Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unexpected hazard due to Fumonisins contaminating herbal teas used traditionally by Saudi people

Fumonisins are mycotoxins synthesized by various species of the genus Fusarium and are hazardous for human and animal health. The purpose of this study was to investigate fumonisin B1 (FB1) in herbal tea consumed especially by Saudi population. FB1 was detected using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. Forty-seven commercially available samples for infusions preparations were collected and analyzed for FB1. The detectable amount for FB1 ranged from 0 - 266 µg/kg. All the herbal tea samples were evaluated for the fungal contamination and the presence of mycotoxigenic fungi. Results indicate that predominant mycoflora were distributed in 13 genera representing 25 species. From these, the genera Aspergillus,Penicillium and Fusarium which considered extremely important from the mycotoxicological standpoint were the most abundant fungi. The presence of toxigenic moulds represents a potential risk of mycotoxin contamination. Considering the worldwide increased use of herbal products as alternative medicines, it is necessary setting standards for moulds in crude herbal tea in order to reduce the risks for consumers' health. Key words: Fumonisins, herbal tea, mycotoxins, fungi, Fusarium, toxigenic fungi.
Sustainable development orientation (SDO) practice and its impact on innovation performance

Changes in regulation and government policy have stimulated growth of ‘green innovation’ with sustainability emerging as a key concept. A review of the literature revealed gaps in research in this area of innovation management. The aim of this paper is to test the relationship between SDO practice and innovation performance of a large number of Australian companies in the manufacturing, services, construction and software sectors. Our study showed that proactive management of environmental protection issues and marketing of ‘green’ products were found to have a positive and significant association with ecological efficiency of products. On the other hand, the design of new products for energy efficiency was found to have a positive and significant relationship with the number of innovation adoptions. Our findings are consistent with the literature, which reveals a significant and positive relationship between SDO and innovation performance. The implications of the research are that SDO should not be considered an additional cost of doing business rather, managers should view SDO as an opportunity to improve innovation performance.
DEPARTM ENT OF ECONOM ICS

The paper uses a monetary economy to derive a ‘Taylor rule’ along the dynamic path and within the business cycle frequency of simulated data, a Fisher equation within the low frequency of simulated data, and predictions of Lucas-like policy changes that shift balanced growth path equilibria and expectations. The inflation coefficient is always greater than one when the velocity of money exceeds one, thus exhibiting robust Taylor principle behavior in a monetary economy. Successful estimates of the magnitude of the coefficient on inflation and the rest of the interest rate equation are presented using Monte Carlo simulated data for both business cycle and medium term frequencies. Policy analysis shows the biases in interest rate predictions as depending on whether changes in structural parameters and expectations about variables are correctly included. JEL Classification: E13, E31, E43, E52
Indices as diversification instruments in Europe

This paper focuses on the evolution of financial markets in Europe over the last decade. This period was characterized by an integration process both at economic and at financial level. The analysis examines to what extent this development has influenced European stock return drivers. The empirical investigation is performed with daily returns of 17 country and 12 sector European indices over a 10-year period (January 1992 - December 2001). Country and sector effects are compared through their performances and their diversification potential. The latter analysis combines the evolution of the cross-correlation structure and the changes in volatility. It also gives some insights on investment strategies. The results tend to indicate that the European financial market remains segmented although a significant move toward integration is observed. A consequence for investors is that sector diversification becomes essential. This last result was controlled for the ‘technology bubble’.
Uncovering framboidal pyrite biogenicity using nano-scale CNorg mapping

Framboidal pyrite has been used as a paleo-redox proxy and a biomarker in ancient sediments, but the interpretation of pyrite framboids can be controversial, especially where later overgrowths have obscured primary textures. Here we show how nano-scale chemical mapping of organic carbon and nitrogen (CN org ) can detect relict framboids within Precambrian pyrite grains and determine their formation mechanism. Pyrite grains associated with an Ediacaran fossil Lagerstatte from Newfoundland (ca. 560 Ma) hold significance for our understanding of taphonomy and redox history of the earliest macrofossil assemblages. They show distinct chemical zoning with respect to CN org . Relict framboids are revealed as spheroidal zones within larger pyrite grains, whereby pure pyrite microcrystals are enclosed by a mesh-like matrix of pyrite possessing elevated CN org , replicating observations from framboids growing within modern biofilms. Subsequent pyrite overgrowths also incorporated CN org from biofilms, with concentric CN org zoning showing that the availability of CN org progressively decreased during later pyrite growth. Multiple framboids are commonly cemented together by these overgrowths to form larger grains, with relict framboids only detectable in CN org maps. In situ sulfur isotope data (δ 34 S = ∼−24‰ to −15‰) show that the source of sulfur for the pyrite was also biologically mediated, most likely via a sulfate-reducing microbial metabolism within the biofilms. Relict framboids have significantly smaller diameters than the pyrite grains that enclose them, suggesting that the use of framboid diameters to infer water column paleo-redox conditions should be approached with caution. This work shows that pyrite framboids have formed within organic biofilms for at least 560 m.y. , and provides a novel methodology that could readily be extended to search for such biomarkers in older rocks and potentially on other planets.
Influence of Human Resource Development (HRD) Practices on Organizational Effectiveness: The Role of Employee Competencies

The aim of this paper is to examine the influence of HRD practices on organizational effectiveness by means of employee competencies. An integrated research model was developed by combining principal factors from existing literature. Data were collected through questionnaire from 600 employees of the selected SME’s. The validity of the model and hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The reliability and validity of the dimensions are established through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The results indicate that some human resource development practices impact organizational effectiveness through their influence on employee competencies. Performance management do not influence employee competencies of the firms studied. The findings of the study have the potential to help stakeholders and policy makers of SME’s in adopting properly and well-articulated HRD practices to improve employee competencies in enhancing organizational effectiveness.
Compensatory growth, energy storage and behavior of juvenile Pacific halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis following thermally induced growth reduction

For fishes settling over wide areas, spatial temperature variation can have a significant impact on growth rates during the early juvenile period. Size variation within cohorts and across years will depend on the thermal sensitivity of growth rate, the ability to move to favorable growth environments, and the potential to compensate for periods of reduced growth. We examined the growth, behavior and energy storage responses of juvenile Pacific halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis exposed to a thermally induced reduction in growth. Halibut reared for 12 wk at 2°C then acclimated to and grown at 10°C (delayed treatment) were compared to fish reared continuously at 10°C (con- trols). Growth rates at 2°C were 25% of those at 10°C, resulting in a 2.4-fold difference in mass after 12 wk. Following acclimation to 10°C, specific growth rates of delayed fish were 20% higher than controls. Complete compensation would have required 35 wk, assuming maintenance of observed growth rate differences between treatments. Rapid growth during the compensation phase was prob- ably due in part to a reduction in the allocation of energy to lipid storage: length-corrected lipid lev- els of delayed fish were 14% lower than levels among control fish. Behavioral observations indicated that growth compensating fish were more active than control fish; this is assumed to reflect increased foraging activity. However, when presented with food, growth-compensating halibut did not initiate feeding more rapidly than control fish. The predation and starvation risks associated with increased activity and decreased energy storage appear to represent trade-offs with rapid compensatory growth in juvenile halibut.
Forest Transitions in Mexico: Institutions and Forests in a Globalized Countryside

Abstract Forest-transition theory suggests that economic development eventually leads to forest recovery, but there is great uncertainty about the existence, the characteristics, and the mechanisms of forest transitions that might be occurring under current socioeconomic conditions. A case study in a small region of highland Mexico finds agricultural abandonment and forest regeneration, but also forest degradation due to woodcutting. A discussion locates those findings in the international political economy of agriculture and emigration in Mexico, which are substantially different from the conditions associated with forest recovery in developed countries. Although regional forest transitions are possible in marginal agricultural areas such as that studied here, their environmental implications depend on the evolution of social institutions coordinating rural people's environmental actions. * The author would like to acknowledge the useful critiques from four anonymous reviewers and express his thanks to Jeff Ueland for his invaluable assistance in the preparation of Figure 1. The background of that figure comes from Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper images kindly provided by José AntonioBenjamín Ordóñez Díaz and Omar Raúl Masera Cerutti from their project CONACyT 32715-N, funded by the Mexican Council on Science and Technology. Figure 1 Location of the case-study communities against a backdrop from the Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (band 3) from the spring of 2000, the dry season.
Alkalic parental magmas for chassignites?

Abstract Detailed analysis of cumulate and melt inclusion assemblages in the chassignites provide important constraints on the nature of the melt trapped as inclusions in cumulus olivine (and, by extension, parental magma compositions), the pressures of crystallization, and magmatic volatile contents. These mineral assemblages show strong similarities to the experimental fractionation assemblages that produce the sodic silica‐saturated alkalic lavas on Earth (e.g., Ascension Island, Azores, the Nandewar volcano of Australia). The experimental assemblages were produced from silica‐saturated hawaiite at pressures above 4.3 kbar with dissolved water contents above 0.5 wt%. Such pressures are consistent with Ti:Al ratios of the melt‐inclusion pyroxenes in the Chassigny meteorite. Pyroxene compositions suggest early high crystallization temperatures and thus relatively low initial water and F contents. Feldspars indicate that melt evolution proceeded to rhyolite compositions both within the interstices of the cumulate olivine and within the melt inclusions, even though rhyolitic glass is only found within olivine‐hosted polyphase melt inclusions. The observed rhyolite glass is compositionally similar to the alkali‐rich rhyolite of Ascension Island which is produced experimentally by crystallization of hawaiite. It is proposed that the melt trapped in cumulus olivine of the Chassigny dunite was similar to a terrestrial silica‐saturated hawaiite, while that trapped in olivine of the Northwest Africa (NWA) 2727 dunite was less evolved, perhaps mildly alkalic basalt. Melts similar to terrestrial intra‐plate tholeiite could be parental to the cumulus minerals and evolve upon crystallization at pressures above 4.3 kbar and water contents above ˜0.4 wt% to mildly alkalic basalt, silica‐saturated hawaiite, and alkali‐rich rhyolite. The melt inclusion assemblages are inconsistent with either crystallization of a low‐Al, high‐Fe basalt, or low‐pressure crystallization of a terrestrial‐like tholeiite.
ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION AND INNOVATION OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN KANO STATE, NIGERIA.

Lukman T. Siraj. This study investigates the role of entrepreneurial orientation in shaping firm innovative performance. A cross sectional survey using questionnaire was conducted on a sample of 261 manufacturing SMEs operating in Kano State, Nigeria. Pearson correlation and linear regression analyses were performed to analyze the data. The results indicate significant relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and firm innovation, and that among the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation, pro activeness contributes most to innovation. Firms should therefore constantly evaluate the level of their entrepreneurial orientation in order to find out whether it is sufficiently adopted, and that they should concentrate on pro activeness.
Deceptive Identity Performance: Offender Moves and Multiple Identities in Online Child Abuse Conversations

This paper provides a case study of deceptive online identity performance by a con-victed child sex offender. Most prior linguistic and psychological research into online sexual abuse analyses transcripts involving adult decoys posing as children. In con-trast, our data comprises genuine online conversations between the offender and twenty victims. Using move analysis (Swales 1981; 1990) we explore the offender’s numerous presented personas. The offender’s use of rhetorical moves is investigated, as is the extent to which the frequency and structure of these moves contributes to and discriminates between the various online personas he adopts. We find from eight fre-quently adopted personas that two divergent identity positions emerge: the sexual pur-suer/aggressor, performed by the majority of his online personas, and the friend/boyfriend, performed by a single persona. Analysis of the offender’s self-describing assertives suggests this distinctive persona shares most attributes with the offender’s ‘home identity’. This paper importantly raises the question of whether move analysis might be useful in identifying the ‘offline persona’ in cases where offenders are known to operate multiple online personas in the pursuit of child victims.
No : 06 / 2013 Temporary and Persistent Fiscal Policy Shocks

This paper conducts an empirical investigation of the effects of temporary versus persistent fiscal policy shocks. Using data from the US I show that short lived fiscal expansions have a positive effect on output and consumption; while persistent fiscal shocks generate negative effects on consumption and to a lesser extent on output. Persistent fiscal expansions are associated with an increase in precautionary savings, collapse in consumers’ confidence and an increase the yield curve’s term premium. Consistently with consumption smoothing, short-lived fiscal expansions generate a temporary deficit in the current account, while persistent fiscal shocks leave the external balance unaffected. I find evidence of non linearity in the effects of temporary and persistent fiscal shocks according to (i) the level of public debt and (ii) the state of the business cycle. Persistent fiscal shocks have larger negative effects on consumption and output if they take place at high levels of public debt, possibly due to the higher costs of fiscal stabilization. The state of the business cycle is also very relevant. Persistent fiscal shocks generate negative multipliers in times of economic boom, but these negative multipliers disappear in periods of recession when credit constraints are more likely to bind. On the other hand, temporary fiscal shocks have positive effects both in times of expansion and in times of recession, but with the multipliers being way larger in the latter case. Differently with what hypothesized by the earlier literature on “non-Keynesian” fiscal effects, I find little evidence that these effects are asymmetric depending on the size of the shocks.
Professional Community in Chicago Elementary Schools: Facilitating Factors and Organizational Consequences

Professional community is receiving markedly increased attention as part of both practitioner and scholarly efforts to promote improvements in instruction and student learning. Interest in this area joins two previously distinct literatures, one dealing with the benefits of communal school organization and another with enhanced teacher professionalism, to formulate a theoretical framework for a school-based professional community. Using data from a large urban school district, this article tests the impact of structural, human, and social factors on the emergence of school-based professional community and examines the extent to which such developments in turn promote learning and experimentation among faculty.
DEVELOPMENT, ISSUES AND STRATEGIES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF POTATO LATE BLIGHT

Even after more than 150 years of Irish potato famine, potato late blight caused by a fungus like organism, Phytophthora infestans, continues to be the major bottleneck in realizing the desired potato production across the globe. During the last two-decade, P. infestans, population structure and biology has undergone a sea change which has added new dimension to late blight epidemiology and its management. As a result of series of migrations of P. infestans from its center of origin, central Mexico, new pathogen< populations hitherto restricted to central Mexico only were introduced to rest of the world. The new population consists of both A 1 and A 2 mating types, having increased diversity with regard to virulence factors and which is predominantly tolerant to metalaxyl fungicide and it is comparatively more aggressive than the old popualtion and is at the verge of displacing it at several locations. Presence of both A 1 and A 2 mating types have led to sexual reproduction and consequently production of thick- walled oospores which serve as primary source of the disease. The issues and concerns that arise out of the introduction of new population includes breakdown of host resistance, early initiation of disease epidemics, redundance of use of metalaxyl based fungicides in managing the disease, increased chance of infection at sub-optimal temperature in combination with shorter leaf wetness periods and high speed of spread of epidemics arising out of population having shorter latent periods. Consequently, the window of opportunity for action by potato growers has narrowed down. Therefore, new diseases management strategies are called for checking the ‘new blight’ initiated by the new P. infestans population. This would call for development of modern methods of detection of the pathogen during storage and transit, cataloguing and characterization of the pathogen population across the globe, identifying the areas where sexual reproduction is in place and working out its implications on disease epidemics, management of soil borne inoculum in the form of thick-walled oospores, development of site-specific forecasting and Decision Support System (DSS) and development of varieties having high degree of field resistance through marker assisted selection.
Teacher and Low Achievement in Physics in Tripoli, Libya

This study attempts to investigate if there is any relationship between selected teacher related factors and academic achievement in physics of high school students in Tripoli, Libya. A sample of 100 science students, 50 males and 50 females from two randomly chosen high schools in Tripoli, Libya. Two instruments were used in the study. The physics achievement test (PAT), was designed to assess student performance in physics. The second was a student questionnaire (SQ), designed to obtain information of teacher factors. Main findings of the study show that making students understand of what were taught and Teacher's provision of adequate exercises were highly related to students achievement. Recommendations regarding the need for a multivariate study on a national scale and the need to rethink pre-service and inservice teacher education programs were made.
Simulation of leading edge cavitation on bulb turbine

Cavitation caused by phases exchange between fluids of large density difference occurs in a region where the pressure of water falls below its vapor pressure. The density of water in a water-vapor contact area decreases dramatically. As a result, the flow in this region is compressible, which affects directly turbulent dissipation structures. Leading edge cavitation is naturally time dependent. Re-entrant jet generated by liquid flow over a cavity is a main actor of cavity shedding. Simulation of unsteady leading edge cavitation flows through a 4-blade runner bulb turbine was performed. Particular attention was given to the phenomena of re-entrant jet, cavity shedding, and cavitation vortices in the flow over turbine blade. The Reynolds-Average Navier-Stokes equations with finite volume discretization were used. The calculations were done with pressure-based algorithms since the flow possesses a wide range of density change and high complexity turbulence. The new formula for dilatation dissipation parameter in k- model was introduced and the turbulent Mach number was calculated from density of mixture instead. 2-D and 3-D hydrofoils based on both numerical and experimental results accomplished a validation. The results show that re-entrant jet, shedding of cavity, and cavitation vortices can be captured. In addition, this paper also calculates the cycle frequency of torque generated by the runner and vapor area evolution on the blade surface. The cycle frequency varies with cavitation number. At normal operation of this turbine ( = 1) it is found that both of them have a frequency of 46 Hertz.