Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Relationship Between Family, Parent, and Child Characteristics and Intimate-Partner Violence (IPV) Among Ukrainian Mothers

Objective: To assess the prevalence of intimate-partner violence (IPV) in a sample of Ukrainian mothers of schoolchildren, and to examine the relationship between IPV and family, parent, and child characteristics using multilevel models. Method: Mothers of children ages 9–16 (N = 278, 93.5% Ukrainians) answered the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2; Straus, 1979; Straus, Hamby, Boney-McCoy, & Sugarman, 1996), an instrument that measures IPV. We also examined the relationship between IPV and maternal age, education, employment and marital status, family income, and rural or urban residence. Results: Most of the women (81%) reported psychological violence and 58% reported physical assault. On average, women reported 66 instances of IPV during the last year. Multilevel modeling revealed that lower maternal education, unemployment, not living with the husband or partner, and urban residency were associated with higher IPV victimization. Younger age and family income were not significantly related to IPV. Conclusion: We found IPV to be a significant social problem in the present sample of Ukrainian mothers of school-age children. Future policy and violence-prevention programming should focus on supporting academic and employment opportunities for women, particularly for those living in urban areas.
Investing in corporate social responsibility : a guide to best practice, business planning and the UK's leading companies

Part One: Something had to hit the fanl Legislation How companies are screened and judged Understanding all about the ethical business How to become a more sustainable business Specific challenges for multi-national companies Human rights in the global workplace Corporate governance best practice Managing responsibility Challenges for a controversial sector The profits of ethical corporate behaviour and how companies that practice CSR perform within their sector A pattern for the future. Part Two: An introduction to the FTSE4Good Index Directory of FTSE4Good 300 companies Tables and data on how companies fit the criteria and their performance Company profiles Case Studies.
Enhancement of graphene field-effect transistor by surface treatment

We report the enhancement of electrostatic transfer characteristics of fabricated graphene field-effect transistor (FET) by hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) surface treatment. Charge carrier mobility increases by over 50% on average for both electron and hole. Impurity concentration also reduces by over 50% on average and charge neutrality point usually moves towards zero gate voltage. Electrostatic transfer characteristics of as fabricated FET show small variation with temperature resulting in weakly temperature sensitive carrier mobility. However, there is significant variation in characteristics between room temperature and 77 K after HMDS treatment and charge carrier mobility at 77K is almost two times the mobility at room temperature. We attribute the performance enhancements upon HMDS treatment to removal or modification of various contaminants present on graphene surface after device fabrication, which results in reduced carrier scattering. Dielectric screening of charged impurities may also contribute towards performance enhancements.
The factors impacting managerial performance in local government authorities within an Islamic cultural setting

Abstract This study examines the effects of accountability forces, budget participation and the use of performance measures on managerial performance in local government authorities (LGAs) in Malaysia. The findings reveal that accountability forces, both endogenous and exogenous, have a positive effect on the managerial performance of public servants in LGAs, although this effect is mediated by the extent to which they make use of performance measures. This study extend prior research by addressing the way in which accountability and management accounting mechanisms can be inter-related to provide explanations of managerial performance. The results are interpreted in the context of Malaysian public sector management culture, a largely Islamic workforce and changing public demands. Practical implications arise from the findings for improving performance of LGAs in Malaysia through the behaviours of their public servants. Keywords Endogenous Accountability Exogenous Accountability Budget Participation Use of Performance Measures Managerial Performance Local Government Islamic Cultural Setting set the agenda for the public to expect
Personal Growth and Psychobiological Stress Responsiveness to the Trier Social Stress Test in Students

The current study aimed to examine the effects of personal growth (PG) on psychobiological responses at baseline and responsiveness to laboratory acute stress in students. Twenty-four healthy students were recruited as participants. Participants were screened from 203 candidates according to levels of PG using Ryff’s scale and classified into high and low PG groups. During the laboratory session, 13 high and 11 low PG participants underwent the Trier Social Stress Test. Heart rate and high-frequency (HF) heart rate variability were monitored throughout the experiment. Salivary free-3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (MHPG) and perceived stress were measured at baseline, immediately after tasks and after a recovery period. Baseline and recovery perceived stress (tense arousal) were significantly lower in the high PG group compared with the low PG group. Free-MHPG and HF component returned to baseline levels during recovery significantly more rapidly in the high PG group compared with the low PG group. There were no significant group differences in heart rate. The results showed that high PG students have lower noradrenaline and higher parasympathetic nervous system activity before and after acute stress. These findings suggest a protective psychobiological pathway linking PG with better psychosomatic health in students.
Evaluation of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the phosphodiesterase 4D gene (PDE4D) and their association with ischaemic stroke in a large German cohort

Genetic fine mapping of the first locus identified for genetically complex forms of stroke, STRK1 (which has been mapped to chromosome 5q12 in Icelandic families), has identified the phosphodiesterase 4D gene (PDE4D) gene as a good candidate gene. Association analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the PDE4D gene in an Icelandic stroke cohort demonstrated genetic association between six SNPs in the 5′ region of PDE4D and ischaemic stroke. The present study aimed to test whether the same six SNPs in PDE4D were also associated with stroke in a large stroke cohort from northern Germany (stroke patients with acute completed ischaemic stroke: n = 1181; population based controls: n = 1569). None of the six SNPs showed significant association with ischaemic stroke in the whole stroke sample before and after adjustment for conventional stroke risk factors (age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolaemia). Haplotype analysis did also not reveal any significant association. Marginally positive statistical measures of association in the subgroup with cardioembolic stroke did not remain significant after correction for multiple testing. In conclusion, this study was unable to demonstrate an association between the six SNPs which had showed significant single marker association with stroke in the Icelandic stroke cohort and ischaemic stroke in a large German cohort.
Obstacles to Financing Micro and Small Enterprises: Empirical Evidence from a Small Island Developing State

This paper is motivated by a lack of systematically documented literature on the financing constraints of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in Fiji, a small island developing state in the South Pacific region. Recognising that financing constraints may impede the MSE–SME transition, resulting in a relatively small SME sector and thereby restricted economic activity, the study investigates the reasons for financing constraints of MSEs in Fiji, with a focus on bank credit. Findings reveal that that the MSE–SME transition may particularly be constrained by banks’ interest rates, fees and charges, and collateral. Implications for economic growth are considerable.
Resistance to tick-borne spirochete challenge induced by Borrelia burgdorferi strains that differ in expression of outer surface proteins

Hamsters were immunized with thimerosal-killed Borrelia burgdorferi 297 or a mutant of 297 (M297) that lacks the 49-kb linear plasmid and expression of outer surface proteins A and B (OspA and OspB). Ixodes scapularis nymphs infected with either the B. burgdorferi sensu stricto strain 297 or JMNT, similar in OspA and OspB but differing in OspC expression, were used to evaluate protection. In a homologous challenge, 24 hamsters were vaccinated, 8 each with 297 or M297 and 8 sham (adjuvant)-vaccinated controls. Hamsters vaccinated with either bacterin were completely protected against a natural tick bite or subcutaneous (s.c.) inoculation of 297. Borreliae were effectively eliminated from 80 to 90% of the 297-infected ticks that fed on four hamsters immunized with the 297 bacterin. Cultures of spirochetes isolated from the ticks that remained infected were infectious and induced joint inflammation in naive hamsters. There was no reduction of strain 297 spirochetes in ticks that fed on four hamsters immunized with M297, but the hamsters were protected. Results with the M297 bacterin indicate that proteins other than OspA or OspB can protect hamsters against a tick challenge without eliminating B. burgdorferi in the tick. In a heterologous challenge, 36 hamsters were vaccinated, 12 with each bacterin and 12 controls. None of the hamsters immunized with either bacterin were protected from a challenge involving JMNT-infected ticks, while two of four were protected against an s.c. challenge. Hamsters challenged s.c. with strain 297 spirochetes were protected. There was partial elimination of JMNT spirochetes in ticks that fed on the group of four hamsters immunized with the 297 bacterin, and infection rates were reduced by 50 to 60%. JMNT spirochetes reisolated from the ticks that fed on 297-vaccinated hamsters also remained infectious for hamsters. In the JMNT-infected ticks that fed on four M297-immunized hamsters, there was no decline in the proportion of infected ticks. Destruction of spirochetes in ticks that fed on the hamsters vaccinated with the 297 bacterin suggests that antibodies to OspA and OspB may have been responsible, since the mutant did not induce this activity.
The Still Image Compression using JPEG2000 on the Mobile Telecommunication

With the increasing use of multimedia technologies, image compression requires higher performance as well as new features. Despite of the good points of the JPEG2000, however, what has not been widely deployed is a problem of high complexity. Comparison with the JPEG is sure that the JPEG2000 has excellent compression efficiency, but this became difficult technology for even practical use at PC because of high complexity. After minimizing all high complexity that can be minimized, it is the first prerequisite for applied product development. In this paper, we propose an optimization technique of the JPEG2000 to reduce high complexity. Using proposed method we will materialize the JPEG2000 decoder on PDA.
Bank Ownership, Firm Value and Firm Capital Structure in Europe

We investigate whether or not banks play a positive role in the ownership structure of European listed firms. We distinguish between banks and other institutional investors as shareholders and examine empirically the relationship between financial institution ownership and the performance of the firms in which they hold equity. Our main finding is that after controlling for the capital structure decision of the firms and the ownership decision of financial institutions in a simultaneous equations model, we find that there is a negative relationship between financial institution ownership and the market value of firms, measured as the Tobin's Q. This is in contradiction with the monitoring hypothesis.
Managerial Entrenchment and the Effectiveness of Internal Governance Mechanisms

We test the effectiveness of internal corporate governance systems by examining the replacement of founder CEOs at poor performing firms. Managerial entrenchment in these firms is expected to constrain the effectiveness of external corporate governance through the market for corporate control. Specifically, we study the replacement of founder CEOs at firms that have performed poorly based on two-year stock returns that rank them in the bottom 5% of all AMEX and NYSE firms. We find that simply replacing a founder CEO is not sufficient to increase long-term stock returns. However, shareholders do receive a wealth gain if the founder leaves both the firm and the board. This suggests that managerial entrenchment is a significant deterrent to improving the fortunes of poor performing firms led by a founder CEO. In addition we find that they are less likely than non-founder led firms to (i) replace a CEO in a poorly performing firm, (ii) replace the CEO with a financier, (iii) experience financial distress, (iv) file for bankruptcy, (v) engage in asset restructuring, or (vi) be targeted for takeover.
Inspiratory and expiratory aerosol deposition in the upper airway

Aerosol deposition efficiency (DE) in the extrathoracic airways during mouth breathing is currently documented only for the inspiratory phase of respiration, and there is a need for quantification of expiratory DE. Our aim was to study both inspiratory and expiratory DE in a realistic upper airway geometry. This was done experimentally on a physical upper airway cast by scintigraphy, and numerically by computational fluid dynamic simulations using a Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) method with a k-ω SST turbulence model coupled with a stochastic Lagrangian approach. Experiments and simulations were carried out for particle sizes (3 and 6 µm) and flow rates (30 and 60 L/min) spanning the ranges of Stokes (Stk) and Reynolds (Re) number pertinent to therapeutic and environmental aerosols. We showed that inspiratory total deposition data obtained by scintigraphy fell onto a previously published deposition curve representative of a range of upper airway geometries. We also found that expiratory and inspiratory DE curves were almost identical. Finally, DE in different compartments of the upper airway model showed a very different distribution pattern of aerosol deposition during inspiration and expiration, with preferential deposition in oral and pharyngeal compartments, respectively. These compartmental deposition patterns were very consistent and only slightly dependent on particle size or flow rate. Total deposition for inspiration and expiration was reasonably well-mimicked by the RANS simulation method we employed, and more convincingly so in the upper range of the Stk and Re number. However, compartmental deposition patterns showed discrepancies between experiments and RANS simulations, particularly during expiration.
Pharmacokinetics of gentamicin after i.v. infusion or iv bolus.

A cross-over randomized comparative study was undertaken in ten healthy subjects to study the pharmacokinetics of 80 mg of gentamicin given as a bolus iv injection or as an infusion over 15 min using a commercially available 100 ml solution. Mean peak values at the end of the two modes of injection were respectively: 17.8 and 7.8 mg/l (P less than or equal to 0.002, Wilcoxon ranked pairs test). Mean peak values extrapolated at t = 0 for each volunteer were respectively 4.2 and 3.8 mg/l (not statistically different). Mean serum values 1 h after administration were respectively 4.2 and 3.7 mg/l (not statistically different). Mean trough values after 8 h were: 0.45 and 0.44 mg/l. Mean elimination half-lives were 139 and 142 min (P greater than 0.1).
Design of an all-textile antenna integrated in military beret for GPS/RFID applications

In this paper, an all-textile antenna integrated in military beret for global positioning system (GPS) and radio frequency identification (RFID) applications is proposed. The proposed antenna consists of a left handed circular polarization (LHCP) GPS patch antenna and a circular ring patch antenna with conductive threads to operate as RFID in 915 MHz Industrial, science and medical (ISM) band. The circular ring patch with four shorting pins has TM41 higher order resonance mode at 915 MHz for a monopole-like radiation characteristic. Considering the military beret, the antenna is designed by using only textile materials such as conductive textiles, conductive thread, and a felt substrate. The performance comparisons under bending condition and human body (head) effect are conducted.
Itching in Patients with Chronic Hand Eczema: Data from the CARPE Registry

Background: Itching is a leading symptom of chronic hand eczema (CHE) having a great impact on patients. The determinants of itching in CHE are unclear. Objective: We performed a cross-sectional analysis investigating factors associated with the presence and severity of itch in CHE patients from the CARPE registry. Methods: We present baseline data on itch in relationship with sociodemographic factors, severity of CHE, atopy, contact allergy, treatment and patient- reported outcomes including health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Results: Of 1,051 patients with CHE, 78.1% reported itching. Significant positive associations with itching were observed for younger age groups (17-25 and 26-45 years), for moderate, severe and very severe CHE and for small/moderate impairment in HRQoL. Atopic skin diathesis, hardly being able to realize treatment recommendations and very or extremely large impairments in HRQoL were associated with itch severity. Conclusion: Taking the identified variables into account may help identify vulnerable groups most affected by (severe) itch.
Asset Specificity and the Ownership of Buildings

This paper examines the impact of asset specificity on firms’ decisions to own or lease their buildings. We present evidence that these decisions are primarily a function of efficiency concerns rather than opportunistic motives. We predict that firms requiring highly specific buildings in their operations are more likely to own, rather than to lease, their buildings, and we provide empirical evidence that supports our prediction, after controlling for potential opportunism. Our findings provide rare large-sample evidence consistent with a theoretical link between asset specificity and asset ownership as argued in the literature on economic organization.
Government Response to Home Mortgage Distress: Lessons from the Great Depression

The Great Depression was the worst macroeconomic collapse in U.S. history. Sharp declines in household income and real estate values resulted in soaring mortgage delinquency rates. According to one estimate, as of January 1, 1934, fully one-half of U.S. home mortgages were delinquent and, on average, some 1000 home loans were foreclosed every business day. This paper documents the increase in residential mortgage distress during the Depression, and discusses actions taken by state governments and the federal government to reduce mortgage foreclosures and restore the functioning of the mortgage market. Many states imposed moratoria on both farm and nonfarm residential mortgage foreclosures. Although moratoria reduced farm foreclosure rates in the short run, they appear to have also reduced the supply of loans and made credit more expensive for subsequent borrowers. The federal government took a number of steps to relieve residential mortgage distress and to promote the recovery and growth of the national mortgage market. The Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) was created in 1933 to purchase and refinance delinquent home loans as long-term, amortizing mortgages. Between 1933 and 1936, the HOLC acquired and refinanced one million delinquent loans totaling $3.1 billion. The HOLC refinanced loans on some 10 percent of all nonfarm, owner-occupied dwellings in the United States, and about 20 percent of those with an outstanding mortgage. The Great Depression experience suggests how foreclosures might be reduced during the present crisis.
Arms-Length Bond Markets and Capital Structure of Firms

Prior literature has explored the impact of the type of financial system, (bank versus stock market based), on the capital structure of firms. In this study, we examine the influence of the structure of the debt market, (arms-length versus relationship-based), on the capital structure, (debt maturity choices), of firms in a cross-country approach involving 36 countries. We assess the importance of the bond market in a given economy by examining cross-country differences in leverage and debt maturity ratios. We also examine the effect of legal systems on this relationship between the bond market and the firm’s capital (debt maturity) structure. Our results show a negative association between firm total leverage and bond market capitalization. However, the association turns positive in the case of long-term leverage. In the case of short-term debt, the banking system is found to have a significant and positive impact. We also find a significant impact of legal tradition on the association between bond markets and leverage. In general, the relation is positive in common law countries and negative in civil law countries for long-term debt. Firm size appears to be an important factor which determines the direction of association between bond markets and firm leverage. Irrespective of the legal tradition, the impact of bond markets is positive for large firms and negative for small firms.Furthermore, we find significant impact of bond markets on the debt maturity structure of firms as well. Supporting evidence is also found for the growth hypothesis: growth options are observed to bear a negative association with long-term leverage and debt maturity ratios only in those countries where bond markets are well developed.
Effect of Postoperative Bleaching on Microleakage of Etch-and-Rinse and Self-etch Adhesives

Background: Bleaching the discoloured teeth may affect the tooth/composite interface. The aim of this in vitro experimental study was to evaluate the effect of vital tooth bleaching on microleakage of existent class V composite resin restorations bonded with three dental bonding agents. Methods: Class V cavities were prepared on buccal surfaces of 72 intact, extracted human anterior teeth with gingival margins in dentin and occlusal margins in enamel, and randomly divided into 3 groups. Cavities in the three groups were treated with Scotch bond Multi-Purpose, a total etch system and Prompt L-Pop and iBond, two self-etch adhesives. All teeth were restored with Z250 resin composite material and thermo-cycled. Each group was equally divided into the control and the bleached subgroups (n = 12). The bleached subgroups were bleached with 15% carbamide peroxide gel for 8 hours a day for 15 days. Microleakage scores were evaluated on the incisal and cervical walls. Data were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney and Bonferroni post-hoc tests (α = 0.05). Results: Bleaching with carbamide peroxide gel significantly increased the microleakage of composite restorations in Prompt L-Pop group at dentinal walls (P = 0.001). Bleaching had no effect on microleakage of restorations in the Scotch bond Multi-Purpose and iBond groups. Conclusion: Vital tooth bleaching with carbamide peroxide gel has an adverse effect on marginal seal of dentinal walls of existent composite resin restorations bonded with prompt L-Pop self-etch adhesive.