Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Return of Afghans from Pakistan: Linguistic and Visual Portrayal in the International and Pakistani print Media

The majority of news items on Afghan immigrants in the International press refer to their arrival in different countries, and amongst them Pakistan is at the top, during and after the invasion of Soviet Union in 1979. However, the focus of this study is the return of Afghan immigrants from Pakistan in last six years. This study reports the linguistic and pictorial representation of the return of Afghan immigrants to their homeland from Pakistan. Three types of Van Leeuwen’s (2008, p.5) descriptive social network models are applied. Van Leeuwen’ models help to critically scrutinize the whole process in terms of linguistic and visual discourse analysis. It is found that in international news media tend to project superficially on the return of Afghan refugees with their own perspective, while in Pakistani print media, there are mixed reactions about the refugees. Also, the paper timely contributes to the knowledge about the Afghan refugees, who mostly do not want to go back to their homeland but they are forced to do so due to the wave of terrorism and conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan governments.
Evaluating the privacy properties of telephone metadata

Significance Privacy protections against government surveillance are often scoped to communications content and exclude communications metadata. In the United States, the National Security Agency operated a particularly controversial program, collecting bulk telephone metadata nationwide. We investigate the privacy properties of telephone metadata to assess the impact of policies that distinguish between content and metadata. We find that telephone metadata is densely interconnected, can trivially be reidentified, enables automated location and relationship inferences, and can be used to determine highly sensitive traits. Since 2013, a stream of disclosures has prompted reconsideration of surveillance law and policy. One of the most controversial principles, both in the United States and abroad, is that communications metadata receives substantially less protection than communications content. Several nations currently collect telephone metadata in bulk, including on their own citizens. In this paper, we attempt to shed light on the privacy properties of telephone metadata. Using a crowdsourcing methodology, we demonstrate that telephone metadata is densely interconnected, can trivially be reidentified, and can be used to draw sensitive inferences.
Commercial complementary food consumption is prospectively associated with added sugar intake in childhood

Abstract Given that commercial complementary food (CF) can contain high levels of added sugar, a high consumption may predispose to a preference for sweet taste later in life. This study examined cross-sectional associations between commercial CF consumption and added sugar intake in infancy as well as its prospective relation to added sugar intake in pre-school and primary-school age children. In all, 288 children of the Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed Study with 3-d weighed dietary records at 0·5 and 0·75 (infancy), 3 and 4 (pre-school age) and 6 and 7 years of age (primary-school age) were included in this analysis. Individual commercial CF consumption as percentage of total commercial CF (%cCF) was averaged at 0·5 and 0·75 years. Individual total added sugar intake (g/d, energy percentage/d) was averaged for all three age groups. Multivariable logistic and linear regression models were used to analyse associations between %cCF and added sugar intake. In infancy, a higher %cCF was associated with odds for high added sugar intake from CF and for high total added sugar intake (>75th percentile, P<0·033). Prospectively, a higher %cCF was related to higher added sugar intake in both pre-school (P<0·041) and primary-school age children (P<0·039), although these associations were attenuated in models adjusting for added sugar intake in infancy. A higher %cCF in infancy may predispose to higher added sugar intake in later childhood by virtue of its added sugar content. Therefore, offering home-made CF or carefully chosen commercial CF without added sugar might be one strategy to reduce sugar intake in infancy and later on.
Green Organizational Identity and Environmental Commitment in Higher Education

The present study is exploratory in nature with the aim of investigating the impact of green organizational identity on environmental commitment in one public university setting in Jordan. The sample of the study consisted of 177 academic participants whom were selected randomly. Results of the study indicated high levels of green organizational identity and environmental commitment in the university under investigation. Moreover, a positive and very strong relationship was found between green organizational identity and environmental commitment. Furthermore, results showed that green organizational identity alone predicted 31% of the shared variance in environmental commitment. However, demographic variables did not contribute to the explained variance. Finally, the study proposed a number of recommendations for professionals and practitioners.
Selecting Egg and Sperm Donors: The Role of Age, Social Class, Ethnicity, Height and Personality

This paper reports two studies where respondents were asked to help a friend make a decision about egg and sperm donation. In both studies they were presented with 16 hypothetical person's which they were asked to rate for suitability. In the first study on egg donation the hypothetical donors differed on age (18-20 years vs. 30-33 years), social class (I/II vs. III/IV), Ethnicity (Caucasian vs. Asian) and Personality (Extraversion vs. Introversion). Effects were strongest for age and ethnicity with a preference for younger Caucasians. In the second study 16 sperm donors were described who differed similarly in age, social class and ethnicity, but personality was substituted for height (5'6＂ to 5'8＂ vs. 6'1＂ to 6'3＂). There were strong main effects for social class, ethnicity and height with the respondents choosing middle class, tall, Caucasians. There were various significant interactions. Between subject factors (sex, ethnicity and religion) were also examined. Implications and limitations were considered.
A model for selecting IT outsourcing strategy: the case of e-banking channels

ABSTRACT Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) is a good strategy for firms in general and banking institutions, in particular to reduce operating costs and improve competitiveness, but it remains complex for businesses to scientifically select the appropriate ITO strategy. In this paper, after doing an in-depth literature review, based on the technology, organization, and environment (TOE) framework, 23 factors are identified as influencing factors on e-banking channels’ outsourcing decision. To test the research hypotheses, the Partial Least Squares (PLS) technique is utilized. The results illustrated that 17 out of 23 assumed factors influence banking outsourcing decisions. A fuzzy TOPSIS model using supported factors is proposed to solve the ITO decision problem. Throughout this step, we used data from a real Iranian banking case to demonstrate the applicability of the method for evaluating five possible outsourcing options for five e-banking channels. The validity of the rankings is assessed through experts’ opinions in which they were satisfied by the proposed priority even for the two of the channels where different strategies from the bank’s current practices were proposed. The experts believed that regarding the situation of the channels, the bank itself and the surrounding environment, the bank could benefit more from suggested strategies than currently adopted ones for these two channels.
Implications for Youth Identified on a Criminal Justice-based List

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the implications of being identified on a list based on criminal justice involvement. The list of interest was the Downtown 100 (DT100), a list of youth and adults with significant involvement in the criminal justice system in an upper Midwest urban center. The main identified commonality for those identified on the DT100 is homelessness, while he commonality not readily identified is that most people on the DT100 are people of color. Issues common to youth identified on this criminal justice-based list include a potential for criminal identity, increased risk, and stigma. The three products that made up this dissertation include a conceptual article, a research article, and a paper presentation based on the findings of the research study. The conceptual article laid the foundation of the dissertation by exploring the literature related to youth homelessness and the criminalization of young people of color. Discovery of the common issues noted above informed the focus of the research study. A conceptual framework was developed that provided the lens for the dissertation and plan for future research. The research study employed a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews for data collection. Seventeen professionals who were key informants of the DT100 team were interviewed to discover their perceptions of the DT100 strategy and of the youth who have been identified. Findings reinforced the issues identified in the literature. The goal of the paper presentation was to disseminate the research study findings and underscore the potential concerns of identification on a criminal justice-based list. The future research plan includes interviewing youth and adults identified on the DT100 to uncover their lived experience of being identified on a criminal justice-based list. Ultimately, the plan is to bring the professionals, adults, and youth together to develop best practices for working together. IMPLICATIONS OF IDENTIFICATION ON A LIST iii
Enhancement of the StreptoTag method for isolation of endogenously expressed proteins with complex RNA binding targets

StreptoTag is a novel affinity chromatography‐based method for the isolation of high‐ and low‐affinity RNA binding proteins. Originally it was shown possible to isolate recombinant protein from yeast or bacterial extracts using small, specific, well‐characterised RNA binding targets. Here we show that using an enhanced aptamer it is not only possible to efficiently immobilise large, highly structured RNA binding targets onto the streptomycin columns but also that the StreptoTag method can be used for the isolation and purification of endogenously expressed regulatory proteins, with relatively low abundance, from eukaryotic extracts. As an example for this we uncover the identity of a karyophilic cellular protein which specifically binds to an area within the large, highly folded structure that characterises the mRNA from the unique 3' region (U3) of the mouse mammary tumour virus (MMTV) long terminal repeat (LTR). Hence, this method is now suitable for the quick and efficient isolation and identification of novel RNA binding proteins such as regulatory factors.
A ‘High-Pressure Economy’ Can Boost Productivity

The last four years have seen an extraordinarily sharp deceleration in productivity growth (the average amount of income generated in an hour of work in the economy). In fact, it has been below 1 percent for three years. But taking the slow productivity growth in recent years as fixed and unchangeable would be a huge policy mistake. It locks in inadequate fiscal and monetary policies. On the flip side, argues the author, there is evidence that pushing up wages by further reducing unemployment would increase productivity as businesses gain more incentive to invest in the capital equipment and processes that make those workers more productive.
Energy cost and relative intensity of the kettlebell workout

Schnettler, C.S. Energy cost and relative intensity of the kettlebell workout. MS in Clinical Exercise Physiology, December 2009, 49 pp. (J. Porcari) This studywas designed to evaluate the exercise intensity and energy expenditure of a typical kettlebell workout. Ten subjects (8 males, 2 females) completed treadmill VOzmax test to determine their aerobic capacity. Subjects then perfonned as.lllil11. 1te kettlebell VOzmaxsnatchtest.Heart rate (HR)alld oxygen consumption (V02)were measured and a HR/VOzregression equation was determined. Subjects performed a 20minute intermittent kettlebell snatch workout that consisted of 15 seconds ofkettlebell snatch followed hy15 seconds ofrest. Only HR was measured. There was a significant difference (p < .05) for VOzlTIax values betWeen the treadmill VOzlTIaxtest andthe kettlebell VOzmax snatch test (49.7±6.6 vs. 40.3±2.2, respectively). No significant difference was found. for maximal HR values between the two tests (180±8.5ys. 176±12.5 bpm). AverageHRfor the kettlebell.snatch workout was 164±14.7 bpm (93±4.5% of kettlebell VOzmax snatch test HRmax) and average VOz was 31.6±3.71 ml/kgllllin (78±8.0% ofVOilllax) as detennil1ed by the HR/VOz regression equati()n, Average caloric expenditure was 13.6±3.08 kcallmin. The results show that the kettlebell snatch workout meets ACSM guidelines for exercise intensity and duration.H"'~S.Y expenditure was likely underestimated due to the inability to accurately calculate anaerobic energy expenditure.
Restricting Dislocation Movement in Transition Metal Carbides by Phase Stability Tuning

A mechanism to enhance hardness in multilayer coatings is proposed. Using the technologically important hard transition metal carbides as prototypes, although the principle is transferable also to other systems, we demonstrate, from first-principles calculations, that by suitable alloying the energy difference between several competing structures in the transition metal carbides is small or tunable. This creates multiphase/polytypic compounds with a random or controllable layer stacking sequence, systems in which the propagation of dislocations can be strongly suppressed by a large number of interfaces between structures with different glide systems, accordingly allowing the possibility of a greatly enhanced hardness. With modern thin-film technologies, it should therefore be possible to deposit such materials that will express multilayer characteristics with only minor changes in the chemical constitution of the material, which is in contrast to conventional superlattices.
Accounting for Intergenerational Social Mobility in Low- and Middle-Income Countries - Evidence from the Poorest in Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam

This study investigates intergenerational social mobility and its particular transmission mechanisms in low- and middle-income countries. Using data from Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam, we estimate the degree to which socioeconomic status persists across generations. We then analyze through which channels this persistence is mediated. Thereby we also consider channels that are of particular relevance in developing countries, such as the need to work in child labor or the time to school. The results illustrate that having a poor instead of a middle-class family background decreases the chances for a child to obtain the highest schooling degree by 20 per cent in the countries under study. Besides transmission factors also identified as determining social mobility in developed countries such as cognitive ability, we find that the time poorer children spend in child labor and the number of additional children living in the household account for large parts of the immobility observed.
Reverse Logistic Strategy for the Management of Tire Waste in Mexico and Russia: Review and Conceptual Model

Management of tire waste is an important aspect of sustainable development due to its environmental, economical and social impacts. Key aspects of Reverse Logistics (RL) and Green Logistics (GL), such as recycling, re-manufacturing and reusable packaging, can improve the management of tire waste and support sustainability. Although these processes have been performed with a high degree of efficiency in other countries such as Japan, Spain and Germany, the application in Mexico and Russia has faced setbacks due to the absence of guidelines regarding legislation, RL processes, and social responsibility. Within this context, the present work aims to develop an integrated RL model to improve on these processes by considering the RL models from Russia and Mexico. For this, a review focused on RL in Mexico, Russia, Japan and the European Union (EU) was performed. Hence, the integrated model considers regulations and policies performed in each country to assign responsibilities regarding RL processes for the management of tire waste. As discussed, the implementation of efficient RL processes for the management of tire waste depends of different social entities such as the user (customer), private and public companies, and manufacturing and state-of-the-art approaches to transform waste into different products (diversification) to consider the RL scheme as a total economic system.
The Impact of Financial Development on Energy Demand in Transition Economies

Abstract Financial development has proven to be one of the major determinants of energy consumption. Although, the U-curve relationship between financial development and energy demand is frequently featured in the literature, there is not much discussion of nonlinear relationships between financial development and energy consumption. In this study we investigated the nexus of these two phenomena in transitional economy countries over the period from 1990 to 2011 employing a Systems-GMM model and the panel cointegration method. The empirical results reveal strong evidence of an inverse U-shaped pattern for the impacts of financial development on energy consumption. The net total effect of financial development on energy demand implies that a one standard deviation increase in financial depth induces a decrease in energy consumption by 0.09 kg of oil equivalent per capita. We also found evidence of Granger causality of financial development on energy demand. The existence of a linkage between the two has been suggested in an earlier study conducted by Coban and Topcu [26]. Although they established the nonlinear nature of the relationship between financial development and energy consumption, this was only apparent after they divided the sample between older and newer EU members. In this respect the effect of financial development on energy consumption is rather dubious because that study used a dynamic panel data model for 15 countries over the period from 1990 to 2011.
Cryptocurrencies as a Financial Asset: A Systematic Analysis

This paper provides a systematic review of the empirical literature based on the major topics that have been associated with the market for cryptocurrencies since their development as a financial asset in 2009. Despite astonishing price appreciation in recent years, cryptocurrencies have been subjected to accusations of pricing bubbles central to the trilemma that exists between regulatory oversight, the potential for illicit use through its anonymity within a young under-developed exchange system, and infrastructural breaches influenced by the growth of cybercriminality. Each influences the perception of the role of cryptocurrencies as a credible investment asset class and legitimate of value.
Disagreeable Rhetoric and the Prospect of Public Opposition: Opinion Moderation on the U.S. Supreme Court

Elite rhetoric is an important aspect of democracy, and understanding why elites alter their rhetorical tone is vital to understanding the nature of public–elite interaction. In this paper, we identify the conditions under which insulated elites respond to public opinion by changing the amount of disagreeable rhetoric they emphasize. We examine Supreme Court opinions and theorize that the majority limits the use of disagreeable rhetoric—language with harsh, unpleasant, or negative connotations—in salient cases with the intention of dulling public opposition to rulings. We test our expectations on two levels, the first using a broad measure of public mood on a large sample of cases and the second using a small sample with issue-specific public opinion measures. We find that as public opinion diverges from the Court, the majority tones down its disagreeable rhetoric, but only in salient cases.
Vascular endothelial growth factor is associated with the efficacy of endocrine therapy in patients with advanced breast carcinoma

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a mediator of angiogenesis and is associated with a poor prognosis in patients with primary breast carcinoma. In the current study, the authors investigated whether there was an association between VEGF levels in tumor tissues and response rates to first‐line, systemic therapy in patients with advanced breast carcinoma.
Increased levels of the cell cycle inhibitor protein, dacapo, accompany 20-hydroxyecdysone-induced G1 arrest in a mosquito cell line.

When treated with the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), C7-10 cells from the mosquito, Aedes albopictus, arrest in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. To explore whether 20E-mediated cell cycle arrest proceeds through increased levels of cell cycle inhibitor (CKI) proteins, we cloned the Ae. albopictus homolog of dacapo, the single member of the Cip/Kip family of CKI proteins known from Drosophila melanogaster. The Ae. albopictus dacapo cDNA encoded a 261-amino acid homolog of the Aedes aegypti protein XP_001651102. 1, which is encoded by an ∼23 kb gene containing three exons. Like dacapo from D. melanogaster, the ∼27 kDa protein from Aedes and Culex mosquitoes contained several S/TXXE/D motifs corresponding to potential protein kinase CK2 phosphorylation sites, and a binding site for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). When extracts from cells treated with 20E were analyzed by western blotting, using a primary antibody to synthetic peptides from the mosquito dacapo protein, up-regulation of an ∼27 kDa protein was observed within 24 h, and the abundance of the protein further increased by 48 h after hormone treatment. This is the first investigation of a cell cycle inhibitory protein in mosquitoes. The results reinforce growing evidence that 20E affects expression of proteins that regulate cell cycle progression.
Identification of human and mouse p19, a novel CDK4 and CDK6 inhibitor with homology to p16ink4

The cell cycle in mammalian cells is regulated by a series of cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). The G1/S checkpoint is mainly dictated by the kinase activities of the cyclin D-CDK4 and/or cyclin D-CDK6 complex and the cyclin E-CDK2 complex. These G1 kinases can in turn be regulated by cell cycle inhibitors, which may cause the cells to arrest at the G1 phase. In T-cell hybridomas, addition of anti-T-cell receptor antibody results not only in G1 arrest but also in apoptosis. In searching for a protein(s) which might interact with Nur77, an orphan steroid receptor required for activation-induced apoptosis of T-cell hybridomas, we have cloned a novel human and mouse CDK inhibitor, p19. The deduced p19 amino acid sequence consists of four ankyrin repeats with 48% identity to p16. The human p19 gene is located on chromosome 19p13, distinct from the positions of p18, p16, and p15. Its mRNA is expressed in all cell types examined. The p19 fusion protein can associate in vitro with CDK4 but not with CDK2, CDC2, or cyclin A, B, E, or D1 to D3. Addition of p19 protein can lead to inhibition of the in vitro kinase activity of cyclin D-CDK4 but not that of cyclin E-CDK2. In T-cell hybridoma DO11.10, p19 was found in association with CDK4 and CDK6 in vivo, although its association with Nur77 is not clear at this point. Thus, p19 is a novel CDK inhibitor which may play a role in the cell cycle regulation of T cells.