Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How Does Financial Openness Affect Economic Growth and its Components?

This paper aims at uncovering the different channels through which de facto financial openness affects economic growth and its components. The results herein indicate that de facto measures of financial openness (as proxied by different types of capital inflows) stimulate economic growth. In particular, the results indicate that higher levels of FDI inflows stimulate GDP per worker growth and crowd-in domestic investment for developing and emerging markets. As far as developed economies, I find that higher levels of both FDI and Portfolio-type inflows improve GDP per worker growth, but that only the latter type of capital stimulates capital accumulation with crowding-in effects. The one similarity between developed and developing economies is that FDI positively affects total factor productivity in both cases.
Prosodic and Segmental Correlates of Spontaneous Dutch Speech in Patients with Parkinson's Disease: A Pilot Study

This study investigates the acoustic correlates of prosody and vowel articulation in Dutch individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). We compared prosodic and segmental acoustic measures in spontaneous monologues in PD patients to those in elderly healthy controls matched for age and gender. For the prosodic measurements of pitch variability, span and speech rate, we analysed fundamental frequency and intensity. For articulation measurements, the first two formants were calculated from Dutch corner vowels extracted from the speech signal. Results show a monopitch trend, reduced speech rate, centralization of the formant frequencies and reduced first formant variability in individuals with PD compared to control group.
Typologizing School–Community Partnerships

School–community partnerships are currently in the forefront of place-based urban reform efforts. But the literature on these partnerships indicates a variety of models that require different commitments and resources. Through a close review of the literature, we developed a typology of four partnership categories organized from the least to the most comprehensive in purpose and design. This typology reveals different theories of action as well as the conditions that facilitate or obstruct various models of partnership implementation. We argue that such a typology is a useful tool in guiding systemic educational reform, research, and evaluation.
Responding to Globalization: Impacts of Certification on Colombian Small-Scale Coffee Growers

Eco-certification of food and other agricultural products has been promoted as a way of making markets work for sustainability. Certification programs offer a price premium to producers who invest in more sustainable practices. The literature on the impacts of certification has focused primarily on the economic benefits farmers perceive from participating in these schemes. These benefits, however, are often subject to price variability, offering only a partial explanation of why farmers join and stay in certification programs. We evaluated the potential of the Rainforest Alliance certification program to foster more resilient social-ecological systems in the face of globalization. Using the case of Santander, Colombia, and a pair-based comparison of 86 households to effectively produce a robust counterfactual, we showed that certification provides important environmental benefits, while improving the well-being of farmers and their communities. Furthermore, the study showed that price premiums are only one of many elements defining the success of certification, particularly important for motivating farmers to join, but less so to explain retention and upgrading. The case of Colombian coffee growers illustrates how the connections between local social-ecological systems and larger global forces can produce more sustainable livelihoods and land uses.
E‐service quality: comparing the perceptions of providers and customers

Purpose – This study aims to identify the similarities and differences between the perspectives of providers and customers regarding the important dimensions and attributes of e‐service quality (e‐SQ). Design/methodology/approach – Ten criteria are proposed for assessment of e‐SQ in both business‐to‐business (B2B) and business‐to‐consumer (B2C) transactions. Confirmatory factor analysis confirms the validity of grouping these criteria into five proposed dimensions. The e‐SQ dimensions and criteria are then ranked in terms of their importance by a survey of respondents from small and medium‐sized enterprises with experience in conducting e‐business in Greece. The results are compared with selected surveys of customers' perceptions from the literature.Findings – The results indicate that the providers' perceptions are in agreement with customers' perceptions with regard to e‐SQ dimensions, but not with regard to specific criteria (items) within those dimensions. The study also finds that providers have simil.
Gender Differences in Lying in Sender-Receiver Games: A Meta-Analysis

Whether there are gender differences in lying has been largely debated in the past decade. Previous studies found mixed results. To shed light on this topic, here I report a meta-analysis of 8,728 distinct observations, collected in 65 Sender-Receiver game treatments, by 14 research groups. Following previous work and theoretical considerations, I distinguish three types of lies: black lies, which benefit the liar at a cost for another person; altruistic white lies, which benefit another person at a cost for the liar; and Pareto white lies, which benefit both the liar and another person. The results show that: males are significantly more likely than females to tell black lies (N=4,173); males are significantly more likely than females to tell altruistic white (N=2,940); and results are inconclusive in the case of Pareto white lies (N=1,615). Furthermore, gender differences in telling altruistic white lies are significantly stronger than in the other two cases.
Dispersion of Cadmium , Lead and Zinc in Soils and Sediments of a Humid Tropical Ecosystem in Nigeria

Primary ores and naturally enriched rocks constitute one of the main sources of anomalous metal concentrations in the environment. In the search for economic mineral deposits, geochemists have delineated areas where excesses of such heavy metals may be hazardous to plants and/or animals. Several studies on the cycling of cadmium, lead and zinc have focused largely on their pathways from industrial point sources and on their biological fluxes, while relatively little is known about the factors influencing their mobility, redistribution and 'early' pathways in rock-soil-sediment systems (geochemical cycle). A better understanding of such processes may aid in our assessment of the environmental impact of these heavy metal contaminants and the nature of metal uptake by plants. It can also lead to a better understanding of the potential influences of man on local and global cycles of these elements. Data are particularly limited for tropical regions where the high temperatures and rainfall may have specific influences. Studies on the distribution of cadmium, lead and zinc in soils overlying background and mineralized bedrocks show that, during ferralitic weathering, these metals are released through oxidation and leaching. Cadmium and Pb are generally enriched in the topsoil while Zn is depleted. Within the subsoil, Cd and Zn are characterized by enhanced levels within the BI horizon in association with Fe-Mn sesquioxides whereas Pb is accumulated nearer the surface within the B2 horizon. The dominant pathway for their dispersal is by aqueous transportation by downward percolating rainwater and readjustments of the groundwater table. In mineralized soils, the accumulations of Cd and Pb in the topsoil can reach toxic proportions. Stream sediments are composites of rock and soil material eroded upstream of the catchment area. Because of the intensity of tropical weathering and metal solubility in water, Zn and Cd enter the streams mostly as solutes which are later precipitated
Extraverted populations have lower savings rates q

Savings rates in the U.S. have reached an historic low, posing challenges to long-term economic wellbeing. Among individuals, impulsive spending is associated with preferences for immediate gratification, driven by a heightened sensitivity to immediate rewards. Three studies examined whether population levels of trait Extraversion, reflecting dispositional sensitivity to rewards, are associated with aggregate savings rates. In Study 1, cross-cohort increases in U.S. Extraversion, assessed from 16,846 individuals over 28 years, were associated with declining personal savings rates. In Study 2, regional variation in Extraversion as assessed from a sample of 619,397 participants was negatively associated with state-level household saving, although only Openness remained a significant predictor when all traits were simultaneously entered into a regression model. In Study 3, higher nationally-aggregated Extraversion predicted lower gross national savings in a global sample of 17,837 individuals from 53 nations. 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Effect of spent engine oil on soil catalase and dehydrogenase activities

Theeffect of spent engine oil on soil pH as well as activity of selected enzymes (catalase and dehydrogenase) was studied. The results indicate that spent engine oil caused a slight change in soil pH relative to the control. There was a significant decrease (p<0.05) in catalase activity in contrast to a significant in- crease (p<0.05) observed in dehydrogenase activity. On the whole the data suggest that spent engine oil alters soil biochemistry.
Navigating trade-offs in land-use planning: integrating human well-being into objective setting

There is an increasing demand for development of natural resources, which can be accompanied by environmental degradation. Planning for multiple land uses requires navigating trade-offs between social, economic, and environmental outcomes arising from different possible futures. To explore these trade-offs, we use the Daly River catchment, in Australia’s Northern Territory, as a case study. The catchment contains areas of priority for both conservation and development. In response to the challenge of navigating the required trade-offs, the Daly River Management Advisory Committee (DRMAC) initiated a land-use plan for the region. Both development and conservation of natural resources in the catchment will affect human well-being and the long-term provisioning of ecosystem services in diverse ways. To understand some of these impacts, an innovative engagement process was designed to elicit the relative importance of key factors to residents’ well-being. The process identified 19 well-being factors grouped into four domains: biodiversity, socio-cultural, recreational, and commercial. Overall, the highest-ranked well-being factors were in the social-cultural and biodiversity domains while commercial values were ranked the least important. Respondents reported low satisfaction with commercial factors as well, noting concerns over environmental impacts from existing developments and sustainability of future developments. We identified differences in the reported importance values for several types of stakeholders, most notably between indigenous respondents and those employed in the agricultural sectors. Indigenous respondents placed greater importance on biodiversity and socio-cultural factors. Agricultural respondents placed greater importance on commercial factors. The outcomes of our engagement were integrated into DRMAC’s process of objective-setting to ensure that objectives for each domain were included in land-use planning. Our results can also anticipate potential conflicts between different stakeholders and changes in well-being associated with different land uses. We describe how our findings will inform the next stages of stakeholder engagement and comment on the utility of such an approach for integrating well-being into objective setting for land-use and scenario planning.
The Role Of Parents in Students’ Motivational Beliefs and Values

All material supplied via JYX is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, and duplication or sale of all or part of any of the repository collections is not permitted, except that material may be duplicated by you for your research use or educational purposes in electronic or print form. You must obtain permission for any other use. Electronic or print copies may not be offered, whether for sale or otherwise to anyone who is not an authorised user. The role of parents in students' motivational beliefs and values Lazarides, Rebecca; Harackiewicz, Judith; Canning, Elizabeth; Pesu, Laura; Viljaranta, Jaana
Early pregnancy VitaminDdeficiencymaybearisk factor for recurrent pregnancy losses by increasing cellular immunity and autoimmunity

Kuniaki Ota1,2, Svetlana Dambaeva2, Ae-Ra Han1, Kenneth Beaman2, Alice Gilman-Sachs2, and Joanne Kwak-Kim1,2,* Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Vernon Hills, IL 60061, USA Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA
Neuter gender and interface vulnerability in child L2/2L1 Dutch

We examine the acquisition of grammatical gender of the definite determiner in Dutch by bilingual children from ethnic minority communities. The results show a complete acquisition of the neuter definite determiner (and demonstrative) by monolinguals (age 9;3-10;5), whereas the bilinguals of the same age perform at chance level. This can partly be explained by the fact that the Dutch nominal gender feature has a default (non-neuter) and a specific value (neuter). Furthermore, these bilinguals are exposed to a Dutch input that is quantitatively and qualitatively different from the standard Dutch input of monolinguals. Because the Dutch input is below a certain threshold, the children’s access to the right morphological form regarding grammatical gender of the definite determiner in the storage component is not optimally efficient.
Ultrasonic characterization of cancellous bone using three models of trabecular structure

The semi-empirical scattering models of trabecular bone were developed and examined for their abilities to mimic the frequency dependent backscattering coefficient measured in the cancellous bone. In the simulation of the bone RF echoes the real properties of the bone and experimental conditions were taken into account. Three types of trabeculae mimicking scatterers were considered. First, the bone consisted of cylinders with varying thickness (Gamma distributed) within the population, was assumed. The next two cases accounted for the contribution of thick and thin trabeculae to the total backscattered signal. The second model assumed existence of two populations of the cylindrical scatterers significantly differing in the average value of Gamma distributed diameters. Finally, the mixed model composed of thick and thin trabeculae modeled respectively by cylindrical and spherical scatterers was examined. The last selection resulted from the similarity found between scattering on small sphere and finite cyl.
Survivability Assessment of Distributed Information and Telecommunication Networks

The methods are applicable upon comparative assessment of distributed information-telecommunication networks as to their ability to provide information exchange between correspondents in conditions of occasional and intentional (computer attacks, using of the software's undeclared capabilities) software interferences (destructive software impacts). Impact of occasional and intentional interferences causing occurrence of failure chains on the network has been described in the network degradation model based on the percolation theory. The result of using of the methods is increase of reliability of assessment of structures of distributed integrated information-telecommunication networks upon variation of the quantity of communication nodes and lines of the network. Provision of adaptation capabilities of networks in conditions of impact of destabilizing environmental factors is achieved by selection of the best (from the number of admissible alternatives) network structure, as well as by selection of the best solutions for restoration of the communication between the transit nodes. The methods account security of communication lines, which, unlike the communication nodes, cannot be isolated from impacts of the environment. Keywords—information security; networks; routing; adaptation; network security tools; network intelligence gathering; intentional interferences; percolation
The episodic star formation history of the Carina dwarf spheroidal galaxy

We present deep photometry of the Carina dwarf spheroidal galaxy in the B and V filters from CTIO/MOSAIC out to and beyond the tidal radius of rell ≈ 0.48 degrees. The accurately calibrated photometry is combined with spectroscopic metallicity distributions of red giant branch (RGB) stars to determine the detailed star formation and chemical evolution history of Carina. The star formation history (SFH) confirms the episodic formation history of Carina and quantifies the duration and strength of each episode in great detail as a function of radius from the centre. Two main episodes of star formation occurred at old (>8 Gyr) and intermediate (2−8 Gyr) ages, both enriching stars starting from low metallicities ([Fe/H] < − 2 dex). By dividing the SFH into two components, we determine that 60 ± 9 percent of the total number of stars formed within the intermediate-age episode. Furthermore, within the tidal radius (0.48 degrees or 888 pc) a total mass in stars of 1.07 ± 0.08 × 106 M⊙ was formed, giving Carina a stellar mass-to-light ratio of 1.8 ± 0.8. By combining the detailed SFH with spectroscopic observations of RGB stars, we determined the detailed age-metallicity relation of each episode and the timescale of α-element evolution of Carina from individual stars. The oldest episode displays a tight age-metallicity relation during ≈6 Gyr with steadily declining α-element abundances and a possible α-element "knee" visible at [Fe/H] ≈ − 2.5 dex. The intermediate-age sequence displays a more complex age-metallicity relation starting from low metallicity and a sequence in α-element abundances with a slope much steeper than observed in the old episode, starting from [Fe/H] = −1.8 dex and [Mg/Fe] ≈ 0.4 dex and declining to Mg-poor values ([Mg/Fe] ≤ − 0.5 dex). This clearly indicates that the two episodes of star formation formed from gas with different abundance patterns, which is inconsistent with simple evolution in an isolated system.
Gastric Cancer Susceptibility according to Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase and Thymidylate Synthase Gene Polymorphism

Purpose: The genetic polymorphism and intracellular activity of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and thymidylate synthase (TS) is clinically associated with carcinogenesis and biological therapeutic effect in gastrointestinal malignancies. We aimed to elucidate the susceptibility of gastric cancer according to MTHFR and TS gene polymorphism. Methods: This study was designed as a hospital-based case-control study in a single institute. The gastric cancer group (n=300) for the study was diagnosed at first time as tubular adenocarcinoma, and the control group (n=100) was diagnosed as no malignancy in the endoscopic biopsy. The genetic polymorphism of TS and MTHFR were confirmed by PCR. Results: The MTHFR mutant type had a more than 2-fold increased risk of developing gastric cancer (RR: 2.341). But, only heterozygote type (677CT) revealed significantly higher susceptibility compared to wild type (RR: 2.581). In TS gene genotype, the mutant genotype rate (2R/3R and 3R/3R) was significantly higher in gastric cancer group compared to control group (P=0.008), and the mutant type had a more than 3-fold increased risk of developing gastric cancer (RR: 3.222). In combined MTHFR and TS, 677CT＋2R/3R and 677CT＋3R/3R there was more than a 3-fold increased risk rate of developing gastric cancer compared with other combinations (RR, 3.474 in 677CT with 2R/3R; RR, 3.895 in 677CT with 3R/3R). Conclusion: This study shows a significant association between the MTHFR and TS polymorphisms and susceptibility to gastric cancer, providing a genetic basis. The polymorphisms study of two genes could be applied as susceptibility markers, clinically, for gastric cancer. (J Korean Surg Soc 2010;79:27-34)
The modulation of stationary waves, and their response to climate change, by parameterized orographic drag

AbstractThe parameterization of orographic drag processes in atmospheric models remains uncertain because of a lack of observational and theoretical constraints on their formulation and free parameters. While previous studies have demonstrated that parameterized orographic drag acting near the surface has a significant impact on the atmospheric circulation, this work follows a more systematic approach to investigate its impacts on the large-scale circulation and the circulation response to climate change. A set of experiments with a comprehensive atmospheric general circulation model is used to ascertain the range of climatological circulations that may arise from parameter uncertainty. It is found that the Northern Hemisphere (NH) wintertime stationary wave field is strongly damped over the North Pacific (NP) and amplified over the North Atlantic (NA) as a result of increased low-level parameterized orographic drag, both of which are shown to be conducive to higher-latitude westerlies. A comparison with .
Determination of Total Polyphenols and Antioxidant Activity of Leaf and Bark Extracts of Combretumglutinosum

The emergence of certain diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, resulting from diet or environmental pollution makes relevant researches for therapeutic solutions among which, medicinal plants. It is in this perspective that we must place this study which is about the evaluation of the total polyphenol contents and the determination of the antioxidant activity of leaf and bark extracts of Combretum glutinosum.The results has shown the presence of polyphenols in all the extracts with a higher content in the extract by infusion of the leaves, which is 258, 8mg gallic acid equivalent per gram. The study of the antioxidant activity has given low IC50 values compared to those of the reference antioxidants, namely ascorbic acid and quercetin. The lowest IC50 value was obtained with fractions of the leaf infusion extract and was 0.122 μg/ml with the ethyl acetate fraction and 2,370 μg/ml with the aqueous fraction for the DPPH and ABTS tests respectively.