Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Object Lessons: Thinking about Material Culture

In addition to movies, magazines, websites, and other forms of visual culture, we also experience countless material forms—such as beds, breakfasts, cars, clothing, sidewalks, and doorknobs. Because we experience these material forms every day, the ways in which they convey ideas and influence our movements and lives does not usually register in our consciousness and often goes without notice (Graves-Brown, 2000a). How might we think about all of these objects and environments that surround us? This article describes why art educators might consider studying material forms from everyday life, presents suggestions for exploring them in an art classroom, and includes an example to illustrate teaching about an object of material culture.
XBeach Process-Based Modelling of Coastal Morphological Features Near Breakwater

An effective role of a detached breakwater as a coastal protection structure leads to morphological evolutions of tombolo. This paper presents the application of process based model of XBeach to investigate the morphological tombolo evolution using the model domain from the previous case study. Sensitivity analysis with optimum model parameters such as facua 0.1, Chezy coefficient 60, directional energy distribution, dtheta 10 and morfac 100 is conducted and the model results are compared to the empirical models. At 50 and 75 days simulation time, XBeach model results for breakwater at distance 120 m, 150 m, 200 m and 300 m offshore forms tombolo and salient at a distance of 500 m from the shoreline. Numerical investigation of tombolo through XBeach model has given us an understanding on the morphological effects of breakwater offshore distance towards evolution of coastal features like tombolo and salient.
Research and Productivity in Thai Agriculture

This paper examines the impact that publicly funded agricultural research has on productivity in crop production within Thailand. It tests empirically the two hypotheses that, first, publicly funded research and development (R&D) in crop production is a significant determinant of total factor productivity (TFP) in the crop sector and, second, that its social rate of return is high. The statistical analysis applies error correction methods to national level time series data for Thailand, covering the period 1970–2006. Emphasis is given to public research in crop production, where most publicly funded agricultural R&D has occurred. The role of international research spillovers and other possible determinants of TFP are also taken into account. The results demonstrate that public investment in research has a positive and significant impact on TFP. International research spillovers have also contributed to TFP. The results support the finding of earlier studies that returns on public research investment have been high. This result holds even after controlling for possible sources of upward biases present in most such studies, due to the omission of alternative determinants of measured TFP. The findings raise a concern over declining public expenditure on crop research, in Thailand and many other developing countries.
The Impact of ECB Communication on Financial Market Expectations

This paper analyzes European financial markets' comprehension and interpretation of ECB communication signals. By applying a novel indicator developed by Berger et al. (2006), that quantifies the contents of the ECB's introductory statements, we find that communication affects the term structure of interest rates in the medium run over a horizon between five months to one year. Our results suggest that financial market agents expect the ECB to prepare them for a change in interest rates well in advance. However, judging upon the dynamics of the response, the exact timing of a decision is less foreseeable. Disentangling the effects of ECB statements on prices, the real and the monetary sector, we provide evidence that especially the ECB's interpretation and forecasts of price developments represent important news to financial market agents.
Socio-economic status of fishers of the old Brahmaputra river in Mymensingh sadar upazila, Bangladesh

A survey was conducted to assess the socio-economic status of the fishers of the old Brahmaputra River in Mymensingh Sadar Upazila from April 2011 to March 2012. Data were collected from randomly selected 30 traditional fishermen of Kagdahor, Shambhuganj, Kawatkhali, BAU Campus, Shesmor, Sutiakhali, Char Kalibari, Char Ishwardia and Char Nilakshmia using a well-structured questionnaire. The research revealed that besides fishing, the fishers occasionally undertook a variety of non-fishery related activities. The average annual income ranged from 25,000-84,000 BDT which significantly depends on fishing effort, season of the year and market price of fish. Majority of them belonged to age range 15-30 years (59.25%). Almost 63% of the fishermen were illiterate and cannot write their names, while only 14.81% had received education up to primary level. It was also revealed that family size of 60% of the fishermen were medium consisting of 5-7 members while only 10% had small family size of 2-4 members. Despite their low income and large family sizes, 80% of the fishermen were living in semi-constructed houses. Sometimes for coping with adverse situation many of them took loans from different national and local NGOs like BRAC, ASSA. A declining trend of fish resources in the river and lack of working capital were identified as the major constrains for the fishers of the Old Brahmaputra River. Res. Agric. Livest. Fish.4(3): 229-235, December 2017
Seasonal sea level extremes in the Mediterranean Sea and at the Atlantic European coasts

Abstract. Hourly sea level data from tide gauges and a barotropic model are used to explore the spatial and temporal variability of sea level extremes in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic coasts of the Iberian peninsula on seasonal time scales. Significant spatial variability is identified in the observations in all seasons. The Atlantic stations show larger extreme values than the Mediterranean Sea primarily due to the tidal signal. When the tidal signal is removed most stations have maximum values of less than 90 cm occurring in winter or autumn. The maxima in spring and summer are less than 60 cm in most stations. The wind and atmospheric forcing contributes about 50 cm in the winter and between 20–40 cm in the other seasons. In the western Mediterranean the observed extreme values are less than 50 cm, except near the Strait of Gibraltar. Direct atmospheric forcing contributes significantly to sea level extremes. Maximum sea level values due to atmospheric forcing reach in some stations 45 cm during the winter. During the summer the contribution of the direct atmospheric forcing is between 10–20 cm. The Adriatic Sea shows a resonant behaviour with maximum extreme observed sea level values around 200 cm found at the northern part. Trends in the 99.9% percentiles are present in several areas, however most of them are removed when the 50% percentile is subtracted indicating that changes in the extremes are in line with mean sea level change. The North Atlantic Oscillation and the Mediterranean Oscillation Index are well correlated with the changes in the 99.9% winter values in the Atlantic, western Mediterranean and the Adriatic stations. The correlation of the NAO and the MOI indices in the Atlantic and western Mediterranean is significant in the autumn too. The correlations between the NAO and MOI index and the changes in the sea level extremes become insignificant when the 50% percentile is removed indicating again that changes in extremes have been dominated by changes in the mean sea level.
Shadow banking and leverage : An application of the Kalman filter to time-varying cyclical leverage measures †

During the last decades, banks off-balance sheet (OBS) activities (e.g. securitization, trading and feebased activities) have greatly contributed to the increase in bank risk. However, the standard financial indicators such as the Value-at-Risk and the accounting leverage, exclude these non-traditional activities, and neglect the increased risk market-oriented banking generates. In this paper, we study various measures of leverage incorporating the risks associated to this new type of banking activities (i.e. “shadow banking”) in a dynamic setting, relying on Kalman filtering procedure and different detrending methods. Applying this framework to Canadian data, we can detect the increase in banking riskiness years before what the conventional risk measures predict. We also find that the elasticity measures of leverage, compared to the simple balance sheet ratios like the ratio of assets to equity, are generally more forward-looking indicators of bank risk, and better capture the cyclical pattern of bank leverage. In particular, it appears that OBS activities exert a stronger influence on these leverage measures during expansion periods.
Stability analysis of ecomorphodynamic equations

In order to shed light on the influence of riverbed vegetation on river morphodynamics, we perform a linear stability analysis on a minimal model of vegetation dynamics coupled with classical one‐ and two‐dimensional Saint‐Venant‐Exner equations of morphodynamics. Vegetation is modeled as a density field of rigid, nonsubmerged cylinders and affects flow via a roughness change. Furthermore, vegetation is assumed to develop following a logistic dependence and may be uprooted by flow. First, we perform the stability analysis of the reduced one‐dimensional framework. As a result of the competitive interaction between vegetation growth and removal through uprooting, we find a domain in the parameter space where originally straight rivers are unstable toward periodic longitudinal patterns. For realistic values of the sediment transport parameter, the dominant longitudinal wavelength is determined by the parameters of the vegetation model. Bed topography is found to adjust to the spatial pattern fixed by vegetation. Subsequently, the stability analysis is repeated for the two‐dimensional framework, where the system may evolve toward alternate or multiple bars. On a fixed bed, we find instability toward alternate bars due to flow‐vegetation interaction, but no multiple bars. Both alternate and multiple bars are present on a movable, vegetated bed. Finally, we find that the addition of vegetation to a previously unvegetated riverbed favors instability toward alternate bars and thus the development of a single course rather than braiding.
CROSS-CULTURAL INVARIANCE OF THE BIRTH SATISFACTION SCALE-REVISED (BSS-R): COMPARING US AND UK SAMPLES By EKATERINA BURDULI

by Ekaterina Burduli, Ph.D. Washington State University July 2016 Co-Chairs: Craig D. Parks & Celestina Barbosa-Leiker Objective: This research sought to test the measurement invariance of the Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised (BSS-R) across United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) samples. Multiple-group measurement invariance analyses included tests of configural invariance, metric invariance, and scalar invariance of the BSS-R. Once scalar invariance was demonstrated, latent means analysis compared levels of birth satisfaction across the samples. Method: Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), data previously collected from 409 mothers (181 US mothers; 228 UK mothers) were used to examine the multiple-group measurement invariance of the BSS-R model across US and UK samples. Results: A higherorder BSS-R model demonstrated lack of measurement invariance. A correlated factors BSS-R demonstrated partial measurement invariance. US mothers had significantly lower birth satisfaction levels on the three BSS-R subscales. Conclusions: This research demonstrates that the BSS-R is a robust tool that can be used to reliably measure women's birth satisfaction within and across the US and UK. Clinical implications for examining birth satisfaction within and across the US and UK are discussed.
TREATED WASTEWATER USE AND ITS EFFECT ON WATER CONSERVATION, VEGETATIVE YEILD,YIELD COMPONENTS AND WATER USE EFFICIENCY OF SOME VEGETABLE CROPS GROWN UNDER TWO DIFFERENT IRRIGATION SYSTEMS IN WESTERN REGION, SAUDI ARABIA

Irrigation with wastewater is a widespread observable fact in developing countries, especially those exhibiting arid climate conditions. Utilization of large volumes of domestic wastewater effluent is part of an overall integrated water resources management. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of irrigation by six different treated domestic wastewater qualities on the yield of Cabbage and Lettuce crops under surface and Sub-surface drip irrigation systems. Field experiments were carried out during 2011 and 2012 seasons at the Agriculture Research station of King Abdulaziz University located at Hada Alsham area north east of Jeddah city. The six water qualities were prepared by diluting treated wastewater with local groundwater of the region. The dilution percentages were 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% treated wastewater. Crop water requirement were calculated based of Penman Monteith equation for dry land condition and supplied daily to the crops. The obtained results showed significant impact of wastewater quality and irrigation system and their interactions on vegetative yield and yield components of both crops. Irrigation with 60% and 80% wastewater under sub-surface irrigation system produced the highest yield and yield components in both seasons. Irrigation Water Use Efficiency (IWUE) of cabbage crop increased under the use of subsurface drip irrigation while IWUE of lettuce crop increased under surface drip irrigation system. Among dilution percentages, the 60% gave the highest IWUE in both crops. In conclusion, this study implies an advantage of using treated wastewater in growing vegetable crops. This in turn saves considerable quantities of local groundwater resource.
SEROPREVALENCE OF TOXOPLASMA ANTIBODIES AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN IN KERMAN SHAH

Sera from 495 pregnant women were examined for toxoplasma antibodies by indirect fluorescent antibody testing (IFAT). Antibodies were positive in 32.7%. Seropositivity was not increased significantly with age but showed a statistically significant rise in accordance with frequency of parity, abortion and contact with cats. The high rate of seronegativity (67.3%) observed in pregnant women represents a high risk group for acquiring toxoplasma infection and also congenital toxoplasmosis. MJIRI, Vol. 8, No.2, 93-95, 1994. Volume 8 Number 2 Summer 1373 Augu�t 1994
Is there a potassium-based solution to sensitive soil slipping within the Bay of Plenty?

Landslides are common in sensitive, weathered pyroclastic soils in the Bay of Plenty (BOP). The clay mineralogy of these soils is dominated by halloysite, an inactive 1:1 clay mineral. Manipulation of cation content within the pore water of sensitive soils has been shown to improve in situ soil strength in illite-dominated soils in Norway. We present results of laboratory tests on the impact of altering cation status of a sensitive soil from the base of a large landslide at Omokoroa near Tauranga, BOP. Addition of KCl and KOH both reduced the liquid limit of the soil, a negative effect. In contrast, addition of K2CO3 caused an increase in the plasticity index of soil pastes. Soaking intact samples in K2CO3 for three weeks resulted in a considerable increase in peak stress in effective stress triaxial testing. These early results suggest that mitigation of sensitive soil landslides through increasing peak strength by addition of appropriate salts to the soil profile may be an option for mitigation of landslides in sensitive BOP soils.
EFFECT OF LONG-TERM ADMINISTRATION OF FERULA GUMMOSA ROOT EXTRACT ON SERUM OXIDANT-ANTIOXIDANT STATUS

Ferula gummosa Boiss is a good source of biologically active compounds such as monoterpene and sesquiterpene derivatives. There are also several reports on antioxidant effects of these compounds. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of daily administration of F. gummosa root hydro-alcoholic extract on serum oxidant-antioxidant status. Twenty four Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups: (1) control, (2) F. gummosa extract 100 mg/kg, and (3) F. gummosa extract 600 mg/kg. The extract was administered by orogastric gavage once daily for 28 consecutive days. The activity of catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes, and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA, as a marker of lipid peroxidation) and total thiol groups were evaluated in blood samples of fasting animals on day 0 and day 28. F. gummosa extract at both doses significantly increased the activity of catalase (p<0.01). The extract at dose of 600 mg/kg significantly increased the activity of SOD (p<0.05), and reduced the level of MDA. F. gummosa had no effect on content of total thiol groups. In conclusion, long-term consumption of hydro-alcoholic extract of F. gummosa root increases the defense of the body against oxidative stress by increasing the activity of catalase and SOD, and by reducing lipid peroxidation.
The Determinants of Citizenship Behaviour in Nigerian Organisations

For any organisation to succeed, its people must be able and willing to deliver optimally on their job description. However, beyond meeting the requirement of job descriptions is the greater need for employees to exhibit organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB). OCB represents those specific instances where employees go beyond the call of duty to get the organisation’s work done. Citizenship behaviour is believed to be one important component of what gives organisations competitive advantage that permits them to successfully accomplish goals. Thus, the study primarily investigated the determinants of citizenship behaviour in Nigerian organisations as well as the demographic variables that mediate the level at which it is manifested. The study adopted the survey research design. Employees from both public and private organisations were involved in the study. The questionnaire was used to elicit data on the variables in the study. Data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that citizenship behaviour in Nigerian organisations is predicted by the personality of individual employees; the employees’ degree of affective commitment; the employees’ perception of organisational justice; the employees’ spirituality; and whether the employee belongs in the public or private sector. The study also found that none of the demographic factors investigated had any mediating effect on the determinants of OCB in Nigerian organisation. It was recommended that Nigerian organisations should implement measures aimed at improving affective commitment and organisational justice as well as encouraging employee spirituality in order to foster citizenship behaviour in the workplace. Keywords : Behaviour; Citizenship; Discretionary; Organisation
Influence of Stigma and Social Support on Depressive Symptoms in Hospitalized Patients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between depressive symptoms, stigma and social support in hospitalized PTB (pulmonary tuberculosis) patients. Methods: Participants were 256 patients with PTB who were admitted in two national tuberculosis hospitals. Results: Higher levels of stigma were significantly related to depressive symptoms in patients with PTB. Self-reports of social support by medical staff were negatively associated with depressive symptoms in patients with PTB. Stigma and social support by medical staff were found to be significant predictors of depressive symptoms after controlling for potential confounders. Conclusion: Findings suggest that intervention for depressive symptoms be incorporated into treatment for patients with PTB, and strategies to decrease TB-related stigma and increase social support by medical staff be provided to prevent depressive symptoms.
Fiscal Multipliers in a Small Euro Area Economy: How Big Can They Get in Crisis Times?

Using PESSOA, a small open economy DSGE model, we analyze the size of short-runfiscal multipliers associated with fiscal consolidation under two distinct alternative scenarios, viz "normal times" and "crisis times. " The crisis times scenario embodies a higher share of hand-to-mouth households, stronger nominal rigidities, and more severe financial frictions, which purportedly better refflect the underlying economic environment during the "Great Recession. " Results show that fiscal multipliers can be twice as large in crisis times, being approximately 2 for a government consumptionbased fiscal consolidation in the first year. One-year ahead effects are also substantially larger if this type of consolidation is performed in crisis times. Revenue-based fiscal consolidations are also more recessive in crisis times, though the differences against normal times are less pronounced.
LiDAR observations of offshore winds at future wind turbine operating heights

Combined LiDAR/cup anemometer observations performed in the summer of 2006 of wind speed profiles up to 161 m have been analyzed within an open sea sector at the Horns Rev offshore wind farm. The influence of atmospheric stability on the surface layer wind shear is studied by using a bulk formulation of the Richardson number to derive the Obukhov length from 10 minutes mean temperature and wind speed measurements. The influence of the boundary layer height on the wind speed profile gives a strong over-prediction of the wind speed in stable atmospheric conditions. A length scale model is suggested where the boundary layer height is taken into account. The resulting wind profile agrees well compared to the combined LiDAR/mast profiles in and beyond surface layer.
Comparative study of short-term diurnal tidal variability

Examination of the simultaneous temperature measurement from the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument, on board the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite, not only confirms the existence of the inversion layer but also reveals the global nature of the inversion, suggesting the presence of a transient planetary wave in the mesosphere. The large tidal variability, therefore, is probably a consequence of the interaction between the transient planetary wave and tides. This possibility is investigated by using the NCAR thermosphere-ionosphere-mesosphere-electrodynamics general circulation model (TIME-GCM) and by comparing model results with the lidar, SABER, and TIMED Doppler Interferometer (TIDI) measurements. With a large transient planetary wave specified at the model lower boundary, the model is able to produce strong diurnal tidal variability comparable to that from the lidar observation, and the modeled temperature inversion is similar to that from the SABER measurement. The model results suggest that the planetary/tidal wave interaction excites nonmigrating tides and modulates the gravity modes and/or the rotational modes of the diurnal migrating tide. Among the nonmigrating tides, the diurnal zonally symmetric (S = 0) component is the strongest, and its interaction with the planetary wave leads to a strong diurnal eastward wave number 1 component.
Simultaneous observations of the Saturnian aurora and polar haze with the HST/FOC

Near simultaneous observations of the Saturnian H2 north ultraviolet aurora and the polar haze were made at 153 nm and 210 nm respectively with the Faint Object Camera on board the post-COSTAR Hubble Space Telescope. The auroral observations cover a complete rotation of the planet and, when co-added, they reveal the presence of an auroral emission near 80°N with a brightness of about 150 kR of total H2 emission. The maximum vertical optical depth at 210 nm is found to be located ∼5° equatorward of the auroral emission zone. The haze particles are presumably formed by hydrocarbon aerosols initiated by H2+ auroral production. In this case, the 3 × 1010 W of H2 emission observed with the FOC, combined with the deduced haze optical depth requires an efficiency of aerosol formation of about 7%. This result indicates that auroral production of hydrocarbon aerosols is a viable source of high-latitude haze.