Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Conditional reasoning in context: A developmental dual processes account

The way individuals interpret “if p then q” conditionals varies with content and context, often resulting in a biconditional reading. Surprisingly, truth table tasks reveal the existence of two different types of biconditional interpretations: equivalence, as for promises and threats, and defective biconditional, as for causal conditionals or indicative conditionals involving binary terms. The aim of this study was to determine how the interpretation of indicative conditionals is affected in children, adolescents, and adults, by restricting their context of enunciation to only one possible alternative for both the antecedent and the consequent. Moreover, we wanted to determine what is the exact nature of the biconditional interpretation induced by these restricted contexts. For this purpose, third, sixth, and ninth graders and adults performed a truth-value task on indicative conditionals presented either in restricted on non-restricted contexts. Restricted contexts had no effect on children who have a conjunctive interpretation of the conditional, but elicited a predominant defective biconditional reading in adolescents and adults. These results corroborate the developmental dual process account of conditional reasoning proposed by Gauffroy and Barrouillet (2009).
Internet Access and Use in Political Discourse by the Members of Parliament in Tanzania

This paper is based on the research which examined access and use of internet resources and services by the Tanzanian Members of Parliament (MPs) and its impact on the political discourse. The study was conducted in June 2009 among selected parliamentarians. It employed qualitative and quantitative research design. The sample size was 18 parliamentarians and these were selected purposively. The methods of data collection included a questionnaire, interviews and focus group discussion. Analysis of data was mainly descriptive. The key findings of this study are: First, the Parliament Library in Tanzania has made modest investment in ICT infrastructure to support internet access and use. Second, the Library has a good mix of professional and para- professional staff though the level of staffing is not optimum. Third, the Library has a number of important documents and publications available online including the Hansards and reports by various parliamentary committees. Fourth, the MPs have diverse needs although a few of these are central to all the MPs and these include information for debates, information on bills, policies, speeches and constituencies. The demand and need to access the internet resources and services by parliamentarians is on the rise and the parliament, including the parliament library, has to address a number of challenges in connection to this development. The reported challenges include: slow internet connectivity that discourages use; inadequate number of available PCs in the library (only 12 were available); lack of training programme to use the internet and e-resources in general; lack of effective marketing strategies to create awareness of the value of internet resources; low skills and capacities to use the internet resources among the MPs and the library staff; severe time constraint for the MPs to use the library regularly and finally, inadequate library physical space. Detailed suggestions made by the MPs on how these challenges could be addressed are also documented. Generally, the study observes a positive relationship between the use of the internet and increased/improved political discourse and the democratization process. However, one negative impact of the adoption of this new technology by the MPs is an increased knowledge and information gap between those with higher levels of education and the ones with lower levels of education. MPs with higher levels of education are the core group of internet users, while those with lower levels of education are the laggards. The knowledge and information gap is explained by the fact that the MPs with higher levels of education are likely to be better and more informed of significant issues of interest before the adoption of the internet. Thus, the use of the internet will increase and exacerbate this gap even further, unless strategies for intervention (such as training) are implemented. The paper makes a number of recommendations to address these emerging challenges and measures to mitigate negative impacts.
3C-3D VSP: Normal moveout correction and VSPCDP transformation

In this paper, we address issues related to the normal moveout correction and VSPCDP transformation of 3C-3D VSP data. A proof is presented to show that in a horizontally layered isotropic earth the traveltime-distance ( t-x) formulae for signals recorded in a VSP survey is hyperbolic. Synthetics corrected using amplitude semblance analysis show that events are corrected to normal incidence times with remarkable accuracy. Data from the Blackfoot 3C-3D VSP survey corrected to normal incidence time after amplitude semblance analysis show good correlation with that corrected using raytracing. A Dix formula is then used to estimate interval velocities below the total depth of the well from the stacking velocities obtained during the moveout correction. The stacking velocities obtained during the moveout correction are used in an approximate VSPCDP transformation of the VSP data. Comparison of reflection points mapped using the approximate method with those using a raytracing method for synthetics show that the approximate method maps the reflections accurately for all practical purposes. The same approximate procedure applied to the Blackfoot 3C- 3D VSP resulted in a 3-D image very similar to that obtained using a raytracing method. These methods developed for a horizontally layered isotropic earth are an efficient way to obtain high-resolution 2-D/3-D seismic images in simple geologies. In complex geologies, however, they could precede more accurate imaging methods like migration to give a rough idea about the geology.
Complications of Instrumental Vaginal Deliveries and Associated Factors in Suhul General Hospital, Shire, North-West Tigray, Ethiopia

Instrumental vaginal delivery is a key element of essential obstetric care, and scaling up its use in resource poor countries through training and supply of appropriate equipment is likely to contribute significantly to reduce maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality and objective of the study was to assess complications of instrumental vaginal delivery and associated factors. A two years retrospective cross sectional analytical study was conducted from July 2013 to June 2015 in the obstetric department of Shire, Suhul General Hospital, North-West zone, Tigray Ethiopia. Records of 357 mothers managed with operative vaginal delivery were retrieved, 224 (62.7%) were rural residents. Low instrumental vaginal delivery was the most common type of practiced station (208, 58.3%) but mid instrumental delivery is highly associated with complications [AOR 95% CI 12.2 (4.79-31, 4)]. Fetal distress was the most common indication of operative vaginal deliveries, 158 (44.3%) as well as the commonest cause of low 1st minute Apgar score, 97 (54.8%). More than half of mothers were assisted with forceps, 187 (52.4%), and it was the, commonest cause for perineal tear (67.4%) and significantly associated with feto maternal complications [AOR 95% CI 1.73 (1.07-2.80)]. Even though forceps had higher maternal complications, vacuum extraction has higher fetal complications. We conclude that obstructed labor (OL), mid pelvic instrument application, increases in birth weight and forceps application were significantly associated with feto maternal complications.
Impact of Culture and Knowledge Acquisition to Organizational Success: Study on Chinese and Malay Small Firms

Research generally concludes that small businesses contribute to economic development. In Malaysia, small firm’s particularly Chinese small firms have played a very important role for economic growth in this country. Chinese firms have managed to survive, grow and succeed either in Malaysia or anywhere else in the world. Most prior research found that the success factor was related to their socio-cultural context. However, previous studies have found the similarities on the cultural values of the Malays and Chinese which derived from ‘Budi Complex’ and ‘Confucianism’ respectively. It was particularly on certain selected values related to self, time and epistemology. Therefore, this paper tries to identify other reasons behind the success factor of the Chinese as compared to the Malay small firms. Thus, looking at the perspective of Knowledge Base View theory, this paper proposed that cultural values are not a mere factor that affect the way Chinese small firms market their operation. The current study thus proposed that how Chinese and Malays acquire and share knowledge, have significant contribution to their success or their failures.
Assessment of investigation techniques for scyphozoan statoliths, with focus on early development of the jellyfish Sanderia malayensis

Statolith ageing techniques provide a useful tool in the study of age, growth, and population structure of several marine organisms. Previous investigations on scyphozoan stato liths demonstrated increased statolith numbers and size with increasing medusa size, as well as taxon-specific variations in statolith shape. Thus, statoliths are potentially useful for age determination and taxonomic studies on medusae. Unfortunately, studies on statoliths are difficult because of the fragile structure of the numerous tiny crystals and their hygroscopic nature. We evaluated the potential of various modified study techniques for scyphozoan statocysts and stato liths applied to early medusa stages of Sanderia malayensis Goette, 1886. Light microscopy was suitable to follow the increase of statolith numbers and sizes with age and allowed differentiation of various statolith shape types, which were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. The use of the fluorescent marker calcein provided direct evidence for measurable statolith growth. Our results indicated that statoliths stopped growing after reaching a certain size while additional stato liths developed in the basal region of the statocyst. Micro-computed tomography data allowed visualization and morphometric measurements of statoliths, revealing interspecific differences that may be useful for phylogenetic studies. Statolith numbers were positively correlated with medusa age and bell diameter. Thus, statolith analyses could provide information on medusa age or size, both of which are important parameters for population structure analyses that are difficult to assess with currently applied techniques. Our study provides methodological bases for future studies to reveal further potential of scyphozoan statolith investigations for phylogenetic and ecological studies.
Slow power control in a CDMA network

We suggest a quasi-static power control algorithm, that provides constant received power levels at cell sites on the fast time-scale of fading and burstiness, but adapts these levels slowly as a function of measured statistics. This algorithm is suitable for packet spread spectrum wireless networks, in which packets are sent in bursts, and it is not feasible to adapt received power levels to measured realizations of interference.
Household Welfare Impact of Trade Liberalization in Nigeria: A Computable General Equilibrium Model

Trade liberalization policy across countries gathered momentum in the 1990s and has not abated ever since. These policy reforms have been fueled by the desire of countries to harness the benefits embedded in international trade. While the empirical link between trade liberalization and its economic growth outcomes in Nigeria has received considerable attention in the literature, the household welfare implications or income distributional effect of this policy remains under-researched. This study examines the various household welfare scenarios that will result from the imposition of shocks on import taxes in the Nigerian economy. The paper utilizes the computable general equilibrium model based on a 2006 social accounting matrix for Nigeria to conduct a macro-micro simulations of the economy. The study found evidence that a policy of full or partial trade liberalization of the Nigerian economy will on overall, have a mixed welfare implications for Nigerian households in the short run. While the policy will lead to a general improvement in consumption of goods and services as well as in real income of all households, it will at the same time hurt households by inducing unemployment in the two key sectors of agriculture and industry. It will therefore be helpful to pursue a trade liberalization policy on a sectorial basis with emphasis on those sectors that will not severely undermine the welfare needs of Nigerian households.
Life Cycle Assessment of Creosote-Treated Wooden Railroad Crossties in the US with Comparisons to Concrete and Plastic Composite Railroad Crossties

Creosote-treated wooden railroad crossties have been used for more than a century to support steel rails and to transfer load from the rails to the underlying ballast while keeping the rails at the correct gauge. As transportation engineers look for improved service life and environmental performance in railway systems, alternatives to the creosote-treated wooden crosstie are being considered. This paper compares the cradle-to-grave environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) results of creosote-treated wooden railroad crossties with the primary alternative products: concrete and plastic composite (P/C) crossties. This LCA includes a life cycle inventory (LCI) to catalogue the input and output data from crosstie manufacture, service life, and disposition, and a life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) to evaluate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, fossil fuel and water use, and emissions with the potential to cause acidification, smog, ecotoxicity, and eutrophication. Comparisons of the products are made at a functional unit of 1.61 kilometers (1.0 mile) of rail-road track per year. This LCA finds that the manufacture, use, and disposition of creosote-treated wooden railroad crossties offers lower fossil fuel and water use and lesser environmental impacts than competing products manufactured of concrete and P/C.
Highly energy-conservative finite difference method for the cylindrical coordinate system

A highly energy-conservative second-order-accurate finite difference method for the cylindrical coordinate system is developed. It is rigorously proved that energy conservation in discretized space is satisfied when appropriate interpolation schemes are used. This argument holds not only for an unequally spaced mesh but also for an equally spaced mesh on cylindrical coordinates but not on Cartesian coordinates. Numerical tests are undertaken for an inviscid flow with various schemes, and it turns out that the proposed scheme offers a superior energy-conservation property and greater stability than the intuitive and previously proposed methods, for both equally spaced and unequally spaced meshes.
Non-specific humoral immunity in rabbits infected with the selected German strains of the RHD (rabbit haemorrhagic disease) virus

The study aimed to analyse selected parameters of non-specific humoral immunity (myeloperoxidase – MPO activity, as well as lysozyme – LZM concentration and activity) in rabbits infected with three German (Hagenow, Frankfurt, Triptis) strains of the RHD virus with different biological properties. The results of the study showed that biological properties (i.e. different reactivity in the HA test and formation of antigen variant), have impact on the analysed non-specific humoral immunity factors, as antigen variant Triptis causing high mortality at a very short time was the most immunogenic strain, while the strain with variable haemagglutination capacity Hagenow proved to be the least immunogenic strain.
Measuring Merger Cost Effects: Evidence from a Dynamic Structural Econometric Model

Retrospective analyses of mergers disproportionately focus on assessing price rather than cost changes associated with mergers. Perhaps a reason for the disproportionate focus is that reliable price data are typically more readily available. In this paper we use a methodology that does not require data on cost to infer the effects of two recent airline mergers—Delta/Northwest and United/Continental—on merging firms’ marginal costs, recurrent fixed costs, and sunk market entry costs. We find that both mergers are associated with marginal and fixed cost savings, but higher market entry costs. The magnitudes of the cost effects differ across the mergers.
New Shewhart-EWMA and Shewhart-CUSUM Control Charts for Monitoring Process Mean

In this paper, we propose new Shewhart-EWMA (SEWMA) and Shewhart-CUSUM (SCUSUM) control charts using the varied L ranked set sampling (VLRSS) for monitoring the process mean, namely the SEWMA-VLRSS and SCUSUM-VLRSS charts. The run length characteristics of the proposed charts are computed using extensive Monte Carlo simulations. The proposed charts are compared with their existing counterparts in terms of the average and standard deviation of run lengths. It is found that, with perfect and imperfect rankings, the SEWMA-VLRSS and SCUSUM-VLRSS charts are more sensitive than their analogous charts based on simple random sampling, ranked set sampling (RSS) and median RSS schemes. A real dataset is also used to explain the implementation of the proposed control charts.
Effect of Azolla (Azolla pinnata) based concentrate mixture on nutrient utilization in buffalo bulls

A metabolism trial was conducted after 30 days of feeding using twelve graded Murrah buffalo bulls (301.96 ± 6.98) to study the effect of incorporation of sun dried Azolla (Azolla pinnata) meal in the concentrate mixture on intake, digestibility of nutrients and on retention of nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus. The DMI (kg / 100 kg BW) was similar between the 2 groups. The average digestibility coefficients of DM, OM, CP, EE, CF, NFE, NDF, ADF, cellulose and hemicellulose decreased (P>0.05) with incorporation of sun dried Azolla meal in the concentrate mixture of buffalo bulls as compared with the control. All the buffalo bulls were in positive N, Ca and P balances. The % DCP (P>0.05) and TDN (P>0.05) content decreased with incorporation of sun dried Azolla (Azolla pinnata) meal in the concentrate mixture compared with the control. It can be concluded that sun dried Azolla meal could replaced about 25 per cent of the total protein in the concentrate mixture of graded Murrah buffalo bulls for maintenance without any adverse effects.
The influence of the mandatory adoption of IFRS on the value relevance of earnings for Dutch listed companies

Since 2005 Dutch companies are obliged to report their financial statements in accordance with IFRS. The goal of this law, imposed by the EU, was to increase transparency on the European capital markets, and consequently, to increase the value relevance of the earnings number. This number was decreasing already for quite some year (Lev and Zarowin, 1999). However, it was in doubt whether this result would be achieved due to some possible disadvantages associated with the mandatory adoption of IFRS. Therefore, this study aims to explore whether the value relevance of earnings number increased after IFRS was imposed. Over a sample of Dutch listed firms no evidence is found that IFRS caused a change in value relevance, both on the long and short run. Some evidence is reported that the financial crisis has had a negative impact on the value relevance of earnings.
Alcohol Use and Alcohol Use Disorders in Bangladesh

Background: This review was performed to evaluate the trend of alcohol use, characteristics of consumers, alcohol use disorders and toxic alcohol intoxications in Bangladesh. In addition, sources and sales figures of alcoholic beverages, and number of legal permits issued for alcohol consumption are reported and analyzed. Methods: A narrative search was performed on available medical literature in online medical databases including Medline, Embase, Google Scholar and Bangladesh Journal online (Banglajol) to obtain articles related to alcohol use and related disorders in Bangladesh. Governmental legislations and reports related to alcohol use were also collected and reviewed. The main estimates are based on the data reported during 2006 to 2011. Results: Estimated frequency of alcohol users in general population of Bangladesh is about 1.9% (CI 1.7-2.1). Prevalence of alcohol consumption is 3.6% (CI 3.3-4.1) among men and 0.3% (CI 0.2-0.5) among women. The majority of alcohol consumers are within 25 to 44 years of age (76.3%). Total number of alcohol use permits has increased by 49.0% during 2006 to 2011. In total, 80637 permits have been issued up to 2011, and therefore it can be estimated that 79/100,000 people are legal alcohol consumers in Bangladesh. The estimate of alcohol use prevalence (1.9%) is approximately 24 times higher than estimated legal consumers (0.08%). There is a growing trend over alcohol use in Bangladesh, as alcohol per capital consumption has increased by about 100 times during 1973 to 2010. Heavy episodic drinking has been reported in 20.2% (CI 16.3-24.8) of Bangladeshi drinkers. Alcohol dependence was estimated to be 0.7% in general population. Conclusion: Alcohol use is on the rise in Bangladesh and it is particularly higher among some specific populations. Targeted intervention programs may help stop this increasing trend.
Collective Labour Supply: Heterogeneity and Nonparticipation

We present identification and estimation results for the "collective" model of labour supply in which there are discrete choices, censoring of hours and nonparticipation in employment. We derive the collective restrictions on labour supply functions and contrast them with restrictions implied by the usual "unitary" framework. Using the large changes in the wage structure between men and women in the UK over the last two decades we estimate a collective labor supply model for married couples without children. The implications of the unitary framework are rejected while those of the collective approach are not. The estimates of the sharing rule show that wages have a strong influence on bargaining power within couples.
Defects in ZnO nanoparticles laser-ablated in water–ethanol mixtures at different pressures

The effect of liquid medium and its pressure on the photoluminescence of ZnO nanoparticles prepared via laser ablation of Zn targets in various water–ethanol mixtures is studied. As the ethanol content increases, the photoluminescence of the product changes, while metallic zinc is observed to emerge in nanomaterials prepared in ethanol-rich environments. The applied pressure had a less profound effect, mainly affecting materials produced in water or water–ethanol, and much less those generated in pressurized ethanol. Tuning the reactivity of the liquid and pressurizing it during laser ablation is demonstrated to be promising for tailoring the emission properties of the product.