Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transformation of port terminal operations: from the local to the global

The bases for the internationalization of the port terminal industry are explored. While the industry is being transformed by the penetration of transnational companies, there are important regional differences between Europe and North America. In Europe, the lead actors are companies that have arisen out of the industry itself, whereas in North America, most of the new actors are shipping lines. The consequences of this differentiation are substantial, since they represent fundamentally different types of organization, one being a product of horizontal integration based on multi‐user berth operations, the other being an outcome of vertical integration and oriented towards dedicated berth use. The dissimilarities are explained in terms of governance, competition and capacity. Intraregional differences are also examined through the case of France, where an unwillingness to open French ports to global operators has affected the performance of those ports. The paper concludes by discussing some of the implications of the findings, including the issue of monopoly control of ports and the potential for conflict between the two models of contemporary cargo handling.
Do Financial Liberalization Policies Promote Exports? Evidence from China's Panel Data

This paper empirically tests whether a country's financial reform promotes expansion of its exports measured by the constant-price total value of exports. We test the hypothesis on dynamic panel data of China. We use system GMM (generalized method of moments) estimation to deal with the potential endogeneity problem of important explanatory variables, including financial deregulation. We find that the estimated coefficient on financial deregulation in both ordinary least squares and system GMM estimation is positive and insignificant at the 5 percent level after controlling for other factors affecting export expansion and for fixed time and province effects.
International Students and Plagiarism: an analysis of the reasons for plagiarism among international foundation students

Plagiarism is regarded as a serious academic offence, although more often than not it results from misunderstanding rather than a deliberate intention to cheat. This pilot study attempted to explore the extent of plagiarism amongst a cohort of international foundation students and the reasons why they plagiarise. This study will be followed with a comparative study that will look at the differences in understanding between home (UK) foundation students and international foundation students. An issue to be explored is the usefulness of the distinction between intentional and unintentional plagiarism.
Balancing National Uncertainty and Foreign Orientation: Identity Building and the Role of Political Parties in Post-Orange Ukraine

BUILDING NATIONAL IDENTITIES WAS AT THE centre of post-communist transformation but the search for the appropriate mix of ethnic and civic components of a national identity, along with the redefinition of the ‘Self’ and the ‘Others’, has been complicated by primordialism and post-colonialism (Cirtautas & Schimmelfennig 2010). While primordialism has been reflected in the plurality of regional and local identities and led to uncertainty about self-sufficiency of own national identities, a consequence of post-colonialism has been an ‘inferiority complex’, involving a willingness to attach national identities to post-imperial or modern supra-national identities. However, a comprehensive analysis, integrating both features, is still needed. In addition, the literature concerning identity building concentrates on the elite, civil society and the population as internal drivers and the EU and Russia as external drivers. Thereby, it mostly neglects political parties as drivers of identity building, although they play a central role in post-communist countries. We argue that a focus on the role of political parties allows for a more comprehensive view of the interconnections between the main features of postcommunist identity building. Parties can formulate positions on national identity and foreign orientation and influence the preferences of the population on identity issues. In turn, through voting for a particular party during elections, the population can express its preferences on identity issues. Hence political parties can be assumed to play a central role in post-communist identity building.
Evaluation of bone-implant integration: efficiency and precision of 3 methods.

Computer-assisted planimetry, computer-assisted lineal analysis, and point-counting stereology have been compared with respect to their reproducibility and the time required to analyze bone-implant integration. Sections of 6 threaded dental implants selected from a bone augmentation experiment for their wide range of new bone formation were analyzed by each method 3 times. The bone density and percentage of osseous integration were evaluated at 4 sites around each implant section. It was found that computer-assisted planimetry demonstrated a modest but significantly greater variance (P < .05) in bone density estimates when compared to the computer-assisted lineal analysis and point-counting methods. Computer-assisted planimetry requires a different method of measuring each parameter and separate fields of view to evaluate fields distant from the implant. However, this can all be accomplished with line probes, as in computer-assisted lineal analysis, which extend from the implant surface into the surrounding alveolar bone. Whereas computer-assisted planimetry requires a separate identification of the perimeter of each field to be analyzed (next to and distant from the implant), computer-assisted lineal analysis allows expansion of the field to be evaluated without creating a new field of view. Also, following a limited learning curve, both point-counting and computer-assisted lineal analysis required less time to complete than did computer-assisted planimetry.
The impact of CEO duality attributes on earnings management in the East

Purpose – This study aims to examine an important, yet understudied, relationship between board leadership structure and earning management. With conflicting theoretical and empirical evidence underpinning the debate the practice has fluctuated, investor perception of board leadership structure has altered, international regulation has reacted, scholarly conceptualizations of duality have become overly complex and the need to understand duality and conclude the debate has increased. Design/methodology/approach – This study examines the relationship between board leadership structure, firm financial performance and financial reporting quality of Australian, Malaysian and Pakistani publicly listed companies by using a sample of three years from 2011 to 2013. Findings – Results based on data collected from Australia, Malaysia and Pakistan indicate that the board leadership structure is not associated with firm performance and financial reporting quality. However, the female chief executive impacts negatively.
Lab-on-a-Chip With β-Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride) Based Acoustic Microagitation

This paper reports a fully integrated disposable lab-on-a-chip with acoustic microagitation based on a piezoelectric ß-poly(vinylidene fluoride) (ß-PVDF) polymer. The device can be used for the measurement, by optical absorption spectroscopy, of biochemical parameters in physiological fluids. It comprises two dies: the fluidic die that contains the reaction chambers fabricated in SU-8 and the ß-PVDF polymer deposited underneath them; and the detection die that contains the photodetectors, its readout electronics, and the piezoelectric actuation electronics, all fabricated in a CMOS microelectronic process. The microagitation technique improves mixing and shortens reaction time. Further, it generates heating, which also improves the reaction time of the fluids. In this paper, the efficiency of the microagitation system is evaluated as a function of the amplitude and the frequency of the signal actuation. The relative contribution of the generated heating is also discussed. The system is tested for the measurement of the uric acid concentration in urine.
The Balance of Payments and Foreign Capital Flows in Eighteenth-Century England: A Comment

I n a recent article in this journal, Brezis presented estimates of England's balances of trade and payments for the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. ' For the nineteenth century, she bases her analysis on the wellknown study by Imlah, a work which has stood the test of time and which is generally accepted as providing an accurate account of the balance of payments in the period.2 For the eighteenth century, her estimates are based on the new data which she herself has provided for the major items in England's foreign trade and invisibles accounts and for the size of the country's foreign reserves. On the basis of these estimates, Brezis argues that eighteenth-century England, like most developing countries, ran near-continuous deficits in its overseas trading and financial dealings, deficits which by the 1 770s had reached ? 1.7 million per annum. These deficits were financed by substantial inflows of foreign capital, which in turn led to England accumulating a large foreign indebtedness. Thus, Brezis estimates that England's net foreign debts increased from ? 2 million in 1710 to ? 103 million by the 1780s. These capital flows, she further argues, while previously neglected, played a vital role in British industrialization as for most of this period they provided nearly one-third of total investment in the economy. Brezis's work provides a strong challenge to the current orthodoxy about the causes of British industrialization, which sees the process as a home-grown product, one based on the technology, demand, and capital generated in the internal rather than the external economy.3 If Brezis is correct, we are required to modify these views and to recognize that industrialization, at least with respect to the financing of capital formation, was heavily influenced by forces operating in the international as well as in the domestic economy. The theoretical framework used by Brezis is a sophisticated one and her article demonstrates considerable ingenuity in its attempts to provide new data on the eighteenth-century balance of payments. Nevertheless, I will argue here that so much of the statistical information which she presents is erroneous or at least highly problematic that little confidence
Long-term Antihypertensive Efficacy of Losartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Combination Therapy on Home Blood Pressure Control

Angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB)/hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) combination therapy has been shown to produce a prompt reduction in clinic blood pressure (BP) without serious adverse effects; however, long-term antihypertensive efficacy on home BP has not been fully investigated. In this open-label multicenter observational study, a total of 151 hypertensive patients uncontrolled with antihypertensive regimens including standard dose of ARBs were switched to the fixed-dose combination of losartan (50 mg)/HCTZ (12.5 mg) (mean age 66.9 ± 9.5 years, 51% male, 19% with diabetes mellitus, and 57% with dyslipidemia). After 3 months, losartan/HCTZ treatment significantly reduced mean home systolic BP/diastolic BP from a baseline level of 153 ± 11/85 ± 9 mm Hg to 136 ± 12/77 ± 10 mm Hg (P < .001) and mean clinic BP from 158 ± 9/87 ± 9 to 136 ± 12/77 ± 10 (P < .001), which were maintained through the study period of 12 months (132 ± 11/75 ± 9 and 136 ± 12/77 ± 10; home and clinic BP at 12 months, respectively, P < .001). Furthermore, younger patients (<65 years) receiving ARB monotherapy at the start of the study showed a significantly greater reduction in home BP, but not in clinic BP, compared with elderly patients (≥65 years). In conclusion, losartan/HCTZ combination therapy exerted a 1-year long-term efficacy on home BP as well as clinic BP. In patients uncontrolled with ARB monotherapy, the antihypertensive efficacy on home BP is more pronounced in younger patients compared with that in elderly patients.
Dosimetry in models of child and adult for low-frequency electric field

Induced electric field and current density in a child's body exposed to a 60-Hz electric field are calculated and compared with those for an adult's body. Because of the different proportions of the child body relative to these of the adult body, differences in the induced electric field and current density values in various organs are observed. These results are interpreted in terms of international guideline limits, and hypotheses regarding plausible interactions.
Identification of Critical Service Quality and Educational Factors Influencing Students` Satisfaction of Liberal Arts Education in Korea

This study investigated the relation between the liberal arts education service and students` satisfaction. The results of the study show that students are satisfied with all of five service quality factors, students` intention of studying, full time instructors` teaching and high GPA in taking liberal arts classes. However, educational factors such as the quantity of home work, frequency of test and the size of class, which can influence the quality and contents of classes, do not impact the students` satisfaction of liberal arts education. The college students of Korea may tend to be more satisfied with the liberal arts classes which they feel easier to study and to get better grades.
Effects of Harvesting Methods on Foreign Matter Content, Fiber Quality, and Yarn Quality from Irrigated Cotton on the High Plains

Picker and stripper harvest systems were compared for harvesting irrigated cotton on the High Plains. Stoneville 4554 B2RF was harvested using a picker harvester and a stripper harvester with and without field cleaning. The effect of harvest treatment on foreign matter, fiber quality, and yarn quality were compared. Picked cotton generally had less foreign material, higher micronaire and a higher length uniformity than stripped cotton, likely due to the presence of more immature fibers in stripped cotton. Little difference was detected between harvest treatments in carded yarn quality. However, more substantial differences were detected in the quality of carded and combed yarns based on harvest treatment.
Identifying the Gains from Pure Intra‐Industry Exchange

This article modifies a framework developed in industrial organisation analysis to identify the nature of the gains associated with pure intra‐industry exchange, and to isolate the factors which may influence their magnitude. The analysis suggests that since the magnitude of any gains is dependent on a number of variables no general statements can be made about the gains from intra‐industry exchange relative to inter‐industry exchange.
Steps toward Building Mathematical and Computer Models from Cognitive Task Analyses

Typically, detailed quantitative and computer models of human operators performing real world tasks cannot easily be developed. We propose a technique that more easily allows for that development. We propose that when a cognitive task analysis has been carried out, a computer simulation model useful for approximations of task completion time is often within reach. The first step is to construct an activity network or order-of-processing diagram from the task analysis. Second, activity durations are found in the literature or approximated through multidimensional scaling. Finally, equations are written for calculating task completion time, or a program is written for simulations to estimate this time. Resulting models can be useful for optimizing system design. The approach is illustrated with an activity network by W. D. Gray, B. E. John, and M. E. Atwood (1993) for a telephone operator task. Simulations demonstrate the feasibility of using multidimensional scaling to obtain approximate activity durations. The approach is also illustrated with an order-of-processing diagram representing drivers reading roadside message displays. We point out that if a more detailed picture of unobservable mental processes in a task is needed, techniques have been developed for this through analysis of response times. Actual or potential applications of this research include system design, human-computer interaction, message comprehension, and simulation of information-processing tasks.
Gracing the Land of Elvis and Beale Street: Historic Designation and Property Values in Memphis

We analyze appreciation rates across comparable designated and undesignated neighborhoods in Memphis, Tennessee. Using appreciation rates potentially nullifies the objection to using assessed values in such an analysis while also mitigating some of the bias inherent in the differences between otherwise similar designated and undesignated neighborhoods. Nonetheless, in accord with the previous studies, after controlling for numerous housing characteristics, we find that properties in neighborhoods designated historical by the Memphis Landmarks Commission had appreciation rates above those in other similar neighborhoods. We also find that new properties benefit as much, perhaps even more, than older properties from being in a historic district. Copyright 2005 by the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association
The empirical distribution of stock returns: evidence from an emerging European market

There is now substantial evidence that daily equity returns are not normally distributed, but instead display significant leptokurtosis and, in many cases, skewness. Considerable effort has been made in order to capture these empirical characteristics using a range of statistical distributions. However, the evidence to date is confined entirely to the returns of developed stock markets, and in particular to the USA. In this paper, the daily returns of a large emerging European stock market, Turkey, are modelled. Two very flexible families of distributions that have recently been introduced are employed: the exponential generalized beta (EGB) and the skewed generalized t (SGT). These distributions permit very diverse levels of skewness and kurtosis and, between them, nest most of the distribution previously considered in the literature.
Genetics and Health Communication: A Primer

The progress of genetic knowledge has been swift and steadfast. As we move forward in the genomic era, post Human Genome Project, and continue to explore how one’s genes interact with one’s environment, it becomes increasingly important for all audiences to have a firm grasp of the vocabulary used in this health context. This primer is intended to be used as a reference and to introduce and/or make more clear concepts related to genetics to increase understanding.
The regional distribution of foreign direct investment in China

WEI Y. , LIU X. , PARKER D. and VAIDYA K. (1999) The regional distribution of foreign direct investment in China, Reg. Studies 33 , 857-867. This paper analyses the determinants of the regional distribution of both pledged and realized foreign direct investment (FDI) within China. The econometric properties of the panel data set are examined using a standardized 't-bar' test for unit root. The empirical results indicate that there exists a long run relationship between the spatial distribution of FDI and a number of regional characteristics. Provinces with a higher level of international trade, lower wage rates, more R&D manpower, higher GDP growth rates, quicker improvement in infrastructure, more rapid advances in agglomeration, more preferential policies and closer ethnic links with overseas Chinese attract relatively more pledged FDI. WEI Y. , LIU X. , PARKER D. et VAIDYA K. (1999) La distribution regionale de l'investissement direct etranger en Chine, Reg. Studies 33 , 857-867. Cet article cherche a anal.
An Essay on the Revived Bretton Woods System

The economic emergence of a fixed exchange rate periphery in Asia has reestablished the United States as the center country in the Bretton Woods international monetary system. We argue that the normal evolution of the international monetary system involves the emergence of a periphery for which the development strategy is export-led growth supported by undervalued exchange rates, capital controls and official capital outflows in the form of accumulation of reserve asset claims on the center country. The success of this strategy in fostering economic growth allows the periphery to graduate to the center. Financial liberalization, in turn, requires floating exchange rates among the center countries. But there is a line of countries waiting to follow the Europe of the 1950s/60s and Asia today sufficient to keep the system intact for the foreseeable future.
Comparison of the Prevalences and Antimicrobial Resistances of Escherichia coli Isolates from Different Retail Meats in the United States, 2002 to 2008

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli isolates were recovered from the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System retail meat program and examined for antimicrobial susceptibility. Retail meat samples (n = 11,921) from four U.S. states collected during 2002 to 2008, consisting of 2,988 chicken breast, 2,942 ground turkey, 2,991 ground beef, and 3,000 pork chop samples, were analyzed. A total of 8,286 E. coli isolates were recovered. The greatest numbers of samples contaminated with the organism were chicken (83.5%) and turkey (82.0%), followed by beef (68.9%) and pork (44.0%). Resistance was most common to tetracycline (50.3%), followed by streptomycin (34.6%), sulfamethoxazole-sulfisoxazole (31.6%), ampicillin (22.5%), gentamicin (18.6%), kanamycin (8.4%), amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (6.4%), and cefoxitin (5.2%). Less than 5% of the isolates had resistance to trimethoprim, ceftriaxone, ceftiofur, nalidixic acid, chloramphenicol, and ciprofloxacin. All isolates were susceptible to amikacin. Compared to beef and pork isolates, the poultry meat isolates had a greater percentage of resistance to all tested drugs, with the exception of chloramphenicol, to which pork isolates had the most resistance. More than half of the turkey isolates (56%) were resistant to multidrugs (≥3 classes) compared to 38.9% of chicken, 17.3% of pork, and 9.3% of beef isolates. The bla CMY gene was present in all ceftriaxone- and ceftiofur-resistant isolates. The cmlA, flo, and catI genes were present in 45%, 43%, and 40% of chloramphenicol-resistant isolates, respectively. Most nalidixic acid-resistant isolates (98.5%) had a gyrA mutation in S83 or D87 or both, whereas only 6.7% had a parC mutation in either S80 or E84. The results showed that E. coli was commonly present in the retail meats, and antimicrobial resistance profiles differed according to the animal origin of the isolates.
Rapid identification and differentiation of yeasts by DNA and PCR fingerprinting

We have used the techniques of DNA fingerprinting and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with probes specific for hypervariable repetitive DNA sequences (mini‐ and microsatellite DNAs) to analyze 36 yeast strains belonging to 10 species and 2 genera. Using (GTG)5, (GACA)4, phage M13 DNA and the M13 sequence GAGGGTGGCGGTTCT as probes and primers, respectively, we obtained DNA polymorphisms which allowed us to discriminate 23 biotechnologically important strains of the yeast Saccaromyces cerevisiae and to distinguish them from strains of S. pastorianus, S. bayanus and S. willianus.