Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Beyond profitability: ICT investments and financial institutions performance measures in developing economies

PurposeThe national and global digital transformation makes investments in information and communications technology (ICT) by financial institutions a necessity, not only for gaining a competitive advantage but also for expanding their knowledge and learning about their customers. This study assesses the business value of ICT investments by financial institutions using a mixed-method approach.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a mixed-method approach. First, financial data were gathered from Omani banks' annual financial reports and through a longitudinal quantitative analysis in order to assess the value of ICT in financial institutions' profitability performances. Second, a Delphi qualitative approach was utilized in order to further assess how top managers view the impact of ICT investments in different aspects of business. We used an extended balanced scorecard (finance, customer, internal process and learning and growth) and a sector perspective to address how future ICT investments can offer value that goes beyond traditional metrics of profitability.FindingsThe results of the longitudinal study demonstrated significant evidence of the impact of ICT investment on finance performance indicators; ICT value is significantly positive. Furthermore, the results indicated that there is an acceptable consensus among business and ICT managers that ICT is linked to performance indicators beyond financial; ICT value is linked also to customer indicators, internal process indicators and learning and growth indicators in addition to sector indicators.Originality/valueICT is vital for a diversified and knowledge-based economy, especially for developing countries, because modern banking and financial institutions are relatively new in economies such as those that had previously relied on cash and informal financing institutions. Therefore, continued ICT investments face challenges and may not succeed. Most of the existing literature on ICT value has focused on tangible financial performance indicators. The financial evaluation of intangible performance indicators of ICT investments still remains a problematic area of high relevance to decision-makers. The present study provides an integrated assessment that enables financial institutions to develop their strategies and assessments in terms of ICT investments and to go beyond typical, tangible financial profitability indicators. Furthermore, it integrates assessment indicators that are beyond organizations themselves and reaches sectors and countries. This type of investigation is limited in the literature yet important for the financial sector as it is highly integrated by nature and critical to the development of a nation's economy.
Oil Content and Fatty Acid Composition in Castor Bean Naturalized Accessions under Mediterranean Conditions in Chile

Castor bean is found in Chile between the Arica and Parinacota and Maule regions and is one the most important industrial crops worldwide because of the presence of ricinoleic acid in its oil. However, there is little information about it in our country. In this study, we analyzed the oil content and fatty acid profiles of 17 castor bean Chilean accessions from the Metropolitana and Valparaíso regions. The seed-oil was extracted using the Soxhlet extraction process, and the fatty acid profiles were determined using the GC-FID method. The oil content in castor bean Chilean accessions ranged between 45.7% and 54.0%. Among the 17 accessions analyzed, H-15 had the highest oil content (54.0%; p < 0.05), whereas the H-10 and H-08 accessions had the lowest oil content, (45.7% and 45.9%, respectively; p < 0.05). Ricinoleic acid was the most abundant fatty acid (between 87.64% and 89.83%) in the seed-oil. The highest level of ricinoleic acid was found in the H-08 accession. This was only statistically higher (p < 0.05) for three accessions, whereas the H-04 accession had the lowest ricinoleic acid content. Although the H-08 accession registered one of the least abundant oil contents, it had the highest amount of ricinoleic acid. No significant correlation was found between oil content and ricinoleic acid. Our study suggests that oil content does not influence the castor oil fatty profile. The high oil content and ricinoleic acid level registered in castor bean Chilean accessions justify their production in Chile and their utilization for developing bio-based products. Furthermore, Chilean castor bean could grow in semi-arid lands. However, further field studies are needed to identify the cultivars best suited for Mediterranean conditions.
Estimation of carbon stocks in boreal cropland soils ‐ methodological considerations

High expectations to harness agricultural soils as sinks for atmospheric carbon (C) necessitate methods for verifying changes in soil organic C (SOC) stocks and improving the accuracy of regional SOC stock estimates specific to various land‐use and management types. In this study we used a sample set included in the Finnish national soil monitoring network (n = 125) to determine the SOC stock and its vertical distribution in Finnish agricultural mineral soils using fixed depth (FD) and equivalent soil mass (ESM) methods. Further, we explored the within‐field variation in SOC stock and minimum sample size in the context of SOC sequestration. Boreal agricultural mineral soils were found to be rich in SOC. The average SOC stock ranged between 8.4 and 9.8 kg m−2 in the top 30 cm depending on cropping system and soil type. Cultivation of perennial crops tended to enrich the C close to the soil surface in comparison to dominantly annual crops, which exhibited a less steep C gradient with depth. The commonly used van Bemmelen factor of 1.724 to convert results of loss on ignition to SOC was found to be appropriate for coarse‐textured Finnish agricultural soils. However, the results showed that in clay‐rich soils, it is critical to take into account the structural water bound in clay particles to avoid overestimation of the SOC content. The study also demonstrated that the minimum sample size required to detect the change of 0.1 kg C m−2 at field level is typically several hundreds. Therefore empirical soil sampling is not at all cost‐effective enough for verifying the changes in SOC stocks with regard to compensation of C sequestration for farmers. Thus, alternative verification methods, such as SOC modelling in combination with field‐level data collected, for example, using remote sensing should be developed further.
Do foreign institutional investors drive corporate social responsibility? Evidence from listed firms in China

This paper investigates the effect of qualified foreign institutional investors (QFIIs) on corporate social responsibility (CSR) within the context of listed firms in China. We find that QFIIs offer an incisive channel for improving socially responsible practices. In addition, we find that firms with QFIIs are more likely to comply with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines, and that their sustainability reports tend to be longer. We also find that this positive effect is more pronounced in firms with low initial CSR scores than those with high CSR scores at the time when QFIIs enter the sample. Our empirical evidence further confirms that this positive impact is driven by QFIIs from countries with high social awareness, or QFIIs from geographically distant countries, consistent with their motives, and is linked to the ownership of QFIIs,especially when theQFIIis among thetoptenofthe largest shareholders. Finally, our extended analysis reveals that the increase in CSR performance associated with the presence of QFIIs results in greater firm performance and easier access to finance. literature on the role of foreign institutional investors. Prior studies exploring the effects of foreign ownership mainly focus on corporate governance (Huang & Zhu, 2015), firm performance al., 2006), accounting quality et al., 2017), and the integration of human and financial resources (Huang & Shiu, 2009). This study enriches the literature on the stakeholder-oriented implications of foreign ownership and highlights the importance of foreign investors in deploying social-engagement activities in the Chinese market.
Well‐posedness of degenerate fractional integro‐differential equations in vector‐valued functional spaces

We study the well‐posedness of the fractional degenerate integro‐differential equations (Pα):Dα(Mu)(t)=Au(t)+∫−∞ta(t−s)Au(s)ds+∫−∞tb(t−s)Bu(s)ds+f(t),(t∈T:=[0,2π]),in Lebesgue–Bochner spaces Lp(T;X) and Besov spaces Bp,qs(T;X) , where A, B and M are closed linear operators on a Banach space X satisfying D(A)∩D(B)⊂D(M) , D(A)∩D(B)≠{0} , α>0 and a,b∈L1(R+) . We completely characterize the well‐posedness of (Pα) in the above vector‐valued function spaces on T by using operator‐valued Fourier multiplier. We also give an example that our abstract results may be applied.
Virtually Hosting a National Medical Society Conference. Lessons Learned from the 2020 Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors Conference

The coronavirus pandemic forced the Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors to change the 2020 annual conference to a virtual format with relatively short notice. Using the experience of the planning committee and survey feedback from attendees, we describe the steps taken to implement a virtual conference and lessons learned in the process. The lessons described include frequent and concise communication, establishment of roles within a discrete production team, preparing speakers with a protocolized training session, active moderation of the chat box, using interactive polling and online documents to improve interactivity, a shorter agenda with more frequent breaks, encouraging “virtual happy hours” to connect with colleagues, and establishing facilitators for breakout rooms.
Managerial Political Orientation and Stock Price Crash Risk

This article examines whether managers’ political orientation, which reflects their risk preferences, is associated with firms’ stock price crash risk. We find that stock price crash risk is lower when corporate managers have more conservative political ideologies, and the results are robust to controls for other determinants of crash risk. We use Heckman two-stage model and employ difference-in-differences research design around executive turnovers to show that our results are not simply driven by potential endogeneity. We also document that the relation between managerial political orientation and stock price crash risk is stronger when external monitoring is weaker. JEL Classifications: G12; G14; M41.
ADOPTION BEHAVIOUR OF FARMERS TO CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES IN ODISHA

1. Ph.D. Scholar, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand. 2. Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Extension, CoA, VC Farm, Mandya. 3. Rtd. Professor and Head, Department of Agricultural Extension, GKVK, UAS Bangalore, Karnataka. Manuscript Info Abstract . Manuscript History Received: 31 May 2020 Final Accepted: 30 June 2020 Published: July 2020
HIGH COMMITMENT HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT OF READY-MADE GARMENT (RMG) INDUSTRY IN BANGLADESH

This study considers to what extent high commitment human resource management (HCHRM) practices influence employee engagement of line managers of RMG organizations in Bangladesh. The current study employed five-dimensional High Commitment HRM practices – recruitment and selection, performance appraisal, training and development, employee involvement and compensation with employee engagement of the employees. This study proposed 5 hypotheses and the results regarding structural equation modeling (SEM) found 5 hypotheses supported. The study can assist management in having better understanding about the importance of HCHRM in strengthening employee engagement in organization. We recommend future researchers to look into the mediating influence of other responses of employee in the relationship linking HCHRM and employee outcomes.
The antimicrobial activity of the macrophage metabolite itaconate is synergistic with acidity

The production of itaconate by macrophages was only discovered in 2011. A rapidly increasing number of studies have since revealed essential biological roles for itaconate, ranging from antimicrobial to immunomodulator. Itaconate has been estimated to reach low-millimolar concentrations in activated macrophages, including those within infected lungs and brains, whereas itaconate’s MIC towards several bacterial strains were measured to be in the low-to-mid-millimolar range, casting some doubts on the antibacterial role of itaconate in vivo. Several of these investigations, in particular those measuring MIC values of itaconate or itaconic acid, have however tended to ignore the high acidity of this small diacid (pKas 3.85 and 5.45), thereby potentially biasing the MIC measurements. We report herein that: 1) at high concentration, itaconic acid can significantly reduce the pH of growth media; 2) the antibacterial activity of itaconate increases in a synergistic manner with acidity; 3) this synergistic effect is not simply due to increased permeability of monoanionic itaconate; 4) considering that the MIC of itaconate is many fold lower under acidic conditions for all strains tested, itaconate may serve an antimicrobial role, particularly in acidic vesicles such as the phagolysosome; and 5) differential growth behavior in the presence of disodium itaconate versus itaconic acid may serve to rapidly screen bacterial strains for their ability to metabolize itaconate. Our results further support the hypothesis that inhibitors of itaconate degradation in bacteria may provide a new strategy to treat infections.
Evolutionary dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (N protein) and its consequences

The emerging novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has created a global confusing pandemic health crisis that warrants an accurate and detailed characterization of the rapidly evolving viral genome for understanding its epidemiology, pathogenesis and containment. We explored 61,485 sequences of the Nucleocapsid (N) protein, a potent diagnostic and prophylactic target, for identifying the mutations to review their roles in RT-PCR based diagnosis and observe consequent impacts. Compared to the Wuhan reference strain, a total of 1034 unique nucleotide mutations were identified in the mutant strains (49.15%, n=30,221) globally. Of these mutations, 367 occupy primer binding sites including 3’-end mismatch to primer-pair of 11 well characterized primer sets. Noteworthy, CDC (USA) recommended N2 primer set contained lower mismatch than the other primer sets. Moreover, 684 amino acid (aa) substitutions located across 317 (75.66% of total aa) unique positions including 82, 21, and 83 of those in RNA binding N-terminal domain (NTD), SR-rich region, and C-terminal dimerization domain (CTD), respectively. Moreover, 11 in-frame deletions were revealed, mostly (n =10) within the highly flexible linker region, and the rest within the NTD region. Furthermore, we predicted the possible consequences of high-frequency mutations (≥ 20) and deletions on the tertiary structure of the N protein. Remarkably, we observed that high frequency (67.94% of mutated sequences) coevolving mutations (R203K and G204R) destabilized and decreased overall structural flexibility. Despite being proposed as the alternate target to spike protein for vaccine and therapeutics, ongoing nonsynonymous evolution of the N protein may challenge the endeavors, thus need further immunoinformatics analyses. Therefore, continuous monitoring is required for tracing the ongoing evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 N protein in prophylactic and diagnostic interventions.
Low Complexity Rate Compatible Puncturing For Future Communication network

An efficient low complexity puncturing method has studied to achieve rate compatible. The parallel concatenation codes are use mixing of one component of Quasi-Cyclic (QC) low-density parity check codes LDPC codes with two components of (LDPC) in linear coding. The proposed QC-PCGC have lower computation complexity when compared with traditional punctured PCGC. The decreasing in the complexity analysis yields to the reducing in the memory requirement for the encoding/decoding system. It is possible to use the suggested coding system structure in the future communication applications like fifth generation (5G), where it is needed to have coding flexibility, with less complexity in encoding and decoding.
Addition of Protein in Carbohydrate Supplementation Does not Improve Performance of Amateur Runners in Exercise above the Anaerobic Threshold

There is no consensus in the literature that supports the inclusion of protein in the carbohydrate supplement in endurance exercise. The purpose of this study was to compare the physical performance of amateur runners under three different supplementation protocols: placebo (PLA), carbohydrate (CHO) and carbohydrate plus protein (CHO + PTN). Twelve amateur runners performed three exercise protocols on separate occasions consisting of 60 initial minutes with intensity referring to the Anaerobic Threshold (AT) and then 10% above the AT until exhaustion. Supplements (150 mL) were ingested 15 minutes before starting the activity and every 20 minutes until the first hour of exercise. Biochemical analyzes (blood glucose and lactate) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured before, during and after exercise protocols. Total caloric intake (Kcal) and macronutrients (g) were evaluated in the 24 hours preceding each exercise protocol. The time of exhaustion was higher for the CHO group when compared to the PLA group (24.6±13.6 vs. 15.2±8.9 minutes, p = 0.001) and the CHO + PTN group (24.6±13.6 vs. 18.6±8.4 minutes, p = 0.01). In general, glycemia was higher for the CHO and CHO + PTN groups when compared to the PLA group at all times whereas lactate, RPE and dietary assement did not show great differences. Our results suggest that, unlike supplementation with CHO alone, the addition of PTN in CHO supplements does not result in improved performance for the studied population and exercise intensity.
Distribution and density of mackerel larvae (Rastrelliger spp.) in the waters off the northwest coast of peninsular Malaysia

This study was conducted to determine the density and distribution of ​​Rastrelliger spp. larvae in northern part of West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Sampling was conducted thrice at the sampling site (August 2018, September 2018 and October 2019). Larvae were sampled using a larvae net with 500 µm mesh size. Oblique towing of larva net was carried out in study location which was between south of Langkawi Island to south of Kedah waters. Fish larvae samples were observed under stereomicroscopy and identified to family, genus or species level. Larvae were then preserved in 4% formalin. The result showed that the distribution of larvae was occurred more spawning in September compared to August and October. The average size of larvae was 3.1±0.7 mm (n=151). The highest density of Rastrelliger spp. larvae was recorded in September with 38 larvae/1000 m3 where the sampling station was located near fish aggregation device site in Yan. Biological information in this study can be used for fishery resources management in order to ensure the sustainability of fisheries resources.
THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE DURATION OF FETAL EXTRACTION DURING ELECTIVE CESAREAN SECTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSIENT TACHYPNEA OF THE NEWBORN

Background: A cesarean section (C.S) is usually performed when a vaginal delivery would put the baby's or mother's life or health at risk. Delivery by cesarean section is one of the major risk factors for transient tachypnea of the new born (TTN). Objective: The current study was designed to assess the relation between the duration of fetal extraction during cesarean section and Apgar score. Patients and methods: Fifty pregnant women were included in the study fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Time from incision of skin till clamping of the cord and time from incision of the uterus till clamping of the cord were recorded. Apgar score at 1 and at 5minutes, respiratory rate and weight of neonate were reported and the occurrence of TTN among the studied neonates. Results: No correlation between the duration of fetal extraction and Apgar score recorded at 5 minutes. It was noticed that absence of significant correlation between TTN development and history of previous cesarean section, there is no significant relation between BMI and development of TTN. It was noticed that absence of significant correlation between the time from incision of skin till clamping of the cord (S-C interval) and the development of TTN Also there is no statically significant correlation between development of TTN and between the time from incision of uterus till clamping of the cord (U-C interval). Conclusion: No correlation between the duration of fetal extraction during cesarean section and development of transient tachypnea of the newborn.
Changes to the Madden‐Julian Oscillation in Coupled and Uncoupled Aquaplanet Simulations With 4xCO2

The impacts of rising carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and ocean feedbacks on the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO) are investigated with the Community Atmospheric Model Version 5 (CAM5) in an idealized aquaplanet configuration. The climate response associated with quadrupled CO2 concentrations and sea surface temperature (SST) warming are examined in both the uncoupled CAM5 and a version coupled to a slab ocean model. Increasing CO2 concentrations while holding SST fixed produces only small impacts to MJO characteristics, while the SST change resulting from increased CO2 concentrations produces a significant increase in MJO precipitation anomaly amplitude but smaller increase in MJO circulation anomaly amplitude, consistent with previous studies. MJO propagation speed increases in both coupled simulations with quadrupling of CO2 and uncoupled simulations with the same climatological surface temperature warming imposed, although propagation speed is increased more with coupling. While climatological SST changes are identical between coupled and uncoupled runs, other aspects of the basic state such as zonal winds do not change identically. For example, climate warming produces stronger superrotation and weaker mean lower tropospheric easterlies in the coupled run, which contributes to greater increases in MJO eastward propagation speed with warming through its effect on moisture advection. The column process, representing the sum of vertical moist static energy (MSE) advection and radiative heating anomalies, also supports faster eastward propagation with warming in the coupled run. How differing basic states between coupled and uncoupled runs contribute to this behavior is discussed in more detail.
MINIMUM WAGES, IMPORT STATUS, AND FIRMS' INNOVATION: THEORY AND EVIDENCE FROM CHINA

This study explores the heterogeneous effects of minimum wage on innovation of different types of firms. We develop an open-economy R&D-based growth model and obtain the following result: raising the minimum wage reduces innovation of firms that use domestic inputs but increases innovation of firms that import foreign inputs. Intuitively, when the minimum wage increases, importing firms substitute labor with imported inputs, which have technology spillovers and enhance their innovation. We test this result using city-level data on minimum wages and firm-level patent data in China. Finally, we find that in accordance with our theory, raising the minimum wage is associated with more innovation by importing firms and less by non-importing firms. This result survives a battery of robustness checks.