Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corporate Social Disclosures in Southeast Asia: A Preliminary Study

The issue of Corporate Social Disclosure (CSD) has been growing remarkably both in business and academic world. Inevitably, this topic is also exposed in Southeast Asia, a big region that plays important role in global economic issue. Applying a content analysis method, this paper aims to provide preliminary findings in CSD practices throughout the companies‟ annual reports in 2007 and 2008 for countries located in Southeast Asia. Samples were selected for listed and unlisted various type of industries, based on the information availability internet searching. The sample collection and the subjectivity during the content analysis process are the limitations in conducting this study. In general, the results show that „human resources‟ are the main information disclosed, while in contrast, „energy‟ is the main least issue disclosed in the annual reports. However, the findings need to be interpreted with considerations since there are limited in samples. Basically, the outcomes support the major prior studies and enhancing the discussion of CSD conducting in developing countries, while at the same time describing some countries which obtained very limited in exposures. To respond the vast increasing issues of CSD practice, this preliminary study has provided a basis to see the role of every country in CSR reporting and how they could support the sustainability development globally.
Bronx Community College’s Education and Reading Department’s Catalytic Research Programs

Faculty driven research is central to the intellectual integrity and financial viability of any college community. Greenwood and Levin (2005) highlight how colleges and universities have increasingly professionalized and commodified investigative practices in such a way that they no longer benefit the communities that they were created to serve. Bronx Community College’s (BCC) Education and Reading Research Program is designed to question and interrupt research tendencies which propel self-fulfilling education and learning paradigms to produce and reify inter-generationally livedrealities and socio-economic reproduction of the least-advantaged communities. It is anticipated that the research efforts will also break the continuity of unintended effects of biased social policies, which evolve from socially-distant research careerism, by inaugurating a robust approach to action research. Our faculty action research program centers on the three pillars of investigative practices 1) qualitative inquiry 2) quantitative research and 3) action research centered on community development. Similar to Lincoln and Guba’s (1989) authenticity criteria, our faculty research programs center on a notion that all research should primarily benefit the lives of those researched. The proposal that follows is a concise summary of our research programs and their central aims. Additionally, this paper provides the epistemological, theoretical, and methodological underpinnings, which inform each approach. Lastly, this research summary outlines the community beneficence goals that each group of faculty researchers share; and it proposes how these research efforts will be financially self-sustaining.
An animal model for trigeminal neuralgia by compression of the trigeminal nerve root.

BACKGROUND Microvascular compression of the trigeminal nerve root is a major cause of most trigeminal neuralgia (TN) in patients; however, no reliable animal model to further study the pathogenesis of TN currently exists. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to establish a novel and practical animal model for TN by chronic compression of the trigeminal (CCT) nerve root in rats, which would provide a better animal model to mimic the clinical feature of TN on the research of the pathogenesis of TN. STUDY DESIGN A randomized, double blind, controlled animal trial. METHODS Sixteen adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (200-220 g) were randomly divided into 2 groups: one group that received chronic compression of the trigeminal nerve root (the CCT group, n=8) and another group that received sham operation without compression (the sham operation group, n=8). A small plastic filament was retrogressively inserted into the intracalvarium from the inferior orbital fissure until it reached the trigeminal nerve root for compression in CCT group. Animal behaviors were observed for 4 weeks after operation. Immunohistochemistry of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), isolectin B4 (IB4), substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) were performed in the trigeminal root entry zone (TREZ) and medullary dorsal horn (MDH). RESULTS The orofacial mechanical allodynia and heat hyperalgesia in the CCT rats were obviously increased after the operation and lasted for 28 days. Increased face-grooming behavior was also observed in the CCT rats and continued for over 21 days, returning to baseline by day 28. Immunohistochemistry for GFAP in the TREZ revealed a progressive extension of astrocytic processes in the ipsilateral TREZ of rats in the CCT group. Furthermore, the IB4 positive immunoreactive nonpeptidergic C-fiber terminals in the MDH were reduced for 4 weeks after the operation. Both SP and CGRP, expressed in the peptidergic C-fiber terminals, were found to be decreased in the ipsilateral MDH of CCT animals after the trigeminal nerve root injury. LIMITATIONS CCT animal model with a plastic filament only imitated the mechanical compression of the trigeminal root but not to display the complex vascular physiological feature as the microvascular in the TN patient. CONCLUSIONS The chronic compression of the trigeminal nerve root in rats effectively induced persistent orofacial neuropathic pain behaviors, and it would provide a novel and practical animal model for future research on the pathogenesis of TN.
Incidence of Neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus Infections in a Managed-Care Population

Objective: To determine the incidence of possible neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections, HSV infection status of women with infected infants, and use of measures to reduce risk of HSV transmission to the neonate in a large US managed-care population. Study Design: Retrospective analysis of administrative claims from the Integrated Health Care Information Services National Managed Care Benchmark database. Results: Of 233,487 infants born to 252,474 mothers from January 1997 to June 2002, the numbers assigned an ICD-9 code reflecting possible neonatal HSV infection ≤30 and ≤90 days of birth were 178 (0.08%) and 338 (0.15%), respectively. Of the 338 mothers delivering infants with possible neonatal HSV ≤90 days postnatally, 12% had a prior HSV diagnosis, 5% were prescribed an antiviral medication during the study period, and 3% used antiviral medication and had a cesarean delivery. Conclusion: These results support national surveillance of neonatal HSV to better define its incidence, strengthen health policies, and improve prevention and treatment.
Thinking inside the basin: scale in transboundary water management

While transboundary waters are widely advocated to be best managed at the basin level, practical experience in transboundary waters at the basin vis‐a‐vis other scales has not been systematically examined. To understand past experiences in transboundary water management at alternate scales, this paper: (i) determines the relative abundance of water treaties at different scales and (ii) elucidates how transboundary water law varies according to the scale to which it applies. The paper developed a scale typology with six groups, and systematically applied it to stratify transboundary water treaties. Treaty contents were then compared across scales according to the following set of parameters: primary issue area, temporal development, and important water management attributes. Results of this work reveal: (i) treaties tend to focus on hydropower and flood control at smaller scales, and organizations and policies at larger scales; (ii) a temporal trend toward treaties concluded at larger scales; and (iii) a higher proportion of treaties is at larger scales in Africa and Asia than in Europe and the Americas. These findings suggest that smaller scale cooperation may constitute a more constructive scale in which to achieve development‐oriented cooperation. Further, scope may exist to complement basin scale cooperation with cooperation at smaller scales, in order to optimize transboundary water management. In the context of basin‐wide management frameworks, Africa and Asia may benefit from greater emphasis on small‐scale transboundary water cooperation.
Graduate destinations and labour market stratification across different fields of study

There has been a large expansion of the higher education sector in the past two and a half decades. This has led to significant research interests about the implications of this growth in degree holders on the state of inequalities in the graduate labour market. However few have focussed on the extent to which inequalities by sex, socioeconomic background, and so forth varies across different fields of study. For instance, the earnings difference between similarly able graduates from different socioeconomic background may be larger for individual that studied ‘soft’ subjects, such as the arts, compared to ‘hard’ subjects, such as the sciences (Hansen 2001). This thesis investigates whether there is any evidence of variations in stratification across fields of study, and attempts to explain why these variations exist. The study tests a number of explanations ranging from competition in the labour market (Brown and Hesketh 2004) to the types of skills used across different occupations. This thesis uses information from two large scale graduate surveys, and a qualitative study of 21 recent graduates to address these issues. Two types of labour market outcomes are considered: earnings and the extent to which individuals make use of their skills in their work. Looking at individuals with a bachelor’s degree, there is evidence that stratification by sex and educational attainment varies across different fields of study. There is no evidence to support claims that stratification by socioeconomic background varies across field of study. In general some of these variations could be explained by the skills used in an occupation. However substantial amounts of the variations in stratification across different fields of study cannot be explained by the theories typically presented in the literature.
Properties of a Thermostable Nitrate Reductase from the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum

ABSTRACT The nitrate reductase of the hyperthermophilic archaeonPyrobaculum aerophilum was purified 137-fold from the cytoplasmic membrane. Based on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis, the enzyme complex consists of three subunits with apparent molecular weights of 130,000, 52,000, and 32,000. The enzyme contained molybdenum (0.8-mol/mol complex), iron (15.4-mol/mol complex) and cytochrome b (0.49-mol/mol complex) as cofactors. The P. aerophilum nitrate reductase distinguishes itself from nitrate reductases of mesophilic bacteria and archaea by its very high specific activity using reduced benzyl viologen as the electron donor (Vmax with nitrate, 1,162 s−1 (326 U/mg);Vmax with chlorate, 1,348 s−1 (378 U/mg) [assayed at 75°C]). The Km values for nitrate and chlorate were 58 and 140 μM, respectively. Azide was a competitive inhibitor and cyanide was a noncompetitive inhibitor of the nitrate reductase activity. The temperature optimum for activity was >95°C. When incubated at 100°C, the purified nitrate reductase had a half-life of 1.5 h. This study constitutes the first description of a nitrate reductase from a hyperthermophilic archaeon.
Infant sleep problems and postnatal depression: a community-based study.

OBJECTIVES To describe infant sleep patterns and investigate relationships between infant sleep problems and maternal well-being in the community setting. DESIGN Cross-sectional community survey. Setting. Maternal and Child Health Centers in 3 middle-class local government areas in Melbourne, Australia. PARTICIPANTS Mothers of infants 6 to 12 months of age. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Maternal well-being (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) and infant sleep problems (standardized maternal questionnaire). RESULTS The survey was completed by 738 mothers (94% response rate), of whom 46% reported their infant's sleep as a problem. In the univariate analyses, sleep patterns characterizing a sleep problem included the infant sleeping in the parent's bed, being nursed to sleep, taking longer to fall asleep, waking more often and for longer periods overnight, and taking shorter naps. The same sleep patterns were associated with high depression scores and tended to increase as depression scores increased. Because of positive skew, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Score was analyzed in 3 categories (<10, 10-12, and >12) using validated cutoff scores from community and clinical studies. Fifteen percent of mothers scored above 12 on the depression scale, indicating probable clinical depression, and 18% scored between 10 and 12, indicating possible clinical depression. After adjusting for potential confounders and factors significant in the univariate analyses, maternal report of an infant sleep problem remained a significant predictor of a depression score >12 (odds ratio: 2.13; 95% confidence interval: 1.27,3.56) and >10 (odds ratio: 2.88; 95% confidence interval: 1.93,4.31). However, mothers reporting good sleep quality, despite an infant sleep problem, were not more likely to suffer depression. CONCLUSIONS Maternal report of infant sleep problems and depression symptoms are common in middle-class Australian communities. There is a strong association between the 2, even when known depression risk factors are taken into account. Maternal report of good sleep quality attenuates this relationship. Appropriate anticipatory guidance addressing infant sleep could potentially decrease maternal report of depressive symptoms.
Magnetic Stimulation of the Human Cerebral Cortex, an Indicator of Reorganization in Motor Pathways in Certain Pathological Conditions

Basic principles of magnetic stimulation of biological tissues are reviewed. Noninvasive magnetic stimulation of the brain delivered over sensorimotor areas evokes movements and less commonly paresthesias in contralateral limbs. We have evaluated the maps of motor outputs in patients with (1) congenital mirror movements, which resulted in marked derangement of the map of outputs of distal hand muscles with enlarged and ipsilateral representations; (2) amputations, which resulted in plastic reorganization of motor outputs targeting muscles immediately proximal to the stump; (3) spinal cord injury, which also resulted in enlargement of the map of outputs targeting muscles proximal to the lesion level; and (4) hemispherectomy performed at an early age for intractable seizures, which resulted in the remaining hemisphere controlling ipsilateral arm muscles. These results demonstrate the potential for reorganization in motor systems following lesions in the peripheral as well as in the central nervous system.
The Relationship between Chinese Construction Workers' HIV/AIDS-Related Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviour: A Structural Equation Model

This study explored the relationship between human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS)-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviour in migrant urban construction workers using structural equation modelling (SEM). A cross-sectional study was conducted among 428 male subjects on three building sites in Shenyang City. The SEM model of HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviour was built using LISREL version 8.5 and it fitted the data well, as shown by an adjusted goodness of fit index of 0.82 and a root mean square error of approximation of 0.094. Knowledge of HIV/AIDS was closely correlated with attitudes and behaviour. Age was an important factor affecting HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviour. These findings suggest that increasing HIV/AIDS-related knowledge could improve the attitude and behaviour of migrant urban construction workers, enabling them to avoid high-risk behaviour that increases the spread of HIV/AIDS. Any intervention used will need to take the important factor of age into consideration.
Lassen sich aus den Ursachen des Niedrigzinsumfeldes Wege für eine Zinswende ableiten

The low interest rate environment is less due to monetary policy and more due to global trends in investment and savings as well as a crisis-induced reduction in investment. Finishing the balance sheet recession can lead to a higher interest rate level in the medium-run through higher investment. A higher natural real interest rate would enable central banks to lift their policy interest rates without hindering economic recovery. A higher natural real interest rate level would also foster the efficacy of monetary policy by making future problems arising from the zero lower bound less frequent. For this, structural reforms, which dampen the effects of demography on savings and on the natural real interest rate, are needed. Das Umfeld niedriger Zinsen ist weniger auf die Geldpolitik, sondern mehr auf globale Trends in der Investitionsnachfrage und in der Sparneigung sowie einen krisenbedingten Ruckgang der Investitionen zuruckzufuhren. Mittelfristig kann die Uberwindung der Bilanzrezession zu hoheren Investitionen und daruber zu einem hoheren Zinsniveau fuhren. Ein hoherer naturlicher Realzins wurde es den Zentralbanken ermoglichen, ihre Leitzinsen zu erhohen, ohne die wirtschaftliche Erholung zu bremsen. Ein hoherer naturlicher Realzins ist auch fur die Wirksamkeit der Geldpolitik forderlich, um die Probleme durch das Erreichen der Nullzinsgrenze in Zukunft seltener auftreten zu lassen. Dies macht zudem Strukturreformen erforderlich, die die Auswirkungen der demografischen Entwicklung auf die Ersparnis und den naturlichen Realzins abmildern.
OsMADS51 Is a Short-Day Flowering Promoter That Functions Upstream of Ehd1, OsMADS14, and Hd3a1[W][OA]

Although flowering regulatory mechanisms have been extensively studied in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), those in other species have not been well elucidated. Here, we investigated the role of OsMADS51, a type I MADS-box gene in the short-day (SD) promotion pathway in rice (Oryza sativa). In SDs OsMADS51 null mutants flowered 2 weeks later than normal, whereas in long days loss of OsMADS51 had little effect on flowering. Transcript levels of three flowering regulators—Ehd1, OsMADS14, and Hd3a—were decreased in these mutants, whereas those of OsGI and Hd1 were unchanged. Ectopic expression of OsMADS51 caused flowering to occur about 7 d earlier only in SDs. In ectopic expression lines, transcript levels of Ehd1, OsMADS14, and Hd3a were increased, but those of OsGI and Hd1 remained the same. These results indicate that OsMADS51 is a flowering promoter, particularly in SDs, and that this gene functions upstream of Ehd1, OsMADS14, and Hd3a. To further investigate the relationship with other flowering promoters, we generated transgenic plants in which expression of Ehd1 or OsGI was suppressed. In Ehd1 RNA interference plants, OsMADS51 expression was not affected, supporting our conclusion that the MADS-box gene functions upstream of Ehd1. However, in OsGI antisense plants, the OsMADS51 transcript level was reduced. In addition, the circadian expression pattern for this MADS-box gene was similar to that for OsGI. These results demonstrate that OsMADS51 functions downstream of OsGI. In summary, OsMADS51 is a novel flowering promoter that transmits a SD promotion signal from OsGI to Ehd1.
Post-Conflict Peace-Building in Nepal A Perspective from Civil Society

The Nepalese civil society groups are enlarging the domain of public sphere to overcome democratic deficit, socially and ecologically unsuitable development and bitterly cleaved politics which has become a major challenge for peace-building. Modernization of the infrastructure of democracy, such as the state, political parties, NGOs, CBOs, public interest groups and the agencies of socialization, is a precondition to democracy consolidation and developing their compliance to democratic peace. Accountability of governance to the public and push for conflict-sensitive concrete programs requires civil society to work for conflict mediation as well as post-conflict reconstruction, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence along with the state, private sectors and international community. A robust interface between the state and institutions of civil society is essential to enable their efficacy in the realization of the vision of peaceful society that is both just and legitimate. Similarly, broadening awareness of the citizens about the changing nature of the national and local environment for all the actors, their interest positioning and shift from hostile position to identifying enlightened interests for shared gains is essential for a durable peace.
A joint real Grassmannian quantization strategy for SISO IA with limited feedback

Interference alignment (IA) is a scheme to achieve degrees of freedom (DOF) of interference network at high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In order to implement IA scheme in frequency-division duplexing (FDD) system, receivers feedback channel state information to transmitters. The key problem is to acquire accurate transmitter channel state information (CSIT) in the presence of the quantization error. In this paper, a joint real Grassmannian quantization strategy is proposed to reduce codebook size in single-input single-output (SISO) frequency-selective channel with K user. More concretely, this strategy quantizes the real part and imaginary part of channel vector respectively to reduce the chordal distance. Meanwhile, a noise-limited criterion is assumed that interference leakage is smaller than thermal noise. Under this criterion, the codebook size using the proposed strategy is much smaller than the codebook size using conventional complex Grassmannian quantization strategy. With the same codebook size, simulations show a significant sum rate gain at high SNR compared with the conventional strategy.