Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multivariable Modeling with Cubic Regression Splines: A Principled Approach

Spline functions provide a useful and flexible basis for modeling relationships with continuous predictors. However, to limit instability and provide sensible regression models in the multivariable setting, a principled approach to model selection and function estimation is important. Here the multivariable fractional polynomials approach to model building is transferred to regression splines. The essential features are specifying a maximum acceptable complexity for each continuous function and applying a closed-test approach to each continuous predictor to simplify the model where possible. Important adjuncts are an initial choice of scale for continuous predictors (linear or logarithmic), which often helps one to generate realistic, parsimonious final models; a goodness-of-fit test for a parametric function of a predictor; and a preliminary predictor transformation to improve robustness.
Effects of Fund Management Practices on Financial Performance in CDF funded Water Projects in Kenya

Kenya's CDF was a concept implemented in 2003 through an Act of parliament, whose aim was to address the challenges at grassroots level through the provision of funds to empower community-based projects in all constituencies of Kenya. The initiative targeted development projects at the constituency level aimed at alleviating poverty and addressing imbalances in regional development based on decentralization of public resources. The principle behind devolution appears to be widely accepted throughout Kenya today. Increasingly however, was the issues on Management of fund accrued from CDF funded water projects. The study used cross-sectional survey design, which emphasized on the measurement and analysis of relationships between the variables. The study used primary sources of data. The CDF funded water project managers were interviewed to obtain the primary data. Data was analyzed using SPSS program. Descriptive statistics as well as inferential statistics were used. Mean, Correlation, ANOVA and regression analysis measured the nature of the relationship between the cash management, receivable management, inventory management practices and financial performance. The study findings were that, there was a strong positive relationship between the independent variables (cash management, receivable management, inventory management practice) and the dependent variable (financial performance). The variability of financial performance attributed to changes in efficiency of Receivable Management practices, efficiency of cash management and efficiency of inventory management was 88.3%. This has a general implication that efficient fund management practices have a positive effect on the financial performance of CDF funded water projects in Kenya and therefore optimal fund Management practices should be embraced as a policy recommendation.
Extended nonlinear guiding center theory of perpendicular diffusion

Recently the nonlinear guiding center theory of cosmic ray perpendicular diffusion was proposed. In this paper it is demonstrated that at least the slab contribution to the perpendicular mean free path is calculated incorrectly within this nonlinear approach. An extended theory which includes an improved treatment of the slab contribution is presented in this paper. Contrary to the original theory, the extended nonlinear guiding center theory shows agreement with numerical simulations for slab and non-slab models.
Gender Effects on Perceptions of Individual and Corporate Social Responsibility

There has been an increasing importance for both individuals and companies on acting in a socially responsible manner. This study demonstrates that gender plays an important role in perceptions of social responsibility, such that the effect of an individual’s social responsibility on their perceptions of a company’s social responsibility is moderated by the gender of the respondent. Specifically, we find that women have higher levels of Internalized Moral Identity than men. Moreover, we find that women believe that organizations should be more beneficial to society than men, which translates into a higher quality of corporate social responsibility. The theoretical and managerial applications are discussed. Over the past several years in the global business community, there has been an increasing importance placed on the efforts of corporations, as well as individuals, to be more socially responsible. The recent global financial crisis further highlighted the need for these corporations to be less focused on the short term, and more focused on long-term growth and sustainability in virtually every aspect of their business. At the core of this emphasis on corporate sustainability lies individual and corporate social responsibility. In this new business world order, where there is more and more pressure from a variety of stakeholders to pursue more socially responsible behavior, corporations are more focused on the “Triple Bottom Line,” where they consider not only the financial welfare of the company, but also the impact on the environment and on society as a whole (Elkington 1997). These last two elements of the “Triple Bottom Line,” primarily get reflected in corporations becoming more involved in social issues and programs, as well as in ensuring that their business practices lessen their environmental footprint. When the topic of social responsibility is presented, there are often two branches of social responsibility that are discussed – individual social responsibility and corporate social responsibility (Galaskiewicz 1991; McGee 1998). Both are types of perceptions of social responsibility; however, the focus of each is different. In other words, individual social responsibility (ISR) focuses on the individual’s perceptions of what he or she should be doing to help society. Whereas, corporate social responsibility (CSR) focuses on the individual’s perceptions of the role corporations should play in society. Both of these facets of social responsibility are of interest in this research because corporations and other organizations are comprised of individuals who are concerned with their own individual goals and values, as well as with the goals and values of the corporation or other organization. As the discussion about the importance of social responsibility grows in the academic literature and the popular press, it has become increasingly important to examine the nexus between ISR and CSR and
THREE DIMENSIONAL NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION IN AN AUTOMOBILE CABIN

In this study, 3-D numerical analysis of temperature distribution in the automobile cabin were performed by using computational fluid dynamics method. For this purpose, a 3-D automobile cabin including window and outer surfaces was modeled by using the real dimensions of a car. To evaluate the results of numerical analysis according to thermal comfort, a virtual manikin divided into 17 parts with real dimensions and physiological shape was added to the model of the automobile cabin. Temperature distributions of the automobile cabin were obtained from the results of the 3-D steady and transient numerical analyses for standard heating and cooling period. Validations of the results were achieved by comparing to the results of the experimental studies performed simultaneously with the numerical analyses.
The role of human density and climate in the spread of Heracleum mantegazzianum in the Central European landscape.

This study, by using Caucasian distribution pattern over Europe, i.e. rare or absent in its warm southeastern parts while thriving in the Heracleum mantegazzianum as a model alien species, analyses the factors determining its invasion in the northwest. In the Czech Republic, Heracleum is principally limited only by factors related to its Czech Republic. Both the climatic factors and human influence were taken into account. The data were establishment, i.e. dispersal possibilities and factors aVecting the germination. If these are met, the species evaluated by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with Poisson errors, using general linear modelling in GLIM. is extremely successful as an invader. January isotherm and density of human population were the factors significantly aVecting the species. Key words. Heracleum mantegazzianum, alien plant, invasion history, climatic parameters, human
EFFECT OF TRADE LIBERALIZATION ON ECONOMIC GROWTH OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: A CASE OF BANGLADESH ECONOMY

The objective of this paper is to assess the impact of trade liberalization on Bangladesh economy between the periods 1980 to 2010. This research analyzes the achievements of the economy in terms of important variables such as growth, inflation, export and import after trade liberalization. The paper uses simple Ordinary Least Square (OLS) technique as methodology for empirical findings. The analysis clearly indicates that GDP growth increased consequent to liberalization. Trade liberalization does not seem to have affected inflation in the economy. The quantitative analysis also suggests that greater openness has had a favourable effect on economic development. Both real export and imports have increased with greater openness. Liberalization policy certainly improves export of the country which eventually leads higher economic growth after 1990s. The findings of this study can be an interesting example for trade liberalization policy study in developing countries.
Gender equality: Does gender balance on the corporate board have an impact on the equity performance?

The objective of this thesis is to examine whether a gender equal board of directors have an impact on the equity performance during the examination period of December 2011 to December 2016. This study shows that the gender balanced portfolio outperforms the non-gender balanced portfolio in all investigated performance measures. The portfolios used in this thesis consists of firms listed on the Swedish stock market which have been classified due to their representation of women on the board. The portfolios are compared and analyzed using the Sharpe Ratio, Treynor Ratio, Jensen’s alpha and Appraisal Ratio. The result implies that a gender equal board improves the equity performance of a company. A regression analysis further implies that the performance of the gender balanced portfolio can not be explained by market movements contrary to the non-gender balanced portfolio. In other words, there must be other factors affecting the performance of the gender balanced portfolio. The main difference between the two portfolios is the share of women on the board which implies that this is one of the strengthening factors. The results can be of interest for investors seeking a socially sustainable investment strategy, but also add value to the ongoing debate regarding gender quotas.
F EEDING BEHAVIOUR OF THE DAWN BAT ( E ONYCTERIS SPELAEA ) PROMOTES CROSS POLLINATION OF ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT PLANTS IN S

Eonycteris spelaea is recognized as the principal pollinator of most chiropterophilous plants in SE Asia. The present study describes its feeding behaviour and clarifies its role in cross pollinating these highly selfincompatible plants. Ten individuals of E. spelaea were radio-tracked during the flowering period of durian (Durio zibethinus) and petai (Parkia speciosa) in an agricultural mosaic in southern Thailand. Eonycteris spelaea makes a mean of seven visits per hour to these trees and 80-86% of each feeding bout involves visits to multiple conspecific trees. During each visit, 93% of D. zibethinus stigmas and 50% of P. speciosa stigmas were loaded with conspecific pollen. Eonycteris spelaea was the most common bat visitor to the trees. High visitation frequency and conspecific pollen deposition by E. spelaea to D. zibethinus and P. speciosa indicates that this nectarivorous bat is an effective pollinator. Mixed planting of chiropterophilous trees in fruit orchards is recommended to ensure regular visits of E. spelaea. Protecting natural roost caves of E. spelaea is also essential in order to maintain the vital ecosystem service provided by these bats.
pH responsive self-assembly of cucurbit[7]urils and polystyrene-block-polyvinylpyridine micelles for hydrophobic drug delivery

Polystyrene-block-polyvinylpyridine (PS-b-P4VP) polypseudorotaxanes with cucurbit[7]urils (CB[7]) were prepared from water soluble PS-b-P4VPH+ polymer and CB[7] in aqueous solution at room temperature. At acidic and neutral pH, the pyridinium block of PS-b-P4VP is protonated (PS-b-P4VPH+) pushing CB[7] to preferably host the P4VP block. At basic pH (pH 8), P4VP is not charged and thus is not able to strongly complex CB[7]. This phenomenon was verified further by monitoring the release of pyrene, a hydrophobic cargo model, from a PS-b-P4VPH+/CB[7] micellar membrane. Release study of UV active pyrene from the membrane at different pH values revealed that the system is only operational under basic conditions and that the host-guest interaction of CB[7] with P4VPH+ significantly slows down cargo release.
Cognition Beyond Representation: Varieties of Situated Cognition in Animals

The notion that cognition comprises more than computations of a central nervous system operating on representations has gained a foothold in human cognitive science for a few decades now. Various brands of embodied, extended, enacted, and distributed cognition, some more conservative and some more liberal, have paraded in philosophy and cognitive science. I call the genus including all such species situated cognition and go on to depict selected cases in nonhuman comparative cognition. Distributed cognition is often used as another term for situated cognition. But behavioral biologists have used the term in another sense, to mean the reduction of cognitive capacities arising from team work in cooperative societies. Hymenopteran insects have been studied as cases. The octopus displays embodied cognition, with some of the computational work offloaded to the periphery. Web-building spiders showcase extended cognition, in which objects external to the animal—the web, in the case of spiders—play a crucial causal role in cognition. A criterion of mutual manipulability, in which causal influence flows both ways between organism and extended object, serves to delimit the scope of extended cognition. Play in dogs features intelligence on-the-run, arising out of action, a key characteristic of enactive cognition. I discuss other cases in which action entwines with central representational cognition to achieve goal-directed behavior. Considering situated cognition in diverse animals leads to myriad research questions that can enrich the field.
Preservation of Haemal Nodes Fixed by Means of Two Different Aldehyde Fixatives: a Scanning Electron Microscopic Study

El glutaraldehido es el fijador que se utiliza con mas frecuencia en estudios en los tejidos biologicos a traves microscopia electronica. Sin embargo, a menudo es necesario utilizar muestras que no han sido fijadas con este fijador, aun con la incertidumbre de los resultados que se puedan obtener. La fijacion es el paso mas importante en el procesamiento de los tejidos. Por lo anterior, hemos efectuado este estudio comparando la calidad de conservacion de nodos linfaticos hemales fijados con formaldehido y glutaraldehido. Los resultados muestran que ambos fijadores conservaron adecuadamente la morfologia de los componentes de los nodos linfaticos hemales, sin embargo, el glutaraldehido conservo en mejores condiciones, principalmente, las celulas del parenquima, pero el formaldehido conservo mejor las fibras del estroma en nodos linfaticos.
EVALUATING COMBINED EFFECT OF NARINGIN AND SALICYLIC ACID ON CO- LON CANCER CELL CULTURE

Aims: Colorectal cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in the world. It affects more than a million people and causes the death of half million people annually. Flavonoids are natural products belonging to plantae and some fungal organisms that recently have started to be popular for cancer research for its strong antioxidant, anticarcinogen and anti-tumor properties. Naringin is a special chemical compound of flavonoid groups in grapefruit and useful for its antioxidant and immunostimulatory properties. Salicylic acid is a stress-specific hormone that also has an anti-tumor effects on colorectal cancer. In this study, it is aimed to evaluate the effect of naringin, salicylic acid and their combination on colon cancer cells via gene expression profiles of apoptosis genes and anti-proliferative properties. Methods: HT29 colon cell culture was incubated in 37 Co and 5% CO2. Salicylic acid, naringin and their combinations were applied seperetaly on 80% confluent cells in 11 different doses starting with 800 μM and going half of the previous. MTT survival test was performed at 24th and 48th hours after application. To see the effect on apoptosis and antioxidant pathway; apoptotic protease activating factor, B-cell lymphoma 2, B-cell lymphoma 2 associated X, B-cell lymphoma 2 XL, Cytochrome C, Cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein 1, Cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein 2, Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenas, Caspase 3, Livin, Survivin, p21, p27, p53 and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis, Catalase, Glutathione peroxidase, Superoxide dismutase 1 and Superoxide dismutase 2 gene expressions were assayed on 24th and 48th hours by using real time PCR. Results: Single and combined application of naringin and salicylic acid decreased cell proliferation at both 24th and 48th hours. Results in 48th hours were more obvious. None of the applications caused an increase in number of cells in any applied dose. In the real time PCR analysis, the expressions of apoptosis inhibitor genes that play a crucial role in antioxidant pathway were increased. The increase was more distinct in the combination of naringin and salicylic acid. Conclusion: In this study, it is found that both salicylic acid and naringin cause a decrease in the number of colon cell culture. As for their combination it also worked well. The increase in apoptotic gene expression was exclusive. It can be said that naringin, salicylic acid and especially their combination can be a promising treatment as a supported option for colon cancer patients in the future.
Estimates of ground-level aerosol mass concentrations using a chemical transport model with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol observations over East Asia

[1] We estimate ground-level mass concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 (particulate matter smaller than 2.5 and 10 μm in diameter, respectively) for 2001 using a global chemical transport model with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrievals. Our method improves on previous techniques by using a new satellite product (fine-mode fraction (FMF)) and is applied to East Asia, where such an approach has not previously been attempted. We evaluate the method by comparing the PM estimates with the observations from Air Quality System sites and Acid Deposition Monitoring Network sites across East Asia. The spatial patterns of the annual and seasonal means of the estimated PM10 concentrations are in better agreement with the observations than the results of the model alone. The PM2.5 estimates based on both MODIS AOD and FMF data show considerable improvement relative to those using AOD data alone or simply the model and are in better agreement with the observations at three available sites in Korea and Japan. The greatest improvement is found in the cases where the model significantly underestimates the data. Our best estimates of the annual mean PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations over East Asia are 14.7 and 71.2 μg m−3, respectively. However, the uncertainties in our PM2.5 and PM10 estimates are up to 2.5 and 20 μg m−3, respectively.
Multiple Exclusion Homelessness in the UK: Key Patterns and Intersections

This article presents preliminary results from a multi-stage quantitative study of ‘multiple exclusion homelessness’ (MEH) in seven urban locations across the UK. It demonstrates a very high degree of overlap between a range of experiences associated with ‘deep social exclusion’ – namely, homelessness, substance misuse, institutional care and ‘street culture’ activities (such as begging and street drinking). It also provides evidence to support the contention that homelessness is a particularly prevalent form of exclusion, with its experience reported as widespread by those accessing low threshold support services targeted at other dimensions of deep exclusion, such as drug misuse. Further, the analysis presented indicates that the nature of MEH varies geographically, with the profile of the population affected looking quite different in Westminster (London) than in the other urban locations. The main explanation for this appears to be the exceptionally high proportion of migrants in the MEH population in Westminster, who tend to report lower overall levels of personal trauma and vulnerability than the indigenous MEH population.
Gammaproteobacterial methanotrophs dominate methanotrophy in aerobic and anaerobic layers of boreal lake waters

Small oxygen-stratified humic lakes of the boreal zone are important sources of methane to the atmosphere. Although stable isotope profiling has indicated that a substantial part of methane is already oxidized in the anaerobic water layers in these lakes, the contributions of aerobic and anaerobic methanotrophs in the process are unknown. We used next-generation sequencing of mcrA and 16S rRNA genes to characterize the microbial communities in the water columns of 2 boreal lakes in Finland, Lake Alinen-Mustajärvi and Lake Mekkojärvi, and complemented this with a shotgun metagenomic analysis from Alinen-Mustajärvi and an analysis of pmoA genes and 16S rRNA, mcrA, and pmoA transcripts from Mekkojärvi. Furthermore, we tested the effect of various electron acceptors and light on methane oxidation (C-CH4 labeling) in incubations of water samples collected from the lakes. Aerobic gammaproteobacterial methanotrophs (order Methylococcales) exclusively dominated the methanotrophic community both above and below the oxycline in the lakes. A novel lineage within Methylococcales, Candidatus Methyloumidiphilus alinensis, defined here for the first time, dominated in Alinen-Mustajärvi, while methanotrophs belonging to Methylobacter were more abundant in Mekkojärvi. Light enhanced methane oxidation in the anoxic water layer, while alternative electron acceptors (SO4, Fe3+, Mn4+, and anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate), except for NO3, suppressed the process. Our results suggest that oxygenic photosynthesis potentially fuels methanotrophy below the aerobic water layers in methane-rich boreal lakes. Furthermore, incubation results, together with the detection of denitrification genes from metagenome-assembled genomes of gamma proteo bacterial methanotrophs, imply that boreal lake methanotrophs may couple methane oxidation with NOx reduction in hypoxic conditions.
Risk perception for HIV/AIDS infection among premarital sexually initiated youth in Nigeria

This paper examines perception of risk of HIV/AIDS infection among 1,308 premarital sexually initiated youth aged 15-24, with data from the 1999 and 2003 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys. Building on the importance of the behavioral approach in a successful effort to limit HIV/AIDS transmission and evidence that subjective perception of one’s own risk of infection is an important correlate of individual adoption of risk-reduction strategies, the study finds significant levels of discordance between risk perception and corresponding sexual behavior. The emanating challenge is identifying and understanding ways to accurately assess personalized and generalized risks, in order to achieve alignment of risk perception with actual sexual behavior. Following propositions that behavioral change in response to HIV/AIDS should in part be the consequence of a sense of personal vulnerability to infection, key interventions in Nigeria need to include an aggressive educational approach to address risk denial about HIV/AIDS emanating from misperceptions and rationalizations.