Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hedge Fund Performance Using Scaled Sharpe And Treynor Measures

The Sharpe ratio is widely used as a performance measure for traditional (i.e., long only) investment funds, but because it is based on mean-variance theory, it only considers the first two moments of a return distribution. It is, therefore, not suited for evaluating funds characterised by complex, asymmetric, highly-skewed return distributions such as hedge funds. It is also susceptible to manipulation and estimation error. These drawbacks have demonstrated the need for new and additional fund performance metrics. The monthly returns of 184 international long/short (equity) hedge funds from four geographical investment mandates were examined over an 11-year period. This study contributes to recent research on alternative performance measures to the Sharpe ratio and specifically assesses whether a scaled-version of the classic Sharpe ratio should augment the use of the Sharpe ratio when evaluating hedge fund risk and in the investment decision-making process. A scaled Treynor ratio is also compared to the traditional Treynor ratio. The classic and scaled versions of the Sharpe and Treynor ratios were estimated on a 36-month rolling basis to ascertain whether the scaled ratios do indeed provide useful additional information to investors to that provided solely by the classic, non-scaled ratios.
Stable isotope composition and turnover of nitrate in the German Bight

The German Bight is a hot-spot of eutrophication in the North Sea due to nitrate loads discharged by several large rivers into this semi-isolated embayment. River nitrate loads have a distinctly higher 15N/14N ratio than nitrate in open North Sea waters, and to trace the sphere of river influence we analysed stable isotope signatures of water column nitrate in the area on a grid of stations in winter and early spring 2007. Overall spatial patterns of 15N/14N and 18O/16O in nitrate reflect the predominant influence of nitrate discharged by the Rhine and Elbe rivers on the German Bight nitrate pool. On a smaller scale, however, and in offshore stations, nitrate assimilation of an incipient phytoplankton bloom is indicated by parallel enrichment of 15N and 18O in nitrate. Intriguingly, the enrichment ratio of ONO3 to NNO3 is 1.6:1, thus differing from the ratio of 1:1 associated with uptake by marine phytoplankton. This suggests that nitrate isotopic composition is not solely affected by phytoplankton assimilation, but that a substantial portion of nitrate in the outer regions of the German Bight is derived from nitrification, despite low ambient temperatures. Moreover, the data identify remineralisation and nitrification of particulate N in sediments as important sources of dissolved inorganic nitrogen to the German Bight water column, and underscore the role of sediments in recharging water column nutrient inventories.
Mexican native tomatoes as rootstocks to increase fruit yield

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most economically important vegetables in the world. Mexico is considered as its center of domestication and there is a large genetic diversity. Grafting in tomato has grown for various purposes including the increase of yield. An alternative use of native tomato genotypes is as rootstocks for grafting improved tomato. The objective of this work was to evaluate native accessions of tomato as rootstocks to identify outstanding genotypes for their potential to be used as rootstocks in tomato production. An experiment was conducted for two cropping cycles (2014 and 2015) in greenhouse and hydroponic conditions, in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates and 10 plants per experimental unit. Treatments were formed by a combination of nine native tomatoes and two commercial rootstocks with two hybrids used as scions. Twelve traits were recorded and most of the treatments were significantly different (P < 0.05) from each other for these traits. The accessions LOR-22, LOR-77, LOR-81, LOR-84, LOR-95 and LOR-100 with the hybrid ‘El Cid’, and LOR-81, LOR-84 and LOR-100 with the hybrid ‘Sun 7705’, increased significantly yield by 19% and 22%, respectively, compared to ungrafted control. Moreover, characteristics related to fruit quality were preserved with grafting. The best combination scion/rootstock (‘Cid’/100) yielded 30% higher than hybrid ‘El Cid’ without grafting and 16% higher than the commercial rootstock ‘Multifort’. This allowed identifying genotypes of Mexican native tomatoes with great potential to be used as rootstocks or as source of germplasm for rootstock development.
Prevalence and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis in diarrhoeic patients in the Qikiqtani Region, Nunavut, Canada

Background Although the prevalences of infection with the protozoan parasites Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis in humans appear to be relatively high in the Canadian North, their transmission patterns are poorly understood. Objective To determine the detection rate and the molecular characteristics of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis in diarrhoeic patients in the Qikiqtani (Baffin Island) Region of Nunavut, Canada, in order to better understand the burden of illness and the potential mechanisms of transmission. Study design/methods Diarrhoeal stool specimens (n=108) submitted to the Qikiqtani General Hospital for clinical testing were also tested for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis using epifluorescence microscopy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). DNA sequencing and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses were performed on PCR-positive specimens to determine the species, genotypes and sub-genotypes of the parasites. Results Cryptosporidium was detected in 15.7% of the diarrhoeic patients, while Giardia was detected in 4.6%. DNA sequencing of a fragment of the small subunit rRNA gene indicated that all of the Cryptosporidium amplicons had a 100% homology to C. parvum, and a gp60 assay showed that all aligned with C. parvum sub-genotype IIa. Microsatellite analysis revealed 3 cases of sub-genotype IIaA15G2R1, 2 of IIaA15G1R and 1 case each of sub-genotypes IIaA16G1R1 and IIaA15R1. For Giardia, results based on the amplification of both the 16S rRNA gene and the gdh gene were generally in agreement, and both DNA sequencing and RFLP demonstrated the presence of the G. duodenalis Assemblage B genotype. Conclusions Both C. parvum and G. duodenalis Assemblage B were present in human diarrhoeal stool specimens from Nunavut, which was suggestive of zoonotic transmission, although human-to-human transmission cannot be ruled out. To fully understand the public health significance of the different Cryptosporidium and Giardia species and genotypes in diarrhoeic patients, it will be imperative to establish the extent of genetic diversity within these parasites through comprehensive studies of the molecular epidemiology of cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis in the Nunavut region.
KINETICS OF K RELEASE FROM SOILS OF BRAZILIAN COFFEE REGIONS: EFFECT OF ORGANIC ACIDS

Kinetic studies on soil potassium release can contribute to a better understanding of K availability to plants. This study was conducted to evaluate K release rates from the whole soil, clay, silt, and sand fractions of B-horizon samples of a basalt-derived Oxisol and a sienite-derived Ultisol, both representative soils from coffee regions of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Potassium was extracted from each fraction after eight different shaking time periods (0-665 h) with either 0.001 mol L-1 citrate or oxalate at a 1:10 solid:solution ratio. First-order, Elovich, zero-order, and parabolic diffusion equations were used to parameterize the time dependence of K release. For the Oxisol, the first-order equation fitted best to the experimental data of K release, with similar rates for all fractions and independent of the presence of citrate or oxalate in the extractant solution. For all studied Ultisol fractions, in which K release rates increased when extractions were performed with citrate solution, the Elovich model described K release kinetics most adequately. The highest potassium release rate of the Ultisol silt fraction was probably due to the transference of "non-exchangeable" K to the extractant solution, whereas in the Oxisol exchangeable potassium represented the main K source in all studied fractions.
Phylogeography of a widespread lizard complex reflects patterns of both geographic and ecological isolation

A primary challenge for modern phylogeography is understanding how ecology and geography, both contemporary and historical, shape the spatial distribution and evolutionary histories of species. Phylogeographic patterns are the result of many factors, including geology, climate, habitat, colonization history and lineage‐specific constraints. Assessing the relative influences of these factors is difficult because few species, regions and environments are sampled in enough detail to compare competing hypotheses rigorously and because a particular phylogeographic pattern can potentially result from different evolutionary scenarios. The silky anoles (Anolis sericeus complex) of Central America and Mexico are abundant and found in all types of lowland terrestrial habitat, offering an excellent opportunity to test the relative influences of the factors affecting diversification. Here, we performed a range‐wide statistical phylogeographic analysis on restriction site‐associated DNA (RAD) markers from silky anoles and compared the phylogeographic patterns we recovered to historical and contemporary environmental and topographic data. We constructed niche models to compare niche overlap between sister lineages and conducted coalescent simulations to characterize how the major lineages of silky anoles have diverged. Our results revealed that the mode of divergence for major lineage diversification events was geographic isolation, resulting in ecological divergence between lineages, followed by secondary contact. Moreover, comparisons of parapatric sister lineages suggest that ecological niche divergence contributed to isolation by environment in this system, reflecting the natural history differences among populations in divergent environments.
Pilgrims’ Progress: Faculty and University Factors in Graduate Student Integration of Faith and Profession

Graduate students’ perspectives on integration of faith and profession were investigated using item response to identify underlying constructs. Students (N = 595) from various professions and four universities were sampled. Three factors were supported as separate and important constructs for students. The first two factors were drawn from Sorenson's research on attachment theory, faculty as bulwark of the faith versus fellow sojourner and faculty as emotionally transparent versus emotionally distant. A new domain of integration, environmental factors such as class Scripture reading, was supported as a unique factor. An examination of diversity variables gave preliminary evidence that females and students of color may see emotional transparency and environmental factors as more important in Christian integration than other students.
The correlation between pesticide exposure and green tobacco sickness among Thai traditional tobacco farmers in Nan province

Thai traditional tobacco cultivation may lead to adverse health effects due to Green Tobacco Sickness (GTS) and pesticide exposure. Acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE) and plasm acholinesterase (PChE) have been used to monitor the extent of organophosphate and carbamates exposure in Thai traditional tobacco farmers in Nan Province. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 84 Thai traditional tobacco farmers who had exposure to GTS in two Sub-Districts. A face-to-face questionnaire and a blood test with the Test-Mate OP Kit were used in data collection. It was found that the prevalence of risk level of AChE was 61.90% and the safe level was 38.10%, while the risk level of PChE was 42.86% and the safe level was 57.14%. A multivariate analysis revealed that symptoms of GTS were associated with safe level of AChE such as nausea and vomiting, the safe level of PChE were related to dizziness, but headache and increased saliva were correlated with the risk level. In addition, the safe level of AChE was associated with vomiting after being adjusted and the safe level of PChE with dizziness after being adjusted. Furthermore, pesticide was not applied in all periods but symptoms of GTS were still found in some tobacco farmers who had never used pesticides before; thus, it is possible to conclude that safe levels of AChE and PChE contribute to nicotine poisoning or GTS.
Methidathion-induced hematological, biochemical and hepatohistological alterations in rat: Ameliorative effects of selenium and zinc

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a sub-acute 4-week exposure to methidathion (MD) on the hematological system and hepatic integrity of rats. We also assessed whether co-administration of micronutrients such as selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn) prevented MD-induced hepatic damage. Rats were randomly divided into four groups of six each: the first group served as a control which received standard diet, the second group received both Se (0.5mg/kg of diet) and Zn (0.227 g/l drinking water), the third group received only MD (5 mg/kg b.w. by gavage using corn oil as a vehicle), and the fourth group received MD and combined selenium and zinc. After four weeks, exposure to MD induced a significant increase in plasmatic activities of AST, ALT, ALP, LDH, and liver malondialdehyde level. In contrast, reduced glutathione level (GSH), and the activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the glutathione peroxidase (GPx) content of hepatic tissue decreased significantly. Moreover, treatment with Se and Zn in MD-treated rats maintained all the biochemical parameters cited above. In conclusion, the obtained results indicate the ability of Se and Zn to attenuate the MD-induced liver and erythrocytes oxidative damage. Key words : Biochemical studies, liver, methidathion, oxidative stress, rat, selenium, zinc.
Ultrasensitive mass sensor fully integrated with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor circuitry

Nanomechanical resonators have been monolithically integrated on preprocessed complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) chips. Fabricated resonator systems have been designed to have resonance frequencies up to 1.5 MHz. The systems have been characterized in ambient air and vacuum conditions and display ultrasensitive mass detection in air. A mass sensitivity of 4 ag/Hz has been determined in air by placing a single glycerine drop, having a measured weight of 57 fg, at the apex of a cantilever and subsequently measuring a frequency shift of 14.8 kHz. CMOS integration enables electrostatic excitation, capacitive detection, and amplification of the resonance signal directly on the chip.
REGIONAL VARIATION IN RISK AND TIME PREFERENCES: EVIDENCE FROM A LARGE-SCALE FIELD EXPERIMENT IN RURAL UGANDA

Experiments measuring risk and time preferences in developing countries have tended to have relatively small samples and geographically concentrated sampling. This large-scale field experiment uses a Holt–Laury mechanism to elicit the preferences of 1,289 randomly selected subjects from 94 villages covering six out of seven agro-climatic zones across rural Uganda. As in previous studies, we find evidence of risk aversion and loss aversion among most subjects. In addition, we find significant heterogeneity in risk attitudes across agro-climatic zones. Especially, the farmers in the agro-climatically least favourable zone, the uni-modal rainfall zone, are the most risk-averse, loss-averse and impatient. We also find significant relationships between risk attitudes and village-level predictors such as the distance to town and the road conditions. After controlling for the village-level factors, we find that the level of schooling still positively correlates with the individual's level of loss tolerance and patience. The main results are not altered by allowing for probability weighting in subjects' choices. Overall the results provide clear evidence that within one country there may be significant regional variations in risk and time attitudes. We conjecture that the agro-climatic conditions that affect farmers' livelihoods may also affect their risk and time preferences, and village-level development in infrastructure could improve the household perception of investment-related policies.
Who Invest More in Advanced Abatement Technology: Theory and Evidence

We study firm investment in abatement technology under a linear-demand and heterogeneous firm framework. In contrast to results in existing studies, our findings indicate that firms’ investments in advanced abatement technology exhibit an inverted-U-shape with respect to firms’ productivity. In response to tightened environmental regulations, more-productive firms raise their respective investments in abatement technology, whereas less-productive firms do the opposite; Pollution emission intensity of a firm decreases with productivity level. The key theoretical predictions are confirmed by empirical tests using
Synthesis Characterization of Nanostructured ZnCo2O4 with High Sensitivity to CO Gas

In this work, nanostructured ZnCo 2 O 4 was synthesized via a microwave-assisted colloi- dal method, and its application as gas sensor for the detection of CO was studied. Typical diffraction peaks corresponding to the cubic ZnCo 2 O 4 spinel structure were identified at calcination temperature of 500°C by X-ray powder diffraction. A high degree of poros ity in the surface of the nanostructured powder of ZnCo 2 O 4 was observed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, faceted nanoparticles with a pockmarked structure were clearly identified. The estimated average particle size was approximately 75 nm. The formation of ZnCo 2 O 4 material was also confirmed by Raman characterization. Pellets fabricated with nanostructured powder of ZnCo 2 O 4 were tested as sensors using CO gas at different concentrations and temperatures. A high sensitiv ity value of 305–300 ppm of CO was measured at 300°C, indicating that nanostructured ZnCo 2 O 4 had a high performance in the detection of CO.
Relative importance of general combining ability and specific combining ability among tropical maize (zea mays l.) inbreds under contrasting nitrogen environments

Low-N stress is among the major abiotic stresses causing yield reductions in maize grown in the mid-altitude tropical environments of Africa. This study estimates the relative importance of general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) in CIM- MYT's tropical mid-altitude inbred lines under contrasting N environments. Six hundred and thirty five lines (S 2 -S 7 ) were evaluated in different crossing designs (Diallels, North Carolina Design II and Line x Tester crosses). Re- sults of experiments conducted under low and high N at the same site in adjacent fields with the same soil type within the same year and season from 1999-2003 were compared. The contribution of GCA to total genetic varia- tion was higher than SCA for anthesis date, ear height and plant height under both high and low N levels. However, contribution of GCA was higher for grain yield only under high-N conditions. The average relative contribution of SCA, indicative of non-additive gene effects, to total ge- netic variation for grain yield under low-N accounted for 51% (average across all trials) but only for 36% under high-N. Pair-wise t-test for diallels and Design IIs showed significant difference (P<0.05) between the proportion of SCA sum of squares for grain yield under high and low N conditions. This implies that breeding strategies that in- crease grain yield under optimal (high N) conditions will not address the needs of a resource poor farmer produc- ing maize under low N conditions, especially in sub-Saha- ran Africa. Targeted strategies that increase yield under low N conditions are thus required.
An Illustration of the Danger of Nonresponse for Survey Research.

In the educational literature, responses to surveys commonly serve as the source of data for many empirical articles. Whenever a survey is used as a source of data, the response rate can greatly affect the potential generalizability of the findings. Using Monte Carlo methods, this study examined the effects on sample estimates of the population mean and standard deviation for 3 levels of effect size differences between the responders and nonresponders (0.0, 0.25, and 0.50). Two data sets were used: 400 normally distributed random values and 200 responses to an item on a Likert-type scale. The number of replications for each condition was 5,000. The proportion of population values contained within a 957. confidence interval of the sample estimates was then calculated with respect to the mean and standard deviation. For the 0.0 effect size conditions, all response rate levels produced expected proportions of samples containing the population values. Increased effect size differences combined with reduced response rate levels resulted in biased estimates, particularly for the mean. Although return rates of 707. have been recommended as adequate, response rates of at least 90% may be needed if moderate effect size differences are suspected between responders and nonresponders. (Contains 4 tables and 14 references.) (Author/SLD) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *
Why do Malaysians perform Internet Giving

The purpose of this study is to investigate drivers influencing internet giving behaviour among bank customers in Malaysia. Using the theory of interpersonal behaviour (TIB) as a baseline theory, this study proposes a theoretical model of internet giving behaviour in Malaysia. Data from 200 usable questionnaires are analysed using partial least squares (PLS). PLS results reveal that internet giving behaviour is influenced by affect, social factors and facilitating conditions. The proposed relationship between internet giving behaviour and religious satisfaction is also fruitful. This study examines internet giving behaviour with an enhanced consumer model including the TIB and religious satisfaction. With the support of the TIB, the model could be applied as a useful theoretical framework to investigate other giving areas.
SEASONAL DYNAMIC OF AMAZONIAN SMALL-SCALE FISHERIES IS DICTATED BY THE HYDROLOGIC PULSE

1Universidade Federal de Rondônia (UNIR), Departamento de Engenharia de Pesca. Rua da Paz, 4376 Lino Alves Teixeira CEP: 76916-000, Caixa Postal 32, Presidente Médici-RO, Brasil. 2Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM), Departamento de Ciências Pesqueiras. Bloco da Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias Av. General Rodrigo Otávio Jordão Ramos, 6200 Coroado I CEP: 69077-000, Manaus-AM, Brasil. E-mail: freitasc50@gmail. com (corresponding author) 3Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM), Departamento de Ciências Agrárias. Bloco da Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias Av. General Rodrigo Otávio Jordão Ramos, 6200 Coroado I CEP: 69077-000, Manaus-AM, Brasil. A DINÂMICA SAZONAL DAS PESCARIAS DE PEQUENA ESCALA NA AMAZÔNIA É DEFINIDA PELO PULSO HIDROLÓGICO