Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of foreign direct investment: empirical evidence from Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU) countries

This study examines the determinants of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in southern Africa Custom union (SACU) countries. The study employed panel data from the period 1990–2010 and used pooled OLS as the main estimation method. The findings reveal that market size, natural resource availability and trade openness are positive and significant determinants of FDI for the SACU member countries. Therefore, these countries should undertake more agreements in trade partnership and should reform investment policy to attract more foreign inflow into SACU countries in the long run.
A Research on the Performance and Characteristics of the Firms in Turkish Manufacturing Industry

This study aims to determine the factors affecting the performance of companies operating in the Turkish manufacturing industry. The sample of the study consists of 25394 firms which have been active in Turkish manufacturing industry between the years 2005 and 2011. Heckman sample selection model is used for the assessment of the growth and survival probabilities of the firms. According to the research model, it was found that the factors affecting firm performance are firm and industry based factors. It is concluded that Innovation, R&D, export and branch variables have positive significant effects on the performance of the manufacturing industry firms.
Human intake fraction of toxic pollutants : a model comparison between CalTOX 1 and USES-LCA 2 3

In Life Cycle Assessment and Comparative Risk Assessment potential human 1 exposure to toxic pollutants can be expressed as the human intake fraction (iF), 2 representing the fraction of the quantity emitted that enters the human population. To 3 assess model uncertainty in the human intake fraction, ingestion and inhalation iFs of 367 4 substances emitted to air and freshwater were calculated with two commonly applied 5 multi-media fate and exposure models, CalTOX and USES-LCA. Comparison of the 6 model outcomes reveal that uncertainty in the ingestion iFs was up to a factor of 70. The 7 uncertainty in the inhalation iFs was up to a factor of 865,000. The comparison showed 8 that relatively few model differences account for the uncertainties found. An optimal 9 model structure in the calculation of human intake fractions can be achieved by including 10 (1) rain and no-rain scenarios, (2) a continental sea water compartment, (3) drinking water 11 purification, (4) pH-correction of chemical properties, and (5) aerosol-associated 12 deposition on plants. Finally, vertical stratification of the soil compartment combined with 13 a chemical-dependent soil depth may be considered in future intake fraction calculations. 14 15
A FLEXIBLE METHOD OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT AND INVESTIGATING FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF SAFETY PROGRAM

Construction industry has the highest ratio of fatality of workers in comparison with other industries. Construction safety has been always a matter of focus to control safety risks. This article presents a new flexible method of safety risk assessment by adding Hybrid Value Number (HVN) to the assessment equation. As a result of using this method, the results of assessment process will be more consistent with the project’s conditions, as well as being more trustful. It could provide a better perspective of safety risks for project managers. The most significant outcomes of this research are as follows: 1) the most influential factors which affect safety risks in building construction projects are "the proficiency and the experience of workers", "the complexity of construction technology" and "time limitation", 2) the biggest risk priority numbers belong to "Struck by falling objects" and "Falling to lower levels" hazards, 3)a necessary safety program must contain Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), safety measures and safety training, 4)Project managers can decrease 75% of total safety risks by investing less than 1.5% of construction budget on safety programs.
Tracing the flow of electricity

Continuing trend towards deregulation and unbundling of transmission services has resulted in the need to assess what the impact of a particular generator or load is on the power system. A new method of tracing the flow of electricity in meshed electrical networks is proposed which may be applied to both real and reactive power flows. The method allows assessment of how much of the real and reactive power output from a particular station goes to a particular load. It also allows the assessment of contributions of individual generators (or loads) to individual line flows. A loss-apportioning algorithm has also been introduced which allows the break down of the total transmission loss into components to be allocated to individual loads or generators. The method can be useful in providing additional insight into power system operation and can be used to modify existing tariffs of charging for transmission loss, reactive power and transmission services.
On Schnyder’s Theorem

The central topic of this thesis is Schnyder’s Theorem. Schnyder’s Theorem provides a characterization of planar graphs in terms of their poset dimension, as follows: a graph G is planar if and only if the dimension of the incidence poset of G is at most three. One of the implications of the theorem is proved by giving an explicit mapping of the vertices to R2 that defines a straightline embedding of the graph. The other implication is proved by introducing the concept of normal labelling. Normal labellings of plane triangulations can be used to obtain a realizer of the incidence poset. We present an exposition of Schnyder’s theorem with his original proof, using normal labellings. An alternate proof of Schnyder’s Theorem is also presented. This alternate proof does not use normal labellings, instead we use some structural properties of a realizer of the incidence poset to deduce the result. Some applications and a generalization of one implication of Schnyder’s Theorem are also presented in this work. Normal labellings of plane triangulations can be used to obtain a barycentric embedding of a plane triangulation, and they also induce a partition of the edge set of a plane triangulation into edge disjoint trees. These two applications of Schnyder’s Theorem and a third one, relating realizers of the incidence poset and canonical orderings to obtain a compact drawing of a graph, are also presented. A generalization, to abstract simplicial complexes, of one of the implications of Schnyder’s Theorem was proved by Ossona de Mendez. This generalization is also presented in this work. The concept of order labelling is also introduced and we show some similarities of the order labelling and the normal labelling. Finally, we conclude this work by showing the source code of some implementations done in Sage.
POCT-assisted Diagnosis for Acute Coronary Syndrome, Heart Failure andVenous Thromboembolism in Primary Care: A Longitudinal Analysis

Objective: Evaluating symptoms indicating acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS), Heart Failure (HF) or Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) poses a particular challenge at primary care level. Cardiac troponin T (cTnT), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and D-dimer serve as crucial diagnostic tools in such assessments. Evidence of the clinical benefit of 3-in-1 Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) for these biomarkers are very limited. The current study is to further investigate the benefit of POCT-assisted diagnosis for cardiovascular risk stratification in primary care. Methods: In the first phase of a previously reported prospective multicentre controlled trial, primary care physicians were randomised to POCT assisted diagnosis or conventional diagnosis (controls). In the second phase, the controls received the POCT analyser and continued patient recruitment. The accuracy of the working diagnosis made during the baseline consultation of adults presenting with the respective symptoms was evaluated in a followup examination. The resulting accuracy was compared with the accuracy from the controls. Results: Controls and POCT patients were similar in terms of baseline characteristics, symptoms and pre-existing diagnoses, but differed in working diagnosis frequencies. After the follow-up visit, except for the musculoskeletal problems, which were more prevalent in the controls, no statistically significant difference could be determined in regard to the confirmed diagnosis frequencies. In the POCT group, working diagnoses were more frequently correct (79.2% vs. 59.6%, p<0.001) and diagnostic accuracy for ACS, HF, and VTE was higher (58.3% vs. 45.2%, p<0.001). Conclusion: The POCT device improved the diagnostic accuracy for patients with symptoms indicative of ACS, HF, or VTE.
Dynamical reconstruction of the global ocean state during the Last Glacial Maximum

The global ocean state for the modern age and for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) was dynamically reconstructed with a sophisticated data assimilation technique. A substantial amount of data including global seawater temperature, salinity (only for the modern estimate), and the isotopic composition of oxygen and carbon (only in the Atlantic for the LGM) were integrated into an ocean general circulation model with the help of the adjoint method, thereby the model was optimized to reconstruct plausible continuous fields of tracers, overturning circulation and water mass distribution. The adjoint-based LGM state estimation of this study represents the state of the art in terms of the length of forward model runs, the number of observations assimilated, and the model domain. Compared to the modern state, the reconstructed continuous sea-surface temperature field for the LGM shows a global-mean cooling of 2.2 K, and the reconstructed LGM ocean has a more vigorous Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, shallower North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) equivalent, stronger stratification, and more saline deep water.
A generalization of the weighted Strichartz estimates for wave equations and an application to self‐similar solutions

Weighted Strichartz estimates with homogeneous weights with critical exponents are proved for the wave equation without a support restriction on the forcing term. The method of proof is based on expansion by spherical harmonics and on the Sobolev space over the unit sphere, by which the required estimates are reduced to the radial case. As an application of the weighted Strichartz estimates, the existence and uniqueness of self‐similar solutions to nonlinear wave equations are proved on up to five space dimensions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
FISH-CS—a rapid method for counting and sorting species of marine zooplankton

Understanding population dynamics in marine species has long been hindered by the inherent difficulties of studying species in which all or part of the life cycle is planktonic. Plankton sample processing is la- borious and, due to morphological similarity between disparate taxa, often identifies zooplankton only to higher taxonomic levels. As a consequence, many scien- tific issues that require identification to species level are impossible to explore adequately. Several in situ hy- bridization protocols show promise for identifying marine larvae by color-coding them with taxon-specific, dye-labeled DNA probes. We adapted these protocols and coupled them with recent cell sorting technology to rapidly and accurately identify bivalve larvae from diverse plankton samples. We developed probes for 2 bivalve taxa: Musculista senhousia and the species com- plex Mytilus edulis/galloprovincialis/trossulus. Coupled fluorescence in situ hybridization and cell sorting (FISH- CS) separated M. galloprovincialis larvae from both oys- ter Crassostrea gigas larvae and from a mixed plank- ton/M. galloprovincialis sample. The number of false positives and false negatives was assessed by a PCR as- say. Our FISH-CS method is robust to plankton autoflu- orescence and can be easily adapted to work with nearly any planktonic species or life stage of appropriate size.
Market efficiency , cross hedging and price forecasts : California ’ s natural-gas markets

An extensive North American pipeline grid that physically integrates individual naturalgas markets, in conjunction with economic ties binding the California markets to those at Henry Hub, Louisiana and the New York Mercantile Exchange via an array of financial instruments, suggests that the spot prices at Henry Hub will impact those in California. We verify the suggestion via a partial-adjustment regression model, thus affirming that California traders can exploit the cross-hedging opportunities made available to them via market integration with Henry Hub, and that they can accurately forecast the price they will have to pay to meet future demand based solely on the price of futures at Henry Hub and the price of a California naturalgas basis swaps contract. * Corresponding author. Tel: +1-415-391-5100; Fax: +1-415-391-6500. Email address: ck@ethree.com (C.K. Woo)
Education and awareness of modern health care amongst aboriginal people: The case of the Jakuns of Peninsular Malaysia

Previous studies have indicated that the resettlement of the Orang Asli communities into areas nearer to towns was with the intention of improving the health conditions of the aboriginals. Subsequent researches have since focused on the relation between mainstream orthodox medical approaches and traditional healing practices in search of improved approaches to advance further the health cause of the aboriginal communities. However, none of these works have addressed the central question of how the Orang Asli have been adapting themselves to the mainstream healthcare system while still holding strong beliefs in their traditional medicine. To close the gap this study examined the readiness and intentions of the Orang Asli in adapting to modern health care approach amidst old traditional health beliefs and healings practices. A qualitative study based on in-depth interviews and field observations was carried out at a Jakun village of Kampung Kedaik, Rompin, Pahang involving 12 male and 13 female informants between 18 – 70 years old. Results of the study showed that as the Orang Asli people received proper education they appeared to think about health differently. Most of the informants preferred modern over traditional medicine predominantly because of their deteriorating faith in, and relative inaccessibility to traditional medicine. The findings implied that in this modern day most of the indigenous communities were open to social change which in this context included modern health care so as to improve their health conditions. Keywords: education, health care, indigenous people, Orang Asli, Peninsular Malaysia, traditional medicine
Political Influence, Firm Performance and Survival

We examine how regional-level political influence affects firm financial performance and survival. Combining representative survey data on mid-sized manufacturing firms in Russia with official registry data, we find that politically influential firms exhibit higher profitability and retain larger financial investments than non-influential firms. At the same time, we find no association between regional political influence and access to bank lending. Most importantly, our empirical analysis suggests that the benefits of influence may be transient. Influential firms experienced significantly lower growth during our 2004–2010 sample period than non-influential firms. Moreover, influential firms had a significantly higher probability of going bankrupt after the 2008 global financial crisis than non-influential firms.
Vaginal colonization and resistance profile of Group B Streptococcus among pregnant women in Yaoundé Gynecology-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital

Abstract Setting: In order to obtain reliable data on vaginal carriage of Streptococcus agalactiae in pregnant women in Yaounde and to formulate a prevention program of neonatal Group B Streptococcus (GBS) disease, we carried out a prospective cross sectional study for 6 months March 1 st to August 30 th ; 2008 . The general objective of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of vaginal carriage and the resistance profile of GBS in pregnant women. Methodology: The study involved 142 pregnant women presenting for antenatal care in Yaounde Gynecology-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital (YGOPH). Participants were interviewed using a standard structure questionnaire to gather demographic data and other relevant informations such as maternal age, gestational age, previous gyneco-obstetric history, parity and administration of antibiotics. Low vaginal swabs were collected and cultured on specific media. A presumptive identification of isolates was made using standard bacteriological methods. These included colonial morphology, haemolysis, catalase test, Gram staining. Confirmative identification of Group B Streptococcus was done using latex agglutination test with specific antiserum using the slidex Strepto Plus. Antimicrobial sensitivity testing was performed by the disk-diffusion (Kirby-Bauer) method. The sensitivity of the following reference strain American Type Culture Collection (ATCC): Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 was tested. The results were only validated when the diameters of the inhibitions zones of the reference strain were in accordance. Results : Among the 142 pregnant women presenting for antenatal care in Yaounde Gynecology-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital (YGOPH), GBS colonization was confirmed in 11 (7.7%). The rate of carriage was 3.8% in the first trimester, 7% in the second trimester and 11.1% in the third trimester. The predominant germ was Candida albicans with a frequency of 45.2% among the germs found in monomicrobial culture and Gardnerella vaginalis (77.8%) among the germs in polymicrobial culture, followed by Candida spp (11.8%), Streptococcus agalactiae (8.6%) and Escherichia coli (4.3%) The result of antimicrobial sensitivity testing showed that all the GBS strains were sensitive to major antibiotics drugs tested. The highest rates of resistance were found with gentamycin (100%) and Cefuroxim (81.8%). Conclusion: The vaginal carriage of GBS among pregnant women is still high. Data on the prevalence of GBS neonatal disease, preventive measures and outcome of infected infants are greatly needed in our country to allow the most appropriate preventive strategy to be selected. Thus, well-planned, prospective studies will be necessary to fully appreciate the magnitude of the problem of GBS in our hospitals Key words: Group B Streptococcus, vaginal colonization, pregnant women, Resistance profile, Yaounde.
Post‐glacial dispersal, rather than in situ glacial survival, best explains the disjunct distribution of the Lusitanian plant species Daboecia cantabrica (Ericaceae)

The distribution of the Lusitanian flora and fauna, species which are found only in southern and western Ireland and in northern Spain and Portugal but which are absent from intervening countries, represents one of the classic conundrums of biogeography. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the distribution of the Lusitanian plant species Daboecia cantabrica was due to persistence in separate Irish and Iberian refugia, or has resulted from post‐glacial recolonization followed by subsequent extinction of intervening populations.
PANEL DATA ANALYSIS OF GROWTH, INEQUALITY AND POVERTY: EVIDENCE FROM SAARC COUNTRIES

This paper empirically examines the impact of economic growth and income inequality on poverty for a panel of five selected SAARC countries 1 , over the period of 1988-2009. There is no consensus on the growth, inequality and poverty (GIP) relationship in the SAARC region. Moreover, literature about the growth, inequality and poverty relationship in the SAARC region lacks the interpretation of results by taking into the account of pro-poor growth index. The study addresses the gap in the literature. The results of pooled least square method reveal that if there is one percent increase in economic growth reduces poverty by 0.05 percent. While one percent rise in income inequality decreases poverty by almost 0.78 percent. This phenomenon can be linked with the recent wave of privatizations in the developing countries. Public spending on education and foreign direct investment has shown a positive impact on poverty reduction process. Trade openness and increase in healthcare expenditure has found to be insignificant on poverty reduction. By using the fixed effect model, results reveal that poverty ratio in the five SAARC countries is apparently influenced by country specific effects.
Future Changes in Drought Characteristics under Extreme Climate Change over South Korea

This study attempts to analyze several drought features in South Korea from various perspectives using a three-month standard precipitation index. In particular, this study aims to evaluate changes in spatial distribution in terms of frequency and severity of droughts in the future due to climate change, using IPCC (intergovernmental panel on climate change) GCM (general circulation model) simulations. First, the Mann-Kendall method was adopted to identify drought trends at the five major watersheds. The simulated temporal evolution of SPI (standardized precipitation index) during the winter showed significant drying trends in most parts of the watersheds, while the simulated SPI during the spring showed a somewhat different feature in the GCMs. Second, this study explored the low-frequency patterns associated with drought by comparing global wavelet power, with significance test. Future spectra decreased in the fractional variance attributed to a reduction in the interannual band from 2 to 8 years. Finally, the changes in the frequency and the severity under climate change were evaluated through the drought spell analyses. Overall features of drought conditions in the future showed a tendency to increase (about 6%) in frequency and severity of droughts during the dry season (i.e., from October to May) under climate change.
Electricity Supply and the Manufacturing Productivity in Nigeria (1980-2012)

The paper set out to examine the impact of electricity supply (EGI) on the productivity of manufacturing industries in Nigeria between 1980 and 2012. The variables in the model include, manufacturing productivity index (as dependent variable) while electricity generation, capacity utilization rate, government capital expenditure on infrastructures and exchange rate (represent the explanatory variables). The study employed the ordinary least square multiple regression to analyze the time series data between 1980 and 2012. The result of the study shows that electricity generation and supply in Nigeria under the viewed periods impacted positively on the manufacturing productivity growth, but the coefficient is very low due to inadequate and irregular supply of electricity especially to manufacturing subsector in the economy resulting from government's unnecessary spending on non-economic and unproductive sectors. In view of the findings, the study suggests among others, a reverse of the ugly trend of poor electricity supply by ensuring that funds allocated for the development of the electricity subsector are prudently utilized, and to ensure that the ongoing deregulation of the power subsector be sustained to allow for competitiveness of the industry as that would bring about adequate and regular electricity supply in the country.