Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is Earnings Quality Associated with Corporate Social Responsibility?

Socially responsible investment researchers have searched for effects between environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) factors and financial performance, most often using fund returns compared with mainstream funds. The critical perspective indicates caution on relying on financial markets to influence corporate social responsibility (CSR) (Haigh and Hazelton 2004). For example, the success of institutional investor engagement on ESG issues depends upon the values of managers (Gifford 2010). Thus this research, in focussing on evidence of the effect of CSR performance on internal decisions such as earnings manipulation, will be of broad interest to social and environmental accounting researchers. By investigating the ethical dimension and its potential association with financial reporting, the paper makes a substantial contribution to the debate on whether ethics is correlated with corporate performance. Practical interest in the findings, as the paper notes, should come from regulators who may be concerned by a lack of CSR as a risk indicator for earnings management and manipulation of operating activities. However, the paper does not fully explore the ethical basis of CSR, perhaps not critically important due to the measure (KLD scoring) being a reasonable proxy for environmental, social and governance performance (Sharfman 1996). This gives rise to some interesting research opportunities, such as to investigate the causality of the CSR nexus with earnings quality through longitudinal case studies (which could be selected using methods outlined in the paper). Such research would provide robust evidence of the importance of ethics to financial, social and environmental performance.
Activation and propagation of Ca2+ release from inside the sarcoplasmic reticulum network of mammalian skeletal muscle

Prolonged Ca2+ transients and Ca2+ waves have been observed in mammalian skeletal muscle upon reducing the normal resting inhibition of the ryanodine receptor (RyR)/Ca2+ release channels of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) by lowering cytoplasmic [Mg2+] ([Mg2+]cyto). The mechanism driving Ca2+ release under these conditions may have pathophysiological implications but is poorly understood. The lowering of [Mg2+]cyto induced a leak of Ca2+ from the SR that triggered a local reduction of the SR Ca2+ buffering power to induce the rise in [Ca2+]SR, an intra‐SR Ca2+ transient. Prolonged Ca2+ transients always developed following this event and evolved as propagating Ca2+ waves. No classical hallmarks of cytoplasmic Ca2+ propagation mechanisms were observed in conjunction with these waves. In conjunction with the spread of Ca2+ release, Ca2+ was observed to diffuse through the SR away from the site of the intra‐SR Ca2+ transient. Ca2+ release was sustained by the action of SR Ca2+ pumps, presumably to maintain [Ca2+]SR above an inactivation threshold for closure of the RyRs. Inactivation of prolonged Ca2+ release allowed [Ca2+]SR to recover to threshold for activation of further Ca2+ waves, which were always briefer in duration than the initial Ca2+ release transients, consistent with a reduced SR Ca2+ buffering capacity. These observations reveal activation of Ca2+ release in mammalian skeletal muscle by [Ca2+]SR in the absence of the normal resting inhibition of the RyR and changes in voltage. Diffusion of Ca2+ within SR promotes propagation of Ca2+ release.
An Extended Measure Of The User Costs Of Housing - New Evidence From The U.S.

This paper is based on a traditional neoclassical approach to housing investment and our previous work carried out for Germany. In this study we check the relevance if the definition for the user costs of housing should be extended by an additional term which mirrors the credit constraints a household would be faced with for the U.S. economy. This extension term consists of the inflation gap between consumer and house price inflation multiplied with an average loan-to-value ratio and the real house prices. The empirical relevance of our finding is confirmed by a VECM using U.S. data. A time series for the user costs of housing in the U.S. is calculated.
Strategic network marketing in technology SMEs

Abstract This study seeks to explore strategic networks from an entrepreneurial marketing and value creation perspective in the business-to-business (B2B) context to ascertain the value generated by strategic groups of network actors. This area has received little research investigation, despite the importance of network marketing in small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Strategic Network Marketing Model (SNMM) is generated from the study which presents a typology of six network types, together with their associated value creation opportunities. Both the typology and the focus on opportunities generated by the network types are novel. Qualitative interviews were conducted in 12 software SMEs located in two technology clusters in the UK and United States. Thematic analysis of the interview data uncovered use of six strategic networks; firms use intra-firm, social, customer, business, innovation, and marketing and sales networks to leverage additional resources that create value for the firm. Interviewees’ comments provide evidence of the processes and value creation associated with each of the networks. This typology of network types are summarised in the SNMM. Implications for practice, theory, and further research are proposed.
Organoids, organs-on-chips and other systems, and microbiota

The human gut microbiome is considered an organ in its entirety and has been the subject of extensive research due to its role in physiology, metabolism, digestion, and immune regulation. Disequilibria of the normal microbiome have been associated with the development of several gastrointestinal diseases, but the exact underlying interactions are not well understood. Conventional in vivo and in vitro modelling systems fail to faithfully recapitulate the complexity of the human host–gut microbiome, emphasising the requirement for novel systems that provide a platform to study human host–gut microbiome interactions with a more holistic representation of the human in vivo microenvironment. In this review, we outline the progression and applications of new and old modelling systems with particular focus on their ability to model and to study host–microbiome cross-talk.
Using the ANGELO model to develop the children's healthy living program multilevel intervention to promote obesity preventing behaviors for young children in the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Region.

BACKGROUND Almost 40% of children are overweight or obese by age 8 years in the US-Affiliated Pacific, inclusive of the five jurisdictions of Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. This article describes how the Children's Healthy Living (CHL) Program used the ANGELO (Analysis Grid for Environments/Elements Linked to Obesity) model to design a regional intervention to increase fruit and vegetable intake, water consumption, physical activity, and sleep duration and decrease recreational screen time and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption in young children ages 2-8 years. METHODS Using the ANGELO model, CHL (1) engaged community to identify preferred intervention strategies, (2) reviewed scientific literature, (3) merged findings from community and literature, and (4) formulated the regional intervention. RESULTS More than 900 community members across the Pacific helped identify intervention strategies on importance and feasibility. Nine common intervention strategies emerged. Participants supported the idea of a regional intervention while noting that cultural and resource differences would require flexibility in its implementation in the five jurisdictions. Community findings were merged with the effective obesity-reducing strategies identified in the literature, resulting in a regional intervention with four cross-cutting functions: (1) initiate or strengthen school wellness policies; (2) partner and advocate for environmental change; (3) promote CHL messages; and (4) train trainers to promote CHL behavioral objectives for children ages 2-8 years. These broad functions guided intervention activities and allowed communities to tailor activities to maximize intervention fit. CONCLUSIONS Using the ANGELO model assured that the regional intervention was evidence based while recognizing jurisdiction context, which should increase effectiveness and sustainability.
Circulating Angiopoietin‐2 levels predict mortality in kidney transplant recipients: a 4‐year prospective case–cohort study

Angiopoietin 2 (Angpt2) impairs endothelial function by preventing angiopoietin 1 from binding to their common endothelial‐specific receptor Tie2. Here, we examined whether circulating Angpt2 predicts outcome in kidney transplant recipients. For this case–cohort study, we selected 130 kidney transplant recipients who had died or returned to dialysis within the first 2 years of follow‐up of our cohort study, as well as 130 age‐ and gender‐matched kidney transplant recipients without an event (controls) from a total of 993 kidney transplant recipients. The total of 260 selected patients were followed in median 4 years. Serum Angpt2 at baseline was measured using an in‐house immunoluminometric assay. Median Angpt2 concentrations were significantly higher in patients who died [median (interquartile range – IQR) 3.6 (2.8–5.9) ng/ml] as compared to patients who did not die during the study period [2.8 (2.1–4.1) ng/ml; P < 0.001]. Ln (natural log) Angpt2 levels correlated positively with C‐reactive protein levels (r = 0.315, P < 0.001) and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (r = 0.188, P = 0.002) and were inversely associated with eGFR (r = −0.301, P < 0.001) hemoglobin (r = −0.269, P < 0.001), and serum albumin concentrations (r = ‐0.382, P < 0.001). On multivariate analyses, baseline Angpt2 levels independently predicted all‐cause mortality (multivariable‐adjusted hazard ratio associated with one natural log unit higher Angpt2 level: 1.70 (95% confidence interval: 1.10–2.61)). In our analysis, circulating Angpt2 was an independent predictor of all‐cause mortality in stable, prevalent kidney transplant recipients.
Downregulation of cell surface molecules during noncytopathic infection of T cells with human immunodeficiency virus

Noncytopathic infection of human T-lymphoid cell line CR-10 with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (CEM-N1T isolate) resulted in a gradual loss of cell surface receptors for OKT4/OKT4A (HIV receptor), OKT8, OKT3, and OKT11 but not for OKT9 (transferrin receptor) within 10 days after infection. Surface receptor decline was accompanied by a rapid increase in HIV antigens and mRNA expression. Multireceptor downregulation was also observed in three T-lymphoid cell lines (MT-4, CEM, and HBD-1) cytopathically infected with the HIV/N1T virus and in HUT-78 cells infected with the HIV/SF-2 isolate. HIV-infected and uninfected CR-10 cells contained similar levels of mRNAs coding for T3, T8, T9, T11, HLA-A2, and HLA-B7 proteins. By densitometry, fully infected CR-10 cells showed approximately 75% reduction in T4 and tubulin (beta chain) mRNA levels when compared with uninfected CR-10 cells. No such reduction was detected in HIV-infected MT-4 and HBD-1 cells. A T-cell receptor gene (beta chain) rearrangement study revealed that no distinct CR-10 subpopulation was selected out upon infection with HIV. Our results suggest that the reduction in cell surface receptors observed between 1 and 2 weeks postinfection cannot be directly attributed to similar reductions in mRNA levels coding for these receptor proteins. We conclude that HIV infection induces posttranscriptional downregulation of several T-cell surface receptors.
Lower reference limit for maximal oxygen uptake in men and women

Maximal oxygen uptake (O2max) is an important measure of exercise tolerance and low values may have clinical significance. Our purpose was to develop the necessary statistics – prediction equations and standard errors of estimate (SEE) – so that the lower reference limit for O2max can be predicted for men and women. The subjects were healthy, non‐smoking, sedentary men (n=115) and women (n=115) aged 20–70 years who performed 15 W min−1 cycle ergometer exercise tests. Three equations were developed for each gender using multiple linear regression with the non‐exercise predictor variables of age and height, age and mass, and age and fat‐free mass (FFM). The assumptions of regression analysis were examined and the predicted residual sum of squares (PRESS) method was used to cross‐validate each equation. Healthy and diseased individual subject data from the literature were used to externally validate our lower reference limit statistics. The equations developed meet the assumptions of regression analysis and have an accuracy similar to the non‐exercise prediction equations in the literature with R2 values of ∼0·581. The PRESS method revealed that the equations are generalizable, i.e. may be used in future studies without a significant loss of accuracy. The lower reference limit predictions for the healthy and diseased individual subject data from the literature produced few miscategorizations unless the subjects were obese and mass was used as a predictor variable. In conclusion, the equations and SEE generated in this study can be used to predict an accurate and valid O2max lower reference limit for a given subject.
INTERNATIONAL BRANDING AND PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS IN EMERGING MARKETS

The central role of branding in establishing the firm's identity and building its position in the global marketplace among customers, retailers and other marketplace participants, makes it increasingly imperative for firms to establish a clear cut international branding strategy. This study examines the impact of branding aspects on firm performance in the emerging markets ofSoutheast Asia. Specifically, the question of standardization versus adaptation of brandpromotion is the focus of attention. After literature review, a conceptual model suggests that thestandardization of brand promotion as well as a long-term brand vision provided by management, positively influence target market performance. Furthermore, the model considers externalenvironmental factors. Data gathered from a survey with managers allow testing the hypothesesthrough structural equation modelling. The results of the quantitative study largely support thehypotheses.
Input-output Characteristics of LIF Neuron with Dynamic Threshold and Short Term Synaptic Depression

We consider a model of leaky integrate-and-fire neuron with dynamic threshold and a very simple realization of short term synaptic depression mechanism. Model simplicity makes possible creation of very large networks on its basis. Required general properties of these networks can be obtained due to the appropriate selection of neuron parameters. Knowledge of the dependence of neuron firing frequency on presynaptic activity for various neuron parameters is crucial for this selection. Since this dependence cannot be obtained in an exact analytical form we describe the process of building its empirical approximation using the multiple adaptive regression splines algorithm. This methodology can be used for other neuron models.
The bank of tomorrow with today’s technology

This article presents opportunities for the effective utilization of the Internet with regard to the banking industry. It is shown that the appropriate application of today’s cutting‐edge technology can lead to a momentous competitive advantage for banks. This is illustrated by a scenario focussing on the potentials of “Advising via Internet”.
Three novel DNMT3B mutations in Japanese patients with ICF syndrome.

ICF syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by immunodeficiency, centromeric instability, and facial anomalies. It is caused by mutations in a de novo DNA methyltransferase gene, DNMT3B. We here report the first three Japanese cases of ICF syndrome from two unrelated families. All patients had typical facial dysmorphism and immunoglobulin A (IgA) deficiency, but none of them had apparent mental retardation. Cytogenetic analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes showed chromosomal abnormalities, including multiradial configurations and a stretching of the pericentromeric heterochromatin of chromosomes 1 and 16. Hypomethylation of classical satellite 2 DNA was also observed. Mutation analyses of DNMT3B revealed three novel mutations: patient 1 from the first family was a compound heterozygote for a nonsense mutation (Q42Term) and a missense mutation (R832Q); patients 2 and 3 from the second family were both homozygous for a missense mutation (S282P). The R832Q mutation occurred within the conserved methyltransferase domain, and thus may affect the enzyme activity directly. The S282P mutation, on the other hand, occurred close to the PWWP domain, which is presumably involved in protein-protein interaction. This is the first missense mutation mapped to the N-terminal half of the protein, suggesting that the region plays an important role in the regulation of the DNMT3B enzyme.
Simple Laparoscopic Nephrectomy in Stone Disease: Not Always Simple.

OBJECTIVES Simple nephrectomy is performed for a benign pathology that does not require the excision of either the adrenal gland or any adenopathies. When it is carried out in cases of stone disease, however, it is frequently not a "simple" technique owing to the presence of significant inflammation and infection. METHODS Ninety-six simple laparoscopic nephrectomies performed because of stone disease between 2006 and 2015 were retrospectively studied. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed, as well as an evaluation of the associated complications. RESULTS Of the 96 laparoscopic nephrectomies (62 left, 34 right), 7 (7.2%) had to be converted into open surgery owing to the impossibility of dissecting the renal hilum because of xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (n = 4) or major associated lesions (n = 3). The indication for nephrectomy was lumbar pain associated with urinary infection, with a partial renal function below 15% assessed by DMSA renal scan. There were three major complications. Pathologic assessment revealed chronic pyelonephritis with kidney atrophy and associated pyonephrosis in 85 cases, xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in 10, and pT4 squamous cell carcinoma in 1. CONCLUSIONS Despite its high technical difficulty, simple laparoscopic nephrectomy for stones is a viable technique for advanced laparoscopists. Its principal advantage compared with open surgery is improved postsurgical recovery, and it is associated with an acceptable complication rate. Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis is not an initial contraindication to laparoscopy, but it is the most significant risk factor for conversion to open surgery.
Who Knows Better in an Emerging Market? The Performance of Institutions, Foreigners and Individuals

Abstract: We find that local investors do better than foreigners in terms of trading execution. However foreign investors obtain better returns than local individuals both in short and long term. Local institutions are the best group on both dimensions. Our result reconcile apparent contradictions in the international finance literature on who invests better in an emerging market. These contradictions disappears with a more careful formulation of the research question at hand. The traditional Locals vs Foreigners or Institutions versus Individuals is too simplistic because it doesn’t distinguish between the different dimensions of performance. Our study makes use of two unique databases of Colombian stocks and acts as out-of-sample test of previous findings. Moreover, we provide evidence that the better performance of Institutions and Foreigners is driven by information advantages.
Research on Relevance of Supply Chain and Industry Cluster

Supply chain and industry cluster are the two important ways to enhance the competitiveness of regions or industries. By discussing the differences and links between the two, this paper concludes that industrial cluster and supply chain carry features of compatibility and symbiosis. The combination of the two can effectively increase the competitive advantage of industries so as to enhance regional economic competitiveness.
OPC:An Effective Memory Computing Solution of Big Data For PC

The Big Data computing is one of hot spots of the internet of things and cloud computing. The memory computing is one of key factors of improving performance. Many companies and institutions provide technology and produce. But expensive cost and processing unstructured data are urgent to solve. To deal with the problem, this paper provides an effective memory computing solution with Objectification Parallel Computing (OPC) for PC. In the solution, the unstructured data and structured can be formatted into object. Then the objects are distributed stored in the computer memories and parallel compute to complete tasks. The OPC is applied to the Electric Asset Quality Supervision Manage System (EAQSMS) of State Grid of China, the result shows that with PCs the system is efficiently available, reliable, and flexible expansible.
Prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders in Chinese gastroenterological outpatients.

AIM To investigate the prevalence and physicians' detection rate of depressive and anxiety disorders in gastrointestinal (GI) outpatients across China. METHODS A hospital-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in the GI outpatient departments of 13 general hospitals. A total of 1995 GI outpatients were recruited and screened with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The physicians of the GI departments performed routine clinical diagnosis and management without knowing the HADS score results. Subjects with HADS scores ≥ 8 were subsequently interviewed by psychiatrists using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) to make further diagnoses. RESULTS There were 1059 patients with HADS score ≥ 8 and 674 (63.64%) of them undertook the MINI interview by psychiatrists. Based on the criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edition), the adjusted current prevalence for depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and comorbidity of both disorders in the GI outpatients was 14.39%, 9.42% and 4.66%, respectively. Prevalence of depressive disorders with suicidal problems [suicide attempt or suicide-related ideation prior or current; module C (suicide) of MINI score ≥ 1] was 5.84% in women and 1.64% in men. The GI physicians' detection rate of depressive and anxiety disorders accounted for 4.14%. CONCLUSION While the prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders is high in Chinese GI outpatients, the detection rate of depressive and anxiety disorders by physicians is low.
Page replacement algorithm using swap-in history for remote memory paging

The Distributed Large Memory system, DLM, was designed to provide a larger size of memory beyond that of local physical memory by using remote memory distributed over cluster nodes. The original DLM adopted a low cost page replacement algorithm which selects an evicted page in address order. In the DLM, the remote page swapping is the most critical in performance. For more efficient swap-out page selection, we propose a new page replacement algorithm which pays attention to swap-in history. The LRU and other algorithms which use the memory access history generate more overhead for user-level software to record memory accesses. On the other hand, using swap-in history generates little costs. According to our performance evaluation, the new algorithm reduces the number of the remote swapping in the maximum by 32% and gains 2.7 times higher performance in real application, Cluster3.0. In this paper, we describe the design of the new page replacement algorithm and evaluate performances in several applications, including NPB and HimenoBmk.