Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A predictive model to differentiate the fruit bats cynopterus brachyotis and C. cf. brachyotis forest (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) from Malaysia using multivariate analysis

G� old secondary forests. In this study, we attempted to develop prediction models to identify both C. brachyotis and C. cf. brachyotis Forest in this region based on multivariate statistics. Two predictive models were generated using a canonical discriminant function, and it was found that 5 characters can be used to accurately
The Dissemination of Management Ideas A qualitative study on the complexity and consequences of enabling the travel of an idea

This paper aims to broaden the understanding of the complexity in the dissemination of management ideas. This is done through studying the idea of self leadership within a specific setting; an educational initiative targeting university students. The purpose is firstly to understand how educational initiatives can be used in the dissemination of management ideas and how these ideas are being understood, translated and spread by different actors involved. Secondly, to investigate how the idea is received and perceived by the course participants. The study is qualitative in its nature and uses a case study to investigate how the idea of self leadership was taken from one context and transmitted and translated by the idea carriers, as well as by the receivers, in order to fit into the receivers’ context. Data has been collected by conducting 40 hours of observations, as well as 18 interviews with facilitators and course participants. By analysing the findings with Institutional Theory, Actor Network Theory as well as Scandinavian Institutional Theory different insights is giving on how to understand the dissemination of management ideas on a macro and micro level. It also gives insight in a number of ways to structure an educational initiative by making it more attractive and available in order to create a positive attitude towards the idea among the idea receivers and hence eases the process of dissemination. This can contribute to knowledge in how idea carriers may utilize their way of spreading an idea in their context in order to succeed. Further, the study also identified a conflict where the facilitators used different tactics to enable the translation, but at the same time lost control over the idea. The paper may inspire to a continued debate on the complexity and consequences within idea disseminations. Key-Words Management Ideas, Dissemination of ideas, Self Leadership, Model of Translation, Institutional Theory, ANT, Scandinavian Institutional Theory
The Role of Advanced Placement and Honors Courses in College Admissions. Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.4.04.

This study examines the role of Advanced Placement (AP) and other honors-level courses as a criterion for admission at a leading public university, the University of California, and finds that the number of AP and honors courses taken in high school bears little or no relationship to studentsâ€™ later performance in college. AP is increasingly emphasized as a factor in admissions, particularly at selective colleges and universities. But while student performance on AP examinations is strongly related to college performance, merely taking AP or other honors-level courses in high school is not a valid indicator of the likelihood that students will perform well in college. These findings suggest that institutions may need to reconsider the use of AP as a criterion in â€œhigh stakesâ€ admissions, particularly given the marked disparity in access to AP and honors courses among disadvantaged and underrepresented minority students.
Establishing the level of cylindrical rotation in boxy/peanut bulges

We present SAURON integral-field observations of a sample of 12 mid-to-high-inclination disc galaxies, to unveil hidden bars on the basis of their kinematics, i.e. the correlation between velocity and h(3) profiles, and to establish their degree of cylindrical rotation. For the latter, we introduce a method to quantify cylindrical rotation that is robust against inner disc components. We confirm high levels of cylindrical rotation in boxy/peanut bulges, but also observe this feature in a few galaxies with rounder bulges. We suggest that these are also barred galaxies with end-on orientations. Re-analysing published data for our own Galaxy using this new method, we determine that the Milky Way bulge is cylindrically rotating at the same level as the strongest barred galaxy in our sample. Finally, we use self-consistent three-dimensional N-body simulations of bar-unstable discs to study the dependence of cylindrical rotation on the bar's orientation and host galaxy inclination.
The impact of board diversity on bank’s risk taking in Europe

The aim of this paper is to find the effect of board characteristics in terms of board diversity in gender, age, and ethnicity. Literature examined in this paper suggests a positive relation between these variables and policies to secure for risk. The measurements for the level of risk are in accounting standards Total capital ratio, and Tier-1 capital ratio and for risk in market-based standards the Z-score. This is examined through the conduction of a multiple regression analysis for the separate board characteristics being tested. The control variables are the total amount of board members, total assets, and return on assets. This study is performed on European banks in the year 2015. The results show that female diversity is positive related to the assurance against risk by providing more reserves, but does not reduce insolvency risk. Average age is not significant related to risk policies in the form of assurance or insolvency risk in this study. Ethnic diversity measured as board members from other countries than the banks head office show a positive relation on the secure risk policies and insolvency risk. These results suggest that a difference in personal characteristics, through culture difference and gender difference has a positive effect towards secure risk policies.
หลักฐานทางพันธุกรรมการแพร่กระจายวัชพืชต่างถิ่น Crassocephalum rubens ในเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ Genetic Evidence for The Spread of Alien Weed Crassocephalum rubens in Southeast Asia

Random amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs) and inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSRs) markers were used to analyze genetic structure of 30 accessions of alien weed Crassocephalum rubens that were sampled from its introduced regions in Southeast Asia. The study found that C. rubens currently only spreads in Myanmar and Thailand. Using 20 RAPD primers and 20 ISSR primers, 90 RAPD bands and 43 ISSR bands were produced respectively. Quite considerable genetic variability does exist among different of C. rubens populations. However, lack of clear geographical structure of genetic variation among populations suggested that human-mediated, long-distance seed dispersal may have contributed to its weak geographical genetic structure of C. rubens in Southeast Asia. ค าส าคัญ: วัชพืชต่างถิ่น, ความหลากหลายทางพันธุกรรม, Crassocephalum rubens
DETECTION OF SURFACE DISPLACEMENTS AND LIQUEFIED AREAS IN THE 2011 CHRISTCHURCH EARTHQUAKE FROM SAR DATA

The Mw 6.1 earthquake affected Christchurch, New Zealand (NZ) on February 21, 2011. It caused widespread damage across the city, especially in the central area. Significant liquefaction occurred widely, which caused ground movement and destroyed lifelines and structures. In this study, the pre- and post-event ALOS/PALSAR and TerraSAR-X (TSX) data are used to detect the ground movements and liquefied areas. Firstly, the differential interferometric analysis (DInSAR) was applied to both the PALSAR and TSX data. The crustal movement caused by the earthquake was estimated by combining the two DInSAR results. Then the coherence value was used to detect the liquefied areas. Intensity images were also introduced to modify the detected result. Finally, the detected liquefied areas were verified by a liquefaction map which was made by field surveys.
Trade Integration And Trade Agreements:Resolving The Endogeneity Problem Through A Qualitative Var

While the endogeneity of trade and regional integration agreements was established early on, this issue has only been addressed explicitly in gravity models during the last decade and a half. Initial attempts using instrumental variables proved unreliable, causing authors to look for alternative solutions. This paper brings together the literature on both gravity equations explaining trade and probit regressions explaining the probability of an integration agreement. This is done by estimating them simultaneously in a qualitative vector autoregression model. The qualitative VAR allows us to estimate their interdependence without having to resort to instrumental variables. In addition, the endogenous nature of other control variables like the GDP or the capital labor ratio can be taken into account. Our preliminary findings confirm that an increase in trade raises the probability of an agreement and vice versa, although the response can di er over specific continents. We find a relatively small average treatment effect of RIAs: trade increases with 10% after one year and 40% after five years whereafter it slowly rises to 80% after 35 years.
Assessing the impacts of European earthworm invasions in beech-maple hardwood and aspen-fir boreal forests of the western Great Lakes region

In the Great Lakes region, little data exist on the distribution of exotic earthworm species or their relative impacts to soil structure and plant communities in forest types other than those dominated by sugar maple. Our objective was to document the earthworm populations in relation to their proximity to human development (e.g., campgrounds, boat landings, roads) in beech-maple dominated forests in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan, and aspen-fir forests in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota; and to assess earthworm population relationships with soil characteristics and plant communities. Five earthworm species were commonly found in both forest types in three species assemblages also seen in other forests across the Great Lakes region. Total earthworm biomass supported by beech-maple forests was nearly half that reported in sugar maple dominated forests and the total earthworm biomass supported by aspen-fir forests was half that of the beech-maple forests. Distances to human development were poor predictors of earthworm biomass and species assemblage in general, but were correlated with the presence of Lumbricus terrestris. Earthworm richness and biomass were negatively associated with thickness of the Olitter and Oe horizons and positively associated with A horizon thickness. Increasing plant richness and changes in plant composition associated with earthworms in the beech-maple forests are likely related to stand conditions that simultaneously affect plant and earthworm populations rather than an earthworm effect. Comparisons to earthworm-free stands were not possible and are needed to further explore any potential causal relationships between earthworm and understory plant populations.
The Asymptotic Iteration Method for the Eigenenergies of the a Novel Hyperbolic Single Wave Potential

By using the asymptotic iteration method, we have calculated numerically the eigenvalues En of the hyperbolic single wave potential which is introduced by H. Bahlouli, and A. D. Alhaidari. They found a new approach (the “potential parameter” approach) which has been adopted for this eigenvalues problem. For a fixed energy, the problem is solvable for a set of values of the potential parameters (the “parameter spectrum”). This paper will introduce a related work to complete the goal of finding the eigenvalues, the Schr? dinger equation with hyperbolic single wave potential is solved by using asymptotic iteration method. It is found that asymptotically this method gives accurate results for arbitrary parameters, V0, γ, and λ.
Situational Judgment Tests and their Predictiveness of College Students’ Success: The Influence of Faking

There is increasing interest in using situational judgment tests (SJTs) to supplement traditional student admission procedures. An important unexplored issue is whether students can intentionally distort or fake their responses on SJTs. This study examined the fakability of an SJT of college students’ performance. Two hundred ninety-three psychology students completed a cognitive test, a personality measure, and an SJT. Only for the SJT, the students were assigned to either an honest or a fake condition. The scores of students in the fake condition were significantly higher than those of students in the honest condition (d = .89). Furthermore, faking had a negative effect on the criterion-related validity (there was a significant drop from r = .33 to r = .09) and the incremental validity of the SJT over cognitive ability and personality. These results are discussed in terms of the use of SJTs in high-stakes testing programs.
The Impacts of Information Asymmetry in Determining Bank Spreads

A large effort in research was made in order to assess which are the determining factors in bank spreads. Employing information asymmetry indicators based on the World Bank’s "Doing Business" survey, we aim to investigate the role that information asymmetry plays in bank spreads. The results found in this paper suggest that the existence of a lesser degree of information asymmetry in credit markets reduces bank spreads. This conclusion was obtained based on a study of prime loan rates. The effect would be between a 2% to 4% permanent reduction in spreads. It is argued that larger reductions could be obtained for other kinds of greater risk credit. The relation was obtained based on econometric panel data models with static effects and seems to be solid from the statistical viewpoint. Nonetheless, new studies involving larger samples should be performed in order to confirm this relationship.
Genetic analysis of F1 generation of tomato for quantitative traits

The research was conducted at Hazara Agricultural Research Station Abbottabad and Agricultural Research Center Haripur during the year 2013 and 2014 in two sowing seasons. The purpose of present study was to find the Vg,Vp,Ve,PCV,GCV,heritability(Hb) and Genetic Advance(GA) for the traits :Number of flowers per cluster(fpc),number of fruits per cluster(frpc),fruit length(frl),fruit diameter(frd) ,fruit size(frs), plant height(pl.ht) ,Number of fruits per plant(nof),fruit weight(fwt) and yield per plant(yield/pl). Yield per plant showed highest value of Vg(92698) and Vp (221588) and Fruits/cluster, fruit length, fruit diameter and flowers per cluster showed lowest value of Vg and Vp. For all the traits PCV value was higher than GCV. Little difference was found among GCVand PCV for the traits like plant height, fruit diameter, fruit size and fruit weight. There is high difference between GCV and PCV for the parameters like Number fruit per clusters, Number of flowers per cluster and yield per plant. High value of heritability percentage was noted in parameters like plant height (91.34%), fruit diameter (90.22%), fruit size (93.53%), Number of fruits per plant (83.69%) and fruit weight (83.69531). Low value of heritability was noted for fruits per cluster, flowers per clusters and yield per plant. Highest genetic advance (91.94%) was noted for the trait, No of fruits per plant which is coupled with high heritability. Key words: Tomato,Genetic Variability,Phenotypic Variability, V,PCV,Heritabilty,Genetic Advance
Why Do Firms Hold Cash? Evidence from Emu Countries

This paper investigates the determinants of corporate cash holdings in EMU countries. Our results suggest that cash holdings are positively affected by the investment opportunity set and cash flows and negatively affected by asset's liquidity, leverage and size. Bank debt and cash holdings are negatively related, which supports that a close relationship with banks allows the firm to hold less cash for precautionary reasons. Firms in countries with superior investor protection and concentrated ownership hold less cash, supporting the role of managerial discretion agency costs in explaining cash levels. Capital markets development has a negative impact on cash levels, contrary to the agency view.
Effects of different atmospheric CO2 concentrations and soil moistures on the populations of bird cherry-oat aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi) feeding on spring wheat

Spring wheat plants were grown in pots at three CO2 concentrations (350, 550 and 700 ppm) and three soil water levels (40, 60 and 80% of field water capacity) in field open top chambers and were infested with bird cherry-oat aphids (Rhopalosiphum padi Linnaeus). Aphid population dynamics were recorded throughout the growing season and analysis of the chemical composition of spring wheat leaves was conducted at the same time. Results showed that: (1) Aphid populations increased with raised atmospheric CO2 concentrations. (2) The aphid populations showed different responses to different CO2 concentrations. The population size, population growth rate and population density found under the 350 ppm CO2 treatment was far less than those recorded under the 550 and 700 ppm CO2 treatments. The population size, population growth rate and population density recorded under the 700 ppm CO2 treatment was slightly higher than those recorded under the 550 ppm CO2 treatment. (3) The effect of CO2 concentration on the aphid population was correlated with soil water level. The highest aphid population size was achieved under the 60% soil water treatment. (4) Atmospheric CO2 and soil moisture had significant effects on the chemical composition of the wheat leaves. (5) Aphid population size correlated positively with the concentration of leaf water content, soluble proteins, soluble carbohydrates and starch, while correlating negatively with the concentration of DIMBOA and tannin.
Impact of Official Development Assistance on the Growth of WAEMU Member Countries: Assessment Following the Recommendations of the 2002 Monterrey Conference

Abstract This paper evaluates the impact of official development assistance on the growth of WAEMU countries using an econometric approach. This assessment heeds the recommendation of the 2002 Monterrey Conference that diversification of development support resources is needed. The results obtained indicate that the total net public assistance received has a positive and significant impact in the short and long term on the growth of WAEMU countries. By diversifying the development support resources of the zone, the minimum threshold of official development assistance needed to boost the growth of the countries of the zone is 13.5% of GDP per capita.
Effects of Long-Term Organic and MineralFertilizer Applications on Soil Nitrogen Content

Our work discusses the influence of the annual application of manure, slurry, and NPK fertilizer for a period of many years on the total, hydrolyzable, and mineral nitrogen content in the arable layer of lessive and brown soils. Annual fertilization resulted in an average increase in total nitrogen content of 27.3% in lessive soil and 48.4% in brown soil, and in the case of hydrolyzable nitrogen, increases of 25.6% and 51.3%, respectively, when compared to the control objects. In total nitrogen content the share of hydrolyzable nitrogen was found to be 59.7% in lessive soil and 63.3% in brown soil. The content of mineral nitrogen in fertilized objects showed an increase in the range of 5.5-20.6 mg·kg in lessive soil and 5.0-13.0 mg·kg in brown soil. For lessive soil, the percentage share of N-NH4 and N NO3 in mineral nitrogen was, on average, 55% and 45%, whereas in brown soil these figures were found to be 75% and 25%, respectively. A significant positive correlation was confirmed between the analyzed forms of nitrogen only in the case of brown soil.
Let’s not lose hope – Maximizers as Prospective Optimists

Sabaha Merchant Advisor: Dr. Vinay Kanetkar University of Guelph, 2015 Co-Advisor: Dr. Sunghwan Yi This thesis examines whether maximizing, a uni-dimensional construct, defined as the identification of the optimal, is significantly related to anticipatory assessments of happiness and satisfaction in the context of experiential and material consumption. Specifically, this study investigates whether the type of purchase and presence of optimality claims from a credible source significantly impacts the maximizer’s prospective evaluations of happiness and satisfaction. Results suggest that maximizers anticipate greater affective evaluations for experiential, material, as well as optimally framed purchases as compared to satisficers. As such, maximizers are more likely prospective optimists. Contrary to existing research, this finding entails significant theoretical implications for research as it challenges the current conceptualisation of maximizing as a recipe for unhappiness. Limitations and pathways to future research are discussed.
Relationships between carcass traits and offal components in local poultry populations (gallus gallus ) of Benin

Objectives: The current work was carried out to determine the relationships between live weight, carcass traits and the offal components traits in Holli, Fulani, Sahoue, North and South indigenous chicken ecotypes of Benin. Methodology and results: 260 indigenous chickens of which 52 cockerels of each ecotype were slaughtered at 24 weeks old and used for carcass and offal composition study. Data collected were live weight, carcass weight, Carcass yields and the weights of breast, thigh-drumstick, wings, back, liver, gizzard, heart, tarsi, neck and head. It comes out from this study that in North chickens, except heart weight and carcass yields, slaughter weight was highly and positively correlated with hot carcass weight, breast weight, thigh-drumstick weight, wing weight, tarsi weight (P<0.001; 0.62 C r C 0.99), weakly and positively associated to the heart weight (P<0.05; r = 0.44) but negatively correlated with the carcass drip loss (P<0.01, r= -0.51). The breast weight was moderately and positively correlated with gizzard weight (P<0.01, r= 0.61) while the thigh-drumstick and wing weights were highly and positively associated with gizzard weight (P<0.001, 0.67 C r C 0.78). Similar relationships were also observed in Holli, Fulani and Sahoue ecotypes between live weight, carcass traits and offal components except carcass yields and the weights of heart, liver, head and tarsi. Contrary to North, Holli, Fulani and Sahoue chickens, heart weight and liver weight in South chicken weren’t associated with the other carcass traits. However, the drip loss was negatively correlated with all other carcass traits evaluated in all chicken ecotypes. Holli and Fulani chickens were characterized by higher live weight, hot carcass weight, carcass yield, breast weight, wing weight, rest of carcass weight, neck weight, head weight, tarsi weight, thigh
Development of DNA Microsatellite Loci in Chinese Carps and Application to Detection of Hybridization in Broodstock

Microsatellite DNA loci have been developed from silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) DNA for use in broodstock management and research. Here we describe how three of these loci (Hmo1, Hmo 3 and Hmo11) can be used to distinguish between silver carp and bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis). These loci are being used in the analysis of samples collected from hatcheries in different regions of Bangladesh, in parallel with a survey of broodstock management practices. Analysis of samples from two of the hatchery areas revealed a fairly low proportion of hybrid genotypes among broodstock: this included fish which were identified as silver and bighead carp by the hatcheries. The genetic analysis suggested that while some of these fish might be F1 hybrids, others had more complex genotypes suggesting further generations of hybridization or introgression between the species. The study