Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Are regulatory interventions seen as an obstacle or an enabler to SME performance and growth in transition economies: a study of gendered perceptions?

Prior Work The research literature largely argues that regulation is a burden, cost or constraint for SMEs, although recent work suggests regulation has a dual influence, enabling as well as constraining firms. These conflicting influences play out variably for particular firms. Most studies focus on mature market economies where regulatory frameworks are well-established. In this paper we attempt to study the impact of regulation on small enterprises within the context of transition economies from a gender perspective.
First detection and genetic characterization of bovine viral diarrhoea viruses (BVDV) types 1 and 2 in Tunisia

SUMMARY Two outbreaks associated with bovine viral diarrhoea infections (BVD) are reported in Tunisia. Their origin was determined by serological and virological studies. In farm A, out of 188 (58%) sera analyzed by an ELISA test, 164 were positive for BVD virus (BVDV) antibodies and 5 blood samples were positive by ELISA antigen and RT-PCR. Isolation of the virus on cell culture was successful in one animal. In farm B, out of 820 sera tested, 82% were positive for BVDV antibodies. Two BVDV isolates were recovered from blood of two persistently infected (PI) animals in cell culture. Genomic sequences of the 5’UTR and Npro regions of BVDV responsible for these infections were compared to other sequences of pestivirus strains. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the two outbreaks were independent : analysis of sequences from farm A showed that they belonged to BVDV type 2, whereas isolates from the second outbreak belonged to BVDV type 1. This report demonstrates the presence of the two types of BVDV in Tunisia. The detection of BVDV1 and BVDV2 associated with severe losses in two farms strongly suggests a need to implement a control scheme for the surveillance of BVD in Tunisia.
The eClassroom used as a Teacher's Training Laboratory to Measure the Impact of Group Facilitation on Attending, Participation, Interaction, and Involvement

This paper describes and quantifies the role of group facilitation in an experiential, real-time, online, university level credit course entitled eAHSC/230 Interpersonal Communications and Relations. A new and unique group interaction pattern called parallel communication, as well as classical elements of group interaction are described and quantified. New measures of online group facilitation attributes with analogous face-to-face (F2F) counterparts are presented. Specifically, the impact of effective group facilitation on Attentiveness, on Interaction, on Involvement, and on Participation is explored. The paper also examines the eClassrom’s potential effectiveness as a real time teaching and training laboratory which also functions as a process observation tool that collects and feeds back interaction data, providing teachers and trainers immediate and ongoing measures of facilitation effectiveness.
Management of moderate acute malnutrition with RUTF in Niger

Between 2001 and 2005, the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) therapeutic feeding programme in Maradi, Niger offered treatment for severe acute malnutrition centred on the use of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and the outpatient management of all uncomplicated cases. During the malnutrition crisis in 2005, the programme demonstrated its capacity to handle large numbers of patients while maintaining highly satisfactory results. Over 40,000 severely malnourished children were treated in Maradi region alone, with a cure rate above 90%1.
Study on Determinant Factors of Micro and Small Enterprises Development in South Sulawesi of Indonesia

The purposes of this study is to examine factors determinants of development of micro and small enterprises in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. This research was conducted in two regions namely, Makassar and Gowa. Total respondents are 150 people, and 10 people as key informants. Data is analyzed by using Descriptive Statistic, Structural Equation Modeling, and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The results show that the development of micro and small businesses should consider the internal aspects namely human resources, finance, production, and marketing. Then, the external aspects namely government policies, socio-economic and cultural, the role of related institutions, and information technology. Development strategy is more focused on internal capacity improvement than external. Furthermore, the other factors that determine the performance of Micro and Small business are capital, training, market information, marketing network, promotional of products, and institutional capacity. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016. v7n6p121
ANTIOXIDANT AND HEPATOPROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF ASTRAGALUS ECHINOPS AND ASTRAGALUS LOGOPODIOIDES ETHANOLIC EXTRACTS ON PARACETAMOL-INDUCED LIVER INJURY IN RATS

Background: Paracetamol (PCM) has an adequate safety profile when taken in normal doses. However, it could produce oxidative stress with liver injury when taken in an overdose. Plants of Astragalus genus (F. Fabaceae) are of wide-spread applications. Astragalus echinops (A. echinops) and Astragalus logopodioides (A. logopodioides) were tested for their potential hepatoprotective activities against liver injury induced by PCM in rats. Material and Methods: Seven groups of rats were used for determination of hepatoprotective activities of the extracts. The normal and hepatotoxic control groups received the vehicle while other groups were treated with silymarin (100 mg/ kg), A. echinops (250 and 500 mg/kg) and A. logopodioides (250 and 500 mg/ kg), respectively for seven days. Liver injury was induced on the 5th day by oral dosing of PCM (2g/kg) to all rats except those in normal control group. Moreover, the in vitro antioxidant activities of A. echinops and A. logopodioides extracts were tested using 2,2- diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging. Results: Hepatic enzyme markers as alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and glutamyl transferase and level of total bilirubin were significantly elevated, while total protein and albumin were declined significantly in PCM-exposed animals. The liver antioxidant markers like the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase and the levels of reduced glutathione were significantly declined, while hepatic malondialdehyde levels were significantly increased in PCM alone-treated rats. Administration of A. echinops (250 and 500 mg/kg) and A. logopodioides (500 mg/ kg) extracts prior to PCM, significantly protected against the elevation in the serum activities of hepatic enzymes and bilirubin and reduced oxidative stress. The hepatoprotective effect of both extracts was further confirmed by histological findings in the liver tissue. In addition, both extracts displayed in vitro antioxidant activities in a concentration-dependent way. Conclusion: Our results suggest that both extracts protect the liver against oxidative damage and they could be used as effective hepatoprotectives against PCM induced liver injury.
Non-Hermitian dynamics in the quantum Zeno limit

We show that weak measurement leads to unconventional quantum Zeno dynamics with Raman-like transitions via virtual states outside the Zeno subspace. We extend this concept into the realm of non-Hermitian dynamics by showing that the stochastic competition between measurement and a system's own dynamics can be described by a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. We obtain a solution for ultracold bosons in a lattice and show that a dark state of tunneling is achieved as a steady state in which the observable's fluctuations are zero and tunneling is suppressed by destructive matter-wave interference.
Exploring barriers and opportunities in adopting crowdsourcing based new product development in manufacturing SMEs

Crowdsourcing is an innovative business practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content or even funds by soliciting contributions from a large group of people (the ‘Crowd’). The potential benefits of utilizing crowdsourcing in product design are well-documented, but little research exists on what are the barriers and opportunities in adopting crowdsourcing in new product development (NPD) of manufacturing SMEs. In order to answer the above questions, a Proof of Market study is carried out on crowdsourcing-based product design under an Innovate UK funded Smart project, which aims at identifying the needs, challenges and future development opportunities associated with adopting crowdsourcing strategies for NPD. The research findings from this study are reported here and can be used to guide future development of crowdsourcing-based collaborative design methods and tools and provide some practical references for industry to adopt this new and emerging collaborative design method in their business.
Empirical Analysis of the MEA and MFE RNA Secondary Structure Prediction Algorithms

RNA molecules play critical roles in the cells of organisms, including roles in gene regulation, catalysis, and synthesis of proteins [1]. Since their functions largely depend on their folded structures, having accurate and efficient methods for RNA structure prediction is increasingly valuable. A number of computational approaches have been developed to predict RNA secondary structure. There have been some recent advances for two of these approaches, namely Minimum Free Energy (MFE) and Maximum Expected Accuracy (MEA) [2, 3]. The main goals of this thesis are twofold: 1) to empirically analyze the accuracy (i.e. the number of correctly predicted base pairs) of the MFE and MEA algorithms in different energy models and 2) to estimate the free energy parameters specifically for the MEA by using the constraint generation (CG) approach [2]. We present new results on the degree to which different factors influence the prediction accuracy MFE and MEA. The factors that we consider are: structural information that is provided in addition to RNA sequence, thermodynamic parameters, and data set size. Structural information significantly increases the accuracy of these methods. The relative performance of MFE and MEA changes according to the free energy parameters used; however, both have the best performance when they use Andronescu et al.’s BL* parameter set [2]. Having bigger data sets results in less variation in prediction accuracy of the MFE and MEA algorithms. Furthermore, we try to find better free energy parameters for the MEA algorithm. For our purpose, we adapt the CG approach so that it specifically
Perceptions Of Risk Among Commercial Farmers In Kwazulu-Natal In A Changing Economic Environment

This study analyses the importance and dimensions of risk sources and computer adoption among farmers in a changing economic policy and trade environment. A survey was conducted in 1996 among 112 commercial farmers in KwaZulu-Natal. The majority of respondents were in favour of a liberalized trade environment and deregulated domestic product and input markets. Respondents identified changes in the cost of farm inputs, government legislation (tax, labour, and land redistribution), the Rand exchange rate, and product prices as the most important sources of risk. Factor analysis of risk sources showed that various dimensions to risk exist, including changes in government policy, enterprise gross income, credit access and cost changes. Computers, a risk management tool, are more likely to be adopted by larger farm operators who have higher levels of education and who use more information sources, whilst operators of extensive production systems are less likely to adopt computers.
Is Poverty A Binding Constraint On Growth In Sub-Saharan Africa?

Is poverty a binding constraint on economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa? Plausible theories abound, but the empirical cross-country growth literature is indecisive and is likely to remain so. We argue that the most promising directions for research involve microeconomic investigations of the effects of poverty on productivity. We review the dominant mechanisms through which these effects may emerge and suggest specific avenues for country-based research.
Trends in Reproductive Health indicators in Ethiopia: 2000-2014

Introduction: The Millennium Development Goals include a focus on Reproductive Health (RH) indicators which are of substantial importance in low and middle income countries. However, little has been reported of the time-trend in these indicators in Ethiopia. This study aims to describe trends in RH indicators in Ethiopia from 2000-2014. Methods: This study is a time-trend analysis of RH indicators. We used 15-years of RH indicator data sourced mainly from Federal Ministry of Health and Demographic and Health Survey. Maternal mortality ratio, antenatal care coverage, skilled birth attendance coverage, postnatal care coverage, contraceptive prevalence rate and total fertility rate were selected and analysed using numerical and graphic summaries. We used coefficient of determination (R2) for the Federal Ministry of Health facility based data to examine the variation in annual progress explained by the regression model. Confidence intervals were used in the Demographic and Health Survey data to indicate the period when significant difference was observed. Trends of indicators from both data sources were also compared. Results: During the 15-years study period, antenatal care coverage increased from 29% to 98% (R2 = 95%). It increased more rapidly than skilled birth attendance which remained low at 41% in 2014. Postnatal care coverage increased from 5% to 64% (R 2 = 96%). Modern contraceptive prevalence rate among the married women improved from 6.3% (5.8%, 6.8%) to 40% (38.7%, 41.3%) within the 15-year period. Maternal mortality ratio decreased from 990 in 2000 to 420 in 2013. The total fertility rate decreased from 5.5 to 4.1 children per woman. With lowest performance in 2000, Ethiopia demonstrated better improvement compared to selected sub-Saharan African countries. Variations in the trends were observed when data from both sources were compared. Conclusions: RH service coverages have shown remarkable improvement while maternal mortality ratio, although reduced, remained high. There was a significant gap in the continuum of maternal health services.
A SIDE COUPLED PROTON LINAC MODULE 30-35 MEV: FIRST ACCELERATION TESTS

ACLIP is a 3 GHz proton SCL linac designed as a booster for a 30 MeV commercial cyclotron. The whole accelerator is a 5 module structure coupled together. The final energy is 62 MeV well suitable for the therapy of ocular tumors. In order to treat deep-seated tumors the energy can be raised up to 230 MeV by adding a second linac. The possibility of using magnetrons, as the source of RF power, to reduce the overall cost of the machine, and the tile design (covered by a patent), named Back-toBack Accelerating Cavity (BBAC), to efficiently accelerate protons starting from a low energy are two of the more relevant features of this project. The first module (from 30 to 35 MeV) has been full power RF tested in December 2008, showing that the design accelerating field could be easily reached. Then this module, along with all elements of the RF power setup, has been transferred to INFN-LNS in Catania at the end of April 2010 to carry out beam acceleration tests using a 30 MeV proton beam from the Superconducting Cyclotron. In this paper we will review the main features of the linac and discuss the results of the acceleration measurements carried out on this prototype.
Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris L.) Water Use Efficiency and Yield under Organic and Inorganic Mulch Application

South Africa is considered as a water scarce country and water shortage is a major constrains that often limits growth, yield, and quality of Swiss chard. A field experiment was conducted on Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L.) in loamy soil to evaluate Water Use Efficiency (WUE), weed control, yield, and quality response to organic and inorganic mulch application during the winter/spring season (June to September). Treatments included bare-soil (control), grass/hay, and newspaper, white-maize-meal bag, white plastic and black plastic mulches. Black plastic, newspaper, and grass/hay mulches suppressed weeds significantly, which were encouraged under bare-soil, white plastic, and maize-meal bag mulch conditions. There was an increase in the number of leaves and leaf fresh mass with white plastic mulch, while bare-soil reduced plant dry mass and leaf area significantly. Leaf area was improved with white plastic, black plastic and maize-meal bag mulches. White plastic and grass/hay mulch improved WUE significantly, and exceled above other treatments at 259.9 and 242.0 kg ha mm, respectively, followed by black plastic mulch at 207 kg ha mm. Water use efficiency declined in the newspaper, maizemeal, and bare-soil treatments at 179, 130 and 74.7 kg ha mm WUE, respectively. Thus, the study reveals that the use of mulch under drip irrigation has an explicit role in increasing water productivity of Swiss chard.
In situ temperature measurements in the upper troposphere and lowermost stratosphere from 2 decades of IAGOS long-term routine observation

Abstract. Despite several studies on temperature trends in the tropopause region, a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of temperatures in this climate-sensitive region of the atmosphere remains elusive. Here we present a unique global-scale, long-term data set of high-resolution in situ temperature data measured aboard passenger aircraft within the European Research Infrastructure IAGOS (In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System; http://www.iagos.org ). This data set is used to investigate temperature trends within the global upper troposphere and lowermost stratosphere (UTLS,
Imaging a single atom in a time-of-flight experiment

We perform fluorescence imaging of a single 87Rb atom after its release from an optical dipole trap. The time-of-flight expansion of the atomic spatial density distribution is observed by accumulating many single atom images. The position of the atom is revealed with a spatial resolution close to 1 μm by a single-photon event, induced by a short resonant probe. The expansion yields a measure of the temperature of a single atom, which is in very good agreement with the value obtained by an independent measurement based on a release-and-recapture method. The analysis presented in this paper provides a way of calibrating an imaging system useful for experimental studies involving a few atoms confined in a dipole trap.
LINEAR PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT MODELS AND FUND CHARACTERISTICS

This paper examines the sensitivity of various measures of portfolio performance using various return-based linear benchmark models in both their unconditional and conditional versions for a sample of Canadian equity mutual funds over the period, 1989-1999. In a departure from the current literature, performance inferences are based on tests that incorporate the contemporaneous cross-correlations across fund returns. The performance inferences are sensitive to the choice of the linear benchmark model. Conditioning has a more pronounced impact on absolute than on relative performance inferences. Risk-adjusted performance is related with the age and size of a fund and its management fees, and to a lesser extent with the fund’s management expense ratio. These identified relationships suggest important differences and similarities between the availability of scale economies and levels of competition in the Canadian versus the American and European mutual fund industries.
Morphological evolution of the Venice lagoon: Evidence from the past and trend for the future

[1] During the last century, the Venice lagoon, Italy, has been experiencing a general degradation consisting of the deepening of tidal flats and the reduction of salt marsh areas. A conceptual model describing the long-term evolution of such lagoons has recently been proposed. According to the model, the long-term degradation consists of two steps: an initial salt marsh deterioration phase followed by a tidal flat erosion phase. In this work we test the long-term evolution model through the analysis of four different bathymetries of the Venice lagoon during the last century (1901, 1932, 1970, and 2003). The result of the analysis confirms that the recent past morphological evolution of the Venice lagoon has actually followed the proposed model and highlights a slower erosive trend characterizing the northern part of the lagoon compared to the moderately rapid erosion affecting the central southern part. This result enables us to infer the likely future evolution of the Venice lagoon as long as the present forcing conditions are maintained.
“The five fingers of my hand”: human capital and well-being in SMEs

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the SME managers' understanding of, and attitudes towards human capital (HC) and well-being as factors impacting on the business performance of their organisations. Design/methodology/approach – The study from which this paper reports included qualitative data collected through 42 semi-structured interviews with senior managers of SMEs from growth industries in the service sector. Research was undertaken in three European Union countries: Scotland (UK), Finland and Bulgaria. These countries are considered to be at different stages in the development of a knowledge-based economy (KBE) and innovation. Findings – It is evident that whilst SME managers are interested in knowledge, skills and experience as key elements of HC, peoples' soft skills and attributes, such as attitude, willingness and ability to learn and develop, and enthusiasm about the(ir) work are often considered more important. HC is seen as potentially an abundant resource, providing scope for competitive .
The Intracellular Cryoprotectant Effects in Preserving Goramy Spermatozoa after Two Days Sub-Zero Freezing

The spermatozoa quality of goramy two days after sub-zero freezing was examined. The quality of spermatozoa examined included motility, viability, and abnormality. We aimed to determine the optimum concentration of glycerol protecting spermatozoa during preservation. We used 0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, 7%, and 9% of glycerol, respectively. Sperms were diluted by the combination of glycerol and fish ringer (1 part of sperm + 3 part of solvent). The dilute sperms were then equiliberated at 4 ° C for 45 min, and were freezed at -34°C for two days. Thawing was then carried out at 30°C for 2 min. Based on Dunnet test, 5% of glycerol was the optimum concentration maintaining spermatozoa motility (75.95±4.76)%. Keywords : glycerol; Osphronemus goramy; spermatozoa motility, viability, and abnormality; sub-zero freezing
Lipschitz conditions on the modulus of a harmonic function

It is proved that if u is a real valued function harmonic in the open unit ball BN ⊂ R and continuous on the closed ball, then the following conditions are equivalent, for 0 < α < 1: • |u(x)− u(w)| ≤ C|x− w|, x, w ∈ BN ; • | |u(y)| − |u(ζ)| | ≤ C|y − ζ|, y, ζ ∈ ∂BN ; • | |u(y)| − |u(ry)| | ≤ C(1− r), y ∈ ∂BN , 0 < r < 1. The Lipschitz condition on |u| is also considered.