Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Income disparities in the transition of China: reducing negative effects by dispelling misconceptions

Despite some conflicting figures, the problem of income disparities has probably increased in China, especially in the recent years. Although income disparity may be a natural outcome of a market economy, there are specific factors in China making it more of a problem. The negative effects of income disparity may be inflated by certain misconceptions. Such misconceptions may be dispelled by some simple economic analysis. In particular, the Marxist theory of exploitation can be shown to be incorrect; the enrichment of a sector can be shown to be beneficial to others in its general thrust; and a slightly higher growth rate with greater income disparity may be beneficial to the lower income groups in the long run owing to the compounding effects, which are usually underestimated.
Acute and Chronic Toxicity Studies of Antiretroviral Regimens in Albino Rats

The acute and chronic oral toxicity studies of antiretroviral regimens were evaluated in albino rats. For chronic toxicity study, the antiretroviral drugs were administered singly and in combination (CMB). Lamivudine® (3TC), Zidovudine® (AZT) and Nevirapine® (NVP) at single doses of 5000 mg/kg each produced treatment related signs of toxicity in tested animals during the first few hours but returned to normal after 48 hours therefore the 48 hours LD50 of each drug was estimated to be more than 5000 mg/kg. Chronic toxicity showed an initial percentage increase in weight between 0-6 weeks and a corresponding decrease in weight from 6-13 weeks was observed. There was no significant (P>0.05) change in serum electrolyte levels in the treated groups when compared to the control group. Aspartate transaminase (AST) was significantly (P<0.05) increased in groups administered with 3000 mg/kg of CMB, 4000 mg/kg of CMB and at all administered doses of NVP. -----------------------------------------------------------------------* Corresponding author. E-mail address: oviosun2010@yahoo.com.
Rethinking Community Assembly through the Lens of Coexistence Theory

Although research on the role of competitive interactions during community assembly began decades ago, a recent revival of interest has led to new discoveries and research opportunities. Using contemporary coexistence theory that emphasizes stabilizing niche differences and relative fitness differences, we evaluate three empirical approaches for studying community assembly. We show that experimental manipulations of the abiotic or biotic environment, assessments of trait-phylogeny-environment relationships, and investigations of frequency-dependent population growth all suggest strong influences of stabilizing niche differences and fitness differences on the outcome of plant community assembly. Nonetheless, due to the limitations of these approaches applied in isolation, we still have a poor understanding of which niche axes and which traits determine the outcome of competition and community structure. Combining current approaches represents our best chance of achieving this goal, which is fundamental to conceptual ecology and to the management of plant communities under global change.
2MASS wide field extinction maps III. The Taurus, Perseus, and California cloud complexes

We present a near-infrared extinction map of a large region in the sky (∼3500 deg 2 ) in the general directions of Taurus, Perseus, and Aries. The map has been obtained using robust and optimal methods to map dust column density at near-infrared wavelengths (Nicer, described in Lombardi & Alves 2001, AA we name this region the Perseus-Andromeda hole. We find that over the region that encompasses the Taurus, Perseus, and California clouds the column density measurements below AK < 0.2 mag are perfectly described by a log-normal distribution, and that a significant deviation is observed at larger extinction values. If turbulence models are invoked to justify the log-normal distribution, the observed departure could be interpreted as the result of the effect of gravity that acts on the cores of the clouds. Finally, we investigate the cloud structure function, and show that significant deviations from the results predicted by turbulent models are observed in at least one cloud.
Evidence of enhanced formation episodes in the Galactic open cluster system

Aims. The exciting debate about the existence of signs of enhanced formation of Galactic open clusters (OCs) is revisited here on the basis of a revised age distribution. Methods. The data were taken from the recently updated 2009 version of the Dias et al.’s 1787 OC catalogue. Results. We found that the present OC’s age distribution presents two primary excesses at t ∼ 10−15 Myr and 1.5 Gyr, which are signs of enhanced formation episodes similar to those that occurred in other galaxies (e.g., M 51, NGC 1705). When restricting the OC sample to those located in the solar neighbourhood, with the aim of avoiding incompleteness effects, we also find that these clusters are engraved with clear signs of enhanced formation at both ages.
Preparation and Characterization of Activated Carbon from Residues of Oregano

The objective of this study is to value the residues of oregano by an evaluation of the performances of the activated carbon elaborated from this precursor based on the phenomenon of adsorption described in the bibliographical studies. After the process of chemical activation of oregano marc by the phosphoric acid 80 % (1/1) at 350°C during 60 min, the specificity of obtained material is defined from two parameters. The first one is related to the existence of surface chemical functional groups, the second parameter concerns the porous texture defined by the specific surface area according to the Brunauer, Emmet and Teller method (B.E.T), the microporous surface according to the thickness method, the pore size distribution and the structural morphology of the material. The adsorption study of the activated carbon from residues of oregano hence provides evidence for better activity and surface area than commercial activated carbons and could be tried in water treatment process.
ECOWAS and Women Representation in West Africa

Contrary to the assertion regarding general exponential increase in women’s political representation in Africa, alarming political marginalization of women in West African sub-region continues, where women manage to occupy marginal percentage of the elected parliamentarians and subsequently maintain relative inarticulacy in the decision-making process of their respective states. This article therefore examines ECOWAS as potential norm entrepreneur within the context of women representation in parliaments in West Africa. It further interrogates rationales propelling argument for women adequate representation, presents situational analysis of women’s under-representation in West Africa, and argues for indispensable role which ECOWAS could play in augmenting the presence of women in national parliaments. It concludes that in spite of the enormous domestic challenges confronting women’s representation, ECOWAS within the confines of normative actor, has a needed responsibility that could contribute to gradual overhaul of the hitherto high under-representation of women in the parliaments.
Comparing Traditional Focus Groups with a Group Support Systems (GSS) Approach for Use in SME Research

This study examined the use of Group Support Systems (GSS) technology as a tool for soliciting perceptions, or ideas, from a target audience. We compared this approach to a more traditional focus group methodology, and concluded that GSS technology has a number of advantages. First, the relative anonymity of responses encouraged participation from the more timid group members, ensuring vocal individuals did not dominate. Second, the GSS technology made the findings available to group members immediately, so that clarification, correction and some quantitative analysis of responses could take place during the session. Third, the GSS approach allowed ideas to be separated from the person, ensuring that any subsequent discussion was depersonalized. Fourth, the results were available immediately after the session. Finally, the GSS technology was more cost effective because the additional cost of using this approach was more than offset by the savings from not having to transcribe participants’ responses.
Potential Use of SSR and ISSR Markers in Estimation of DNA Polymorphism Within Genus Vicia

Summary: The development of novel markers usually requires high costs and is time consuming. Instead of developing new markers, their transfer within a genus is an alternative particularly suitable in less studied species. Hence the goal of this study was to evaluate the ability of SSR markers, previously developed from Vicia faba, and ISSR markers to estimate DNA polymorphism within the genus Vicia. Eight Vicia species were used for cross-species amplification. Transferability of SSR markers in the studied species ranged from 25% to 100%, with an average of 56.25%. Although three SSR primers were polymorphic, the nature of the amplification products indicated that their further usefulness is questionable. ISSR primers generated polymorphic products of amplification in all tested Vicia species. The average polymorphism of ISSR primers was 93.75%, which implies that these primers can be used within the genus Vicia.
Existence and stability of screw dislocation configurations with arbitrary net Burgers vector

We consider a variational anti-plane lattice model and demonstrate that at zero temperature, there exist locally stable states containing screw dislocations, under conditions on the distance between the dislocations and on the distance between dislocations and the boundary of the crystal. In proving our results, we introduce approximate solutions which are taken from the theory of dislocations in linear elasticity, and use the inverse function theorem to show that local minimisers lie near them. This gives credence to the commonly held intuition that linear elasticity is essentially correct up to a few spacings from the dislocation core.
A Study to Determine the Impact of Movies on Travel Intention: Anime Movies and Japan Sample

The link between film/drama-induced tourism and purchase intention has been studied for a long while. By using the Internet to promote the destination apart from cinema hall and television, cost-efficient promotion tools were shaped. Anime consisting of digital drawing techniques has been one of the most remarkable examples in terms of promotion of destination and culture as well. In this paper, to evaluate the travel intention of watchers in Turkish anime forums to Japan, open ended questions based on the model of purchase intention were presented to members and followers in two popular anime forums via the Internet. The responses of 31 participants were analyzed. The results demonstrated that participants’ purchase intention has been enhanced as the consequence of watching anime series.
Examining the Role of Personality Factors in Problematic Video Game Play Associated with Facebook Games

The current study used the structural components of Facebook games to select predictors of Problematic Video Game Play (PVGP) in relation to Facebook games. Based upon how game design and structure may interact with personality characteristics, the current study examined the effects of hypercompetitiveness, narcissism, reward responsiveness and psychological absorption on PVGP for a group of Facebook gamers. Moreover, the present study also observed how results may differ between Facebook gamers (n = 102), and a group of other (non-Facebook) gamers (n = 132). The Facebook group comprised 84% of females with an average age of 40.39 (SD = 14.00), whereas the other group of gamers consisted of 61% of males with an average age of 24.70 (SD = 7.86). Participants completed an online survey. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) revealed that an interaction between hypercompetitiveness and narcissism was the only significant predictor of PVGP for Facebook gamers. In contrast, a second structural model revealed that both hypercompetitiveness and psychological absorption were significant predictors of PVGP for other types of gamers. The findings from this study had important implications regarding the structure of video games and demographic differences between Facebook Gamers and other types of gamers.
Mineralogical indicators of Mercury's hollows composition in MESSENGER color observations

Early during MErcury Surface Space ENvironment GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER)'s orbital mission, the Mercury Dual‐Imaging System imaged the landform called hollows on the two craters Dominici and Hopper, using its Wide‐Angle Camera with eight narrowband color filters ranging from 433 to 996 nm. An absorption feature centered in the MDIS 629 nm filter is evident in reflectance spectra for Dominici's south wall/rim hollows. A different absorption feature found in photometry of Dominici's center hollows extends through the MDIS 828 nm filter. Hollows in Hopper exhibit a weaker spectral absorption feature than that observed in Dominici's center. At Dominici, we postulate that fresher hollows‐hosting material in the wall/rim was exposed to the space environment through a process of slumping of the overlying material. With time, local and global processes darken the hollows and change or mix the surface mineralogy, so that the spectral signature evolves. The hollows could contain low‐density MgS and an opaque component, potentially derived from background material.
Performance, valuation and capital structure: survey of family firms

Purpose – Most countries often have public companies with large controlling owners, typically a family. This empirical evidence aims to contrast with the classical view of the largest dispersed firm presented by Berle and Means and challenge the findings by Bhattacharya and Ravikumar, who predict that the shares held by families will decrease if an efficient financial market is put in place. Therefore, family firms represent an important group in the stock market today. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of the family as a controlling owner on firms' performance, valuation and capital structure.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the current literature related to how family (taking into account specific governance characteristics such as family ownership, family control and family management) affects firms' performance and value.Findings – The literature review showed that founder family control and professional (outside) management increase performance, whereas excess co.
Is it time well spent? The relationship between time management behaviours, perceived effectiveness and work‐related morale and distress in a university context

Despite the high ‘guru‐factor’ in time management, few claims have been subjected to empirical investigation. This study tests the claims that people who manage their time well perceive themselves to be more effective and feel less stressed. University staff and students were utilized to investigate the relationship between time management related behaviours, perceived effectiveness, and work‐related morale and distress. Results suggested a hierarchy of time management behaviours. Having a clear sense of career purpose was most important for perceived effectiveness at work, followed by planning and prioritizing. This study has significant practical implications for staff and students. If the aim of using time management strategies is to improve performance and reduce stress, people need to learn to identify the purpose in their career, then plan their time accordingly, rather than tidying desks and hanging ‘do not disturb’ signs on doors.
Dysfunctional Outsider Executives’ Rule and the Terra Incognita of Concealed Managerial Ignorance

Concealed managerial ignorance (CMI) is a dark secret that protects managerial authority, a terra incognita that evades customary research methods. A longitudinal semi-native ethnography of automatic processing plants and their parent inter-kibbutz cooperatives by a management-educated ex-manager untangled the dysfunctional rule of outsider executives who concealed their ignorance by detachment from knowledgeable employees or/and by seductive-coercive control. Both practices retained ignorance by vicious distrust cycles of secrecy, mistakes, and failures, but total failures blocked vulnerably involved mid-level managers whose vulnerable involvement created high-trust local cultures through virtuous trust and learning cycles. Successes empowered them, so that ignorant superiors, who felt threatened, suppressed them, and they left. New outsider replacements were recruited, opted for CMI, failed, and replaced by new knowledgeable outsiders who succeeded, were empowered, and suppressed, and so on; this seesawed prolonged rule by dysfunctional ignorant executives. CMI by outsiders was found to be widespread, supporting the critique of distant leadership and the premise of managerial knowledge portability. The findings point to the potential of ethnographying executives missed by anthropologists and the need for studies of distrustful practices, while in practice offering new yardsticks for assessing candidates for executive jobs.
Variations in EFL Teachers' Pedagogical Knowledge Base as a Function of Their Teaching License Status

The study of teachers’ pedagogical knowledge base (PKB) to discover how teachers think and work is attracting increasing attention in ELT. Against this background, the present study aimed at probing the likely variations in EFL teachers’ pedagogical knowledge base as a function of their teaching license status. To this aim, six teachers (two standard-licensed, two alternatively-licensed, and two non-licensed teachers) were selected as the participants. Stimulated Recall Technique was used for the data collection purpose. Identification of the dominant thought categories of the three clusters of teachers was carried out by segmenting, coding and categorizing them. The analyses of the data revealed significant differences in the number and list of dominant pedagogical thought categories (PTC) across the three groups of teachers. Language Management, Procedure Check, Affective, Self-Reflection, Progress Review, and Beliefs formed the dominant list of PTCs by Standard Licensed (SL) teachers. Language Management, Procedure Check, Affective, and Progress Review comprised the dominant categories of Alternatively Licensed (AL) teachers, while Non-Licensed (NL) teachers' dominant PTCs included Language Management, Procedure Check, Progress Review, and Note Behaviour. Self-reflection and Beliefs were the thought categories absent in the AL and NL teachers’ list of dominant PTCs.
Characteristics of PM2.5 and Assessing Effects of Emission–Reduction Measures in the Heavy Polluted City of Shijiazhuang, before, during, and after the Ceremonial Parade 2015

ABSTRACTThe measurement of PM2.5 was conducted from 15th August to 17th September, 2015 in Shijiazhuang, China, covering the period of a ceremonial parade. The PM2.5 concentrations and the major chemical components were analyzed. The concentrations of PM2.5 was 26.5 µg m–3 during control, which were 57.0% and 51.1% lower compared to before and after control, respectively. The lowest concentrations of elements and water-soluble ions were also found during control with a decreasing tread of 31.1%–44.2%, and 57.1%–64.2%, respectively. Two typical pollution episodes characterized by significantly elevated PM2.5 concentration were found during no control due to the combination of no emission-reduction measures and unfavorable weather conditions. The mass percentage of secondary inorganic ions was larger during no control (38.1%–40.3%), pointing to the strong contribution of atmospheric chemical processes. The NO3–/SO42– ratios were 0.85, 0.94, and 0.85 before, during, and after control, respectively, and the elevated ratios during control indicate a greater proportion of the PM2.5 originated from vehicle exhaust. The WRF-CMAQ modeling system was also used to assess the effectively of emission reduction measures and weather conditions. The results indicated that the PM2.5 concentration increased by 21.6% and 32.1% if no emission-reduction measures were taken and weather conditions in 2014 were used.
The Relationship between Parenting Styles and Self-Esteem for Successive Generations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between parenting styles and selfesteem across three generations: Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. The researchers hypothesized that parenting styles from Baby Boomers to Generations X and Y have shifted from authoritarian to permissive, so a decrease in authoritarian parenting behaviors and an increase in permissive parenting styles were expected across the three generations. Further, we expected a decrease in self-esteem across the three generations, and speculate that this hypothesized change in parenting styles might relate to the decreases in the self-esteem of each generation. A total of 111 subjects, both males, and females participated and data were collected using an online survey that combined the Parental Authority Questionnaire (Buri, 1989) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965). The results of this study revealed that Baby Boomer’s parents were more authoritarian than Generation Y’s parents, and Generation Y’s parents were more permissive than BB parents. In addition, Generation Y had lower self-esteem than the Baby Boomers. Generation X revealed no discernible differences with parenting style or self-esteem. Therefore, in support of the hypotheses, there was evidence that parenting styles have gotten more permissive, and that self-esteem has gotten lower across the three generations. These findings lend support to the argument that increasing parental permissiveness may relate to decreasing self-esteem. PARENTING STYLE AND SELF-ESTEEM 3 The Relationship between Changing Parenting Styles and Self-Esteem for Successive Generations With the way that tradition and social norms have shifted, one could logically assume that there has also been a shift in parenting styles over the past few generations from the authoritarian parents who raised the Baby Boomers (Light, 1988), to the seemingly more permissive parents who raised Generation Y (Taylor, 2014). If parenting styles have changed across generations, it stands to reason that the way people within these generations function as adults also would change. The current project focused on one aspect of personality that may be influenced by this change in parenting styles, namely self-esteem. Specifically, this study examined whether parenting styles have changed over the course of three generations with a focus on the permissive parenting style and also studied whether self-esteem has decreased over the course of three generations. Further, the findings of this study suggest the background and initial support for an argument linking an increase in permissive parenting to a decrease in selfesteem.
Evaluating the Effects of Childcare Policies on Children’s Cognitive Development and Maternal Labor Supply

To explore the role of childcare policies in the development of early cognitive skills, this paper jointly estimates a cognitive achievement production function and a dynamic, discrete choice model of maternal labor supply and childcare decisions. Using counterfactuals from the model, I investigate how the designs of two childcare programs, Head Start and childcare subsidies, affect the formation of cognitive skills through maternal work and childcare decisions. The results suggest large impacts on cognitive skills from expanding Head Start to current noneligibles and negligible impacts of subsidies on cognitive skills of current eligibles.