Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Cow dung and Poultry Droppings on Periphyton Development and Growth Performance of Nile Tilapia , Oreochromis Niloticus ( L ) in inland saline groundwater ponds

The main objectives of this investigation was to study the effect of cow dung and poultry droppings on periphyton / biofilm development and growth performance of Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, grown in inland saline water ponds provided with additional substrate. Two replicates per treatment were maintained. In the first treatment (T1) cow dung was used to fertilize the ponds, while in second treatment (T2) only poultry droppings and in the third treatment (T3) a combination poultry droppings and cow dung was used to fertilize the ponds. One way ANOVA revealed a significant (P<0.05) increase in mean fish weight, length, growth per day, SGR and condition factor (k) in poultry treated ponds (T2). Fish carcass composition also showed significantly (P<0.05) higher accumulation of protein, fat and phosphorous in fish grown in T2. DO concentration, nutrients (NO -N and SO ) and 3 4 productivity indicating parameters remained significantly (p<0.05) higher, while BOD and NH -N remained 5 4 significantly (P<0.05) lower in T2 in comparison with T1 and T3. Similarly, net primary productivity (NPP), gross primary productivity (GPP), chlorophyll a and epilithic chlorophyll a concentration were also significantly (P<0.05) higher, while water pheophytin a and epilithic pheophytin a remained significantly (P<0.05) lower in T2. The mean phytoplankton and zooplankton density was higher in poultry treated ponds (T2), followed by T1 and T3. A comparison of the periphyton density/biomass and its pigment concentrations indicated higher values for DM, AFDM, ash, ash % of dry matter, algal constitutes, autotrophic index, and total pigment concentration in ponds fertilized with poultry droppings (T2). Fertilizing the ponds with poultry droppings significantly P<0.05) reduced the inorganic N-species (NH -N, and NO -N) in the water column. 3 2
Insertion for Real-time Spoken Language Translation

Sentence segmentation and punctuation insertion in the output of automatic recognition systems is essential for its readability as well as for the performance of subsequent applications, such as machine translation systems. While a longer context can boost the accuracy of inserted punctuation marks, it drastically increases the delay in the spoken language translation system. In this work, we investigate the impact of shorter context in punctuation insertion task on simultaneous speech translation system. We suggest a new scheme within stream decoding where the time delay consumed on punctuation prediction is avoided. Our evaluations on the English TED talks show that our suggested scheme can be used as an efficient method to punctuate recognized streams in real-time scenarios. While outperforming a conventional language model and prosody based punctuation prediction system, our model maintains a comparable performance compared to systems that require longer contexts.
Establishing difficulty level consistency across texts in exams at four levels using lexical profiling

This research looked at investigating the consistency of difficulty across the four levels of exams (B1, B2, C1, C2 as per the CEFR) which have been developed by the exams team at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). This was completed using two measures of difficulty: readability and word frequency i.e. the research undertook lexical profiling. Results were compared to similar results from Cambridge ESOL exams (Khalifa and Weir 2007) at the equivalent CEFR levels. In addition, this research project aimed to create a database to use as the basis for future benchmarking to improve future exam production. In this initial stage of the project, only the Reading sections of the exams were analysed. Practical implications for exam development conclude the article.
Analysis of Deep Learning Architectures for Cross-Corpus Speech Emotion Recognition

Speech Emotion Recognition (SER) is an important and challenging task for human-computer interaction. In the literature deep learning architectures have been shown to yield state-of-the-art performance on this task when the model is trained and evaluated on the same corpus. However, prior work has indicated that such systems often yield poor performance on un-seen data. To improve the generalisation capabilities of emotion recognition systems one possible approach is cross-corpus training, which consists of training the model on an aggregation of different corpora. In this paper we present an analysis of the generalisation capability of deep learning models using cross-corpus training with six different speech emotion corpora. We evaluate the models on an unseen corpus and analyse the learned representations using the t-SNE algorithm, showing that architectures based on recurrent neural networks are prone to overﬁt the corpora present in the training set, while architectures based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) show better generalisation capabilities. These ﬁndings indicate that (1) cross-corpus training is a promising approach for improving generalisation and (2) CNNs should be the architecture of choice for this approach.
The protective role of Vit C and Vit C-containing foods in head and neck cancer

Objective: Vitamin C (Vit C) protects the immune system and reduces allergic reactions. However, the significance of Vit C in cancers, such as head and neck cancer (HNC), remains unknown. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the beneficial effect of Vit C supplements and Vit C-containing foods in HNC. Methods: Five hundred twenty six HNC patients and 647 healthy subjects were enrolled in our study. A case-control method was used to investigate the association between dietary Vit C and HNC risk. T test was applied for the continuous variables and chi-square test was applied for the categorical variables during the testing. Results: Lower levels of Vit C consumption were found among subjects with HNC compared with control subjects. When adjusted for factors including HNC family history, job, smoking status and practice of regular exercise, a negative correlation between Vit C consumption and risk of HNC was found among the two groups with the highest level (≥ 121.5 mg/d) and lowest level (< 79.5 mg/d) of Vit C intake (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.42-0.96, P < 0.01). Moreover, a protective effect against HNC risk was found in the multivariate analysis of Vit C-containing foods, including cabbage, lettuce, mandarins, strawberries, persimmons, bananas, orange juice, watermelon and apples. Conclusions: These findings indicate that a low level of Vit C consumption is associated with a high risk of HNC, suggesting that Vit C and Vit C-containing foods display potential protective effects against HNC.
The Adoption of IFRS and Earnings Management : Evidence from the Construction Industry in Malaysia

This study examines the effects of IFRS adoption on the quality of financial reporting (proxies by the level of earnings management) in Malaysia. The study measures the quality of Malaysian Construction companies through discretionary accruals yielded from 2008 to 2016. The sample comprises a balanced panel of 810 firmyear observations of Construction firms under the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia. This study accesses the effectiveness of effort by the Malaysian Accounting Standard Board (MASB) to improve the financial reporting by the revision process of the standard and their mandatory application. The accounting standard in Malaysia has closely followed the former International Accounting Standards (IAS) which is currently known as the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS). In November 2011, the Malaysian Accounting Standard Board (MASB) has issued the implementation of the Malaysian Financial Reporting Standard (MFRS). The full convergence is effective starting from 1 January 2012. One of the standards of MFRS 111 Construction Contracts focuses on construction companies. The construction industries have special financial reporting standards due to their unique features and the nature of their business activities. Therefore, this study is to examine the level of earnings management of Malaysian Construction companies during the period before the adoption of IFRS and the period after the adoption. The results show that there is a significant difference between the level of earnings management during the years before the adoption of IFRS and after the adoption of IFRS in Malaysia. This suggests that Malaysian construction companies have higher accounting qualities after the adoption period as compared to the period before the adoption of IFRS. Thus, the results of this study are expected to provide early evidence of the impact of adopting IFRS and give further direction for the regulatory bodies regarding the accounting standards and financial reporting practices in Malaysia. Future research perhaps could analyze the relationship of the characteristics of corporate governance in mitigating earnings management especially for the construction industries.
CD 44 SNPrs 187115 : A novel biomarker signature that predicts survival in resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; Institute for Surgical Pathology, University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland ; Institute for Pathology, Cantonal Hospital of Winterthur, Switzerland; Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Diakoniekrankenhaus Halle, Germany; German Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service NSTOB, Springe, Germany; Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany; Department of Visceraland Thoracic Surgery, Cantonal Hospital of Winterthur, Switzerland; Department of Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland.
Effect of different plant powders for their use in a botanical insecticide strategy against Busseola fusca ( Fuller ) ( Lepidoptera : Noctuidae ) under laboratory condition

One of the primary causes of grain loss in maize is the damage caused by maize stem borer, Busseola fusca, which first feed on young leaves then enter into the stems. During the early stage of crop growth, the caterpillars may kill the growing points of the plant, causing what is known as dead-heart. At a later stage of growth, they make extensive tunnels inside the stem which disrupts the flow of nutrients to the grain. This study was conducted to evaluate selected locally available botanical powders in order to determine the comparative efficacy of four botanicals against maize stem borer, Busseola fusca at Ambo Plant Protection Research Center under laboratory condition. The treatments were leaf and stalk powder of Nicotiana spp. (Solanaceae) and Cymbopogon citratus (Gramineae), root bark powder of Securidaca longepedunculata (Polygalaceae) and flower powder of Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium (Asteraceae). Cypermethrin 1% G and untreated control were used as standard check. The experiment was conducted with Completely Randomized Design (CRD) having six treatments with four replications. In each replication, ten larvae were added in each Petri dish and sprayed 2 g of powder. The results indicated that the standard check-Cypermethrin 1% G recorded significantly higher mean % mortality within 24 h against Busseola fusca over all the other treatments and after three days C. cinerariaefolium had 100% mortality effect and was non-significantly different from the standard check. Among the botanical powdered application, C. cinerariaefolium, C. citratus and Nicotiana spp. recorded higher efficacy against Busseola fusca by recording 100, 83.33 and 75% mean mortality, respectively, within three days and were found to be at par with some of the other botanical extracts. The S. longepedunculata root bark powder showed significantly lower efficacy mean mortality when compared to other treatments.
Allelopathic Effects of Artemisia Herba-Alba Aqueous Extracts on Germination of Tomato and Wheat Seeds

The allelopathic effects of wormwood plant Artemisia herba-alba (Arabic name: Sheeh) and its phytotoxicity on two receptor species were investigated. Aqueous extracts of aerial parts of A. Herba-alba in concentrations of 0, 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100% (v/v) were tested. The results showed that aqueous extracts from aerial parts of wormwood plant were caused significant inhibition in germination of tomato and wheat seeds. Seed germination was slightly increased at lower concentrations of the extract, whereas it was proportionally inhibited at higher concentrations.
Research for Advanced Practice Nurses: From Evidence to Practice

Part I. Evidence-Based Practice Chapter 1 Overview of Evidence-based Practice Chapter 2 Models of Evidence-based Practice Chapter 3 Creating and Sustaining a Culture of Evidence-based Practice Chapter 4 Finding Evidence Chapter 5 Appraising Evidence Chapter 6 Identifying the Focus of Evidence-based Practice Activities Part II. Using the Research Process to Evaluate and Gather Evidence.
Sustainability strategies and soil fertility in the dryland Bình Thuận, Vietnam

Land degradation caused by both human impact and climatic factors leads to desertification and results in a reduction of the vegetation cover, erosion and a loss of soil fertility followed by socioeconomic problems. In particular, non-adjusted land use practices are the main driving forces for desertification. The present study examines how sustainability strategies under dragon fruit and peanut cultivation in Bình Thuận, Vietnam, influence soil fertility in a region that is characterised by Arenosols and a semi-arid climate. The coastal area is prone to desertification which complicates agricultural production. For that purpose, soil analyses for various soil parameters were combined with a socio-scientific survey based on the evaluation of quantitative interviews and a SWOT analysis. The results indicate that no significant effects of sustainability strategies on soil fertility could be measured. Furthermore, no evidence was found that intercropping enhances soil fertility, since soil parameters were not higher under dragon fruit intercropped with peanut than under monoculture. A higher nutrient concentration directly next to the dragon fruit shows that dragon fruit cultivation contributes more to soil fertility than peanut cultivation. This is especially because of the application of mulch around the plant which increases the humus content in soil and keeps the nutrients from leaching. However, the non-cultivated area in between the dragon fruit is more exposed to soil erosion. Differences in values next to and in between the plants are higher under dragon fruit. Therefore, it can be assumed that under peanut, nutrient concentrations are more balanced over the whole field. Due to a rising demand for food and pressure on land not yet used for agriculture, further research on Arenosols and the implementation of agricultural practices adapted to environmental conditions should be accelerated in order to achieve the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).
DSRNet: A Novel Feature Extraction Network Achieving Trade-Off between Accuracy and Speed

It is important to reduce the computation complexity while maintaining the accuracy of convolution neural networks. We deem it is possible to further reduce the network complexity while ensuring the accuracy. In this paper, we propose a novel feature extraction network called DSRNet which is lightweight but effective. DSRNet follows the basic ideas of stacking modules and short connection, introduces Depthwise Separable convolution and utilizes the Dilated convolution. We conducted comprehensive experiments on CIFAR10, CIFAR100 and STL10 datasets, and the results showed the DSRNet has great performance improvement in terms of accuracy and speed.
A Hand Gesture Recognition Framework and Wearable Gesture Based Interaction Prototype for Mobile Devices

An algorithmic framework is proposed to process acceleration and surface electromyography (SEMG) signals for gesture recognition. It includes a novel segmentation scheme, a score-based sensor fusion scheme, and two new features. A Bayes linear classifier and an improved dynamic time-warping algorithm are utilized in the framework. In addition, a prototype system, including a wearable gesture sensing device (embedded with a three-axis accelerometer and four SEMG sensors) and an application program with the proposed algorithmic framework for a mobile phone, is developed to realize gesture-based real-time interaction. With the device worn on the forearm, the user is able to manipulate a mobile phone using 19 predefined gestures or even personalized ones. Results suggest that the developed prototype responded to each gesture instruction within 300 ms on the mobile phone, with the average accuracy of 95.0% in user-dependent testing and 89.6% in user-independent testing. Such performance during the interaction testing, along with positive user experience questionnaire feedback, demonstrates the utility of the framework.
Comparing Corporate Governance Compliance between Islamic and Conventional Banks in Bangladesh

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent of corporate governance disclosure in the annual reports of listed conventional and Islamic banks in Bangladesh. The primary aim of this study is to establish factors that influence such disclosure along with the exploration of a moderating influence on the nature of bank in corporate governance compliance. Out of fifty-six scheduled banks in Bangladesh, a sample of thirty-nine banks is selected, and data for the sample is extracted from the annual reports covering a period of 2011 to 2014. As such, the study focused on the extent of CGC after the stock market crisis in 2010 in Bangladesh. This results in the final observations of 116 which were used to perform balanced panel regression analysis. Fixed effect model is found significant for the balanced panel model which indicates that appointment of large audit firms negatively affects the extent of corporate governance compliance. Pooled OLS regression established that while profitability has a negative influence, the size of banks positively affects the extent of CGC. This study has focused on the commercial banks and thus results obtained from the study may not be representative for public and foreign banks operating in Bangladesh. Statistical evidence provided by the study provides guidelines for the policymakers toward necessary governance reforms required for banks to successfully operate in a post-crisis environment. Factors established by the study that influences corporate governance compliance using a balanced panel model are unique in the context of developing countries. Evidence of a difference in governance compliance between Islamic and conventional banks in Bangladesh establishes a new research arena and a necessary shift from the traditional performance comparisons.
EVALUATION OF THE STRATEGIES COPING WITH CONSUMERS ' GUILT AND SHAME IN IMPULSE BUYING : A STUDY ON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS *

Guilt and shame are negative self-consciousness emotions which occur after consumer buying behavior. Consumers benefit from the planning to make up for the monetary lost and planning to reduce impulse buying strategies to coping with guilt. They benefit from mental disengagement, resignation, blame others, mental undoing, rationalization and seeking social support coping with shame. Guilt, shame and coping strategy influence consumers' repurchase intention. The aims of this study is to determine whether there has been a sense of guilt and shame after impulse buying and coping strategies taken into account of these emotions. In addition, it is aim to determine impact of these emotions and coping strategies on the repurchase intention. In this direction, a survey was carried out for the students at İstanbul and Marmara Universities. According to the survey results; impulse buying effects guilt and shame emotions, these emotions effect coping strategies and repurchase intention. It has been determined that guilt effects planning to make up for the monetary lost and planning to reduce impulse buying; shame effects mental disengagement, resignation, blame others, mental undoing, rationalization and seeking social support strategies. Also it has been determined that coping strategies except mental undoing effect repurchase intention.
Asymptotic Properties of the Maximum Likelihood Estimator in Endogenous Regime-Switching Models

This study proves the asymptotic properties of the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) in a wide range of endogenous regime-switching models. This class of models extends the constant state transition probability in Markov-switching models to a time-varying probability that includes information from observations. A feature of importance in this proof is the mixing rate of the state process conditional on the observations, which is time varying owing to the time-varying transition probabilities. Consistency and asymptotic normality follow from the almost deterministic geometric decaying bound of the mixing rate. Relying on low-level assumptions that have been shown to hold in general, this study provides theoretical foundations for statistical inference in most endogenous regime-switching models in the literature. As an empirical application, an endogenous regime-switching autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (ARCH) model is estimated and analyzed with the obtained inferential results.
Head Motion Tracking Through in-Ear Wearables

Head tracking is a fundamental component in visual attention detection, which, in turn, can improve the state of the art of hearing aid devices. A multitude of wearable devices for the ear (so called earables) exist. Current devices lack a magnetometer which, as we will show, represents a big challenge when one tries to use them for accurate head tracking. In this work we evaluate the performance of eSense, a representative earable device, to track head rotations. By leveraging two different streams (one per earbud) of inertial data (from the accelerometer and the gyroscope), we achieve an accuracy up to a few degrees. We further investigate the interference generated by a magnetometer in an earable to understand the barriers to its use in these types of devices.
Institutions and public investment as a fiscal stimulus

This paper examines the role of institutions in the effects of public investment as a fiscal stimulus. Empirical evidence suggests that when institutions protect the general public from government expropriation better, public investment has significantly larger output-promoting effects, particularly in the medium run (about a 5 years horizon). To interpret this finding, we build a dynamic general equilibrium model, where government officials expropriate rents from private agents for their personal consumption. Theory indicates that, to the extent that public capital complements private capital, stronger property rights of private agents yield a larger medium-run output effect of public investment. Complementarity matters, because, in the situation where wellprotected property rights ensure the initially-abundant provision of private capital, the additional formation of public capital has strong output-promoting effects, only when it complements existing private capital.