Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Internet as an Information Source: Attitudes and Usage of Students Enrolled in a College of Agriculture Course.

With Internet usage in the United States at an all-time high, information technology use in education has continued to increase. Research has shown that many students are utilizing these materials to search out information and assist with completing class assignments. Many college students have described the Internet as a functional tool that helps them to communicate with professors, conduct research, and access library materials. As more and more students and educators use the Internet as a source for information in the classroom, it is important to monitor students’ attitudes and usage to ensure students know how to use technology effectively by recognizing credible sources and utilizing the correct technology for each situation. This study utilizes a descriptive survey to explore the current usage and attitudes toward the Internet by students enrolled in college of agriculture courses at the University of Florida. Findings indicate that these students are substantial users of the Internet and programs like Facebook, MySpace, and search engines. Students indicate believing that the Internet is easy to understand, important, beneficial, believable, and accurate. Recommendations are offered as to what these findings mean for instructors in the classroom.
Discovery of Metabolic Biomarkers for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy within a Natural History Study

Serum metabolite profiling in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) may enable discovery of valuable molecular markers for disease progression and treatment response. Serum samples from 51 DMD patients from a natural history study and 22 age-matched healthy volunteers were profiled using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for discovery of novel circulating serum metabolites associated with DMD. Fourteen metabolites were found significantly altered (1% false discovery rate) in their levels between DMD patients and healthy controls while adjusting for age and study site and allowing for an interaction between disease status and age. Increased metabolites included arginine, creatine and unknown compounds at m/z of 357 and 312 while decreased metabolites included creatinine, androgen derivatives and other unknown yet to be identified compounds. Furthermore, the creatine to creatinine ratio is significantly associated with disease progression in DMD patients. This ratio sharply increased with age in DMD patients while it decreased with age in healthy controls. Overall, this study yielded promising metabolic signatures that could prove useful to monitor DMD disease progression and response to therapies in the future.
Labour Relations in Taiwan: A Cross–Cultural Perspective

Labour relations in Taiwan have transformed since 1987. In this study, management concepts regarding unions, compensation, grievances, safety and health are compared among local Taiwanese, American, and Japanese firms in Taiwan. Data are obtained from a questionnaire survey and follow–up interviews. Implications of the research results are also discussed.
Characterization of a Novel Transferable CRM-1-Independent Nuclear Export Signal in a Herpesvirus Tegument Protein That Shuttles between the Nucleus and Cytoplasm

ABSTRACT A new group of nucleocytoplasmic shuttling proteins has recently been identified in the structural proteins encoded by several alphaherpesvirus UL47 genes. Nuclear import and export signals for the bovine herpesvirus type 1 UL47 protein (VP8 or bUL47) have been described previously. Here, we study the trafficking of bUL47 in detail and identify an import signal different from that shown before. It comprises a 20-residue N-terminal peptide that is fully transferable and targets a large, normally cytosolic protein to the nucleus. A conserved RRPRRS motif within this peptide was shown to be essential but not sufficient for nuclear targeting. Using interspecies heterokaryon assays, we further demonstrate that the export activity of the published leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES) is also transferable to a large protein but is functionally weak compared to the activity of the HIV-1 Rev NES. We show that nuclear export dictated by this bUL47 NES is sensitive to leptomycin B (LMB) and therefore dependent on the export receptor CRM-1. However, nuclear export of full-length bUL47 is fully resistant to LMB, suggesting the presence of an additional NES. We go on to identify a second NES in bUL47 within a 28-residue peptide that is in close proximity to but entirely separable from the N-terminal import signal, and we use fluorescence loss in photobleaching to confirm its activity. This NES is resistant to leptomycin B, and therefore utilizes an export receptor other than CRM-1. As this new sequence bears little similarity to other export signals so far defined, we suggest it may be involved in bUL47 export from the nucleus via a novel cellular receptor.
The volunteer citizen, health services and agency : the identity work of Australian and New Zealand ambulance volunteers

This thesis is an investigation of the interface between service volunteers in Australia and New Zealand and ambulance service organisations using a framework that situates them in a changing cultural and structural environment. This topic is particularly important in a political context where volunteers are viewed as a policy solution to a diversity of social ills, and where recent neoliberal policies and managerial cultural shifts have changed the service environment. Specifically this study focuses on how control and agency are evident within volunteer identity work and how this can inform our understanding of the problems experienced in the integration of volunteers into services. Empirical data was gathered in the form of texts that reflected volunteer identity work at the political level (political speeches of key Australian and New Zealand politicians), the ambulance service management level (ambulance documents and interviews with managers) and ambulance service volunteers (interviews with volunteers and secondary data from open-ended survey questions). A critical discourse analysis (Fairclough 1992, 2003) of the data involved firstly generating broad identity themes from the data. Key texts that strongly reflected identity work were then selected for an in-depth textual analysis. This study found four key identities for ambulance volunteers in use within ambulance services: the Moral Volunteer, the Professional Volunteer, the Staff Volunteer, and the Self-interested Volunteer. These identities reflected a diverse range of volunteer and managerial interests. Volunteer interests were shown to include material and emotional concerns, at a personal and collective level. However, ambulance volunteers were found to lack collective agency, which led to inequitable treatment within ambulance services. Ambulance volunteers were generally under-resourced and under-managed, and the effects of this flowed to rural populations which consequently received a lower standard of service. Based on the empirical findings and drawing on governmentality theory (Foucault 1991a) and critical realist theory (Archer 2000; Bhaskar 1975), an explanatory theory of volunteering is constructed. The concepts of identity and agency allow the complexity of the volunteer/service organisation interface in a cultural and iii structural context to be incorporated into empirical studies. Service volunteers are conceptualised as collectives of individuals with diverse interests and local level concerns. Implications for practice include understanding how the volunteer/service interface is likely to experience ongoing difficulties without changes to organisational structures and changes to ‘thinking’ about volunteers.
The extent of proliferative and apoptotic activity in intraductal and invasive ductal breast carcinomas detected by ki‐67 labeling and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated digoxigenin‐11‐dUTP nick end labeling

The balance among cell proliferation, cell differentiation, and cell death determines the cell number in a population as well as the size or even the stage of a tumor. Thus, to improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of neoplasms, it is important to investigate the regulation of both cell proliferation and cell death.
The Study on Telomere Length for Age Estimation in a Thai Population

AbstractAge is one of the key parameters in establishing a physical characteristic profile of an individual. For biological evidence left in crime scenes such as blood, saliva, hair, etc, the evidence owner’s age can be determined only by DNA extracted from these materials. Previous researches have found that there are certain DNA regions with specialized characteristic and function called telomere being able to predict age. The present study was to determine the correlation between telomere length and age as well as the effect of sex on the correlation and to create linear regression equation for age estimation in Thai population for forensic purposes. Blood samples obtained from unrelated healthy Thai fresh cadavers without anatomical organ abnormalities were used in this study. All cadaver subjects underwent the postmortem examination in jurisdiction of the Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, and Institute of Forensic Medicine, Police General Hospital. Fifty blood samples from both sexes of all ages divided into 6 groups for equal age distribution (0–11, 12–23, 24–35, 36–47, 48–59, and 60 years old and older) were collected for a total of 100 samples. The extracted genomic DNA samples were then subjected to telomere length estimation by terminal restriction fragment (TRF) assay. The results showed that the mean TRF length was inversely correlated with age (r = −0.625), and sex did not have a statistically significant influence on the association between age and mean TRF length (P > 0.05). The obtained linear regression equation was y = 113.538 ± 9.604 − 0.012 × (R2 = 0.391; P < 0.001). However, the correlation was too low to be used for age estimation with high certainty and a possible reason for this in part would be the postmortem DNA degradation at some level, even using fresh cadaver blood, and other biological factors such as ethnicity and DNA sources. Roughly, those individuals who had a mean TRF length longer than 6.3 kilobase (kb), between 5.5 and 6.3 kb, and shorter than 5.5 kb aged younger than 28 years, 30 to 44 years, and older than 46 years, respectively (P < 0.01). As a preliminary study, this study highlighted that telomere length could act as a useful biomarker of aging in human population and might be used for rough age estimation in a Thai population. However, further studies with a larger sample size and/or in living human bloods as well as other cell types are recommended to support the results of this study.
It’s Not Over ‘til the Fat Lady Sings

There have been major disputes about the appropriate game-theoretic analyses of sports leagues. The basic sports-league model assumes a two-team league where each team is seen as a monopolist in its product market and a passive price taker in a duopsony talent market. For simplicity, these models assume talent supply is either perfectly inelastic or perfectly elastic. It has been argued that perfectly inelastic supply is ill suited for duopsony analysis. This article solves the problem of multiple equilibria by proposing a selection criterion that finds a unique equilibrium in a duopsony limit game as talent supply approaches perfect inelasticity.
Firm size and the voluntary disclosure of nonfinancial information by private versus public firm managers

Purpose - – The specific purpose of this study is to understand how firm size and public/private affiliation (employment status) affect voluntary disclosure decisions concerning quantitatively immaterial nonfinancial information. Although the prior disclosure literature is large and has considered a variety of factors including size and to a lesser degree employment status, this study offers a new perspective by considering both factors in the context of qualitative materiality. Design/methodology/approach - – This paper presents 136 manager participants with 24 cues representing nonfinancial, realistic business events and solicits their disclosure judgments. The cues are adapted from Pinsker Findings - – This paper finds that disclosure is positively linked to firm size, but this paper do not find an employer status effect. Additional testing reveals that private firm managers are sensitive to SEC oversight and other external, competitive pressures, suggesting that they face mimetic pressures to behave like their public firm counterparts. In sum, their findings contribute significantly to the disclosure, strategic management, institutional theory and judgment-and-decision-making (JDM) literatures. Originality/value - – Although there is a vast literature on public firm managers' voluntary disclosure behavior (mostly involving large firms), there is little research regarding the voluntary disclosure behavior of small or large private firm managers involving nonfinancial information.
Effectiveness of the Incredible Years Parenting Program for Families with Socioeconomically Disadvantaged and Ethnic Minority Backgrounds

Families with socioeconomically disadvantaged and ethnic minority backgrounds are often hard to reach for the prevention and treatment of disruptive child behavior problems. We examined whether the Incredible Years parenting intervention can successfully reach and benefit families with socioeconomic disadvantaged and ethnic minority backgrounds in the Netherlands. One hundred fifty-four families from a wide range of socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds were recruited in an outpatient clinic for child and adolescent psychiatry and in elementary schools serving deprived neighborhoods. Families were randomly assigned to the BASIC Incredible Years parenting intervention or a waiting list control condition. Children were 3–8 years old (M = 5.59, SD = 1.35; 62% boys, 66% ethnic minorities) and 65% of the children met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.) criteria for oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, and/or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Incredible Years reduced parent-reported disruptive child behavior and teacher-reported hyperactive and inattentive child behavior and increased parent-reported use of praise and incentives and reduced harsh and inconsistent discipline. Incredible Years did not affect parent-reported hyperactive and inattentive child behavior; teacher-reported child conduct problems; and parent-reported use of appropriate discipline techniques, clear expectations, physical punishment, and parenting stress. Of importance, the effectiveness of Incredible Years did not differ across families with different socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. Effects were maintained at 3-month follow-up. This study shows that socioeconomically disadvantaged and ethnic minority families in disadvantaged neighborhoods can be engaged in and benefit from parenting interventions to reduce disruptive child behavior.
The Eciency of Competitive Mechanisms under

We consider the eciency properties of exchange economies where privately informed traders behave strategically. Specifically, a competi- tive mechanism is any mapping of traders' reports about their types to an equilibrium price vector and allocation of the reported economy. In our model, some traders may have non-vanishing impact on prices and allocations regardless of the size of the economy. Although truthful reporting by all traders cannot be achieved, we show that, given any desired level of approximation, there is ¯
Take Me Out to the Yakyushiai

The authors use data that are collected from the 2007 season to study attendance at Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) games. Like Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, Japanese teams set price in the inelastic portion of the demand curve, but standard explanations for low prices do not apply. The authors also find some evidence that the visiting team’s fans play a greater role in NPB than in MLB. Games in domed stadiums or between teams in different leagues also draw more fans. Finally, attendance is greater at games between better teams and games that the home team is more likely to win.
Horrocks theory and the Bernstein-Gel’fand-Gel’fand correspondence

We construct an explicit equivalence between a category of complexes over the exterior algebra, which we call HT-complexes, and the stable category of vector bundles on the corresponding projective space, essentially translating into more fancy terms the results of Trautmann (1978) which, in turn, were influenced by ideas of Horrocks (1964), (1980). However, the result expressed by Theorem 5.1 and its corollary, which establishes a relation between the Tate resolutions over the exterior algebra (described in a paper by Eisenbud, Floystad, and Schreyer) and HT-complexes, might be new, although, perhaps, not a surprise to experts.
Equilibrium Real Effective Exchange Rate and Exchange Rate Misalignment in Pakistan

This paper estimates equilibrium real effective exchange rate (EREER) and exchange rate misalignment for Pakistan. Using the annual data from FY78 to FY05, Engle Granger co-integration technique is used to estimate the EREER based on various macroeconomic fundamentals suggested in economic literature by Edwards (1988, 1989, 1994), Elbadawi (1994), and Montiel (1997). The results indicate that EREER is determined by terms of trade, trade openness, net capital inflows, relative productivity differential, government consumption, and workers’ remittances. Trade openness, the increase in government consumption and capital inflows depreciate the REER, while, the increase in workers’ remittances and the improvement in terms of trade and total factor productivity relative to trading partners appreciate REER. The coefficients of the error correction term indicate the gradual convergence of the exchange rate toward long-run equilibrium. The estimated long run EREER and degree of exchange rate misalignment reveal that exchange rate misalignment ranged between -11.1 percent to 20.1 percent with zero reversion mean from FY78 to FY05 reflecting the long-term convergence tendency of actual REER toward EREER in Pakistan. Furthermore, the actual REER of FY05 is slightly depreciated in the range of 1.8-2.4 percent on the basis of two estimated regressions while one equation reflects an appreciation of 2.0 percent relative to EREER. This suggests that the current exchange rate is not too far away from the EREER and more or less reflects the underlying macroeconomic fundamentals. The result also reflects that the exchange rate misalignment and its volatility in REER measured by standard deviation tend to be smaller in the flexible exchange rate regime as compared to others
HVDC Monopolar and Bipolar Cage Studies on the Corona Performance of Conductor Bundles

This paper reports on the use of test cages for obtaining the corona performance characteristics of conductor bundles under monopolar and bipolar dc excitation. A large nuimber of conductor bundles were tested under positive and negative monopolar dc as well as bipolar dc conditions in the outdoor test cages of IREQ. Radio interference (RI), audible noise (AN) and corona loss (CL) were investigated under fair weather and artificial rain. Empirical equations were derived for these three parameters: RI, AN and CL, as functions of the bundle geometry and conductor surface voltage gradient. Based on a comparison between cage and line test results, conclusions are drawn on the practical validity of cage tests for dc corona.
Value investing in credit markets

We outline a parsimonious empirical model to assess the relative usefulness of accounting- and equity market-based information to explain corporate credit spreads. The primary determinant of corporate credit spreads is the physical default probability. We compare existing accounting-based and market-based models to forecast default. We then assess whether the credit market completely incorporates this default information into credit spreads. We find that credit spreads reflect information about forecasted default rates with a significant lag. This unique evidence suggests a role for value investing in credit markets.
Corporate Governance and Director Accountability: An Institutional Comparative Perspective

This paper examines the role of boards of directors in light of institutional contingencies and recent best practice governance guidelines and regulation such as the United Kingdom Higgs Review and the United States Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002. Particular attention is paid to discussing the role of independent directors across countries, and the implications for corporate governance innovation. It concludes by posing questions about recent corporate governance transformations and providing suggestions for future research.
Proliferating epithelial cysts

Ninety‐six proliferating cutaneous epithelial cysts were classified into two subtypes, proliferating trichilemmal cysts (PTC) and proliferating epidermoid cysts (PEC), depending on the mode of keratinization or the origin of the tumors. The clinicopathological features and the biological behavior of these two subtypes were compared. Among 63 patients with PTC, 45 (71%) were women and 18 (29%) were men. The most common site was the scalp (78%), followed by the trunk (13%). These tumors were well circumscribed subepidermal lesions and demonstrated uniform histologic pattern with varying degrees of cytologic atypia. A few tumors extended into the epidermis and occasionally became ulcerated. Follow‐up of 59 (94%) PTC for an average of 4 years revealed recurrence in one. Ten tumors demonstrated carcinomatous changes including one with anaplastic carcinoma and regional lymph node metastasis. None of these tumors recurred or developed further metastasis following wide excision. Of 33 PECs, 12 (36%) occurred in women and 21 (64%) in men. These tumors were widely distributed in the pelvic and anogenital areas (36%), followed by the scalp (21%), upper extremities (18%), and trunk (15%). Seventy‐nine percent of the PECs were located in areas outside the scalp. The PECs were subepidermal tumors but often communicated to the surface. The histologic pattern of PEC was more variable than that of PTC. Seven tumors exhibited carcinomatous changes. Follow‐up of 30 (91 %) PEC revealed local recurrences in 6, with multiple recurrences in 3, and extensive local invasion in 2, resulting in death in one. Greater anaplasia, high mitotic rate and deeper invasion were associated with increased incidence of recurrence and aggressive behavior. Although both PTC and PEC were locally aggressive tumors and potentially malignant, distant metastasis was unusual. These tumors should be treated with wide local excision, especially those showing cytologic atypia and carcinomatous changes.
High performance: ownership and decision‐making in SMEs

Purpose – To date there is a dearth of research on strategic decision‐making in manufacturing small and medium sized firms. This research paper focuses on the key drivers of decision‐making and organisational performance: ownership, decision‐making (type and level) and employee deployment. These drivers are defined and operationalised.Design/methodology/approach – The validity of the constructs used and their relevance was tested through the qualitative phase of the research – in‐depth interviews with chief executives and employer representative bodies. The survey instrument was also pilot tested.Findings – The findings indicate that the sample can be divided into performance leaders and laggards. Over 75 per cent of the leaders are independently owned and over 66 per cent of the laggards are subsidiary firms. Accordingly, ownership is a key factor in overall performance. This is confirmed by the degree of profitability of both classifications.Practical implications – The practical implications of the stu.