Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Working Paper Series The Performance of Domestic and Foreign Banks : The Case of Korea and the Asian Financial Crisis

This paper considers the performance of banks, domestic and foreign, in Korea prior to, during, and immediately after the Asian financial crisis, examining how the profitability of those banks differed and identifying factors that explain why those differences existed. The performance of Korean banks deteriorated dramatically in 1998 with most banks recovering somewhat in 1999. Foreign banks did not experience the same negative effect on their returns on assets and equity as a rule. Several standard findings emerge. For example, equity to assets correlates positively with domestic, but not foreign, bank performance, as measured by the returns on assets and equity, even when the government recapitalized institutions that were performing quite badly. Also, foreign-currency deposits significantly and negatively correlate with domestic Korean bank performance, although only in the post-crisis period for regional banks. In sum, the domestic Korean banks suffered more severely from the Asian financial crisis than foreign banks. Journal of Economic Literature Classification: E44, G21, O16, O53
On the Historical and Geographic Origins of the Sicilian Mafia

This research attempts to explain the large differences in the early diffusion of the mafia across different areas of Sicily. We advance the hypothesis that, after the demise of Sicilian feudalism, the lack of publicly provided property-right protection from widespread banditry favored the development of a florid market for private protection and the emergence of a cartel of protection providers: the mafia. This would especially be the case in those areas (prevalently concentrated in the Western part of the island) characterized by the production and commercialization of sulphur and citrus fruits, Sicily's most valuable export goods whose international demand was soaring at the time. We test this hypothesis combining data on the early incidence of mafia across Sicilian municipalities and on the distribution of sulphur reserves, land suitability for the cultivation of citrus fruits, distance from the main commercial ports, and a variety of other geographical controls. Our empirical findings provide support for the proposed hypothesis documenting, in particular, a significant impact of sulphur extraction, terrain ruggedness, and distance from Palermo's port on mafia's early diffusion.
Risk Factors for Intrauterine Growth Restriction and Its Neonatal Outcome

Introduction: IUGR is the failure of the fetus to reach its growth potential. Fetal growth is regulated at multiple levels. Besides maternal disorder, fetal structural and chromosomal anomalies are the added factors. The morbidities associated with IUGR could have long term implications in adult life which predisposes in a development of a number of chronic diseases. Objectives: To identify the various risk factors for IUGR and its neonatal outcome. Methodology: It is a prospective study conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, College of Medical Sciences, Chitwan, Nepal in which total of 60 cases of clinically diagnosed IUGR were enrolled during the study period of 2 years. Results: The study revealed maximum number of cases (38.3%) belonged to age between 26 to 30 years. IUGR was common in Multigavida (75%), rural area (78.3%), lower socioeconomic status (63.3%) and in manual worker (56.7%). Maternal (41.66%) was the commonest followed by Placental (16.66%) and Fetal (1.66%) causes. IUGR was observed in 43.3% with normal AFI and severe oligohydraminos <5 cm was observed in 21.7%. Doppler velocimetry showed abnormal umbilical S/D ratio in 2 (15.38%). Most of the patients (61.66%) required caesarean section. A total of 36 (60%) neonate had birth weight ranging between 2.5 to 3.0 kg and 83.01% had asymmetrical IUGR. Fifteen (25%) neonates had morbidity but there was no mortality. Conclusion: Even though IUGR continued to be a challenge and could be tackled with systemic approach and needful management, especially with the help of Ultrasonography and Doppler velocimetry.
MATHEMATICAL PROGRAMMING ELEMENTS: ITS APPLICATION TO THE OPTIMUM POWER FLOW PROBLEM

This paper seeks to investigate the application of areas from the mathematical programming, more precisely, in the linear programming applied to the linearlized optimum power flow problem. This investigation involved the study of linear programming and the analysis of the optimum power flow problem in its several formulations. The uses of linear programming were examined, particularly in Electrical Engineering, on the optimum power flow problem. Some problems and examples about energy networks were formulated and presented.
Geographic differences in the carapace shape of the crab Cyrtograpsus affinis (Decapoda: Varunidae) and its taxonomic implications

Cyrtograpsus genus was traditionally considered to be composed of three species: C. angulatus, C. altimanus and C. affinis . However, recent studies have found solid evidence suggesting that C. affinis and C. altimanus belong to a single species and hypothesize that the morphological differences which caused this misclassification could be related to different ecophenotypes or life stages. Here we report a geometric morphometrics study on the carapace shape of Cyrtograpsus specimens from the Rio de la Plata estuary (36°S) and the Nuevo Gulf (42.75°S), testing for shape differences between different sizes (allometry) in the two environments. We found that previous morphological descriptions of the two species were associated with different sizes of a continuous, statistically significant allometric shape variation, concluding that C. affinis is a junior synonym of C. altimanus . We also found significant differences in the carapace shape between estuarine and marine environments, suggesting an effect of the environmental variables on carapace shape and a potential adaptive value of this trait.
9. CLAY MINERAL DISTRIBUTION AND SIGNIFICANCE IN QUATERNARY SEDIMENTS OF THE AMAZON FAN 1

The clay mineral assemblages of samples from the Amazon Fan were investigated in middle Pleistocene to Holocene sediments from 16 Ocean Drilling Program Leg 155 sites and were placed in lithologic successions to study continental evolution and transport conditions. The sediments sampled along a transect parallel to the main channel reflect moderate differential set tling processes, whereas those studied along a transect roughly parallel to the coast clearly suggest winnowing effects related to the North Brazil Current. High-resolution analyses of Holocene deposits reflect the dominant influence of downstream soil erosion relative to supply from the Andean range and the progressive increase of soil-derived relative to rock-derived outputs. Th e middle Pleistocene to uppermost Pleistocene and Holocene successions are marked by a constantly warm climatic background and by noticeable modifications in the rock-derived (illite, chlorite) and soil-derived (smectite, kaolinite) products. These p roducts successively reflect sea-level changes, tectonic rejuvenation in the Andean range, regressive erosion, and rainfall increa se.
ESSENTIAL OILS AS ALLELOPATHIC AGENTS: BIOCONVERSION OF MONOTERPENES BY GERMINATING WHEAT SEEDS

Abstract Monoterpenes present in essential oils are very powerful germination inhibitors. In this study we describe the fate of a number of components of essential oils, after they are applied to wheat seeds to inhibit seed germination. Wheat seeds exposed to exogenous application of essential oils are able to metabolize their monoterpene components. A high correlation between the level of inhibition of seed germination and the amount of total metabolites in the seed was observed. This suggests that the catabolism of monoterpenes is part of an existing detoxification process. Most of the monoterpenes were either reduced or oxygenated. The products and possible metabolic pathways of various monoterpenes such as carvone, α-thujone, artemisia ketone, α-terpineol, γ-terpinene, p-cymene and δ-3-carene are discussed. Our findings demonstrate the potential of essential oils as allelopathic agents and provide an insight into their mode of action. This information can also be used to develop new methods for converting essential oils to new natural chemicals.
An Information-Theoretic Alternative to Maximum Likelihood Estimation Method in Ultrastructural Measurement Error Model

In this paper, a data constrained generalized maximum entropy (GME) estimator for the general linear measurement error model is proposed. GME estimation, as developed by (A. Golan, G. Judge and D. Miller A Maximum Entropy Econometrics: Robust Estimation with limited data (Wiley, New York, 1996)), was formulated as a convex mixed-integer nonlinear optimization problem. Shannon entropy measures and its generalization, namely 'entropy of order r' by Tsallis and Renyi are briefly discussed. A Monte Carlo comparison is made with the classical maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method. The results show that, with moderate sample size; the GME outperforms the MLE estimators in terms of mean squared error.
Characterization of the Fatty Acids Present in Wastewaters from Production of Biodiesel Tilapia

Biodiesel obtained from oil extracted from the viscera of tilapia is a viable alternative in the replacement of petroleum fuels. However, during the purification step is performed biodiesel washing water is performed, which generates high effluent pollutant loads due to the reagents used and the very composition of the raw material. This study aims to characterize the fatty acids present in water from washing of the process of purifying biodiesel tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Fatty acid compositions were determined using gas chromatography (GC-FID). The results showed that the fatty acids present in greater quantities in the effluent were lauric (C12: 0), followed by myristic (C14: 0), palmitic (C16: 0), oleic (C18: 1), stearic (C18: 0), linolenic (C18: 3), and linoleic (C18: 2) acids. Therefore, the levels of oil and grease found in the rinse water from washing of the oil biodiesel tilapia are far above the allowed values above; thus they do not comply with Brazilian federal regulations.
Re-examining the deployment of market orientation in the public leisure sector

Abstract This paper examines the moderating effects of market orientation's intelligence generation and dissemination components on the response–performance relationship. We offer valuable insight into the application of, and subsequent returns to, market orientation in the public leisure sector, thereby helping to broaden the appeal, relevance, and usefulness of this important marketing theory to other contexts. The research involved a national survey questionnaire to 1060 public leisure managers of local government leisure facilities in England. Empirical testing through structural equation modelling revealed two important findings. First, intelligence generation efforts of the organisation can in part affect the performance returns to an organisation from its responsiveness to market intelligence. Second, intelligence generation coupled with organisation-wide dissemination of intelligence can have a destructive impact on the response–performance relationship, demonstrated by a negative significant moderating impact on this relationship. This paper provides an alternative explanation to the deployment of market orientation as a means to create value and an explanation that transcends its current linear portrayal in public-service delivery.
Identification and quantification of caffeoylquinic acid derivatives in Cynara scolymus L. tablets and capsules

Cynara scolymus L. leaves, popularly known as globe artichoke, have cholagogue and choleretic properties which are attributed to caffeoylquinic acid derivatives. Although, there are already pharmacopoeial methods for quality control of artichoke dry leaf extract, it only shows the assessment of chlorogenic acid determination. This study aimed to adapt and validate a method for simultaneous determination of neochlorogenic, chlorogenic, cryptochlorogenic, cynarin and isochlorogenic acids A and C in tablets or capsules of globe artichoke leaf extract herbal medicines. Also, it evaluated the content of these caffeoylquinic acid derivatives in three commercial products and leaf extract. The validation considered the parameters of selectivity, precision, linearity, quantification and detection limits and accuracy. The method proved to be selective, precise and accurate. Commercial products and leaf extract had significantly different concentrations of standard compounds which may bring an impact on therapeutic outcomes. The method proposed was suitable for the identification and quantification of caffeoylquinic acid derivatives in tablets and capsules and could be used in quality control, ensuring the safety and efficacy of commercially prepared herbal medicines. Key words: Herbal medicines, quality control, Cynara scolymus.
Evaluation of etiology of lymphadenopathy in different age groups using Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology: A retrospective study

Background: Lymphadenopathy is a common presenting symptom in various diseases. Lymph nodes react to various stimuli and undergo changes leading on to vast array of neoplastic or non-neoplastic proliferations. FNAC is a simple, quick and inexpensive method that is used to sample superficial masses and is now considered a valuable diagnostic aid. Objective: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the usefulness of FNAC as a diagnostic tool in cases of lymphadenopathy, to find the frequency and cause of lymph node enlargement in patients of different age groups and analyze the different cytomorphological patterns associated with various lymphadenopathies.Settings and design: Retrospective study conducted in the Department of Pathology, Subharti Medical College, Meerut from July 2006 to June 2009 (3years). Material and Methods: Total 1350 patients of lymphadenopathy who underwent FNAC were divided into 3 groups: Group I including pediatric patients (i.e. 0-15 years), Group II including adolescent and middle aged patients (i.e. 16-45 years) and Group III with elderly patients (i.e. >45 years). Observation: Maximum number of patients with lymphadenopathy was in Group II with 640 patients (47.4%), followed by Group I: 498 patients (36.89%) and Group III: 212 patients (15.7%). Commonest causes of lymphadenopathy in different groups were found to be: In Group Ireactive hyperplasia 353(70.88%), Group IITubercular lymphadenitis 261(40.78%) and Group IIIMetastatic carcinoma 115(54.25%). Conclusion: It was concluded that different etiological factors play role in causation of lymphadenopathy in different age groups and that aspiration cytology provided a reliable, safe, rapid and economical method of screening these patients with accuracy. Work Attributed To –Department Of Pathology, Subharti Medical College, Meerut ,U.P., India. Financial SupportSubharti Medical College, Meerut, U.P., INDIA.
Importance of Th22 Cell Disequilibrium in Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Background The disequilibrium of T helper (Th) cells play an important role in the occurrence and development of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Th22 cells, as a newly discovered subset of T lymphocytes, plays an important role in autoimmune disorders and inflammatory diseases. Material/Methods This study explored the role of different lymphocyte subsets in chronic ITP. To explore the value of Th22 cells in the diagnosis of ITP, the numbers of Th1, Th17, and Th22 cells were detected by a 4-color flow cytometric in 32 chronic ITP patients and 30 healthy controls. Results Our data showed that, compared with healthy controls, the numbers of circulating Th1, Th17, and Th22 (p<0.05) cells increased significantly in ITP patients, and Th22 cells were correlated positively with Th1 cells (r=0.4041, p<0.01) and Th17 cells (r=0.4637, p<0.05). Moreover, a positive relationship was found between Th1/Th22 cells and Th1 cells (r=0.7696, p<0.001). Conclusions A disequilibrium expression profile of Th22 cells in peripheral blood was associated with pathogenesis of ITP, possibly through cooperatively working with Th17 and Th1, which may provide a novel approach for diagnosis of ITP.
Electric-field-induced charge injection or exhaustion in organic thin film transistor

The conductivity of organic semiconductors is measured in situ and continuously with a bottom contact configuration, as a function of film thickness at various gate voltages. The depletion layer thickness can be directly determined as a shift of the threshold thickness at which electric current began to flow. The in situ and continuous measurement can also determine qualitatively the accumulation layer thickness together with the distribution function of injected carriers. The accumulation layer thickness is a few monolayers and it does not depend on gate voltages. Rather it depends on the chemical species.
A Comprehensive Study on the Application of the Theory of African American Offending

Racial disparity in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) has always been a hot button topic of discussion and the question of whether it exist or not. In the last few decades race and crime have become the overwhelming media topic and it has gone up in flames over the recent killings of young, unarmed, African American men by police officers. However, this study examines and confirms that racial disparity occurs at every level of the CJS, while subsequently explaining how and why society believes the stereotypes and why African Americans effectively exhibit this stereotype. Key terms: Theory of African American Offending (TAAO), racial disparity (RD), racial barrier awareness (RBA), racial socialization (RS), racial discrimination (RD) Thesis Mentor:____________________ Dr. Chad Posick Honors Director:____________________ Dr. Steve Engel
Edges Detection Based On Renyi Entropy with Split/Merge

Most of the classical methods for edge detection are based on the first and second order derivatives of gray levels of the pixels of the original image. These processes give rise to the exponential increment of computational time, especially with large size of images, and therefore requires more time for processing. This paper shows the new algorithm based on both the Renyi entropy and the Shannon entropy together for edge detection using split and merge technique. The objective is to find the best edge representation and decrease the computation time. A set of experiments in the domain of edge detection are presented. The system yields edge detection performance comparable to the classic methods, such as Canny, LOG, and Sobel. The experimental results show that the effect of this method is better to LOG, and Sobel methods. In addition, it is better to other three methods in CPU time. Another benefit comes from easy implementation of this method. Keywords: Renyi Entropy, Information content, Edge detection, Thresholding
INTEGRATED DISEASE MANAGEMENT OF ZINGIBER OFFICINALE ROSC. RHIZOME ROT

Ginger is the valuable cash crop and rhizome rot of ginger is a complex disease which is caused by Pythium aphanidermatum. Data on disease development was recorded at 90 th , 120 th , 180 th and 210 th days after planting. Maximum disease development was recorded at 150 th day after planting in all the treatments and was decreased again from 180 th day onwards. The highest disease development (28.50 %) was observed in control plots where ginger rhizomes were inoculated with the pathogen (Pythium myriotylum) prior to sowing. Copper oxychloride rhizome treatment effectively suppressed the disease development (5.16%) at 150 th day after planting in the field. It was observed that plots with neem extract rhizome treatment were less effective in reducing the disease development which gave 12.45 % at 15th day after planting. Amongst the growth parameters, the maximum plant height of 46.46 cm was recorded in plots with Trichoderma spp. + neem extract rhizome seed treatment, followed by copper oxychloride rhizome seed treatment (45.28 cm). The lowest was recorded in plots with neem extract rhizome seed treatment (40.22 cm) recorded on the last day of observation. The maximum number of tillers per hill (11.49) was recorded from rhizome treatment with copper oxychloride + neem extract at 180 th day of observation. This was followed by rhizome treatment with copper oxychloride (10.54). The minimum (6.56) tillers per hill were recorded from control plots where pathogen (Pythium myriotylum.) was inoculated. In respect to yield, even though all the treatments were at par with each other, the highest yield (3.55 kg/plot) was observed in plots with copper oxychloride rhizome seed treatment. Second highest average yield with (2.96 kg/ plot) was obtained from the plot with copper oxychloride + neem extract rhizome seed treatment. So in this contrast the per hectare highest yield (59.14 qts/ha) was recorded in plots with copper oxychloride rhizome seed treatment followed by copper oxychloride + neem extract (49.30 qts/ha). The lowest projected yield (9.98 qts/ ha) was recorded in control plots where rhizomes were inoculated with the pathogen (Pythium myriotylum). It was concluded that all treatments resulted in higher germination compare to the control.
Homogeneous limit of Cd1−xMnxGeAs2 alloy: Electrical and magnetic properties

We present the studies of structural, electrical, and magnetic properties of bulk Cd1−xMnxGeAs2 crystals with low Mn content, x, varying from 0 to 0.037. The studied samples have excellent crystallographic quality indicated by the presence of diffraction patterns never before observed experimentally for this compound. The electrical transport in our samples is dominated by thermal activation of conducting holes from the impurity states to the valence band with activation energy of about 200 meV. The defect states acting as ionic scattering centers with concentration in the range from 6 to 15 × 1017 cm−3 are observed. The effective Mn content in our samples, x¯θ, determined from fit of the susceptibility data to the Curie-Weiss law, is very close to the average chemical content, x. It indicates that the Mn ions are distributed randomly, substituting the Cd sites in the host CdGeAs2 lattice. We observe a negative Curie-Weiss temperature, |θ|≤3.1 K, increasing as a function of x. This indicates the significa.
Antagonistic Effects of Java against Plant Parasitic Nematodes

One of the main phytonematode control alternatives is the use of antagonistic plants in crop rotation or succession systems. Although java legume shows antagonist potential to control Meloidogyne javanica , its reaction to other nematodes was not investigated so far. Thus, the aim of the current study is to assess the penetration and reproduction factor (RF) of M. incognita , Rotylenchulus reniformis and Pratylenchus brachyurus in java, using soybean as control. Plants individually inoculated with 1000 specimens from each nematode were assessed 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 days after inoculation (DAI) for nematode penetration and development. The RF was assessed under two inoculum levels of each nematode (1000 and 700 specimens) 60 days after inoculation, for M. incognita and R. reniformis ; and 80 days after inoculation, for P. brachyurus . Meloidogyne incognita and R. reniformis showed lower penetration and reproduction in java (RF 1. Thus, the java legume can be considered resistant to M. incognita and R. reniformis , as well as susceptible to P. brachyurus .