Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Energy flow of a boreal intertidal ecosystem, the Sylt-Rømø Bight

A detailed energy flow model consisting of 56 living and 3 non-living compartments was assembled for the intertidal area of the Sylt-Romo Bight. The model depicts the biomass of each com- partment, carbon flow between the components, imports and exports, as well as an energy budget for each. The food web was analysed by means of network analysis which showed that about 17% of the total daily flow through the system is recycled through a complex cycling structure consisting of 1197 cycles. The cycling network indicated that about 99% of the recycling involves 2 to 3 compartments, with sediment bacteria and particulate organic carbon (POC) participating in most instances. Input/output analyses indicated that phytoplankton production in the Bight does not satisfy the demands of filter-feeders on an annual average basis so that about 160 mgC m -2 d -1 of phytoplank- ton have to be imported. We compared several dimensionless system level indices, such as inter- nalised and normalised A/DC (ascendancy/development capacity) ratios, calculated for the Bight with those of other marine and estuarine ecosystems on a global basis. These comparisons showed that energy is rather inefficiently transferred within the Bight at a mean trophic efficiency index of 2.61%, and that most of the system level indices are lower than those of other coastal ecosystems. However, higher values were obtained for flow diversity and food web connectance compared to other systems. This study has revealed the Bight to be a highly complex system whose energy pathways appear to be sensitive to external perturbations.
The Effect of Leverage and Firm Size to Profitability of Public Manufacturing Companies in Indonesia

This study aimed to analyze the effect of leverage and the size of a company to its profitability. Data were obtained from the financial statements of 100 qualified manufacturing companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange in the period of 2009-2014. Leverage was measured by debt ratio, while firm size was measured by total assets and total sales, and profitability by return on assets. Panel data regression analysis was implemented to analyze the influence of independent variables to the dependent variable. The most suitable panel data regression model in this study was a fixed effect model. The study found that the debt ratio had a significant positive effect on profitability while total assets had a significant negative impact. In contrast, total sales had statistically insignificant effect to the profitability of the companies.
Prediction of Severity of Coronary Stenosis in the Absence of Infarction by Tissue Doppler Imaging and Conventional Echocardiography at Rest

Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) is a relatively new method that measures regional myocardial velocities on the basis of color Doppler imaging. The aim of this study was to investigate both systolic and diastolic parameters to diagnose coronary stenosis at rest. We examined 73 patients without previous myocardial infarction who underwent coronary angiography. Peak early and late diastolic velocities, systolic velocity, time to peak systolic velocities were measured at rest. The patients were divided to those with coronary artery disease (CAD) in the presence of stenosis of more than 50% in one coronary artery and the control group. We found no significant differences between two groups. Tissue Doppler imaging is not a reliable tool for diagnosis of CAD at rest. Systolic and diastolic velocities by pulsed-wave tissue Doppler imaging were not sensitive for diagnosing the coronary stenosis.
Higher education (related) choices in Portugal: joint decisions on institution type and leaving home

The aim of this article is twofold: to further investigate the type of higher education institution choice using individual-level data on first-year students, and to establish the link between institution choice and the decision whether to leave home. The analysis was performed for Portuguese higher education by means of a bivariate probit model. Results indicated gender differences in the type of higher education institution choice. Socio-economic background appeared to constrain student choices and accessibility did play a role in their decisions. When it comes to the leaving home decision, the higher the income group and the higher the parents’ literacy, the more likely it was that students stayed at home. Students with strong preferences over leisure activities tended to leave home to attend higher education.
Sexual dimorphism and reproductive phenology of common birds in São Tomé island: conservation implications

The island of São Tomé is the largest of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Principe, in the Gulf of Guinea, central Africa. Home to a wide variety of endemic and endangered species, it is often recognized as an important area for the conservation of biodiversity worldwide, and for birds in particular. The main goal of this study was to gain a better knowledge of the sexual dimorphism and breeding seasonality of São Tomé bird species. To do so, we used and extended a bird ringing dataset, which was created in 2002. Biometrics, photographs and molecular sexing, allowed identifying characteristics related to sex and age in 12 species. Eight of these were sexually-dimorphic, while the remaining could not be confidently sexed based on observable characters. Coloration was crucial to identify age in most species, and contributed to sex adults in six species of which in two only adult males could be identified with a high degree of confidence. The development of morphometric-based discriminant functions using generalized-linear models based on biometrics allowed a better sex differentiation of three of the eight species. The incorporation of information on altitude and habitat
University of Groningen Growth rates, half-saturation constants, and silicate, nitrate, and phosphate depletion in relation to iron availability of four large, open-ocean diatoms from the Southern Ocean Timmermans,

Four large, open-ocean diatoms from the Southern Ocean (Actinocyclus sp., Thalassiosira sp., Fragilariopsis kerguelensis, and Corethron pennatum) were grown in natural (low iron) Southern ocean seawater with increasing Fe concentrations. With increasing dissolved iron (Fediss) concentrations, the growth rates increased threeto sixfold. The species with the smallest cells had the highest growth rates. The half-saturation constants (Km) for growth were low (0.19–1.14 nmol L21 Fediss), and close to the ambient Fediss concentrations of 0.2 nmol L21. The range in Km with respect to Fediss also varied with the size of the diatoms: the smallest species had the lowest Km and the largest species had the highest Km. As Fediss concentrations decreased, silicate consumption per cell increased, but nitrate consumption per cell decreased. Phosphate consumption per cell varied without clear relation to the dissolved iron concentrations. The differences in nutrient consumption per cell resulted in marked differences in elemental depletion ratios in relation to Fediss concentrations, with the depletion ratios being most affected by iron limitation in the largest cells. These experimental findings are in agreement with previous laboratory and field studies, showing the relatively high requirements of large diatoms for Fe. The size-dependent response of the diatoms with respect to nutrient depletion is a good illustration of the effects of Fe on silicate, nitrate, and phosphate metabolism. While the understanding of the temporal and spatial patterns in the environmental control of phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean has increased over the last years (Boyd 2002), species-specific studies on key species of open Southern Ocean phytoplankton are scarce. An understanding of the physiological response of large Southern Ocean diatoms at the species level to environmental stress factors such as iron and light limitation and the concomitant effects on major nutrient uptake is virtually absent. At the community level, more information is available for Southern Ocean diatoms (Boyd et al. 2000; Blain et al. 2002; Coale et al. 2003), but the relevance of maximum growth rates (mmax) and half-saturation constants (Km for growth or Ks for nutrient uptake) for assemblages of species or even genera is limited. Strictly speaking, mmax and Km or Ks are only applicable to single species and are unique physiological characteristics of a species, not a community. Even small changes in species composition or changes in dominance of 1 Corresponding author (klaas@nioz.nl). 2 Present address: Free University, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Constraints on the chemical enrichment history of the Perseus Cluster of galaxies from high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy

High-resolution spectroscopy of the core of the Perseus Cluster of galaxies, using the Hitomi satellite above 2 keV and the XMM-Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometer at lower energies, provides reliable constraints on the abundances of O, Ne, Mg, Si, S, Ar, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, and Ni. Accounting for all known systematic uncertainties, the Ar/Fe, Ca/Fe, and Ni/Fe ratios are determined with a remarkable precision of less than 10 per cent, while the constraints on Si/Fe, S/Fe, and Cr/Fe are at the 15 per cent level, and Mn/Fe is measured with a 20 per cent uncertainty. The average biases in determining the chemical composition using archival CCD spectra from XMM-Newton and Suzaku typically range from 15 to 40 per cent. A simple model in which the enrichment pattern in the Perseus Cluster core and the protosolar nebula are identical gives a surprisingly good description of the high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy results, with chi(2) = 10.7 for 10 degrees of freedom. However, this pattern is challenging to reproduce with linear combinations of existing supernova nucleosynthesis calculations, particularly given the precise measurements of intermediate alpha-elements enabled by Hitomi. We discuss in detail the degeneracies between various supernova progenitor models and explosion mechanisms, and the remaining uncertainties in these theoretical models. We suggest that including neutrino physics in the core-collapse supernova yield calculations may improve the agreement with the observed pattern of alpha-elements in the Perseus Cluster core. Our results provide a complementary benchmark for testing future nucleosynthesis calculations required to understand the origin of chemical elements.
Relationships between Stock Prices and Accounting Information: A Review of the Residual Income and Ohlson Models

As one of the main purposes of financial statements is to provide relevant information for investors, relationships between share prices and accounting variables have been widely researched. Early studies focus mainly on earnings, but attention has turned in recent years to valuation models that include the book value of the equity. Many of these studies cite the residual income model as their theoretical base and, with the growing emphasis on shareholder value, residual income measures are more commonly used in the business community to track financial performance. Given such trends, this paper reviews the theoretical background of the residual income model and discusses results of empirical studies that use it. The study finds that the two main accounting variables can usually explain a substantial part of the variation in share prices, and it also identifies a number of issues that remain unresolved. These findings should be of interest to other researchers, and to managers and investors who currently use or are planning to use residual income to monitor business performance.
Language Competence of HSSC Level Students in Pakistan: Developing Writing Proficiency through Literature

Writing is a means of communication and part of everybody’s education. Writing as a medium of language has its special features. This study brings to light the fact that teaching English through literature does not render any substantive and positive pay off in developing and honing the ESL/EFL learners’ writing skill. In the Pakistani context, literature seems to be inadequate and improper language teaching tool at HSSC level. To achieve the set objectives of this study, the researcher went for the quantitative research methodology. So, a questionnaire comprising of four categories i.e., grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure and creative writing was designed to collect data from 600 subjects (male/female) of intermediate level. The researcher also conducted an achievement test so that a correlation might be drawn between their attitude towards “developing writing skill through literature” and the score of their achievement test. This study has also strived to categorize the subjects in accordance with their proficiency level and computed a pie chart to illustrate their proficiency level. The collected data were analyzed through software package (SPSS XX). The findings of this study explicitly reveal that the EFL learners remain unable to develop both the language skills (particularly writing skill) and language areas when they are taught English through literature. This study recommends that the teaching of English should be application oriented and task-based strategies and activities should be resorted to by the EL educators.
Seasonal and decadal variability of dust observations in the Kangerlussuaq area, west Greenland

ABSTRACT Dust emissions from high-latitude, cold-climate environments have started receiving more attention in the past decade. This is because emission frequency and magnitudes are expected to increase with rising global temperatures, leading to a reduction in terrestrial ice masses and increases in suitable sediment for the aeolian system. Of the identified high-latitude dust source regions, Greenland has received relatively little attention. Using World Meteorological Organization (WMO) dust-code analysis, this study presents a seventy-year record of dust events and preferential dust transport pathways from Kangerlussuaq, west Greenland. A clear seasonal pattern of dust emissions shows increases in dust events in spring and autumn driven by effective winds and sediment supply. The decadal record suggests an increase in the magnitude, but not frequency, of dust events since the early 1990s. Pathways analysis suggests that dust is preferentially transported away from the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) toward the Davis Strait and Labrador Sea. When dust is transported toward the GrIS, it is more likely to be deposited in the ice-marginal ablation zone than on the higher altitude areas of the ice sheet. The impact of dust deposition on terrestrial, cryospheric, and aquatic environments is also discussed.
Segment Profitability and the Proprietary and Agency Costs of Disclosure

We exploit the change in U.S. segment reporting rules (from SFAS No. 14 to SFAS No. 131) to examine two motives for managers to conceal segment profits: proprietary costs and agency costs. Managers face proprietary costs of segment disclosure if the revelation of a segment that earns high abnormal profits attracts more competition and, hence, reduces the abnormal profits. Managers face agency costs of segment disclosure if the revelation of a segment that earns low abnormal profits reveals unresolved agency problems and, hence, leads to heightened external monitoring. By comparing a hand‐collected sample of restated SFAS No. 131 segments with historical SFAS No. 14 segments, we examine at the segment level whether managers' disclosure decisions are influenced by their proprietary and agency cost motives to conceal segment profits. Specifically, we test two hypotheses: (1) when the proprietary cost motive dominates, managers tend to withhold the segments with relatively high abnormal profits (hereafter, th.
Mechanical Characterisation of Hot Mix Recycled Materials

Among the available techniques for pavement maintenance/rehabilitation, recycling of pavements is becoming more acceptable. It is based on sustainable development, by reusing materials reclaimed from the pavements and reducing the disposal of asphalt materials. Based on the results of an earlier study of asphalt mixtures containing 30 to 50% recycled asphalt, using the Marshall mix design methodology, additional mixtures of identical composition, containing 50% recycled asphalt, were produced at a range of bitumen contents and were all tested in more detail for permanent deformation and fatigue behaviour. The results from both investigations were analysed, with the objective of verifying if the Marshall mix design method was suitable to design bituminous mixtures with 50% reclaimed material. However, it is important to mention that this study is still not finished and that, it will evolve towards the validation of the manufacturing processes and the mechanical properties of the mixture using tests related with the field performance. A conventional mixture of identical gradation and material composition, made of 100% virgin aggregates, was also studied to compare with the recycled mixtures' behaviour.
FORWARD RADAR PROPAGATION OVER OIL SLICKS ON SEA SURFACES USING THE AMENT MODEL WITH SHADOWING EFFECT

This paper is devoted to the forward radar propagation over clean and contaminated seas, using the Ament model and by taking the shadowing effect into account. The well-known Rayleigh parameter, which characterizes the degree of roughness of a corrugated surface for the case of reflection on a rough surface, is presented. Then, it is extended to the transmission through a rough surface, and to the reflection on a layer of two rough interfaces. This extended Rayleigh parameter allows then to calculate the forward radar propagation over oil slicks on sea surfaces, using the Ament model. Moreover, the model is improved by taking the shadowing effect into account. Numerical results of contaminated seas are presented, and compared to that of clean seas.
A Profile of Canadian Agritourists and the Benefits they Seek

The family farm is being threatened by changes in agriculture and the globalization of our food system. In response, many farms have diversified into tourism. However, farm diversification into tourism is based more on a leap of faith than on solid market research. Using data drawn from the 2006 Canadian Travel Activities and Motivation Survey (TAMS), the current study identified five discrete rural tourism niche market groups, including agritourists (i.e., those whose primary trip purpose was to visit a farm), to determine if their demographic profiles and the benefits they sought were different. The results indicated that agritourists were not notably different from other rural tourism niche markets. The findings question the niche status of agritourism as a viable diversification strategy for struggling farm families. Hence, rather than perpetuating agritourism as a special and distinct niche market, future research should identify and explore appropriate strategies that might help farm families transition out of a predominately agrarian economy into service-based and experience-based economies. Keywords: agritourism, rural tourism, niche markets, benefits sought
EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF GROUPING BEHAVIOUR IN CORDYLID LIZARDS L

Although the majority of cordylids are solitary, some species display prominent grouping behaviour. We tested whether limited shelter availability is a factor responsible for the grouping behaviour observed in Cordylus cataphractus and C. macropholis, using the solitary-living C. polyzonus as control. In an experimental setup, individuals of each species were provided with an excess of shelter sites and the observed patterns of shelter occupation were compared among the three species. Cordylus cataphractus consistently aggregated, occupying fewer shelters than its two congeners. Grouping behaviour in C. cataphractus in the wild is not the result of a limitation of refuge sites. In contrast, shelter occupation by C. macropholis and C. polyzonus was random, hence non-aggregative. Thus, although the aggregative behaviour observed in C. macropholis in its natural habitat might be influenced by limited shelter availability, other causal factors can not be excluded empirically.
Purchasing housing in Saudi Arabia a behavioral study

Factors affecting the real estate market are of great importance worldwide. This study will investigate the factors influencing Saudis to purchase real estate. The study examine the effect of attitude, subjective norm perceived behavior control on the intention to purchase real estate. A total of 450 questionnaires were distributed to respondents in Jeddah. Based on 322 questionnaires collected, the results show that there is a positive significant relationship between Attitude, and Subjective Norm toward the intention to purchase real estate, while the Perceived Behavior Control had not effect toward the customers' intention to purchase real estate.
Improving Problem Solving and Encouraging Creativity in Engineering Undergraduates

Many researchers have written about the importance and complexities of developing problem solving skills and encouraging creativity in engineering students. This paper provides a brief summary of some of the previous work, and sets an agenda for a research project to revisit the area using learning objects to improve and encourage these skills. Some interesting initial findings and thoughts are presented which support previous work, and open the way for the next stages of the research project.
Lyapunov redesign of classical digital phase-lock loops

The author (1990) has previously established that Lyapunov redesign is effective in designing an analog phase-locked loop for which the nonlinear model (in the signal phase space) is guaranteed to be stable. This paper extends that concept to what are commonly called classical digital phase-locked loops. These loops, which are very common in high speed digital communications systems, use digital phase detectors but analog filters and VCOs.
Is the Minimum Wage a Pulling Factor for Migrants

This paper studies the impact of the minimum wage on immigration. A framework is presented where inflows of immigrants are a function of the expected wage growth induced by the minimum wage. The analysis focuses on the USA minimum wage increase of 1996/1997, using data from the Current Population Survey and the Census. The estimation strategy consists of using the fraction of aected workers as instrumental variable for the growth of expected wages. The findings show that States where the growth of expected wages was relatively large (about 20%) exhibited inflow rate increases that are four to five times larger than States where average wages grew 10% less. Placebo tests confirm that the policy did not aect immigration of high wage
Trends in Development of Residential Areas in Suburban Zone of the City of Nitra (Slovakia)

Abstract Political changes in Slovakia after 1989 initiated new economic trends which significantly affected the structure of cities and rural municipalities. The process of suburbanization has changed the rural landscape with a widespread increase in new residential areas. Based on an analysis of residential suburbanization, the aim of the paper is to describe the encroachment of residential construction in the suburban zone of Nitra through increase in the size of the housing stock, number of housing types and the spatial localization of suburban construction. Such analysis of residential development contributes to the knowledge of the extent and intensity of the residential suburbanization process in the outskirts of the city of Nitra. Theoretical analysis of residential suburbanization is based on the relevant literature, placing it into context alongside the works of authors from Western and Central Europe. The research is based on standard geographical methods including field research. To compare the changes in residential areas aerial photos from 2001 and 2015 were used. Results show that in the municipalities of the suburban zone significant changes have occurred in the building sprawl, thus changing the face of rural municipalities and the character of the rural landscape.