Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mechanical Properties and Water Absorption Behaviour of Chopped Rice Husk Filled Polypropylene Composites

The reinforcing effect of chopped rice husk (CRH) into polypropylene has been studied. Composites containing different amounts of CRH with 0 to 40 parts per hundred part of polymer (php) were prepared using a co-rotating twin screw extruder and characterized by mechanical properties and also water absorption. In order to increase the interphase adhesion, polypropylene grafted with maleic anhydride was added as a coupling agent to all the composites studied. It was found that the tensile and flexural modulus of the composites containing 40 php of CRH increased approximately by 33% and 100%, respectively. The results also showed that while flexural strength was moderately improved by increasing of CRH into the matrix, elongation-at-break and energy-at-break decreased dramatically. A reasonable adhesion between the main components was also observed by examining the scanning electron micrographs. Water absorption experiments showed that although the diffusion coefficient increased with CRH loading, all the composites followed case I diffusion.
The Causality between Employees' Economic Rewards and Sustainable Performance of Nigerian Quoted Manufacturing Firms

This study examines the causal relationship between employees’ economic rewards and sustainable performance of the Nigerian quoted manufacturing firms. The study uses 400 firm-year data, involving 50 companies, purposively selected over the period 2006-2009. The data were sourced from the annual audited reports and accounts of the companies, obtained from the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The study uses correlation and granger causality econometric techniques to analyze the data, after carrying out diagnostic tests such as unit roots and cointegration tests. The study found that relative economic value added (WETREL) was stationary (χ² = 176.425, p<0.01) at level and relative employees’ economic rewards (SENREL) stationary (χ² = 317.882, p<0.01) at first difference, using the Philips-Perron Fisher asymptotic chi-square criterion while both WETREL was stationary (Z=-9.8012, p<0.01) and SENREL stationary (Z=-7.2612, p<0.01) at first difference, using Philips-Perron Choi Z-statistics criterion. Also, there was at least one cointegrating equation between SENREL and WETREL of the companies, indicating a long-run equilibrium relationship between the two variables. In addition, WETREL (χ²=7.623, p<0.01) significantly Granger causes SENREL and SENREL (χ²=3.744, p<0.05) also significantly Granger causes WETREL. Thus, a bi-directional causality existed between the variables, indicating that the direction of the causality runs two ways, from WETREL to SENREL, and vice versa. The study concluded that the two variables are good predictor of each other though employees’ economic reward is a better predictor of sustainable performance of quoted manufacturing firms in Nigeria.
Are eucalypts Brazil's friend or foe? An entomological viewpoint

Vastas areas do Brasil tem sido plantadas com eucaliptos, como fontes renovaveis de madeira, carvao e celulose. Apesar do rapido crescimento e da produtividade de varias especies de eucaliptos, aliviando, sem duvida, a pressao por madeira de areas nativas, existem custos ecologicos que devem ser considerados. Primeiramente, algumas especies de eucaliptos sao vulneraveis ao surgimento rapido de pragas. Um grande numero de lepidopteros e coleopteros nativos, assim como de formigas cortadeiras, tem-se tornado pragas em eucaliptais plantados no Brasil. Provavelmente, a diversidade de mirtaceas da America do Sul suporta uma fauna que pode adaptar-se as especies de eucaliptos introduzidas. Uma segunda consideracao e o fato de que o litter de folhas (serrapilheira) produzido sob a plantacao de eucaliptos difere substancialmente daquele de florestas nativas, tanto em termos de estrutura fisica, quanto quimica, criando uma serie de problemas para a fauna de decompositores. Se a diversidade de micro-artropodes e reduzida, o ciclo de nutrientes pode ser comprometido nos plantios de eucaliptos. Terceiro, a copa de florestas nativas suporta grande diversidade e biomassa de artropodes, da qual dependem muitos passaros, repteis e mamiferos, como alimento. Ha evidencias de que a biomassa e a diversidade de invertebrados sao grandemente reduzidas em copas de plantacoes de eucaliptos exoticos. Isto, por sua vez, reduz a base de alimento, da qual dependem artropodes e outros animais que vivem nas florestas, comprometendo o status de sua conservacao. Este trabalho revisa as evidencias dos efeitos ecologicos adversos das plantacoes brasileiras de eucaliptos e sugere caminhos pelos quais o Brasil pode atingir suas necessidades florestais, conservando os invertebrados e vertebrados que vivem nas mesmas e das quais elas dependem.
Impact of Transformational Leadership on Organizational Innovation: Telecommunication Sector of Pakistan

This study aims at finding out how transformational leadership effects the organizational innovation in leading telecommunication companies of Pakistan. The study used a well-established questionnaire for data collection. The data was collected through convenient sampling from 120 mid-level and high-level managers of telecommunication organizations. The study not only relied on emphasis of descriptive statistics but regression was run to analyze the data. The results exhibit that transformational leadership has a constructive and substantial impact on organizational innovation in the deliberated context. This study is deemed to guide the Pakistani¯s Telecommunication sector to improve the way management can yield more value from their employees. It also shows the impact of globally recognized knowledge can work in varying cultures and contexts.
Audit Committee Characteristics, External Audit and Earnings Management among Jordanian Listed Companies: Proposing Conceptual Framework

In fact, regulators and investors often criticize both audit committees and external audit about doing a poor job because the audited financial statements have been proved to be false and misleading due to recent high-profile earnings management cases in the world. However, the concern about the quality and integrity of accounting information is increasing over time and resulted in a drop in investor confidence following the collapse of some firms as a result of accounting manipulation by managers. This has made companies need to achieve significant progress to the corporate governance perform in order to recuperate the investors’ confidence in financial reporting quality. This paper proposes a conceptual framework to investigate the role of audit committee characteristics and external audit on earnings management using a sample of industrial companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE). Evidence from prior studies suggested that audit committees and external auditors play a central role in ensuring the integrity of financial reporting process. The audit committee is perceived as a liaison between the external auditor and the board, an audit committee bridges the information asymmetry between them. While the external audit is perceived as an effective third party which helps mitigate information asymmetry and conflict of interests between management and investors.
Vertical characterization of aerosol optical properties and brown carbon in winter in urban Beijing, China

Abstract. Aerosol particles are of importance in the Earth's radiation budget since they scatter and absorb sunlight. While extensive studies of aerosol optical properties have been conducted at ground sites, vertical measurements and characterization are very limited in megacities. In this work, we present simultaneous real-time online measurements of aerosol optical properties at ground level and at 260 m on a meteorological tower from 16 November to 13 December in 2016 in Beijing along with measurements of continuous vertical profiles during two haze episodes. The average (±1σ) scattering and absorption coefficients (bsca and babs; λ=630 nm) were 337.6 (±356.0) and 36.6 (±33.9) Mm−1 at 260 m, which were 26.5 % and 22.5 % lower than those at ground level. Single scattering albedo (SSA), however, was comparable between the two heights, with slightly higher values at ground level (0.89±0.04). Although bsca and babs showed overall similar temporal variations between ground level and 260 m, the ratios of 260 m to ground varied substantially from less than 0.4 during the clean stages of haze episodes to > 0.8 in the late afternoon. A more detailed analysis indicates that vertical profiles of bsca, babs, and SSA in the low atmosphere were closely related to the changes in meteorological conditions and mixing layer height. The mass absorption cross section (MAC) of equivalent black carbon (eBC, λ=630 nm) varied substantially from 9.5 to 13.2 m2 g−1 in winter in Beijing, and it was strongly associated with the mass ratio of coating materials on refractory BC (rBC) to rBC (MR), and also the oxidation degree of organics in rBC-containing particles. Our results show that the increases in MAC of eBC in winter were mainly caused by photochemically produced secondary materials. Light absorption of organic carbon (brown carbon, BrC) was also important in winter, which on average accounted for 46 (±8.5) % and 48 (±9.3) % of the total absorption at 370 nm at ground level and 260 m, respectively. A linear regression model combined with positive matrix factorization analysis was used to show that coal combustion was the dominant source contribution of BrC (48 %–55 %) followed by biomass burning (17 %) and photochemically processed secondary organic aerosol (∼20 %) in winter in Beijing.
Is There Power Behind the Dead Hand? An Empirical Investigation of Dead Hand Poison Pills

Dead hand poison pills prevent potential hostile acquirers from circumventing a poison pill with a proxy contest whereby newly elected directors could redeem the pill. Dead hand provisions only permit continuing directors to redeem. Shareholder rights advocates and legal scholars have criticized dead hand poison pills as an assault on shareholder governance, but economic theory suggests potential shareholder benefits. We provide the first empirical study of dead hand poison pills. We find that adoption of dead hand poison pills leads to gains for shareholders and losses for bondholders. This supports Schwert's (2000) conjecture that poison pills provide shareholders with better premiums rather than entrench ineffective managers.
Effects of a Collective Intervention through Constraint-Induced MovementTherapy in the Recovery of Upper Extremity Function Affected by a Stroke in Daily Activities: A Single-Blind Randomized Parallel Trial

Background: Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) is a treatment strategy that has been shown to improve the function of an upper limb affected by stroke. Although an extensive corpus of literature supports the positive impact of CIMT on neuroplasticity and the recovery of function, has evaluated CIMT conducted individually. Evidence is limited for the application of a CIMT in a collective modality and investigation is needed. Objective: To determine the effectiveness of a modified version of CIMT as a part of combined or collective treatment, as compared to individual CIMT, in increasing the use and functionality of movement of a paretic upper limb. Methods and subjects: The study was a single-blind, randomized parallel trial. Thirty-six patients who had had a stroke for up to 6 months were randomly divided into two intervention groups. The independent variable was the implementation of collective or individual therapy for 3 h for 10 consecutive days and the dependent variables were amount of use and dexterity of the affected upper extremity in activities of daily life. Dependent variables were evaluated by the Motor Activity Log (MAL) and Action Research Arm test (ARAT), at baseline (pre-intervention evaluation), end (post-intervention evaluation) and six months after intervention (follow-up). Results: By controlling the pre-intervention evaluations, analyses of covariance indicated that both dependent variables presented significant differences and the results were in favor of the group therapy at both the postintervention evaluation and follow-up evaluations. Conclusion: Both types of intervention generated increases in the function and use of the upper extremity, with these increases being higher in the collective modality. The effects of the collective modality were maintained 6 months after the intervention ended.
Determinants of demand for non-life insurance in Harare

Insurance is defined as an economic device to reduce or eliminate risks, by transferring the risks from individuals to insurance companies. The development of the insurance market is important for the economy through protecting assets, capital mobilisation and promoting trade. Knowledge of consumer behavior in the insurance market is important in understanding customer needs and wants. Demand for insurance is driven by many factors across the world, chief among them demographic, social, cultural and institutional factors. While several studies have been conducted to explain demand for life insurance, very little has been done for non-life insurance. Nevertheless, most of the studies to date have been concentrated in developed countries. This research investigates the demand for non-life insurance in Harare, the latter being a developing country set up. The aim of the study is to examine the determinants of demand for non-life insurance. To achieve this, a cross-sectional survey was conducted on 120 respondents drawn from buyers of non-life insurance products from six insurance companies in Harare. The data were collected through questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA and Pearsonâ€™s correlation coefficient and t-tests using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The major findings of the study indicate that income, age, education and legal compulsion variables are positively related to demand for non-life insurance. Income was found to be the strongest predictor of the demand for non-life insurance. There is no evidence from the survey on the positive influence of personal and cultural variables. The findings have important implications on policy formulation for both the regulatory authorities and insurance companies, particularly in influencing marketing strategies. â€ƒ
Effect of crossbreed on the physical meat indicators in Yun-ling Black goats

Twenty castrated male goats each of Yun-ling Black goats (YLB goat), NY(Nubian ♂ × YLB goats♀) hybrid goats and BY(Boer♂× YLB♀) hybrid goats were used to evaluate the effect of crossbreeding on the meat quality in the YLB goats of China. There were no signifi cant difference for tenderness, fl avour and overall acceptability for the three types of goats. The meat from BY hybrid goat had signifi cantly higher (P<0.05) CIE (Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage) L* and a* values of L. dorsi muscle (LD) while the YLB goats had signifi cantly higher (P<0.05) b* value in loin muscle and rump muscle (B. femoris, BF). No signifi cant differences among the breeds were measured for water holding capacity (WHC) of LD muscle. However, WHC of BF muscle in NY hybrid goat was the highest among the breeds (P<0.05). The hybrid goats had higher pH values than YLB goats (P<0.05) in both types muscle at 45 min and 24 h of post-mortem. In contrast, YLB goat had a signifi cantly higher juiciness, cooking rate, shear force value and connective tissue compared to BY and NY hybrid goats (P<0.05) and no signifi cant difference was measured between the two types hybrid goats. The muscle fi bre diameter were signifi cantly higher (P<0.05) in the YLB goats than the hybrid goats both in the two types of muscles and the converse results were observed for the muscle fi bre density (P<0.05) and no signifi cant difference for muscle fi bre characteristics were observed between the hybrid goats.
The Relation of Weight Loss with Hyperinflation, Serum Adiponectin, Ghrelin and Leptin Levels in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Objective: Although protein-calorie malnutrition and associated weight loss have been demonstrated in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the reasons for weight loss, as well as the relation of weight loss with hormonal and inflammatory markers is not clear. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the reasons for weight loss in COPD patients and the relation of weight loss with hormonal/inflammatory markers and hyperinflation. Methods: The present study included 60 patients with stable COPD who were admitted to the Chest Diseases Outpatient Clinic and 20 healthy controls. The patients were divided into three groups according to their body mass index (BMI); Group 1: BMI 25 kg/m2. The patients underwent pulmonary function testing and arterial blood gas analysis. Serum adiponectin, ghrelin, leptin, tumour necrosis factor (TNF) alpha, C-reactive protein (CRP), prealbumin and transferrin levels were measured. The results were evaluated by appropriate statistical methods. Results: Considering the patient groups together, leptin and ghrelin levels were found to be statistically significantly lower in the patient group (p=0.001 and p=0.003). Serum leptin level was found to be lower in Group 1 with a BMI 25 (p=0.031). No statistically significant difference was determined between the patients with and without hyperinflation in terms of serum ghrelin, leptin, adiponectin, TNF-α, prealbumin and transferrin levels. Conclusion: Decreased serum ghrelin and leptin levels were associated with weight loss. However, no relation could be identified between hyperinflation and hormonal markers. It was thought that further studies are needed in order to reach a definite conclusion.
TITLE: Serial block-face scanning electron microscopy applied to study the trafficking of 8D3- coated gold nanoparticles at the blood-brain barrier

AFFILIATIONS: †Secció de Fisiologia, Departament de Bioquímica i Fisiologia, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l’Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain ‡Unitat de Farmacologia i Farmacognòsia, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l’Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain §Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain ‖Unitat de Microscòpia Òptica Avançada, Centres Científics i Tecnològics de la Universitat de Barcelona (CCiTUB), Barcelona, Spain #Division of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool ¶CIBERNED Centros de Biomedicina en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Spain
Theoretical and experimental evidence of level repulsion states and evanescent modes in sonic crystal stubbed waveguides

The complex band structures calculated using the extended plane wave expansion (EPWE) reveal the presence of evanescent modes in periodic systems, never predicted by the classical methods, providing novel interpretations of several phenomena as well as a complete picture of the system. In this work, we theoretically and experimentally observe that in the ranges of frequencies where a deaf band is traditionally predicted, an evanescent mode with excitable symmetry appears, changing drastically the interpretation of the transmission properties. On the other hand, the simplicity of the sonic crystals in which only the longitudinal polarization can be excited is used to interpret, without loss of generality, the level repulsion between symmetric and antisymmetric bands in sonic crystals as the presence of an evanescent mode connecting both repelled bands. These evanescent modes, obtained using EPWE, explain both the attenuation produced in this range of frequencies and the transfer of symmetry from one band to the other in good agreement with both experimental results and multiple scattering predictions. Thus, the evanescent properties of the periodic system have been revealed to be necessary for the design of new acoustic and electromagnetic applications based on periodicity.
AIRBORNE POLYBROMINATED DIPHENYL ETHERS IN A COMPUTER CLASSROOM OF COLLEGE IN TAIWAN

This study characterized the airborne exposure of students to thirty polybrominated diphenyl ether congeners inside and outside a computer classroom in a southern Taiwan college. Arithmetic mean values of total indoor and outdoor polybrominated diphenyl ether concentrations were 125.0 pg/m3 (89.8 to 203.9 pg/m3) and 110.3 pg/m3 (83.5 to 157.0 pg/m3), respectively. Total indoor polybrominated diphenyl ether concentrations were one order of magnitude lower than those detected in homes in Birmingham, United Kingdom and in Ottawa, Canada but were several times higher than those measured in the ambient air in Ottawa, Canada and from the Bohai Sea to the Arctic. The five highest indoor concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ether congeners were decabromodiphenyl ether (23.0 pg/m3), 4,4'-dibromodiphenyl ether (15.9 pg/m3), 2,2',3,4,4',5,5',6-octabromodiphenyl ether (10.6 pg/m3), 2,4-dibromodiphenyl ether (10.3 pg/m3) and 2,2',3,4,4',5',6-heptabromodiphenyl ether (10.0 pg/m3). Although indoor and outdoor total polybrominated diphenyl ether concentrations did not significantly differ, the indoor concentrations of 2,4-dibromodiphenyl ether, 2,2',4-tribromodiphenyl ether, 2,4,4'-tribromodiphenyl ether, 2,2',4,5'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether and 2,3',4',6-tetrabromodiphenyl ether were significantly higher than their outdoor concentrations. This study suggests the following measures: 1) to increase the air exchange rate and open classroom doors and windows for several minutes before classes to reduce indoor PBDE concentrations; 2) to reduce polybrominated diphenyl ether emissions from new devices, it's better to use computer-related products that meet the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive adopted by the European Union.
Labour market and social integration of Eastern European migrants in Scotland and Portugal

This article investigates the factors influencing the labour market performance and social integration of Eastern European migrants in two regions within Scotland and Portugal. Given the potential links between these outcomes, measures of labour market success and integration into the host community are examined from a multi-dimensional perspective, including by modelling these jointly within a statistical framework. The main findings indicate the importance of a range of factors for labour market and social integration, which change with time and cannot be limited to any definable set of goals. In particular, proficiency in the host country’s language plays a key role in obtaining a highly paid job and social integration, but not for the probability of employment. Further, maintaining family links and cultural identity often outweigh the importance of being integrated into host communities. Other human capital factors, especially whether the job matches skills and qualifications, strongly influence some labour market outcomes, whilst migrant network variables are important for integration more widely. Focus on the immediate earnings and having a job tends to be prioritised over career progression, which can lead to better integration. Drawing on the insights from economics and human geography, this paper stresses that these findings hold both in the separate and joint modelling approaches. The effect of the influences is also found to be generally similar in Scotland and Portugal. However, some significant differences are detected between the host communities with regards to the impact of previous migration and friendship on social integration and age on employment.