Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impacts of Ecotourism on Short-Beaked Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis) in Mercury Bay, New Zealand

Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) often are found in large aggregations offshore from the eastern coast of New Zealand. They are the primary target of at least six marine mammal tourism operations from Whakatane to the Hauraki Gulf. This report details the first longterm investigation of interactions between tourists and common dolphins. During a 3-y study offshore from Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula, 105 focal group follows, totaling 118 h of observations were conducted from a 5.5-m, rigid-hull inflatable boat. Seventy-two of these observations were conducted in the absence of the tour boat (baseline), and 33 with the tour boat. Baseline data were compared with “tour boat” data to assess changes in dolphin behaviour resulting from the tour boat approaching and swimmers entering the water to snorkel with the dolphins. Common dolphins responded with a relatively predictable pattern to approaching boats. Initial attraction (mean duration 8 min) typically was followed by neutral behaviour (mean duration 57 min) and eventually replaced by boat avoidance. Smaller dolphin groups showed boat avoidance sooner and more frequently than larger groups. When swimmers entered the water, dolphins only spent an average of 2 min in their vicinity. Throughout encounters, they maintained a distance of at least 3 m from the nearest swimmer. During half of the attempted swims, dolphins did not change their course or their activity in response to swimmers. Swimmers had a better chance of a sustained interaction when the group of dolphins was large (> 50 individuals) and/or the number of swimmers in the water was small (< 5). The results of this study suggested that common dolphins can be affected by tourism; however, adherence to New Zealand’s Marine Mammals Protection Regulations and the current low level of tourism appear to minimise the impact on this species.
Association between Markov Regime-Switching Market Volatility and Beta Risk: Evidence from Dow Jones Industrial Securities

In this paper, the volatility of the return generating process of the market portfolio and the slope coefficient of the market model is assumed to follow a Markov switching process of order one. The results indicate very strong evidence of volatility switching behaviour in a sample of returns in the S&P500 index. In three of the thirty securities in the Dow Jones index, the estimated slope in the market model show strong switching behaviour. In these three securities the low risk state is more persistent than the high-risk state. For each security we estimate the conditional probabilities that the security is in the high (low) risk state given the market is in the high (low) volatility regime and show that this information can be used to classify securities into three distinct groups. There is no association between these groups and the securities' constant beta estimated in the market model and the Sharpe index. Some directions for further research are discussed.
Psychosocial Predictors and Exercise Intentions and Behavior among Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury

Using the theory of planned behavior as a theoretical framework, the present study examined psychosocial predictors of exercise intentions and behavior among 124 men and women with spinal cord injury. Theory of planned behavior constructs were measured using an exercise–specific questionnaire for individuals with spinal cord injury. Exercise behavior was assessed using an adapted version of the Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire. Regression analyses indicated that the theory of planned behavior had limited utility in this population. Among individuals with tetrapelgia, perceived behavioral control was the only determinant of exercise intentions and behavior. Among people with paraplegia, none of the theory of planned behavior constructs predicted exercise intentions or behavior. These results have methodological and practical implications for future research and exercise interventions, respectively.
Effects of Lifestyle habits on the prevalence of obesity among school going adolescents residing in urban Lucknow

Background: Sedentary behaviour is related to the prevalence of obesity among school going adolescents. Lifestyle habit among adolescents is one of the factors related to the occurrence of obesity which is an important public health issue. Aims & Objectives: To assess the factors associated with the prevalence of obesity among school going adolescents. Materials and Methods: This was a cross sectional descriptive study of 680 school going adolescents, aged 10-19 years. Participants were enrolled by using multi stage random sampling technique. Predesigned and pretested schedule was used to elicit information on lifestyle habits that included eating food with family, consumption of breakfast, frequency of eating fast food, aerated drinks in a week, modes of transport used, participation and duration of hours spent in active sports, time spent in watching television and anthropometric variables. Age and gender specific percentile growth charts of 2007 (WHO) was used as reference to classify subjects as obese. Results: About 71.5 percent of adolescents used to eat food with family which was significantly (p=0.0001) associated with the low prevalence of overweight. The percentage of overweight was higher among those who ate fast food daily. The primary predictors for overweight in our study were eating food with family, mode of transport used and duration of watching television. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that the prevalence of overweight was 3.06 times higher among those who used public/private transport respectively than who walked [OR: 3.06 (95% CI: 1.87-5.02)]. Conclusion: The lifestyle habits of adolescents that included eating food with family, frequency of eating fast food & aerated drinks, modes of transport used, duration & participation in active sports and time spent in watching television showed the association with prevalence of overweight. Therefore there is an urgent need to educate parents and teachers regarding healthy lifestyle and healthy eating behaviour of the adolescents.
Genetic parameters for quail body weights using a random regression model

A model including fixed and random linear regressions is described for analyzing body weights at different ages. In this study, (co)variance components, heritabilities for quail weekly weights and genetic correlations among these weights were estimated using a random regression model by DFREML under DXMRR option. Data of 1046 pedigreed quail were used. Individual live weights were obtained weekly from hatching to six weeks of age. Records for the same bird were taken as repeated measurements and single measurement error variance was assumed to be constant for all ages. Orthogonal polynomial regressions (on the Legendre scale) of sixth order were sufficient to model the additive genetic, phenotypic and permanent environmental (co)variances. Heritability estimates for ages were moderate, ranging from 0.007-0.61 and estimated measurement error variance was 9.60 g 2 . Correlations were found positive among weights. Genetic correlations were higher than phenotypic and permanent environmental correlations. The correlations between adjacent periods are more closely correlated than between remote periods. South African Journal of Animal Science Vol.34(2) 2004: 104-109
Monitoring of aflatoxin M1 in market raw milk in Lahore City, Pakistan.

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) was determined in market raw milk samples collected from four towns of city Lahore, Pakistan. Total 84 samples were collected during a period of 4 months (April through July 2007) and were processed for purification of AFM1 through an immunoaffinity column. Each sample was analyzed for AFM1 using fluorescent detector of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Eighty one percent milk samples contained AFM1 levels exceeding the American and European tolerance limits. The mean value of AFM1 was 17. 38µg/L ranged from 0.69 to 100.04 µg/L. High levels of AFM1 in the raw milk samples is an enormous health risk factor for end consumers. There is need to improve storage conditions of feed ingredients that will mitigate the AFB1 production in the feed/ration and ultimately decrease the AFM1 levels in the animal milk.
An Introduction to Algorithmic and Cognitive Approaches for Information Retrieval

This paper provides an over-view of two, complementary approaches to the design and Implementation of Information retrieval Systems. The first approach focuses on the algorithms and data structures that are needed to maximise the effectiveness and the efficiency of the searches that can be carried out on text databases, while the second adopts a cognitive approach that focuses on the role of the user and of the knowledge spurces involved in Information retrieval. The paper argues for an holistic view of Information retrieval that is capable of encompassing both of these approaches.
Nationwide Projection of Rice Yield Using a Crop Model Integrated with Geostationary Satellite Imagery: A Case Study in South Korea

The Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) of the Communication, Ocean, and Meteorological Satellite (COMS) increases the chance of acquiring images with greater clarity eight times a day and is equipped with spectral bands suitable for monitoring crop yield in the national scale with a spatial resolution of 500 m. The objectives of this study were to classify nationwide paddy fields and to project rice (Oryza sativa) yield and production using the grid-based GRAMI-rice model and GOCI satellite products over South Korea from 2011 to 2014. Solar insolation and temperatures were obtained from COMS and the Korea local analysis and prediction systems for model inputs, respectively. The paddy fields and transplanting dates were estimated by using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) reflectance and land cover products. The crop model was calibrated using observed yield data in 11 counties and was applied to 62 counties in South Korea. The overall accuracies of the estimated paddy fields using MODIS data ranged from 89.5% to 90.2%. The simulated rice yields statistically agreed with the observed yields with mean errors of −0.07 to +0.10 ton ha−1, root-mean-square errors of 0.219 to 0.451 ton ha−1, and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiencies of 0.241 to 0.733 in four years, respectively. According to paired t-tests (α = 0.05), the simulated and observed rice yields were not significantly different. These results demonstrate the possible development of a crop information delivery system that can classify land cover, simulate crop yield, and monitor regional crop production on a national scale.
Evidence for the role of phytophagous insects in dispersal of non-grass fungal endophytes

Fungal endophytes were isolated from the leaves of Calotropis gigantea (milkweed). Colletotrichum gloeosporioides was most frequently isolated over the 24 month study period as an endophyte and it contributed to about 45% of the total number of endophyte isolates obtained. Poecilocerus pictus (painted grasshopper) which feeds on the leaves of milkweed neither avoided nor preferred milkweed leaves coated with a spore suspension of C. gloeosporioides. Three of the endophytes tested passed through the gut of the insect without being digested and retained their viability. This suggests that phytophagous insects could serve as an agent for the dispersal of non-grass fungal endophytes in plant communities such as tropical forests.
The use of statistical heuristics in everyday inductive reasoning

In reasoning about everyday problems, people use statistical heuristics, that is, judgmental tools that are rough intuitive equivalents of statistical principles. Statistical heuristics have improved historically and they improve ontogenetically. Use of statistical heuristics is more likely when (a) the sample space and the sampling process are clear, (b) the role of chance in producing events is clear, or (c) the culture specifies statistical reasoning as normative for the events. Perhaps because statistical procedures are part of people's intuitive equipment to begin with, training in statistics has a marked impact on reasoning. Training increases both the likelihood that people will take a statistical approach to a given problem and the quality of the statistical solutions. These empirical findings have important normative implications.
Asymmetric Effects of Uncertainty over the Business Cycle : A Quantile Structural Vector Autoregressive Approach

This paper proposes to relate conditional quantiles of stationary macroeconomic time series to the different phases of the business cycle. Based on this idea, I introduce a Bayesian Quantile Structural Vector Autoregressive framework for the analysis of the effects of uncertainty on the US real economy. For this purpose, I define a novel representation of the multivariate Laplace distribution that allows for the joint treatment of multiple equation regression quantiles. I find significant evidence for asymmetric effects of uncertainty over the US business cycle. The strongest negative effects are revealed during recession periods. During boom phases uncertainty shocks improve the soundness of the economy. Moreover, the phase of the financial sector matters when the real economy is at recession but not if the economy is at boom. When the financial system is in a bad state, an uncertainty shock leads to a deeper recession than in times when the financial system is in a good state.
KILLER WHALES, WHALING, AND SEQUENTIAL MEGAFAUNAL COLLAPSE IN THE NORTH PACIFIC: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE DYNAMICS OF MARINE MAMMALS IN ALASKA AND BRITISH COLUMBIA FOLLOWING COMMERCIAL WHALING

The hypothesis that commercial whaling caused a sequential megafaunal collapse in the North Pacific Ocean by forcing killer whales to eat progressively smaller species of marine mammals is not supported by what is known about the biology of large whales, the ecology of killer whales, and the patterns of ecosystem change that took place in Alaska, British Columbia, and elsewhere in the world following whaling. A comparative analysis shows that populations of seals, sea lions, and sea otters increased in British Columbia following commercial whaling, unlike the declines noted in the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands. The declines of seals and sea lions that began in western Alaska around 1977 were mirrored by increases in numbers of these species in British Columbia. A more likely explanation is that the seal and sea lion declines and other ecosystem changes in Alaska stem from a major oceanic regime shift that occurred in 1977. Killer whales are unquestionably a significant predator of seals, sea lions, and sea otters—but not because of commercial whaling.
Adsorption and Desorption Behavior of Chlorotriazine Herbicides in the Agricultural Soils

The chlorotriazine herbicides have been applied worldwide for controlling of broadleaf weeds. These herbicides are known carcinogen and thus, their occurrence in surface and ground water is a cause of concern. In the present study, adsorption–desorption behavior of chlorotriazine herbicides namely simazine and atrazine was investigated. For the study, two different types of agricultural soil A (loam, 13.7% organic matter content) and soil B (clay-loam, 4.8% organic matter content) was collected from Punjab, India. The adsorption–desorption study was carried out by batch equilibration procedure. The data fitted well into the Freundlich equation. The adsorption Kf values indicated that the simazine has more soil adsorption ability than atrazine. The extent of herbicides adsorbed to the soil was more under low pH conditions and decreased with the increase in pH value. Increase in temperature decreased herbicides adsorption ability for both the soil types. The Gibb’s free energy (ΔG) values were found less negative with the increase in temperature. Atrazine exhibited better desorption behavior than simazine. Soil A with high organic matter content exhibited sorption–desorption hysteresis. The results indicate that the soil organic matter content and aqueous solubility play an important role in the adsorption–desorption behavior of chlorotriazine herbicides. The present understanding of chlorotriazine herbicides sorption–desorption process will help to determine the herbicides fate and availability in soil, biodegradation, runoff and leaching.
Markov Regime Switching Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedastic Model and Volatility Modeling for Oil Returns

In conjunction with the recent alternative models, a wide literature has been established for volatility modeling in finance theory. In this study, we examine return volatility of Brent oil returns through generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedastic (GARCH), exponential GARCH, Glosten-Jagannathan-Runkle GARCH and Markov regime-switching GARCH (MRS-GARCH) models. As a preliminary test concerning the potential regimes, first, we use modified iterative cumulative sum of squares test in order to examine the existence of breaks in the variance of return series. All volatility models are formed under normal, generalized error distribution and Student’s t distributions. According to the Akaike information criterion and Bayesian information criterion values, MRS-GARCH model outperforms all other alternative models. Another interesting result is the failure of the models that formed under normal distribution.
GENETIC RELATIONSHIP ANALYSIS OF WILD ( OLEA CUSPIDATA WALL . ) AND CULTIVATED OLIVE ( OLEA EUROPAEA L . ) GROWING IN AZAD JAMMU AND KASHMIR , PAKISTAN

Wild (O. cuspidata) and cultivated olive (O. europaea) grow in northern regions of Pakistan including Azad Jammu and Kashmir are expected to have considerable inter and intra-species genetic variability due to adaptation to the various environmental conditions. The genetic relationship was investigated in wild and cultivated olive populations growing in Azad Jammu and Kashmir by using four primer combinations during Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) analysis. Genetic relationships were displayed in a dendrogram based on Unweighted Pair Group Method (UPGMA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Four clusters were clearly separating wild and cultivated olive populations from each other indicated that the Olea cuspidata (wild) which is an Afro-Asiatic species found particularly in this region and Olea europaea (cultivated) were divergent. The insightful difference between wild and cultivated populations and the close relationship among Olea europaea accessions had confirmed that the cultivated olive did not develop locally but were introduced from abroad, propagated by grafting on local wild olive. Moreover, analysis of cultivated olive showed that they are probably from same population with common ancestry.
Objective Versus Subjective Assessment for Rhinoplasty

Background: Rhinoplasty has become one of the main performed cosmetic surgeries. This fact is reflected in the Egyptian population where plastic surgeons often deal with a high percentage of patients seeking cosmetic rhinoplasty. One of the main success factors for this type of surgeries is patients’ satisfaction; some of the patients are hardly satisfied with the post-operative results. This dissatisfaction may be due to thick skin over the tip region, post-operative persistent edema, incomplete correction of the deformity, or wrong surgical techniques. Sometimes even without the existence of all these dissatisfactory factors, patient are still unhappy with their final results due to psychological disorders. Therefore finding effective evaluation tools for subjectively and objectively assess the rhinoplasty result is of great importance for both patients and surgeons. Patients and Methods: This study had been done on 40 patients (35 females) and (5 males) presented at the outpatient’s clinic of the Plastic Surgery Department, Assiut University Hospitals seeking for rhinoplasty. The patients were evaluated by three methods objectively and subjectively. Results: There was a highly significant difference between patients’ and surgeons’ satisfaction scores pre and postoperatively. Patients, more than 20 years old, were more satisfied than the younger ones. The nasal parameters were measured showing a significant difference in both the angles and ratios pre and post-operatively. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study along with other studies emphasizes the importance of using the evaluative tools to subjectively and objectively assess patients seeking rhinoplasty.
Measuring Lecturers Commitment Scales: A Second order Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)

Measuring lecturers' commitment scale using second other confirmatory factor analysis is viewed as an enabler of student academic success in a tertiary institution. This paper further expounds on these scales as a four factor solution using confirmatory factor analysis in examining the psychometric properties of the instrument for student academic success in Nigeria. A quantitative method of analysis was employed for a total of 300 data collected and analyzed with AMOS 20.0. The second order confirmatory factor analysis techniques were used on the hypothesized model with four latent variables of commitment to student, commitment to teaching, commitment to school and commitment to the profession. The result reveals the goodness-of-fit indices are adequate with the hypothesized model using the fit indices criteria. In conclusion, it is evidence that lectures' commitment is the enabler of student success which is linked to the four factor identify as commitment underlying variables. The implications of this paper are for lectures' to be more committed to the four determining variables'. Future studies should examine the relationship between the underlying variables on the student academic success in a tertiary institution.
Spreading engagement: on the role of similarity in the positive contagion of team work engagement

Emotional contagion theory applied to work and organizations posits that positive emotions are shared among team members, thus enabling them to converge in desirable shared states such as team work engagement. The aim of this study is to analyze how similarity among team members in terms of gender and company tenure is related to convergence in work engagement at the team level. Similarity in terms of gender and company tenure was expected to be positively related to convergence in team work engagement. Hierarchical regression modeling in 161 teams showed that similarity in terms of gender was positively related to convergence in team work engagement, whereas, unexpectedly, similarity in company tenure was negatively related to convergence in team work engagement.
Distributed Joint AP Grouping and User Association for MU-MIMO Networks

Interference Alignment (IA) has emerged as a promising interference coordination approach for cooperative MIMO systems. Due to heavy CSI feedback overhead, APs (Access Points) need to be partitioned into cooperation groups no larger than a certain size where only APs in the same group are able to cooperate with IA. We consider a general MIMO network using a hybrid interference coordination approach, i.e. intra-group interference is managed with IA, while inter-group interference is overcome with traditional orthogonal multiple access techniques. Users are usually non-uniformly distributed. Their throughput can be improved by association optimization. We study the novel problem of minimizing AP load by joint AP grouping and user association. The problem is shown to be NP-hard. Based on alternating direction optimization, we propose DAGA (Distributed Joint AP Grouping and User Association) to tackle the problem. DAGA is distributed and uses only long-term CSI. Based on current AP grouping, it produces an approximated user association solution which is at most $e\log m (m$ is the number of APs) times of the optimum. Based on current user association, it adjusts AP grouping with local search. Extensive simulation results show that it substantially outperforms other comparison schemes.