Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Surprise and Uncertainty Indexes: Real-Time Aggregation of Real-Activity Macro Surprises

I construct two daily, real-time, real activity indexes for the United States, Euro area, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan: (i) a surprise index that summarizes recent economic data surprises and measures optimism/pessimism about the state of the economy, and (ii) an uncertainty index that measures uncertainty related to the state of the economy. The surprise index preserves the properties of the underlying series in affecting asset prices, with the advantage of being a parsimonious summary measure of real-activity surprises. For the United States, the real-activity uncertainty index is compared to other proxies commonly used to measure uncertainty to show that when uncertainty is strictly related to real activity, it has a potentially milder impact on economic activity than when it also relates to the financial sector.
Near-infrared and optical observations of galactic warps: A common, unexplained feature of most discs

Context. Warps occurring in galactic discs have been studied extensively in HI and in the optical, but rarely in the near-infrared (NIR) bands that trace the older stellar populations. Aims. We provide NIR data of nearby edge-on galaxies, combined with optical observations, for direct comparison of the properties of galactic warps as a function of wavelength, and calculate warp curves for each galaxy and obtain the characteristic warp parameters. We discuss these properties as possible constraints to the different mechanisms that have been proposed for the development and persistence of galactic warps. Methods. We observed 20 galaxies that were selected from a statistically complete diameter-limited subsample of edge-on disc galaxies. We used the Cerro Tololo Infrared Imager (CIRIM) at the CTIO 1.5 m Ritchey-Chretien telescope to acquire the NIR data. We used the 1.54 m Danish and 0.92 m Dutch telescopes at the European Southern Observatory's La Silla site for our optical observations. Results. Our results show that 13 of our 20 sample galaxies are warped, with the warp more pronounced in the optical than at NIR wavelengths. In the remaining seven galaxies, no warp is apparent within the limitations of our automated detection method. The transition between the unperturbed inner disc and the outer, warped region is rather abrupt. S0 galaxies exhibit very small or no warps. The magnetic model remains one of a number of interesting formation scenarios.
Assessment of Temporal Ecosystem Responses to Phytoplankton via Photosynthetic Pigments under a Potential Oil Spill Event in Iskenderun Bay

Ecosystem risk assessments after oil spills need at least one biological component‟s response to have some degree of understanding of the risks associated with the spill. In this study, crude oil spill impacts were studied under a spill scenario in Iskenderun Bay, which is a highly prone area to oil tanker accidents due to the high levels of transpassing. The study evaluated phytoplankton communities‟ response in 4 different seasons. Photosynthetic pigments data, obtained by HPLC, was used to assess community shifts of phytoplankton under different doses of the crude oil. It was found that the time of year of incidence is critical to understanding the consequences because a highly significant response difference was detected, which is more than an order of magnitude between winter and fall seasons. Due to physical conditions of seawater and initial phytoplankton compositions, the ecosystem showed more tolerance to the crude oil in winter than other seasons. EC50 values varied between 11.5 and 122.3 μg/L total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentrations for all seasons.It is shown that the time of the year and known TPH concentrations of the seawater can possibly tell us about the potential impact of an oil spill in this region.
Knowing and remembering in young children

Preface List of contributors 1. Introduction: what young children remember and why Judith A. Hudson and Robyn Fivush 2. Remembering what happened next: very young children's recall of event sequences Patricia J. Bauer and Jean M. Mandler 3. Developmental differences in the relation between scripts and episodic memory: do they exist? Michael Jeffrey Farrar and Gail S. Goodman 4. Children's organisation of events and event memories Hilary Horn Ratner, Brenda S. Smith and Robert J. Padgett 5. Young children's understanding of models Judy S. DeLoache 6. Children's play interests, representation and activity K. Ann Renninger 7. The emergence of autobiographical memory in mother-child conversation Judith A. Hudson 8. The social and functional context of children's remembering Barbara Rogoff and Jayanthi Mistry 9. Autobiographical memory across the preschool years: toward reconceptualising childhood amnesia Robyn Fivush and Nina R. Hamond 10. Children's concerns and memory: issues of ecological validity in the study of children's eyewitness testimony Gail S. Goodman, Leslie Rudy, Bette L. Bottoms and Christine Aman 11. The suggestibility of preschoolers' recollections: historical perspectives on current problems Stephen J. Ceci, Michael P. Toglia and David F. Ross 12. Remembering, forgetting and childhood amnesia Katherine Nelson 13. Recall and its verbal expression Jean M. Mandler 14. Learning from the children Ulric Neisser Indexes.
A Look at How Effective English Writing Strategies Are

In view of the importance of writing strategies, this current study discusses what strategies junior middle school students can use to improve their writing after writing strategies training. Additionally, it examines whether using writing strategies in the writing process can promote students’ learner autonomy in terms of writing, and whether they enhance their writing achievements or not. The experiment lasted 12 weeks and was conducted in Tangma Junior Middle School. The research participants were 96 students selected randomly from two classes in Grade 9, an experimental class and control class. The major research findings show that, after training in writing strategies, students in the experimental class could use more strategies to instruct their writing process, and it is also concluded that using writing strategies in the writing process could enhance students’ writing achievements. Meanwhile, their autonomous learning abilities in terms of writing were also improved, from low to medium level.
Silent Hands: A Leader’s Ability to Create Nonverbal Immediacy

Nonverbal immediacy is a core element of a leader’s ability to lead followers. Nevertheless, there are no empirical studies regarding a link between a leader’s hand gestures and followers’ perceptions of immediacy (attraction to someone) or nonimmediacy (distancing). Guided by Mehrabian’s theory of nonverbal behavior, this study included one independent variable segmented into seven levels (positive hand gestures defined as community hand, humility hands, and steepling hands; three defensive gestures, defined as hands in pocket, arms crossed over chest, and hands behind back; and neutral/no hand gestures) to test for immediacy or nonimmediacy. In this experimental study, participants (n = 300; male = 164; female = 143) were shown one of seven pictures of a leader. Four hypotheses were tested for main and interactional effects and all were supported by the results. Immediate communication received strong support, meaning immediacy on the part of a leader is likely to lead to increased emotional connection to achieve desirable outcomes. This study advances theory from previous research that specific hand gestures are more effective than others at creating immediacy between leaders and followers.
Response of Hybrid Lowland Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Cultivar FARO44 to Salinity in Coastal Plain Sands of the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Salinity is veritable issue in coastal lowlands of Niger Delta, due to salt water intrusion, and can reduce yield of lowland rice. Hybrid lowland rice cultivar (particularly FARO44; SIPI) are currently distributed and cultivated across Nigerian agroecological zones but the specific effect of salinity on these hybrid rice varieties is not well defined. This study seeks to determine the effect of sodium chloride (NaCl) on germination and seedling growth of FARO44 (SIPI). The study was a pot experiment, with 5 levels of sodium chloride (NaCl) concentrations (0, 1.0, 1.5, 3.0, and 5.0 dS cm-1). The seeds took about 30days to germinate in the control, as compared to other treatments. Germination was 42% in the control, 45% at 1.0 dS cm-1 and 34% at 5.0 dS cm-1. A visual assessment for salt injury showed that the Control plants had normal growth of leaves and at 5.0 dS cm-1 NaCl, there was nearly normal growth of leaves but the tips of the leaves were whitish and rolled. Vegetative growth studies showed that the height to the first leaf in the control was 4.45m and the longest height to the first leave was recorded at 1.5 dS cm-1 NaCl. The tallest (38.7 cm) plants were observed at the 1.5 dS cm-1 NaCl treatment but it was statistically similar with other treatment expect in the control which had the lowest plant height (23.4 cm). The highest number of leaves was recorded at 1.5 dS cm-1 NaCl concentration, while lowest was recorded with 5.0 dS cm-1 NaCl. FARO44(SIPI) appears to tolerate NaCl of up to 1.5 dS cm-1.
Sudden increase in Antarctic sea ice: Fact or artifact?

Three sea ice data sets commonly used for climate research display a large and abrupt increase in Antarctic sea ice area (SIA) in recent years. This unprecedented change of SIA is diagnosed to be primarily caused by an apparent sudden increase in sea ice concentrations within the ice pack, especially in the area of the most‐concentrated ice (greater than 95% concentration). A series of alternative satellite‐derived records do not display any abnormal sudden SIA changes, but do reveal substantial discrepancies between different satellite sensors and sea ice algorithms. Sea ice concentrations in the central ice pack and SIA values derived from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System (AMSRE) are consistently greater than those derived from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSMI). A switch in source data from the SSMI to AMSRE in mid‐2009 explains most of the SIA increase in all three affected data sets. If uncorrected for, the discontinuity artificially exaggerates the winter Antarctic SIA increase (1979–2010) by more than a factor of 2 and the spring trend by almost a factor of 4. The discontinuity has a weaker influence on the summer and autumn SIA trends, on calculations of Antarctic sea ice extent, and in the Arctic.
A Model Study of Powder Particle Size Effects in Cold Spray Deposition

Abstract : The importance of high velocity for good particle deposition efficiency in the cold spray process is well known. Small particles achieve high velocities during nozzle acceleration, but also decelerate rapidly in the flow downstream of the bow shock wave. This study examines the effect of particle size on velocity and deposition efficiency in the cold spray process by means of flow modeling and gas-particle dynamics. Particle trajectories are modeled from the nozzle chamber to the impact with the substrate. Optimum particle size is identified for various particle characteristics and spray configurations.
Food composition of an Ichthyosaura alpestris (Amphibia) population from the Poiana Rusca Mountains, Romania

The food composition of the Ichthyosaura alpestris populations from Nadrag, Poiana Rusca Mountains confirms that this species generally has a less intense feeding in the aquatic period. Although the differences between the two study periods and between the two sexes weren't significant, the feeding was clearly more reduced in the second study period, as well as in the case of the males. A large number of newts presented stomach contents with no animal preys (only shad skin, spawn, vegetal remains), especially in the second period. The poorer feeding from the end of April is a consequence of the fact that during this period the newts were already getting ready to leave the aquatic environment, the number of individuals in water being lower than in the end of March. This result seems to be more important than the composition of their diet, which is similar to that of other populations previously studied from Romania. If these differences were confirmed and they are not a result of some special conditions of the year 2011, this would mean that the I. alpestris populations from Poiana Rusca Mountains have their aquatic phase offset by one month ahead of the populations from the Apuseni Mountains, fact that would confirm their distinct status.
Transformational Leadership Style as Predictor of Decision Making Styles: Moderating Role of Emotional Intelligence

The current study examines the relationship among transformational leadership style and decision making styles. It also determines the moderating role of emotional intelligence in predicting this relationship. Three hypotheses are generated for the study i.e., two hypotheses are to measure the relationship among transformational leadership style and decision making styles whereas third hypothesis is to assess the moderating effect of emotional intelligence. Questionnaire method is used to collect data from 113 respondents. Regression analysis is utilized to study the relationship among transformational leadership style and decision making styles and step-wise regression analysis is used to study moderating effect of emotional intelligence. The study found that transformational leadership style strongly predicts rational and dependant decision making styles and weakly predict intuitive and spontaneous decision making styles while no association founds with avoidant decision making styles. Present research also found that emotional intelligence moderates the relationship among transformational leadership style and decision making styles.
Guided waves in a stratified elastic and locally perturbed domain: theoretical and numerical aspects

This article presents new results concerning guided waves in a three-dimensional unbounded strati"ed andlocallyperturbedelasticmedium.Ontheonehand,wenumericallyshownon-monotonicdispersioncurves,a phenomenon not yet encountered in "elds other than elasticity. On the other hand, we prove that thein"mum of the essential spectrum of the studied operator depends on the possible non-monotonicity ofsuch curves. This link is a new result with respect to equivalent situations coming from acoustics orelectromagnetism. The numerical study underlines, besides the non-monotonic dispersion curves, theappearance of generalized Stoneley waves. Copyright ! 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Community-based agricultural interventions in the context of food and nutrition security in South Africa

Abstract Despite South Africa being a food-secure country in terms of aggregate food availability, it is listed by the World Health Organization as one of 36 high-burden countries, home to large numbers of stunted children. Recent findings, in the context of both over- and under-nutrition, have indicated that adult and child malnutrition rates have deteriorated in South Africa. The complementarities and synergies between food availability, access and utilisation need to be aligned in interventions used to address and strengthen food and nutrition security. This is particularly pertinent in the context of the widespread AIDS epidemic which interacts with food insecurity in complex ways. It is against this backdrop that home-grown or small-scale food production is explored as a feasible contributor to food and nutrition security for the rural poor with particular emphasis on contextual and technical factors. By illustrating a few successful models of home gardening, the evidence for addressing micronutrient deficiencies in these types of interventions is presented. The challenges to establish sustainable home gardening practices and the efforts needed to address gender-distinctive issues are discussed. The case is made for community-based agricultural interventions as a critical component of the various interventions used to address food and nutrition security at the household level.
Multiple choice questions: Can they examine application of knowledge?

Background: Multiple choice questions (MCQ) provide an ideal vehicle with which to assess “body of knowledge”, however, one of the key questions is that of MCQ and their assessment beyond basic knowledge recall. This study has allowed exploration of knowledge recall as opposed to application of knowledge in student subgroups i.e. international students as opposed to local students. Aim: This paper describes a study which explores the use of MCQ in a Pharmacy program to assess the application of knowledge. Results: The data indicates that questions which require application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation can be used in the assessment of Pharmacology subject materials in a Pharmacy program. International students achieve a similar percentage of application of knowledge questions correct as do local students, however, attention needs to be paid as to whether questions are assessing application of pharmacology knowledge or application of pharmacology knowledge and language proficiency.
The impact of export-oriented entrepreneurship on regional economic growth

Although export-oriented new ventures and the field of international entrepreneurship have received considerable attention by scholars during the last decade (Oviatt and McDougla, 2005), their potential economic impact has not been sufficiently analyzed yet. To the best of our knowledge, no studies on this issue have been carried out at regional level. Despite the increasing impact of globalization, regions have emerged as the essential and active unit of economic development process (Scott and Stopper, 2003). Regions are influential environments fostering entrepreneurship (Feldman, 2000). This is especially true for knowledge-based entrepreneurship since proximity to knowledge sources matters in order to discover opportunities and exploit them (Audretsch, 1998). Moreover, regions differ culturally and economically, and such differences encourage or discourage people to venture in entrepreneurial activity. We analyze the impact of export-oriented entrepreneurship on regional growth using data provided by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor project and the Spanish Institute of Statistics, for 17 NUTS-2 Spanish regions over a period of six years. After controlling for catching-up effects (van Stel et al., 2005), as well as, other drivers of economic growth (e.g. change in technology capability and human capital), we found evidence that those regions with a higher percentage of adult population involved in export-oriented entrepreneurship experience a higher GDP growth. This relationship is greater as the level of foreign customers served by the entrepreneurial initiatives is substantially higher (i.e., at least 1%, 25% or 75% of customers located abroad). These results support those found at national level by Hessels and van Stel (2009). However, our paper adds to the extant literature on entrepreneurship by analyzing the role of entrepreneurial activity with different levels of export intensity on regional growth under a longitudinal context. Policy implications derived from these results suggest that trade policies for export promotion among new ventures should be carried out at regional level. Otherwise, exporting new ventures may concentrate only on certain regions, which would help to increase differences on growth within a nation.
Some factors affecting the performance of the Principal

This paper describes some of the factors that affect the performance of the principal. Research conducted by the survey, involving a total of 116 persons of Secondary School Principals in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, which was taken by random sampling technique. Data captured with three types of instruments, namely instrument tests, observation sheet and questionnaire which is developed by the researchers. This research is explanatory, which is intended to explain the effect of exogenous variables on the endogenous variables, either directly or indirectly. Based on the results of path analysis, found that the principal organizational knowledge affect the performance of the principal, either directly or through achievement motivation, the accuracy of decision-making, and organizational commitment. Even so that the performance of the principal affected by the achievement motivation, the accuracy of decision-making, and the organizational commitment directly.
The Extended Mind and Network-Enabled Cognition

In thinking about the transformative potential of network technologies with respect to human cognition, it is common to see network resources as playing a largely assistive or augmentative role. In this paper we propose a somewhat more radical vision. We suggest that the informational and technological elements of a network system can, at times, constitute part of the material supervenience base for a human agent’s mental states and processes. This thesis (called the thesis of network-enabled cognition) draws its inspiration from the notion of the extended mind that has been propounded in the philosophical and cognitive science literature. Our basic claim is that network systems can do more than just augment cognition; they can also constitute part of the physical machinery that makes mind and cognition mechanistically possible. In evaluating this hypothesis, we identify a number of issues that seem to undermine the extent to which contemporary network systems, most notably the World Wide Web, can legitimately feature as part of an environmentally-extended cognitive system. Specific problems include the reliability and resilience of network-enabled devices, the accessibility of online information content, and the extent to which network-derived information is treated in the same way as information retrieved from biological memory. We argue that these apparent shortfalls do not necessarily merit the wholesale rejection of the network-enabled cognition thesis; rather, they point to the limits of the current state-of-the-art and identify the targets of many ongoing research initiatives in the network and information sciences. In addition to highlighting the importance of current research and technology development efforts, the thesis of network-enabled cognition also suggests a number of areas for future research. These include the formation and maintenance of online trust relationships, the subjective assessment of information credibility and the long-term impact of network access on human psychological and cognitive functioning. The nascent discipline of web science is, we suggest, suitably placed to begin an exploration of these issues.
English Language Challenges among Students of Princess Aisha Bint Al-Hussein College of Nursing & Health Sciences at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University

The aim of the current study is to investigate the perceived learning challenges as well as the coping strategies employed by Nursing and Health Sciences (NHS) students at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University (AHU) in dealing with general and medical English as a foreign language in the learning process. Princess Aisha Bint Al-Hussein College of Nursing & Health Sciences (PAC) at AHU needs to address these challenges to meet the low-level grades of its students. A three-part questionnaire was used for data collection over a time period of three consecutive academic semesters. It is a 26-item self-reported questionnaire with a 5-point Likert-type scale. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used for statistical analysis. The reliability of the scale was tested using Cronbach alpha. The outcomes showed that the students struggle with the issue of limited language proficiency. This problem, then, which the study’s outcomes present is twofold: firstly, due to the students’ lack of knowledge and proficiency in general English and secondly, because of students’ lack of proficiency in medical English. Actually, students are not only burdened by the fact that they lack the proficiency of general English but further by their unfamiliarity with medical English.