Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Moral Foundations of U.S. Political News Sources

The media ecosystem has grown, and political opinions have diverged such that there are competing conceptions of objective truth. Commentators often point to political biases in news coverage as a catalyst for this political divide. The Moral Foundations Dictionary (MFD) facilitates identification of ideological leanings in text through frequency of the occurrence of certain words. Through web scraping, the researcher extracted articles from popular news sources’ websites, calculated MFD word frequencies, and identified words’ respective valences. This process attempts to uncover news outlets’ positive or negative endorsements of certain moral dimensions concomitant with a particular ideology. In Experiment 1, the researcher gathered political articles from four sources. The researcher was unable to reveal significant differences in moral or political endorsements, but they solidified the method to be employed in further research. In Experiment 2, the researcher expanded the number of sources to 10 and analyzed articles that pertain to two specific topics: the 2018 confirmation hearings of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and the partial U.S. Government Shutdown of 20182019. Once again, no significant differences in moral or political endorsements were found.
THERMAL INSULATION CHARACTERISTICS OF STRUCTURAL LIGHTWEIGHT AND NORMAL WEIGHT CONCRETES PRODUCED WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF AGGREGATES

The present paper aims at evaluating the thermal characteristics of structural lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) produced using different w/c ratios and several types of lightweight aggregates, with distinct porosities. In order to perform this study, an experimental campaign was conducted, involving physical, mechanic and thermal tests of the produced specimens. The mixtures produced involved 4 types of lightweight aggregate and 1 type of normal weight aggregate; 4 different w/c ratios (0.35, 0.45, 0.55 and 0.65), which have various levels of mortar compactness, covering a vast range of LWAC. Thermal conductivity was measured and analysed using both a transient and a stationary method. Depending on the type of aggregate, a thermal conductivity coefficient reduction from 30 to 60% was obtained in LWAC, compared to reference NWC of equal composition.
Runoff vs . Plurality : Does It Matter for Fiscal Policy ? Evidence from Italy ∗

This paper compares the runoff system and the plurality rule in terms of the implemented fiscal policy. I use the change in the voting rule in Italian municipalities at 15,000 residents to implement a regression discontinuity design. The results show that municipalities under the runoff system spend at least 10 percent more than those under the plurality rule, and that additional expenditures are not financed via higher taxation. This evidence is rationalized using a simple theoretical framework in which office-motivated politicians under the runoff are induced by electoral incentives to exert more effort in the provision of public good. JEL Classification: D72; E02; H39; H5
A Primer on Regression Artifacts

Graphical Introduction. Mathematics and Special Cases. Regression Artifacts Due to Extreme Group Selection. Regression Artifacts Due to Matching. Regression Artifacts Due to Statistical "Equating". Regression Artifacts in Change Scores. Regression Artifacts in Time-Series Studies. Regression Artifacts in Longitudinal Studies. Cross-Lagged Panel Correlation Analysis. Conclusion. Glossary of Terms. Glossary of Symbols. Appendix A: Dice-Rolling Program and Data Sets Used as Illustrations. Appendix B: The Computation of Autocorrelation.
Free Software: A Case Study of Software Development in a Virtual Organizational Culture

This study is part of an ongoing comparative study of various types of open software communities including both free and open source software projects. This study examines how the organizational cultural beliefs and values of a free software virtual organization influence software development processes. It provides examples that illustrate the importance of personal motivation and a sense of working as a team in the perpetuation of a virtual work community. It presents the world of the GNUenterprise.org project as a virtual organizational culture that embodies the beliefs of free software and freedom of choice, and the values of community building and cooperative work. A close study of this project shows how these beliefs and values are manifested in software development methods, artifacts, and tool choice, as well as how dispersed developers cooperate and resolve conflict in a virtual community. Data collection includes the content analysis of Internet Relay Chat archives; kernel cousins archives (summary digests of IRC and mailing list archives); mailing list archives; email interviews; Web site documents and observations; and personal interviews conducted at two open source conferences. Two cases from IRC and mailing list archives of the GNUe virtual community at work are presented for in-depth analyses and comparison. Cultural beliefs and values combined with motivations directly influence the processes of free software development. Results show evidence of consensus-building and consistency across practices and artifacts. In addition, the beliefs and values are consistent with each other – all working in concert to form the ideology that promotes and perpetuates the free software movement and its many communities.
Small Steps or Giant Leaps ? Competition and the Size of Innovations

Does an increase in competition incentivize firms to aim higher or does it shift their R&D strategies towards less risky and more incremental innovation? In a duopoly model, in which competition policy affects the substitutability between firms’ products, I find that more intense competition draws firms’ R&D strategies from drastic innovation towards smaller steps. The private benefits of small innovations are affected more by competition policy as there is more room for business stealing to increase than with large steps. This effect is compatible with the inverted-U relationship in Aghion et al. (2005)’s data between competition and total innovation and the model implies that the level of competition, at which the absolute amount of large innovation in the economy is maximized, is lower than the level which maximizes overall innovation. In a first empirical test of these predictions the study takes advantage of an instrument for Chinese import competition from Bloom et al. (2016) to establish causality and quantifies the type of innovation applying machine learning methods for textual analysis of patent abstracts to create new measures. I find support for the theoretical prediction of a decline in the share of large innovations as competition increases. These results imply a competition policy tradeoff between incentives for R&D and the distortion towards small steps if the externalities of large innovations are higher.
Association between Serum Uric Acid Levels and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia

Uric acid (UA) is the end product of purine metabolism in humans. Previous studies showed that serum UA levels were associated with diabetes mellitus (DM). However, there are limited studies done on the association between UA and diabetic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Therefore, the aim of this study was to know the relationship between these two parameters in our population. A retrospective record review was conducted involving adult patients who were diagnosed to have T2DM from 1 January 2012 to 31 June 2014. Good controlled of T2DM was defined as HbA1c level less than 6.5% whereas HbA1c level more than 6.5% was considered as poor control. Descriptive statistics and Independent ttest were utilized and the level of significance was set at p<0.05. Seventy seven patients had good glycemic control and another 77 patients had poor glycemic control. The mean of serum UA in good control patients was 348.8 μmol/L (98.56) and 300.7 μmol/L (89.99) in poor control patients (p = 0.002, 95% CI 18.06, 78.17). This study suggests a positive association between the plasma concentration of UA and good controlled DM. Our study also found out that age, gender, duration of T2DM, waist circumference and serum triglyceride were significant associated factors with serum UA level in T2DM patients in Hospital USM. As UA has a role in oxidative stress which may further contribute to development of diabetic complications, the findings could help in proposing UA to become a risk marker for diabetic complication in the future.
The postulate for the systematic mainstreaming of impairments in Tourism Education in South Africa : A literature synthesis

This article seeks to ascertain the existence of a void in mainstreaming impairment issues and mildphysically impaired persons in tourism education. The insights were obtained from Afro-centric tourism studies on tourists with disabilities needs, motivations, expectations and wants (Breedt, 2007; Chikuta, 2015; Chikuta et al., 2017, 2018; Snyman 2002). Hence, the paper identifies the problem, ascertaining the extent of the gaps, and then making propositions to the tourism education. An extensive literature review was conducted through triangulating Tesch and Creswell’s steps in qualitative data analysis. North-West University (Boloka) Institutional Repository, Scopus, Google Scholar, JSTOR, Emerald Insights Journals, Science Direct, SAePublications, Sabinet, Union Catalogue of Theses and Dissertations (1919-2001), NEXUS, National Electronic Thesis and Dissertations Portal, DART, Caltech Thesis and Theses Canada were the sources of texts. 10 000 articles were accessed and only 150 texts that dated from 1990-2018 (except for seminal theory) were set for this paper. The search scoped the usage of terms impairments, disability and tourism education as contextualised to policy and practice. The findings noted a void in mainstreaming impairments issues, and/or mild-physically impaired persons within the tourism education. This is prevalent in the global tourism village, hence a cause for tourism human resources’ lack of capacity/aptitude to serve visitors with impairments. However, the current emphasis is on physical accessibility, though skewed towards the mobile impairments at the expense of other types of impairments. The problem comes in ‘how can tourism/hospitality personnel behave and/ or which attitude should they exhibit while serving a visitor with impairment’. Such a dilemma may arise due to a lack of knowledge and interactive exposure among non-impaired tourism/hospitality personnel. To this effect, unsatisfactory service delivery is not an exception. The paper’s propositions scoped the mainstreaming of impairments and mild-physically impaired persons in tourism education. Such would emanate from inter alia, the tourism education policy, tourism curricula, curricula content and the delivery/teaching and learning environs. Such aspects once considered effectively would bring capacity/aptitude in tourism human resources (either with or without impairments) to serve visitors with impairments in the pre-arrival period, and also during and post-tourism/hospitality service consumption process.
Influence of prolonged flaxseed ( Linum usitatissimum ) consumption over epididymis and testicle histoarchitecture of Wistar rats

Corrêa L.B. N.S. , Cardozo L.F. M.F. , Ribeiro I.C. A, Boaventura G.T. & Chagas M.A. 2017. Influence of prolonged flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) consumption over epididymis and testicle histoarchitecture of Wistar rats. Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira 37(6):650-656. Laboratório de Biomorfologia Celular e Extracelular, Instituto Biomédico, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Rua Prof. Hernani Melo 101, São Domingos, Niterói, RJ 24210-130, Brazil. E-mail: chagas.m@gmail.com Flaxseed is considered a functional food with several health benefits. However, because of its high phytoestrogen content, flaxseed influences hormone metabolism and affects the gonadal biomorphology. In this study, computerized histomorphometry was used to evaluate seminiferous and epididymal tubules, considering the different regions of the epididymis (head, body and tail) of rats subjected to a prolonged diet of flaxseed. Young adult male Wistar rats (n=20) were divided into 2 groups during their lactation period: Control Group (CG), fed casein-based meals and Flaxseed Group (FG), fed a 25% flaxseed meal. After 250 days of continuous ingestion, the animals were euthanized and a blood sample was collected. The testicles and epididymis were removed and fixed in buffered formalin solution. The samples were subjected to routine histological paraffin techniques and stained with hematoxilin and eosin. Immunostaining was performed using an antivimentin antibody for Sertoli cell identification. For morphometry, images of the slides were scanned and analyzed using Image J to determine the epithelial height, tubular and luminal diameter and tubular and luminal area. In the hormonal evaluation, FG had a higher serum concentration of estrogen (P=0.001), but no change was observed in the concentration of testosterone. The morphometric assay of seminiferous tubules and epididymal regions revealed no significant differences between the analyzed groups. Similarly, Sertoli cell quantification showed no significant differences in the FG (P=0.98). These results revealed that the continuous and prolonged intake of 25% flaxseed meals from gestation to 250 days of age, even with a significant increase in serum levels of estradiol, does not exert adverse effects on the testicular and epididymal structure or on the cells participating in the spermatogenesis of rats.
Human Resource Accounting: A Panacea to Financial Reporting Problem

Contemporary accounting scandal in the corporate world has cast aspersions on the reliability of financial reporting calling for urgent solution to restore lost investors’ confidence. This study examined how the inclusion of human assets in the statement of financial position of companies could serve as a panacea towards answering the reliability question in financial reporting, since most of the said scandals have been attributed to human behaviour. Secondary data obtained from four companies, 2 each in Nigeria and Ghana (Cadbury Nigeria Plc; Dangote Cement Plc; Fan Milk Ghana Limited and PZ Cussons Ghana Ltd) for 2012-2015 were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The Lev & Schwartz’s Present value of future earnings model was adopted to recognise the human assets in those reports with the amended financials revealing an improvement in the value of the companies. The result of the statistical test showed mixed results revealing non-normality of almost all the financial indices of Return on Asset, Return on Equity, Leverage and Earnings Per Share, thereby resulting in the rejection of the null hypotheses while the Analysis of Variance favoured the null, as the test reveals higher f-stat (p-val.) at 5% significant level for all the financial indices. It was concluded that human resource accounting may resolve some unethical challenges questioning the reliability of financial reporting. It was therefore recommended that accounting standard setters, IASB, should bring out an exposure draft for an enduring standard on human resource accounting. Keywords: accounting standards, financial reporting, human assets, human resources accounting, reliability.
A GENERAL FRAMEWORK FOR STOCHASTIC INVESTIGATIONS OF MORTALITY AND INVESTMENT RISKS

The paper considers two of the principal risks to which life insurers and pension plans are subject (mortality and interest rate/investment performance risks) and sets out (taking as an example a portfolio of annuity business) a general framework for analyzing such risks and investigating strategies to manage them. The framework consists of submodels for the constituent parts of the problem (including data, mortality rates, the economic environment, investment strategy and the reserving behaviour adopted by management). A general framework is useful because it enables substitution of alternative submodels without disturbing the remainder of the overall model. Specimen calculation results are provided.
Effect of dietary intake of Phyllanthus niruri L. on fingerlings of freshwater fish, Cyprinus carpio L

The aim of the present investigation was to elucidate the growth promoting effect and immunostimulatory role of the medicinal plant, Phyllanthus niruri on the freshwater fish, Cyprinus carpio. Bioenergetics, biochemical constituents (muscle, whole body, serum) and histological (intestine, liver) parameters of the fish C. carpio was evaluated to understand the effect of P. niruri supplemented diet. Incorporation of 1 and 2 % of P. niruri in the feed enhanced the consumption rate, assimilation and conversion efficiency, protein, carbohydrate and lipid content in muscle, whole body and serum of the fish, C. carpio. Histological analysis of the liver and intestine showed a normal architecture suggesting it as an effective dietary formulation. The results of challenge test suggest that the fishes fed with 2 % P. niruri diet had better immunostimulatory activity compared to the control group. Thus, our finding confirms our contention that P. niruri is a growth promoter and immunostimulator.
Effects of the Loss Tangent , Dielectric Substrate Permittivity and Thickness on the Performance of Circular Microstrip Antennas

The effects of loss tangent, dielectric substrate permittivity and thickness on the electrical properties of circular microstrip antenna (CMSA) excited by a coaxial-feed have been investigated using cavity model. Accuracy of the present results of resonance frequency, input resistance, bandwidth, efficiency, gain, and directivity are compared with previous work which has been done theoretically and experimentally. خلا ـ صلا ــــ ة لاو ةيئابرهكلا ةيحامسلاو يسامملا نادقفلا ريثأت ةسارد ثحبلا اذه يف مت تايئاوهلا يف ةلزاعلا ةداملل كمس ةيذغتلاب ةجيهملاو ةيرئادلا ةقيقدلا ةيطيرشلا كلاسلأاب تاباسحلا هذهل جمانرب ريوطتو ءانب مت ثيح ةيروحملا ةفاضلإاب ىلإ . ةيهاجتلااو ةيحبرلاو ةءافكلاو ةمزحلا ضرعو ينينرلا ددرتلا باسح باسحلاو ةيبيرجتلا جئاتنلا عم جئاتنلا تنروق ثيح تاباسح جئاتن تنيبو نيثحابلا نم ددعل ةيرظنلا تا . ادج ةديج ةقد يلاحلا جمانربلا Prof. Dr. Jamal W. Salman Electrical Eng. Dept., College of Engineering Al-Mustansiriya University, Baghdad, Iraq Asst. Prof. Dr. Mudhaffer M. Ameen Electrical Eng. Dept., College of Engineering Salahaddin University, Salahaddin, Iraq Lect. Star O. Hassan Electrical Eng. Dept., College of Engineering Salahaddin University, Salahaddin, Iraq Journal of Engineering and Development, Vol. 10, No.1, March (2006) ISSN 1813-7822 2
STATE OF THE ART : Imaging Prostate Cancer : Multidisciplinary Perspective

Hedvig Hricak, MD, PhD Peter L. Choyke, MD Steven C. Eberhardt, MD Steven A. Leibel, MD Peter T. Scardino, MD The major goal for prostate cancer imaging in the next decade is more accurate disease characterization through the synthesis of anatomic, functional, and molecular imaging information. No consensus exists regarding the use of imaging for evaluating primary prostate cancers. Ultrasonography is mainly used for biopsy guidance and brachytherapy seed placement. Endorectal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is helpful for evaluating local tumor extent, and MR spectroscopic imaging can improve this evaluation while providing information about tumor aggressiveness. MR imaging with superparamagnetic nanoparticles has high sensitivity and specificity in depicting lymph node metastases, but guidelines have not yet been developed for its use, which remains restricted to the research setting. Computed tomography (CT) is reserved for the evaluation of advanced disease. The use of combined positron emission tomography/CT is limited in the assessment of primary disease but is gaining acceptance in prostate cancer treatment follow-up. Evidence-based guidelines for the use of imaging in assessing the risk of distant spread of prostate cancer are available. Radionuclide bone scanning and CT supplement clinical and biochemical evaluation (prostate-specific antigen [PSA], prostatic acid phosphate) for suspected metastasis to bones and lymph nodes. Guidelines for the use of bone scanning (in patients with PSA level 10 ng/mL) and CT (in patients with PSA level 20 ng/mL) have been published and are in clinical use. Nevertheless, changes in practice patterns have been slow. This review presents a multidisciplinary perspective on the optimal role of modern imaging in prostate cancer detection, staging, treatment planning, and follow-up.
Fatigue Behaviour of Axial Loaded Grouted Joints in Tests

By the year 2030, 15 GW of Germany’s electric energy demand shall be covered by offshore wind farms according to the goals of the german government [1]. To achieve these goals about 30 to 40 wind farms with an overall amount of up to 3000 offshore wind turbines (OWT) need to be erected. These offshore wind farms are mainly located in the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the North Sea. As the Maritime Spatial Plan for the North Sea [2] shows, most of of these areas have water depths of 30 m and deeper. For these large water depths up to now the preferred solution is a lattice substructure [3], the jacket (cf. Figure 1).
Generic Human-Health Assessment Criteria for Benzo [ a ] Pyrene at Former Coking

Coking works were a subset of the UK coal carbonisation industry. Coal carbonisation involved heating coal in the absence of air to produce coke, coal gas and coal tar, and several by-products, such as ammoniacal liquors and sulphur (Department of the Environment, 1995). The primary function of coking works was to produce coke. Coke is the solid carbon residue after most of the organic components present in coal have been volatilised. However, other byproducts were often also commercially exploited. From at least the 1920s coke was used in the manufacture of smokeless fuels. This use increased following the implementation of clean air legislation in the 1950s which required many homes in Britain to abandon burning coal and adopt cleaner-burning fuels.
Genotypic Characterization and Resistance Patterns of Flavobacterium columnare from Pond-cultured Clarias gariepinus

Studies have shown that there are three different Flavobacterium species that are primary pathogens to freshwater cultured and wild fish populations (Clifford, 2011). They are: Flavobacterium columnare, the cause of columnaris disease, Flavobacterium branchiophilum, the cause of bacterial gill disease, and Flavobacterium psychrophilum, the cause of bacterial Coldwater disease. However, the diseases and mortality caused by these pathogens constitutes one of the broadest host and geographic ranges of any of the bacterial pathogens to fishes. Fish pathogenic Flavobacterium columnare are apparently ubiquitous in tropical and sub-tropical freshwater aquatic environments and occur in water temperatures ranging from 20 25°C and above (Chalkoo et al., 2007). A lot of cultured freshwater fish species have been affected by at least one of these pathogens. Many cultured and wild fish species are considered at risk of infection and possible disease outbreak. Columnaris disease affects aquaculture species, particularly the catfish species, as well as many aquarium species.