Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What motivates college students to volunteer? using the Volunteer Functions Inventory.

Jennifer Giorgio What Motivates College Students to Volunteer? Using the Volunteer Functions Inventory 2002-2003 Advisors: Dr. Klanderman and Dr. Dihoff School Psychology Master of the Arts Degree This study intended to look at what motivates college students to participate in volunteer work. The Volunteer Functions Inventory was used to have students rate their beliefs about what would influence them to volunteer. A sample of 184 subjects (67 male & 115 female, two participants did not disclose their gender) were obtained from Rowan University's student body and each were given the Volunteer Functions Inventory. One hypothesis was tested using an Analysis of Variance. Results found that the value motivation was the dominant motivation to volunteer among students who volunteer and non-volunteers. It was determined that the volunteer variable had a significant effect on students ratings of each motivation. This study was consistent with previous data finding that the value motivation was the dominant for majority of the subjects who have answered the survey. Acknowledgments This thesis would not have been completed without the help of many people who offered support, advice, and assistance. I would first like to thank Dr. Klanderman and Dr. Dihoff for their constant support throughout the year. Second, I would like to thank Dr. Chapell who helped me discover the right type of measurement to use for this subject matter. Third, I would like to thank Julie Peterson for allowing me to use the resources of the Center for Service Learning & Volunteerism. Fourth, I would like to thank Professor Ragozin, Professor Jackson, Professor Williams, and Dr. Haugh for allowing me to use their classroom time and borrow their students as participants for my study. Fifth, I would like to thank Julie Boyle, Katie Gipe, and Robin Waltman for their ongoing support through the stressful times of this thesis. Last I would like to thank my family, my boyfriend, and friends that kept me inspired to succeed in finishing this
Relation between subduction megathrust earthquakes, trench sediment thickness and upper plate strain

Giant earthquake (moment magnitude Mw ≥ 8.5) forecasts for subduction zones have been empirically related to both tectonic stresses and geometrical irregularities along the subduction interface. Both of these controls have been suggested as able to tune the ability of rupture to propagate laterally and, in turn, exert an important control on giant earthquake generation. Here we test these hypotheses, and their combined influence, by compiling a dataset of trench fill thickness (a proxy for smoothing of subducting plate relief by sediment input into the subduction channel) and upper plate strain (a proxy for the tectonic stresses applied to the subduction interface) for 44 segments of the global subduction network. We statistically compare relationships between upper plate strain, trench sediment thickness and maximal earthquake magnitude. We find that the combination of both large trench fill (≥1 km) and neutral upper plate strain explains spatial patterns of giant earthquake occurrence to a statistically significant degree. In fact, the concert of these two factors is more highly correlated with giant earthquake occurrence than either factor on its own. Less frequent giant earthquakes of lower magnitude are also possible at subduction zones with thinner trench fill and compressive upper plate strain. Extensional upper plate strain and trench fill < 0.5 km appear to be unfavorable conditions, as giant earthquakes have not been observed in these geodynamical environments during the last 111 years.
The effect of semen washing and soybean lecithin level on motility and viability of ram spermatozoa stored at 5°C.

The objectives of this reserarch were to study the effect of semen washing and soybean lecithinlevel on the motility and viability of ram spermatozoa stored at 5⁰C. Semen was collected from threemature rams by artificial vagina. Semen was evaluated by macroscopic and microscopic. Semen wasdivided into ten tubes, the semen of first five tubes was unwashed (W0) and diluted with extender 0%,1%, 2%, 3% and 4% soybean lecithin (L0, L1, L2, L3 and L4). Semen of another five tubes werewashed (W1) then each diluted with similar extender levels. The diluted semen samples were stored at5⁰C and the sperm motility and viability were evaluated each day. The interaction of the semen washingand soybean lecithin levels were no significant differences (P>0.05) but the single factor of soybeanlecithin level was significant differeNces (P 0.05) on progressive motility and viability of ram sperm.The best extenderwas 3% soybean lecithin (L3) with the percentage of ram sperm progressive motility was 63.18 ± 3.61%and viability was 71.76±2.32%.
"Pompeian" mating molluscs: sexual behaviour frozen by Paleogene submarine volcanic activity in northern Italy

A pair of Paleogene nautilid cephalopods (Angulithes hilarionis) composed of dimorphed shells are interpreted as having been buried while mating. A similar behaviour was previously reported for ampullinid gastropods (Dieni, 2008), the specimens being "frozen" when covered suddenly by a mass of sediment, primarily volcanoclastics. The formation of the latter also involved acidification and consequent poisoning and/or overwarming of sea water, causing mass mortality in some cases. As the syntypes of Nautilus hilarionis De Gregorio, 1880 result as being no longer available, a Lutetian neotype from the type area is proposed. RIASSUNTO - (Molluschi "pompeiani" in accoppiamento: comportamento sessuale "congelato" dall'attivita vulcanica sottomarina paleogenica nell'Italia settentrionale) - Una coppia di cefalopodi nautilidi (Angulithes hilarionis) paleogenici del Veneto composta da conchiglie dimorfe viene interpretata come "congelata" durante l'accoppiamento. Un simile comportamento era gia stato documentato in coppie di gasteropodi ampullinidi (Dieni, 2008). L'improvviso seppellimento ad opera di materiale prevalentemente vulcanoclastico provoco anche acidificazione e conseguente avvelenamento e/o surriscaldamento dell'acqua, dando luogo in alcuni casi ad episodi di mortalita in massa. Poiche i sintipi di Nautilus hilarionis De Gregorio, 1880 non sono piu reperibili, e stata effettuata (in Appendice) una revisione sistematica del taxon che ha portato come risultato alla proposta di un neotipo di eta luteziana proveniente dall'area tipo.
Morphometry of the Foramen Magnum: An Important Tool in Sex Determination

To determine the sexual dimorphism from the foramen magnum of South Indian human skulls and its importance in the field of forensic medicine as well as in clinical medicine. The study was conducted on 101 dry South Indian human skulls (Male – 63 and Female - 38) which belong to the museum of the department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology and the Department of Anatomy, JJM Medical College, Davangere, Karnataka. Anteroposterior (LFM) and transverse (WFM) diameters of foramen magnum were measured by using Vernier calliper. All measurements were tabulated followed by student “t” test and descriptive statistics were done in SPSS version to know the “p” value for the significance. The mean anteroposterior diameter of foramen magnum in males was 34.37 mm and in females it was 33.80 mm. The mean transverse diameter of foramen magnum in males was 28.98 mm and in females it was 27.60 mm. The result obtained demonstrated that significant sexual dimorphism ispresent in the foramen magnum of South Indian human skulls.
Effect of Different Treatments on Dormancy-Breaking and Germination of Perennial Pepperweed ('Lepidium latifolium') (Brassicaceae)

The purpose of our study was to better understand the seed-germination ecology of the invasive plant Lepidium latifolium, which grows in orchards and among cool-season crops in Iran. The seed dormancy of this weed was studied using soil burial, scarification, cold stratification, constant temperatures, flooding, and potassium nitrate (KNO3) and gibberellic acid (GA3) treatments. The results showed that the seeds' dormancy can be broken most effectively by scarification, KNO3, flooding and after-ripening. The highest seed-germination percentage was achieved from physical scarification (66%), while chemical scarification had a comparatively low effect (35%). KNO3 could induce the seed germination (61%) in 0.02 M concentration. waterlogging resulted in 60% germination, and the seeds survived in the flooding conditions for more than 90 days. Constant temperature increased the seeds' germination and promoted its percentage (37%). Soil burial had a positive effect on the germination of L. latifolium during the first 30 days of warm conditions, with germination rates of 34.5% for 1cm soil-burial depth, and 26% for 10 cm. Increasing GA3 concentration to 20 ppm resulted in 29% germination; greater GA3 concentrations did not increase the germination percentage significantly.
The Causes of Excessive Deficits in the European Union

Several studies have identified the factors that cause public deficits in industrial democracies. They consider that economic, political and institutional factors play an important role in the understanding of those deficits. However, the study of the determinants of excessive deficits remains practically unexplored. Since excessive deficits can have large negative spillover effects when countries are forming a monetary union without a centralised budget – as it is the case for a group of European countries – this paper tries to explore that gap in the literature by identifying the main causes of excessive deficits and the ways of avoiding them. Binary choice models are estimated over a panel of 15 European Union countries for the period 1970-2006, where an excessive deficit is defined as a deficit higher than 3% of GDP. Results show that a weak fiscal stance, low economic growth, the timing of parliamentary elections and majority left-wing governments are the main causes of excessive deficits in the EU countries. Moreover, the institutional constraints imposed after Maastricht over the EU countries’ fiscal policy have succeeded in reducing the probability of excessive deficits in Europe, especially in small countries. Therefore, this study concludes that supranational fiscal constraints, national efforts to reduce public debts, growth promoting policies and mechanisms to avoid political opportunism and partisan effects are essential factors for an EU country to avoid excessive deficits. Finally, the results presented in this paper raise the idea that a good strategy for the EU countries to avoid excessive deficits caused by the opportunistic behaviour of their policymakers would be to schedule elections for the beginning or the end of the year.
Second-harmonic generation from regeneratively amplified femtosecond laser pulses in BBO and LBO crystals

The spectral and temporal characteristics and optical-conversion efficiency of ∼150-fs laser pulses at 400 nm generated by second-harmonic generation (SHG) of a regeneratively amplified mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser were investigated both theoretically and experimentally. The theoretical investigation was done by taking into account cubic nonlinearity, pulse walk-off, group-velocity dispersion, Kerr nonlinearity, quadratic broadening, frequency chirping of the fundamental pulse, and higher-order nonlinear mixing such as backconversion and optical parametric processing. The experimental studies of the effects of crystal length and pumping intensity on the pulse duration, the spectrum, and the optical-conversion efficiency of the SHG were carried out in BBO and LBO crystals of various thicknesses and compared with the theory. It was found that in a non-transform-limited pulse, the most significant contribution to the temporal and spectral distortion of the ∼150-fs SHG pulses is mainly due to the chirping of the fundamental beam and self-phase modulation at high pumping intensity and long crystal length. The optimum crystal length and pumping intensity for obtaining a high optical-conversion efficiency and a pure spectrum in SHG are also calculated and experimentally investigated. It was found that a transform-limited fundamental pulse is essential to obtain a high conversion efficiency and to preserve the temporal profile of the second-harmonic pulse. It is also found that for a non-transform-limited ∼150-fs pulse, a 0.5–0.6-mm BBO crystal and a modest pumping intensity of ∼40 GW/cm2 are the most suitable for SHG.
Maintenance of genetic variation in sexual ornamentation : role of precopulatory and postcopulatory sexual selection

Kekäläinen, Jukka Maintenance of genetic variation in sexual ornamentation – role of precopulatory and postcopulatory sexual selection Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2010, 52 p. (Jyväskylä Studies in Biological and Environmental Science ISSN 1456-9701; 216) ISBN 978-951-39-4130-7 Yhteenveto: Seksuaaliornamenttien geneettisen muuntelun säilyminen – parittelua edeltävän ja sen jälkeisen seksuaalivalinnan merkitys Diss. According to the lek paradox, secondary sexual ornaments are under strong directional selection, which should deplete additive genetic variation of these traits. I studied the signalling content of male and female secondary sexual ornaments and the potential factors that may help to maintain the genetic variation of these traits and thus contribute to the resolution of the lek paradox. The results of my thesis are based on three fish species, the Eurasian minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus), the Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) and the whitefish Coregenus lavaretus. In minnows, multiple sexual ornamentation of the males signalled dominance status, courtship activity, parasite resistance and condition of the individuals. Females differed in their ornament-based mating preferences on these traits. In whitefish, the ornamentation of both sexes predicted genetic differences in offspring post-hatching performance, and female ornamentation was positively associated with the size of the offspring and their yolk reserves. However, offspring fitness was also dependent on the parental genetic combination. In the Arctic charr, the intensity of the male breeding colouration was positively associated with their sperm quality (velocity) and potentially also with offspring viability. On the other hand, it could not be ruled out that the cryptic female choice criteria are at least partly inconsistent (nondirectional) with the criteria used in pre-copulatory mate choice. My results on charr major histocompatibility complex genes also show that the superiority of the heterozygote individuals may lead to disassortative mating, where females prefer to pair with genetically dissimilar males. All of these factors (varying female preferences, selection on compatible or dissimilar genes and nondirectional cryptic female choice) may weaken the directional selection on ornamental traits and thus maintain the genetic variation of the traits. Together, they may provide light on a way towards the resolution of the lek paradox.
THE QUANTITATIVE SURVEY ON MACROECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF AGGREGATE CREDIT RISK

Common exposure to macroeconomic risk factors across banks (financial institutions) is a source of systemic risk that influences, among others things, the quality of banks loan portfolios and credit risk (Festic et al., 2011). This paper focuses on the growing literature on credit risk determinants (macroeconomic, bank- specific or institutional) that emerged especially in the last decade. The aim of the paper is to provide more general information on effects of macroeconomic credit risk drivers. The aim is fulfilled with usage of quantitative meta-analytic techniques. Concretely, general effects of macroeconomic determinants on credit risk are used in the meta-regression to identify key differences among relevant studies. The authors focus only on those studies, which use non-performing loans (NPLs) as an indicator of credit risk, although there are several possible measurements of the aggregate credit risk such as loan loss provisions, loan loss reserves or new bad debt ratio. More specifically, authors focus on the models, which use non-performing loans ratio (NPLR), calculated as the ratio of non-performing loans to the total gross loans, as dependent variable. The authors consider five most common macroeconomic determinants of non-performing loans ratio, which are presented in the relevant literature: economic growth, interest rate, inflation, unemployment and exchange rate. The general effects of selected macroeconomic credit risk drivers are calculated as weighted averages of parameters of respective macroeconomic determinants, which were estimated in the empirical studies. The weights of parameters, which represent precision of estimation, are calculated as an inverse of their standard errors; see for instance Knell and Stix (2005). In the case that standard errors are not provided in the papers, they are either calculated from other presented results such as standard deviations or t- statistics; or otherwise, if it is not possible to calculate them, the papers are excluded from the analysis. The preliminary results suggest that there are some significant differences among studies which could be identified when the meta-regression is employed, for instance, data specification or number of countries and observations included in the model play significant role.
Comparisons of CH4 ground-based FTIR measurements near Saint Petersburg with GOSAT observations

Abstract. Atmospheric column-average methane mole fractions measured with ground-based Fourier-transform spectroscopy near Saint Petersburg, Russia (59.9° N, 29.8° E, 20 m a.s.l.) are compared with similar data obtained with the Japanese GOSAT (Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite) in the years 2009–2012. Average CH4 mole fractions for the GOSAT data version V01.xx are −15.0 ± 5.4 ppb less than the corresponding values obtained from ground-based measurements (with the standard deviations of biases at 13.0 ± 4.2 ppb). For the GOSAT data version V02.xx, the average values of the differences are −1.9 ± 1.8 ppb with standard deviations of 14.5 ± 1.3 ppb. This verifies that FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopic observations near Saint Petersburg have similar biases with GOSAT satellite data as FTIR measurements at other ground-based networks and aircraft CH4 estimations.
The Reliability Function of Variable-Length Lossy Joint Source-Channel Coding With Feedback

We consider transmission of discrete memoryless sources (DMSes) across discrete memoryless channels (DMCs) using variable-length lossy source-channel codes with feedback. The reliability function (optimum error exponent) is shown to be equal to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\max \{0, B(1-R(D)/C)\}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, where <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$R(D)$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is the rate-distortion function of the source, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$B$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is the maximum relative entropy between output distributions of the DMC, and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$C$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is the Shannon capacity of the channel. We show that in this asymptotic regime, separate source-channel coding is, in fact, optimal.
Shrink-swell potential, hydraulic conductivity and geotechnical properties of clay materials for landfill liner construction**

Abstract This paper presents studies concerning the applicability of two clay materials for the construction of a sustainable landfill liner. The studies consisted in determination of basic characteristics of the materials, eg particle size distribution, bulk density, particle density, total porosity, pore size, mineralogy, specific surface area, nanoparticle size, and Atterberg limits, as well as measurements of their geotechnical and hydraulic parameters, such as in situ saturated hydraulic conductivity, modules of primary and secondary compression, cohesion, and angle of internal friction. Furthermore, the effects of compaction performed by the Proctor method at various water contents on swelling and shrinkage characteristics and saturated hydraulic conductivity were investigated in order to determine the compliance with the national requirements for selection of material for landfill liner construction. The determined characteristics and geotechnical parameters of the tested clay materials allowed qualifying them as suitable for municipal landfill construction. The shrinkage potential of the tested clays observed was rated as moderate to very high. The cyclic drying and rewetting of the clay materials performed resulted in a significant increase in saturated hydraulic conductivity. Thus, the clay sealing layers, as part of a multilayer liner, should be very carefully operated, preventing the drying out of the clay sealing and assuring the possibility of its constant saturation.
Flag choice behaviour in the world merchant fleet

Flag selection is not just a crucial decision with regard to ship operation, but also plays an important role in national and international maritime policy. This study uses individual ship registration data to analyse flag selection behaviour, including flagging out decision using a binary choice model, and final flag choice by applying a nested logit model. Operators from traditional maritime countries are found to flag out high-quality vessels, whereas those from open-registry countries tend to flag out low-quality ones. Flag preferences are more sensitive to the registration fee than to the annual due; full-open flags are more elastic than quasi-open ones and substitution among flags within the same group is higher than across different groups. Port State Control, Flag State Control and safety records have opposite impacts on flag choice for ships from closed registry countries and those from open registers.
Brand Personality Moderating Effect on Relationship between Website Quality and Online Trust: Malaysian Online Environment Context

The objective of this paper is to examine whether the brand personality which includes two dimensions namely, (sincerity/trustworthiness) and (youthfulness/modernity), can moderate the relationship between website quality and online trust. This study considers the impact of the quality of website on online trust and the extent it encourages purchase intentions in the Malaysian context. The data for the study were collated from responses from a sample of 229 college students in Malaysia. The survey included questions on items that measured brand personality, web site quality, online trust and purchase intentions. The data was evaluated by applying multiple regression analysis to establish the relationship among variables . The findings indicate that both dimensions of brand personality, namely (sincerity/trustworthiness) and (youthfulness/modernity) are able to moderate the relationship between web site quality and online trust. However, the results suggest that the impact of (youthfulness/ modernity) is more significant compared to (sincerity/trustworthiness). It was evident that in the Malaysian context, it was imperative for an organization to present an updated and exciting website to attract more consumers to purchase online through its website. This study enhances and augments the existing pool of knowledge on websites with special emphasis on online transactions. This study provides a better understanding on the perception of Malaysian customers towards web-based transactions. The findings also offer valuable information to the marketing and information managers of organizations with regard to online business transactions.