Role of Boards in Small and Medium Sized Firms

This Paper aims to investigate the role of boards in owner-managed SMEs, and it seeks answers to the questions of whether boards generally enhance good governance in SMEs, and whether the use of outside board members plays a significant role. Finally the question of whether in practice owner-managers see their boards as a resource is examined. The paper is based on a study of the ownership and control structure in 1313 SMEs and an interview survey of 1,040 Danish owner-managed SMEs. The analysis of the empirical studies indicate that the role of a board as a resource is more important than its control role, which suggests that there should be a multi-theory approach to board roles in SMEs. It also indicates that good governance appears to be associated with the existence of boards and of outside board members, and finally that boards in SMEs remain an untapped resource. The article contributes to the empirical literature on the role of boards. It contributes to the understanding of the role of boards in SMEs and to whether boards enhance good governance in SMEs. It also gives insight to whether boards are an untapped resource in SMEs. As SMEs are the most important engines for stimulating economic growth in the European Union, the governance level in SME is important, and the findings prompt the question of how to make owner-managers more aware of the advantages offered by a board.
Characterization of a defective diphtheria toxin repressor (dtxR) allele and analysis of dtxR transcription in wild-type and mutant strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae

The production of diphtheria toxin and siderophore by the Corynebacterium diphtheriae regulatory mutant C7(beta)hm723 is resistant to the inhibitory effects of iron, and the mutant strain is defective for function of the regulatory gene dtxR. A 2.8-kb HindIII fragment carrying the C7(beta)hm723 dtxR allele was cloned and characterized in Escherichia coli. The restriction endonuclease maps of the 2.8-kb HindIII fragment from C7(beta)hm723 and the corresponding fragment from wild-type C. diphtheriae C7 were identical. RNA dot blot analysis with total RNA isolated from wild-type C. diphtheriae C7 and C7(beta)hm723 indicated that the dtxR gene was transcribed at very low but equivalent levels in both strains and was not regulated by iron. beta-Galactosidase synthesis from a tox-lacZ translational fusion construct in E. coli in high-iron medium was not repressed by the C7(beta)hm723dtxR allele, but was strongly repressed by the wild-type dtxR gene. The 28- to 29-kDa polypeptide expressed from the mutant dtxR allele in E. coli had the same electrophoretic mobility as the wild-type dtxR gene product in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The nucleotide sequence of the coding region and the 5' upstream region of the C7(beta)hm723 dtxR allele was determined and compared with the wild-type nucleotide sequence. The dtxR allele from C7(beta)hm723 contained a single-base change located 140 nucleotides from the 5' start of the gene, which resulted in replacement of arginine in the wild-type sequence by histidine in the mutant protein. These data demonstrate that C7(beta)hm723 expresses a mutant DtxR repressor protein that is severely defective in repressor activity.
Comparing Political Trust in Hong Kong and Taiwan: Levels, Determinants, and Implications

Abstract Political trust is a cornerstone of political survival and development. This paper makes use of data from the 2006 AsiaBarometer Survey to examine the level of political trust in Hong Kong and Taiwan. It finds that the people of Hong Kong have a high level of trust in their government and judiciary, but a relatively low level of trust in their legislature. In contrast, the Taiwan people have a lower level of trust in all of their executive, judicial, and legislative branches, reflecting a serious problem with political confidence in Taiwan. A further analysis shows that institutional factors such as ratings of government performance, life satisfaction, and satisfaction with democratic rights and freedoms, and cultural factors such as interpersonal trust, post-materialism, and traditionalism have varying degrees of effect on the different domains of political trust in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but institutional factors appear to be more powerful than cultural factors in explaining the experiences of both societies.
Clinical evaluation of the MacuScope macular pigment densitometer

Background/aims The MacuScope uses a psychophysical technique called heterochromic flicker photometry to measure macular pigment optical density (MPOD). Our aim was to determine the measurement variability (noise) of the MacuScope. Methods Thirty-eight normally sighted participants who ranged in age from 19 to 46 years (25.7±7.6 years) were recruited from staff and students of Aston University. Data were collected by two operators, HB and JA, in two sessions separated by 1 week in order to assess test repeatability and reproducibility. Results The overall mean MPOD for the cohort was 0.47±0.14. There was a significant negative correlation between MacuScope MPOD readings and age (r=−0.368, p=0.023). Coefficients were 0.45 and 0.58 for repeatability, and 0.49 and 0.36 for reproducibility. For each pair of results, there was a significant positive correlation between mean and difference MPOD values. Conclusions If MPOD is being monitored over time then any change less than 0.58 units should not be considered clinically significant as it is very likely to be due to instrument noise. The size of the coefficient appears to be positively correlated with MPOD.
A DECADE INTO THE 21 ST CENTURY: NIGERIAN WOMEN SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS HIGHLY UNDER-REPRESENTED IN ACADEMIA

During the last few decades, attention has been devoted to women in science and technology for sustainable development. This has been the subject of debates, seminars and round tables. In a land mark report titled Women in Higher Education Management published in 1993 by UNESCO, it was noted that with hardly any exception, the global picture is one of men out numbering women at about five to one at middle management level and at about twenty to one at senior management level. Nearly two decades later, this observation remains the same especially in science and technology faculties as evidenced in this descriptive survey of the University of Lagos, Nigeria. Data was generated from the Academic Planning Unit of the university and from an open ended questionnaire distributed to both male and female Science and Technology Faculty. The researchers examined the number of female academics in relation to their male counterparts with respect to number, status and progression over a ten year period (1999-2009). The findings showed that females were under-represented; occupy the middle and lower status; but showed consistent progression over the period. Male and female academia were in agreement on the recommendations for a way forward such as institutionalizing affirmative action, promotion of deserving females into higher academic and administrative positions, provision of scholarships and other incentives for females, encouraging female role models and mentors programmes for young females in academia, as well as increasing participation of young girls in Science and Technology at secondary and tertiary levels of education. The paper concludes that only when gender equity has been achieved in higher education can we evaluate and appreciate the contributions of women scientists and engineers.
The Impact of Contamination on the Canton/ Southeast Baltimore Land Market

Abstract Data from one industrial district in Baltimore can show the impact of contamination on demand for and supply of industrial land. A survey that covered 69% of the land in Canton/ Southeast Baltimore found that land purchases and redevelopment are occurring on the area's largest parcels when sellers are willing to lower their prices to compensate for the risks and costs associated with owning a site with a history of contamination. Brownfield sites sold for an average of 55% of the average price per acre of clean sites, and those that sold had an average sale price of 25% of the average price per acre of contaminated sites that did not sell. We found little evidence of land hoarding by the private sector. Surprisingly, the City of Baltimore appears to be more reluctant to redevelop contaminated parcels than does the private sector. We conclude that documented land contamination is not deterring buyers from purchasing land in the area. This analysis was conducted prior to the passage of Maryland's 1997 Voluntary Cleanup Act, which limits an owner's legal liability for future remediation costs once an agreed upon standard of cleanup has been met.
What Drives Intermediate Local Governments’ Spending Efficiency: The Case of French Départements

The restructuring of the allocation of governmental competencies in France has increased the importance of subnational governments by transferring additional tasks. We analyse the efficiency of public spending on the intermediate government level for the 96 départements in metropolitan France in 2008. Spending efficiency is measured using Data Envelopment Analysis. Results indicate significant room for improvement and we detect an average spending inefficiency of 12%. To explain efficiency, a bootstrapped truncated regression is applied. The second-stage regression shows that efficiency is also determined by exogenous factors and identifies the distance to the national capital, inhabitants’ income and the share of inhabitants older than 65 as significant determinants of efficiency.
CIRCULAR MIGRATION AND LIFE COURSE OF FEMALE DOMESTIC WORKERS IN BEIJING

This study examines the migration experiences of 24 female domestic workers in Beijing through in-depth interviews. Most of these women were involved in a circular pattern of movement between their home villages and cities. The pattern of reverse and circular migration was closely related to the life-course transitions of Chinese rural women and their socially-assigned gender roles such as marriage, childbirth, childrearing and caregiving for family members. For individual domestic workers, working in Beijing is a bittersweet experience. The women were subjected to unfavourable work conditions and pervasive forms of exploitation. Nevertheless, they benefited from the experience through increased access to income, knowledge and other resources unavailable in rural areas. Although these women challenged, through migration, the traditional social roles imposed on Chinese rural women, their own limitations and institutional barriers left them with few options for improving their social statuses in cities.
Experience With an Electronic Brachytherapy Technique for Intracavitary Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation

Objectives:Phase IV study evaluated the safety and device performance of an electronic brachytherapy system (Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy System) as adjuvant therapy for early-stage breast cancer. Methods:Patients were ≥50 years of age and had completely resected invasive ductal carcinoma or ductal carcinoma in situ (<2.0 cm), with N0 M0 and negative microscopic margins of ≥1 mm. The balloon applicator was placed in a closed cavity with a balloon surface to skin distance of ≥7 mm. The prescribed dose was 3.4 Gy/fraction prescribed to 1 cm beyond the balloon surface twice daily (BID) for 10 fractions. Results:Of 65 patients consented, 21 (32%) were not eligible for treatment, and 44 (68%) were treated, with 6-months follow-up in 43 and 1-year follow-up in 36. The prescribed radiation treatment was successfully delivered in 42/44 (95.4%) patients; one was unsuccessful due to a controller issue and the other declined the final fraction following a balloon deflation. Side effects were as anticipated and generally manageable. Four CTCAE v3 grade 3 toxicities were reported: blistering (1), breast tenderness (1), and moist desquamation (2); all have resolved. The most common grade 2 toxicity was erythema. There were no device-related serious adverse events. Conclusions:Early experience demonstrates that the electronic brachytherapy system performed as expected. Electronic brachytherapy has similar acute toxicity profiles to other high dose rate approaches for accelerated partial breast irradiation and offers the convenience of having the treatment in an unshielded room.
Marrow stromal cells form guiding strands in the injured spinal cord and promote recovery

Marrow stromal cells (MSC) can be expanded rapidly in vitro and differentiated into multiple mesodermal cell types. In addition, differentiation into neuron-like cells expressing markers typical for mature neurons has been reported. To analyze whether such cells, exposed to differentiation media, could develop electrophysiological properties characteristic of neurons, we performed whole-cell recordings. Neuron-like MSC, however, lacked voltage-gated ion channels necessary for generation of action potentials. We then delivered MSC into the injured spinal cord to study the fate of transplanted MSC and possible effects on functional outcome in animals rendered paraplegic. MSC given 1 week after injury led to significantly larger numbers of surviving cells than immediate treatment and significant improvements of gait. Histology 5 weeks after spinal cord injury revealed that MSC were tightly associated with longitudinally arranged immature astrocytes and formed bundles bridging the epicenter of the injury. Robust bundles of neurofilament-positive fibers and some 5-hydroxytryptamine-positive fibers were found mainly at the interface between graft and scar tissue. MSC constitute an easily accessible, easily expandable source of cells that may prove useful in the establishment of spinal cord repair protocols.