Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Limiting similarity revisited

We reinvestigate the validity of the limiting similarity principle via numerical simulations of the Lotka-Volterra model. A Gaussian competition kernel is employed to describe decreasing competition with increasing difference in a one-dimensional phenotype variable. The simulations are initiated by a large number of species, evenly distributed along the phenotype axis. Exceptionally, the Gaussian carrying capacity supports coexistence of all species, initially present. In case of any other, distinctly different, carrying capacity functions, competition resulted in extinction of all, but a few species. A comprehensive study of classes of fractal-like carrying capacity functions with different fractal exponents was carried out. The average phenotype differences between surviving species were found to be roughly equal to the competition width. We conclude that, despite the existence of exceptional cases, the classical picture of limiting similarity and niche segregation is a good rule of thumb for practical purposes.
THE SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF PREGNANT WOMEN WITH TOXOPLASMOSIS IN AL-QADISIYAH- IRAQ

ABSTRACT Background: Toxoplasma gondii infections are endemic in Iraq and represent a serious problem especially in Al-Qadisiyah province. In the province, the prevalence of toxoplasmosis among pregnant women in 2011 was 60% and mainly among those in the age group of 20-30 years old (68.2%). There are many socio-demographic risk factors for toxoplasmosis. However, there was no recent data describing socio-demographic characteristics of pregnant women with toxoplasmosis. Objective: The findings in this article is the results of a pilot study which was conducted to determine the socio-demographic characteristics of pregnant women with toxoplasma infection that attended the government maternity hospital in Al-Qadisiyah province, Iraq. Materials and Methods: A Cross-sectional survey was used. Cases were selected randomly; self-administered questionnaire in the Arabic language was used. The analysis was done using SPSS Version 21. Result: There was 68 respondent in this study. The mean and standard deviation of their age was 23.8± 6.6 years. The majority of them was in the age group of 35-39 years (25%), and most of them have monthly family income of 800,000-899,000 Iraqi Dinar equal to 683,661-768,264 USD, with a mean and s.deviation of 779.04 ± 209.79 Dinar. Most of the respondents have a primary level of education (41.2%), and most of them were housewives (76.5%). About 52.9% of the respondent live in the urban area. Conclusion: In this study, most of the pregnant women with toxoplasmosis were in the middle of age, living in the urban area and from the middle-income group (by Iraqi standards). The majority of them have low level of education, and most of them were housewives. Keywords: Toxoplasmosis, pregnant women, socio-demographic characteristics.
Foster carer experience in Spain

Resumen Background: The voice of foster families is a valuable tool in the development and improvement of foster family services. Regularly evaluating the satisfaction of foster carers can facilitate the early identi ﬁ cation of a range of problems that might pose a risk to the placement. Method: This article reports the experience of 200 Spanish foster families (kinship and non-kinship) with foster services in relation to motivation for becoming foster carers, sources of stress and reward, satisfaction with the services and needs. Semi-structured interviews were performed. The aims of the research are principally of a descriptive character, so each group of variables was examined using frequency analysis. Results: The foster carers interviewed demonstrated a high degree of satisfaction with the foster programs, although some areas seem more problematic, such as ﬁ nancial compensation, information provided about the fostered child, contact with the birth family and the sensitivity of professionals. Conclusions: This study reveals several differences with regard to international literature, that are related to particularities of the Spanish child care system. The results may be extremely useful for the implementation of policy changes which could contribute to raised levels of satisfaction for the foster carers, and increased effectiveness of the programs.
Investigating EFL Teachers' Familiarity with Effective Writing Approaches in Jordan

The present study aimed to investigate EFL teachers’ familiarity with Effective Writing Approaches. The sample consisted of 100 EFL teachers in Jordan. An instrument was used to collect data: a questionnaire used to identify EFL teachers’ familiarity with Effective Writing Approaches. Research findings revealed that EFL teachers’ familiarity with the instructional strategies was middle, That is, teachers used eclectic ways of teaching writing; but they often use the product approach, as it does not need much preparation and time and teachers are not often prepared to apply the process approach. Based on the findings, it is recommended that in-service training programs focusing on how and when to use effective writing approaches should be provided.
On the non-intrusive evaluation of fluid forces with the momentum equation approach

The aim of this paper is to discuss the advantages and difficulties linked with the experimental application of the momentum equation approach as a non-intrusive way to predict the unsteady loads experienced by an airfoil in motion. First, in order to evaluate the influence of the varying parameters relative to the calculation of the corresponding drag and lift coefficients, numerical flow fields obtained by means of DNS are used. The comprehension of the impact of the spatial and temporal resolutions, velocity accuracy or third velocity component on the estimation of forces allows us to quantify the accuracy of the approach and helps in specifying the parameters setting which could lead to a consistent experimental application. In a second step, the approach is applied to experimental flow fields measured through the use of time resolved particle image velocimetry (TR-PIV). A low Reynolds number flow around an impulsively started airfoil is considered. The loads and vorticity flow fields are correlated and compared with those obtained by DNS.
SEVILLA and U.M. LUSTRIA. 2006. Changes in rumen ecosystem and feed dry matter degradability of buffalo which received rumen content of cattle through cross inoculation

The research was done to identify changes in rumen ecosystem of buffalo which received rumen content of cattle. As much as three head of fistulated male buffaloes (live weight of 450-550 kg) and three fistulated female cattle (live weight 250-380 kg) were used. This experiment was done three stage as follows: pre-inoculation, inoculation and post-inoculation. In Pre-inoculation, the sample of rumen content was taken two hours before morning feeding and directly observed for pH rumen liquor, ammonia nitrogen (NH 3 -N) and total volatile fatty acid (VFA). During the last three days of the first week of pre and post inoculation, the in situ dry matter digestibility was conducted. The samples were incubated for 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours in the rumen of the experimental animals. Napier grass, leucaena, and wheat pollard were incubated separately in the nylon bags to determine DM digestibility. The cross inoculation (total of rumen content) was done less than 10 minutes. In post-inoculation, the sample of rumen content was taken at two hours before morning feeding as long as two days of two weeks after inoculation. Changes in rumen ecosystem (pH, NH 3 -N and total VFA) were tested by using Completely Randomized Design. Result showed that the transfer of rumen content from cattle to buffalo significantly reduced the pH level in the rumen of buffalo. However, it had no significant effect on the ammonia concentration in the rumen of buffalo and showed significantly decreased of bacteria but it was not affect on the total count of protozoa and fungi. The transfer of rumen content from cattle to buffalo significantly decreased the value of insoluble and potential digestible fraction of leucaena. The DM effective degradability of Napier grass was significantly increase (P<0.05) within outflow rate 0.02 and 0.04 h -1 after cross inoculation. In wheat pollard, a significantly decrease (P<0.05) was occurred when outflow rate was observed at 0.04, 0.06 and 0.08 h -1 Key Words: Rumen Ecosystem, Cross Inoculation, Degradability
Evaluation of Alveolar Bone Resorption Loss Rapid Maxillary Expansion Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography

Objective: To evaluate the changes on cortical bone thickness, alveolar bone height and the incidence of dehiscence and fenestration in surrounding alveolar bone of posterior teeth after rapid maxillary expansion (RME) treatment using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Subjects and Methods: CBCT records of twenty-subjects, 9-boys (mean-age:13.97±1.17-year) and 11-girls (mean-age:13.53±2.12-year) that had undergone RME were selected from the archives. CBCTs had been taken before (T1) and after (T2) RME. Also ten of the subjects had six-month retention (T3) records. CBCT images were evaluated from the buccal and palatal aspects for canines, first and second premolars and first molars at 3 vertical levels. Cortical bone-thickness and alveolar bone-height at T1 and T2 was evaluated with paired-samples t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Repeated-measures ANOVA or Friedman-test was used to evaluate the statistical significance at T1, T2 and T3. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: The buccal cortical bone thickness decreased gradually from baseline to the end of retention period. After expansion, buccal alveolar bone height reduced significantly but this change was not statistically significant after 6-month retention-period. During the course of treatment, percentages of dehiscence were found to be increased and the fenestrations decreased. Conclusion: RME may have detrimental effects on the supporting alveolar bone as thickness and height of buccal alveolar bone decreased.
How Does Exposure to Mass Media affect HIV Testing and HIV-Related Knowledge Among Adolescents? Evidence From Uganda

Sexual and reproductive health remains one of the greatest challenges in developing countries. In Uganda, adolescents are the most vulnerable group as far as HIV epidemic is concerned. Mass media awareness campaigns play a key role in promoting sexual and reproductive health among adolescents. Using Uganda’s 2016 Demographic Health Survey, we examine the causal effect of mass media exposure on the probability of adolescents getting an HIV test and their HIV-related knowledge. Our results suggest that the exposure to mass media increases both adolescents’ likelihood to get tested for HIV and their HIV-related knowledge score. In fact, we find that reading newspapers once a week increases the likelihood of an adolescent to test for HIV by 6.29 percentage points. Listening to radio once a week increases the probability to test for HIV by 4.57 percentage points. This effect increases to 6.56 percentage points when the adolescent listens to the radio more than once a week. Watching TV more than once a week increases adolescents’ probability to get tested for HIV by 8.57 percentage points. For HIV-related knowledge, we find that compared to adolescents who do not read newspapers at all, adolescents who read newspapers less than once a week and those who read newspapers at least once a week have a higher score of HIV-related knowledge of 9.12% and 9.64% respectively. Compared to adolescents who do not listen to radio at all, adolescents who listen to radio less than once a week have a higher (5.88%) score of HIV related knowledge. Moreover, listening to radio at least once a week increases the score of HIV-related knowledge by 5.52%. Hence, mass media awareness campaigns are important policies to promote HIV testing and HIV-related knowledge among adolescents in Uganda.
Capital Structure and Firm Characteristics: Some Evidence from Malaysian Companies

This study tests the determinants of capital structure for the firms listed in the Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad (BMSB) market during the six year period from 1999 through 2005. The financial statements of 17 companies with numbers of observations totaling 102 are used. We use dependent variable of debt ratio and is expressed by total debt divided by total assets while the independent variables are size, growth, liquidity and interest coverage ratio. Applying pooled OLS estimations, the result shows that the size, liquidity and interest coverage ratio is significantly negatively related to total debt. However, the study finds insignificant negative relation between capital structure and growth of the firm, expressed by the annual changes of earnings. The results also reveal that there is significant different in capital structure among firms that adopt more debt (more than 30 per cent of their total assets) and those which employ less leverage financing.
EVALUATION OF INHIBITORY EFFECT OF HONEY ON SOME BACTERIAL ISOLATES

Background: Honey has been reported to have an inhibitory effect to around 60 species of bacteria including aerobes and anaerobes, gram-positives and gram-negatives. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial activity of honey sample from Basrah region against certain bacterial isolate. Method: different concentrations (25.0%, 50.0%, 75.0% and 100.0%) of honey sample where checked for their antimicrobial activities, using some medically important microorganisms including Escherichia coli, pseudomonas spp. and staphylococcus aureus. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the honey sample were determined on the selected microorganisms by using broth dilution technique Result: The sample of honey show inhibitory effect in vitro at 50%, 75% and 100% concentration on the various investigated microorganism except at 50% concentration where no inhibition zone on Staphylococcus aureus. However, no effect was observed at concentration 25%. The MIC for Escherichia coli, pseudomonas spp. and staphylococcus aureus were 6.25mg/ml, 1.5mg/ml and 12.5 mg/ml respectively. Conclusion: The study shows that honey, like antibiotics, has certain organisms sensitive to it, and provide alternative therapy against cretin bacteria. And shown to have an antimicrobial action against a broad spectrum of bacteria ( both gram positive and gram negative bacteria).
Thyroid Cancers: Considerations, Classifications, and Managements

Rapidly increasing trend of thyroid cancer incidence has turned this disease into a global concern. An estimated number of 64,300 new cases of thyroid cancer occurred in men and women in 2016, which represents 3.8% of all new cancer cases of USA (https://seer. cancer.gov/statfacts/html/thyro.html). Thus, there is a high possibility for every physi cian to encounter a case of thyroid cancer during his/her professional lifetime. In this chapter, we clarified epidemiology, different categories, and new approaches toward diagnosis and management of thyroid cancer.
Liability of Foreignness in Global Stock Markets: Liquidity Dynamics of Foreign IPOs in the US

Using a unique dataset of foreign and domestic IPOs listings in the US from 1990 to 2012, we study how foreignness affects IPO liquidity. We find that foreign IPOs enjoy higher liquidity than IPOs in their home countries, but do not fully gain the same liquidity benefits as for IPOs of domestic US issuers. In contrast to prior evidence for mature cross-listed firms, we show that liquidity differentials between foreign and domestic IPOs in the US are determined by information asymmetry related to foreignness rather than to home-country institutional environment characteristics. Thus, our results extend prior findings to reveal salient differences in liquidity and liquidity determinants between IPOs offerings by foreign and domestic firms in the US.
The Laffer Curve of Macroeconomic Volatility and Growth: Can it Be Explained by the Different Nature of Crises?

Building upon the general consensus that macroeconomic volatility reduces economic growth since Ramey and Ramey (1995), we empirically show - for over 100 countries during the period 1978-2002 - that a moderate degree of volatility can actually be growth-enhancing while very high volatility is clearly detrimental. These results point to the existence of a "Laffer curve" between volatility and growth. We also find evidence that the detrimental effect of high volatility can be mainly attributed to the occurrence of sovereign crises while banking crises reduce volatility for certain model specifications. In sum, the existence of a "Laffer curve" between volatility and growth can be attributed, at least in part, to the different nature of the crisis buffeting each country.
Crop sequences in Western Australia: what are they and are they sustainable? Findings of a four-year survey

Abstract. A survey was conducted of commercial broadacre paddocks in the south-west cropping zone of Western Australia from 2010 to 2013. In total, 687 paddock years of data were sampled from 184 paddocks. The land use of each paddock was recorded together with measurements of weed density, the incidence of soilborne pathogen DNA, and soil inorganic nitrogen (nitrate and ammonium). The dynamics of these biophysical variables were related to the crop and pasture sequences employed. Wheat was the most frequent land use (60% of paddock years), followed by canola and pasture (12% each), and lupins and barley (6% each). Four crop species, wheat, canola, barley and lupins, accounted for 84% of land use. By region, wheat, canola, barley and lupin accounted for 90% of land use in the Northern Agricultural Region (NAR), 83% in the Central Agricultural Region (CAR) and 78% in the Southern Agricultural Region (SAR). Conversely, pasture usage in the SAR was 21%, compared with 12% in the CAR and 7% in the NAR. Over the surveyed paddocks, weed density, soilborne pathogens and soil N were maintained at levels suitable for wheat production. The inclusion of land uses other than wheat at the frequency reported maintained the condition of these biophysical variables.
Distinguishing Rice Genotypes using Morphological , Agronomical , and Molecular Markers

Complete data on characteristics of a rice variety is very important to trace the authenticity of the variety at the field. Sometimes a name of a variety had changed, due to the informal seed distribution among farmers. This could become problem in the property right of the variety. Distinguishing among rice varieties using only morphological and agronomical traits are sometimes not sufficient. Currently, molecular markers such as SSR (Simple Sequence Repeats) and SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) markers have become available and are powerfull to distinguish rice genotypes. This research was aimed to distinguish nine rice varieties grown by farmers, using morphological characters (47 traits), agronomical characters (9 traits), SSR markers (12 primer pairs, related with important traits of rice plant), and 384 SNP markers, and to compare the effectiveness of each technique in distinguishing among genotypes. A field experiment was conducted in Ranca Jaya village, Patok Beusi, Subang, West Java during Wet Season (WS) of 2011/2012, using a Randomized Complete Block Design in three replications. A modified CTAB method was used to extract DNA for detection using 12 SSR markers and 384 SNP markers. The results revealed that the use of SSR markers that were linked to certain genes was more accurate than that of the SNP markers, agronomic, and morphological characters, in distinguishing differences among the 9 rice genotypes. The complete data of morphologic, agronomic, and molecular are useful to distinguish the authenticity of a variety in order to protect the intelectual property right attached on the variety.
Market Reaction to Dividend Announcement: Evidence from Turkish Stock Market

This study investigates market reactions to cash dividend announcements by analyzing abnormal returns around the declaration date in Borsa Istanbul. The study applies a panel regression method to a data set including 902 announcement made by 118 companies during the period from 2003 to 2015. It is found that there is a significant, negative relationship between cash dividends per share and abnormal returns following the announcement of dividends. Thus, the results support the tax-clientele effect hypothesis. When a given company announces cash dividends, shareholders start to sell their holdings in order to avoid more taxation in the future; therefore, market prices decrease. Furthermore, the results suggest that there is no statistically significant information leakage prior to the announcement date, and it seems that the inefficiency of the market decreases over time as prices adapt to new information more quickly.
To share or not to share? (non-)violence, scarcity and resource access in Somali Region, Ethiopia

Abstract Scholars in the environmental security tradition have sought to explicate the links between environmental scarcity (or degradation) and the onset of different forms of political violence and how these are mediated by institutional mechanisms. The Malthusian trap here is not a direct deterministic relationship, but rather a possibility, where environmental scarcity when it coincides with socio-economic processes of rent-seeking and exclusion triggers political conditions ripe for violent struggles. This a priori attention to scarcity as causal mechanism blurs our understanding why violence occurs in some and does not in other places. Our research strategy is therefore different: we study a case of non-violent relations between resource users under conditions of environmental scarcity (due to drought) and political instability and look into the crucial role of local institutions in governing competing resource claims. Our case from the violence-prone Somali Region, Ethiopia analyses how agro-pastoralist communities develop sharing arrangements on pasture resources with intruding pastoralist communities in drought years, even though this places additional pressure on their grazing resource. A household survey investigates the determinants for different households in the agro-pastoralist community, asset-poor and wealthy ones, to enter into different types of sharing arrangements. Our findings suggest that resource sharing offers asset-poor households opportunities to stabilise and enhance their asset-base in drought years, providing incentives for cooperative rather than conflicting relations with intruding pastoralists.
Off-farm participation decision and its impact on crop yield in Northern Ethiopia

One of the most important facets of off-farm activities is providing employment opportunities and additional income for rural households and thereby accommodates the seasonal and fluctuating agricultural production. Given this, identifying the underlying determinants of off-farm participation and its impact on crop yield was found to be of the essence. Cross sectional data was collected through structured questionnaire administered on 384 randomly selected farmers. Descriptive statistics, probit and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) models as well as t and chi-square tests were used to analyze the data. The regression result revealed that off-farm participation was positively influenced by gender, education, working people, number of pack animals and credit access; while age and land size carried a negative sign. Off-farm participation was also found to have a negative and statistically significant impact on crop yield where non-participants were better producers; since majority of off-farm participants participate only on food-for-work which has nothing to add for crop yield rather than compromising farm activities. Hence, training on non-farm activities need to be given; the current adult education, being propagating, need to be strengthened; and there is a need to solve liquidity problem through credit access that could serve as startup capital. Key words: Off-farm, participation, smallholder farmers, probit, Ordinary Least Square (OLS).