Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Capital budgeting practices by non-financial companies listed on Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE)

Abstract Purpose—The purpose of this study is to investigate various aspects of capital budgeting techniques adopted by Kuwaiti non-financial companies listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE). Design/methodology/approach—A questionnaire is used to collect data from Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) and other managers of manufacturing, service and real estate companies listed on the KSE. Findings—The result of the analysis unveiled that top management and people who used the assets are the main sources of capital budgeting ideas. The analysis also unveiled that net present value and profitability index are the most frequently used capital budgeting techniques and the choice of the technique is determined by the nature of the project under assessment, and the academic and professional capabilities of corporate staff. The analysis further demonstrated that factors such as uncertainty about the outcome of the capital budgeting techniques and lack of required data and information to use capital budgeting techniques could prevent Kuwaiti non-financial companies from adopting capital budgeting techniques. Finally, the analysis disclosed that non-financial factors such as strategic planning, corporate image, employees’ capabilities and environment protection are taken into consideration when making capital budgeting decisions. Practical implications—Kuwaiti companies either possess technology or have the required resources to install advanced technology to assist them in employing sophisticated capital budgeting techniques that take into account inflation and risk. This would ensure more accurate results and minimize uncertainty about the outcome of the capital budgeting decisions. Originality/value—This study is based on primary data collected directly from non-financial companies listed on the KSE.
Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance in Salmonella serotypes isolated from chicken carcasses in Turkey

Quinolones have been extensively used for treatment of a variety of invasive and systemic infections of salmonellosis. Widespread use of these agents has been associated with the emergence and dissemination of quinolone-resistant pathogens. The quinolone resistance and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance determinants (qnrA, qnrB, qnrS and aac(6’)-Ib-cr) of 85 Salmonella isolates from chicken carcasses were investigated in this study. Isolates were serotyped according to the Kauffman-White-Le Minor scheme, and broth microdilution method was used to determine quinolone resistance. Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance genes were investigated by real-time PCR and positive results were confirmed by sequencing. Among the Salmonella isolates, 30/85 (35%) and 18/85 (21%) were found to be resistant to enrofloxacin (MIC ≥ 2 mg/ml), and danofloxacin (MIC ≥ 2 mg/ml), respectively. All the isolates were negative for qnrA, qnrB and aac(6’)-Ib-cr genes, nevertheless 2% (S. Brandenburg and S. Dabou) were positive for qnrS (qnrS1 determinant). This study is the first and unique investigating the plasmidmediated quinolone resistance determinants of Salmonella isolated from chicken carcasses in Turkey. Quinolone susceptibility, qnr, aac(6’)-Ib-cr, real-time PCR, minimal inhibition concentration
Experimental validation of the use of energy transfer ratio (ETR) for damage diagnosis of steel-concrete composite beams

The paper presents changes of modal parameters such as natural frequencies, damping ratios and energy transfer ratios (ETR) following damage of the connection of a steel-concrete composite beam. Sensitivity analysis of the parameters is conducted both for numerical simulation and experimental results. The energy transfer ratio ETR is determined: i) for the whole beam – as a global parameter which can be used for damage detection, ii) for segments of the beam – as a local parameter which can be used for damage localisation.
The Decrease in Stock Ownership by Minority Households

White households are more likely to hold stock investments than minority households. Stock ownership rates of minorities generally increased between 1992 and 2001, but between 2001 and 2004 the rate decreased significantly for each minority group studied but did not significantly change for White households. Multivariate analyses showed that the predicted rates for White households did not significantly change, but Black, Hispanic, and other (mostly Asian) households had significantly lower predicted rates of stock ownership in 2004 than in 2001, indicating that factors other than those in the model accounted for the decrease in minority rates.
Location Optimization for Square Array Antennas Using Differential Evolution Algorithm

In recent works thinned arrays giving minimum peak sidelobe levels for planar square antenna arrays are obtained using Hadamard difference sets. In the current work thinned array configurations giving lower peak sidelobe levels than those given in the literature are obtained for square arrays of , , , and elements. Differential evolution algorithm is used in the determination of the antenna locations.
The Market Valuation of Interior Design and Developers Strategies: A Simple Theory and Some Evidence

How much do the market values of housing reflect its interior design? Does the interior design interact with other housing attributes? Following the recent research based on “graph theory,” this paper confirms the importance of internal design variables in a hedonic pricing model, which is applied to a large dataset of high-rise apartment buildings in Asia. The evidence is consistent with a simple theory that developers strategically use interior design to “dilute” the effect of location, which leads to a form of endogenous multi-collinearity. Directions for future research are also discussed.
Prevalence of anaemia among the hospitalized children in a rural tertiary care teaching hospital

Background: The most important nutritional deficiency (micronutrient deficiency) among children in the present world is iron deficiency. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of nutritional anemia (iron deficiency anemia) among the hospitalized children in the tertiary care rural hospital. To evaluate the distribution of anemia among various age groups, sex and its association with various systemic illness. Methods: Retrospective (record based) cross sectional study carried out in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Information regarding age, gender, chief complaints, laboratory investigations carried out like total WBC count, haemoglobin was collected. Final diagnosis with system of involvement was documented. These factors were analysed . Results: Data collected from 905 patients were analysed for the study purpose. Out of 270 children in the age group of less than 2 years 72% of children were anemic. In the age group of 2-5 years55.7% of children were anemic. Nearly 2/3 of children in less than 5 years of hospitalized children were anemic. Overall 50% of children between1 month to 12 years were anemic. System wise analysis have shown 57% of respiratory cases, 47 % of gastrointestinal cases and 48% of infectious disease cases were anaemic. Conclusions: Nutritonal anemia is a major health burden in young children in developing countries. Iron deficiency in early life during the period of brain maturation is extensively studied by various research groups. Changes in brain were also reported in animal studies. Understanding the impacts of iron deficiency in terms of its role in cognitive development, intellectual development, motor development, immune function, school performance and physical development this is considered as an important and urgent public health problem in our country.
Physiotherapeutic treatments after surgery of total Achilles tendon rupture

The author submitted the scheme of physiotherapeutic treatment of total Achilles tendon rupture after the surgery. He also referred to experiences of others authors. After the surgery and limb’s immobilization physiotherapy begins, which aim is to decrease pain, swelling and to cut down the perturbation of peripheral circulation. Isometric exercises, tuition of walk with crutches is made to relieve the limb. An important element is mobilization of scar after surgery and measures for lymphatic drainage. Series of exercises vectored on return of function of joint and whole limb are important after wound healing and taking immobilization off. Electric stimulation of muscles and proprioception exercises are applied. Hydrotherapy, selected massage techniques of triceps muscle and scar mobilization are recommended. Gradually, functions of joint, including a range of movement, kinesthesia as well as deep proprioception sensitivity are brought back. It is possible to bring back step by step a correct walk with its determinants. During the third phase we pursue to bring back the strength of muscles, especially muscles of lower legs. Exercises are made as static, then isokinetic and finally concentric-eccentric training. We have to apply a lot of repetitions of equivalent exercises. Bringing into line with age the level of endurance, general efficiency as well as force is important. Exercises with load control are realized, to bring back fast run with changes of directions, jumps, dynamic, polymetric movements in the last period (5-6 months after the surgery). Finally we pursue to restore a physical efficiency of the whole body.
Germinability and seedling vigor of Haloxylon salicornicum as affected by storage and seed size.

Highlight: When newly collected in early spring, seeds of Haloxylon salicornicum (Moq.) Bge. , an important range shrub in Iraq, attained 100% germination within 24 hours. As the summer months followed, a considerable loss of viability was observed in seeds stored at room temperature. By December, only about 50% of the seeds germinated. The seeds maintained their full germination capacity, with little difference between large and small size seeds when stored at S0C. Under room temperature, the small size seeds lost their viability faster than the larger ones. Seeds stored at S0C produced more vigorous seedlings than those stored at room temperature. Large seeds produced more vigorous seedlings than small seeds, regardless of method of storage. Seeds that germinated rapidly produced more vigorous seedlings than those that germinated slowly.
Consumption Patterns and Uses of Photography in Digital Era among Communication Students

paper presents the results of a research study exploring consumer behaviour and uses of photography among first-year students of the Degrees in Journalism, Audiovisual Communication, and Advertising and Public Relations in four Spanish universities (University of Malaga, University of Santiago de Compostela, University of the Basque Country and Universitat Jaume I in Castellon). As it is well known, the emergence of digital technologies has caused far-reaching transformations in the field of photography. These changes have affected production, distribution and circulation processes. However, digital technology has particularly changed the concept of photography itself as a means of expression and communication, above all among young people. Changes in how photography is perceived nowadays, brought about by the onset of digitalization, in turn raises a series of questions that merit reflection. To this end, a survey was designed and administered to a total of 467 communication sciences students in Spain. The results of this research reveal, on the one hand, how these communication students relate to the use of photography today; on the other hand, and more importantly, the results throw some light on how to approach the teaching of digital photography in a higher education context.
Evaluation of the nutritional value of a composite meal prepared from pearl millet (pennisetum typhoideum) and cowpea (vigna unguiculata)

Cereal/legume weaning food blends prepared in ratios of 70:30 and 60:40 from fermented pearl millet/roasted cowpea were evaluated for their nutritional values. The pearl millet used are SOSAT C – 88, an improved variety and a local (unimproved) variety while cowpea used is the Borno red. Standard methods were used for the analysis. The protein contents of the weaning food blends met the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for infants (0 – 1 year), though the fat contents were low. It is expected that the low moisture contents exhibited by all the weaning food blends might give good storage stability. Mineral element levels were comparable to commercial weaning foods Nutrend® and Frisocrem®, except for calcium and zinc. All the weaning food blends were satisfactory in meeting the FAO/WHO essential amino acid reference pattern for infants 0 – 1 year. Even though, the 70:30 ratio has been used in most literatures, the 60:40 ratios used in this study is superior to the 70:30 ratio in terms of nutritional value.
Testing the Equality of Covariance Operators in Functional Samples

Abstract. We propose a non‐parametric test for the equality of the covariance structures in two functional samples. The test statistic has a chi‐square asymptotic distribution with a known number of degrees of freedom, which depends on the level of dimension reduction needed to represent the data. Detailed analysis of the asymptotic properties is developed. Finite sample perfo‐rmance is examined by a simulation study and an application to egg‐laying curves of fruit flies.
A DEBased Scatter Search for Global Optimization Problems

This paper proposes a hybrid scatter search (SS) algorithm for continuous global optimization problems by incorporating the evolution mechanism of differential evolution (DE) into the reference set updated procedure of SS to act as the new solution generation method. This hybrid algorithm is called a DE-based SS (SSDE) algorithm. Since different kinds of mutation operators of DE have been proposed in the literature and they have shown different search abilities for different kinds of problems, four traditional mutation operators are adopted in the hybrid SSDE algorithm. To adaptively select the mutation operator that is most appropriate to the current problem, an adaptive mechanism for the candidate mutation operators is developed. In addition, to enhance the exploration ability of SSDE, a reinitializationmethod is adopted to create a new population and subsequently construct a new reference set whenever the search process of SSDE is trapped in local optimum. Computational experiments on benchmark problems show that the proposed SSDE is competitive or superior to some state-of-the-art algorithms in the literature.
Processing Null and Overt Pronoun Subject in Ambiguous Sentences in Korean

This study investigates the processing of the null and overt pronouns in intra-sentential coreference in complex sentences that consist of a subordinate clause followed by a main clause in Korean. It tests the Position of Antecedent Hypothesis (PAH), which holds that O and overt pronouns have a division of labor and perform different functions. This hypothesis assumes that in Italian intra-sentential anaphora, the null pronoun prefers the subject as antecedent, whereas the overt pronoun prefers the object as antecedent. As Korean is different from Italian in the word order of the main and the subordinate clauses and in the syntactic function of the subject, this study aims to test the PAH to see whether this principle can make a similar prediction for a typologically different language, Korean. Korean university students completed a questionnaire that was designed to test the PAH in sentences that were wholly ambiguous in Korean. The results revealed that Korean speakers preferentially associated O with an antecedent in the subject position and the overt pronoun with an antecedent in the object position. This confirms that the PAH makes a correct prediction for Korean as well.
Assessment of the agrochemical properties of the soil using the extraction solution Mehlich 3 in Estonia

2 Agricutural Research Centre, Teaduse 4/6, 75 501 Saku, Estonia; e-mail: noges@pmk.agri. ee Abstract. To determine the requirement of macro- and microelements, seven extraction solutions have been employed in Estonian practice. Double lactate (DL) extraction has been used for determination of the phosphorus and potassium requirement, ammonium lactate (AL) extraction for determination of the calcium and magnesium requirement, and five more different extractions have been used for determination of microelements. Hence the need for a more appropriate extraction solution was due to the large number of the extraction solutions used until now, which made determination of the fertiliser requirement less efficient; also, in some cases, use of some extraction solutions did not yield reliable results in the case of particular plants. It was found in this study that the extraction solution Mehlich 3 is suitable for determining the fertiliser requirement of the soils of Estonia, considering their diverse agrochemical properties, while it allows to reduce the number of the extraction solutions. Also, employment of the extraction solution Mehlich 3 yielded more reliable results with respect to plants in the case of phosphorus, potassium, copper and, particularly, magnesium and manganese.
The lived experiences of intensive care patients on transfer to a general ward

Background & Aim : This study aimed to discover the lived experiences of patients transferred from the intensive care unit (ICU) to a general ward, to reach a deeper understanding of this phenomenon. Methods & Materials: This is a qualitative study with an interpretative phenomenological approach, which is conducted at hospitals affiliated to universities, and private hospitals of Tehran in 2013. Eighteen participants were purposefully selected for face-to-face and semi-structured interviews. Results: The findings revealed that the ICU patients experienced various feelings during the process of transition to a general ward. In this regard, three main themes were identified: “happiness of return” (consisted of three subthemes: “return to living,” “return to family,” and “return to a general ward”); “separation anxiety” (consisted of two subthemes: “anxiety of separation from the equipment” and “anxiety of separation from ICU staff”); and “spiritual development” (consisted of two subthemes: “being thankful to God” and “well-wishing toward others”). Conclusion: The findings of the present study showed that recognizing and focusing on each patient’s individual needs, emotions, and expectations is essential to provide more holistic and patient- centered care during the process of transition from ICU to a general ward. Accordingly, there is a potential need to develop structured and formal discharge planning in the clinical settings like Iran where this topic has not been touched yet.
The impact of the interdisciplinary mathematics and science program on students' attitudes at Oakcrest High School

Norma J. Boakes The Impact of the Interdisciplinary Mathematics and Science Program on Students' Attitudes at Oakcrest High School 2000 Dr. Eric Milou Master of Arts in Subject Matter Teaching Mathematics The purpose of this study was to determine the effects on students' attitudes of an interdisciplinary program at a rural high school in southern New Jersey. The interdisciplinary mathematics and science program of Oakcrest High School that began in 1998 involved teaming a non-college prep ninth grade mathematics course with the same level general science course. A group of 30 students who had participated in this program were selected; then a Likert-style 22 question attitude survey was developed and implemented to determine the impact the program had on students' attitudes. An analysis of the survey included a one-sample t-test on all questions, twosample t-tests, an analysis of variance, and a correlation of means to determine significant differences between major areas. The analysis revealed significant differences related to all research questions. Student attitudes significantly differed when compared to their attitudes from previous mathematics courses. The interdisciplinary course impacted their choice of future mathematics classes. Attitudes of students were not significantly different based on age, gender, or ethnicity. And finally, students' home environments impacted their attitude towards the interdisciplinary mathematics and science program.
Effects of Varying Pyrolysis Temperature on the Composition of Bio-Oil from Parkia Biglobosa Fruit Husk

Moderate temperature decomposition of lignocelluloses from Parkia biglobosa fruit husk has been conducted to determine the effects of temperature on the composition of bio-oil. The result of proximate analysis shows that the ash, volatile, moisture and fixed carbon were found to be 3.12, 90.58, 3.32 and 2.98% respectively. The functional groups and chemicals compositions present in the bio-oil obtained for the three temperatures (200 0 C ,250 0 C,300 0 C) were identified by GC/MS analysis. They are mainly alcohols, carboxylic acid, esters, ketones, with ethers and aromatic hydrocarbons which are valuable products for fuel and chemical industries. In addition, we can conclude that temperature influences the quantity and composition of bio-oil. The study shows that the bio-oil characteristics of Parkia biglobosa fruit husk is comparable with oils from other types of biomass thus, making it another potential source of fuel and chemicals. Keywords : Biomass, Pyrolysis, bio-oil , Parkia biglobosa
Late Payments in Accession Countries: Causes and International Comparison

In developed countries in everyday business, payment delays often present a problem. Payment delays have already been a matter of discussion in Slovenia for several years. Irrespective of some positive movements in the past years, the state of payment discipline in Slovenia is not at a satisfactory level. In this area, Slovenia could be classified among the less successful countries when compared to other countries in Europe. Our paper determines factors behind this fact. The findings are important not only for Slovenia, but also for other EU candidate countries faced with similar problems of transition. The paper has led to the following conclusions. Firstly, the more indebted companies have longer payment delays. Secondly, the longer the contractual payment period, the shorter the payment delay. Longer payment periods are mostly received by larger companies. And thirdly, the longer the payment delays on the side of companies? buyers, the higher the incidence of late payments by the company. We can therefore conclude, based on our research, that payment delays in Slovenia depend mostly on risks involved with doing business with firms in financial distress, in particular with small businesses.