Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corporate governance as a mechanism to alleviate financing constraints on investment

Governance as a mechanism to alleviate financing constraints on investment Russian evidence Anna Grosman, Imperial College Business School January 2010-January 2013. Email: a.grosman09@imperial.ac. uk This paper addresses whether adopting good governance standards alleviates financing constraints on investment via improved internal efficiency or access to external capital. The Russian context serves as an appropriate laboratory for studying longitudinal effect of governance. We test if corporate governance acts as a moderator between financing constraints on investment and internal efficiency, i.e. the effect of internal efficiency on improving investments is amplified in presence of good governance. We also test for mediation and moderation effects between governance and
Applying a rateless code in content delivery networks

Content delivery network (CDN) allows internet providers to locate their services, to map their coverage into networks without necessarily to own them. CDN is part of the current internet infrastructures, supporting multi server applications especially social media. Various works have been proposed to improve CDN performances. Since accesses on social media servers tend to be short but frequent, providing redundant to the transmitted packets to ensure lost packets not degrade the information integrity may improve service performances. This paper examines the implementation of rateless code in the CDN infrastructure. The NS-2 evaluations show that rateless code is able to reduce packet loss up to 50%.
and Mihaly Berkics The impact of powerful authorities and trustful tax payers : Evidence for the extended slippery slope framework from Austria , Finland and Hungary

Tax authorities utilize a wide range of instruments to motivate honest taxpaying ranging from strict audits to fair procedures or personalized support, differing from country to country. However, little is known about how these different instruments and taxpayers’ trust influence the generation of interaction climates between tax authorities and taxpayers, motivations to comply, and particularly, tax compliance. The present research examines the extended slippery slope framework (eSSF), which distinguishes tax authorities’ instruments into different qualities of power of authority (coercive and legitimate) and trust in authorities (reasonbased and implicit), to shed light on the effect of differences between power and trust. We test eSSF assumptions with survey data from taxpayers from three culturally different countries (N = 700) who also vary concerning their perceptions of power, trust, interaction climates, and tax motivations. Results support assumptions of the eSSF. Across all countries, the relation of coercive power and tax compliance was mediated by implicit trust, which leads to an antagonistic climate and enforced motivation. The connection from legitimate power to tax compliance is partially mediated by reason-based trust. The relationship between implicit trust and tax compliance is mediated by a confidence climate and committed cooperation. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. ARTICLE HISTORY Received 16 December 2017 Accepted 5 December 2018
The Brent-WTI Oil Price Relationship under the Risk-Neutral Measure

The spread between the WTI and Brent crude oil contract prices is a key indicator in energy economics and the subject of a significant literature. The time series pattern of this spread has changed significantly in recent years. This paper is the first to analyze the spread using time series of moments from the risk-neutral distributions implied by options on WTI and Brent futures prices. First, we recover time series of constant maturity risk-neutral moments (variance, skewness, and kurtosis) for the two oil price contracts. Second, we document evidence supporting a fractional cointegration model between risk-neutral moments of the two oil price series. Third, we use this framework to investigate changes over time in the spread using dynamics of risk-neutral moments, which provide forward-looking information. Fourth, we describe how these relationships change according to the time horizon (1 month to 12 months). JEL: G13, G14, Q4
Sains Humanika Climate of Inquiry and Critical Reflection Element in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Institutions

The purpose of this study is to explore the importance of climate of inquiry and critical reflection in teaching and learning. The study was established by using Teaching and Learning Guiding Principles Instrument (TLGPI) to identify the reliability and validity of the instrument in generating teaching and learning guiding principles (TLGP). Participants consisted of 355 Malaysian educators from higher education institutions and teacher training institutions. It is an essential instrument to reflect in generating the teaching and learning guiding principles in higher education level in Malaysia. Confirmatory Factor Analysis has validated all five items of Climate of Inquiry (CI) construct of TLGPI whereby all items indicated high reliability and internal consistency. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis also confirmed that a single factor model was used to generate teaching and learning guiding principles.
Thermal analysis and tribological investigation on TPU and NBR elastomers applied to sealing applications

This study investigates the contact temperatures reached due to frictional heating on TPU (Thermoplastic polyurethane) and NBR (Nitrile butadiene rubber) seal surfaces during operation. These elastomers present limited thermal resistance so an excessive temperature rise may affect their tribological performance. Sliding tests of the elastomers against steel cylinders were carried out and the surface temperature evolution was acquired during the tests using a high precision infrared camera. Frictional behaviour and temperature curves were analyzed. The influence of the experimental parameters, such as the sealing material, sliding velocity, applied load and steel surface conditions was examined. Experimental thermal results were compared with those calculated through well-established analytical models, in order to determine the advantages and limitations of the
Prize-Linked Savings Games : Theory and Experiment 1

We introduce a game in which each player can allocate her endowment in a prizelinked savings (PLS) account, which awards a fixed prize only to a randomly chosen winner. Like Tullock’s rent-seeking contest, the probability for each player of winning the prize is the ratio of her PLS deposit to the total deposits made by all participating players. We derive a unique equilibrium and further examine the effects of introducing PLS as an alternative savings option to traditional savings (TS), which yields a fixed rate of return. Our theory predicts that, while inducing the group with low TS deposits to save more, PLS will cannibalize TS and reduce total savings in the group with high TS deposits. However, in contrast to the theory, our experimental results show that PLS significantly increases total savings in both groups.
A constructive approach to Euler hydrodynamics for attractive processes . Application to k-step exclusion

We derive by a constructive method the hydrodynamic behavior of attractive processes with irreducible jumps and product invariant measures. Our approach relies on (i) explicit construction of Riemann solutions without assuming convexity, which may lead to contact discontinuities and (ii) a general result which proves that the hydrodynamic limit for Riemann initial pro5les implies the same for general initial pro5les. The k-step exclusion process provides a simple example. We also give a law of large numbers for the tagged particle in a nearest neighbor asymmetric k-step exclusion process. c © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. MSC: primary 60K35; secondary 82C22
Kinetic characterization of recombinant PfAM 1 , a M 1-aminopeptidase from Plasmodium falciparum ( Aconoidasida : Plasmodiidae ) , using fluorogenic peptide substrates

Aceptado: 2015-09-01 ABSTRACT Plasmodium falciparum neutral M1-aminopeptidase (PfAM1) is a validated target against malaria, the main human parasitic disease in tropical regions. Recently, our group obtained a recombinant variant of this enzyme (rPfAM1) in Escherichia coli with a yield of 24 mg of active protein per L of culture. As a way to confirm the suitability of this recombinant aminopeptidase to be used as a target for the identification of new potent and selective inhibitors of the endogenous enzyme, and adjusting the experimental parameters of the inhibition assays, here we determined the main kinetic characteristics of rPfAM1 using L-aminoacyl-7-amido-4-methylcoumarin (AMC)-conjugated fluorogenic substrates. Firstly, the Zn cation inhibited rPfAM1 activity at concentrations > 1 μmol/L, an effect qualitatively analogous to that observed for other metallo-aminopeptidases. In agreement with earlier reports, the near-neutral pH (7.2-7.4) is the optimum against the 4 substrates tested (Ala -, Leu-, Metand Arg-AMC). The KM values at pH 7.2 (Met-AMC: 23 ± 5 μmol/ L; Arg-AMC: 37 ± 4 μmol/L; Ala-AMC: 106 ± 9 μmol/L; Leu-AMC: 60 ± 7 μmol/ L) are closer to those previously reported for the native enzyme than those described for another recombinant variant of PfAM1. On the other hand, the kcat values obtained here at pH 7.2 (Met-AMC: 99 ± 9 s ; Arg-AMC: 129 ± 6 s ; Ala-AMC: 268 ± 20 s; Leu-AMC: 79 ± 6 s) are the highest reported to date for PfAM1, indicating that our enzyme preparation is particularly active. Diminution of pH from 7.2 to 5.2, affected more the catalytic efficiency of rPfAM1 than affinity toward Leu-, Metand Arg-AMC. The contrary effect was observed with Ala-AMC. The kinetic parameters at near-neutral pH varied as a function of the identity of the substrate amino-terminal residue, in a
Isolation and Characteristics of Corn-Based Cellulolytic Fungi as Fibrous Feed

Microbes live in nature freely in water, air, or soil. One type of microbe is fungi. Fungi are microorganisms that are able to degrade fiber. This study aims to isolate fungi from corn waste and test the degradation ability of the best corn waste fungi fiber as a fibrous feed bioactivator. This research was carried out at the Laboratory of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry Study Program, University of North Sumatra, in March 2018 June 2018. This study used corn waste (corn cobs, corn straw, corn husk, corn flowers and corn roots). Parameters observed were macroscopic morphology (colony size, colony shape, clony color, colony elevation, colony edge), microscopic morphology (form of hyphae, conidial shape, and conidiophoric surface) and the ability to degrade fiber in fungi. Conclusions from the results of research on corn waste exploration obtained 6 fungi isolates, 4 of which were cellulolytic fungi that were able to degrade fibrous feed, namely two strains of Aspergillus sp. , Fusarium sp. , And Rizoctonia sp. Isolates which have a potential to degrade fiber are JE isolates (Rizoctonia sp. fungi) with a cellulolytic index of 1,178.
EARLY PALEOGENE OVERBANK DEPOSITIONAL PATTERNS IN THE HANNA BASIN AND COMPARISON WITH COEVAL STRATA IN THE BIGHORN BASIN (WYOMING, U.S.A.)

During the Laramide Orogeny a series of intermontane basins developed in the Rocky Mountain region, the strata of which record the local uplift and paleoclimate history (Dickinson et al., 1988; Aziz et al., 2008; Abels et al., 2013, 2016). This study focuses on two of these basins; the well studied Bighorn Basin in northwestern Wyoming and the relatively understudied Hanna Basin of south-central Wyoming. Both contain distinctive patterns of early Paleogene alluvial deposition including fluvial sandbodies and a variety of floodplain lithofacies (Aziz et al., 2008; Abels et al., 2013, 2016; Kraus and Gwinn, 1997; Wroblewski 2002; Dechesne et al., in review). The well-studied Willwood Formation of the Bighorn Basin contains weakly developed red-bed paleosols stacked between sandy fluvial avulsion deposits (Abels et al., 2013; Fig. 1). Similarly, the Hanna Formation of the Hanna Basin is notable for its repetitive patterns of sandrich units interbedded with finer organic-rich shales, siltstones, and carbonaceous strata (Dechesne et al., in review; Fig. 1). This project will analyze depositional cycles in the Hanna Formation, and compare these to those of the Bighorn Basin in order to reveal any common depositional patterns and hypothesize on their potential controls. While separating allogenic and autogenic controls of cyclical sedimentation patterns in fluvial settings is a difficult task (Abels et al., 2013), comparing patterns in these two basins could illuminate whether there were local, regional, or even global climatic controls on basin deposition during this time. BACKGROUND
REGULATORY INTERVENTIONS , CENTRAL BANK SUPPORT , AND OFFICIAL OVERSIGHT AND CONTROL OF WHOLESALE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL MARKETS

The aim of the article is to answer a question to what extent the recent crises in international financial markets have confirmed the need for formal regulatory intervention and for official central bank support and subsequently, to what extent transactions in wholesale international financial markets should be subject to official oversight and control or if they can be left to internal market devices. The paper begins with an analysis of major financial disruptions in the last 20 to 25 years from which key findings and conclusions are derived. Subsequently, particular forms of market failure are analyzed with regard to the need of oversight and control of international financial transactions. The author concludes that wholesale international financial markets can be mostly governed by internal market devices. Nevertheless, governments and central banks should have suitable tools of oversight and control of financial transactions and regulatory means of intervention at disposal once the stability of international financial system is at risk.
ThabiTTa-Wanda KozileK, VăTaVu Sorana, Para iulia MEASURING WELFARE IN ROMANIA: ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEASURES TO GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT

The study presents alternative measures for measuring the welfare of a country in the context of identifying relationships generated by the impact of changes in the income level, measured by gross domestic product (GDP), related to other welfare, measured by the Happy Planet Index (HPI). The analysis was conducted in Romania, during the period from 2012 to 2016. The research methodology involves simple linear regression and welfare descriptive variables such as GDP, GDP/capita, HPI and its subcomponents’ indicators, namely life satisfaction, life expectancy and ecological footprint. Identification of aspects that have an impact on the welfare of citizens allows to compare levels of wellbeing experienced worldwide and to identify the main areas at the national level on which improvements can be made. The results indicate that, although there is no correlation between GDP and HPI, GDP/capita has great influence on both life satisfaction and life expectancy. Also, GDP has influence on the ecological footprint. Given these considerations, the main conclusion of the research is that, although the level of welfare, quantified using GDP, changes positively, this change is due to the increased life expectancy, life satisfaction, reduced ecological footprint rather than to changes in income levels.
Post-editing quality: Analysing the correctness and necessity of post-editor corrections

Post-editing (PE) machine translations (MT) has become an increasingly common practice in the translation field in recent years. Research has investigated, among other issues, the types of error corrected by post-editors, but less emphasis has been placed on the corrections themselves and how they reflect MT errors. This article presents a pilot study analysing the edits made by five student post-editors in an English–Finnish post-editing task. We analyse the correctness and necessity of the edits. Our results show that, whereas most edits performed in the task are correct, a significant number of them (34%) are unnecessary. The findings suggest that specific types of edit, such as word-order changes and deletions of personal pronouns, are generally unnecessary for this language pair, which may have implications for post-editing practice and training.
Comparison between two types of copper bearing intrauterine device Cu 375 and Cu 380 Ag regarding bleeding pattern : Randomized controlled trial

Introduction: The complications of IUDs are abnormal uterine bleeding, dysmenorrhea, expulsion of the IUD or perforation of the uterus. Due to these complications, 5 to 15 percent of women will stop using the IUD during one year. The most common complication of using IUDs is bleeding that is the cause of 15 to 30 percent of the rejection and exclusion of copper IUDs by the users. Except for progesterone IUDs, all IUDs can lead 50-100 percent increase in the amount of menstrual blood than before the insertion. Aim of the work: To compare between two types of copper IUDs which are different in shape and size (Cu375 and Cu380Ag) regarding bleeding pattern. Patients and Methods: This is a randomized controlled clinical trial. The study was conducted at Family Planning Outpatient Clinic at Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Ain Shams Maternity Hospital on 220 patients divided into two groups with insignificant differences between two groups as regard age (p-value 0.934). Results: 110 participants recruited in each group. In group A, drop out after 1month was 6 women and only 70 women had subjective changes in bleeding pattern. After 1 year, drop out was 8 women. In group B, drop out after 1month was 4 women and only 79 women had subjective changes in bleeding pattern. After 1year, drop out was 5 women. Conclusion: One of the most common complications of IUD users is bleeding. These complications vary in the different types of IUDs. The results of this study showed that the use of the IUD ML CU 375 causes a significant decrease in the rate of bleeding.
ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI ALLEVIATE SALT STRESS ON SWEET ( Ocimum basilicum L . ) SEEDLINGS †

Abiotic stress due to salinity is considered one of the main problems facing agriculture that has the detrimental effect of restricting the growth and development of plants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus species (Rhizophagus fasciculatum) as reliever of NaCl-stress in sweet basil seedlings in emergence stage. A completely randomized design with factorial arrangement with four replications was used; first factor was sweet basil varieties (Nufar, Genovese, and Napoletano), factor two were NaCl concentrations (0, 50, and 100 mM) and factor three was inoculation of seeds with Rhizophagus fasciculatum (+AMF) an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and non-inoculated seeds (−AMF). Chemical composition of the substrate, rate and emergence percentage, plant height, root length, fresh and dry biomass of aerial part and root, spore count, and colonization percentage were assessed. The results showed differences in all variables with Napoletano showing higher values of all variables at 0, 50 or 100 mM NaCl with AMF. Majority of variables decreased with NaCl concentrations. The substrate was suitable for growth of Rhizophagus fasciculatum and for sweet basil. No root colonization was found in any seedlings inoculated with AMF; however, the micrograph of the inoculated plants showed vegetative mycelium, a mycorrhizal structure that shows the initiation of the colonization process.
Serum Levels of MicroRNA 371 a-3 p : A Highly Sensitive Tool for Diagnosing and Staging Testicular Germ Cell Tumours : A Clinical Case Series

Introduction: MicroRNA (miR)371a-3p was suggested to be a sensitive and specific new serum biomarker of germ cell tumours (GCTs); however, its clinical usefulness remains unproven. Patients, Methods: In 312 consecutive cases with various testicular diseases, serum levels of miR371a-3p were measured. Measurement results became available only after completion of treatment. Five patients with testicular seminoma were selected for review because of unanticipated clinical courses. Results: In each two patients, elevated miR levels heralded undetected primary testicular GCT and metastases despite inconclusive radiological findings. In one case, a normal miR371a-3p level correctly pointed to the absence of metastases contrary to clinical assessment. In all cases, knowledge about the miR371a-3p levels would have altered the clinical management. Conclusions: These cases highlight the exceptional usefulness of the new GCT biomarker. In contrast to classical markers, miR371a-3p can identify primary testicular GCT. The marker can aid in clinical decision making in cases with ambiguous clinical findings. © 2017 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel Received: February 27, 2017 Accepted after revision: May 11, 2017 Published online: June 7, 2017 Internationalis Urologia Prof. Dr. med. Klaus-Peter Dieckmann Klinik für Urologie Asklepios Klinik Altona, Paul Ehrlich Strasse 1 D–22763 Hamburg (Germany) E-Mail DieckmannKP @ t-online.de © 2017 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel www.karger. com/uin Th is article is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BYNC-ND) (http://www.karger.com/Services/OpenAccessLicense). Usage and distribution for commercial purposes as well as any distribution of modifi ed material requires written permission. D w nl oa de d by : 82 . 1 98 . 1 97 . 8 2 8/ 24 /2 01 7 11 :2 6: 29 A M
Working Paper No . 452 Simple banking : profitability and the yield curve

How does bank profitability vary with interest rates? We present a model of a monopolistically competitive bank subject to repricing frictions, and test the model’s predictions using a unique panel data set on UK banks. We find evidence that large banks retain a residual exposure to interest rates, even after accounting for hedging activity operating through the trading book. In the long run, both level and slope of the yield curve contribute positively to profitability. In the short run, however, increases in market rates compress interest margins, consistent with the presence of non negligible loan
DESAIN DAN IMPLEMENTASI STRIPLINE STRUKTUR SPLIT RING RESONATOR ( SRR ) SEBAGAI ELECTROMAGNETIC BANDGAP ( EBG )

Antena mikrostrip banyak digunakan pada perangkat telekomunikasi karena mudah difabrikasi, tipis dan ringan. Tetapi perolehan karakteristik sebagai radiasi seperti gain dan efisiensi rendah. Untuk memperbaiki karakteristik radiasi digunakan antena susun. Pada antena susun teradi kopling gandeng antara elemen yang berdekatan. Untuk mereduksi kopling gandeng disisipkan stripline struktur split ring resonator (SRR) sebagai electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) di antara elemen yang berdekatan pada antena susun. EBG dengan struktur SRR menghasilkan kopling gandeng pada rentan frekuensi 2,56 GHz – 3,0 GHz. Struktur EBG yang disisipkan di antara elemen antena susun patch persegi mengurangi kopling gandeng hingga 6,26 dB pada rentan frekuensi 2,56 GHz – 3,0 GHz.