Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Cultural Distinctiveness and Perception of Digital Advertising Appeals on Online Purchase Intention of Clothing Brands: Moderation of Gender Egalitarianism

Digital advertising has been frequently used for the promotion of e-commerce among individuals. However, little is known about the function of cultural factors that can outline the effectiveness of digital advertising practices to alter attitude and consumer behavior toward clothing brands. This research examines how norm-congruent attitudes toward digital advertising (hereafter ADA) may operate as a process variable that mediates the relationship between perception about digital advertising (hereafter PDA) and online purchase intention of fashion brands (hereafter OPI). We propose a gender egalitarianism (hereafter GE)-moderated mediation model whereby ADA mediates the relationships between PDA and OPI in two culturally diverse nations: Malaysia and Pakistan. The model was tested by using 2 (GE appeal: present vs. absent) × 2 (nation: Pakistan vs. Malaysia) × 2 (no exposure to ads/exposure to ads) experimental design with data obtained from a sample of 260. Findings show that there is a significant difference in the relationship between PDA and OPI that is mediated by the attitude in both nations. However, the mediation implication of the attitude is significantly dependent on the interaction of the GE. In this way, the study provides some practical recommendations for the marketers by highlighting the salient advertising features that may be more useful in both nations.
Gut microbiota modulates COPD pathogenesis: role of anti-inflammatory Parabacteroides goldsteinii lipopolysaccharide

Objective Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a global disease characterised by chronic obstruction of lung airflow interfering with normal breathing. Although the microbiota of respiratory tract is established to be associated with COPD, the causality of gut microbiota in COPD development is not yet established. We aimed to address the connection between gut microbiota composition and lung COPD development, and characterise bacteria and their derived active components for COPD amelioration. Design A murine cigarette smoking (CS)-based model of COPD and strategies evaluating causal effects of microbiota were performed. Gut microbiota structure was analysed, followed by isolation of target bacterium. Single cell RNA sequencing, together with sera metabolomics analyses were performed to identify host responsive molecules. Bacteria derived active component was isolated, followed by functional assays. Results Gut microbiota composition significantly affects CS-induced COPD development, and faecal microbiota transplantation restores COPD pathogenesis. A commensal bacterium Parabacteroides goldsteinii was isolated and shown to ameliorate COPD. Reduction of intestinal inflammation and enhancement of cellular mitochondrial and ribosomal activities in colon, systematic restoration of aberrant host amino acids metabolism in sera, and inhibition of lung inflammations act as the important COPD ameliorative mechanisms. Besides, the lipopolysaccharide derived from P. goldsteinii is anti-inflammatory, and significantly ameliorates COPD by acting as an antagonist of toll-like receptor 4 signalling pathway. Conclusion The gut microbiota–lung COPD axis was connected. A potentially benefial bacterial strain and its functional component may be developed and used as alternative agents for COPD prevention or treatment.
Fluorine-enhanced low-temperature wafer bonding of native-oxide covered Si wafers

The bonding energy of bonded native-oxide-covered silicon wafers treated in the HNO3∕H2O∕HF or the HNO3∕HF solution prior to room-temperature contact is significantly higher than bonded standard RCA1 cleaned wafer pairs after low-temperature annealing. The bonding energy reaches over 2000mJ∕m2 after annealing at 100 °C. The very slight etching and fluorine in the chemically grown oxide are believed to be the main contributors to the enhanced bonding energy. Transmission-electron-microscopic images have shown that the chemically formed native oxide at bonding interface is embedded with many flake-like cavities. The cavities can absorb the by-products of the interfacial reactions that result in covalent bond formation at low temperatures allowing the strong bond to be retained.
Coping Styles in Patients Addicted to Alcohol in Rehabilitation

The objective of the research was to characterize the coping styles present in a group of 30 alcoholic patients, who were diagnosed and undergoing rehabilitation in the Psychiatric Hospital of La Habana. They were given a structured interview, the Lazarus coping test. As a result it was obtained that the group introduced substantial modifications in the coping styles of related to the search for social support granting new meanings to their family ties, attending therapy in health institutions and communicating with a large group of people. In addition, they assume styles of coping with alcoholism that are focused on solving the problem, reassessing positively the experience of addiction. They accept responsibility for their behavior during the consumption phase and develop actions aimed at affectively recovering the family, developing self-control of their emotional impulses and appealing to social support. The recovery of the family ties, as well as the respect of the family and the society is considered. Its projection focuses on recovering the values lost during the period of consumers.
International Knowledge Spillovers and Capital Structure of Multinational Affiliates

This paper investigates how knowledge transferred within multinational corporations affects capital structure decisions of foreign affiliates. Employing the unique dataset on Korean multinationals and their employment structure of foreign affiliates, we measure the knowledge transfer through human interactions using the ratio of expatriate managers to total employees. We document that affiliates with more expatriate managers tend to maintain lower leverage, suggesting the affiliates with high level of intangible assets passed to through expatriate managers opt for low debt financing. We further show that the negative effect on leverage is more pronounced when parents/affiliates are involved with greater intangible assets and the host countries have less knowledge assets in place. Our two stage least square estimation also confirms the negative relation between expatriate managers and financial leverage in foreign affiliates.
AT WAR OR COLLABORATING?: SALES AND MARKETING IN CHINA

Collaboration between Sales and Marketing divisions has been said to be important for organizational effectiveness. However existing research into Sales/Marketing collaboration (SMC) has almost exclusively been conducted in Western economies, and none in China, an area of increasing investment by multinational corporations (MNCs). However numerous researchers have identified important differences in business culture between the West and Asia which may potentially impact on SMC. In response, this research examines SMC within the Chinese subsidiary of a large U.S. headquartered MNC, using interviews with a wide variety of Sales and Marketing staff. The research identifies important differences from the findings on SMCs in Western organisations.
β-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID INDUCES DISEASE RESISTANCE AGAINST BOTRYTIS CINEREA IN GRAPE BERRIES BY A CELLULAR PRIMING MECHANISM

The present study was performed to investigate the effect of β-aminobutyric acid (BABA) treatment on defence activation in grape berries and to analyse its cellular mechanism. The results implied that BABA treatment at an effective concentration of 20 mM signifi cantly inhibited gray mould rot caused by Botrytis cinerea in grape berries by inducing resistance. Accordingly, 20 mM BABA triggered a priming defence in grape suspension cells, since only the BABA-treated cells exhibited an accelerated ability for augmenting defence responses upon the pathogen inoculation. The primed cellular reactions were related to an early H2O2 burst, prompt accumulation of stilbene phytoalexins and activation of PR genes. Thus, we assume that 20 mM BABA can induce resistance to B. cinerea infection in intact grape berries perhaps via intercellular priming defence. Moreover, the BABA-induced priming defence is verifi ed, because no negative effects on cell growth, anthocyanin synthesis, and quality impairment in either grape cells or intact berries were observed under low pathogenic pressure.
Monocular Depth Estimation enhancement by depth from SLAM Keypoints

Training a neural network in a supervised way is extremely challenging since ground truth is expensive, time consuming and limited. Therefore the best choice is to do it unsupervisedly, exploiting easier-to-obtain binocular stereo images and epipolar geometry constraints. Sometimes however, this is not enough to predict fairly correct depth maps because of ambiguity of colour images, due for instance to shadows, reflective surfaces and so on. A Simultaneous Location and Mapping (SLAM) algorithm keeps track of hundreds of 3D landmarks in each frame of a sequence. Therefore, given the base assumption that it has the right scale, it can help the depth prediction providing a value for each of those 3D points. This work proposes a novel approach to enhance the depth prediction exploiting the potential of the SLAM depth points to their limits.
Bovine Leukemia Virus Presence in Breast Tissue of Argentinian Females and Its Association With Cell Proliferation and Prognostic Markers

Introduction: Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) causes enzootic bovine leukemia, and is closely related to human T-lymphotropic virus type 1. It expresses microRNAs of unknown function and codes Tax, the protein that mediates malignant transformation. BLV is capable of infecting Band T-lymphocytes, endothelial cells, and mammary epithelial cells of cattle. Several studies demonstrated the presence of BLV DNA in human tissue, and it is significantly associated with breast cancer in case-control studies using in situ Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), a highly sensitive and specific technique. The current study was the first report of BLV DNA detection by in situ PCR in tissue from Argentinian females with a diagnosis of breast cancer. Methods: In situ PCR was done to detect BLV DNA in 85 human FFPE breast cancer tissue samples. The association of BLV DNA and expression of Ki67 and Her-2 was
Culture and Emotion: The Integration of Biological and Cultural Contributions*

In this article, the authors integrate the seemingly disparate literature on culture and emotion by offering a biocultural model of emotion that offers three premises heretofore not introduced in the literature: (1) emotions need to be distinguished from other affective phenomena, (2) different types of emotions exist, and (3) within any emotion different domains can be studied. Previous controversies have occurred because writers have called all affective states “emotion” without regard to the type or domain of emotion sampled. The authors argue that not all affective states should be called emotion, that emotions that may be biologically innate are different than those that are not, and that different domains of emotion are more relatively influenced by biology or culture. The authors offer researchers a terminology—biological versus cultural emotions, Priming Reactions, Subjective Experience, and Emotional Meanings—provide hypotheses concerning the relative contributions of biology and culture, review the available literature that supports those hypotheses, and argue that the literature can be somewhat neatly integrated into a cohesive whole. The authors contend that the relative contribution of biological and cultural factors to emotion depends on what emotion is being studied and the specific domain of emotion assessed. While the authors acknowledge that their delineations are not the only or the best delineations that can or should be used, they contend that some kind of delineations should be made and can help to synthesize and integrate a large and seemingly disparate, contradictory literature. The authors offer theirs as a first step in this effort.
Destabilizing LiBH4 with a Metal (M = Mg, Al, Ti, V, Cr, or Sc) or Metal Hydride (MH2 = MgH2, TiH2, or CaH2)

We experimentally investigate several hydrogen storage reactions based on thermodynamic destabilization of LiBH4. The destabilized mixtures include nine M(H2)−LiBH4 compositions, where M(H2) = Al, Mg, Ti, Sc, V, Cr, MgH2, CaH2, or TiH2, which were selected on the basis of favorable thermodynamics predicted by recent first-principles computational study (Siegel, D. J.; Wolverton, C.; Ozoliņs, V. Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter, Mater. Phys. 2007, 76, 134102). For all compositions, our measurements reveal significant kinetic barriers for hydrogen release, evidenced by high desorption temperatures (>300 °C) and exceedingly slow hydrogen release rates. Characterization of the desorbed reaction phases indicate that less than half of the mixtures examined (M(H2) = MgH2, Mg, Al, and CaH2) follow the thermodynamically expected reaction pathway, resulting in the formation of metal boride products (MgB2, AlB2, and CaB6, respectively). Hydrogen release/uptake data for these compositions indicate that the MgH2−(LiBH4)2.
Economics and the Timing of First Birth After the Financial Crisis

The Nordic welfare states are well-known for their active family and labor market policy giving support to couples combining dual-earner careers with family life. The comparatively high and stable fertility rate in these countries is often seen as a positive result of various policy measures related to families and the labour market (Luci-Greulich and Thévenon 2013). In 2009, TFR in Norway was 1.98 children per women, but since then there has been a yearly drop of the fertility level and with 1.73 in 2015 the TFR reached the lowest level in more than 30 years. One of the main reasons for th is drop was a change in the timing of first birth (Dommermuth and Lappegård 2016). In the Norwegian context the recent changes with lower fertility levels and increased postponement in the transition to motherhood is somewhat puzzling. Many countries have experiences somewhat similar trends but the global financial crisis in 2007/08 only lead to a slight increase in unemployment rates in Norway and the country was recognized for a robust economy also in the years after the financial crisis.
Preparing Nanosilica Particles from Rice Husk Using Precipitation Method

تم استخلاص جزيئات النانو سيليكا من قشر الأرز، والتي تم جمعها محليا من المطحنة العراقية الواقعة في منطقة المشخاب في محافظة النجف جنوب العراق. تم استخدام طريقة الترسيب لتحضير مسحوق نانو سيليكا من رماد قشر الأرز، بعد معالجته حراريا عند درجة حرارة 700 درجة مئوية، وتبعه إذابة السيليكا في محلول قلوي للحصول على محلول سيليكات الصوديوم. جمعت عينتان من المحلول النهائي لدراسة تأثير الترشيح على نقاء العينة بواسطة مطياف فلورية الأشعة السينية (XRF). أوضحت النتائج أن العينة التي تم ترشيحها تمتلك نقاوة بنسبة اعلى من 98٪، بينما كانت نقاوة العينة الغير مرشحه ما يقارب 96٪. وجد تحليل البنية السطحية بواسطة حيود الأشعة السينية (XRD) أن مسحوق النانو سيليكا له بنية غير متبلورة في طبيعتها. أيضا، اظهر ذروة واسعة عند (°2θ = 22.25°- 22.55). تم تحديد توزيع حجم الجسيمات بواسطة مجهر القوة الذرية (AFM)، واوضحت النتائج أن متوسط ​​القطر (52.83 نانومتر) ونطاق القطري في حدود (30-75 نانومتر)، بينما أكد تحليل B.E. T ان لجزيئات النانو سيليكا مساحة سطح عالية 618 م2 /غم. أظهرت البيانات التجريبية لـ FT-IR Spectra وجود مجموعة سيلانول مرتبطة بالهيدروجين (Si–O–H) ومجموعة سيلوكسان (Si–O–Si) والتي تثبت النقاوة العالية لجزيئات النانو سيليكا.
Prevalence of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Raw Goat Milks from Selected Farms in Terengganu, Malaysia

The emergence of antimicrobial drug resistant bacteria has been a concern worldwide. One of bacteria that has been reported to develop resistance is Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Recent studies showed that Livestock Associated MRSA (LA-MRSA) was found in domestic food animals and their handlers. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of MRSA in goat milk of goat farms located in Terengganu. A total of 664 udder milks were taken from 332 goats at 40 selected farms within Terengganu state. Then, screening of bacteria and isolation of suspected S. aureus isolates in the milk samples was done using selective agar, Gram staining and biochemical tests. The identity of the bacteria isolated was further confirmed using PCR where specific designed primers were used to detect the presence of nuc gene of S. aureus (278bp) and mecA gene (533bp) of MRSA. Both S. aureus and MRSA isolates were also tested for their susceptibilities toward the antimicrobial drugs. Fifty milk samples were found to contain S. aureus and one of the S. aureus isolates were MRSA. The bacteria isolates were found to have higher tendency to be resistance toward Penicillin (26.0%) and Oxacillin (12.0%). This study provides useful data on the current status of MRSA prevalence in small ruminant’s milk, which can be used to prevent transmission of LAMRSA to human and other animals.
Controlling Shareholder Stock Pledge, Aggravated Expropriation and Corporate Acquisitions

We examine the effects of controlling shareholder stock pledge on corporate acquisition decisions and associated performance. Consistent with our aggravated expropriation hypothesis, we find that pledging firms in China initiate more takeovers, but these acquisitions conducted by pledging firms experience lower announcement returns. We adopt the difference in differences and the instrumental variable approaches to establish causality. Channel tests further reveal that pledging acquirers overpay for the deals and are more likely to be involved in related party transactions. Cross-sectionally, we find that the relations between the share pledge and corporate acquisitiveness and returns are more pronounced for non-SOEs and firms with high-level excess cash. Lastly, we document that pledging acquirers underperform in the long-run in terms of lower ROAs and a greater likelihood of goodwill impairment. Overall, our findings indicate that controlling shareholders increasingly expropriate minority shareholders through self-serving corporate takeovers after the stock pledge.
SCHOOL STAKEHOLDERS COMPLIANCE TO SCHOOL HEALTH POLICY FOR SUSTAINABLE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA by Eseyin, Emmanuel Olorunleke (PhD), Obikoya, Oluwatoyin Gladys(PhD), Ibeawuchi, Ngozi (PhD),

The study examined school stakeholder’s compliance to school health policy for sustainable learning environment in secondary schools in Rivers State. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Population of the study comprised all the 96, 865 school stakeholders in all the 262 public senior secondary schools in Rivers State while systematic random sampling technique was used to draw 933 school stakeholders as sample for the study using Taro Yamane’s sample size determination formula. Instrument adopted for collection of data for the study was a 21-items self-structured questionnaire tagged “School Stakeholders Compliance with School Health Policy for Sustainable Learning Environment Questionnaire” (SSCSHPSLEQ). Research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested using one-way analysis of variance at 0.05 level of significance. Results of the study revealed school stakeholders complied with safe water and sanitation policy and skill based health education policy to a high extent while compliance to health and nutrition service policy was to a low extent. It was recommended among others that sanitation facilities should be provided in the right quality and quantity in all public secondary schools in Rivers State.
Gender and Risk-taking behavior

Although the issue of gender differences in risk taking behavior has been an interesting issue of industrial and organizational psychology fields, there is no univocal agreement on this topic. In this paper, we try to find supportive evidence that gender affects risk-taking behavior that is moderated by the frame. In addition, we extend the previous findings by adding variables such as ambition, responsibility, and internal locus of control. As expected, gender and frame interact to influence risk-taking behavior, such that positively framed men are prone to take more risks, whereas negatively framed women prefer risk-taking options. In addition, ambition and the level of internal locus of control are positively related to risk-taking behavior, while responsibility level is negatively related to risk-taking behavior. The implications and limitations of findings are discussed.
Oncological resection, myasthenia gravis and staging as prognostic factors in thymic tumours: a Chilean case series

Background Thymic epithelial tumours are rare and highly heterogeneous. Reports from the United States suggest an overall incidence of 0.15 per 100,000/year. In contrast, the incidence of these tumours in Latin America is largely unknown and reports are scarce, somewhat limited to case reports. Methods Herein, we report a series of 38 thymic tumours from a single institution, retrospectively incorporated into this study. Patient characteristics and outcomes including age, sex, stage, paraneoplastic syndromes, treatment regimens and the date of decease were obtained from medical records. Results Most cases in our series were females and young age (<50 years old) and early stage by Masaoka-Koga or the Moran staging systems. Also, a 34% of patients had myasthenia gravis (MG). Next, we analysed overall survival rates in our series and found that the quality of surgery (R0, R1 or R2), MG status and staging (Masaoka-Koga, Moran or TNM) were prognostic factors. Finally, we compared our data to larger thymic tumour series. Conclusions Overall, our study confirms complete surgical resection as the standard, most effective treatment for thymic epithelial tumours. Also, the Masaoka-Koga staging system remains as a reliable prognostic factor but also the Moran staging system should be considered for thymomas.
Direct Visualization of Surfactant Hemimicelles by Force Microscopy of the Electrical Double-Layer

The morphology of ionic surfactant molecules adsorbed from aqueous solution onto hydrophobic substrates has been determined by atomic force microscopy. Near the critical micelle concentration (cmc), noncontact imaging using double-layer repulsion between the tip and sample shows parallel, epitaxially oriented stripes spaced apart by about twice the surfactant length. This represents the first direct imaging of «hemimicelles», liquid-crystalline aggregates of amphiphilic molecules (analogous to bulk micelles) which form at interfaces. The striped pattern is indicative of hemicylindrical hemimicelles, which is further corroborated by images of the monolayer adsorbate (in contact mode) below the cmc
Ultrasonic Treatment of Waste Sludge: A Review on Mechanisms and Applications

During the past decades, ultrasonic technology has gained wide interest as an effective mechanical pretreatment method for sludge, due to its excellent performance, good technical and operational stability, compactness, and environmentally friendly processing. This review is intended to provide an overview on the applications of ultrasonics in sludge solubilization and subsequent digestion, sludge sanitization, enhancement of enzymatic activity, resource recovery, extraction of chemicals, ultrasound assisted lysis–cryptic growth, and degradation of hazardous pollutants. Moreover, the working mechanisms behind the treatment and the influence of various process conditions, including power density/intensity, specific energy input, ultrasonic frequency, duration of ultrasonication (i.e., partial and complete ultrasonication, solids concentration, and type of sludge on the ultrasonic processing of sludge is specifically emphasized. Also, a discussion is included on the future research directions, an economical assessment of ultrasonic technique, and feasibility of full-scale implementation.