Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bribery—Export Nexus under the Firm’s Growth Obstacles

: Business bribery is a particularly serious problem in the integration era. First, this article investigates the effects of institutional obstacles on ﬁrms’ bribery in 131 countries classiﬁed by nation income groups. Through the appropriate proposal of ﬁtting functions, the relationship between obstructions and the predicted margin effect of bribery is intuitively elucidated. Second, this paper sheds light on the relationship between bribery payment and exports. Then the analysis is upgraded when controlling for the moderation of a ﬁrm’s growth constraints. The results detected that not only institutional barriers, but also internal and external hindrances play an essential role in the interaction between bribe payments and export share. More interestingly, this study scrutinizes the role of obstacles in this relationship separately. Besides, SMEs and large enterprises are also adopted in further sensitivity analyses. To solve the endogeneity problem, the study uses the average amount of bribery in a ﬁrm’s location, sector, and the country as an instrumental variable ( IV ). The results obtained are not consistent across country groups classiﬁed by national income. Due to obstacles during a ﬁrm’s operation, the amplitude of the positive effect of bribery on exports is reduced.
The Factors Influencing on Internet Banking Adoption in Trincomalee District, Sri Lanka

— The usage of internet banking is rapidly increasing day by day. Therefore, it is very important to find factors that mostly influence on customer adoption of the internet banking. This study intends to facilitate banks on which factors they should focus on mostly when providing internet banking services. Although there were lots of researches had been conducted related to the adoption of internet banking in foreign countries, the researches relating to Sri Lanka particularly to Trincomalee district are limited. It consists of nine independent variables such as Perceived Trust, E-Service Quality, Relative Advantages, Compatibility, Perceived Ease to Use, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Risk, Social Influence, Perceived Security which are hypothesized to influence the individual’s decision to adopt internet banking service. This is a quantitative study (descriptive study) will be used. The sample consisted of 189 units who are using internet banking service and living in Trincomalee district and self-administered questionnaire will be distributed. The analysis was done by using the package SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science). The descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis were used to analyse the data .
In TripAdvisor we trust : Rankings , calculative regimes and systems trust

A proliferation of rankings and league tables increasingly permeate everyday life. An objective of this paper is to explain the profusion of such rankings, in particular on-line user review rankings, in contemporary society and what this means for our understanding of the role of accounting. The online travel website TripAdvisor and its hotel ranking system is a prominent example of this new phenomenon. The site increasingly appears to play the role of trusted intermediary for the ‘independent traveller’ who spurns the services of the traditional travel agent in favour of making their own holiday arrangements. In this paper, we undertake netnographic research to consider the way in which TripAdvisor rankings engender trust. Drawing on the site’s own operational features together with an analysis of the traveller commentaries hosted within the site, we argue that the case of TripAdvisor is a powerful illustration of an internet mediated abstract system (Giddens, 1990, 1991) that draws on calculative practices to construct trust. In addition, we speculate as to the implications of the proliferation of such internet mediated expert systems, both on the accounting profession, and on future accounting research.
Ligand binding to fibrinogen influences its structure and function

Summary . Fibrinogen is a plasma protein that is highly susceptible to oxidation. Because of this chemical modifi- cation, fibrinogen acquires thrombogenic characteristics under different pathophysiological conditions. Increased carbonyl content and reduced porosity impair the degradation of formed fibrin mediated by plasmin. Fibrinogen is capable of interacting with many proteins, ions, and small molecules. These interactions can modify the func-tions of this protein. The discovery of new binding partners that may protect fibrinogen from harmful oxidation and, thus, preserve its normal function is essential. Some of the newly detected interactions between fibrinogen and small, natural bioactive molecules, together with the influence of these interactions on the structure and function of fibrinogen, will be presented in this text.
Experimental Investigation on the Effect of Elevated Temperature on Compressive Strength of Concrete Containing Waste Glass Powder

This study examines the effect of elevated temperature on the strength of concrete containing glass powder (GWP) as Ordinary Portland cement replacement. The cement was partially replaced by 0, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27 and 30 % of GWP and samples were prepared at constant water-binder ratio of 0.5. The cube samples after curing in water for 90 days were exposed to 60, 150, 300 and 500°C temperatures increased at a heating rate of 10°C/min. Compressive strength values were measured on unheated samples and after air-cooling period of the heated samples. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was carried out on selected samples to examine alterations in the matrix and interface. The results indicate a decrease in the compressive strength with increasing temperature, and significant alteration was observed in the concrete matrix and interface from the SEM analyses. However, the results indicate that concrete samples containing 21% GWP exhibit higher strength compared to control.
PERFORMANCE OF BROILER CHICKS FED PLANT PROTEIN DIETS SUPPLEMENTED WITH COMMERCIAL ENZYMES

The present study was carried out to investigate the performance of broiler chicks fed isocaloric experimental diets (3170 k cal/kg) containing 18%- or 20%-plant protein, during the growing period (15 to 42 days of age) in absence or presence of exogenous commercial enzyme preparations (Phytase, Natuzyme, Sicozyme or Avizyme) at a level of 0.5 g/kg diet. Three hundred and sixty one-day old Cobb-500 broiler chicks were kept in battery brooders and fed a common starter diet (ME; 3000 k cal/kg and 21.57% CP) up to 14 days of age. Then, they were transferred wire-floored growing batteries, according to a factorial design (2×5) were distributed into ten equal groups of three replications each, and fed their respective experimental diets up to 42 days of age. All chicks had free access to feed and water and managed similarly. The criteria of response were live body weight, weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion, economic efficiency, carcass traits, nutrient digestibility and some blood parameters (plasma levels of glucose, total protein, total lipids and cholesterol as well as activity of alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase in blood plasma of chicks). The obtained results could be summarized as follows: Regardless of the effect of dietary enzyme supplementation, broiler chicks fed the 20%CP-diets consumed significantly more feed and exhibited superior means of final live body weight, weight gain, feed conversion, nitrogen retention and CP digestibility as compared to those fed the 18%CP-diets. Apart from the effect of dietary protein level, adding either type of enzyme preparations to the diets produced significant positive effects on final live body weight of chicks, and equally exerted significant beneficial effect on digestibility of CP and EE, and nitrogen retention as compared to those fed the non-supplemented diets. Neither dietary protein level nor supplemental enzymes gave significant differences in economic efficiency, carcass traits and blood constituents of chicks. From the previous results, it could be concluded that in these plant-protein experimental diets the level of 20% CP was more suitable achieving satisfactory growth performance of broiler chicks during the grower period. In addition, dietary enzyme supplementation had some positive effect on chicks' growth performance. Natuzyme and Sicozyme brought about the best results with the present experimental diets.
Statistical Analysis of Error Propagation in National Level Carbon Budgets

Existing national-level carbon budget studies typically do not con-duct formal uncertainty analyses. In cases where attempts at addressing carbon budget uncertainties have been made, they are generally limited to informal variations of sensitivity studies. The reasons for limited effort towards uncertainty analysis in carbon budget studies include: 1) unknown or poor statistical properties of the input variables; 2) use of arbitrary relationships and analytically intractable discrete relationships in carbon budget models; 3) a high level of aggregation and complexity in calculations; and at times, 4) the interactive nature of the developed carbon budget models which does not lend itself to the application of a Monte Carlo approach. Development of a generic uncertainty analysis framework for carbon budget studies is proposed here. The key component will be a flexible error propagation program designed for operation within Monte Carlo simulations and using statistical software. The simulation software will have an open architecture, such that it can be implemented at a user defined level of aggregation with regard to land cover type in a variety of countries. Error estimates will be developed for variables including total biomass carbon, net ecosystem production, and carbon emissions associated with land use change. The error propagation program will include a library of functions and difference equations useful for replacing discrete relationships such as growth and yield tables, and providing a basis for analytical treatment of potential error propagation.
Solving large sparse systems of nonlinear equations and nonlinear least squares problems using tensor methods on sequential and parallel computers

This thesis describes efficient algorithms for solving large sparse systems of nonlinear equations and nonlinear least squares problems using tensor methods, and the implementation of these algorithms in modular software packages. It also describes the development of parallel versions of tensor methods, and their implementation on a distributed-memory machine. Tensor methods for nonlinear equations were introduced in Schnabel and Frank (ScF84) and extended to nonlinear least squares problems in Bouaricha (Bou86). Tensor methods base each iteration on a local quadratic model of the function. The second order term, also called the tensor term, is selected so that the model interpolates a small number of function values from previous iterations. The tensor term has a simple form that is well suited to efficient model formation and solution algorithms. The tensor model requires no more derivative or function information than the standard model, and the additional costs of forming and solving the tensor model are small compared to arithmetic cost per iteration of standard methods. The main contribution of this thesis is the extension of tensor methods to large, sparse nonlinear equations and nonlinear least squares problems. This involves an entirely new way of solving the tensor model that is efficient for sparse problems, and the consideration of a number of interesting linear algebraic implementation issues. Software packages are developed for sparse tensor methods and their standard Newton or Gauss-Newton analogs, based upon efficient sparse matrix factorization methods. Experimental test results of our tensor method for both large sparse systems of nonlinear equations and nonlinear least squares problems compared with the results of the standard method indicate that the tensor method is significantly more efficient and robust than the standard method. In this thesis we also develop parallel row-oriented tensor algorithms for solving dense systems of nonlinear equations and nonlinear least squares problems on a distributed-memory MIMD multiprocessor. Experimental results obtained on an Intel iPSC2 hypercube multiprocessor are presented and compared with sequential tensor method code executed on a single processor. These experimental results reveal that nearly full efficiency is obtained when $m over p\$ is relatively large, where $p\$ is the number of processors, and $m\$ is the row size of the problem. We also develop tensor methods for very large systems of nonlinear equations based on Krylov subspace techniques for approximately solving the linear systems that are required. ftn*Research supported by ARO, NSF, and AFOSR.
University of Birmingham Verification of anchoring in foundations of wind turbine towers

: Tubular steel towers are the most common supporting structure of wind converters. The towers’ foundation covers an important part of the initial cost and its configuration depends heavily on the type of subsoil. Onshore structures are founded on spread footing foundations or pile foundations with the first being the commonest. In these spread footing foundations, the tower is either embedded in the concrete foundation slab or the tower bottom flange is anchored to the concrete by means of pretensioned bolts. This anchoring of the steel tower on the concrete foundation is very rarely analyzed separately and recent failures due to inadequate design have alerted the wind industry towards the solution of the problem. For the purposes of the analytical and numerical approaches, two alternative types of foundation dimensioning are investigated. The tower properties of the two configurations are the same, providing the same loading and material data. The analytical study of the foundation anchoring is performed with the use of the equivalent ring method and the numerical verification of the two foundation solutions is performed with the use of a detailed micro model. The same micro model is used for the calculation of the fatigue life of the tower bottom joint following the damage accumulation method. In both foundation solutions, the total cross sectional area of the anchor bolts is proved to be the decisive factor for the selection of bolt size and number. The size of the tower bottom diameter plays also an important role on the maximum number and size of bolts used. Both analytical and numerical results are in good agreement and valuable outcomes are emerging from the comparative study on the foundation dimensioning of contemporary structures.
Molecular mechanisms of invadopodium formation: the role of the N-WASP–Arp2/3 complex pathway and coﬁlin

nvadopodia are actin-rich membrane protrusions with a matrix degradation activity formed by invasive cancer cells. We have studied the molecular mechanisms of invadopodium formation in metastatic carcinoma cells. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor kinase inhibitors blocked invadopodium formation in the presence of serum, and EGF stimulation of serum-starved cells induced invadopodium formation. RNA interference and dominant-negative mutant expression analyses revealed that neural WASP (N-WASP), Arp2/3 complex, and their upstream regulators, Nck1, Cdc42, and WIP, are necessary for invadopodium formation. Time-lapse analysis revealed that invadopodia are formed de novo at the cell periphery and their lifetime varies from minutes to several hours. Invadopodia with short lifetimes are motile, whereas long-lived invadopodia tend to be stationary. Interestingly, suppression of coﬁlin expression by RNA interference inhibited the formation of long-lived invadopodia, resulting in formation of only short-lived invadopodia with less matrix degradation activity. These results indicate that EGF receptor signaling regulates invadopodium formation through the N-WASP–Arp2/3 pathway and coﬁlin is necessary for the stabilization and maturation of invadopodia.
PPA_A_270020 2043..2054

1Alkermes, Inc, Waltham, MA, USA; 2University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA; 3Optum, Patient Insights, Johnston, RI, USA; 4The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA Background: This survey examined the experiences of people living with schizophrenia who have used oral antipsychotics (APs). Methods: Adults with self-reported physician-diagnosed schizophrenia (N=200), who were members of an online research participation panel and reported taking one or more oral APs within the last year, completed a cross-sectional online survey that focused on direct report of their experiences regarding APs (eg, symptoms, side effects, adherence). Descriptive analyses were conducted for the total survey sample and for subgroups defined a priori by experience with specific, prevalent side effects. Results: The mean age of the sample was 41.9 (SD=11.0) years, 50% of participants were female, and 32% were nonwhite. Overall ratings were positive for medication effectiveness and convenience but negative for side effects. While most participants reported that APs improved schizophrenia symptoms (92%), 27% reported APs as having done “more harm than good. ” Almost all participants (98%) reported experiencing side effects of APs, with the most common being anxiety (88%), feeling drowsy/tired (86%), and trouble concentrating (85%). Side effects frequently cited as either “extremely” or “very” bothersome were weight gain (56%), sexual dysfunction (55%), and trouble concentrating (54%). Over 80% reported that side effects had negatively impacted their work and social functioning (eg, social activities or family/romantic relationships). Since initiating treatment, 56% of respondents had stopped taking APs at some point (65% of these due to side effects). Side effects commonly reported as having led to stopping AP treatment were “feeling like a ‘zombie’” (22%), feeling drowsy/tired (21%), and weight gain (20%). Conclusion: Most participants reported improvements in schizophrenia symptoms associated with the use of APs. However, most participants also reported experiencing numerous bothersome side effects that negatively impacted their work, social functioning, and treatment adherence. Results highlight the unmet need for new APs with favorable benefit-risk profiles.
CMAR_A_266533 9801..9811

1Department of Radiology, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400042, People’s Republic of China; 2Chongqing Clinical Research Center of Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pathology, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Traffic Injury Research Office, Daping Hospital, Army Medical Center of PLA, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China
M ODELING C ELL M OVEMENT ON A S UBSTRATE W ITH V ARIABLE R IGIDITY

Live cells respond to the changes of their physiological environment as well as to the mechanical stimuli occurring in and out of the cell body. It is known that cell directional motion is influenced by the substrate stiffness. A finite element modelling based on the tensegrity approach is used here to describe the biomechanical behavior of cells. The effects of substrate stiffness and prestress on strain energy of a cell are investigated by defining several substrate stiffness values and prestress values. Numerical simulations reveal that the internal elastic strain energy of the cell decreases as the substrate stiffness increases. As prestress of cell increases, the strain energy increases as well. The change of prestress value does not change behavior pattern of the strain energy: strain energy of a cell will decrease when substrate stiffness increases. These findings indicate that both cell prestress and substrate stiffness influence the cell directional movement. and extracellular forces destabilizes the cell morphology and migration activity. In the other words, with substrate stiffness increase the lower energy state of cell can be reached. These observations confirm our results based on the tensegrity model of cell movement. The related experimental results were presented and Wang in the study of National Institutes of Health 3T3 cells and culturing them
Predicting Completion Risk in PPP Projects Using Big Data Analytics

Accurate prediction of potential delays in public private partnerships (PPP) projects could provide valuable information relevant for planning and mitigating completion risk in future PPP projects. However, existing techniques for evaluating completion risk remain incapable of identifying hidden patterns in risk behavior within large samples of projects, which are increasingly relevant for accurate prediction. To effectively tackle this problem in PPP projects, this study proposes a Big Data Analytics predictive modeling technique for completion risk prediction. With data from 4294 PPP project samples delivered across Europe between 1992 and 2015, a series of predictive models have been devised and evaluated using linear regression, regression trees, random forest, support vector machine, and deep neural network for completion risk prediction. Results and findings from this study reveal that random forest is an effective technique for predicting delays in PPP projects, with lower average test predicting error than other legacy regression techniques. Research issues relating to model selection, training, and validation are also presented in the study.
Depth and Age in the South Atlantic Ocean

A significant flattening of the relation between depths and age of ocean floor older than 80 Ma can be explained by assuming that the oceanic lithosphere acts as a thermal boundary layer on top of a viscous upper mantle. In the past, uncertainties of age, of sediment thickness and of bathymetry limited the predictions about this relationship. In this study, recent data from the South Atlantic have been averaged into half by half degree elements, so that the relationship between depth and age can be studied in detail. We constructed a high resolution isochron chart for the South Atlantic using the latest available compilation of magnetic anomaly data and satellite altimetry data. The most recent sediment thickness map is used to correct bathymetry for sediment loading in order to obtain the accurate depth to basement We have plotted the corrected basement depth versus age for the entire South Atlantic as well as for distinct areas. The depth/age relationship is presented as contours about the mode enclosing approximately two thirds of the data. In the South Atlantic, the ocean floor subsides with the square root of age on crust younger than 80 Ma. Beyond 80 Ma depths flatten significantly with age. Moreover, a change of the depth/age relationship for opposite flanks as well as with latitude is obvious, which might be related to small scale convection in the upper mantle.