Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Two Faces of Teacher Candidates' Portfolio Experiences: Tradition and Facebook

Exploring the effectiveness of facebook in the process of preparing portfolio, it will be significant to profit by teacher candidates' experiences on facebook and traditional environments. Therefore in this phenomenon study to fathom of the portfolio experiences on both environments is intended. In this regard the opinions of the volunteers who have continued portfolio studies every week, were taken from utilizing four semi-structured open-ended questions. In consequence they are in the pedagogical formation program, ten female and five male in both environments, in total thirty participants. Data were collected in writing in fifty minutes, analyzed via Nvivo 10, presented with mind maps. Participants think that facebook environment is compared to other social networks easy to reach, actual, the best known environment, gives opportunity to add various types of files, facilitates sharing independent of time and place and creating an archive, although they stated that the participants who use the environment for the first time in an instruction process, don't take responsibility and despite warnings. For traditional environment, they believe that develop a high level of consciousness of communication, sharing, task and responsibility. However they express the lack of opportunities to see sharings instantly and to make peer review between groups.
Effectiveness of Public R&D Subsidies in East Germany – Is it a Matter of Firm Size?

This paper analyses the impact of public subsidies on private sector research and development (R&D) activity for East German firms. Using propensity score matching, our empirical results indicate that subsidized firms indeed show a higher level of R&D intensity and a higher probability for patent application compared to non-subsidized firms for our sample year 2003. On average we find an increase in the R&D intensity of about 3.7 percentage points relative to non-subsidized firms. The probability for patent applications rises by 21 percentage points. These results closely match earlier empirical results for East Germany. Given the fact that the East German innovation system is particularly driven by small and medium sized enterprises (SME), we put a special focus on the effectiveness of the R&D subsidies for this latter subgroup. Here no previous empirical evidence is available so far. Our findings indicate that policy effectiveness also holds for private R&D activity of SMEs, where the highest increase in terms of R&D intensity is estimated for micro businesses with up to 10 employees.
Banking relationships and the credit cycle: Evidence from the Asian financial crisis

When are banking relationships valuable? Using a unique dataset on small manufacturing firms during the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98, I present evidence that the benefits of relationships are substantially magnified when credit conditions are poor or deteriorating. At the onset of the crisis, I find firms with close bank relationships were less likely to be denied credit by banks, less likely to report that bank credit availability had worsened, and less likely to cite lack of bank finance as a cause of declining firm output. The results are most pronounced for the concentration measure of bank relationship strength. Relationship variables are not correlated with changes in the availability of other sources of credit (trade credit, or loans from moneylenders or family and friends), suggesting relationship strength is not simply a proxy for general firm quality or creditworthiness. Firms with close bank relationships did not have significantly greater access to credit prior to the crisis, emphasising the link between the benefits of relationships and the state of the ‘credit cycle’.
Bioefficacy of pre- and post-emergence herbicides in direct-seeded rice in Central Punjab

Field experiments were conducted during Kharif season of 2007 and 2008 at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana to evolve suitable combination of pre and post-emergence herbicides for effective weed management in direct-seeded rice under unpuddled conditions. Results indicated that during 2007, integration of post-emergence application (30 Days after sowing) of bispyribac (25 and 30 g/ha) or azimsulfuron (20 g/ha) with pre-emergence application of pendimethalin 0.75 kg/ha, pretilachlor 0.5 kg/ha and thiobencarb 1.25 kg/ha provided effective control of weeds and produced significantly higher grain yields than unweeded (control) treatment. During 2008 also, integration of pre-emergence application of pendimethalin 0.75 kg/ ha or oxadiargyl 0.90 g/ha with post-emergence application of bispyribac 25 kg/ha, azimsulfuron 20 g/ha and 2,4-D 0.5 kg/ha resulted in significant reduction in dry matter of weeds and increased grain yield as compared to alone application of pendimethalin 0.75 kg/ha. Pre-emergence application of flufenacet 80 g/ ha and early post-emergence application of penoxsulam 30 and 35/g ha were found ineffective for controlling weeds.
Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory: Confirmatory factor analysis of the Spanish version

This article presents the process of adjusting into Spanish Kenny’s Music Performance Anxiety Inventory (Kenny, Davis, & Oates, 2004). This questionnaire is based on Barlow’s theory of performance anxiety and evaluates levels of anxiety whilst on stage. After doing two translations into Spanish, a peer review, and pilot study, the questionnaire was answered by 490 musicians training in six Spanish music conservatories. Results showed that the adapted version of the instrument, with some minor modifications, has good psychometric properties, also validated through a confirmatory factor analysis procedure. Thereof, and in accordance with to Barlow’s theoretical framework, we saw emerge three related factors that made reference to specific cognitions of performance anxiety, such as helplessness as a factor of psychological vulnerability and early family influences. Performance anxiety is related to a psychological vulnerability profile and early relationship context. Finally, it is important to count with reliable instruments that allow contrasting theories in different cultural background, comparing the effects of problems or treatment outcomes.
Divisions of Research & Statistics and Monetary Affairs Federal Reserve Board , Washington , D . C . Tips from TIPS : the informational content of Treasury Inflation-Protected Security prices

We examine the informational content of TIPS yields from the viewpoint of a general 3-factor no-arbitrage term structure model of inflation and interest rates. Our empirical results indicate that TIPS yields contained a “liquidity premium” that was until recently quite large (∼ 1%). Key features of this premium are difficult to account for in a rational pricing framework, suggesting that TIPS may not have been priced efficiently in its early years. Besides the liquidity premium, a time-varying inflation risk premium complicates the interpretation of the TIPS breakeven inflation rate (the difference between the nominal and TIPS yields). Nonetheless, high-frequency variation in the TIPS breakeven rates is similar to the variation in inflation expectations implied by the model, lending support to the view that TIPS breakeven inflation rates are a useful proxy for inflation expectations.
Assessing probabilistic reasoning in verbal-numerical and graphical-pictorial formats: An evaluation of the psychometric properties of an instrument

Background:Research on the graphical facilitation of probabilistic reasoning has been characterised by the effort expended to identify valid assessment tools. The authors developed an assessment instrument to compare reasoning when problems were presented in verbal-numerical and graphical-pictorial formats.Material and methods:A sample of undergraduate psychology students (n=676) who had not developed statistical skills solved problems requiring probabilistic reasoning. They attended universities in Spain (n=127; f=71.7%) and Italy (n=549; f=72.9%). In Italy 173 undergraduates solved these problems in time pressure. The remaining students solved the problems without time limits.Results:Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT) were applied to assess the effect of two formats and to evaluate criterion and discriminant validity.Conclusions:The instrument produced acceptable psychometric properties, providing preliminary evidence of validity.
Meteorological processes forcing Saharan dust emission inferred from MSG-SEVIRI observations of subdaily dust source activation and numerical models

Fifteen-minute Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) infrared dust index images are used to identify dust source areas. The observations of dust source activation (DSA) are compiled in a 1° × 1° map for the Sahara and Sahel, including temporal information at 3-hourly resolution. Here we use this data set to identify the most active dust source areas and the time of day when dust source activation occurs most frequently. In the Sahara desert 65% of DSA (March 2006 to February 2008) occurs during 0600-0900 UTC, pointing toward an important role of the breakdown of the nocturnal low-level jet (LLJ) for dust mobilization. Other meteorological mechanisms may lead to dust mobilization including density currents initiated by deep convective systems which mobilize dust fronts (haboobs) occurring preferentially in the afternoon hours and cyclonic activities. The role of the nocturnal LLJ for dust mobilization in the Sahara is corroborated by regional model studies and analysis of meteorological station data.
PREDATOR EXCLOSURES: A TECHNIQUE TO REDUCE PREDATION AT PIPING PLOVER NESTS

Federal listing of the piping plover as endangered and threatened (Federal Register 1985) has prompted intensive management to reduce impacts of predation and other factors limiting piping plover productivity (Dyer et al. 1988, Haig et al. 1988, Melvin et al. 1991). While studying piping plover breeding biology at 6 sites on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, during 1985-1987, we determined that at least 79 of 126 (63%) piping plover nests were destroyed by red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis), American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos), and gulls (Larus spp.) (MacIvor 1990). These results led us to investigate the use of predator exclosures (Nol and Brooks 1982, Post and Greenlaw 1989, Rimmer and Deblinger 1990) to reduce predation of piping plover nests. We first used an exclosure to protect a piping plover nest at Coast Guard Beach on Cape Cod in 1987. Although foxes destroyed 5 previous clutches laid by that pair of plovers that summer, the protected nest hatched successfully and 1 chick fledged. We describe the construction, installation, and success of circular, wire predator exclosures that we placed around individual piping plover nests in Massachusetts in 1988 and 1989.
Do Changes in the SG&A Ratio Provide Information About Changes in Future Earnings, Analyst Forecast Revisions, and Stock Returns?

In fundamental analysis, increases in the ratio of selling, general and administrative (SG&A) costs to sales (SG&A ratio) are viewed as negative signals about future firm performance. However, this interpretation focuses on the overall change in the SG&A ratio and ignores the underlying changes in the components of the ratio. For example, prior literature finds that the interpretation offered by fundamental analysis does not hold during periods of decreasing sales. I contend that a further partitioning of the full sample into subsamples representing all possible combinations of changes in the components of the SG&A ratio, and the ratio itself, will yield incremental information about future firm performance. Accordingly, I identify six subsamples representing these combinations of changes and examine whether they are incrementally informative about future earnings, analyst forecasts, and stock returns. I find that changes in the SG&A ratio in four of my six subsamples are associated with changes in future earnings, and that results from prior literature regarding periods of decreasing sales are driven by a specific set of circumstances. I also find that analysts do not always recognize the information in the signals and incorporate the information into their forecast revisions. Finally, I find that changes in the SG&A ratio in five of my six subsamples provide statistically significant information regarding future stock returns that is not subsumed by the information contained in
APPLICATION OF ADAPTIVE NEURO FUZZY INFERENCE SYSTEM TO MODELING OXIDATIVE COUPLING OF METHANE REACTION AT ELEVATED PRESSURE

The oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) performance over Na-W-Mn/SiO2 at elevated pressures has been simulated by adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) using reaction data gathered in an isothermal fixed bed microreactor. In the designed neuro fuzzy models, three important parameters such as methane to oxygen ratio, gas hourly space velocity (GHSV), and reaction temperature were considered as inputs and methane conversion and the selectivity of product hydrocarbons (C2+) were chosen as outputs. Two five-layer neuro fuzzy models based on the partitioning algorithm were designed at each reaction pressure to predict the product hydrocarbons (C2+) selectivity and methane conversion separately as a linear combination of inputs by the optimal selection of number and type of the membership functions. Moreover, to evaluate the ability and accuracy of the developed neuro fuzzy models in the prediction of OCM reaction performance, the results of ANFIS models were compared with experimental data and artificial neural network outputs. The comparison was carried out by the calculation of some statistical parameters such as correlation coefficient (R 2 ), mean squared error (MSE), and average relative deviation (ARD). The results show that there are excellent agreement between model predictions and experimental data and the proposed ANFIS model can predict the methane conversion and product hydrocarbons (C2+) selectivity under different operating conditions by high accuracy.
Under the snow: a new camera trap opens the white box of subnivean ecology

Snow covers the ground over large parts of the world for a substantial portion of the year. Yet very few methods are available to quantify biotic variables below the snow, with most studies of subnivean ecological processes relying on comparisons of data before and after the snow cover season. We developed a camera trap prototype to quantify subnivean small mammal activity. The trap consists of a camera that is attached facing downward from the ceiling of a box, which is designed to function as a snow‐free tunnel. We tested it by placing nine traps with passive infrared sensors in a subarctic habitat where snow cover lasted for about 6 months. The traps were functional for the whole winter, permitting continuous data collection of site‐specific presence and temporal activity patterns of all three small mammal species present (the insectivorous common shrew, Sorex araneus, the herbivorous tundra vole, Microtus oeconomus, and the carnivorous stoat, Mustela erminea) as well as abiotic conditions (presence/absence of snow cover and subnivean temperature). Based on their successful functioning (only 6% of the photographs appeared empty or were of poor quality, whereas ca 80% were of small mammals and the remaining of birds and invertebrates), we discuss how the new camera trap can enable subnivean studies of small mammal communities. This greatly increases the temporal resolution and extent of data collection and thereby provides unpreceded opportunities to understand population and food web dynamics in ecosystems with snow cover.
Students' Persistence and Academic Success in a First-Year Professional Bachelor Program: The Influence of Students' Learning Strategies and Academic Motivation

The present study explores whether students' learning strategies and academic motivation predict persistence and academic success in the first year of higher education. Freshmen students in a professional bachelor program in teacher education were questioned on their learning strategy use and motivation at the start and at the end of the academic year. Students' learning strategies were assessed using the inventory of learning styles-SV. Motivation was measured using scales from the self-regulation questionnaire and the academic motivation scale. Gender and students' prior education were incorporated as control variables. Logistic regression analyses and general linear modelling were applied to predict persistence and academic success, respectively. In each case a stepwise approach in data analysis was used. Results on persistence indicate that lack of regulation and amotivation at the start of the year are significant predictors. For academic success, results showed that relating and structuring, lack of regulation, and lack of motivation at the end of the year are meaningful predictors. Overall, our study demonstrates that learning strategies and motivation have a moderate explanatory value regarding academic success and persistence, and that these effects remain even after controlling for the influence of background variables.
Effects of Mycorrhizal Fungi with Phosphate Fertilizer Applications on Phosphate Solubilizing and Soil Properties of Grapes Orchard

The objective of this study was to efficiency determined of mycorrhizal fungi with different phosphate fertilizer application on phosphate solubilizing and soil properties of grapes orchard. The treatments were arranged in 2x5 factorials in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 5 replications. Factor 1: two levels of mycorrhizal fungi were non-inoculation and inoculation. Factor 2: five levels of phosphate fertilizer application were 0, 27.17, 54.34, 81.52 and 108.69 g plant -1 by soil analysis recommendation. The collected data was spore number, root colonization density, phosphatases activity of mycorrhizal fungi, available phosphorus (P) in soil, soil pH and phosphorus in leaf. The results showed that the inoculation of mycorrhizal fungi increased spore number, root colonization density, phosphatases activity of mycorrhizal fungi, available P in soil and P in leaf compared with the non-inoculated. While, phosphate fertilizer at a rate 54.34 g plant -1 increased spore number, root colonization density, phosphatases activity of mycorrhizal fungi, available P in soil and P in leaf. Mycorrhizal fungi combination with 54.34 g plant -1 of phosphate fertilizer increased spore number, root colonization density, phosphatases activity and available P in soil.
Thin Film Flow Over and Around Surface Topography: a General Solver for the Long-Wave Approximation and Related Equations

The three-dimensional flow of a gravity-driven continuous thin liquid film on substrates containing micro-scale features is modelled using the long-wave lubrication approximation, encompassing cases when surface topography is either engulfed by the film or extends all the way though it. The discrete analogue of the time-dependent governing equations is solved accurately using a purpose designed multigrid strategy incorporating both automatic error-controlled adaptive time stepping and local mesh refinement/de-refinement. Central to the overall approach is a Newton globally convergent algorithm which greatly simplifies the inclusion of further physics via the solution of additional equations of the same form as the base flow lubrication equations. The range of applicability, efficiency and flexibility of the approach is demonstrated by solving a hierarchy of problems involving variations in solute concentration and solid-fluid interactions arising from flow on flexible susbtrates.
Financing Decisions in Family Businesses: A Review and Suggestions for Developing the Field

Motivated by the growing attention to the financing decisions of family firms, this review brings together the two highly relevant research fields of family business and finance. This study critically reviews 131 articles on financing decisions in family businesses, published between 1977 and 2016 in 64 finance and management journals. We develop a state of the art on family business financing literature and present a model to guide extant and future research by identifying gaps across the theoretical perspectives and across context-specific elements such as family business heterogeneity and country-specific factors.
in Computer

— The wireless networks have revolutionized the way organizations work and offered a new range of possibilities, but at the same time they introduced new security threats. While an attacker needs physical access to a wired network in order to deploy an attack, a wireless network allows anyone within its range to passively monitor the traffic or even start an attack. One of the countermeasures can be the use of Wireless Intrusion Prevention Systems.
Effect of anulom vilom pranayama as an adjuvant treatment modality to improve the level of dyspnea in chronic asthma patients

Background: Dyspnea is the main symptom suffered by bronchial asthma patients who are even under medical treatment. This study was aimed to evaluate the use of alternate nostril breathing as an adjuvant treatment modality to improve the level of dyspnea in patients with bronchial asthma. Methods: Patients who were diagnosed to have bronchial asthma for more than 6 months with the modified Borg dyspnea score of more than 3 and forced expiratory volume (FEV1) for one second less than 80% included in the study. Anulom Vilom Pranayama was instructed to practice daily for 10 minutes for 4 weeks. The level of dyspnea in pre and post test was conducted using modified Borg dyspnea scale after doing six minute walk. Spirometer was used to assess the FEV1. The data was analysed statistically. Results: Twenty patients were included in the study. Majority belonged to the age group of 20-29 with female dominance and no history of smoking. There was a significant (p = 0.0001) reduction in dyspnea after practicing Anulom Vilom Pranayama for one month. The median of Borg dyspnea scale in the pre-test was 4.5 and that of post-test was 3.5. The mean FEV1 score in the pre-test was 57.20 and that of post-test was 68.75 which was found to be statistically significant (p=0.0001). Conclusions: One-month anulom vilom pranayama daily for 10 minutes improved the Borg dyspnea scale and FEV1 score. This indicates it as an effective intervention in reducing the level of dyspnea in chronic bronchial asthma patients.