Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Australian multinational and domestic corporations capital structure determinants

This study investigates the significance of the determinants of capital structure on a sample of Australian multinational corporations and Australian domestic corporations over the period 1992 to 2001. The determinants of capital structure have captured academic thought for many decades, particularly since Modigliani and Miller (1958). If optimal capital structures do exist and that these structures maximise firm value, obtaining an understanding of the determinants of capital structure is important in obtaining an understanding of the way firms maximise value. Multinational corporations control considerable assets and some multinationals control more assets than that which is controlled by some countries. Decisions about capital structure may have important implications in regards to shareholder wealth effects. Therefore, obtaining an understanding of the determinants of capital structure and the differences between domestic and multinational capital structure is of interest to academics, politicians, shareholders and financiers The results show that the level of leverage does not differ significantly between multinational and domestic corporations. Using cross-sectional Tobit regression analysis the results show substantial variation in capital structure determinants between multinational and domestic corporations. For both types of organisations growth, profitability and size are significant determinants of leverage. For domestic corporations collateral value of assets is also a significant determinant of leverage. For multinationals, bankruptcy costs and the number of overseas subsidiaries is a significant determinant of leverage. Surprisingly, bankruptcy costs are not significant for domestic corporations. In relation to interaction effects, bankruptcy costs and profitability are significant in explaining multinational leverage relative to domestic leverage. When industry effects are considered the significance of the original determinants remained constant however, some industries became significant. The industry effect was not consistent across domestic and multinational corporations. In relation to time variation in leverage and the determinants of capital structure, both varied across domestic and multinationals over the sample period.
Cyclooxygenase-2 preserves flow-mediated remodelling in old obese Zucker rat mesenteric arteries.

AIMS Resistance arteries have a key role in the control of local blood flow and pressure, and chronic increases in blood flow induce endothelium-dependent outward hypertrophic remodelling. The incidence of metabolic syndrome increases with age, and the combination of these two risk factors impairs endothelium integrity, in part through an inflammatory process. We hypothesized that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) would affect remodelling in 12-month-old obese rats compared with young rats. METHODS AND RESULTS Mesenteric arteries of obese and lean Zucker rats were alternatively ligated to generate high flow (HF) in the median artery. After 21 days, arteries were isolated for in vitro analysis. After 21 days, outward hypertrophic remodelling occurred in HF arteries in obese (498 +/- 20 vs. 443 +/- 18 mum intraluminal diameter in normal flow (NF) arteries, P < 0.01), but not in lean rats (454 +/- 17 vs. 432 +/- 14, NS; n = 12 per group). Endothelium-dependent (acetylcholine)-mediated relaxation (AMR) was lower in obese than in lean rats. AMR was reduced by NO-synthase blockade in all groups, and eNOS expression was higher in HF than in NF arteries without difference between lean and obese rats. Indomethacin further reduced AMR in HF arteries from obese rats only. Obesity increased COX2 immunostaining in mesenteric arteries. Acute COX2 inhibition (NS398) significantly reduced AMR in HF arteries from obese rats only, suggesting production of vasodilator prostanoid(s). In obese rats chronically treated with the COX2 inhibitor celecoxib, outward remodelling did not occur in HF arteries and AMR was improved without reaching the level found in lean rats. CONCLUSION COX2 preserved in part flow-mediated arterial remodelling in old obese rats. Nevertheless, this effect was not sufficient to keep endothelium-dependent relaxation to the level obtained in lean rats.
Conference on Intelligent Computation in Manufacturing Engineering-CIRP ICME ' 17 An approach for the integration of anticipative maintenance strategies within a production planning and control model

Current production planning and control systems of manufacturing companies do not include future-oriented maintenance strategies that allow the precise prediction of maintenance tasks. This results in inefficient production processes due to unforeseeable machine downtimes, fluctuating lead times and a high number of rush orders. An approach for the integration of anticipative maintenance strategies within a production planning and control model is developed in order to increase the flexibility and quality of production planning. Based on an anticipative maintenance strategy, the model derives measures for minimizing the overall production costs as well as maintenance related costs over a finite planning horizon. © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the International Scientific Committee of “11th CIRP ICME Conference".
Cities in the airports 'shadow': underlying interests and discretionary power in airport-region development

The previously distinct boundary between airports and their cities has become increasingly blurred as new interests and actors are identified as important stakeholders in the decision making process. As a consequence airport entities are more than ever seeking an integrated existence with their surrounding regions. While current planning strategies provide insights on how to improve and leverage land use planning in and around airports, emerging challenges for implementing and protecting these planning ideals stem from the governance shadows of development decisions. The thesis of this paper is that improving the identification, articulation and consideration of city and airport interests in the development approval process (between planning and implementation) can help avoid outcomes that hinder the ability of cities and their airports to meet their separate/mutual long-term objectives. By applying a network governance perspective to the pilot case study of Brisbane, analysis of overlapping and competing actor interests show how different governance arrangements facilitate (or impede) decision making that protects sustainable ‘airport region’ development. ---------- Contributions are made to airport and city development decision makers through the identification and analysis of effective and ineffective decision making pathways, and to governance literature by way of forwarding empirically derived frameworks for showing how actors protect their interests in the ‘crowded decision making domain’ of airport region development. This work was carried out through the Airport Metropolis Research Project under the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Projects funding scheme (LP0775225).
Production of Platelet-Activating Factor by Porcine Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells in Culture

Summary Endothelial cells produce platelet-activating factor (PAF), which is the key process in the interactions between the vascular wall and blood cells. To examine the production of PAF in brain microvasculature we have cultured brain endothelial cells and performed a comparative study with aortic endothelial cells. Fresh porcine brain was homogenized, and microvascular endothelial cells were separated by enzyme digestion. The cells were cultured in medium containing epidermal growth factor and bovine brain extract. Endothelial cells from the aorta of the same animal were cultured in a similar manner. Production of PAF was assessed by ǀ3Hǀacetate incorporation into phospholipids or by radioimmunoassay. Prostacyclin was measured by radioimmunoassay of 6-ketoprostaglandin F1α. The cells produced 1760 ± 403 and 2892 ± 347 dpm/106 cells (n = 4) of PAF when stimulated with brady- kinin and calcium ionophore A23187, each at 1 μM, respectively. Aortic endothelial cells produced 3911 ± 2006 and 8052 ± 2270 dpm/106 cells (n = 4), respectively, and these values were significantly higher than those in brain endothelial cells (p<0.01, U-test). Prostacyclin production was also higher in aortic cells as compared to brain microvascular endothelial cells. In aortic endothelial cells both Ca ionophore A23187 and bradykinin significantly stimulated PMN adherence whereas in brain microvascular cells only Ca ionophore enhanced the adherence. Brain microvascular endothelial cells produce smaller amount of PAF and prostacyclin as compared to aortic endothelial cells, and this fact may imply that the functional integrity of the brain microvascular endothelium is maintained at a low level.
The 2008-2009 Financial Crisis and the HIPCs: Another Debt Crisis?

Dealing with one exogenous adverse external shock at a time is generally a difficult challenge for heavily indebted poor countries, because of limited fiscal space, few policy options and scarce debt management capacity. The current financial crisis, because of its unprecedented severity and global scale, forces poor countries to deal with multiple exogenous shocks simultaneously: Mitigating the effects of a reduction in trade, capital inflows and foreign assistance is going to be a very hard task and to require a massive intervention by donors and by the International Financial Institutions, in order to avoid to jeopardize the progresses done so far by debt relief initiatives. The paper tries to spell out the way in which the global economic-financial crisis has affected and still weighs on Low-Income Countries, focusing on overall debt sustainability.
Dynamical Entropies Applied to Stochastic Resonance

We will show that SR is accompanied by an extremal behavior of these quantities when sweeping noise intensity over the resonance region. We will prove that an increase of applied noise at first leads to an increase of temporal order in the output sequence. Simultaneously, the predictability of the output sequence will improve in the resonance region. From the Kullback-entropy analysis we will learn that for a certain value of noise intensity the input and output distributions of binary subsequences maximally match. Moreover, input and output subsequences registered at equal times exhibit maximum correlation. Finally, we relate these results to the syn
Therapy of Osteoporosis With Calcium and Vitamin D

Inadequate intakes of vitamin D and calcium lead to reduced calcium absorption, higher bone remodeling rates, and increased bone loss. Vitamin D insufficiency has also been linked to reduced muscle function and increased risk of falling. The mechanisms for the performance and muscle effects are not well understood. Administering vitamin D to those with inadequate vitamin D status has been shown to lower fracture rates in some trials but not in others. The purpose of this presentation is (1) to examine how calcium and vitamin D work in concert, (2) to consider key evidence that increasing vitamin D intake will affect risk of falls and fractures, and (3) to estimate the 25‐hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level needed to achieve maximum fracture protection.
Association between Prehospital CPR Quality and End-Tidal Carbon Dioxide Levels in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Abstract Introduction: International Guidelines recommend measurement of end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) to enhance cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quality and optimize blood flow during CPR. Numerous factors impact EtCO2 (e.g., ventilation, metabolism, cardiac output), yet few clinical studies have correlated CPR quality and EtCO2 during actual out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) resuscitations. The purpose of this study was to describe the association between EtCO2 and CPR quality variables during OHCA. Methods: This is an observational study of prospectively collected CPR quality and capnography data from two EMS agencies participating in a statewide resuscitation quality improvement program. CPR quality and capnography data from adult (≥18 years) cardiac resuscitation attempts (10/2008–06/2013) were collected and analyzed on a minute-by-minute basis using RescueNet™ Code Review. Linear mixed effect models were used to evaluate the association between (log-transformed) EtCO2 level and CPR variables: chest compression (CC) depth, CC rate, CC release velocity (CCRV), ventilation rate. Results: Among the 1217 adult OHCA cases of presumed cardiac etiology, 925 (76.0%) had a monitor-defibrillator file with CPR quality data, of which 296 (32.0%) cases had >1 minute of capnography data during CPR. After capnography quality review, 66 of these cases (22.3%) were excluded due to uninterpretable capnography, resulting in a final study sample of 230 subjects (mean age 68 years; 69.1% male), with a total of 1581 minutes of data. After adjustment for other CPR variables, a 10 mm increase in CC depth was associated with a 4.0% increase in EtCO2 (p < 0.0001), a 10 compression/minute increase in CC rate with a 1.7% increase in EtCO2 (p = 0.02), a 10 mm/second increase in CCRV with a 2.8% increase in EtCO2 (p = 0.03), and a 10 breath/minute increase in ventilation rate with a 17.4% decrease in EtCO2 (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: When controlling for known CPR quality variables, increases in CC depth, CC rate and CCRV were each associated with a statistically significant but clinically modest increase in EtCO2. Given the small effect sizes, the clinical utility of using EtCO2 to guide CPR performance is unclear. Further research is needed to determine the practicality and impact of using real-time EtCO2 to guide CPR delivery in the prehospital environment.
Cre-dependent DNA recombination activates a STING-dependent innate immune response

Abstract Gene-recombinase technologies, such as Cre/loxP-mediated DNA recombination, are important tools in the study of gene function, but have potential side effects due to damaging activity on DNA. Here we show that DNA recombination by Cre instigates a robust antiviral response in mammalian cells, independent of legitimate loxP recombination. This is due to the recruitment of the cytosolic DNA sensor STING, concurrent with Cre-dependent DNA damage and the accumulation of cytoplasmic DNA. Importantly, we establish a direct interplay between this antiviral response and cell–cell interactions, indicating that low cell densities in vitro could be useful to help mitigate these effects of Cre. Taking into account the wide range of interferon stimulated genes that may be induced by the STING pathway, these results have broad implications in fields such as immunology, cancer biology, metabolism and stem cell research. Further, this study sets a precedent in the field of gene-engineering, possibly applicable to other enzymatic-based genome editing technologies.
Bias in an Adapted Version of the 15FQ+in South Africa

This study addressed the cross-cultural suitability of an adapted version of the Fifteen Factor Questionnaire (15FQ+) in South Africa. Criteria for changes to the items of the original 15FQ+ included comprehension and cultural appropriateness. The instrument was administered in English to a pool of 16 339 participants from all parts of South Africa who had applied for entry-level police jobs in the South African Police Services (SAPS). Bias was studied at construct and item level. A higher level of overall structural equivalence was reported for the adapted version when compared with results found in research with the original version. However, some scales remain problematic. A slight decrease in the number of biased items was also found for the adapted version and it was concluded that item bias is not a major problem in this version. Despite these results pointing to the apparent adequacy of the adaptations, only marginal increases were found in terms of the internal consistencies when compared to the original version and for the black groups, in particular, consistency levels remained low. These low levels of consistency continue to limit the usefulness of the questionnaire.
Access and participation in the community: a prospective qualitative study of driving post-stroke

Purpose: Loss of role as a driver significantly affects community participation; therefore, we aimed to explore the impact of driving issues post-stroke in community-dwelling stroke survivors. Methods: A longitudinal qualitative study of community-dwelling stroke survivors, using semi-structured interviews. Results: Twenty-two participants took part in 84 interviews over a 1-year period post-stroke. The majority of participants was independent and experienced few major depressive symptoms. ages ranged from 50 to 92 years. Emergent key themes included impact on quality of life, personal impacts, change to role performance and knowledge. Participants received inconsistent advice regarding return to driving. Confidence and availability determined public transport use. Conclusions: Driving advice should be standard practice prior to discharge. Allied health professionals can play an essential role in interventions addressing community participation, driver re-training and alternative transport use. Therapists have an important role in assisting stroke survivors to work through feelings of loss and in providing education concerning new skills to support this life transition. Implications for Rehabilitation Issues regarding driving are of major importance to stroke survivors. Allied health professionals can play a significant role in providing education and training regarding return to driving and alternate transport options. Allied health professionals have an important role in assisting stroke survivors to transition to a life without driving by working through feelings of loss and by providing education concerning new skills to support this life transition.
Antioxidant and antidiarrheal activities of ethanol extract of Ardisia elliptica fruits

Abstract Context: Ardisia elliptica Thunb Lam. (Myrsinaceae) is widely used traditionally in the treatment of diarrhea related health disorders in Bangladesh. Objective: The crude ethanol extract of Ardisia elliptica fruits (EFA) was evaluated for its antioxidant and antidiarrhoeal activities. Materials and methods: DPPH radical scavenging, nitric oxide scavenging, reducing power and Fe++ ion chelating ability were used for determining antioxidant activities and animal models were used for antidiarrheal activities such as the castor oil and magnesium sulfate-induced diarrhea, enteropooling induced by the administration of castor oil and magnesium sulfate at the doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg. Results: The extract possessed a significant DPPH free radical scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 30.75 μg/ml compared to ascorbic acid (IC50: 7.89 μg/ml). The IC50 values of the extract and ascorbic acid were 51.72 and 38.68 μg/ml, respectively, in nitric oxide scavenging assay. The IC50 value of the extract for Fe++ ion chelating ability (41.30 μg/ml) was also found to be significant compared to the IC50 value of EDTA (22.57 μg/ml). The EFA also showed a significant protection (p < 0.001) against experimentally induced diarrhea by castor oil and magnesium sulfate as evidenced by a decrease in the number of defecation with respect to control. The diarrhea induced by castor oil and magnesium sulfate enteropooling was prevented by all the tested doses. Conclusion: Therefore, the obtained results confirm the antioxidant and antidiarrheal activity of EFA and thus support the traditional uses of this plant as a modality for antioxidant and antidiarrheal activity.
The Small Food Manufacturing Sector in the Irish Grocery Market

Abstract This paper seeks to explain the continuing reduction in the number of small food manufacturing companies in Ireland by examining food manufacturers' self perceived performance and investment intentions in the context of retailers' supplier selection processes. The paper finds that the greatest and most immediate risk to small suppliers survival is their under—performance in generating retailers' sales andmargins. The paper also identifis a set of inconsistencies in suppliers' investment intentions. It is argued that small manufacturers, while appreciating their relative under—performance in commercial performance, are failing to divert resources into this area. The study also raises concerns about small food manufacturers understanding of their market and the principles that direct their innovation efforts.
Price Volatility on the USD/JPY Market as a Measure of Investors' Attitude Towards Risk

: The aim of the paper is to show the relationship between the value of Japanese yen and the investors’ risk aversion. The correlation results from the application of carry trade strategies by investors. An increase in carry trade positions is associated with the decrease in risk aversion. The Japanese yen is one of the most popular carry trade funding currency and therefore the change in the value of this currency reflects the change in the investors’ mood. This paper shows that there is a negative relationship between the USD/JPY and the risk aversion measured by volatility index (VIX). the for an initial analysis of the
Cell death goes LIVE: Technological advances in real-time tracking of cell death

Cell population can be viewed as a quantum system, which like Schrödinger’s cat exists as a combination of survival- and death-allowing states. Tracking and understanding cell-to-cell variability in processes of high spatio-temporal complexity such as cell death is at the core of current systems biology approaches. As probabilistic modeling tools attempt to impute information inaccessible by current experimental approaches, advances in technologies for single-cell imaging and omics (proteomics, genomics, metabolomics) should go hand in hand with the computational efforts. Over the last few years we have made exciting technological advances that allow studies of cell death dynamically in real-time and with the unprecedented accuracy. These approaches are based on innovative fluorescent assays and recombinant proteins, bioelectrical properties of cells, and more recently also on state-of-the-art optical spectroscopy. Here, we review current status of the most innovative analytical technologies for dynamic tracking of cell death, and address the interdisciplinary promises and future challenges of these methods.
Joint TOA/DOA measurements for UWB indoor propagation channel using MUSIC algorithm

A wideband indoor propagation channel sounder with parallel RF chains based on five-port reflectometers is presented in order to measure the Direction Of Arrival (DOA) in azimuth plane and propagation Time Of Arrival (TOA) of coherent UWB signalsl. Low-cost and high-resolution are obtained using a five-port receivers and the MUltiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm. This algorithm is associated with a Spatial Smoothing Pre-processing (SSP) and the frequency domain sounding technique. The receiver operates around 7.25 GHz and covers up to 2.5 GHz. Experimental measurements are performed in an anechoic chamber, the results show errors lower than 0.1 ns in the time domain and of few degrees in the angular domain.
CHALLENGES FOR RELIABILITY REGULATION IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY

The regulatory framework changes within the Electricity Distribution Industry (EDI) will influence the Distribution business principles for investment decisions. The electricity regulators worldwide are in the process of establishing regulatory frameworks to encourage distribution utilities to improve reliability received by the end customer. The challenge is different for developing country as compared with developed countries. This paper provides a broad overview of the challenge facing the electricity distributors in South Africa to ensure that investment decisions will improve overall reliability levels within the context of a developing country.