Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New Dimensions of Financial Liberalization in Japan

This article contrasts the development of Japanese financial institutions over the past 50 years to that of the United States and compares the two countries' household savings behavior. Although reform and liberalization is driving the Japanese financial sector to become more open and more sophisticated, there are powerful reasons for the Japanese system and Japanese asset-holding behavior to remain divergent from that of the United States. One major factor is that income and wealth in Japan are distributed much more evenly than in the United States. Since wealthy households are more sophisticated and better able to accommodate risk, the concentration of wealth in the United States means that, compared to Japan, there are more high income/high wealth households that are willing to take on risk from equity and bond holdings. In Japan, in contrast, there is a much heavier reliance on bank deposits. Even though financial institutions in the two countries are becoming more similar, the persistent differences in income distribution are likely to lead to persistent differences in asset holding and the composition of capital markets in the two countries.
The Financial Bootstrapping Methods Employed by New Micro Enterprises in the Retail Sector in South Africa

New micro-enterprises in the retail sector are vital to the growth of the South African economy. Inaccessibility to formal debt and equity markets is one of the primary causes of the failure of new micro-enterprises in South Africa. Innovative financing methods are vital to the survival of new micro-enterprises in South Africa. This study investigates the financial bootstrapping methods employed by new micro-enterprises in the retail sector in South Africa. Data was collected through the use of self-administered questionnaires in a survey. Descriptive statistics and factor analysis were used for data analysis. Factor analysis identified four bootstrapping methods from twenty nine question items. These are owners’ resources, accounts receivable management, sharing resources and delaying payments. Recommendations to improve financial bootstrapping by micro-enterprises are suggested. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014. v5n3p72
Visualization of Customer Flow in an Office Complex over a Long Period

In facility management, analysis of customer trajectories in office complexes is considered critical. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for the visualization of customer flow in an office complex over a long period of time. We expressed the variation in the trajectories with respect to time by using a mixture model; this was used for the visualization of the trajectory flows. The effectiveness of our approach was evaluated from the results of the customer flow analysis experiments that were conducted in an office complex.
Reduction pneumonoplasty for patients with a forced expiratory volume in 1 second of 500 milliliters or less.

BACKGROUND Patients with severely impaired pulmonary function are considered at high risk for emphysema operations. We prospectively evaluated 44 patients with a forced expiratory volume in 1 second of 0.5 L or less undergoing reduction pneumonoplasty for dyspnea uncontrolled by medical management (confirmed by Borg and modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scales). METHODS There were 28 men and 16 women (mean age, 66 years) with a mean preoperative forced expiratory volume in 1 second of 0.41 L (range, 0.23 L to 0.50 L). Preoperative therapy consisted of bronchodilators (100% of patients), oxygen (80%), and steroids (72%). Hypercarbia was seen in 80% of patients, and 66% had pulmonary hypertension. Unilateral reduction pneumonoplasty by a video-assisted thoracic surgical approach was performed in 34 patients, 6 patients underwent bilateral reduction pneumonoplasty by a video-assisted thoracic surgical approach, and 4 patients underwent bilateral reduction pneumonoplasty by a video-assisted thoracic surgical approach, and 4 patients underwent bilateral reduction pneumonoplasty by median sternotomy. Discrete emphysematous regions were resected using staplers with buttressing, and regions of homogeneous emphysema were plicated with KTP or neodymium:yttrium-aluminum garnet laser radiation. RESULTS There was one death within 30 days, two additional deaths within 60 days, and five additional deaths within 1 year. Hospital stay averaged 12 days. Intensive care unit stay averaged 4 days. Subjective improvement was noted by 89%. Borg and modified dyspnea scores improved from 7.6 to 4.5 (p < 0.01) and from 3.9 to 2.35 (p < 0.01), respectively. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second was 0.62 L at 1 year, a 51% improvement (p < 0.001). Forced vital capacity was 1.32 L preoperatively and 2.05 L at 1 year (a 56% improvement) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS This experience documents that patients with severely impaired lung function can successfully undergo operation for emphysema. To obtain these results one must tailor the operative approach to the patient's disease.
Workers' drinking patterns: the impact on absenteeism in the Australian work-place.

AIMS To examine the relationship between Australian workers' patterns of alcohol consumption and absenteeism. DESIGN A secondary analysis of the 2001 National Drug Strategy Household Survey data. SETTING Australia 2001. PARTICIPANTS A total of 13 582 workers aged >or=14 years. MEASUREMENTS Alcohol consumption levels associated with National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines for short- and long-term harm were identified and compared with self-reported measures of absenteeism due to alcohol use and due to any illness/injury. FINDINGS More than 40% of the Australian work-force consumed alcohol at risky or high-risk levels at least occasionally. High-risk drinkers were up to 22 times more likely to be absent from work due to their alcohol use compared to low-risk drinkers. Short-term high-risk drinkers were also significantly more likely to be absent from work due to any illness or injury than employed low-risk drinkers. Young employees and males were more likely to report alcohol-related absenteeism compared to older workers and females. CONCLUSIONS The relationship between workers' alcohol consumption patterns and absenteeism is more substantial than previously recognized or documented. Alcohol-related absenteeism is not restricted to small numbers of chronic heavy drinkers, but also involves the much larger number of risky non-dependent drinkers who drink less frequently at risky levels. To improve workers' health and wellbeing and enhance productivity and economic prosperity, appropriate education, prevention and policy strategies are warranted and necessitate revision of previously narrow approaches undertaken with work-place programmes.
The cell death regulator GRIM-19 is an inhibitor of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3

GRIM-19 (gene associated with retinoid-IFN-induced mortality 19), isolated as a cell death activator in a genetic screen used to define mechanisms involved in IFN-β- and retinoic acid-induced cell death, codes for a ≈16-kDa protein that induces apoptosis in a number of cell lines. Antisense ablation of GRIM-19 caused resistance to cell death induced by IFN plus retinoic acid and conferred a growth advantage to cells. To understand the molecular bases for its cell death regulatory activity, we used a yeast two-hybrid screen and identified that the transcription factor STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) binds to GRIM-19. GRIM-19 inhibits transcription driven by activation of STAT3, but not STAT1. It neither inhibits the ligand-induced activation of STAT3 nor blocks its ability to bind to DNA. Mutational analysis indicates that the transactivation domain of STAT3, especially residue S727, is required for GRIM-19 binding. Because GRIM-19 does not bind significantly to other STATs, our studies identify a specific inhibitor of STAT3. Because constitutively active STAT3 up-regulates antiapoptotic genes to promote tumor survival, its inhibition by GRIM-19 also demonstrates an antioncogenic effect exerted by biological therapeutics.
MODELING THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE ECONOMIC COSTS AND BENEFITS OF ILLEGAL GAME MEAT HUNTING IN THE SERENGETI

ABSTRACT. Illegal game meat hunting in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, and adjacent game reserves provides an important source of protein and cash income to local communities. We construct a profitability model that describes the spatial distribution of the economic costs and benefits of illegal hunting in the Serengeti during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Costs included capital investment in hunting weapons, WR, and the opportunity cost of hunting, WO, both held to be constants; and two spatially variable components, the logistic effort of traveling to hunting areas, WL, and the penalties incurred if arrested, WP. Benefit was the expected income from the sale of meat from resident wildlife species. The model suggests: (1) WR is the most important cost. (2) WL is the second most important cost and likely to determine the spatial distribution of hunting activity if hunters seekto minimize costs. (3) WO and WP are of minor importance, the former because alternative sources of income provide low pay, the latter because the overall chance of being arrested is low. (4) WP exceeds WL only in areas close to the boundary of protected areas. (5) Although resident wildlife contributes only a minor share of illegal offtake compared to the migratory herds, hunting resident wildlife is profitable in 68% of the area. This suggests that hunting of resident and migratory wildlife is highly profitable and may explain why the utilization of the target populations has become increasingly unsustainable.
Constraints in Servo System Design for Non-Minimum Phase System

This paper is concerned with the analysis of constraints of poles and zeros for servo system design of plants which are non-minimum phase. It is a known fact that when a closed-loop system has a non-minimum phase zero, the output displays an inverse response before tracking the desired trajectory. This imposes limitations to the transient performance. In this paper, we consider a servo system for a SISO plant having only one non-minimum phase zero. We first characterize the achievable closed-loop system. Based on the characterization and the tracking condition, we show for some combinations of degree and relative degree of the closed-loop system that the admissible location of poles is restricted. For these cases, we provide a quantitative measure for the limitation of the constrained poles. Besides poles, we also show that zeros are constrained and that the number of NMP zeros must be increased in some cases. The latter suggests that it is necessary to worsen the transient performance by introducing additional non-minimum phase zeros into the system
Investigating the effect of the directors’ board characteristics on financial performance through innovation activities

Several previous research studies have reported mixed results concerning the direct relationship between corporate governance and firm performance. Actually, the presence of innovation as a mediating variable within this relationship has not yet been fully established. Hence, this article's contribution to this area consists in proposing the establishment of both direct and indirect links between the directors' board features, as a governance mechanism, and financial performance through innovation. Noteworthy, this paper analyses empirical data derived from a sample consisting of 95 Tunisian manufacturing firms in a bid to test the central hypothesis that the directors' board features are positively associated with the firm's financial performance through the innovation level. The findings highly suggest the interrelatedness binding the strong association between the board of directors and financial performance is mediated by the firm level innovation. Thus, this article is intended to provide a further explanation to the previous studies' inconclusive findings on the impact of board of directors' major role on firm performance by advocating the need to include innovation as an intermediary step in understanding the board's effect on firm performance.
Genome and epigenome engineering CRISPR toolkit for probing in vivo cis-regulatory interactions in the chicken embryo

CRISPR-Cas9 genome engineering has revolutionised all aspects of biological research, with epigenome engineering transforming gene regulation studies. Here, we present a highly efficient toolkit enabling genome and epigenome engineering in the chicken embryo, and demonstrate its utility by probing gene regulatory interactions mediated by neural crest enhancers. First, we optimise efficient guide-RNA expression from novel chick U6-mini-vectors, provide a strategy for rapid somatic gene knockout and establish protocol for evaluation of mutational penetrance by targeted next generation sequencing. We show that CRISPR/Cas9-mediated disruption of transcription factors causes a reduction in their cognate enhancer-driven reporter activity. Next, we assess endogenous enhancer function using both enhancer deletion and nuclease-deficient Cas9 (dCas9) effector fusions to modulate enhancer chromatin landscape, thus providing the first report of epigenome engineering in a developing embryo. Finally, we use the synergistic activation mediator (SAM) system to activate an endogenous target promoter. The novel genome and epigenome engineering toolkit developed here enables manipulation of endogenous gene expression and enhancer activity in chicken embryos, facilitating high-resolution analysis of gene regulatory interactions in vivo. Summary Statement We present an optimised toolkit for efficient genome and epigenome engineering using CRISPR in chicken embryos, with a particular focus on probing gene regulatory interactions during neural crest development. List of Abbreviations Genome Engineering (GE), Epigenome Engineering (EGE), single guide RNA (sgRNA), Neural Crest (NC), Transcription Factor (TF), Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), somite stage (ss), Hamburger Hamilton (HH).
Does Oil Corrupt? Evidence from a Natural Experiment in West Africa

This paper explores an oil discovery natural experiment to assess the role of natural resources in determining corruption. We argue that an anticipated oil boom may increase corruption by boosting the value attributed by an elite to being in power when the actual oil exploration begins. We test this proposition by analyzing the impact of the oil discovery announcements that took place in 1997-99 in Sao Tome and Principe (West Africa). For this objective we conducted purposely-designed household surveys on perceived corruption in the public services/sector. These were carried out in Sao Tome and Principe and in Cape Verde, a control West African country sharing strong cultural ties and important contemporary economic/political shocks. The unique survey instrument was retrospective and used personal histories to elicit memories from the respondents. Urban subjects, public officials, and respondents with higher reported experience with the services/issues at stake are used as internal treatment groups. Comparisons are also made with corresponding groups in Cape Verde. In addition, the regressions control for well-known 'good old times' bias: this is done by using data from direct questions on optimism and from the inclusion of a 'placebo' period (when no major occurrence had arisen). We conclude that a clear increase in perceived corruption has occurred in Sao Tome and Principe in recent years, ranging from 21 to 38% of the subjective scale. Consistently with our theoretical mechanism, which underlines the importance of being in power when the oil boom occurs, these effects are most robust in vote buying, education, and state jobs.
Bayesian Information Transmission and Stable Distributions: Motion Picture Revenues at the Australian Box Office

Recent empirical literature has identified the importance of information transmission in creating box office blockbusters. It has been shown that box office revenue distributions are characterised by extremities of skew and variance that cannot be explained by such things as expensive budgets, star power, critical acclaim or awards. Empirical research of this industry has subsequently turned its attention to models of information transmission and the consequential implications for box office revenues. Using a large new Australian dataset, this paper adds to the literature by exploring the suitability of the α-stable distribution for various definitions of Australian box office revenues. Copyright © 2008 The Economic Society of Australia.
A Market Segmentation Analysis of Cruise Ship Tourists Visiting the Panama Canal Watershed: Opportunities for Ecotourism Development

The area that surrounds the Panama Canal, known as the Panama Canal Watershed (PCW) encompasses approximately 283,000 hectares of land that is home to some of the most biologically diverse tropical forests and globally important cultural heritage sites. With the recent creation of three cruise ship ports in the Republic of Panama, tourism activities in the PCW are expected to increase rapidly. The purpose of this study was to determine cruise ship tourists' underlying travel preferences of ecotourism opportunities in the PCW. A three-step, multivariate market segment analysis was employed utilising (1) factor analysis (to determine the underlying travel preferences); (2) cluster analysis (to identify potential market segments); and (3) chi-square analysis (to develop travel profiles of each of the market segments, and to determine the statistically significant demographic variables among markets). Factor analysis revealed five main travel preferences: ‘learning’, ‘socialising/entertainment’, ‘action/adventure’, ‘security/preservation’ and ‘nature/escape’. Cluster analysis identified four distinct market segments: Cultural Discovery Tourists, Action Adventure Tourists, Conventional Tourists and Natural Discovery Tourists. Results of this study show that cruise ship tourists prefer ecotourism opportunities more so than previously expected, and that marketing and services should be redirected toward sustainable, human-scaled ecotourism opportunities.
PKR Stimulates NF-κB Irrespective of Its Kinase Function by Interacting with the IκB Kinase Complex

ABSTRACT The interferon (IFN)-induced double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase PKR mediates inhibition of protein synthesis through phosphorylation of the α subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2α) and is also involved in the induction of the IFN gene through the activation of the transcription factor NF-κB. NF-κB is retained in the cytoplasm through binding to its inhibitor IκBα. The critical step in NF-κB activation is the phosphorylation of IκBα by the IκB kinase (IKK) complex. This activity releases NF-κB from IκBα and allows its translocation to the nucleus. Here, we have studied the ability of PKR to activate NF-κB in a reporter assay and have shown for the first time that two catalytically inactive PKR mutants, PKR/KR296 and a deletion mutant (PKR/Del42) which lacks the potential eIF2α-binding domain, can also activate NF-κB. This result indicated that NF-κB activation by PKR does not require its kinase activity and that it is independent of the PKR-eIF2α relationship. Transfection of either wild-type PKR or catalytically inactive PKR in PKR0/0 mouse embryo fibroblasts resulted in the activation of the IKK complex. By using a glutathioneS-transferase pull-down assay, we showed that PKR interacts with the IKKβ subunit of the IKK complex. This interaction apparently does not require the integrity of the IKK complex, as it was found to occur with extracts from cells deficient in the NF-κB essential modulator, one of the components of the IKK complex. Therefore, our results reveal a novel pathway by which PKR can modulate the NF-κB signaling pathway without using its kinase activity.
Early administration of fluvastatin, but not at the onset of ischemia or reperfusion, attenuates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury through the nitric oxide pathway rather than its antioxidant property.

BACKGROUND Three-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) are known to attenuate myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. Fluvastatin (FV) has a potent free radical scavenging action, but it is unclear whether the timing of FV administration could affect its cardioprotective effect or if the antioxidant property of FV might attenuate IR injury. METHODS AND RESULTS IR was induced in rats by left coronary artery occlusion for 30 min followed by 24-h reperfusion. The rats were divided into 4 groups: oral FV group (10 mg/kg per day for 2 weeks before ischemia); iv, FV group (10 mg/kg) before ischemia; iv, FV group (10 mg/kg) before reperfusion; and control group. Oxidative stress was evaluated by myocardial 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) content. The area at risk did not different among the 4 groups. Pretreatment with FV for 2 weeks significantly reduced the infarct size by 28% as compared with the control group, but FV administered just before ischemia or reperfusion did not. Myocardial 8-OHdG content was not affected by FV. The infarct-sparing effect of FV was completely abolished by N(omega)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester or wortmannin. CONCLUSIONS The present results indicate that pretreatment with FV, but not just before ischemia or reperfusion, attenuates IR injury primarily through the nitric oxide pathway, not through its antioxidant property.
Toxicity of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles in Mammalian Cells

Along with existing and emerging use of nanoscale materials, growing concerns have arisen about their unintentional health and environmental impact. The objective of the ongoing study was to assess the toxicity profile of metal oxide nanoparticles proposed for use in industrial production methodology. Metal oxide nanoparticles used in this study included TiO2, ZnO, Fe3O4, Al2O3, and CrO3 with particle sizes ranging from 30 to 45 nm. Cellular morphology, mitochondrial function, membrane leakage of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), permeability of plasma membrane, and apoptosis were assessed under controlled and exposed conditions (2 to 72 h of exposure). The microscopic studies demonstrated that nanoparticle-exposed Neuro-2A cells (especially ZnO) at doses >100 μg/mL became abnormal in size, displaying cellular shrinkage, and detachment from the surface of flasks. Mitochondrial function decreased significantly in the cells exposed to ZnO at 50 to 100 μg/mL. However, Fe3O4, Al2O3, and TiO2 had no measurable effect on the cells until the concentrations reached greater than 200 μg/mL. LDH leakage significantly increased in the cells exposed to ZnO (50 to 100 μg/mL), while other nanoparticles tested displayed LDH leakage only at higher doses (>200 μg/mL). Flow cytometer tests showed that apoptosis took place in cells exposed to ZnO nanoparticles. More cells became necrotic as the concentrations increased