Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Glass fibre reinforced cement based composite: fatigue and fracture parameters

This paper introduces the basic fracture mechanics parameters of advanced building material – glass fibres reinforced cement based composite and its fracture and fatigue behaviour is investigated. To this aim three-point bend (3PB) specimens with starting notch were prepared and tested under static ( l – d diagram) and cyclic loading (Paris law and Wohler curve). To evaluate the results, the finite element method was used for estimation of the corresponding values of stress intensity factor for the 3PB specimen used. The results obtained are compared with literature data.
Stability of Money Demand Function in Pakistan

The role, which money demand function plays in monetary policy formulation has attracted a lot of research studies to analyze this macroeconomic phenomenon. In the wake of current global and local economic and political upheavals, it is imperative to revisit the stability of money demand function. The study used the time series data and applied latest econometric techniques to find out the long run and short run money demand relationship. Moreover, all the three official monetary aggregates were used for finding out the most stable monetary demand relationship, which could provide correct signals for monetary policy formulation. The study found that broader monetary aggregate (M 2 ) was the proper aggregate, which provided stable money demand function for Pakistan. The real GDP was positively related to the demand for real balances, while opportunity cost of money was negatively related. The study found that the role of financial innovation, in explaining the demand for money warrants attention in formulating monetary policy.
On small mammals of the Nyika Plateau, Malawi

A characteristic topographical feature of eastern Africa is the chain of isolated mountain groups that runs parallel to the Indian Ocean coast from Ethiopia in the north to the Drakensberg Mountains in the south. These high plateaux are separated by lowland savannas and woodlands and form, from a biogeographical point of view, one of the most famous continental island archipelagos of the world. They contain some of the biologically most diverse and endemic-rich montane ecosystems in the world (White, 1981; Happold and Happold, 1989).
The state of halal cosmetic research on consumer behavior A systematic review of the literature and future research directions

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine existing relevant literature on the halal cosmetic (consumer behavior domain) in the recent decade, to identify emergent issues and limitations. Moreover, suggest directions for future research. A systematic process of the literature review was adopted. Selected publications were analyzed, evaluates contributions and summarizes knowledge according to the topics studied, study context and research approach. The findings of this review indicate theoretical, methodological and geographical gaps. JEL Classification: M 310 Keywords: Consumer behavior, Halal cosmetic, Attitude, Subjective norm, Perceived behavior control, Behavioral intention.
Effect of Block Ownership on Performance of Malaysian Property Companies

Abstract Concentration of ownership is said to be more evident in Asian firms due to the prevalence of family-controlled and state-controlled firms. This study empirically examines the relationship between firm performance and the presence of block holders. It analyses panel data drawn from 81 Malaysian property firms studied during the period of 1999-2005. Results from ordinary least squares and two stage least squares regression within a simultaneous equation system suggests firms with high block ownership has a negative impact on firm performance. The results indicate that firm performance represented by Tobin’s Q does not reward firms with block owners as the market fears large shareholders would impose their wills in order to improve their own positions at the expense of other shareholders, thus favouring a dispersed ownership structure. However, contrasting findings were reported when an accounting measure is used as firm performance. The findings also show that causality runs in both directions indicating that block ownership is a determinant of performance and vice versa.
Natural Microflora of Raw Cow Milk and their Enzymatic Spoilage Potential

Abstract The aim of this work was to identify the main microbiota in raw cow milk from dairy farm of Slovakia and to describe the selected microorganisms responsible for thermostable protease and lipase production which can affected the quality of dairy products. The main bacterial classes identifying by MALDI-TOF MS were Gammaproteobacteria (62 %), Actinobacteria (19 %) and Bacilli (12 %). The dominant microbial genus of raw cow milk was Pseudomonas. From milk bacteria, the strain Lactococcus lactis and from the family Enterobacteriaceae, namely Enterococcus faecalis, Hafnia alvei, Citrobacter braakii and Raoultella ornithinolytica were observed in raw milk. The spoilage of milk products is caused by thermostable enzymes with lipolytic and proteolytic activity. Qualitative proteolytic and lipolytic activities were performed on skin milk agar and olive oil, respectively. From 16 identified microorganisms, only 8 strains (P. fragii, P. gessardii, P. lundesis, H. alvei, C. braakii, R. ornithinolytica, Kocuria rhizophila and Candida inconspicua) showed protease activity. Quantitative protease and lipase activities were determined by casein and olive oil, respectively. The highest both activities were measured for the genus Pseudomonas. While lipases produced by all isolated microbial species lose enzymatic activity at 77 °C for 30 – 40 min, almost proteases showed comparable activities during whole pasteurization experiment at selected experimental conditions (70 °C, 40 min).
On large plasmoid formation in a global magnetohydrodynamic simulation

Abstract. We investigate plasmoid formation in the magnetotail using the global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation GUMICS-4. Here a plasmoid implies a major reconfiguration of the magnetotail where a part of the tail plasma sheet is ejected downstream, in contrast to small Earthward-propagating plasmoids. We define a plasmoid based solely on the structure of the closed (connected to the Earth at both ends) magnetic field line region. In this definition a plasmoid is partly separated from the ordinary closed field line region by lobe field lines or interplanetary field lines resulting from lobe reconnection. We simulate an event that occurred on 18 February 2004 during which four intensifications of the auroral electroject (AE) index occurred in 8 h. Plasmoids form in the simulation for two of the four AE intensifications. Each plasmoid forms as a result of two consecutive large and fast rotations of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). In both cases the IMF rotates 180 degrees at 10 degrees per minute, first from southward to northward and some 15 min later from northward to southward. The other two AE intencifications however are not associated with a plasmoid formation. A plasmoid does not form if either the IMF rotation speed or the angular change of the rotation are small. We also present an operational definition for these fully connected plasmoids that enables their automatic detection in simulations. Finally, we show mappings of the plasmoid footpoints in the ionosphere, where they perturb the polar cap boundary in both hemispheres.
A study on black-body radiation: Classical and binary photons

The present study gives a detailed analysis of the thermal radiation based completely on classical random variables. It is shown that the energy of a mode of a classical chaotic radiation field, following the continuous exponential distribution as a classical random variable (Gauss variable), can be uniquely decomposed into a sum of its fractional part and of its integer part. The integer part is a discrete random variable (Planck variable) whose distribution is just the Planck-Bose distribution, yielding Planck’s law of black-body radiation. The fractional part is the dark part (dark variable) with a continuous distribution, which is not observed in the experiments, since Planck’s law describes the observations with an unprecedented accuracy. It is proved that the Planck-Bose distribution is infinitely divisible, and can be decomposed in two ways. On one hand, the Planck variable can be decomposed into an infinite sum of independent binary random variables representing the binary photons (more accurately binary photo-molecules or photo-multiplets) of energy 2shv with s=0, 1, 2, . These binary photons follow the Fermi statistics, and they serve as a unique irreducible decomposition of the Planck variable. In this way, the black-body radiation can be viewed as a mixture of thermodynamically independent fermion gases consisting of binary photons. On the other hand, the Planck variable is decomposed into a series of Poisson random variables which describe classical photons (more accurately Poissonian photomolecules, or photo-multiplets) of energy mhv, where m=1, 2, . This way the black-body radiation is decomposed into a mixture of thermodynamically independent gases consisting of the photo-molecules satisfying the Boltzmann statistics. From the contribution of the first-order photo-molecules we obtain the Wien formula, from the whole series we recover the Planck formula. It is shown that the classical photons have only particle-like fluctuations, on the other hand, the binary photons have wave-particle fluctuations of fermions. Both of these fluctuations combine to give the wave-particle fluctuations of the original bosonic photons, yielding Einstein’s fluctuation formula.
Making Family Planning Services Relevant to Adolescents: Perspectives from Rural Communities in Central Ghana

In lower middle-income countries like Ghana, it is common to find low contraceptive use among adolescents with corresponding high pregnancy outcomes. Evidence points to the fact that the use of contraceptives prevents maternal, neonatal and infant deaths, but in most lower middle-income countries, socio-cultural practices inhibit adolescents’ use. Ensuring the uptake of family planning among adolescents is deemed a necessary means of reducing maternal, neonatal and infant mor-tality. This manuscript seeks to provide contextually relevant approaches to satisfying family planning needs of adolescents in a population lacking it. We employed a qualitative study design from an interpretive paradigm with phenomenology as the methodology to understand societal attitudes towards family planning delivery to adolescents, so as to arrive at contextually appro-priate ways of providing family planning to this needy group. Focused group discussions and in-depth interviews techniques were used in data collection among adolescents, relevant commu-nity opinion leaders and family planning & health services providers. Themes that emerged from data analysis with respect to “perspectives on family planning care delivery to adolescents” and “best ways in addressing adolescents’ family planning needs” are presented, followed by discussion of the issues emerging. A significant and encouraging finding of the study was that opinion leaders and healthcare providers viewed family planning as a means of protecting adolescents against pregnancies and their complications. A key recommendation is for policy makers and political leaders to enact legislations that enable adolescents to have friendly family planning service delivery in all places and at all times.
How Have the Disadvantaged Fared in India? An Analysis of Poverty and Inequality in the 1990s

A tool belt is provided with one or more separate tool holding members, each capable of holding several tools. Each of the tool holding members is detachably secured to the belt whereby it can be removed and replaced by a substitute holding member of similar design equipped with different tools. The tool holding members can be an added accessory to existing belts as well as a feature for tool belts originally designed to utilize the detachable tool holder.
Behaviour of concrete filled stainless steel elliptical hollow sections

This paper presents the behaviour and design of axially loaded concrete filled stainless steel elliptical hollow sections. The experimental investigation was conducted using normal and high strength concrete of 30 and 100 MPa. The current study is based on stub column tests and is therefore limited to cross-section capacity. Based on the existing design guidance in Eurocode 4 for composite columns, the proposed design equations use the continuous strength method to determine the strength of the stainless steel material. It is found to provide the most accurate and consistent prediction of the axial capacity of the composite concrete filled stainless steel elliptical hollow sections due largely to the more precise assessment of the contribution of the stainless steel tube to the composite resistance.
Ethnobotanical Study with Native Species in a Rural Village in Piauí State, Northeast Brazil

Over the years, Ethnobotany has evolved and contributed with information about the use of plants by traditional communities. Further more, it acts as a source of important information for the conservation of biomes and use of plant species in medical, pharmaceutical and biotechnological areas. A survey of species of native vegetation used for different purposes in Serragem village, in the municipality of Buriti dos Lopes, northern Piaui, Brazil was conducted through semi-structured interviews, using the “snowball” sampling method and the “tour guided” technique with 20 inhabitants who had a greater knowledge of the local flora, and has identified 60 species into 52 genera and 27 botanical families. Fabaceae was the most representative in terms of number of species. Copernicia prunifera, Parkia platycephala and Myracrodruon urundeuva were the species with the highest Use Value (UV). Medicinal use category (33%) was the most representative, followed by food use (22%) and timber use (19%). The use of native vegetation for several purposes is still a practice that has been quite common among villagers, and has a fundamental importance for it serves as alternative to perform many daily activities.
Modeling the Main Determinants of Movie Sales: An Econometric Study of Chinese Marketplace

This paper investigates the financial performance of movies in China, a fast-growing commercial exhibition marketplace. Movie sales and Chinese market returns, movie characteristics and cultural contexts are operationalized in ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and quantile regression models to explain the highly varied acceptance across different products released since 2009. The samples comprise most of the widely released motion pictures in China. We posit that production budgets, sequels, audience ratings, cultural contexts and movie genres can significantly account for the variation in box office (BO) revenue and sales-revenue-to-cost (SRTC) within the Chinese market. Movies produced in countries with similar cultural contexts capture more audiences measured by box office proceeds, but it is noteworthy that SRTC falls at a decreasing rate as cultural differences increase. An increase in production budget generates more sales in China, but reduces the SRTC ratios with other factors controlled. Although aggregate cinema attendance may fluctuate with releasing date, this is not always true for an individual movie’s financial success. Quantile regressions provide us with a richer characterization of the relationship, enabling us to analyze the entire distribution of box office proceeds and SRTC ratios, as well as their determinants at key quantiles.
Variability in Cornhusk Traits of Landraces from the State of Puebla, Mexico

Published in Agron. J. 107:1119–1127 (2015) doi:10.2134/agronj14.0542 Available freely online through the author-supported open access option. Copyright © 2015 by the American Society of Agronomy, 5585 Guilford Road, Madison, WI 53711. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. ABSTRACT Maize (Zea mays L.) germplasm accessions in Mexico have been studied for grain yield and other traits. The cornhusk, or totomoxtle, is more important than the grain for Mexican peasant farmers because it generates increased income. However, limited information is available on the level of phenotypic variation in cornhusk traits, and few studies have been performed on the potential of maize landraces for the production of cornhusk. This study assessed maize landraces from three regions in Mexico. These landraces (as well as checks) were evaluated at multiple locations using lattice designs. The measured variables included the per-plant grain yield, cornhusk length and width, ear coverage, and cornhusk, peduncle and ear weight. A cluster analysis of the data from the three regions grouped populations according to their region of origin. Morphological diversity within the cornhusk traits among maize landraces was found in the three regions, and landraces from Tehuacan had the greatest potential for cornhusk production. The measured cornhusk traits were superior in the maize landraces compared with those of the improved hybrids. The cornhusk weight, length and width, and ear coverage were the most effective traits for grouping according to population origin and discriminating among the populations. Thus, these traits are proposed as phenotypic selection criteria for identifying promising maize populations and initiating breeding programs for improved cornhusk production.
House hold dietary diversity and associatedfactors in Mirab Abaya wereda Southern Ethiopia2016; community based cross sectional study

Background: Dietary diversity is essential for household welfare as well as for accomplishing other development activities. Households with insufficient access to food often face other challenges related to food insecurity including poor health and a decline in productivity which makes vicious cycle between under nutrition and decreased productivity. Objective: To assess house hold Dietary Diversity and associated factors in Mirab Abaya Wereda Southern Ethiopia, 2016. Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted from February to June, 2016. Out of 24 kebeles; nine kebeles were selected using simple random sampling method. The study house hold was selected using simple random sampling method by applying proportional to population size (PPS) for each selected kebele. Data was collected using pretested structured questionnaire adapted from FANTA and other related studies. Data was entered in to Epi info version 7 and exported to SPSS version 20.0 for analysis. Multivariate logistic regression model was fitted and odds ratios with 95% CI were calculated to identify factors associated with food insecurity. Result: A total of 453 households were interviewed and all were participated in the study making the response rate 100%. The overall mean age of head of the house hold was 41.9 years ± 14 (SD). Nearly Sixty percent of heads of the households were male. From 453 respondents nearly one third (34.3%) of the house holds had high dietary diversity while the rest had low dietary diversity. Sex of head of the house hold, marital status, monthly expenditure and presence of old age dependency were factors associated with dietary diversity. Being male sex for the house hold (AOR, 95% CI=3.55 (2.27, 5.58)) increases dietary diversity by nearly four times. Conclusion: In this study dietary diversity was 34.3%. Sex of head of the house hold, marital status, monthly expenditure and presence of old age dependency in the house hold were factors associated with dietary diversity.
Evidence for a reaction / diffusion system in the control of cell proliferation and differentiation in the wool follicle.

Specific mechanisms responsible for the control of cell proliferation and differentiation in growing hair fibres are still uncharacterized. However, the Reaction-Diffusion (RD) system of morphogens advanced by Nagorcka and Mooney (1982) makes specific quantitative predictions about wavelike patterns of putative morphogen distributions as functions of wool follicle bulb size and shape and dermal papilla volume. These theoretical morphogen distributions can then be used to predict patterns of cell proliferation and differentiation in the growing wool fibre. In order to test these predictions, we used the BrdU/anti-BrdU technique in conjunction with a monoclonal antibody (Hewish and French 1986) specific for fibre orthocortex cells to visualize patterns of cell proliferation and differentiation in the wool follicle bulb. Sheep were injected with BrdU and skin samples embedded in paraffin and serially sectioned before immunohistochemical staining. Individual follicles were followed from their base to the level at which cortical differentiation was obvious. For every follicle examined to date (n=15) from one sheep whose fibres exhibit bilateral cortical segmentation, there is good agreement between the observed asymmetric pattern of cell proliferation and the predicted morphogen gradient.
Experimental Studies of Adiabatic Flow Boiling in Fractal-Like Branching Micro-Channels

Experimental results of adiabatic boiling of water flowing through a fractal-like branching microchannel network are presented and compared to numerical model simulations. The goal is to assess the ability of current pressure loss models applied to a bifurcating flow geometry. The fractal-like branching channel network is based on channel length and width ratios between adjacent branching levels of 2 � 1/2 . There are four branching sections for a total flow length of 18 mm, a channel height of 150 lm and a terminal channel width of 100 lm. The channels were Deep Reactive Ion Etched (DRIE) into a silicon disk. A Pyrex disk was anodically bonded to the silicon to form the channel top to allow visualization of the flow within the channels. The flow rates ranged from 100 to 225 g/min and the inlet subcooling levels varied from 0.5 to 6 C. Pressure drop along the flow network and time averaged void fraction in each branching level were measured for each of the test conditions. The measured pressure drop ranged from 20 to 90 kPa, and the measured void fraction ranged from 0.3 to 0.9. The measured pressure drop results agree well with separated flow model predictions accounting for the varying flow geometry. The measured void fraction results followed the same trends as the model; however, the scatter in the experimental results is rather large.
Banking Studies That Use the Non-Parametric Approach to Study Productive Efficiency

This study investigates the efficiency levels of the Jordanian, Egyptian, Saudi Arabian and Bahraini banking systems. The study sample comprises information on 82 banks operating in Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain over the 1992-2000 period. We utilized the Fourier-flexible stochastic frontier approach to estimate cost and profit efficiency levels in the banking systems under study. Cost efficiency estimates averaged around 95% over the 1992-2000 period. Standard and alternative profit efficiency estimates averaged 66% and 58%, respectively. Islamic banks are found to be the most cost and profit efficient while investment banks are the least (cost and profit efficient). Large banks, in assets terms, appear to be relatively more cost and profit efficient. Geographically, Bahrain banks are found to be the most efficient while Jordanian banks are the least efficient.