Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do Country Level Investor Protections Impact Security Level Contract Design? Evidence from Foreign Bond Covenants

This article studies the ability of security-level contracts to substitute for poor country-level investor protections. Using a cross-country sample of restrictive covenants, we find that bond contacts are more likely to include covenants when creditor protection laws are weak. Further, the use of restrictive covenants in weak creditor protection countries is associated with a lower cost of debt. We also find that strong country-level shareholder rights are not necessarily harmful to bondholders. Overall, the findings suggest that issuers and investors can create international contracts that overcome some of the deficiencies of country-level investor protections and facilitate access to external finance. The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Society for Financial Studies. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com. , Oxford University Press.
Why good buildings go bad while some are just born that way

With the realisation that climate change is not going to be resolved by inaction or unrealised promises, the issue of actual building performance has become focal in today’s commercial buildings sector. With this has come the genuinely problematic issue of delivering and operating buildings at levels of efficiency higher than have been achieved before. While some argue that good design is all, those involved in operating buildings are generally aware that the issues of delivering and operating high-efficiency buildings are somewhat more complex. A building that has a good theoretical performance may not perform well in practice, while many lesser buildings may be easier to operate and improve. In this paper, a range of issues that cause apparently well designed buildings to perform poorly are explored, with particular emphasis on the issues affecting base buildings under the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating scheme. These issues include items that can be seen as the responsibility of various participants in the supply chain, as well as many that are the product of numerous such participants. It is identified that delivering and operating high-efficiency buildings is a complex and multifaceted problem that requires a holistic rather than reductionist view of the building process. Some guidelines for more reliable delivery of efficient buildings are also provided.
ESTIMATING THE CENSORED DEMAND FOR U.S. CHEESE VARIETIES USING PANEL DATA: IMPACT OF ECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS

The United States cheese consumption has grown considerably over the years. Using Nielsen Homescan panel data for calendar years 2005 and 2006, this paper examines the effect of economic and socio-demographic factors on the demand for disaggregated cheese varieties. In this study, we estimated the censored demand for 14 cheese varieties and identified the respective own-price and cross-price elasticities. Also, non-price factors were determined affecting the purchase of each variety as well as the impact of generic dairy advertising. Results revealed that most of the natural cheese varieties have an elastic demand while the processed cheese products exhibited inelastic demands. Strong substitution and complementarity relationships were identified as well, and a two quarter carry-over effect of advertising was observed for most of cheese demands. Results also showed that household demographics affected the demands differently, depending on the nature of the cheese varieties.
The Post-2010 Lisbon Process: The Key Role of Education in Employment and Competitiveness

This paper points out that education should be the central objective of the post-2010 Lisbon Process. Compared to other OECD countries, the member states of the European Union perform poorly when it comes to key indicators of innovative potential, such as the percentage of students enrolled in tertiary education and the educational quality of Europe’s students. Education makes a three-fold contribution to a country’s economic health. First it is beneficial for employment rates, second it is a key driver for long-term economic growth and third it appears to be beneficial for social cohesion. It will be crucial for European countries to attain higher levels of tertiary education and increase the quality of their education.
On the existence of shadow prices for optimal investment with random endowment

Abstract In this paper, we consider a numéraire-based utility maximization problem under constant proportional transaction costs and random endowment. Assuming that the agent cannot short sell assets and is endowed with a strictly positive contingent claim, a primal optimizer of this utility maximization problem exists. Moreover, we observe that the original market with transaction costs can be replaced by a frictionless shadow market that yields the same optimality. On the other hand, we present an example to show that in some case when these constraints are relaxed, the existence of shadow prices is still warranted.
Calibration of the modified Bartlett-Lewis model using global optimization techniques and alternative objective functions

The calibration of stochastic point process rainfall models, such as of the Bartlett-Lewis type, suffers from the presence of multiple local minima which local search algorithms usually fail to avoid. To meet this shortcoming, four relatively new global optimization methods are presented and tested for their ability to calibrate the Modified Bartlett-Lewis Model. The list of tested methods consists of: the Downhill Simplex Method, Simplex-Simulated Annealing, Particle Swarm Optimization and Shuffled Complex Evolution. The parameters of these algorithms are first optimized to ensure optimal performance, after which they are used for calibration of the Modified Bartlett-Lewis model. Furthermore, this paper addresses the choice of weights in the objective function. Three alternative weighing methods are compared to determine whether or not simulation results (obtained after calibration with the best optimization method) are influenced by the choice of weights.
EFFECTS OF PRE-TREATMENT ON SEED GERMINATION OF Trichilia tessmannii ( Harms ) IN NIGERIA

University of Port Harcourt, P.M. B. 5323, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. *Corresponding author: Email: charity.fredrick@uniport.edu. ng, charite_nwaogwugwu@yahoo.com. Tel. +2349052638825. Trichilia tessmannii is an indigenous fruit tree found in the wild in South east and South south Nigeria. However, inadequate knowledge of its silviculture and threat of extinction due to deforestation from expanding agriculture are major problems of the species. This study was carried out to examine the effect of pre-treatment on germination T. tessmannii seeds. The experiment was set up in a completely randomized design involving three replicates. The treatments were hydrogen peroxide (10minutes) (T1), cold water (24 hours) (T2), hot water (100°C for 5 minutes) (T3), bleach (10 minutes) (T4), methylated spirit (10 minutes) (T5) and control (no treatment) (T6). Sixty seeds were sown per treatment and germination count was recorded for four weeks on emergence, duration and percentage of germination. T1 gave the highest germination percentage (88%), followed by T2 (73%), T4 (65%), T6 (58%), T5 (55%) and T3 (0%). In germination emergence, there were significant differences between the means (p<0.05). Seeds of T. tessmannii treated as control were recorded to have the longest mean germination emergence of approximately 14 days. Although the results obtained in this experiment emphasize that T. tessmannii seeds could be germinated without pre-treatment. However, to achieve optimum and uniform germination, it is important that the seeds of T. tessmannii are pre-treated with hydrogen peroxide or soaked in cold water before sowing.
Refractive state of eyes in dogs 1 )

Ocular refraction is the ability to refract light as it passes through the structures of the eye’s optic system. In an emmetropic eye, the image passing through the optic system – composed of the cornea, aqueous humour, crystalline lens and vitreous body – is focused on the retina. In eyes with refractive disorders ametropia occurs. In such cases the eye cannot focus on the image on the retina. The image focused in front of or behind the retina results in blurred vision. Refractive disorders include near-sightedness (myopia) and far-sightedness (hyperopia). Anisometropia is the condition where the refractive power for both two eyes is unequal (2, 6). The exact difference in dioptre has not been conclusively agreed on in the context of veterinary medicine. Currently, anisometropia is diagnosed for a 0.5D or 1.0D difference (10, 13). Modern ophtalmological diagnostics provides a number of methods for the examination of refractive disorders, including the once very common sciascopy, as well as the now increasingly popular autorefractometry. In the context of veterinary ophthalmology, a number of studies concerning refractive disorders have been documented, including studies conducted on small animals such as cats and dogs, as well as larger species, e.g. horses. Studies have also been carried out on rabbits, eagles, chickens, Guinea pigs and rodents: mice, rats. A majority of dogs are emmetropic. Deviations from emmetropia may be related to an abnormal refractive strength of the crystalline lens, abnormal curvature of the cornea, or the length of the optical axis of the eye. The refraction defect observed in patients suffering from aphakia – i.e. absence of the crystalline lens – is +14.4 +/– 2.1D, which means that a dog can see an object located very far away as well as blurred images of objects located closer (6). Lens implants inserted into canine lens capsules during phacoemulsification surgeries have a strength of approximately +41.5 D (6, 12, 16, 17). At the early beginning of the analysis it has been proved that only a lens of the power +40.5–41.5 (the difference of 1.5D is dependent on various breeds) corrects the refractive error in aphakic dogs. An intraocular lens that is placed in a capsular bag surrounded by an aqueous humor has a lower refractive power because of the small differences in refractive indices. That explains the cause why an aphakic patient with a refractive error of +14.4D needs +40.5D intraocular lens (17). Objective analysis of refraction requires an individual approach to each animal species. It has been proved that refraction differences can be dependent on the breed and age of a particular dog, as well as the shape of the skull (17). Researchers from the University of Wisconsin, in collaboration with the College of Optometry, Ohio State University, analysed 1) The study was supported by the project VEGA 1/0225/15. Refractive state of eyes in dogs1)
IMPACT OF DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES ON SERVICE QUALITY DIMENSIONS OF MOBILE VALUE ADDED SERVICES

A research study was conducted with an objective to understand consumer perception towards mobile value added services. Collected data was analyzed. In this article researcher highlights the impact of demographic variables on eight service quality dimensions. The outcome of this research provides diagnostic insight into how different demographic variables influences service quality dimensions in Mobile Value Added Services.
Effect of Grafting Height on Success and Subsequent Growth of Acid Lime (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle) Saplings

A field experiment was conducted at National Citrus Research Program (NCRP), Paripatle, Dhankuta to determine the best grafting height for the highest success of grafting and the maximum growth of saplings during 1st January to 30th December, 2010. Scions were collected from the mother plant ‘NCRP-49’ grown under screen house and grafted onto one-year-old trifoliate orange seedling rootstocks by shoot-tip method at 4 cm, 8 cm, 12 cm, 16 cm and 20 cm height from the collar region as the treatment. The grafts were planted inside the closed tunnel made from bamboo splits, jute and plastic sheet at 10×8 cm spacing in 64×100 cm experimental plots laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications containing 80 grafts per plot. Treatments were allotted on the experimental plots randomly. The success of grafting was not affected by the height of grafting, however, growth of sapling was found significantly affected by the height of grafting. Observation taken on saplings after one year of grafting revealed that the maximum scion height (42.13 cm), the highest number of leaves per sapling (47.50), the highest growth of scion diameter (55.61%), maximum length of primary branches (31.19 cm), maximum number of secondary branches per sapling ((3.24), the highest length of secondary branches (11.59 cm), the highest canopy volume (15440 cm 3 ) and the highest graft spread (24.35 cm) were found on the sapling grafted at 16 cm height of the trifoliate orange rootstock. Hence, from the study it is concluded that the most suitable height of grafting acid lime on trifoliate orange rootstock was 16 cm. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3126/njst.v14i2. 10412 Nepal Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 14, No. 2 (2013) 25-32
PHOTOMETRIC AND SPECTROSCOPIC STUDY OF SHAKHBAZIAN COMPACT GALAXY GROUPS SHCG 104, SHCG 120, SHCG 223, AND SHCG 245

We present the results of the detailed photometric and spectroscopic study of Shakhbazian compact galaxy groups ShCG 104, ShCG 120, ShCG 223 and ShCG 245. The redshifts of member galaxies, the results of photometry in R band, the surface-brightness proles, the curves of isophotal twisting and Fourier parameter a4 are presented. We determined the mass, the luminosity, the mass-to-luminosity ratio, the radial velocity dispersion and the crossing time of groups. Also the morphological types of member galaxies are determined. It is shown that some galaxies in groups are in the process of interaction.
Livelihood Diversification : Strategies , Determinants And Challenges For Pastoral And Agro-Pastoral Communities Of Bale Zone , Ethiopia

The issue of livelihood diversification is a critical component of pastoral economies and has been assessed by various researchers; however, in the study site the quantitative analysis is missing. Thus, this study was carried out to analyze livelihood diversification status, challenges and factors influencing pastoral household’s engagement in livelihood diversification activities in six peasant associations selected from two districts in Bale pastoral livelihood zone. The study was conducted on 393 randomly selected pastoral households. Data for the study were collected with the help of a structured questionnaire, key informant interview and FGD. Descriptive analytical tools and multinomial logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Furthermore, the Simpson index was used to measure the level of livelihood diversification. Findings of the study show that the livelihood of the pastoralists diversified into crop production, petty trades, firewood and charcoal production. The contribution of livestock and livestock products to the household's income is the highest. Result of the multinomial logistic model indicates that factors such as age and education level of household head, size of livestock holding, distance to market and access to rural credit service were the major determinants of livelihood diversification. Moreover, it proves that the scope for livelihood diversification gets boosted when there is access to credit service, better transportation facilities and proximity to urban market. Hence, policies that reduce the aforementioned challenges to diversification and widen its possibilities should be given attention.
Large-scale photospheric motions determined from granule tracking and helioseismology from SDO/HMI data

Large scale flows in the Sun play an important role in the dynamo process linked to the solar cycle. The important large scale flows are the differential rotation and the meridional circulation with an amplitude of km/s and few m/s , respectively. These flows also have a cycle related components, namely the torsional oscillations. Our attempt is to determine large-scale plasma flows on the solar surface by deriving horizontal flow velocities using the techniques of solar granule tracking, dopplergrams, and time distance helioseismology. Coherent structure tracking (CST) and time distance helioseismology were used to investigate the solar differential rotation and meridional circulation at the solar surface on a 30 day HMI SDO sequence. The influence of a large sunspot on these large scale flows with a specific 7 day HMI SDO sequence has been also studied. The large scale flows measured by the CST on the solar surface and the same flow determined from the same data with the helioseismology in the first 1 Mm below the surface are in good agreement in amplitude and direction. The torsional waves are also located at the same latitudes with amplitude of the same order. We are able to measure the meridional circulation correctly using the CST method with only three days of data and after averaging between + and -15 degrees in longitude. We conclude that the combination of CST and Doppler velocities allows us to detect properly the differential solar rotation and also smaller amplitude flows such as the meridional circulation and torsional waves. The results of our methods are in good agreement with helioseismic measurements.
Performance of Rapeseed and Mustard Varieties Grown Under Different Plant Density

Received: 27 September, 2014 Accepted: 24 October, 2014 Published: 20 November, 2014 A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of variety and different plant densities on growth and yield of rapeseed mustard during Rabi 2011-12 under rainfed conditions at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Four varieties (BARI Sarisha-13, BARI Sarisha-15, BARI Sarisha-16 and SAU Sarisha-3) and four plant densities (10, 40, 70 and 100 plants m -2 ) were applied during the course of study. Results indicated that both variety and plant density has significant effects on growth and seed yield of rapeseed mustard. BARI Sarisha-13 (V1) performed well in terms of Branches plant -1 (6.14), Siliqua plant -1 (126.90), seeds siliqua -1 (25.36) and 1000 seed weight (4.00). Branches plant -1 (6.84) and Siliqua plant -1 (95.04) significantly increased by decreasing plant density due to less competition among plants for moisture, light and nutrients. Maximum seed yield (1.60 t ha -1 ) was recorded for BARI Sarisha-13 with 70 plants m -2 (V1P3). Thus, it is concluded that BARI Sarisha-13 should be grown at 70 plants m -2 for higher yield output. © 2014 PSCI Publisher All rights reserved.
Contextual and Motivational factors associated with learning outcomes in distance learning adult education-Testing a model of Self-Determination Theory in Hellenic Open University Strand : Quality Assurance in e-Learning Affiliation : Employment and Career Centre

Just as motivation is a key factor in learning and achievement when face-to-face educational strategies are used, so it is in distance learning environments (Jones & Issroff, 2005). Nevertheless, it is true that motivation has not received the deserved attention in online learning, despite its effectiveness on learning consequences (Rovai & Barnum, 2003); studies that explore motivation to learn in online contexts are relatively limited both in number and scope (Artino, 2008; Bekele, 2010). As suggested by Miltiadou and Savenye (2003), studies of motivation in distance learning environments have adopted various frameworks to underpin their research. Of these, intrinsic– extrinsic motivation theory has often been used to explore students’ behaviour (persistence or dropping out intention) in online environments (Martens, et al., 2004). A theory that explicates intrinsic–extrinsic motivation in depth, and also how contextual factors can influence the learning activity, is self-determination theory (SDT) developed by Deci & Ryan (1985).
The homotopy type of spaces of real resultants with bounded multiplicity

For positive integers $d,m,n\geq 1$ with $(m,n)\not= (1,1)$ and $\Bbb K=\Bbb R$ or $\Bbb C$, let $Q^{d,m}_{n}(\Bbb K)$ denote the space of $m$-tuples $(f_1(z),\cdots ,f_m(z))\in \Bbb K [z]^m$ of $\Bbb K$-coefficients monic polynomials of the same degree $d$ such that polynomials $\{f_k(z)\}_{k=1}^m$ have no common {\it real} root of multiplicity $\geq n$ (but may have complex common root of any multiplicity). %% These spaces can be regarded as one of generalizations of the spaces defined and studied by Arnold and Vassiliev, and they may be also considered as the real analogues of the spaces studied by B. Farb and J. Wolfson. In this paper, we shall determine their homotopy types explicitly and generalize some previously obtained results.
Maladaptive Cognitive Content and Attitudes Accompanying Tension Type Headache and Migraine

Maladaptive cognitive content and attitudes accompanying tension type headache and migraine Objective: In this study, we examined the presence of some dysfunctional cognitive contents, processes and attitudes which are supposed to accompany the primary headache and described to take part in psychopathologies like anxiety and depression. Method: Thirty three patients diagnosed with migraine, 34 patients diagnosed with chronic tension type headache according to IHS (International Headache Society) criteria who referred to a Turkish training and research hospital neurology outpatient clinic were included. Thirty three healthy volunteers without headache were included as the control group. Automatic Thought Questionnaire (ATQ), White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI), Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and Demographic Information Questionnaire (DIQ) were administered to the participants for the determination of cognitive contents and attitudes. Results: The results showed that in the tension type headache group, ATQ total scores and ‘’Negative Self-Concepts’’, ‘’Personal Maladjustment and Desire for Change’’ and ‘’Giving up/Helplessness’’ subscale scores were significantly higher than the control group. There was no significant difference between the three groups in WBSI. It was shown that in PCS total scores and all scores of ‘’rumination’’, ‘’magnification’’ and ‘’helplessness’’ subscales, tension type headache group and migraine group had significantly higher scores according to the controls. Conclusion: Higher levels of negative cognitive contents in both of the migraine and tension type headache groups according to the healthy controls can explain high depression frequencies in these clinical manifestations. Another result obtained in our study was that as a way of coping with pain, rumination is used more than thought suppression in these individuals.