Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A HIDDEN QUASI-MARKET: DISPUTING PLACES IN “COMMON” PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL MARCIO DA COSTA Associate Professor to the Education School of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro marcioc@pobox.com

The article focuses on a phenomenon that is scarcely studied in the Brazilian context: the dispute for places in public schools that can not be characterized as elite or excellence centres, but that attained a good reputation as high-quality schools. By resorting to the concept of quasi-market, it analyses the results of a case study in six highand low-prestige public schools in the city of Rio de Janeiro, which evidences the phenomenon in its perverse effects as to social selectivity, showing that the school administrative staff has an active role in the choice of their students. The article pleads for a more equitable process of school choice by discussing some consequences from the refusal to admit the existence of a quasi-market in Brazilian public school networks. PUBLIC SCHOOLS – EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES – PUBLIC POLICIES – TEACHING QUALITY It may be said that an impressive educational quasi-market, such as defined by the original economics literature, has appeared in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil after the educational reforms of the last two decades of the 20th Century. However, this quasi-market is somehow atypical in as much as its mechanisms are scarcely visible or even hidden. Considering the issue’s current-time relevance, this article begins by discussing those reforms and the reactions they provoked. It then examines the use of the concept of quasi-market to discuss a highly
Empirical Evidence of Diminishing Payoff from Successive Generations of Information Systems

Previous research has focused on a number of important variables that can influence the observed payoffs from information systems investments. In the current investigation conducted in the spring of 2002, personal, on-site interviews were conducted in 138 small and medium sized businesses. Vendor involvement in systems development was less related to systems cost than previously. Unfortunately, vendor involvement was unrelated to any of the four measures of systems success in the entire sample. Further analysis revealed a strong relationship between information system generation and payoffs. Specifically, there appeared to be a point of diminishing return with subsequent generations of information technology.
Mapping tsunami impacts on land cover and related ecosystem service supply in Phang Nga, Thailand

Abstract. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami caused damages to coastal ecosystems and thus affected the livelihoods of the coastal communities who depend on services provided by these ecosystems. The paper presents a case study on evaluating and mapping the spatial and temporal impacts of the tsunami on land use and land cover (LULC) and related ecosystem service supply in the Phang Nga province, Thailand. The method includes local stakeholder interviews, field investigations, remote-sensing techniques, and GIS. Results provide an ecosystem services matrix with capacity scores for 18 LULC classes and 17 ecosystem functions and services as well as pre-/post-tsunami and recovery maps indicating changes in the ecosystem service supply capacities in the study area. Local stakeholder interviews revealed that mangroves, casuarina forest, mixed beach forest, coral reefs, tidal inlets, as well as wetlands (peat swamp forest) have the highest capacity to supply ecosystem services, while e.g. plantations have a lower capacity. The remote-sensing based damage and recovery analysis showed a loss of the ecosystem service supply capacities in almost all LULC classes for most of the services due to the tsunami. A fast recovery of LULC and related ecosystem service supply capacities within one year could be observed for e.g. beaches, while mangroves or casuarina forest needed several years to recover. Applying multi-temporal mapping the spatial variations of recovery could be visualised. While some patches of coastal forest were fully recovered after 3 yr, other patches were still affected and thus had a reduced capacity to supply ecosystem services. The ecosystem services maps can be used to quantify ecological values and their spatial distribution in the framework of a tsunami risk assessment. Beyond that they are considered to be a useful tool for spatial analysis in coastal risk management in Phang Nga.
Influence of Inspiratory Muscle Training on Changes in Sleep Architecture in Older Adult - Epidoso Projects

Background: Senescence is accompanied by changes in sleep parameters including fragmentation and increased abnormal respiratory events (apneas/hypopneas obstructive and central) with hypoxemia. Objective: This project aims to investigate the influence of inspiratory muscle training through the Threshold® on sleep disorders. Methods: The study involved the participation of 38 older adult volunteers of both genders with sleep disorders confirmed by polysomnography. Chosen patients underwent laboratory evaluation, cardiorespiratory assessment and evaluation of sleep, forming two groups: control group (Threshold® unloaded) and experimental groups (Threshold® loaded). The study lasted 8 weeks and frequency of 7 times per week, lasting 60 minutes each session. Results: Showed a decrease in the fragmentation sleep and apnea/hypopnea index. Conclusion: These results made us suggest that inspiratory muscle training can be a good help in the treatment of sleep-related breathing disorders.
Agro-Industrial Waste Materials as Substrates for the Production of Poly(3-Hydroxybutyric Acid)

Accumulation of recalcitrant plastics in the environment has become a world-wide problem in today’s societies. Rapid depletion of natural resources for synthetic plastics along with environmental concerns has directed research towards finding alternatives to petroleum-based polymers. Poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid) P(3HB), as one of these alternatives, have attracted much attention in recent years due to their varied mechanical properties, biocompatibility and biodegradability. The aim of this study was to identify an agro-industrial waste resource economically suitable for large-scale production of P(3HB), to optimize the production using Response Surface Methodology in small-scale and subsequently, to test the production in a continuously stirred tank reactor. Among a range of agro-industrial waste, orange peel was selected as the most suitable for P(3HB) production. P(3HB) concentration of 1.24 g P(3HB)/L culture broth with 41% P(3HB)/dcw yield was obtained using orange peel as the sole carbon source in optimized medium with a modified strain of Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis OK2).
Patients Satisfaction In Primary Health Care Services In Primary Care Setting Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

Objective: To evaluate patients' satisfaction in primary health care (PHC) services center. Methods : cross sectional study design was conducted in the primary health care center at Dharhan. Subjects were selected using systematic random sampling method , data were collected using a pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire. Results: A total of 400 patients (90% response rate) completed the questionnaire. The mean score for overall satisfaction was (3.665) out of a maximum of 5 points. The highest satisfaction was for nursing performance (3.99) and the lowest for pharmacy (3.38). The mean score of satisfaction with the physician performance, radiology , general aspect of health care, laboratory ,continuity of care and accessibility were 3.88 ,3.81 ,3.78 ,3,52 ,3.52 and 3.44 respectively . The single male and female participants were significantly more satisfied in general about the center (3.87) but the satisfaction with nurses performance was the highest among married participants and (3.89) about their satisfaction with doctors performance. Educational level of participants had significant impact on their level of satisfaction about overall performance and general aspects of health center in that the less the educational level the higher were their satisfaction about the center and vice versa and difference was statistically significant < 0.05 . Other socio-demographic characteristics showed statistically significant difference p< 0.05 was noticed in participants with age of 20 and below. Conclusion: The level of satisfaction with primary health care services was modest . The results revealed areas in which quality improvement is required as accessibility of care and pharmacy service.
An Assessment of Critical Factors Affecting Quality Performance of Government Financed Construction Projects: Evidence from Tanzania

The study objective was “An assessment of critical factors affecting quality performance of government financed construction projects in Tanzania ” . The study was initiated as much of government financed construction projects are executed with variations on delivering time, cost and quality. The study identified factors if not considered can lead to poor quality performance of projects. Closed end questionnaire consisting of 20 performance factors were issued to 80 respondents dealing with construction related activities, they were required to rank them on a 5 point Likert scale. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 16 (SPSS). The findings revealed that the critical factors that have direct impact on quality performance of government financed construction projects are; project financing processes, experience of contractors in construction industry, project technology, availability of plant and equipment, procurement system and processes as well as the project manager knowledge and skills. A multiple regression model developed showed a positive linear relationship between project quality performance and the critical quality performance factors. All the critical quality performance factors had positive coefficients with an acceptable level of significance. The study recommends further studies on the economic and social factors that hinder women participation in construction relation activities and how training and learning opportunities for continuous improvement will have positive impact on the performance of construction projects.
INFLUENCE OF POVERTY ON HIGHER EDUCATIONAL PURSUIT EXPERIENCE OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN KOGI STATE, NIGERIA

This paper focuses on the influence of poverty, experience by young people in Kogi State, Nigeria, in relation to gaining access into the higher education. A major issue addressed in this paper arises from the fact that existing literatures have focused on enrolment in formal educational institutions in urban areas. Those that are in the rural areas need to be addressed as well, enabling or constraining their access to higher educational level. The findings of this paper will provide innovative insights into those factors that are influential on young people’s access to higher education and also provide reliable data for positive policies and educational responses to be made.
Extracting statistical parameters of extreme precipitation from a NWP model

Abstract. Precipitation simulations on an 8×8 km grid using the PSU/NCAR Mesoscale Model MM5 are used to estimate the M5 and Ci statistical parameters in order to support the M5 map used for flood estimates by Icelandic engineers. It is known a priori that especially wind anomalies occur on a considerably smaller scale than 8 km. The simulation period used is 1962–2005 and 73 meteorological stations have records long enough in this period to provide a validation data set. Of these only one station is in the central highlands, so the highland values of the existing M5 map are estimates. A comparison between the simulated values and values based on station observations set shows an M5 average difference (observed-simulated) of −5 mm/24 h with a standard deviation of 17 mm, 3 outliers excluded. This is within expected limits, computational and observational errors considered. A suggested correction procedure brings these values down to 4 mm and 11 mm, respectively.
Regulation of bell pepper seedling growth with end-of-day supplemental fluorescent light

The influence of end-of-day (EOD), supplemental, cool-white fluorescent light on pepper (Capsicum annuum L. cv. Keystone Resistant Giant No. 3) seedling growth and fruit production after transplanting to the field was investigated. Seedlings were exposed to this light source, which is high in the red wavebands, from one (1988) or two bulbs (1989) for 1 hour before the end of the natural photoperiod. Each year control plants were exposed to ambient light and received no supplemental fluorescent light. Before transplanting to the field, seedlings exposed to two bulbs were shorter and had smaller leaves than plants in the control treatment. Supplemental fluorescent light treatment, regardless of number of bulbs, reduced plant height, leaf area, fruit weight, and fruit count at the first harvest. Total fruit production was not affected by supplemental light, suggesting no residual effect of the light treatment during transplant production on total subsequent fruit production.
MONITORING OF WATER TEMPERATURE OF THE RONCADOR RIVER : CONTRIBUTION TO SPELEOCLIMATE ANALYSIS AND TOURIST MANAGEMENT OF THE CAVE OF SANTANA ( IPORANGA , BRAZIL )

The monitoring of cave environments for tourist management is necessary for the establishment of limitations in visitation, thus promoting the preservation of caves. With this in mind, the water temperature of the Roncador river was monitored in the cave of Santana, along with that of the atmosphere, in order to verify their participation in the atmospheric system of the cave and possible impacts of tourism to be considered during management decisions. The results show that for a large portion of the river gallery, at distances greater than 300m from the resurgence, the air temperature is governed by the temperature of water. This has made it possible to establish conclusions identifying the dynamics of atmospheric circulation, the dispersion of the impacts of visitation, and the capacity of the Roncador river to maintain the stationary state of the atmosphere in the gallery of the river in the cave of Santana. Key-Words: Environmental monitoring; Energy flow; Cave management; Speleotourism; microclimate.
Extensive micro-geographical shell polymorphism in a planktotrophic marine intertidal snail

Intertidal species inhabiting Galician rocky shores are exposed to a strong vertical gra- dient in environmental and ecological conditions. Such a gradient is determined by a combination of wave action (impacting the low shore in particular) as well as heat, osmotic stress and predation (impacting the high shore in particular). In this area, 2 convergent shell polymorphisms have previ- ously been described in 2 marine gastropod species with direct development, Littorina saxatilis and Nucella lapillus. These distinct morphotypes occur sympatrically at the same shore at different levels, as a result of environmental adaptation. In the present work, we combine geometric morphometrics with the study of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) variation to investigate whether a similar polymorphism is occurring in individuals of the planktotrophic gastropod species Melarhaphe neritoides across this geographical region. Although no consistent genetic differentiation was found for AFLP, 2 distinct ecomorphs, similar to those already described in the other 2 species, were detected by morphometric analysis. Analyses of variance supported significant variation between morphs in 3 separate localities. The 2 morphs maintained most of their shell shape (and behavioural) differences when reared in laboratory conditions. These results suggest an adaptive role for the described polymorphism in size and shell shape although further studies are required to identify the genetic and evolutionary mechanisms favouring the maintenance of this pattern in sympatry in a high dispersal species.
Are Family Firms Different in Choosing and Adjusting Their Capital Structure? An Empirical Analysis through the Lens of Agency Theory

How do family firms choose and adjust their capital structure? A significant number of contributions have examined the problem from several angles but many issues remain a puzzle. We examine capital structure choices of family firms in Italy, a context characterized by high private benefits of control, separation between ownership and control, and diffusion of family-controlled pyramidal groups. Consistent with the agency-based models, family firms are found to be more leveraged than non-family counterparts as a result of their desire to hold control. We also find higher debt ratios in firms with a higher separation between ownership and control if and only if the firm is controlled by a family. This lends support to the fact that controlling families may want to allocate more debt to subsidiaries, where the separation is higher, in order to inflate assets under domination at the expense of minority shareholders, while controlling negative effects in case of bankruptcy of an affiliate. Finally, family firms are also found to behave differently when they adjust their debt ratio. We show that leverage persistence is higher in family firms because they bear higher adjustment costs as a result of higher agency costs of equity, but lower costs of deviating from the optimal debt level, because the tight links between controlling families and banks may allow family owners to negotiate deviations with banks more easily.
Electrochemical behavior of a new precursor for the design of poly[Ni(salen)]-based modified electrodes

We describe the potentiodynamic preparation and subsequent characterization of poly[Ni(3-MeOsaltMe)] films (surface concentration, 3 < i/nmol cm -2 < 350) in acetonitrile media. Coulometric and gravimetric (electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance, EQCM) data allow one to monitor the deposition process and show that the resultant films are physically and chemically stable. Combined EQCM/probe beam deflection measurements were used to quantify the individual contributions (fluxes and population changes) of anions, cations, and solvent to the overall redox switching process. The first redox cycle for a film “rested” in the reduced state results in accumulation of anion (charge) and solvent in the film. The subsequent steadystate response is dominated by a combination of anion and solvent transfers; this takes place in two stages, the second of which involves significantly more solvent entry, to an extent dependent upon time scale. After a sequence of redox cycles, the initial thermodynamically “irreversible” behavior is restored by “resting” the film. Solvation effects are critical determinants of film redox chemistry and dynamics: in addition to controlling the feasibility and stability of deposition, they control film ion transport rate.
Effects of Type of Design (Blocked vs. Randomized) on Stroop and Emotional Stroop Tasks

The purpose of the present study was to in vestigate the effects of stimulus fragmentation on Stroop and emotional Stroop interference and facilitation ef fects when stimuli at all fr agmentation levels were blocked by condition as well as when they were totally randomized across conditions. Under bloc ked conditions, in which stimuli from the same condition (e.g., congruent, incongruent, control conditions) at all levels of fragmentation were presented in the same block, interference appeared e ven at the most fragmented level, and increased linear ly until le vel 8. The same occurred with facilitation. Randomized designs, on the other hand, showed that interference did no appear until le vel 4 and increased li nearly until le vel 8, whereas facilitation disappeared. Pr evious work from our laboratory showed that words are objectively identified at level 4. The findings suggest the existence of a response set in bloc ked designs, which in turn may speak against the automaticity of the Stroop ef fect. Efectos del tipo de diseno (bloqueado vs. aleatorizado) en la tarea Stroop y Stroop emocional. En una serie de experimentos estudiamos el efecto de la cantidad de informacion estimular en el efecto Stroop y Stroop emocional, manipulando la presentacion de palabras presentadas a ocho ni veles de fr agmentacion diferentes. Ademas, una segunda varia ble fue el tipo de diseno. En disenos bloqueados todos los ensayos perteneciente s a la misma condicion experimental (v.g., cong ruente, incongruente, neutral, etc.) se presentaban en el mismo bloque de forma aleatoria a todos los ni veles de fr agmentacion. Por el contrario, en el diseno aleatorizado, los ensa yos aparecian totalmente al azar. Los resultados mos traron que con el diseno bloqueado, la interferencia y la facilitacion Stroop aparecian incluso en niveles de complecion en los que la palabra, objeti vamente, no podia identificarse. Estos resultados sugie ren la existencia de una disposicion de respuesta en el obser vador. La repeticion de palabras pertene cientes a una misma condicion a distintos ni veles de complecion (algunos no identifica bles y otros si) podria dar lugar a la disposicion de respuesta. Los resultados del diseno aleatorizado, en el que no se creaban expectativas sobre la condicion del estimulo, mostraron que el efecto Stroop aparecia solo a partir del ni vel 4, nivel en el que objeti vamente se identifica la palabra en tareas de identificacion. Estos resultados no son consistentes con la automaticidad del efecto Stroop.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MOTIVATION COMPONENTS AND PREFERRED LEARNING COMPONENTS AMONG STUDENTS AT INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SARAJEVO

Motivation plays an important role in all forms of the success, especially in language learning. Motivation in English language learning often conditions the academic achievement of the students. This and similar predicaments led SLA researchers to develop different methodologies to determine the level of motivation among different types of students. Therefore, this paper aims to determine motivation components of English language learning; preferred learning components/methods; and the relationships between motivational components and preferred learning components/methods among IUS students. For testing the main research questions, Smidth’s (2006) adopted questionnaire was distributed to 70 students at the International University of Sarajevo. The research findings indicated that extrinsic motivation (M = 34.15) was the highest motivational factor for the students. Expectation as a motivational factor (M = 26.4) was at the second place for the students. Motivational strength with the (M = 13.00) followed as the next motivational factor. Intrinsic motivation (M = 12.97), stereotypical attitudes toward Americans & British (M = 12.15), personal psychological needs (M = 9.06) with their means as shown in the brackets were the least influential factors in students motivation. We have also found the correlation between the Motivational Components and the Preferred Learning components.