Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring Sustainability Practices and Reporting at Musgrave Group: A Case Study of an Irish Private Company.

The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a case study of a large Irish company, Musgrave Group, which has been engaged in sustainability practices and reporting since the late 1990s. In doing so the paper provides an in-depth account firstly of the internal motivations for the company’s engagement with sustainability practices and reporting and secondly of the process through which the sustainability practice gained internal support and began to be integrated into the day to day activities of the company. The case study of the company involved a series of interviews with key participants in the sustainability process and documentary analysis. The contribution of the paper is twofold. Firstly it provides insight into the internal factors motivating the company’s engagement in sustainability practices and reporting. Secondly it examines the legitimating strategies which have helped the process to gain internal legitimacy leading to the (imperfect) integration of the process into the decision making processes and the day to day activities of the company. ∗ Author for correspondence: rebecca.maughan@dit.ie
Assessment of genetic structure in Mexican charolais herds using microsatellite markers

Knowledge of livestock genetic diversity is an essential step to respond to commercial demands and reach production objectives in different environments and production systems. The evaluation of animal genetic diversity is achieved by using molecular markers. Microsatellites are the most used markers for studies of this type. Eleven microsatellites were used to evaluate the genetic variation from three populations of Charolais cattle located in northeast Mexico. The studied populations exhibited a high allelic variability with a mean heterozygosity of 0.5. A moderate genetic differentiation between the Charolais populations (FST = 0.079; P < 0.001) was observed. This suggests subdivisions in Charolais breed established in Mexico, due to genetic material origin, reproductive and selective management and local isolation.
Pressureless infiltrated alumina and zirconia based steel - MMCs

Alumina and zirconia based steel-MMCs were produced by pressureless Ti-activated melt infiltration using a high vacuum furnace. The effect of particle size and morphology on the formation of a ceramic network in-situ and MMC properties were investigated using three different alumina powders. The alumina/steel-MMCs were characterised for microstructure, Young’s modulus and strength at room temperature and elevated temperatures, and wear behaviour. Also the use of different types of steel was shown. Zirconia/steel-MMCs were produced using three different types of zirconia powder. With the use of monoclinic and partially stabilised (Ca-PSZ, Mg-PSZ) zirconia powder the effect of the monoclinic to tetragonal phase transformation on MMC microstructure and wear behaviour was shown. Further alumina preforms were successfully infiltrated in argon atmosphere at atmospheric pressure using a standard tube furnace. The infiltration in argon resulted in an increased degradation of the alumina particles. The infiltrations showed further investigations are needed for a better understanding of the mechanism of activated melt infiltration since different reactions (i.e. ceramic/metal interactions, dissolutions and evaporations) occur simultaneously during infiltration.
Diet and seed dispersion of the crab-eaten fox, Cerdocyon thous (Linnaeus, 1766) in Restinga de Jurubatiba National Park, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

This article aims to investigate the diet and seed dispersion of the crab-eaten fox, Cerdocyon thous (Linnaeus, 1766), in the Restinga de Jurubatiba National Park, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil trough the analysis of fecal samples collected in two seasons of the year. During a period of four years, 28 fecal samples of Cerdocyon thous were collected in different parts of Restinga de Jurubatiba, being 19 out of them from dry season and nine from rainy season. In each season and between seasons, data analysis showed that invertebrates, vertebrates and fruits consumption did not significantly differ. Among vertebrates, mammals were the most eaten item (50%) in relation to reptiles (43%) and birds (32%). The rice-rat, Cerradomys subfl avus, and the collared-lizard, Tropidurus torquatus , were mainly eaten during the rainy season, whereas birds, during the dry season. Furthermore, the only item identified that differed among seasons was the lizard Tropidurus torquatus that appeared in 77.8% of samples derived from the rainy season and 21.0%, in those from the dry season, with a total frequency of 39.3%. In relation to seed dispersion, five species found in lees were identified and their viabilities were evaluated through germination tests in Petri dishes. Excepting for Brazilian cherry ( pitanga ), Eugenia umbelliflora , from which 56% of the seeds germinated, no other seed species consumed have germinated after passing through the C. thous digestive tract. Key words: Cerdocyon thous, diet, vertebrates, Tropidurus torquatus, digestive tract, seeds.
Wetting and Drying Characteristics of Recycled Asphalt Pavement-Fly Ash Blend as a Sustainable Pavement Material

The usage of Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) and Fly Ash (FA) blend in pavement applications contributes to the sustainable usage of such waste by-products. Although RAP-FA blend has been proven as a pavement material based on strength and leachate requirement, the durability of this blend when exposed to an aggressive environment has not been investigated to date. This research presents the effect of wetting-drying (w-d) cycles on the strength and microstructural changes of RAP-FA blend. The strength characteristic of this material was determined by Unconfined Compression Strength (UCS) test. The mineralogical and microstructural changes of the compound pavement material were also analyzed using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Test results show that the UCS of RAP-FA blend increases with increasing the number of w-d cycles (C), reaching its peak at 6 w-d cycles. The XRD and SEM analyses indicate that the increased UCS of RAP-FA blend is due to stimulation of the chemical reaction between the high amount of Calcium in RAP and the high amount of Silica and Alumina in FA during w-d cycles leading to production of more Calcium Silicate Hydrate (C-S-H) and Calcium Aluminate Hydrate (C-A-H). For C > 6, the significant macro-cracks due to the loss of moisture content during drying stage cause strength reduction. However, its reduced UCS is still greater than the minimum strength requirement even at C = 20. The outcome from this research confirms the viability of using RAP-FA blends as an alternative sustainable pavement material.
NEUROLOGIC MANIFESTATIONS AS THE PRESENTING SYMPTOMS IN LUNG CANCER

This case series reports 100 patients with lung cancer and their presenting neurologic symptoms and sings. 78% of patients were maleand 22% were female. Mean age was 62±1.04 years with a peak age between 65 and 75 years. Most patients presented with pulmonary problems (58%) and neurologic deficits as the presenting manifestations were found to be 30% along with pulmonary symptoms and 12% laking them. Neurologic deficits were caused by local tumor invasion, metastasis and paraneoplastic syndromes in 16%, 23% and 3% of the cases respectively . Recurrent nerve pusly was the most common presenting neurologic sign. Common metastatic sites were spinal cord (12%) and brain (11%). Local invasion was mostly found in squamous cell and brain metastasisin adenocarcinoma. In refrence to spinal metastasis most patients had small cell and squamous cell carcinoma. Ophthalmoplegia as a paraneoplastic syndromeis not reported in lung cancer but one of our patients developed complete ophthalmoplegia in left eye with normal imaging studies that seems interesting and needs further investigation.
Differences in Nutritional Value and Amino Acid Composition of Moina macrocopa (Straus) Using Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Rhodotorula glutinis as Fodder Substrates

The nutritional composition and amino acid profile of Moina macrocopa were studied using different types of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Rhodotorula glutinis) as fodder substrates. The effective accumulation of carotenoids in Moina macrocopa during R. glutinis yeast application was not accompanied by deterioration in the nutritional value of zooplankton. The content of total proteins and total lipids in Moina grown on S. cerevisiae and R. glutinis was not significantly different. However, the use of R. glutinis in the cultivation of M. macrocopa led to the change in the ratio of proteinogenic amino acids in the studied cladocerans. In particular, the share of methionine, leucine and isoleucine significantly increased. It allowed to enhance the quality of protein in the fodder zooplankton, that is especially important in the feeding of fish fry.
The Impact of Financial Development and Asset Tangibility on Export

In this paper, we investigate the interplay between financial development, asset tangibility and exports. Using industry level data on firms’ dependence on external finance and firms’ asset tangibility for 23 industries and 52 countries, we find that economies with higher level of financial development have higher export shares in industries that use more intangible assets and the impact is increasing in the external finance dependence of the industry. We also use the same dataset to show that the interplay between property rights protection and asset tangibility influences the pattern of trade. We show that a higher level of property rights protection leads to greater export shares in industries with more intangible assets.
The Implications of Higher TGF-β1, IGF-II and IGF-1R mRNA Expression in Infiltrating Breast Carcinoma and Their Association with Tumorigenesis and Angiogenesis

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) and transforming growth factor (TGF) systems are implicated in breast tumorigenesis and are known to facilitate angiogenesis. The aim of the present study was to analyze intratumoral expression of various growth factors i.e TGF-β1, IGF-II, IGF-1R and to determine, whether their expression correlated with angiogenesis and other clinicopathological factors in infiltrating breast carcinoma in North Indian patients. Intratumoral expression of TGF-β1, IGF-II and IGF-1R genes was analyzed by RT-PCR in 60 biopsies of infiltrating breast carcinoma and compared that with its levels in their adjacent normal tissue. A comparative analysis of expression of each factor was done along with their relationship with angiogenesis in terms of intratumoral expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF, an invasogenic and angiogenic growth factor) and intratumoral microvessel density (IMD, a prognostic marker for angiogenesis). The relative mRNA abundance of all these genes was found to be higher in tumor tissues as compared to normal tissues. Statistical analysis of data revealed significantly higher values of TGF-β1 transcripts in tumor tissues (p<0.001) as compared to normal tissues, that relate positively with the expression of angiogenic factors like VEGF and IMD in the tumor microenvironment. Further a significant correlation between expression of IGF-1R and higher grade tumors (p<0.05) was observed. A linear association of intratumoral TGF-β1 expression with invasion and vascularity suggests/indicates a role of TGF-β1 in the pathogenesis of tumor angiogenesis.
Prediction of glycation sites: new insights from protein structural analysis

Glycation of proteins is a nonenzymatic process in which proteins react with reducing sugar molecules. This process takes place at ? -amino (? -NH+) groups of lysine or hydroxylysine residues as well as α-amino groups of N-terminal residues. In the present study glycation of ? -NH+ groups of lysines was computationally analyzed for 26 proteins based on their 3D structures. We determined the spatial relationship with acidic or basic residues and correlated them with the glycation prediction algorithm Netglycate 1.0 software, which employed primary structure exclusively for glycation site prediction. Of the lysines from 19 of the 20 proteins employed to build the Netglycate 1.0 algorithm 87.80% depicted a spatial relationship with acidic or basic residues. For the remaining seven proteins that were not included in the algorithm, 95.23% of the lysines exhibited a spatial relationship with acidic or basic residues. For these seven proteins, Netglycate 1.0 predicted only 52.38% of the lysines with a previously reported experimental glycation as potential glycation sites. In all cases, distances between residues were less than or equal to 9.78 A. These results suggest that it is the spatial relationship of lysines with acidic or basic residues in the 3D conformation of a protein that determines the glycation target site, rather than a specific sequence of the primary structure.
AGNs and Their Host Galaxies in the Local Universe: Two Mass-independent Eddington Ratio Distribution Functions Characterize Black Hole Growth

We use a phenomenological model to show that black hole growth in the local universe ( ) can be described by two separate, mass-independent Eddington ratio distribution functions (ERDFs). We assume that black holes can be divided into two independent groups: those with radiatively efficient accretion, primarily hosted by optically blue and green galaxies, and those with radiatively inefficient accretion, which are mainly found in red galaxies. With observed galaxy stellar mass functions as input, we show that the observed active galactic nucleus (AGN) luminosity functions can be reproduced by using mass-independent, broken power-law-shaped ERDFs. We use the observed hard X-ray and 1.4 GHz radio luminosity functions to constrain the ERDF for radiatively efficient and inefficient AGNs, respectively. We also test alternative ERDF shapes and mass-dependent models. Our results are consistent with a mass-independent AGN fraction and AGN hosts being randomly drawn from the galaxy population. We argue that the ERDF is not shaped by galaxy-scale effects, but by how efficiently material can be transported from the inner few parsecs to the accretion disc. Our results are incompatible with the simplest form of mass quenching where massive galaxies host higher accretion rate AGNs. Furthermore, if reaching a certain Eddington ratio is a sufficient condition for maintenance mode, it can occur in all red galaxies, not just the most massive ones.
The Big Brother and Better Early College Grades

This paper describes an empirical study over two semesters and five CIS110 “Introduction to Computers” courses held for early college students at a mid-size community college. This age group can be difficult to manage in terms of learning discipline and keeping students on-task. Inappropriate Internet use during class creates a major source of distraction. The supplied data and analysis confirm our initial hypothesis that grades improve when the instructor uses a classroom management system. Using a data set of 104 students, we conduct t-Test and graphical data evaluation. Utilizing a classroom management system improves the final grade average in the order of a full grade step, far fewer students fail, and the spread of grades is significantly narrower. In addition, the overall classroom setting improves in terms of behavior and discipline.
Effects of Financial Literacy on Personal Financial Decisions among Egerton University Employees, Nakuru County, Kenya

The current financial service market is complex and offers consumers a vast array of products and services to meet their financial needs. The degree of choice requires that consumers be equipped with the financial knowledge and skills to evaluate the options available in the market. Studies on the effects of financial on personal financial decisions indicate contradicting results. This study was carried out to establish the effect of financial literacy on personal financial decisions among Egerton University employees. The study was guided by the general objective of examining the effects of financial literacy on personal financial decisions. Specifically: to determine the effect of financial knowledge on personal financial decisions, to determine the effect of financial skills on personal financial decisions and to determine the effect of financial attitude on personal financial decisions. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The population of the study consisted of all Egerton University employees consisting of top management, middle level staff who include technical, administrative and teaching staff and lower level staff. A sample of 320 respondents was determined using sample determination table. The target sample size determined was drawn proportionately from each management level. A random sample from each stratum was taken in a number proportional to the stratum’s size when compared to the population. Primary data was collected through structured questionnaires. Data validity and reliability was checked by pilot testing and by use of Cronbach Alpha (0.876). Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis with the help of Statistical package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings revealed that financial knowledge and financial skills were significant in determining personal financial decisions while financial attitudes did not influence significantly personal financial decisions. Overall the effect of financial literacy was found to have a positive statistically significant relationship with personal financial decisions. The study recommendations include: Financial education on financial products available in the market especially on mortgage, stocks and shares and investment accounts; provision of financial education programs to employees to enhance their financial skills and concerted efforts to inculcate appropriate attitude to translate acquired financial skills into practice and decisions-making among the employees.
Status of coral reef fish communities within the Mombasa Marine Protected Area, Kenya, more than a decade after establishment

The abundance, trophic composition and diversity of fish were investigated in the Mombasa Marine Protected Area (MPA) on the Kenya coast over a period of four years (2004-2007) sixteen years after its establishment to determine its effectiveness. Fish monitoring data collected using belt transects revealed significant differences in fish abundance, distribution and composition between the MPA's no-take area and a partially-protected area with controlled exploitation. Although seasonal variation was apparent in the trophic composition, annual differences over the four year study period were not significant. Results indicated that differences in fish composition within the MPA were due to a greater abundance of haemulids (nocturnal carnivores) and acanthurids (herbivores) in the no-take area than in the partially-protected area. Fish diversity also varied between the no-take area and the partially-protected area with a higher Shannon- Wiener diversity index associated with the no-take area. Dominance was higher in the partially-protected area than in the no-take area and was also higher during the southeast (SE) monsoon season. These results support the claim of greater effectiveness of the fully protected no-take area, compared to the partially- protected area in sustaining the rich fish community found in previous studies.
How do ICT project managers manage project knowledge in the public sector? An empirical enquiry from the Victorian Public Sector in Australia

Projects are temporal organisation forms that are highly knowledge-intensive and play an important role in modern public (and private) sector organisations. The effective and efficient creation, dissemination, application and conservation of relevant knowledge are a critical success factor in the management of projects. Yet, project management (PM) and knowledge management (KM) are two distinct disciplines. This paper explores the relationship between PM and KM by analysing the literature at the intersection of those disciplines and presenting the empirical results of a case study of the Victorian Public Sector (VPS) in Australia. A series of 14 interviews were conducted to explore how ICT project managers manage project knowledge across the departments of the VPS. Findings show a strong preference among the participants for informal, face-to-face interactions and agile approaches to facilitate knowledge transfer and creation in ICT project environments.
Estimating global gross primary productivity using chlorophyll fluorescence and a data assimilation system with the BETHY-SCOPE model

Abstract. This paper presents the assimilation of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) into a terrestrial biosphere model to estimate the gross uptake of carbon through photosynthesis (GPP). We use the BETHY-SCOPE model to simulate both GPP and SIF using a process-based formulation, going beyond a simple linear scaling between the two. We then use satellite SIF data from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) for 2015 in the data assimilation system to constrain model biophysical parameters and GPP. The assimilation results in considerable improvement in the fit between model and observed SIF, despite a limited capability to fit regions with large seasonal variability in SIF. The SIF assimilation increases global GPP by 31 % to 167±5 Pg C yr−1 and shows an improvement in the global distribution of productivity relative to independent estimates, but a large difference in magnitude. This change in global GPP is driven by an overall increase in photosynthetic light-use efficiency across almost all biomes and more minor, regionally distinct changes in APAR. This process-based data assimilation opens up new pathways to the effective utilization of satellite SIF data to improve our understanding of the global carbon cycle.
Stock-options and the performance of CAC40 listed companies

This paper analyses two main issues. First, the determinants of the top-executives compensation of the CAC40s’ listed firms. Second, the impact of the equity-based compensation on the firm market and accounting performance. Our results show that stock-options grant for CAC40s’ top-executives are uncorrelated with its determinants and have no impact on the firm performance over the period of analysis. These results support the theoretical approach of the managerial power and entrenchment.
Microaggressions in the Context of Academic Communities

Academic Communities Catharine Wells Introduction I first heard the word “microaggression” at the 1987 Critical Legal Studies Conference where the topic was CLS and Problems of Race. The evening before the program began, Richard Delgado circulated a letter saying that one of the things that made it difficult for minorities to participate in CLS was the repeated use of microaggressions. In the letter, he gave a number of examples, one of which stands out in my mind. It was a quotation from an article authored by a prominent member of the critical community. It said: (Law) teachers are overwhelmingly white, male, and middle class; and most (by no means all) black and women law teachers give the impression of thorough assimilation to that style, or of insecurity and unhappiness. Richard suggested that we discuss this and the other examples in the small groups before the formal opening of the conference. The discussions that followed were extremely illuminating. Most of the women and minorities in the small groups immediately perceived why these words could be called “microaggressions,” although few of us had a clear idea about what the term meant. On the other hand, almost all of