Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of corporate Governance on Firm Financial Performance in Islamic Financial Institution

The paper discusses the influence and relationship between corporate governance practices and firm financial performance in Islamic banking sector. Main purpose of this study is to find or identify various factors or variables that affects the firm financial performance. Corporate governance focuses on three meters as board size, number of meeting and audit committee size and firm financial performance has also three indicators return on equity, return on asset and earning per share. Data relates to corporate governance and firm financial performance is collected from annual reports of different Islamic banks to analyze the results. Data reveals the positive relationship between corporate governance and financial performance of Islamic banking sectors. The most outstanding results of this study has considerable and strong positive relationship in large board size and firm financial performance in developing countries as Pakistani circumstances.
DIGITAL GAME-BASED LANGUAGE LEARNING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

New technologies including digital game-based language learning have increasingly received attention. However, their implementation is far from expected and desired levels due to technical, instructional, financial and sociological barriers. Previous studies suggest that there is a strong need to establish courses in order to support adaptation of game-based learning pedagogy through helping teachers experience digital games themselves before they are expected to use them in teaching. This study was conducted to investigate educational digital games in foreign language teaching, to identify the determining reasons behind the pittfalls in applications and to explore the contribution of a serious game to the development of professional language skills of pre-service teachers. Pre- and post-tests were applied to measure the contribution of the game to the development of their language skills. In addition, a game diary and semi-structured interviews were used to elicit information about the problems pre-service teachers had and their perceptions on the whole process. The analysis of the data illustrated that there was great improvement in pre-service teachers’ professional language skills and attitudes towards using these games while teaching in the future. This is important in foreign language teacher education in terms of enhancing digital game-based language learning pedagogy for teachers.
Laser-Scanning Direction Effect in Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Etching

In this study we examined how the laser-scanning direction during the inscription of modified lines affects to the etching rate along the lines in the femtosecond laser-assisted etching. An isotropic material (silica) was used as the sample. Circular polarization was used for inscribing modified lines, in order to avoid a direction effect arising from polarization. Scanning direction dependence was observed in the etching rate along the modified lines. The relation between the occurrence of a scanning direction effect and the other inscribing parameters (pitch and pulse energy) was examined.
Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction of Employees in the Construction Supply Chain in the Ashanti Region of Ghana

Job satisfaction has received immense attention in organizational research. It is proven as one of the key factors that contribute to productivity. The focus of this study was to examine factors affecting job satisfaction of employees in the local building construction industry in Ghana. Quantitative survey based research approach was used in the study. One hundred and fifty eight (158) employees working in selected construction organisations in the Ashanti Region of Ghana were involved in the study. Primary data was collected through questionnaire instrument and analysed using descriptive statistical tool with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0. The findings indicated that non-wage based factors such as recognition, task itself, work environment, supervision and job security appeared to influence job satisfaction than wage paid to the employees in the construction sector. Managers in construction supply chain should make policies and incorporate factors that allow employees to achieve their high-order individual goals in job design to secure employee’s loyalty and improve productivity. Keywords: Construction Supply C hain, Job Satisfaction, Employees, Building Industry, Ghana
Recruitment and Selection Practices in Small and Medium Enterprises: Perspectives from Ghana

Effective recruitment and selection practices are key factors to the entry point of human resources in any organization and they also tend to determine the success and sustainability of SMEs. This present study sought to identify the skills and competences required of graduates by SMEs, and the graduates selection and recruitment practices of SMEs. A questionnaire survey was chosen as the most appropriate design for this investigation, with purposive sampling being used to select respondents ranged from company top management. The data was analysed using SPSS. The results suggest that a majority of SMEs do recruit graduates but do not retain them beyond three years. Respondents identified information technology as the most important skill they require of graduates; followed by numerical skills, written communication skills, oral communication skills, confidence and self discipline. The findings will enhance a realistic recruitment and selection interface between graduate jobseekers and SME recruiters in Ghana.
Major limb amputations at a teaching hospital in the sub-Saharan Africa: Any change in trend?

Background: Major limb amputation is a serious but usually preventable public health problem that is often associated with profound social, psychological and economic impacts on the patient and family. The objective of this study was to evaluate the trend, indications and short term complications of major limb amputations and to compare our experience with that of other published data. Methods: A retrospective study of medical records of all patients who underwent major limb amputations at a Nigeria teaching hospital between 2006 and 2013. Information about age, sex, indications, level of amputation, facilities where patients had initial care before presenting in our centre, complications and outcomes of care were studied. Results: One hundred and sixty-five major limb amputations were done in 158 patients with bilateral lower limb amputations in seven of them. 60.8% of these were due to severe extremity trauma with irreversible vascular damage while diabetic foot gangrene accounted for 30.4%. Complications included wound infections (24.2%), flap necrosis (3.6%), phantom limb pain (2.4%) and knee flexion deformity (0.6%). Mortality was 0.2%. Conclusion: Trauma with irreversible vascular damage is still the leading indication for major limb amputation in our hospital.
The Determinants Of Banking System Vulnerability In The Republic Of Moldova

A banking system is more vulnerable when there are felt more negative effects on this as a consequence of the global financial crisis events. In the context of the objective of enhancing financial stability and, in particular, limiting the likelihood of failure of the banking system it is useful to verify how the main characteristics which play a role for banking system vulnerability behaved in the case of the Republic of Moldova: system’s liquidity, capitalization, competition, diversification, presence of foreign banks, and wholesale funding. In order to determine how hard was hit the banking system of Moldova by the recent financial crisis in the article are analyzed quantitative and qualitative the above mentioned characteristics and identified the crisis effects on them.
Taxonomic and distributional notes on tropical Australian bats. American Museum novitates ; no. 2778

The bats of tropical Australia are reviewed with some 51 species recognized, though a few are very poorly known. A new subspecies, Pipistrellus tenuis westralis is described and Rhinolophus megaphyllus ignifer is synonymized with R. m. megaphyllus. The two previously recognized subspecies of Macroderma gigas are also synonymized. A majority oftropical Australian bats are restricted to mesic areas, but a number are more or less arid tolerant. Only one species (Taphozous hilli) actually avoids mesic areas. The Cape York Peninsula has the greatest number of species with a falling off in numbers to the west and south. Of the three areas adjacent to tropical Australia, New Guinea shares a large number of species, whereas temperate Australia and the Lesser Sunda Islands share relatively few. New Guinea has probably been an important source area for tropical Australian bats, particularly those confined to the Cape York Peninsula. The low level ofendemism among Australian bats strongly implies that there were no bats in Australia prior to the Miocene, when Australia drifted far enough to the north to be able to receive species occurring on the extended Malay archipelago. Since then some low level endemism and adaptive radiation has developed in Australia.
The Impacts of Overburden Pressure on Hydraulic Conductivity Functions of a Loamy Sand Soil

The van Genuchten (vG) and Brooks-Corey (BC) hydraulic functions were used to describe the soil water retention curve (SWRC) of unsaturated loamy sand soil. The objective of this study was to investigate the impacts of overburden pressure, especially on the vG model -parameter. The uniand bimodal vG parameter  for both soil samples extruded at 15 cm depth with overburden pressure of 38.7 kPa and 120 cm depth with overburden pressure of 309.3 kPa were compared and aligned to the Kosugi ́s approach for estimating the pore size distribution of the SWRC. The AIC statistical analysis showed that bimodal vG approach provided better estimates of the -parameter. For uni-modal case, the pore sizes described by probability density functions f(1/μ) for both soil samples were characteristically Gaussian with f(1/μ) values for Ap samples at 0.0032 and parameter at 0.0831 while the f(1/μ) for BvSw was 0.002 and -parameter 0.0341. For the bimodal case, the f(1/μ) suggesting primary pores for Ap samples was at 0.0017 and 1-parameter (0.074) and for secondary pores 0.0052 and 2-parameter (0.144). The f(1/μ) for primary pores for BvSw was at 0.0011 and (1 = 0.012 while this for secondary pores was 0.0028 and (2 = 0.0083). Although the peak values of the density functions for both uni-modal and bimodal cases for Ap samples were greater than those of BvSw , where larger primary pores were predominant at the soil upper surface than at below as conditioned by good soil structure and aggregation, this did not suggest the effects of overburden pressure on the pore size distribution as a function of depth.
Forbidden option or planned decision? : Physically disabled women’s narratives on the choice of motherhood

This narrative study explores personal narratives by disabled women on their choice to become a mother. Eleven Finnish physically disabled mothers were interviewed. The interview data were analysed using Greimas’ actant model. The women produced three types of narratives about their journeys to motherhood: compensation, forbidden option and planned choice. In these narratives, the disabled women struggled with the disabling, oversimplifying and suppressive cultural master narratives of ‘good’ motherhood. Through the narratives, the women distanced themselves from these dominant cultural narratives and constructed strong agency for themselves as mothers.
Aerosol effective density measurement using scanning mobility particle sizer and quartz crystal microbalance with the estimation of involved uncertainty

Abstract. In this work, we have used a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) and a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) to estimate the effective density of aerosol particles. This approach is tested for aerosolized particles generated from the solution of standard materials of known density, i.e. ammonium sulfate (AS), ammonium nitrate (AN) and sodium chloride (SC), and also applied for ambient measurement in New Delhi. We also discuss uncertainty involved in the measurement. In this method, dried particles are introduced in to a differential mobility analyser (DMA), where size segregation is done based on particle electrical mobility. Downstream of the DMA, the aerosol stream is subdivided into two parts. One is sent to a condensation particle counter (CPC) to measure particle number concentration, whereas the other one is sent to the QCM to measure the particle mass concentration simultaneously. Based on particle volume derived from size distribution data of the SMPS and mass concentration data obtained from the QCM, the mean effective density (ρeff) with uncertainty of inorganic salt particles (for particle count mean diameter (CMD) over a size range 10–478 nm), i.e. AS, SC and AN, is estimated to be 1.76 ± 0.24, 2.08 ± 0.19 and 1.69 ± 0.28 g cm−3, values which are comparable with the material density (ρ) values, 1.77, 2.17 and 1.72 g cm−3, respectively. Using this technique, the percentage contribution of error in the measurement of effective density is calculated to be in the range of 9–17 %. Among the individual uncertainty components, repeatability of particle mass obtained by the QCM, the QCM crystal frequency, CPC counting efficiency, and the equivalence of CPC- and QCM-derived volume are the major contributors to the expanded uncertainty (at k = 2) in comparison to other components, e.g. diffusion correction, charge correction, etc. Effective density for ambient particles at the beginning of the winter period in New Delhi was measured to be 1.28 ± 0.12 g cm−3. It was found that in general, mid-day effective density of ambient aerosols increases with increase in CMD of particle size measurement but particle photochemistry is an important factor to govern this trend. It is further observed that the CMD has good correlation with O3, SO2 and ambient RH, suggesting that possibly sulfate secondary materials have a substantial contribution in particle effective density. This approach can be useful for real-time measurement of effective density of both laboratory-generated and ambient aerosol particles, which is very important for studying the physico-chemical properties of particles.
Correlation vs. Causality in Stock Market Comovement

This paper seeks to disentangle the sources of correlations between high-, mid- and lowcap stock indexes from the German prime standard. In principle, such comovement can arise from direct spillover between the variables or due to common factors. By standard means, these different components are obviously not identifiable. As a solution, the underlying study proposes specifying ARCH-type models for both the idiosyncratic innovations and a common factor, so that the model structure can be identified through heteroscedasticity. The seemingly surprising result that smaller caps have higher influence than larger ones is explained by asymmetric information processing in financial markets. Broad macroeconomic information is shown to enter the common factor rather than the segment-specific shocks.
Quality Attributes of Immature Fruit of Different Mango Varieties

The study was carried out to evaluate quality attributes of immature fruits of four commercially grown varieties of mango namely Sindhri, Chaunsa, Langra and Desi. The immature mango fruits were collected from basin of mango tree in the end of April followed by washing, surface drying and extraction of fruit pulp. The extracted fruit pulp was assessed for pH, TSS, moisture and ash percentage, acidity, vitamin C, fat, protein and sugars. Besides, minerals including sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper, chromium, and manganese were also determined. On the basis of varietal comparison Sindhri had more moisture (88.60%), ash and fat (0.60%) each, total sugars (6.99%) and reducing sugars (2.78%) as compared to rest of the varieties. However TSS (9.35%), protein (0.71%), and non reducing sugars (4.86%) were recorded the highest in Langra variety. Only the Chaunsa variety had maximum pH of 3.01 and vitamin-C (27.16 mg 100g -1 ). Regarding mineral elements, Desi was found potential in terms of sodium (453.93 mg kg -1 ), calcium (403.79 mg kg -1 ), Zinc (3.47 mg kg -1 ) and iron (5.95 mg kg -1 ). The zinc and iron was at par with the results obtained from Langra. However, potassium (904.58 mg kg -1 ) and copper (2.58 mg kg -1 ) were observed the highest in Langra, magnesium (78.09 mg kg -1 ) in Chaunsa and manganese (2.43 mg kg -1 ) in Sindhri.
Gamma-ray spectroscopy measurements and simulations for uranium mining

AREVA Mines and the Nuclear Measurement Laboratory of CEA Cadarache are collaborating to improve the sensitivity and precision of uranium concentration evaluation by means of gamma measurements. This paper reports gamma-ray spectra, recorded with a high-purity coaxial germanium detector, on standard cement blocks with increasing uranium content, and the corresponding MCNP simulations. The detailed MCNP model of the detector and experimental setup has been validated by calculation vs. experiment comparisons. An optimization of the detector MCNP model is presented in this paper, as well as a comparison of different nuclear data libraries to explain missing or exceeding peaks in the simulation. Energy shifts observed between the fluorescence X-rays produced by MCNP and atomic data are also investigated. The qualified numerical model will be used in further studies to develop new gamma spectroscopy approaches aiming at reducing acquisition times, especially for ore samples with low uranium content.
Study and comparison of the bacterial contamination outbreak of chicken meat consumed in some cities of Mazandaran Province (Iran)

Since meat is the richest protein source and plays an important role in the transmission of bacteria, especially Zeonosis to humans, the pathogenic bacteria outbreaks such asSalmonella, Campylobacter, Yersinia, and Aeromonas in the packed and unpacked chicken meat supplied to some cities of Mazandaran province of Iran performed, which have not been examined and analyzed yet. 200 samples of chicken meat from the early summer of 2010 to late winter of the same year were prepared and tested for 9 months. Sampling was conducted in the places where the meat were packed as well as the suppliers which had no packing and sold their materials in bulk in different areas of the cities of Mazandaran (Amol, Tonekabon, and Noor cities). All needed tests done exactly based on the instructions No. 2394 of Iranian National Standards Institute. Among the 200 samples of chicken meat prepared from Amol, Tonekabon, and Noor, the contamination of 75 samples were positive. 33 cases of the chicken were contaminated with Salmonella(21.5%), 53 samples with Campylobacter (26.5%), 18 samples with Yersinia anterocolitica (9%) and 14 samples were contaminated with Aeromonas (7%). The observed differences among the samples taken from different areas of the given cities, both in packed and unpacked forms, were statistically significant (P<0.05) and also the unpacked and packed meat product supplying centers in Mazandaran were not significantly different for having some differences in the type of contaminations. Key words: Pathogenic microbes, chicken meat, Mazandaran province, Iran.
A Unified Phenomenological Description for the Magnetodynamic Origin of Mass for Leptons and for the Complete Baryon Octet and Decuplet.

The masses of the leptons and baryons are shown to be quantitatively described in terms of magnetodynamic energies considering as a fundamental feature the quantization of magnetic flux inside a zitterbewegung motion “ orbit” performed by each particle in consequence of its interaction with the vacuum background( as proposed decades ago by Barut, Jehle, and Post). As a further proof of the soundness of the method, we present a plot of mass against magnetic moment in which the data for the spin-3/2 decuplet particles are shifted from the data for the spin-1/2 octet by the exact numerical factor predicted from the square root of the ratio between their spin angular momenta.
Laminin-5 : function of the γ2 chain in epithelial cell adhesion and migration, and expression in epithelial cells and carcinomas

Laminins are basement membrane glycoproteins consisting of three polypeptide chains α, β and γ. Until now 12 members of the protein family have been characterized and all isoforms have an αβγ chain composition, but they assemble in varying combinations of chain variants. The functional properties of laminins include cell adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, growth and migration. Laminin-5 has a chain composition of α3β3γ2 with the distribution mainly restricted to epithelial basement membranes, where its biological functions involve anchorage and locomotion of cells. The importance of this protein for the attachment of basal keratinocytes is clearly demonstrated by the fact that all genes encoding its chains have been shown to be mutated in the severe skin blistering disease Epidermolysis bullosa junctionalis. The present study focused on investigations of the role of the laminin-5 isoform and particularly its γ2 chain in cell adhesion and migration. The role of the short arm of the laminin γ2 chain in the process of epithelial cell attachment is to serve as a kind of a bridging molecule to the extracellular environment, because it does not have any cell binding activity by itself. It was also shown that the newly synthesized γ2 chain participates in the complex process of cell migration, probably as one of the first attachment components for moving cells. Thus, as a migration and differentiationassociated molecule, laminin-5 was considered a potential marker for detection of malignant processes where cell movement plays a role. Subsequently it was shown that the γ2 chain is expressed not only in a restricted manner in human epithelial tissues, but also in a number of human epithelium-derived cancers. In some carcinomas, expression of the γ2 chain appeared to be a characteristic of cancer cells with invasive properties. Examination of over 50 dysplasias and cervical tumors revealed that γ2 chain antibodies were able to distinguish between lesions with or without invasive capacity. This is the first systematic study of epithelial cancers where γ2 chain antibodies have been shown to be a useful marker in the histopathological diagnostics. In addition, this study showed in a mouse tumor model that the γ2 chain of laminin-5 has a potential for being of use for in vivo tumor imaging.
In vitro direct regeneration of Dalle Khursani (Capsicum annum) from salicylic acid treated explants

A study was conducted with cotyledon, shoot tip and hypocotyl explants derived from Dalle Khursani; an important chilli cultivar of Sikkim to estimate the in vitro regeneration efficiency of salicylic acid treated explants. Explants were cultured on MS media supplemented with different combination of plant growth regulators along with 500 μM salicylic acid. All the three explants type showed response to the growth media, however the response was best observed on cotyledon explants with an average of 2.75 shoots per explant. MS medium supplemented with 4 mg/l TDZ (Thidiazuron) and 500 μM salicylic acid was found to be best for in vitro direct regeneration from all the three types of explants with an average of 2.93 shoots per explant. MS medium containing 2 mg/l GA3 (Giberrellic Acid 3) + 0.5 mg/l IAA (Indole Acetic Acid) was found to be suitable for both shoot elongation and rooting with mean shoot length of 3.10 ± 0.33 cm and 6.35 ± 0.98 roots per explant respectively.