Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EFFECTS OF USING FLY ASH, RICE HUSK ASH, AND BAGASSE ASH AS REPLACEMENT MATERIALS ON THE COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH AND WATER ABSORPTION OF LATERITIC SOIL-CEMENT INTERLOCKING BLOCKS

SUMMARY Lateritic soil-cement interlocking blocks are widely used in construction applications such as walls, hollow block masonry, and gardening architecture. The objectives of this study are to investigate the effects of using fly ash, rice husk ash, and bagasse ash as replacement materials on the compressive strength and water absorption of lateritic soil-cement interlocking blocks. Fly ash was used to replace Portland cement Type I at 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80% by weight while rice husk ash and bagasse ash were used to replace Portland cement Type I at 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% by weight. Test specimens were cured at 7 and 28 days before the compressive strength and water absorption tests were conducted. The test results showed that fly ash is the best replacement material of the three. Fly ash can replace the cement by 60% of mass. This helps to produce lateritic soil-cement interlocking blocks with lower costs whereas the engineering properties, namely compressive strength and water absorption, meet the criteria for Hollow Load-Bearing Concrete Masonry Units given by the Thai Industrial Standard Institute (TIS.57-2533).
The practice of destination governance: A comparative analysis of key dimensions and underlying concepts

Most of research on destination governance focuses on reporting the results of single case studies, whose findings are often related to the particularities of the specific destinations considered. As a result, there is little (empirical) consistency in underlying principles and dimensions of destination governance. To overcome this gap, this paper presents a combined (re-)analysis of multiple qualitative case studies and empirically develops destination governance dimensions from a practitioner point of view. Findings show that theoretical conceptualisation of destination governance and practical foci differ in some respects: In contrast to governance theory, practitioners refer more to context, process and change.
Efficiency and Competition in Canadian Banking

Allen and Engert report on recent research at the Bank of Canada on various aspects of efficiency in the Canadian banking industry. This research suggests that, overall, Canadian banks appear to be relatively efficient producers of financial services and they do not exercise monopoly or collusive-oligopoly power. The authors note the value of continuing to investigate opportunities to improve efficiency and competition in financial services in Canada.
Learner-centred Education in International Perspective: Whose pedagogy for whose development?

One of the latest monographs from Education, Poverty and International Development Series, is the groundbreaking work of Michele Schweisfurth which is entitled Learner-centered Education in International Perspective. A highly recommended book "for academics and post-graduates with a focus on comparative and international education" (p. i), the book is meant to feature as a contributory work to deal with "global debates about how to achieve education for all" (p. ii). The main theme of the book centers around LCE (Learner-Centered Education), a widely endorsed, yet partially debatable 21st-century concept.
Dispersal of females and differentiation between populations of Epirrita autumnata (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) inferred from variation in mitochondrial DNA

Analysis of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region (CR) was used to examine the dispersal of females of a geo- metrid moth, Epirrita autumnata, in Fennoscandia. A 542-bp-portion of the CR of 200 individuals from four northern and four southern localities was sequenced. The mtDNA CR of E. autumnata contains a substantial amount of variation as a total of 108 mtDNA haplotypes were observed. Between the northern and the southern localities (~1100 km), there was a moderate level of genetic differentiation (FST = 0.128). The amount of variation in the mtDNA CR of E. autumnata was lower in the north than in the south. The reduction in genetic variability may result from a combination of historical bottlenecks that date back to the post-glacial recolonization of Fennoscandia and, present-day bottlenecks due to the northern E. autumnata populations experiencing repeated outbreaks followed by collapse in population size. On a small spatial scale (0.6-19 km), within the northern and southern areas, no genetic differentiation was detected suggesting ongoing gene flow due to the dispersal of E. autumnata females among the localities. This finding was contrary to our earlier expectation of poor flying ability of E. autumnata females.
Performance of link adaptation in GPRS networks

In GPRS four coding schemes have been defined with different degrees of data protection. The selection of a fixed one for a certain packet transmission would lead to a throughput loss if the channel quality conditions vary during the connection, therefore, a link adaptation algorithm based on a block error rate (BLER) estimation is proposed and analyzed. The BLER is calculated from the acknowledgement messages reported by the receiver; so the acknowledgement frequency impacts the link adaptation, and therefore, is studied in the present article. The resulting link adaptation algorithm has been analyzed with a dynamic network simulator, under different frequency reuse patterns and frequency hopping strategies. Furthermore, the mean user throughput for the fixed coding schemes and for link adaptation has been estimated from GSM network reported measurements, and a network operator planning tool.
Productivity, Employment and Human Capital in Eastern and Western European Countries

The paper analyses some features of the recent economic performances in EU-27 members, by highlighting the differences between transition and “old” EU countries. In particular, the focus has been on employment rate and productivity levels and dynamics (for the period 1990-2006), on the trade-off between employment growth and productivity growth; and, lastly, on the main determinants of the productivity differences between EU countries, with a special consideration for human capital. After a partial review of the theoretical and empirical literature, a preliminary “descriptive” analysis allowed to detect different “models” of economic growth (extensive, intensive, virtuous or stagnant) during the post-1989 period. In the econometric investigations (cross section and panel analyses), we have tried to explain the differences between countries in the levels of labour productivity (especially for the post-2000 period), by considering differences in the human capital level as well as in some other explanatory variables (R&D, competitiveness, the progress in transition, some structural indicators and synthetic indices of specialisation, the extent of the “shadow economy” and, at last, the employment rates). The results appear rather interesting, also because similar empirical studies including jointly the two blocs of Eastern and Western European countries are not common. As to the typologies of growth, the two blocs apparently moved in opposite directions: from an “extensive” model to an “intensive” one in the Eastern countries, from “intensive” to “extensive” in many Western countries. The policy implication, on this point, strictly reminds the EU Lisbon’s goal to achieve more and better jobs. Finally, the robustness of the econometric results concerning the education variable places human capital as a key factor of productivity differences. JEL Classification: J21, J24, O47, O52, P51
Resource Allocation for Cocoyam and Coffee Production in Momo, North West Region of Cameroon

Abstract In the North West Region of Cameroon, cocoyam and coffee crops are simultaneously cultivated on the same piece of land creating an allocation problem of labour and capital resources. Hence, this study aims to determine the intensities and productivity in the usage of labour and capital for cultivating the two crops. Using a multistage random sampling design, 120 farmers were selected for the study. Data was collected on family size, age of respondent, level of education, farming experience, output of coffee and cocoyam, farm size and labour used in terms of mandays. The field data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Cobb-Douglas production function. Descriptive field results showed that, there was no significant difference in usage of labour and capital for cocoyam production, while coffee production was capital intensive. Output for cocoyam was dependent on labour and capital. Results from Cobb-Douglas production function showed an increasing return to scale for cocoyam and a decreasing return to scale for coffee with respect to both the labour and capital inputs. One percent increase in the intensities of labour and capital led to only 0.33% increase in coffee yield. Hence, the study recommends that labour and capital should firstly be allocated to cocoyam production where they are more productive.
Reference-Dependent Bidding in Dynamic Auctions

We investigate equilibrium bidding behavior of bidders with reference-dependent preferences and independent private values in single-unit English and Dutch clock auctions. Bidders' reference points are endogenous and determined by their strategy and their beliefs about the other bidders. In deriving their strategy, bidders anticipate changes in their reference point due to updated information about others' values (i.e., the own winning probability) during the course of the auction, and make optimal binary decisions at each price (approve or quit in the English auction and wait or bid in the Dutch auction). First, we solve for personal equilibrium profiles, i.e., profiles of bids that contain for each bidder a bidding strategy that is optimal given the others' bidding strategies and the reference point induced by the own and others' strategies. Second, we consider locally preferred personal equilibrium (LPPE) profiles, i.e., personal equilibrium profiles where no bidder can locally find a better personal equilibrium given the others' fixed strategies by varying his reference point via considering different own strategies. The expected revenue in the Dutch auction is higher than in the English auction in the respective unique LPPE profiles. The difference is mainly driven by the aversion to losing the item in the Dutch auction.
Improving forest management planning by means of airborne laser scanning and dynamic treatment units based on spatial optimization

The use of airborne laser scanning (ALS) has enhanced forest inventory during the last decades due to the increasing capability of lasers to describe the three-dimensional structure of forests. This research focuses on the integration of ALS-based forest inventory into forest planning when the aim is to create dynamic treatment units (DTUs). In this approach, the management units are not fixed and predefined. They are temporary and formed by aggregating fine-grained inventory units. Management objectives and forest dynamics are the drivers of that aggregation process. The research was conducted in two pine forests in Castilla y León (Spain) in which ground and ALS data were collected. This PhD thesis reviews four manuscripts concerning the implementation DTU (studies I and III), the implications of using alternative forest inventory units (FIU) in two types of problem formulations (studies I, III and IV), and the impact of plot positioning errors on the whole planning process starting from the sampling stage and ending with decision-making (study II). In all studies, growing stock attributes were estimated with ALS statistics, while diameter distributions and stand dynamics models developed in permanent plots were used to predict growing stock attributes. The alternative management schedules developed during the simulation phase aimed at maximizing a utility function composed of non-spatial (study III) and spatial objective variables (all studies). The findings of this work highlight the good performance of irregular types of FIU and the benefit of using segmentation techniques when the aim is to generate compact DTUs. The use of spatial optimization improved the spatial layout of forest plans at a minor cost compared to non-spatial formulations. The use of spatial goals and spatially explicit harvest cost functions enhance the aggregation of FIUs. Heuristic-based optimization methods were effective when solving spatial combinatorial problems. This PhD shows how the combination of ALS-based methods, widely used in forestry practice and spatial optimization contribute to the development of forest management planning methods.
Organic compost and potassium top dressing fertilization on production and quality of beetroot

The potassium (K) in top dressing fertilization is used for beetroot production in Brazil. However, most of K studies are made with fertilization before planting, and it is not known the real need of this K top dressing after fertilization with K and organic matter before planting. So this work aimed to evaluate the production and quality of beetroot under different rates of organic compost at planting and K top dressing fertilization. The experiment was carried out in Sao Manuel-SP, Brazil, with ten treatments (5 x 2 factorial scheme), in a randomized blocks experimental design, with four replications. Five rates (0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 t ha-1) of organic compost applied at planting, in the presence (60 kg ha-1 of K2O) or absence of K top dressing fertilization were evaluated. The traits related to production evaluated were: average weight, diameter and length of roots, yield and K content in shoot and root. For the physicochemical quality of roots, pH, soluble solid content, titratable acidity, index ratio, texture, reducing, non-reducing and total sugar were evaluated. The K top dressing fertilization did not affect the production traits; however, it increases the contents of K in shoot and root and the contents of non-reducing and total sugars. The rates of the compost do not affect the quality traits, but the rate of 49 t ha-1 resulted in the maximum root yield estimated in 43 t ha-1 of roots.
Northwestern Turkey Earthquakes and the Crustal Structure Inferred from Surface Waves Observed in Western Greece

Records of several earthquakes occurring in Turkey in 1999 obtained at broadband seismic stations in western Greece have been used to study the dispersion of surface waves, mainly Love waves. The observed group-velocity dispersion curves have been inverted into horizontally layered models of the Earth's crust by a modified method of the single-parameter variation. As compared with a previous model for the territory of Greece, the dispersion data require significantly lower velocities in the uppermost crust and smaller crustal thickness. In particular, the resulting model displays S -wave velocities between 1.3 and 2.4 km/sec in the upper 2 km and a crustal thickness of about 33 km. Manuscript received 31 July 2000.
The effect of task-based mirror therapy on upper limb functions and activities of daily living in patients with chronic cerebrovascular accident: A randomized control trial

Background and Objective: Cerebro-Vascular Accident (CVA) is considered to be one of the main causes of acquired motor disability in adults. Different motor rehabilitation programs are being designed in order to improve motor difficulties of patients with CVA. In the current study we aimed to assess the effect of task-based mirror therapy on upper limb functions and activities of daily living in patients with CVA. Materials and Methods: Twenty one patients with CVA were randomly divided into two groups of intervention (mirror therapy) (11 individuals) and control (10 individuals) and the both groups were receiving the usual rehabilitation protocol. The intervention group also received mirror therapy besides the usual program. Motor functions and activities of daily living were assessed via different tests (including: Box and Block test, Jebsen Taylor test, Minnesota manual dexterity test and Barthel scale) before and after the intervention course. Results: The results showed that regarding the effect of task-based mirror therapy on different motor skills and activities of daily living, measured by mentioned tests, the main effect of time as well as the interaction effect of group × time was significant (p Conclusion: Generally, our findings in the present investigation suggest that mirror therapy has the potential to improve upper limb function and activities of daily living in patients with chronic CVA.
Who's Contented Now? Gainsharing and the Paradoxical Female Worker

The "paradox of the contented female worker" describes the phenomenon of women reporting higher work and life satisfaction levels than men, despite being objectively worse off than their male counterparts. Using models of pay satisfaction and theories of equity, distributive justice, and relative deprivation, we examined the existence of this paradox in four companies with gainsharing plans. Results confirm that the paradox prevails for all under traditional pay systems, but under gainsharing, there is no paradox for lower-paid employees and a strong paradox among higher-paid employees.
Influence of Risk Management on Performance: An Empirical Study of International Islamic Bank

Qatar Government is taking active role in promoting its banking sector and International Islamic Bank (IIB) has grown by leaps and bounds since the past decade. Risk Management is becoming a very important aspect in banking industry today and there was a felt need to study its relevance in the context of business performance of IIB. So, this research has primarily focused on the establishment of a link between the various dimensions of risk management with the business performance of IIB. While risk management had seven distinct dimensions, business performance was measured in terms of financial and non-financial performance of the IIB. Based on the contemporary research in risk management, 14 hypotheses were built to link the dimensions of risk management with business performance. The research was undertaken as an empirical study with grounded theory approach.Multiple regression analysis was the method used for establishment of causal relationships between the variables of research interest. The research has developed the mathematical relationships between the research variables of interest. The hypothesis testing has indicated that risk assessment analysis, risk management practices, risk identification, and credit riskassessment are the specific dimensions which influence the business performance. Based on the hypotheses testing results implications are drawnand suggestions are made to the strategic managers of IIB to enhance their business performance
Perceived usefulness, service quality and loyalty incentives: Effects on electronic service continuance

This paper examines the interrelationships between perceived usefulness, service quality and loyalty incentives on e-service continuance. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was adapted from the information systems (IS) literature and integrated with theoretical and empirical findings from prior marketing research to theorise a model of e-service continuance. Results from a survey of a financial healthcare’s e-service users indicate a positive relationship between perceived usefulness, service quality and loyalty incentives on continuance. Further analysis strongly suggest that continuance is determined solely by the higher perceived usefulness of the e-service while service quality is more effective at lower levels of perceived usefulness. Loyalty incentives did not moderate the relationship between perceived usefulness and continuance. Implications of these findings for firms contemplating e-service initiatives are discussed.
The Impact of Mobile Learning Applications on the Lecturer’s Role and Development of Learner’s Motivation towards Learning: Empirical Study at the Faculties Physical Education-Libya

The purpose of the present research was to validate a stated model for mobile applications as one of the modern teaching methods in the learning process with specific focus on its effectiveness on the teacher’s role and development of Libyan learners’ motivation towards learning. To achieve this research aim, the researcher used a descriptive approach as a quantitative research design that utilizes a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) Method in order to evaluate the main hypotheses of the research. The study sample consisted of 450 participants (lecturers at the Faculties Physical Education-Libya). The conclusion of the resulting study showed the presence of a weak or low correlation linking mobile learning applications and the development of students' motivation towards learning (.16). However, the study showed that the impact of mobile learning applications on the teacher’s role was (.63). Moreover, the study found that the teacher's role has a higher level of significant influence or impact than mobile learning applications on the development of students 'motivation towards learning (86). The results also revealed that there is an indirect impact of mobile applications through the teacher’s role which was higher than its direct impact on the development of students' motivation towards learning.
On infinitesimal holomorphically projective transformations on the tangent bundles with respect to the Sasaki metric

The purpose of the present article is to find solutions to a system of partial differential equations that characterize infinitesimal holomorphically projective transformations on the tangent bundle with the Sasaki metric and an adapted almost complex structure. Moreover, it is proved that if the tangent bundle of a Riemannian manifold admits a non-affine infinitesimal holomorphically projective transformation, then the Riemannian manifold is locally flat.
Encoding and decoding aspiration information for improved performance: a competitive dynamics perspective

The study investigates the impact of competition on firms‘ aspiration setting and adjustment. Two related mechanisms in firm cognitive frameworks are considered here: making sense of (i.e decoding) and giving sense of (i.e. encoding) aspiration information. Grounded in the competitive dynamics literature, a theoretical model is developed to further explore the closed-loop system of encoding and decoding mechanisms. Formal modeling is then applied to operationalize the theoretical model and verify the proposed hypotheses. The simulation experiment results show that the competitive dynamics perspective completes the conventional wisdoms. The analysis derives three new managerial insights: 1) the firm with high aspirations may not decode information comprehensively, which is detrimental to its performance in competition; 2) the firm can act aggressively to diminish the dysfunction of high aspirations; and 3) the firm is able to deliberately encode public signals to manipulate rivals‘ understanding on competitive pressure, seducing them to take inappropriate actions in pursuit of its improved performance.