Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human Subjects Protection: A Source for Ethical Service-Learning Practice.

Human subjects research ethics were developed to ensure responsible conduct when university researchers learn by interacting with community members. As service-learning students also learn by interacting with community members, a similar set of principles may strengthen the ethical practice of service-learning. This article identifies ethical concerns involved when service-learning students enter communities and draws on the Belmont Report and three research methodologies invested in responsible university interaction with underserved populations—decolonial, feminist, and participatory—to offer a set of guidelines for practicing ethical service-learning.
Multinational Business Finance

Part I: Global Environment Chapter 1: Globalization and the Multinational Enterprise Chapter 2: Financial Goals & Governance Chapter 3: The International Monetary System Chapter 4: The Balance of Payments Chapter 5: Current Multinational Financial Challenges: Crisis Part II: Foreign Exchange Theory and Markets Chapter 6: The Foreign Exchange Market Chapter 7: International Parity Conditions Appendix: Algebraic Primer to International Parity Conditions Chapter 8: Foreign Currency Derivatives Appendix: Currency Option Pricing Theory Chapter 9: Interest Rate and Cross Currency Swaps Chapter 10: Foreign Exchange Rate Determination & Forecasting Part III: Foreign Exchange Exposure Chapter 11: Transaction Exposure Appendix: Complex Options Chapter 12: Operating Exposure Chapter 13: Translation Exposure Part IV: Financing the Global Firm Chapter 14: The Global Cost and Availability of Capital Chapter 15: Sourcing Equity Globally Chapter 16: Sourcing Debt Globally Part V: Foreign Investment Decisions Chapter 17: International Portfolio Theory & Investment Chapter 18: Foreign Direct Investment Theory & Strategy Chapter 19: Multinational Capital Budgeting Part VI: Managing Multinational Operations Chapter 20: Multinational Tax Management Chapter 21: Working Capital Management Chapter 22: International Trade Finance
Relief of Two Built-In Autoinhibitory Mechanisms in P-TEFb Is Required for Assembly of a Multicomponent Transcription Elongation Complex at the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Promoter

ABSTRACT Tat stimulation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transcription requires Tat-dependent recruitment of human positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb) to the HIV-1 promoter and the formation on the trans-acting response element (TAR) RNA of a P-TEFb–Tat–TAR ternary complex. We show here that the P-TEFb heterodimer of Cdk9-cyclin T1 is intrinsically incapable of forming a stable complex with Tat and TAR due to two built-in autoinhibitory mechanisms in P-TEFb. Both mechanisms exert little effect on the P-TEFb–Tat interaction but prevent the P-TEFb–Tat complex from binding to TAR RNA. The first autoinhibition arises from the unphosphorylated state of Cdk9, which establishes a P-TEFb conformation unfavorable for TAR recognition. Autophosphorylation of Cdk9 overcomes this inhibition by inducing conformational changes in P-TEFb, thereby exposing a region in cyclin T1 for possible TAR binding. An intramolecular interaction between the N- and C-terminal regions of cyclin T1 sterically blocks the P-TEFb–TAR interaction and constitutes the second autoinhibitory mechanism. This inhibition is relieved by the binding of the C-terminal region of cyclin T1 to the transcription elongation factor Tat-SF1 and perhaps other cellular factors. Upon release from the intramolecular interaction, the C-terminal region also interacts with RNA polymerase II and is required for HIV-1 transcription, suggesting its role in bridging the P-TEFb–Tat–TAR complex and the basal elongation apparatus. These data reveal novel control mechanisms for the assembly of a multicomponent transcription elongation complex at the HIV-1 promoter.
Social identities and psycho-social needs in adolescents’ health literate practices

Adolescent perspectives on health and the social and literate values of their health related behaviours require exploration and examination in health literacy, as knowledge gaps related to the constituents of health literate practices, and the functions and acquisition of health literacy exist in the literature. Research addressing this was approached based on socio-cultural and socio-ecological principles using a collective instrumental case design. Participants were new adolescent mother aged 15-18 recruited from 4 different community/education programs around Victoria, BC. Data was collected over a four month period, and consisted of individual and focus group interviews, journals, and researchers‟ observations and field notes. Findings show that participants‟ health behaviours changed significantly in tandem with their identities, the groups they associated with, and the social contexts they moved within. Findings indicate that identity, informal social environments, and unconscious cognitive process and psychosocial needs play a role in adolescents health literacy and literate practices.
Bioelectromagnetic forward problem: isolated source approach revis(it)ed

Electro- and magnetoencephalography (EEG and MEG) are non-invasive modalities for studying the electrical activity of the brain by measuring voltages on the scalp and magnetic fields outside the head. In the forward problem of EEG and MEG, the relationship between the neural sources and resulting signals is characterized using electromagnetic field theory. This forward problem is commonly solved with the boundary-element method (BEM). The EEG forward problem is numerically challenging due to the low relative conductivity of the skull. In this work, we revise the isolated source approach (ISA) that enables the accurate, computationally efficient BEM solution of this problem. The ISA is formulated for generic basis and weight functions that enable the use of Galerkin weighting. The implementation of the ISA-formulated linear Galerkin BEM (LGISA) is first verified in spherical geometry. Then, the LGISA is compared with conventional Galerkin and symmetric BEM approaches in a realistic 3-shell EEG/MEG model. The results show that the LGISA is a state-of-the-art method for EEG/MEG forward modeling: the ISA formulation increases the accuracy and decreases the computational load. Contrary to some earlier studies, the results show that the ISA increases the accuracy also in the computation of magnetic fields.
Asymmetry in pay-off predicts how familiar individuals respond to one another

Familiarity influences individual decision-making in many vertebrate species. Here, we propose that familiarity modulates behaviour to different extents depending on the social context of the interaction. Specifically, the more that one player stands to gain relative to the other, the less important familiarity will be in influencing their responses to one another. We test this prediction using pairs of male guppies (Poecilia reticulata) in three competitive scenarios of increasing asymmetry in outcome to the two players: schooling under potential threat (similar outcomes), competing for a defensible food source (some asymmetry) and competing for a receptive female (strongly asymmetrical outcomes). Males show a graded response as asymmetry increases, with familiarity producing marked behavioural differences under potential threat, minor changes when competing for food, but none at all in competition for mating opportunities. This suggests that mutualistic benefits can arise as a by-product of selfish behaviour, supporting the role of pseudo-reciprocity in the evolution of cooperation.
The Commitment Mix: Dimensions of Commitment in International Trading Relationships in India

The authors identify five types of relationship commitment in international marketing relationships: value-based, affective, locked-in, obligation, and behavioral commitment. They develop and test scales to measure these dimensions on the basis of a study of India-based firms’ international business relationships. The dimensions are interrelated but distinct and vary according to relationship development, performance, and cultural context. The authors find similar patterns of commitment for better-performing relationships with partners in different regions of the world, but there are differences by region for poorer-performing relationships. The results have implications for developing and sustaining successful international marketing relationships and for further research.
Comparison and Evaluation of PET/CT Image Registration

Diagnosis, treatment planning and prognosis may be improved by combining functional data with anatomic location via PET/CT dual-modality image registration. The aim of this work is to reveal the spatial accuracy, reliability and speed of registration techniques used in Geminitrade PET/CT Imaging System, as a part of quality assurance program for clinical and research applications. A multi-layer alignment bearing source device was used to validate PET/CT intrinsic alignment, as well as a Randoreg Man phantom. A series of known transformations were performed to simulate different misalignment between PET and CT images. Two semi-automated registration techniques used to correct misalignment were assessed and compared quantitatively by measuring absolute distances between the centroids of corresponding fiducial markers in the registered volumes. Comparisons between independent and cross fiducial localization indicate that fused PET/CT is superior to visual correlation of PET and CT individually in identifying registration errors. The experimental and theoretical findings confirm that PET/CT hybrid system can produce robust intrinsic image alignment and accurate PET/CT image registration with careful user interaction. The maximum spatial error in our experiments is below 4 mm, and is better than the spatial resolution of the PET scanner used. This is considered to be sufficient for most PET/CT applications
Measuring Performance of Mobile Service Providers: An Application of Data Envelopment Analysis

Telecommunication is the lifeline of society. Telecom sectors are plays an important role for economic and commercial growth for any country. In the last two years, there has been an exponential growth in cellular mobile services in India. At present the mobile subscriber base is increasing at the rate of about 2.5–3 million subscribers per month. However the efficiency and quality of service would suffer if efficient interconnections were not enforced in a timely manner. There is still great diversity in the relative performance of various service providers, which is matter of concern to the telecom planner in this country. This paper employs the method of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to compare the relative efficiency of mobile service providers in India. The identification of the strongest and the weakest service providers could be very useful in improving their efficiency and performance. Mathematically, DEA determines the best weights for each input and output for a particular unit under study so as to maximize its relative efficiency. The results may be insightful to the telecom policy planner as it identifies the inefficient service providers, who can improve the performance by making the efficient providers as their role model. The paper also identifies some generic insights from this study.
Proposal of Industrial Research and Development Performance Indices

To express research and development performance, R&D efficiency and R&D cash flow are proposed as indices. These indices reflect the connection between investment and its results more clearly than conventional indices such as R&D expenditure-to-sales ratio. For this attribute, the proposed indices are expected to be particularly useful in demonstrating the R&D division's accountability to other divisions and work within the R&D division toward R&D efficiency improvement.
A Structural Vector Autoregression Model for Monetary Policy Analysis in India

A structural vector autoregression (SVAR) model is proposed for analysing the impact of monetary policy stances on real variables in the Indian economy, in the context of its continuous exposure to global factors like oil price shocks and changes in global financial health. The empirical findings based on monthly data relating to the post-liberalisation period (April 1992–December 2012) suggest that contractionary monetary policy has had a considerable adverse impact on output for a year, which appears to be consistent with the prevailing economic outlook. But the same policy measure fuels inflation further for the first eight months in contrast to its expected decline, and the rise in inflation raises the issue of a ‘price puzzle’ in the Indian context. Monetary policy-induced exchange rate appreciation hampers industrial production due to outperformance of high import demand over export competitiveness and causes an increase in the average price level. Global factors like oil price shocks leave detrimental effects on output for a long time horizon of 10–12 months and raise inflation for nearly half a year, whereas an increase in the US federal funds rate results in a temporary decline in output growth of Indian industries. JEL Classification: C01, E43, E52
Sustainable Human Development for European Countries

In recent years, sustainable development has represented one of the most important policy goals at the global level. How to design specific policy actions and how to measure performance and results continue to present a challenge. The aim of this paper is to identify a numerical measure of ‘sustainable human development’ by enlarging human development with more specific environmental aspects. The sustainability condition has been directly analysed on the well‐being side. Building a complex Sustainable Human Development Index may be a hard task because of data availability. European countries represent a useful pilot area for testing the methodology. The key factors of effective sustainable human development are emphasized, comparing a Sustainable Human Development Index with existing traditional indicators such as the Gross Domestic Product and the Human Development Index.
On-farm management of rice cultivars: how economic determinants drive diversity

The aims of our paper are to identify economic determinants of the on-farm cultivar selection and to empirically characterise farmers' diversification strategies. We focus on the private decision making process involving the choice of rice cultivars and the corresponding allocation of farmland. Our results rely on original data collected during the spring of 2009 involving a sample of 86 economic units growing rice. We studied the determinants of the number of cultivars grown on farm and then factors explaining the portfolio choice in terms of commercial rice grain with a multinomial logit model, with three alternatives: a) to be specialised into a particular type of rice grain (long or round); b) to grow simultaneously these two types; c) to be diversified with niche market varieties. Our results confirm the importance of the interactions between markets related benefit and the management constraints on land and labour.
Controlling shareholder entrenchment, corporate governance and corporate performance

The objective of this study is to explore the link between controlling shareholder entrenchment and firm performance while focusing on the mitigating effects of corporate governance practices. This research is conducted in Canada covering a six-year period from 2002 to 2007 and uses panel data from 334 S%P/TSX firms. The quality of firm-level governance is measured based on the ROB index published by The Globe and Mail. The measurement of controlling shareholder entrenchment is based on voting rights and the wedge between voting and cash-flow rights. Using fixed-effect regressions, we find strong evidence that the negative impact of entrenchment on firm performance is attenuated when corporate governance practices are strong.
Higher education and the development of competencies for innovation in the workplace

Purpose – This paper aims to analyze the production function nexus between higher education practice and the development of innovation‐related competencies by university graduates in Spain. The research hypothesis is the presence of statistically significant relationships between the development of innovational competencies and the modes of teaching and learning used in higher education practice.Design/methodology/approach – The relationships are modeled through a set of stochastic frontier and variance component equations with the development of each competency as the dependent variable. The main explanatory variables capture the prevalence of diverse teaching/learning modes and the behavior of graduates during their studies. Controls for individual and study programs are also included. Data comes from the European graduate survey REFLEX and includes about 5,500 records.Findings – Estimates show evidence of significant marginal effects of the teaching and learning modes and the development of specific co.
On the Causality between Exchange Rates and Stock Prices: A Note

This study uses a new Granger non-causality testing procedure developed by Toda and Yamamoto (1995) to contribute to the debate on exchange rates and stock prices in Sweden. It examines a possible causal relation between these variables in a vector autoregression (VAR) model. The results show that Granger causality is unidirectional running from stock prices to effective exchange rates. The results also reveal that an increase in Swedish stock prices is associated with an appreciation of the Swedish krona. Special attention is given to the estimation methodology and the lag choosing process. Copyright 2002 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the Board of Trustees of the Bulletin of Economic Research
A Kir3.4 mutation causes Andersen–Tawil syndrome by an inhibitory effect on Kir2.1

Objective: To identify other causative genes for Andersen–Tawil syndrome, which is characterized by a triad of periodic paralysis, cardiac arrhythmia, and dysmorphic features. Andersen–Tawil syndrome is caused in a majority of cases by mutations in KCNJ2, which encodes the Kir2.1 subunit of the inwardly rectifying potassium channel. Methods: The proband exhibited episodic flaccid weakness and a characteristic TU-wave pattern, both suggestive of Andersen–Tawil syndrome, but did not harbor KCNJ2 mutations. We performed exome capture resequencing by restricting the analysis to genes that encode ion channels/associated proteins. The expression of gene products in heart and skeletal muscle tissues was examined by immunoblotting. The functional consequences of the mutation were investigated using a heterologous expression system in Xenopus oocytes, focusing on the interaction with the Kir2.1 subunit. Results: We identified a mutation in the KCNJ5 gene, which encodes the G-protein–activated inwardly rectifying potassium channel 4 (Kir3.4). Immunoblotting demonstrated significant expression of the Kir3.4 protein in human heart and skeletal muscles. The coexpression of Kir2.1 and mutant Kir3.4 in Xenopus oocytes reduced the inwardly rectifying current significantly compared with that observed in the presence of wild-type Kir3.4. Conclusions: We propose that KCNJ5 is a second gene causing Andersen–Tawil syndrome. The inhibitory effects of mutant Kir3.4 on inwardly rectifying potassium channels may account for the clinical presentation in both skeletal and heart muscles.
Trade Tariffs and Self-Enforcing Environmental Agreements

In the basic model of international environmental agreements (IEAs) (Barrett 1994, Rubio and Ulph 2006) extended by international trade, self-enforcing - or stable - IEAs may comprise up to 60% of all countries (Eichner and Pethig 2013). But these IEAs reduce total emissions only slightly compared to non-cooperation. Here we analyze the capacity of sign-unconstrained tariffs to enhance the size and performance of self-enforcing IEAs. We show that the size of stable IEAs shrinks when climate coalitions are Stackelberg leaders and set tariffs in addition to their cap-and-trade schemes. Surprisingly, these smaller IEAs reduce total emissions more effectively than the larger stable IEAs without tariffs. In the model with tariffs the signatory countries import fossil fuel and their tariff takes the form of a subsidy of fuel consumption and a tax on the production of the consumption good.
Broad scope management accounting system and managerial performance: The impact of role ambiguity and functional difference

The purpose of this study was to examine whether role ambiguity mediates the relationship between broad scope management accounting system (MAS) and managerial performance. Further, this study also examined whether functional difference of activities moderates the association between broad scope MAS and role ambiguity, and between role ambiguity and managerial performance. The research subjects were marketing managers, production managers, and their supervisors of publicly-listed electronics manufacturing companies in Taiwan. Datawere collected from a survey and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis. The relations between research variables were examined using path analysis. Results indicated that broad scope MAS did not directly influence managerial performance but through mediation of role ambiguity. The full mediation of role ambiguity was particularly pronounced in a marketing-oriented context. Key words: Broad scope management accounting system (MAS), role ambiguity, managerial performance, functional difference.
Compensation of Raman-induced crosstalk using a lumped germanosilicate fiber Raman amplifier in the 1.571-1.591-μm region

A new method to equalize power imbalance caused by Raman-induced crosstalk among optical channels is proposed using a lumped germanosilicate fiber Raman amplifier. Evolution of optical channels through the Raman amplifier was simulated using Raman frequency modeling, which theoretically predicted simultaneous amplification and power equalization. Experimentally, a gain band with negative slope in the range of 1.571-1.591 /spl mu/m was achieved in a lumped Raman amplifier pumped by a broad-band laser diode centered at 1.467 /spl mu/m. We demonstrated compensation of the Raman-induced crosstalk of 5 dB accumulated along 330 km of conventional single-mode fiber.
Local Government System in Bangladesh: How Far is it Decentralised?

This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the power decentralisation process at the local level in Bangladesh. More specifically, this paper intends to explore whether or not the much needed autonomy has been built into the decentralisation process. The paper is basically based on the review of secondary materials. However, efforts have been made to consult all the available local government commission reports. The study findings suggest that, despite having Constitutional recognition of the establishment of a strong and independent local government system, the political leadership of Bangladesh has initiated different reforms to bring changes to the structure of the Local Government Institutions (LGIs) in the name of decentralisation. However, the main intentions behind most of the reforms have been to strengthen their political base in the particular area. As a result, these institutions could not be established as a focal point of development where people would have the power to monitor and control their constituencies.