Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Product Market Competition and Firms’ Disclosure of Cross-Segment Differences in Performance

This study examines how product market competition affects firms’ disclosures of their individual segments’ performance. We explicitly account for different types of product market competition by distinguishing between competitors who are already active in a particular market and potential competitors who are considering entering the market. Arguably, firms that are subject to intensive existing competition have lower incentives to conceal information because they are less likely to exhibit abnormal profitability. By contrast, a high level of potential competition constitutes a threat to profitability and hence provides incentives to conceal segment performance. In line with these proprietary cost arguments, we find that potential competition is negatively associated with the disclosure of cross-segment differences in performance, whereas existing competition is positively associated with the disclosure of cross-segment differences in performance. Our results remain robust to a number of sensitivity tests.
Dynamics and Transcriptome Analysis of Starch and Sucrose Metabolism During Corm Development in Freesia Hybrida

Background Starch and sucrose metabolism plays a crucial role in the formation and development of bulbs in bulbous plants, which, however, remains unclear and unexplored in the corms of Freesia hybrida, one kind of famous bulbous flower. Herein, we investigated the dynamics of the major form of carbohydrates and related enzyme activities and profiled the transcriptome of freesia corms at four developmental stages with the aim to reveal the relation of starch and sucrose metabolism to corm development and the transcriptional regulation of this metabolic process.Results The content of starch, sucrose and soluble sugars followed an overall upward trend across the corm developmental stages. Activities of the adenosine diphosphoglucose pyrophosphorylase, starch branching enzyme and β-amylase generally followed the pattern of the starch and sucrose level. Activities of sucrose phosphate synthase increased from corm formation till the initial swelling stage and subsequently reached a plateau. Activities of invertase and sucrose synthase peaked at the later rapid swelling stage. Transcriptome analysis revealed a total of 100,999 unigenes, out of which 44,405 unigenes were annotated. Analysis based on Clusters of Orthologous Groups suggested that carbohydrate transport and metabolism (9.34% of the sequences) was prominent across the corm developmental process. Totally 3427 differentially expressed genes were identified and the enrichment analysis directed starch and sucrose metabolism a critical pathway in corm development especially at the rapid swelling stage. Genes encoding key carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes were identified and their differential expression related to corm development was explored.Conclusions The comparative transcriptome analysis discloses essential roles of starch and sucrose metabolism and the genetic mechanism related to the corm development. The results construct a valuable resource pool for further molecular-level studies, which are helpful for metabolic regulation of carbohydrates and improvement in molecular breeding of Freesia hybrida.
Rapid Aqueous-Phase Photooxidation of Dimers in the α-Pinene Secondary Organic Aerosol

Chemical complexity significantly hinders our understanding of the formation and evolution of secondary organic aerosol (SOA), which is known to have impacts on air quality and global climate. Dimeric substances present in SOA comprise a major fraction of extremely low-volatile organic compounds that are especially poorly characterized. Using online mass spectrometry, we have investigated the aqueous-phase OH oxidation of dimers present in the water-soluble fraction of SOA arising from ozonolysis of α-pinene. This study highlights very rapid OH oxidation of dimeric compounds. In particular, using pinonic acid as a reference compound, we obtained second-order rate constants for the loss of 12 dimers, with an average value of (1.3 ± 0.5) × 109 M–1 s–1 at room temperature. For the first time, this study demonstrates that rapid loss of dimeric compounds will occur in cloudwater and potentially also in aqueous aerosols.
NEMPD: A network embedding-based miRNA-protein-disease network method for the miRNA-disease association prediction

Background As an important non-coding RNA newly discovered in recent years, MicroRNA (miRNA) plays an important role in a series of life processes and is closely associated with a variety of human diseases. Hence, the identification of potential miRNA-disease associations can make great contributions to the research and treatment of human diseases. However, to our knowledge, many of the existing state-of-the-art computational methods only utilize the single type of known association information between miRNAs and diseases to predict their potential associations, without focusing on their interactions or associations with other types of molecules. Results In this paper, a network embedding-based the tripartite miRNA-protein-disease network (NEMPD) method was proposed for the prediction of miRNA-disease associations. Firstly, a tripartite miRNA-protein-disease network is created by integrating known miRNA-protein and protein-disease associations. Then, we utilize the network representation method-Learning Graph Representations with Global Structural Information (GraRep) to obtain the behavior information (associations with proteins in the network) of miRNAs and diseases. Secondly, the behavior information of miRNAs and diseases is combined with the attribute information of them (disease semantic similarity and miRNA sequence information) to represent miRNA-disease pairs. Thirdly, the prediction model was established based on these known miRNA-disease pairs and the Random Forest algorithm. In the results, under five-fold cross validation, the average prediction accuracy, sensitivity, and AUC of NEMPD is 85.41%, 80.96%, and 91.58%. Furthermore, the performance of NEMPD was also validated by the case studies. Among the top 50 predicted disease-related miRNAs, 48 (breast neoplasms), 47 (colon neoplasms), 47 (lung neoplasms) were confirmed by two other databases. Conclusions NEMPD has a good performance in predicting the potential associations between miRNAs and diseases and has great potency in the field of miRNA-disease association prediction in the future.
microRNAs facilitate comprehensive responses of Bathymodiolinae mussel against symbiotic and nonsymbiotic bacteria stimulation.

Bathymodiolinae mussels are dominant species in cold seeps and hydrothermal vents and could harbor endosymbionts in gill bacteriocytes. However, mechanisms underlying the symbiosis have remained largely undisclosed for years. In the present study, the global expression pattern of immune-related genes and miRNAs were surveyed in Gigantidas platifrons during bacterial challenges using enriched symbiotic methane oxidation bacteria MOBs or nonsymbiotic Vibrio. As a result, multiple pattern recognition receptors were found differentially expressed at 12 h and 24 h post bacteria challenges and distinctly clustered between stimulations. Dozens of immune effectors along with signal transducers were also modulated simultaneously during MOB or Vibrio challenge. A total of 459 miRNAs were identified in the gill while some were differentially expressed post MOB or nonsymbiotic bacteria challenge. A variety of immune-related genes were annotated as target genes of aforesaid differentially expressed miRNAs. As a result, biological processes including the immune recognition, lysosome activity and bacteria engulfment were suggested to be dynamically modulated by miRNAs in either symbiotic or nonsymbiotic bacteria challenge. It was suggested that G. platifrons mussels could maintain a robust immune response against invading pathogens while establishing symbiosis with chemosynthetic bacteria with the orchestra of immune-related genes and miRNAs.
Challenge studies with Clostridium botulinum in high moisture bakery products packaged under modified atmospheres

High moisture, low acid crumpets and pizza supported growth of and toxin production by Clostridium botulinum when initially packaged in high gas barrier bags either in air or under modified atmosphere conditions and stored at ambient temperature. English style crumpets (a w 0.990), pizza crust (a w 0.960), and bagels (a w 0.944) were inoculated with a mixture of C. botulinum types A and proteolytic B spores (5 x 10 4 spores/g), packaged in air, in air with an oxygen absorbent, or in a CO 2 /N 2 (60:40) gas mixture, stored at 25°C for 42 days and then monitored for toxin. All crumpets and pizza were toxic at the end of storage, irrespective of initial packaging atmosphere; however, no toxin was detected in any bagels. At 42 days, all bakery products were sensorially unacceptable.
A toolbox for the characterization of biobased waxes

Waxes are a diverse class of molecules with numerous industrial, commercial, household, medical, and personal applications. Despite the wide variety of applications and chemical structures, most waxes are currently classified entirely by their melting and congealing points. This limits the ability to compare wax performance across the literature and impedes efforts at improving the physical functionality of biobased wax mimetics; many applications require waxes with specific physical properties that cannot be correlated to congealing or melting points alone. A toolbox of procedures to characterize and compare waxes based on not only their melting and congealing points, but also the hardness, yield force, viscosity, and solid fat content is presented. This comprehensive toolbox for the characterization of waxes provides a detailed assessment of their individual functional properties and provides an important tool for holistic comparisons of types of waxes based on their performance. This toolbox is especially useful for analyzing and finding potential applications for the next generation of emerging renewable waxes which are being introduced to the market. Practical applications: An increasing number of lipid derived waxes are entering the market. This toolbox provides a set of reproducible and useful experiments which can be used to analyze and compare the properties of waxes. By focusing on properties relevant to a wide range of wax applications, both end users and suppliers can quickly screen new waxes and determine their applicability for specific functions. This is presently not accomplished using only the ASTM standards of the industry. A wax toolbox containing a series of reproducible methods are presented for determining the melting point, congealing point, hardness, yield force, viscosity, and solid fat content of waxes. This toolbox is especially useful for characterization and comparison of waxes based on their functional performance, and can be used to predict the suitability of waxes for specific applications.
Trends in Male Contraceptive Use in Ghana: An Analysis of Self-Reported Contraceptive Use from GDHS 2003, 2008 and 2014

Background: Male participation in contraception is proven to have positive outcomes on reproductive health and remains a critical issue of public health importance. However, there is a dearth of evidence on men’s share of the contraceptive burden among couples in Ghana. Knowledge of the trends and trajectories of men’s contraceptive practice could inform male focused programmatic interventions to boost contraceptive use for effective fertility regulation. This study examined the trends in contraceptive use as reported by men. Methods: This paper examines trends in self-reported contraceptive use among sexually active Ghanaian males, using data from the three most recent national Demographic and Health Surveys (2003, 2008 and 2014). Frequency distributions of socio-demographic and background characteristics were used to describe the sample by each survey year. The Z test of proportions was used to identify significant differences in the estimated proportions and subgroups of men using contraceptives by survey year. The Combined data from the three nationally representative surveys were analyzed, accruing a sample of 9,008, comprising (GDHS 2003=3,104; GDHS 2008=3,007; and GDHS 2014=2,897) male respondents who met the inclusion criteria.Results: Men’s contraceptive use appears to have declined over the last three demographic surveys despite an increase in the proportion of sexually active males. However, a significant proportion of men who used contraception (44.5% - 41.5%) still relied on the male condom as their primary choice of contraception. Place of residence, educational attainment, occupation, region of residence and religious affiliation were all found to be significantly associated with contraceptive use consistency.Conclusion: There has been a significant decrease in contraceptive use by Ghanaian men between 2003 and 2014. Although the male condom appears to be the most popular modern male contraceptive method, especially during adolescence, along the life course the phenomenon changes, with a shift towards modern female methods. There is therefore, the need for family planning service providers, policymakers and all relevant stakeholders to consciously target men with contraceptive products and services and community engagement to improve FP uptake
Effect of Aqueous Phase Recycling in Continuous Hydrothermal Liquefaction

The effect of recycling the aqueous phase in a continuous hydrothermal liquefaction process was investigated in terms of product yield distribution, carbon balance, and composition of all main fractions. Using a custom-built continuous reactor system, a long-term experiment was conducted at 350 °C and 250 bar with a feedstock of dried distiller’s grains with solubles. In two consecutive recycle experiments, the aqueous phase of the preceding experiment was used as dispersion medium for the feedstock preparation. In these recycle-experiments a significant increase in biocrude yields was observed with a maximum increase in the first recycle experiment. However, the recycling of the aqueous phase also resulted in lower heating values and higher water contents in the oil fraction. Based on these findings, recycling the aqueous phase is a trade-off between improved yields and reduced burn qualities of the biocrude. That said, recycling also lowers carbon discharge to the aqueous fraction, which may contribute .
Microdata for Macro Models: The Distributional Effects of Monetary Policy

In this paper we investigate the effect of standard and non-standard monetary policy implemented by the ECB on income inequality in Italy. We use for the first time the survey microdata on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC, Istat) in a repeated cross-section experiment to build measures of inequality and the distribution over time for incomes and subgroups of individuals. The identification strategy is based on surprises estimated in the EA-MPD database for the Euro Area. Using a battery of Local Projections, we evaluate the impact of monetary policy by comparing the performance of the impulse response functions of our inequality measures in different policy scenarios (pre and post-QE). The main findings show that an expansionary unconventional monetary policy shock compressed inequality of disposable and labor income more persistently than a conventional monetary shock. The financial channel has an equalizing effect favoring the less wealthy households mainly in the long-run. Overall, our evidence suggests that QE is associated with a decrease in Italian households inequality.
In-depth Validation of CHERG’S Verbal Autopsy-Social Autopsy (VASA) Tool for Ascertaining Determinants and Causes of Under-Five Child Mortalities in Karachi, Pakistan.

Background: Globally, child mortality estimates are more clustered among the developing countries where quality data on estimates and determinants of child mortality are compromised. To achieve sustainability in reducing child mortality estimates, the integrated Verbal Autopsy and Social Autopsy (VASA) tool help in estimating prevalence and assigning medical and social causes and determinants of child survival, especially in the developing countries. A validation study of the Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group’s (CHERG) Verbal autopsy/Social Autopsy (VASA) tool has been undertaken for employing in a Karachi VASA Integrated Child Mortality Investigation-ICMI study in its urban slums. Methods: Validity and reliability of the CHERG VASA-tool were tested using face, content, discriminant validation and reliability tests on one hundred randomly selected mothers, with a recent child death event. Data were computed on SPSS (version-21) and R. Results: Testing yielded high I-CVI (>81.43%); high Cronbach's Alpha (0.843); accuracy of between 75% and 100% of the discriminants classifying births to live and stillbirths. The tool showed ICVI (>82.07% and 88.98% respectively) with high accuracy (92% and 97% respectively) for assigning biological and social causes of child deaths respectively. Conclusion: The CHERG VASA questionnaire is valid, reliable, and relevant to the conceptual framework. This valid tool is one of the assets for child health policy as it can assign accurate medical and non-medical causes (pertaining to health-seeking practices) of child mortality cases occurring in Pakistan.
Digital Wellbeing as a Dynamic Construct

Mobile media support our autonomy by connecting us to persons, content and services independently of time and place constraints. At the same time, they challenge our autonomy: We face new struggles, decisions, and pressure in relation to whether, when and where we connect and disconnect. Digital wellbeing is a new concept that refers to the (lack) of balance that we may experience in relation to mobile connectivity. This article develops a theoretical model of digital wellbeing that accounts for the dynamic and complex nature of our relationship to mobile connectivity, thereby overcoming conceptual and methodological limitations associated with existing approaches. This model considers digital wellbeing an experiential state of optimal balance between connectivity and disconnectivity that is contingent upon a constellation of person-, device- and context-specific factors. I argue that these constellations represent pathways to digital wellbeing that—when repeated—affect wellbeing outcomes, and that the effectiveness of digital wellbeing interventions depends on their disruptive impact on these pathways.
Identifying a space for young Black Muslim women in contemporary Britain

Young Black Muslim Women (BMW) have complex, intersectional identities and exist at the margins of various identity groupings. Given this, members of the community can face societal relegation across, not only race and gender lines, but across religious ones, too. This paper explores the lived experiences of intragroup discrimination, identity and belonging in 11 young Black Muslim Women in the United Kingdom. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants and thematically analysed through the lens of intersectionality. The use of an intersectional framework facilitated an understanding of the manner in which the sample was multiply marginalised. Two key themes emerged from the interviews: firstly, around experiences of intragroup and intersectional discrimination and, secondly, around the challenges of responding to and coping with the negative effects of such discrimination. Participants discussed the cross-cutting nature through which they faced discrimination: from within the Black community; from within the Muslim community; and as a result of their gender. The non-exclusivity of these three identities result in constant encounters of discrimination along different dimensions to their personal identity. They also developed diverse means of coping with this marginalisation including drawing from religious beliefs and mobile identifications, i.e. performing different aspects of their identities in different contexts. The present study contributes to existing knowledge in its focus on an under-researched group and emphasises the negative effects of intragroup discrimination. The paper importantly highlights the diversity within the Black community and considers the (in)visibility of Black Muslim Women within society.
Increasing tourism through social entrepreneurship – the case of Croatia

Social entrepreneurship is a relatively new topic of interest within the academic and the literature on it is limited. With the increase of interest in recent years from various interest groups, the concept of social enterprise has become more widespread. The purpose of this paper is to explore the link between social entrepreneurship and voluntourism, as one of the types of special interest tourism. Voluntourism, according to the concept of sustainable community development, relate all the stakeholders of such development. Moreover, social entrepreneurship could become an important vehicle for sustainable development of destinations. This paper proposes that niche tourism products and more specifically, voluntourism projects, under the prism of social entrepreneurship, can become the means towards Croatian product diversification and long-term environmental, social and economic sustainability. Quantitative research was conducted and the methodology entails a case study approach. Results indicate that there is a limited number of projects concerning social entrepreneurship in voluntourism in Croatia and also that discussed projects are not recognized. This study assessed the situation in Croatia and although it was comprehensive under conditions of limited data availability, it cannot speak to social entrepreneurship in voluntourism globally, but it can offer a foundation for future research in this area.