Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do Military Expenditure and Conflict Affect Economic Growth in Sri Lanka? Evidence from the ARDL Bounds Test Approach

Conflicts in the form of civil war, ethnic tensions and political discord are of enduring concern and a major bottleneck to economic development in Sri Lanka. Three decades of civil war and unethical political culture have caused severe economic problems for the country, including slower rate of growth and a huge defence expenditure. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of military expenditure and conflict on per capita GDP growth rate in Sri Lanka from 1973 to 2014 using the Solow growth model and ARDL bounds test approach. The results of the bounds test are highly significant and lead to cointegration. The negative and significant coefficients of the error correction term illustrate the expected convergence process in the long-run dynamic of per capita GDP. The estimated empirical results show that, the coefficients of military expenditure and conflict are negative and statistically significant in the short-run as well as in the long-run in determining per capita GDP growth rate in Sri Lanka. Hence, it is critically important to take necessary action to decrease military expenditure and provide an efficient political solution to the problem of minorities, specifically in the post-war period.
Evolution of capital structure in east Asia—corporate inertia or endeavours?

Summary. The paper examines the capital structure adjustment dynamics of listed non‐financial corporations in seven east Asian countries before, during and after the crisis of 1997–1998. Our methodology allows for speeds of adjustment to vary, not only among firms, but also over time, distinguishing between cases of sudden and smooth adjustment. Whereas, compared with firms in the least affected countries, average leverages were much higher, generalized method‐of‐moments analysis of the Worldscope panel data suggests that average speeds of adjustment were lower in the worst affected countries. This holds also for the severely financially distressed firms in some worst affected countries, though the trend reversed in the post‐crisis period. These findings have important implications for the regulatory environment as well as access to market finance.
Helminth fauna and zoonotic potential of the European hamster Cricetus cricetus Linnaeus, 1758 in agrobiocoenoses from Vojvodina province (Serbia)

Summary A total of 359 European hamsters (Cricetus cricetus) captured at four localities in Vojvodina Province were examined for the presence of helminths. The majority of the captured animals (88 %) were infected with nematode species Heligmosomoides travassosi and six species of cestodes (Hymenolepis diminuta, Rodentolepis fraterna, R. straminea, Paranoplocephala omphalodes and Mesocestoides sp. - in larval stages). Nematodes were the dominant group. The dominant cestode species was H. diminuta. All of the tapeworm species reported here represent new findings for the European hamster in Serbia. The tapeworms H. diminuta and Mesocestoides sp. are capable of infecting humans and causing pathological symptoms, making the hamster a carrier of zoonoses and a potential threat to public health. In order to uncover the full range of helminths utilizing the European hamster as a host in Serbia and understanding the scope of its zoonotic potential, further research on the subject must be carried out.
Functional groups in a semideciduous seasonal forest in Southeastern Brazil

This study was carried out in a semideciduous forest in Southeastern Brazil. Five ecological attributes were used to define the functional groups: dominant stratum of the species, light demand of the plant, seed dispersal, likely pollinator, and deciduousness. The groups were formed through a species matrix and its attributes, and they were delimited according to the Jaccard similarity coefficient and a dendrogram generated by the group average (UPGMA). The analysis used was satisfactory, indicating the formation of four coherent groups with distinct functions both with regard to the community and the ecosystem. The results indicate a tree community in a late successional stage, with relations between flora and fauna species.
Excimer Laser Machining of Bisphenol a Polycarbonate under Closed Immersion Filtered Water with Varying Flow Velocities and the Effects on the Etch Rate

Until now, progress in laser ablation micromachining has been significantly limited with respect to feature miniaturization and output yield by ablation-generated debris. Gas-jetting techniques have proven to be inadequate and vacuum environments are unwieldy in an industrial setting. To this end, a controlled geometry for both the optical interfaces of a flowing liquid film can be provided by a closed flowing thick-film filtered water immersion technique. This ensures repeatable machining conditions and allows control of liquid flow velocity. To investigate the impact of this technique on etch rate, bisphenol A polycarbonate samples have been machined using KrF excimer laser radiation passing through a medium of filtered water flowing at a number of flow velocities that are controllable by modifying liquid flowrate. A mean increase in etch rate of 8.5 per cent when using a turbulent flow velocity regime immersed ablation over ablation in ambient air was recorded. However, use of laminar flow velocities resulted in a mean loss of 26.6 per cent in etch rate compared to ablation in ambient air. Plotting the recorded etch rate achieved with respect to flow velocity gives support for previously proposed flow—plume interactions: the primary cause of a 37 per cent variance in etch rate over a 72 per cent change in laminar flow velocity was a shift in the ratio between the refresh rate of liquid volume over the feature and laser repetition rate. The small variance of etch rate achieved by modification of turbulent regime flow velocity indicates that laser etching provided the dominating contribution to the total etch rate measured. This work demonstrates that this technique developed for ablation debris control does not reduce the efficiency of laser etching with respect to that achieved with established gas media laser ablation machining. Therefore, this process shows great promise for industrial implementation development.
Demographics of Star-forming Galaxies since z ∼ 2.5. I. The UVJ Diagram in CANDELS

This is the first in a series of papers examining the demographics of star-forming (SF) galaxies at 0.2 < z < 2.5 in CANDELS. We study 9100 galaxies from GOODS-S and UDS, having published values of redshifts, masses, star formation rates (SFRs), and dust attenuation (AV) derived from UV–optical spectral energy distribution fitting. In agreement with previous works, we find that the UVJ colors of a galaxy are closely correlated with its specific star formation rate (SSFR) and AV. We define rotated UVJ coordinate axes, termed SSED and CSED, that are parallel and perpendicular to the SF sequence and derive a quantitative calibration that predicts SSFR from CSED with an accuracy of ∼0.2 dex. SFRs from UV–optical fitting and from UV+IR values based on Spitzer/MIPS 24 μm agree well overall, but systematic differences of order 0.2 dex exist at high and low redshifts. A novel plotting scheme conveys the evolution of multiple galaxy properties simultaneously, and dust growth, as well as star formation decline and quenching, exhibit “mass-accelerated evolution” (“downsizing”). A population of transition galaxies below the SF main sequence is identified. These objects are located between SF and quiescent galaxies in UVJ space, and have lower AV and smaller radii than galaxies on the main sequence. Their properties are consistent with their being in transit between the two regions. The relative numbers of quenched, transition, and SF galaxies are given as a function of mass and redshift.
Inhibitory effect of some plant extracts on clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus

Accumulating data have been dramatically increasing on multiple drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates that are incriminated in nosocomial and community acquired infections causing high mortality and morbidity. Accordingly, 70 resistant isolates were collected from King Fahad General Hospital and National Guard Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in an attempt to find alternative antimicrobial substances from various plant extracts. The susceptibility pattern was as follows: 50 isolates were resistant to fusidic acid, 28 isolates were resistant to oxacillin, 20 isolates were resistant to penicillin, 20 isolates were resistant to clindamycin and 21 isolates were resistant to gentamycin. However, all the isolates were sensitive to vancomycin. The antimicrobial activity of the aqueous extracts of five medicinal plants namely Canellia sinensis (green tea), Punnica granatum (pomegranate rind), Psidium guajava Lim (guava leaves), Cinnamomum verum (cinnamon) and Mourus (raspberry) was tested against the 70 resistant isolates of S. aureus using agar well diffusion assay. Significant difference was noted in the inhibitory effect between most of the tested extracts. Pomegranate rind showed the highest activity, followed by green tea, guava leaves, cinnamon bark and raspberry fruits extract respectively, compared to commercial antibiotics. Interestingly, the inhibitory activity of three combined extracts: green tea, pomegranate rind and guava leaves was found to be higher on 20 clindamycin resistant isolates compared to each extract alone, indicating synergistic interaction. These results emphasize the promising role of plant extracts as alternative antibacterial agents against resistant strains of S. aureus if not other pathogenic bacteria.
An assessment of the tracer‐based approach to quantifying groundwater contributions to streamflow

The use of conservative geochemical and isotopic tracers along with mass balance equations to determine the pre‐event groundwater contributions to streamflow during a rainfall event is widely used for hydrograph separation; however, aspects related to the influence of surface and subsurface mixing processes on the estimates of the pre‐event contribution remain poorly understood. Moreover, the lack of a precise definition of “pre‐event” versus “event” contributions on the one hand and “old” versus “new” water components on the other hand has seemingly led to confusion within the hydrologic community about the role of Darcian‐based groundwater flow during a storm event. In this work, a fully integrated surface and subsurface flow and solute transport model is used to analyze flow system dynamics during a storm event, concomitantly with advective‐dispersive tracer transport, and to investigate the role of hydrodynamic mixing processes on the estimates of the pre‐event component. A number of numerical experiments are presented, including an analysis of a controlled rainfall‐runoff experiment, that compare the computed Darcian‐based groundwater fluxes contributing to streamflow during a rainfall event with estimates of these contributions based on a tracer‐based separation. It is shown that hydrodynamic mixing processes can dramatically influence estimates of the pre‐event water contribution estimated by a tracer‐based separation. Specifically, it is demonstrated that the actual amount of bulk flowing groundwater contributing to streamflow may be much smaller than the quantity indirectly estimated from a separation based on tracer mass balances, even if the mixing processes are weak.
The Effects of Income Diversification and Non –Performing Assets on Interest Spread among the Kenyan Commercial Banks.

Banking institutions plays a major role in a country’s and global economy. An efficient financial intermediation has a direct impact on effectiveness of investable resource mobilization, and thus, economic development. A major indicator of efficiency in banking sector is the interest rate spread which indicates the level of financial sector’s development. Therefore, a major goal in financial sector deepening and financial liberalization is the narrowing down of interest spread. In Kenya various structural changes intended to lower interest rate spread were initiated by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) since interest rate liberalization in early 1990s, but as documented in various Monetary Policy Statement issues and acknowledged by the Industry players and policy makers, interest rate spread remained high. But commercial banks have undergone a lot of changes characterized by new business models anchored on enhanced technologies and innovativeness; income diversification and others, in order to help them in reducing interest rate spread. Therefore this study sought to establish the effect of income diversification and non-performing assets on interest rate spread among Kenyan commercial banks. While few studies had been conducted in this subject, none had captured the post economic crisis period in a broad way. Further, income diversifications, a product of commercial bank evolution in the period under study, received little attention. The study used quarterly bank-specific, industry specific and macroeconomic data between 2004 and 2014. Random effect regression analysis was used to meet the objective. Regression results indicated a 0.11 percent fall in spread following a 1 percent increase in the proportion of non-interest income to total income. No significant relationship was observed between spread and non-performing assets. But market concentration and operation cost had significant positive relationship. On the other hand, increased illiquidity in commercial banks reduced spread. The study recommends focus on operational efficiency, income diversification, market competition, reduced return’s appetite and scaled credit information sharing. Keywords: Income Diversification; Nonperforming Assets; Interest rate spread; Banking Institution.
Sounds of Captive Rockfishes

Abstract Sound production by many fish species has been studied extensively, but little is known about sound production by rockfishes (genus Sebastes), and only a few species have been reported to be soniferous. To determine if additional rockfish species produce sounds, passive acoustic recordings were made during 2007/08 at Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute and Southwest Fisheries Science Center in tanks containing Bocaccio (S. paucispinis), Cowcod (S. levis), Starry Rockfish (S. constellatus), and Sunset Rockfish (S. crocotulus). Data were collected using pre-amplified hydrophones (HTI-94-SSQ) and digitized at sample rates of 44,100 or 8,000 Hz (using an Edirol R-09 recorder or Edirol UA-5 sound card and Ishmael software, respectively). Three distinct sounds were recorded in tanks containing only S. paucispinis and two of those sounds occurred at different rates during light and dark conditions. Their common characteristics were low frequency (below 800 Hz), short duration (<4 s), and low source levels (103–113 dB re: 1 µPa at 1 m). Also, there was evidence one or more other species produced sounds. These findings indicate that more rockfishes produce sounds, and suggest passive acoustics could be a useful tool for remotely monitoring their populations.
The feeding habits of an introduced piscivore , Hydrocynus vittatus ( Castelnau 1861 ) in a small tropical African reservoir

The diet of the tigerfish, Hydrocynus vittatus (Castelnau 1861) from a small impoundment (Malilangwe reservoir) was investigated. The tigerfish is an introduced piscivorous fish in this reservoir. Stomach contents analysis indicated that the adult size classes were almost entirely piscivorous and showed diet shifts with size changes. Approximately 35% of the tigerfish diet consisted of cichlid fishes and also included large numbers of Gobiidae (31%), Cyprinidae (29%) and Clariidae (28%). Small size classes of tigerfish fed heavily on macroinvertebrates, in particular, the taxa Pleidae (18%), Chironomidae (13%), Chaoborus sp. (11.5%), Corixidae (7.7%), Baetidae (4%) and Notonectidae (7%). They later shifted to a diet of cichlids. Hydrocynus vittatus predator-prey length ratio averaged approximately 0.21. The study showed that H. vittatus has a varying food composition probably due to changes in food abundances and distributions within the reservoir. Thus it does not have a strict food regime and this gives it a better chance of survival.
Impact of Type of Medical Specialist Involvement in Chronic Illness Care on Emergency Department Use Impact du type d ’ implication du médecin spécialiste sur le recours aux services d ’ urgences dans les cas de maladies chroniques

Objectives: Medical specialist physicians may act as either consultants or co-managers for patients managed in primary care settings. We assessed whether the type of specialist involvement affected emergency department (ED) use for patients with chronic diseases. Methods: In total, 709 primary care patients with arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes or congestive heart failure were followed for one year using survey and administrative data. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to compare all-cause ED use according to specialist involvement (none, co-manager or consultant). Results: In total, 240 (34%) patients visited the ED. ED use did not differ between those with specialist involvement and those without it, either as co-managers (adjusted OR = 1.06, 95% CI = [0.61, 1.85]) or consultants (adjusted OR = 0.97, 95% CI = [0.63, 1.50]).
THE MAASAI OF SOUTHERN KENYA DOMAIN MODEL OF LAND USE

Abstract. We present a domain model that formalises the human-land relations in the Maasai nomadic pastoralist society in Kenya, referred to as MSKDM, and its integration with the prominent Land Administration Domain Model (LADM). Our long-term aim is to facilitate a land administration system that can accurately capture and express salient Maasai concepts of land use, ownership, communal tenure, and to assist in transparency during land transactions. We use an extensive corpus of existing research literature, and input from our own on-site workshops, as source material for our domain model. We use real sketch maps drawn by Maasai community members that we collected during our field studies for validation, and to demonstrate how our model can be operationalised.
Knowledge Flows and Capability Building in the Indian IT Sector: A Comparative Analysis of Cluster and Non-Cluster Locations

The role of industrial clusters in the industrialization of many emerging economies continues to dominate the debate among policy makers and researchers worldwide. While recent discussions on this debate have focused on knowledge spillovers among participants within clusters, knowledge flows between non local networks and the cluster actors have not been accorded due attention in the literature. Further, the literature does not compare the relative impact of knowledge flows among firms within clusters and firms outside clusters. In this study, we attempt a comparative analysis of the role of knowledge flows in capability formation among firms in the Indian Information Technology sector (IT sector) across cluster and non-cluster locations. The empirical results suggest that at the firm level, leveraging of capabilities to enhance performance and networks to build capabilities is not automatic; structural features of the firms’ location enable this transformation. Moreover, while capabilities affect performance of firms positively only in clusters, economies of scale and some strategies like quality certification used by firms impact performance of firms outside clusters. Interestingly, although economies of scale do not impact the performance of firms within clusters, they do, however affect the capability formation of firms within clusters only. Further, we found that local and national non-customer networks affect capability formation of firms within and outside clusters whereas international customer networks affect capability formation of firms within clusters only. These have implications for how firms can develop appropriate strategies to enhance their performance.
Post-Communist Modernization, Transition Studies, and Diversity in Europe

The majority of studies of post-communism – habitually grouped under the heading of 'transitology' – understand the transition ultimately as a political and cultural convergence of the ex-communist societies with Western Europe. Even those critical approaches that regard the post-communist transition as a relatively unique phenomenon (as in the approaches of path dependency and neo-classical sociology) tend to conflate normative prescriptions with empirical descriptions and to move within an overall framework of what Michael Kennedy has aptly called 'transition culture'. This article argues instead that the transition's nature can only be fully grasped if a case-specific and historical-contextual approach is taken. In theoretical terms, a three-step movement to grasp diversity in Central and Eastern Europe is proposed: (1) the acknowledgement of the plurality of modernizing agency and its creativity; (2) the acknowledgement of multi-interpretability and difference as primary elements of modernity; and (3) a sensitivity to the resulting institutional variety in societal constellations. In substantive terms, it is argued that diversity is a distinctive mark of Europe that is bound to persist in an enlarged Europe, despite the spirit of assimilation in the accession process.
Organizational Internal Factors, Corporate Entrepreneurship, and Organizational Performance

The purpose of this study is to examine and explain the effect of: a) top management support on corporate entrepreneurship, b) supportive organizational structure on corporate entrepreneurship, c) resources availability on corporate entrepreneurship, d) reward system on corporate entrepreneurship, e) work discretion on corporate entrepreneurship, f) corporate entrepreneurship on financial performance, and g) corporate entrepreneurship on non financial performance. The data collection was done using a survey. The sample of this study was manager or director of Bank Sulselbar, regional development bank in South Sulawesi and West Sulawesi Province in Indonesia with 97 questionnaires were distributed with 91.78% response rate. The data were analyzed using Generalized Structured Component Analysis (GSCA). The result reveals that: a) top management support has a positive and significant effect on corporate entrepreneurship, b) supportive organizational structure has a positive but not significant effect on corporate entrepreneurship, c) resources availability has negative and not significant effect on corporate entrepreneurship, d) reward system has positive and significant effect on corporate entrepreneurship, e) work discretion has positive and significant effect on corporate entrepreneurship, f) corporate entrepreneurship has a positive and significant effect on financial performance, and g) corporate entrepreneurship has a positive and significant effect on non financial performance. Keywords: top management support, supportive organizational structure, resources availability, reward system, work discretion, corporate entrepreneurship, organizational performance