Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
INVESTIGATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE IN TURKEY

This paper examined the relationship between corporate social responsibility and firm financial performance in Borsa Istanbul 100 index companies between the years 2010 and 2012. In order to test our hypothesis that the companies issuing corporate social responsibility reports have higher performance in terms of financial accounting ratios, we applied a logistic regression analysis. Corporate social responsibility used as the dependent variable and financial performance measures as independent variables and net log of assets was used as the control variable. We found that there was a significant relationship between company size and corporate social responsibility. We were not able to find any significant relationship between corporate social responsibility and financial performance.
Distinguishing ground from nonground information in defeasible argumentation

The problem of speeding up inference has proved to be important in argumentative systems. When computing dialectical structures, several paths are searched (called argumentation lines), many of which will eventually prove useless. Morover, the performance of backward chainers degrades quickly as the size of the knowledge base increases. This is a major hindrance for argumentative systems, since backward chaining is applied at two di®erent levels (arguments themselves resemble proof trees, and arguments are related to each other within a tree structure). This paper presents a novel approach for speeding up inference. We will work with arguments for nonground literals, on the basis of some results presented by Levy [2]. As a result, most computations involving dialectical trees can beperformed independently from the current ground facts in the system's knowledge base. The de nition of abstract dialectical tree will be introduced, which will account for all nonground queries for a given literal. Supported by a fellowship of the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cient¶3 cas y T¶ecnicas (CONICET), Rep¶ublica Argentina. Distinguishing ground from nonground information in defeasible argumentation
Islamic Banking: Concept and Methodology

A Bank is the establishment for the custody of money received from, or on behalf of, its customers. Interest being the cogwheel of the modern banking, is strictly prohibited in Islam and hence there can be no banking system in Islam based on Interest. Interest though seemingly a lucrative proposition for commercial banks, many scholars believe that Interest is the main reason for Bank Failures and Systemic Crisis. The bank failures in the U.S. during the 1980s revived interest in equity-based proposals and the separation of the payment of deposits from the portfolio activities of banks. The proposals made were strikingly similar to the Islamic systems now being implemented, at least on the deposit side. But the Islamic system goes further, requiring that loans made by banks should also be equity-based. Islamic Banking has the same purpose as conventional banking except that it operates in accordance with the governing rules of Shari’ah. This paper is framed with an intention to outline in brief the conceptual framework of Islamic Banking. This paper also throws light on the Islamic laws and governing principles regarding various instruments and operations of Islamic Banking.
Increase in size of Eimeria separata oocysts during patency.

Examinations of 18 consecutive fecal samples collected at 6-hr intervals from infected rats showed that oocysts increased in length and width by approximately 40% from the beginning to the end of the patent period. Unsporulated oocysts were first observed in the 3rd fecal collection, 84 to 90 hr postinoculation (PI) and 100 of these measured 9.9 to 14.3 by 8.8 to 12.1 u (mean 11.7 by 10.1). Patency ended with the 15th fecal collection, 156 to 162 hr PI, and 100 unsporulated oocysts from this sample measured 14.3 to 17.6 by 13.2 to 15.4 ft (mean 16.3 by 14.2). Despite the size increase during patency, oocyst shape-index did not change. Sporulated oocysts did not differ significantly from unsporulated oocysts in length or width. The most significant increases in both length and width of the sporulated oocysts occurred 90 to 96 and 120 to 126 hr PI. During studies on interspecific interactions between coccidian species, I observed that oocysts of Eimeria separata seemed to become larger as the infection progressed. Increase in the size of coccidian oocysts, although apparently unusual, has been observed by some investigators (Becker et al., 1955, 1956; Cheissin, 1947; Cordero del Campillo, 1959; Fish, 1931; Jones, 1932). It was interesting to note that Becker et al. (1932) stated, "It is evident here also that the oocysts [of E. separata] exhibit no tendency toward a larger or smaller size as the infection progresses. " Since my observations appeared to conflict with those of Becker et al., the following experiment was conducted in order to determine if there was an increase in the size of oocysts during the course of the infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS Experimental animals The hosts used in this study were 2 female, coccidia-free, SPF, Fischer 344 strain, inbred albino rats (National Laboratory Animal Company, Creve Coeur, Missouri). They were kept in a room with a relatively constant temperature (22 to 25 C) and were allowed food and water ad lib. Thus an attempt was made to standardize genetic, hormonal, age, and some environmental influences, all factors which may influence the course of an infection. The E. separata isolate was obtained by inoculating rats with fecal material from an infected wild Rattus norvegicus. This infected fecal material was Received for publication 23 February 1971. * Present address: Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106. sent to me by Dr. J. V. Ernst, USDA Regional Parasite Research Laboratory, Auburn, Alabama. The specific status of this isolate was determined by measurement of 100 sporulated oocysts and comparison of observed characters with those from previously described species (Levine and Ivens, 1965). The species was further confirmed by observation of the living endogenous stages of the parasite in the cecum-colon using the technique of Marquardt (1966) and comparing these stages with those originally described by Roudabush (1937).
Corporate Social Responsibility: A Developmental Tool for India

After discussing the various changes that the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has undergone since its inception, this paper focuses on a relatively new proposal by the United Nations (UN) called ‘Global Compact’ (GC) and ‘Millennium Development Goals’ (MDGs) to reshape Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a tool for national and international development and its applicability in the Indian context. This study also critically analyzes the CSR initiatives adopted by Tata Steel Ltd in the light of this approach to CSR as a developmental tool. The data analysis is based on auditor’s annual report and the CSR reports of Tata Steel Ltd. Rural Development Society (TSRDS) from 1990 to 1998 (post liberalization in India). The analysis ends with the conclusion that Tata Steel Ltd’s CSR activities implicitly follow the MDGs of the UN as a developmental tool for Jharkhand. These CSR activities (which are well-structured following the MDGs) act like tools for development and try to fill the developmental gaps of the Government.
Treatment of severe hyponatremia.

Severe hyponatremia may be chronic (days) or acute (hours), symptomatic or asymptomatic. Severe chronic symptomatic hyponatremia (serum sodium concentration < 110 to 115 mM/liter) occurs most commonly in the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH). The treatment of this hyponatremia is a challenge to practicing physicians, in part because an overly rapid correction of hyponatremia may cause brain damage. The latter sometimes takes the form of central pontine myelinolysis (CPM). On the basis of available clinical and experimental literature, the rate of correction of this symptomatic hyponatremia should be no more than 0.5 mM per liter per hour, and the initial treatment should be halted once a mildly hyponatremic range of the serum sodium concentration has been reached (approximately 125 to 130 mM/liter). In contrast, severe chronic asymptomatic hyponatremia may be treated sufficiently by a fluid restriction. On the other hand, severe symptomatic acute hyponatremia should be treated promptly and rapidly, using hypertonic saline, to initially reach a mildly hyponatremic level.
Mechanisms of tubulo‐interstitiaI injury in progressive renal diseases

Abstract. A vast amount of evidence, based upon human renal biopsy material, indicates that the presence of tubular atrophy and interstitial fibrosis is a better indicator of outcome of renal function than is the extent of glomerular sclerosis. The pathophysiological basis for this surprising fact has not been adequately addressed. In this review we point out that the systemic hypertension which accompanies most forms of chronic renal disease could impact adversely upon the vasodilated interstitial vascular compartment which, together with a component of primary capillary injury related to the disease process, could cause progressive obliteration of particular capillaries. This would initiate a process of chronic tubular ischaemia ultimately leading to tubular atrophy. Since tubular cells have been shown to produce an array of cytokines and growth factors which modulate fibroblast proliferation, extracellular matrix production and chemo‐attracts for infiltrating cells, it is further proposed that it is the tubular injury which initiates the deleterious cascade of events. Tubular injury may be aggravated by the filtration of potentially ‘noxious’ molecules through the diseased glomerulus and by infiltrating cells. As the vascular bed into which glomerular blood flow empties is progressively obliterated, glomerular function declines and renal failure advances in relation to the degree of tubulo‐interstitial fibrosis.
Pretargeted Versus Directly Targeted Radioimmunotherapy Combined with Anti-CD20 Antibody Consolidation Therapy of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

We determined whether therapeutic responses using a bispecific antibody that pretargeted 90Y-hapten-peptide radioimmunotherapy or a directly radiolabeled, humanized, 90Y-anti-CD20 IgG (veltuzumab) could be improved by combining these treatments with unlabeled humanized antibodies against CD22 (epratuzumab), CD74 (milatuzumab), or veltuzumab. Methods: Nude mice bearing established subcutaneous Ramos human Burkitt lymphoma were treated with antibodies alone or in combination with pretargeted radioimmunotherapy (PT-RAIT) or radioimmunotherapy, and tumor growth was monitored. Biodistribution studies examined the effect that predosing with unlabeled veltuzumab had on radioimmunotherapy and PT-RAIT targeting. Results: None of the unconjugated antibodies was effective against established and rapidly growing xenografts, but PT-RAIT, at approximately 30% of its maximum tolerated dose, and radioimmunotherapy alone, at its maximum tolerated dose, were able to arrest growth and even entirely ablate tumors in some animals. Only combinations with veltuzumab improved therapeutic responses, most significantly when a veltuzumab regimen (weekly, 1.0 mg followed by 3 × 0.5 mg) was initiated 1 wk after PT-RAIT or 90Y-veltuzumab. Biodistribution data indicated that when unlabeled veltuzumab (1.0 or 0.25 mg) was administered in advance of the radiolabeled veltuzumab or bispecific antibody injection, tumor uptake was significantly reduced (111In-veltuzumab, 47% and 25%, respectively; 111In-hapten-peptide, 74% and 49%, respectively). Despite an approximately 50% decrease in radioactivity uptake in the tumor, antitumor responses were not diminished significantly for 90Y-veltuzumab, and in the case of PT-RAIT responses were improved. However, higher amounts of predosed veltuzumab reduced the effects of PT-RAIT. Conclusion: These studies suggest that administering unlabeled anti-CD20 IgG therapy after the radioactivity dose provides the best efficacy and that the amount of unlabeled anti-CD20 IgG administered as a predose to anti-CD20-targeted radionuclide therapy should be minimized.
Time Series Prediction Methods for Depth-Averaged Current Velocities of Underwater Gliders

In this paper, we propose time series prediction methods for depth-averaged current velocities (DACVs) of underwater gliders. Based on historical DACV data, these methods can predict the DACVs of future profiles with good performance. Regarding DACVs as time series, we use backpropagation neural network and least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) methods to predict the DACVs. To obtain better prediction performance, the features of DACVs are considered, and we use empirical mode decomposition (EMD) to decompose the time series into several sub-series. Then, the two methods are reused to predict each sub-series, and the results of all the sub-series with each method are added. Based on the real-time DACVs obtained from the simulation environment and the DACVs obtained from sea trials, we test and verify the four methods. The results demonstrate that all the methods exhibit a good prediction performance for conditions in which ocean currents are relatively regular; whereas in other cases, EMD-LSSVM shows inherent robustness and superiority compared with the other three methods.
The Effect of Burnout towards OCB in the Companies on Workers of PT.X and PT.Y

Companies are growing and competing with each other to be the leading business in its own sector. The companies will utilize its resources and use it effectively and efficiently in order to be on top. One of the resources is the companies’ human resource which is the workers that run the company altogether by doing their job description based on their position. The human resources could produce better results if their state of mind is in the prime condition. The research aims to know the effect of burnout towards Organizational Citizenship Behavior of the workers in PT. X and PT. Y. This would let the researchers and companies to identify the effect of burnout to OCB which would let the companies formulate strategies to maintain the workers to reach high productivity yet retaining the welfare and loyalty of the workers. The research was done by gathering data from 100 samples using random sampling. Then the data was analyzed using multiple regression. The result of the research showed that burnout gives significant effect towards Organizational Citizenship Behavior. Furthermore the relationship that the independent and dependent variables shows are positive relationship which is contrary to the research conducted before by previous researchers. Keywords: Human Resource, Workers, Burnout, Organizational Citizenship Behavior
Cilazapril Prevents Hypertension in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Summary: Chronic daily administration of cilazapril (1 x 10 mg/kg/day p.o., from age 4 to 14 weeks) to young spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) prevented the development of hypertension. The antihypertensive effect of a single dose of cilazapril persisted >24 h. Discontinuation of long-term treatment resulted in an increase of systolic arterial blood pressure (SAP) to control hypertensive levels within 4 days. Following 10 weeks of drug administration, comparative hemodynamic studies were carried out on age-matched (14 weeks) control SHR and cilazapril-treated SHR. Cilazapril-treated SHR had a significantly lower mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and total peripheral vascular resistance than did control SHR. The antihypertensive effect of cilazapril was not associated with changes in heart rate (HR). The myocardial performance parameters, cardiac output, and stroke volume, were similar in treated and control SHR, suggesting that the antihypertensive effect of cilazapril following chronic administration to SHR is mainly due to a reduction in peripheral vascular resistance. Vasopressor responses to angiotensin I were significantly lower in cilazapril-treated SHR than in control SHR. By contrast, pressor responses to angiotensin II and a high dose of norepinephrine (1.0 μg/kg i.v.) were significantly enhanced. Isoproterenol elicited a fall in blood pressure in both groups, the extent of which was dependent upon the magnitude of basal blood pressure levels. Chronic cilazapril treatment resulted in a reduction of heart weight, suggesting that the drug may prevent development of cardiac hypertrophy in SHR. Kidney and adrenal weights were unaffected by the chronic treatment. Specific renin activities (SRA) in tissues of SHR were increased by factors of 20 (plasma) or 2 (kidney and adrenal) following cilazapril administration. Five weeks after discontinuation of drug treatment, near normal values of SRA were reached, suggesting that chronic administration of cilazapril is associated with reversible changes in the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) of SHR.
Pneumococcal Bacteremia Among Infants With Fever Without Known Source Before and After Introduction of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in the Basque Country of Spain

Background: The introduction of vaccination with the heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) has produced an important decrease in the incidence of Streptococcus pneumoniae occult bacteremia (OB). In Spain, PCV7 became available in the last months of 2001, but, to date, it has not been included in the official vaccination schedule of the public health system. Objective: To describe the impact of pneumococcal vaccination with PCV7 on the incidence of OB caused by S. pneumoniae in infants aged 3–36 months presenting to our pediatric emergency department. Patients and Methods: This is a retrospective case series of all blood cultures obtained from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2005 in our pediatric emergency department from infants with fever without known source. We evaluated rates of blood cultures positive with S. pneumoniae before (January 1, 2000–December 31, 2001) and after (January 1, 2004–December 31, 2005) PCV7 introduction, excluding 2 transitional years (January 1, 2002–December 31, 2003). Results: Implementation of vaccination with PVC7 in our area resulted in a 57.5% reduction of OB caused by S. pneumoniae (1.62–0.69%) (P < 0.05). There were 30 cases of bacteremia caused by S. pneumoniae, 19 before and 11 after PCV7 introduction. Between the 2 periods of time studied the number of cases of infants aged 3–36 months with fever without known source, increased from 8052 to 9799 (21.6%) and the total blood cultures drawn significantly increased from 1171 to 1575 (34.5%) (P < 0.01). Despite more frequent blood culturing in febrile patients, the rate of OB caused by PCV7-serotypes decreased significantly by 79% (1.19–0.25%) (P < 0.01) and the proportion of OB caused by nonvaccine serotypes increased minimally from 0.42 to 0.44%. In the post-PVC7 period, 4 infants presented with S. pneumoniae OB caused by PCV7 serotypes; 2 had not received PCV7, and 2 (6 and 7 months old) had received one dose. Conclusion: After PCV7 introduction in our area, rates of S. pneumoniae OB caused by vaccine serotypes decreased significantly despite only moderate use of the vaccine in our population.
Interference Mitigation Achieved with a Reconfigurable Stepped Frequency GPR System

In this contribution, some possible effects of large band electromagnetic interferences on Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) data are shown, and a possible way to counteract them is shown, too. The mitigation of the interferences is implemented thanks to a prototypal reconfigurable stepped frequency GPR system, that allows to program the integration time of the harmonic tones vs. the frequency. In particular, an algorithm for the measurement of the effects of the interferences in the field (linked to the signal to interference ratio) is proposed and tested vs. experimental data. The paper will show some advantages and some drawbacks of the proposed procedure.
Heterogeneous genetic alterations in ovarian mucinous tumors: application and usefulness of laser capture microdissection.

Histologic observation of ovarian mucinous tumors suggests that there is a multistep transition through the accumulation of genetic alterations. We analyzed loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and replication error (RER) on TP53 and D17S855 as well as K-ras point mutations of the heterogeneous histologic areas of the same tumor in 26 cases of ovarian mucinous tumor. The laser capture microdissection (LCM) technique has been applied to the study of K-ras point mutation in 10 cases. As for genetic alterations for LOH or RER on TP53 and D17S855, 2 (1 borderline tumor and 1 carcinoma) of 14 cases and 4 (1 borderline tumor and 3 carcinomas) of 12 cases, respectively, showed genetic heterogeneities in different histologic areas. Six (2 borderline tumors and 4 carcinomas) of 18 cases showed heterogeneity of K-ras point mutation in the different histologic areas of the same tumor, and 5 (1 cystadenoma with Brenner tumor component, 2 borderline tumors, and 2 carcinomas) of 10 cases showed heterogeneous K-ras mutation pattern in the same tumor when the LCM technique was used. Atypical areas tended to show K-ras point mutations frequently. Out of 3 cases of mixed mucinous cystadenoma and Brenner tumor, 1 case showed K-ras point mutation in the Brenner tumor area but not in the area of mucinous cystadenoma. These preliminary results suggest that a subset of ovarian mucinous tumors occur through multistep carcinogenesis and show that LCM is useful for molecular pathologic studies.
Welfare Consequences of Selling Public Enterprises: An Empirical Analysis : A Summary

This booklet presents a summary of Welfare Consequences of Selling Public Enterprise, the first comprehensive empirical study to measure the effects of divestiture on sellers, buyers, consumer surplus and answers question about who won, who lost, by how much, and why. It compares the pre- and the postdivestiture performance of enterprises and what the latter would have been under continued public ownership.
Plasma B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Levels in Ambulatory Patients With Established Chronic Symptomatic Systolic Heart Failure

Background—The diagnostic and prognostic values of plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) testing are established. However, the range of plasma BNP levels present in the setting of chronic, stable systolic heart failure (HF) is unclear. Methods and Results—We followed up 558 consecutive ambulatory patients with chronic, stable systolic HF (left ventricular ejection fraction <50%) treated at a specialized outpatient HF clinic between November 2001 and February 2003. Retrospective chart review was performed to determine clinical and functional data at the time of BNP testing (Biosite Triage). The clinical characteristics of patients with plasma BNP levels <100 pg/mL and those with ≥100 pg/mL were compared. In our cohort, 60 patients were considered asymptomatic, and their plasma BNP levels ranged from 5 to 572 pg/mL (median, 147 pg/mL). Of the remaining 498 symptomatic (NYHA functional class II–III) patients, 106 (21.3%) had plasma BNP levels in the “normal” diagnostic range (<100 pg/mL). Patients in this “normal BNP” subgroup were more likely to be younger, to be female, to have nonischemic pathogenesis, and to have better-preserved cardiac and renal function and less likely to have atrial fibrillation. Conclusions—In the ambulatory care setting, both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with chronic, stable systolic HF may present with a wide range of plasma BNP levels. In a subset of symptomatic patients (up to 21% in our cohort), plasma BNP levels are below what would be considered “diagnostic” (<100 pg/mL).