Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of corruption on analyst coverage

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the impact of country-level corruption and firms’ anti-bribery policies on analyst coverage. Analyst coverage has been identified as a powerful tool to detect fraud and should equally act as a possible tool to reduce corruption.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a negative binomial count regression method on a longitudinal data set of a sample of S&P Global 1200 companies for the years 2010-2015. To control for potential endogeneity bias and improve the reliability of the estimation, both country-level corruption and firms’ anti-bribery policies variables were instrumented.FindingsAfter controlling potential endogeneity bias, the results show that the adoption of anti-bribery policies at firm level attracts more analysts to follow a firm. The results for corruption at country level show that analyst coverage increases in less corrupted countries indicating that the costs of corruption exceed its potential benefits. When the variables corruption at country level and anti-bribery policies are interacted, the relationship is positive and highly significant.Practical implicationsGiven the potential important role played by anti-corruption measures, firms are encouraged to adopt them to reduce the incidence of corruption and to increase analyst coverage, which will reinforce the benign effect of monitoring.Originality/valueAlthough the literature on corruption at the country level is rich, it is geared towards the determinants of corruption in contrast to its consequences, and fewer studies have focused on the impact of corruption at firm level because of data limitations. This paper addresses this gap and contributes to the literature on the consequences of corruption at firm level.
A comparative study and parameterization of supercapacitor electrical models applied to hybrid electric vehicles

Supercapacitors, also referred as ultracapacitors, are very attractive elements to combine with batteries or fuel cells in hybrid electric vehicle applications. This is due to the fact that they present some interesting features like high power density, long life cycle and low maintenance. Accurate supercapacitors circuit models are very important because they allow optimizing the sizing and power management of the powertrain. These models must be able to emulate the static and dynamic response with accuracy and robustness, avoiding excessive complexity. In this paper, three models of supercapacitors widely used in the literature have been selected. In order to estimate the different parameters of the equivalent circuit, an iterative method is implemented in Simscape-MATLAB®. The optimization function fits the simulation data with the experimental data. After that, the supercapacitor models are validated applying the European driving profile ECE15. Finally, a summary of the recommended supercapacitor model for automotive applications is shown, as well as the main conclusions reached along the analysis.
Novel infrared spectra for intermolecular dihydrogen bonding of the phenol-borane-trimethylamine complex in electronically excited state.

The intermolecular dihydrogen bonding in the electronically excited states of the dihydrogen-bonded phenol-BTMA complex in gas phase was theoretically investigated using the time-dependent density functional theory method for the first time. It was theoretically demonstrated that the S(1) state of the dihydrogen-bonded phenol-BTMA complex is a locally excited state, in which only the phenol moiety is electronically excited. The infrared spectra of the dihydrogen-bonded phenol-BTMA complex in ground state and the S(1) state were calculated at both the O-H and B-H stretching vibrational regions. A novel infrared spectrum of the dihydrogen-bonded phenol-BTMA complex in the electronically excited state was found. The stretching vibrational absorption bands of the dihydrogen-bonded O-H and B-H groups are very strong in the ground state, while they are disappeared in the S(1) state. At the same time, a new strong absorption band appears at the C[Double Bond]O stretching region. From the calculated bond lengths, it was found that both the O-H and B-H bonds in the dihydrogen bond O-H.H-B are significantly lengthened in the S(1) state of the dihydrogen-bonded phenol-BTMA complex. However, the C-O bond in the phenol moiety is markedly shortened in the excited state, and then has the characteristics of C[Double Bond]O group. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the intermolecular dihydrogen bonds in the electronically excited state of the dihydrogen-bonded phenol-BTMA complex are strengthened, since calculated H.H distance is drastically shortened in the S(1) state.
Structure–Activity Relationships of Tariquidar Analogs as Multidrug Resistance Modulators

The review summarizes the most recent achievements in structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies of tariquidar and its analogs. Tariquidar is one of the most promising representatives of the third generation of multidrug resistance (MDR) modulators created so far. This fact determines the strong interest of different research groups in the development of tariquidar-like structures as selective inhibitors of MDR transporters in resistant human cancer cells. After the discovery of tariquidar, a number of analogs have been synthesized and pharmacologically tested, thus supplying good data for comprehensive analyses of their structure–activity relationships. In the review, the structural and pharmacological data of newly synthesized tariquidar-like compounds are first presented. Next, the main achievements in the SAR studies are described focusing on two main transport proteins: P-glycoprotein and breast cancer resistance protein. The reported results are discussed from the point of view of their significance and importance for future directions in the rational design of effective MDR modulators.
Reconstructing the concept of team fluidity for the digitized era

In the modern digitized business environment, organizations are facing continual transformation in response to threats and opportunities. Team—an essential component of organizations—has evolved from an intact social system characterised by clear boundaries and differentiated roles to an emergent social system with fluidity in various aspects. To better understand fluidity in the team context, we review the previous literature and reconstruct the meaning of team fluidity. We define team fluidity as a team state characterized by team membership change, shorter team member tenure, unclear team boundary, and emergent team structure. We hope that an integrated understanding of team fluidity can shed light on both management theories and practices.
Kinetics of pancreatic juice secretion in relation to duodenal migrating myoelectric complex in preruminant and ruminant calves fed twice daily

Daily secretion of pancreatic juice, including postprandial responses to food, was investigated in two groups of calves: preruminant (fed with liquid food) and ruminant (fed with solid food). Male Friesian calves (1 week old and 6 weeks old) were surgically fitted with a pancreatic duct catheter, duodenal cannula and two duodenal electrodes. Continuous 24 h collections of pancreatic juice and myoelectrical recordings were performed with minimal restraint and disturbance of animals. In both groups of calves clear periodic fluctuations in pancreatic juice secretion (volume, protein output and trypsin activity) coinciding with duodenal migrating myoelectric complexes (MMC) were recorded. Secretion of juice per cycle and per day was greater in ruminant calves, but the frequency and amplitude of cycles were lower in this group. There were no differences between day and night-time preprandial pancreatic cycles and duodenal MMC in preruminant calves, whilst in ruminant calves, evening MMC were longer than morning MMC. The pancreatic cephalic phase (increase of volume flow, protein output and trypsin activity during and just after food intake) was significant only in preruminant calves following morning feeding. Postprandial pancreatic cycles did not differ from preprandial cycles, except the pancreatic cycle (juice volume and trypsin activity) in which food was offered in preruminant calves. No gastric or intestinal phase was observed in either group of calves. In conclusion, biological cycles of the gastrointestinal tract are present in both preruminant and ruminant calves, and these cycles evolve along with the change from liquid to solid food.
Dance as Prevention of Late Life Functional Decline Among Nursing Home Residents

Late life deterioration of functional status is associated with adverse health outcomes and increased cost of care. This trial was conducted to determine whether dance-based intervention could reverse functional decline among nursing home (NH) residents. A total of 189 residents of seven NHs in the Czech Republic were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. More detailed data were collected in a subsample of 52 participants. Intervention consisted of 3-month dance-based exercise. Functional status was assessed by the get-up-and-go test, basic activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and senior fitness tests (SFTs). Participants in the control group experienced a significant decline in get-up-and-go test, IADL, and in four of the six SFTs. The intervention proved to be effective in preventing this deterioration and improved chair stand test and chair sit-and-reach test. The findings indicate that a relatively simple dance-based exercise can slow down deterioration of functional status in NH residents.
The Impacts of ERCC1 Gene Exon VIII Alternative Splicing on Cisplatin-Resistance in Ovarian Cancer Cells

ABSTRACT Excision repair cross complementation group-1 (ERCC1) was reported to be responsible for drug resistance during cancer treatment. In this report, we first proved the existence of ERCC1 exon VIII alternative splicing in ovarian cancer cells. Further investigation showed that over-expressed exon VIII deficient ERCC1 variant failed to change the protein level of ERCC1 in cancer cells, but decreased the excision repair function of ERCC1 and enhanced sensitivity of cancer cells to cisplatin in a dose-dependent manner. The results indicate that ERCC1 exon VIII alternative splicing does exist in some ovarian cancer cell lines, and regulates cisplatin-resistance in ovarian cancer cells.
Corporate governance and firm performance: an empirical evidence from Syria

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of aggregate and individual corporate governance provisions on firm performance on all firms listed at Damascus Securities Exchange (DSE) for the period between 2011 and 2015. In addition, it disentangles ownership structure provision to ownership concentration and foreign ownership and investigates which component of ownership structure stands behind the significance of ownership structure in explaining firm performance. Design/methodology/approach The study uses multiple linear regression models to analyze the relationship between aggregate corporate governance index and its provisions and firm performance. A corporate governance index is built on the basis of four mechanics (i.e. board of directors, audit, disclosure and ownership structure) for all firms listed at DSE. On the other hand, the dependent variable (firm performance) is measured using Earnings Per Share (EPS) and Return On Assets (ROA). The authors capture current war conditions using political stability and absence of violence indicator, one of Worldwide Governance Indicators accumulated by the World bank. Findings This study finds that ownership structure is the only significant corporate governance provision in determining Syrian firms’ performance, as it loads positively and significantly on firm performance proxies (ROA and EPS). Moreover, the analysis of ownership structure items shows that foreign ownership is the main source of this positive and significant impact. This result is robust for both measures of firm performance and in the presence of political stability indicator. Originality/value This paper provides evidence on corporate governance measures from Syrian Arab Republic, a developing country with an emerging stock exchange. It examines board structure, ownership structure, audit committee and disclosure in a period of crisis because of the war in this country. Moreover, it uncovers that foreign ownership is the only influential provision affecting firm performance at DSE. Furthermore, it combines firm-level governance indicators with country governance indicator of political stability and absence of violence.
Optimization of the Multilayer Structures for a High Field-Sensitivity Biochip Sensor Based on the Planar Hall Effect

We have investigated the planar Hall effect (PHE) in three multilayer structures such as a bilayer, a spin-valve and a weak exchange bias coupling bilayer structure introduced a very thin Cu spacer layer between the antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic layers. These thin films are Ta(3)/NiFe(10)/IrMn(10)/Ta(3) (nm), Ta(3)/NiFe(10)/Cu(1.2)/NiFe(2)/IrMn(10)/Ta(3) (nm), and Ta(3)/NiFe(10)/Cu(0.2)/IrMn(10)/Ta(3) (nm), respectively. The active layers in all three structures were kept constant. The field-sensitivity of the fabricated PHE sensors obtained for the respected structures are about 1.6 muV middot Oe-1, 5 muV middot Oe-1, and 12 muV middot Oe-1, respectively. The results suggest that the sensor based on a weak exchange bias coupling structure has the highest field-sensitivity compared with the others. The proposed weak exchange bias coupling structure emphasizes for the development of the PHE sensor materials.
Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Complex 2 Modulates αβTCR Processing and Surface Expression during Thymocyte Development

An efficient immune response relies on the presence of T cells expressing a functional TCR. Whereas the mechanisms generating TCR diversity for antigenic recognition are well defined, what controls its surface expression is less known. In this study, we found that deletion of the mammalian target of rapamycin complex (mTORC) 2 component rictor at early stages of T cell development led to aberrant maturation and increased proteasomal degradation of nascent TCRs. Although CD127 expression became elevated, the levels of TCRs as well as CD4, CD8, CD69, Notch, and CD147 were significantly attenuated on the surface of rictor-deficient thymocytes. Diminished expression of these receptors led to suboptimal signaling, partial CD4−CD8− double-negative 4 (CD25−CD44−) proliferation, and CD4+CD8+ double-positive activation as well as developmental blocks at the CD4−CD8− double-negative 3 (CD25+CD44−) and CD8–immature CD8+ single-positive stages. Because CD147 glycosylation was also defective in SIN1-deficient fibroblasts, our findings suggest that mTORC2 is involved in the co/posttranslational processing of membrane receptors. Thus, mTORC2 impacts development via regulation of the quantity and quality of receptors important for cell differentiation.
Detection of human herpesvirus 6 and JC virus in progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy complicating follicular lymphoma

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a demyelinating infectious disease caused by JC virus (JCV), occurs almost exclusively in immunocompromised patients usually with malignant diseases. We report here a Japanese female with follicular lymphoma who subsequently developed PML. In addition to JCV, human herpesvirus 6 (HHV‐6) was detected in the affected brain lesions of the patient by polymerase chain reaction and by in situ hybridization. HHV‐6, recognized as a neurotropic virus, is known to be reactivated during immunosuppression and can cause fatal complications such as encephalitis/encephalopathy. It is likely that impaired immunity associated with lymphoma and the additional immunosuppression following cytopenia‐inducing chemotherapies predisposed the patient to reactivated HHV‐6 infection. Although it remains to be clarified whether HHV‐6 plays an important role as a co‐agent with JCV in causing demyelination of the brain, our observation alerts physicians to the possible association of HHV‐6 with the pathogenesis of PML. Am. J. Hematol. 67:200–205, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Novel Absolute Stability Criterion for Time Delay Systems with Sector-Bounded Nonlinearities

The problem of absolute stability analysis for a class of time delay systems subject to sector-bounded nonlinearities is investigated in this paper. Some new stability conditions with less conservatism are derived based on a more general Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional. The obtained results are given in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Some numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
Identification of true differentially expressed mRNAs in a pair of human bladder transitional cell carcinomas using an improved differential display procedure

Differential display in combination with arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fingerprinting has become one of the most powerful techniques to identify and isolate mRNAs that are differentially expressed in pairs of biological samples. However, in many cases the cDNA band corresponding to the differentially amplified product contains several cDNA species that comigrate with the cDNA of interest due to the poor resolution of the fingerprinting gels, thus hampering further analysis and identification of the desirable cDNA. To improve the electrophoretic resolution of differentially amplified cDNAs, we have utilized Resolver Gold agarose gel electrophoresis (Ingenius) as an additional step to overcome downstream problems encountered during RNA fingerprinting experiments. To illustrate the power of the modified differential display procedure we present a detailed analysis of the cDNA products differentially displayed in tumor biopsies obtained from a noninvasive (grade II, Ta) and an invasive (grade III, T2—T4) human bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). Several genes that were differentially expressed in this tumor pair were identified. These included: tropomyosin 4, the protein disulfide isomerase precursor (PDI), MRP14, signal transducer CD24, keratins 8 and 13, cytochrome oxidase subunit IV (COXIV), putative transcription factor HOX‐1.3, as well as two novel genes of yet unknown function. All of the identified cDNAs were shown to be truly differentially expressed by Northern blotting, reverse transcriptase‐PCR (RT‐PCR), and two‐dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2‐D PAGE) analysis of the corresponding lesions.
Twenty-four-hour intraocular pressure pattern associated with early glaucomatous changes.

PURPOSE To characterize the 24-hour pattern of intraocular pressure (IOP) in untreated patients with newly diagnosed early glaucomatous changes. METHODS Measurements of IOP, blood pressure, and heart rate were taken every 2 hours during a 24-hour period from a group of 24 untreated patients (ages 40-78 years) with newly diagnosed abnormal optic discs and/or abnormal visual fields. In the 16-hour diurnal awake period, IOP was measured sitting and supine, and blood pressure and heart rate were measured supine. In the 8-hour nocturnal sleep period, all measurements were taken in the supine position. Mean diurnal and nocturnal IOP, blood pressure, and heart rate in the glaucoma group were compared with data obtained from an age-matched control group of 24 individuals with healthy eyes. RESULTS Mean diurnal IOP, either sitting or supine, was significantly higher in the glaucoma group than in the control group. For both subject groups, nocturnal supine IOP was higher than diurnal sitting IOP. However, this diurnal-to-nocturnal increase in IOP was significantly smaller in the glaucoma group. When compared with the diurnal supine IOP, the nocturnal supine IOP was lower in the glaucoma group but higher in the control group. Around normal awakening time, the supine IOP increased in the glaucoma group and did not change in the control group. There was a diurnal-to-nocturnal decrease in mean blood pressure only in the glaucoma group. CONCLUSIONS Compared with healthy eyes, the diurnal IOP is higher, the diurnal-to-nocturnal change of habitual IOP is less, and the posture-independent IOP pattern around normal awakening time is different in eyes with early glaucomatous changes.
Revisiting the environmental kuznets curve hypothesis: evidence from the ASEAN-5 countries with structural breaks

ABSTRACT This paper tests if the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis exists for ASEAN-5 countries in an annual sample data that covers 1971–2013, by utilizing Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) methodology. The empirical findings give support for the EKC hypothesis for Thailand only, after considering the structural breaks. Furthermore, the paper tests the EKC hypothesis for a panel data of the ASEAN-5 by adopting the Pooled Mean Group (PMG) methodology. The results show that the long-run estimates provide no evidence for the EKC hypothesis. Finally, the paper examines the causality between the CO2 emissions and GDP. For individual countries, bidirectional causality was found in the case of Thailand and Malaysia, plus unidirectional causality running from GDP and squared GDP to CO2 emissions was found for Indonesia, but a unidirectional causality running from CO2 emissions to GDP and squared GDP was found for the Philippines, however, no causality effect was found for Singapore. Furthermore, the pairwise Dumitrescu and Hurlin Panel Causality test show a bidirectional effect between CO2 emissions and both GDP in addition to squared GDP.
Knowledge and Awareness about Cervical Cancer Vaccine (HPV) Among Parents in Sharjah

Background and aim: Cervical cancer (CC) is the 7th most common cancer worldwide. It is the 4th most common cancer in females causing 7.5% of all female cancer deaths. Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection is the leading cause of CC and other diseases worldwide. Despite several measures taken to reduce the risk of infection with HPV, the most effective method remains the HPV vaccine. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes of parents in Sharjah towards HPV and whether or not they would vaccinate their daughters. Methods and Material: A quantitative, observational cross-sectional study of 400 subjects was conducted in public venues in Sharjah. Probability sampling method was used for selection of subjects (parents who have daughters). A self-administered 32-question questionnaire was distributed. SPSS 21 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) was used for entry and analysis of data. Frequency was calculated, Chi square test was used to conduct bivariate analysis and bar charts and tables were used to present the results. Results: 78.3% of the population had heard of CC, 41.3 % of HPV, and 36.5% of the HPV vaccine. Among them, the percentages of the correctly answered knowledge-related questions were found to be 66.2%, 50.9% and 52.1% for CC, HPV and HPV vaccine, respectively. 76.6% of parents were willing to vaccinate their daughters. The percentage increased to 92.9%, if the ministry of health (MOH) recommended the vaccine. A significant correlation was found between the spouse’s level of education, HPV (Pearson-chi square value: 5.049 and p: 0.025) and HPV vaccine (Pearson-chi square value: 4.057 and p:0.044). Conclusions: Despite the public’s lack of knowledge, the study showed a noticeable increase in parent’s willingness to vaccinate their daughters if the government recommends and provides the HPV vaccine. However, proper evaluation of the vaccine’s efficacy from a socioeconomic point of view is needed before recommending its implementation in the UAE immunization schedule.