Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
User Acceptance of a Light-Emitting Diode Vest for Police Officer

Abstract : This study aims to suggest practical considerations for designing protective clothing with increased visibilitythat will have higher user acceptance by law enforcement officers. Light-emitting diode(LED) patrol vests were visuallyand structurally assessed, and 125 police officers’ responses from surveys about user acceptance of the vest were analyzed.The current LED patrol vest was designed for enhanced safety of police officers by increasing visibility in the dark. How-ever, the user acceptance rate of the LED patrol vest indicates low use of and low satisfaction with the vest despite itsenhanced safety features. In particular, differences in materials, design, functionality of the pockets and size of the vestdepending on the hours worked, were statistically significant. The police officers’ responses suggest areas of improvementin design, materials, ease of movement, size and functionality. Key issues include ‘tactile discomfort’; ‘impeded vision fromthe glare of the LED’; ‘frequent malfunctions of the LED’; ‘impossible repair of the broken LED units’; ‘no user feedback’;‘inconvenient to replace batteries’; ‘brittle materials’ and ‘unpleasing look’. To increase user acceptance, designer shouldincorporate context-awareness, a convenient user interface, a modular design approach, first responders’ self-image as pub-lic servants in relation to their aesthetic perspectives of their uniforms, and scientific evaluation of the effectiveness of theintended functions of the clothing. Suggested implications for designing the LED patrol vest can be applied to designingother functional/protective clothing for intended end users with special needs. Key words:LED patrol vest, user acceptance, protective clothing, police officer
Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation of Surge in a Three Stage Axial Compressor

A three dimensional unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes solver was used to perform multistage unsteady simulations of a three and half stage compressor. Previously published research presented the simulation of the same compressor with mal-scheduling of the variable stator vanes (VSV) and predicted a rotating stall pattern in all stages. The nominal VSV schedule compressor was simulated to provide a reference case for comparison purposes. The compressor’s behaviour in the nominal case seemed to behave against conventional wisdom with mass flow and pressure fluctuations representing compressor surge. However further analysis showed that inherent design feature in the compressor which had a highly loaded third stator was the primary cause of surge initiation, a situation which was eased with mal-scheduling by unloading that stator. Full analysis of the simulation results of the nominal case and discussion are presented in this pape
Efficacy of Hydrolytic Enzyme Preparation from Aspergillus Spp. on the Fattening Broiler Chicken Fed with Corn Soybean Based Diets

The influence of supplementing enzyme preparations made of three Aspergillus species (A. niger DB106, A. oryzae NM1 and A. niger XP) isolated from Vietnam on growth and performance of broiler chickens were investigated individually and in combination. In a completely randomized design, 270 of 30 day-old broiler chicks (Luong Phuong strain) were divided into 9 treatments with 3 replicate of 10 chicks per pen. Treatments were a dietary control (group 1) without enzymes and diets supplemented with enzyme preparations individually or in combinations to produce the other treatments (group 2-9). At the end of the feeding trial, 6 chicks per replicate were sacrificed to evaluate carcass and meat characteristics. The results as experiment finished of 5 weeks later demonstrated that the body weight gains were improved in approximately 6-16% with enzyme addition individually and from 14.5-27.2% (P < 0.05) with addition of enzyme combinations. The effect of the combination of enzyme preparations from three species of Aspergillus showed the highest efficacy on BWG of chickens (27.2% compared to control group), which were much higher than the effect of Green enzyme (11.6%) from China that is available in Vietnam market. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was reduced in all experimental groups compared to the control (P < 0.05). The meat quality and carcass characteristics of chickens in all groups were not altered under the effect of the enzyme preparations. This finding demonstrated that these enzyme preparations are safe and very prospective preparation for the fattening broiler chickens.
Impact of Size and Risk Management on Economic Performance of Multinational Corporations

This study explores the impact of size and risk management ability on economic performance of multi-national corporations. Economic performance is observed under different level of Size, Financial Leverage, and Risk Management ability of multi-national corporations. Economic performance is determined on the basis of three elements Return on Assets, Return on Equity and Return on Investment. By examining twenty multi-national firms, we found that economic performance is positively related with the size of the firm, risk management abilities and negatively related with the level of financial leverage. This paper shows how the risk management process influences the economic performance of organizations.
Effect of the Application of an Organophosphate Pesticide(Fenitrothion) on Foraging Behavior of Ants

Organophosphate pesticides inhibit cholinesterase. It is likely that application of organophosphate pesticides affect behavior of arthropods. This study aimed to find changes in foraging behavior of ants due to application of fenitrothion, one of the widely used organophosphate pesticides. Foraging activity (FA) of ants was observed using bait cards in a pesticide sprayed pine stand and in an unsprayed stand before and after aerial application of fenitrothion in 2003 and 2004. Ant abundance and species richness of ants were also monitored using pitfall traps during the activity season in 2003 and 2004. There was not a significant decrease in abundance and species richness after the application of fenitrothion. However, FA of an ant, Paratrechina flavipes (Smith), which was abundant enough to be statistically compared, was depressed from 2 hours to 10 days after application of the pesticide. FA was fully recovered at day 14 in 2003, and was partially recovered at day 18 and fully at day 31 in 2004. FA of other ant species also decreased significantly during the FA depression period of P. flavipes. On the bait cards, workers of the species responded dully to baits during the FA depression period. Despite the decline in activity, alertness of P. flavipes to other species did not decrease even during the FA depression period.
Every Other, Every Time - Rat Imitative Pattern Learning

Keshen (2011) showed that rats better learned to find visually-distinctive food locations arranged in a circle after watching an expert demonstrator rat forage in the setting. Phillips (2013) failed to find a similar imitative effect when 6 of 12 visually-identical food towers, also arranged in a circle, were consistently baited, but in a random pattern. The present experiment was designed to determine whether rats could display imitative learning using a more-regular pattern. Eight rats were assigned to be either demonstrators or observers. The experimental arena contained 12 identical food towers in a circular formation with every other tower baited. In Phase 1, the demonstrators were free to forage for 50 trials. In Phase 2, the observers were given the opportunity to forage for 20 trials, always after observing an expert demonstrator forage. During their 20 trials, the observers performed better than the demonstrators had during their first 20 trials.
Seasonal grazing and food preference of herbivores in a Posidonia oceanica meadow

Seasonal grazing of the fish Sarpa salpa (L.), the urchin Paracentrotus lividus Lamarck and the isopods Idotea spp. was compared with the C/N ratio of adult and intermediate leaves and epiphytes of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile, collected at three different depths. Despite seasonal differences in grazing, herbivores showed preferences throughout the year for adult leaves with more epiphyte and higher N contents. The maximum grazing on adult and intermediate leaves was observed in September and in June for fish and in March for urchins, whereas it was irregular for isopods. Grazing by the three herbivores was not related to their preference for leaves or epiphytes, notwithstanding the seasonal differences in their C and N contents. We concluded that herbivores show no preference for food type throughout the year and that seasonal consumption of P. oceanica is related mainly to herbivore behaviour.
Resistance to Bt Maize in Busseola fusca (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from Vaalharts, South Africa

ABSTRACT The first report of resistance of the maize stem borer [Busseola fusca (Fuller)] to Bt maize (MON810) was made in the Christiana area of South Africa during 2007. The objective of this study was to evaluate the status of resistance of other populations of B. fusca to Bt maize. One greenhouse and two laboratory studies were conducted. B. fusca populations were collected on Bt maize as well as the adjacent refugia (conventional maize and non-Bt maize) in the Vaalharts area, 50 km from the Christiana site. Control populations were collected from sites where Bt maize was not planted. In the greenhouse study 720 potted plants were each artificially infested with 10 neonate larvae of the F1-generation after the field collected populations were reared through to adults. Numbers of live larvae and larval mass per plant were determined at regular intervals over a 35-d period. Larvae of the Christiana conventional population (Bt-susceptible) on Bt maize (CHR08ConBt) and Bethal conventional population (Bt-susceptible) on Bt maize (BET08Con-Bt) did not survive on Bt maize for longer than 12 d. The populations collected from both Bt (VAA08Bt-Bt) maize and refuges (VAA08Ref-Bt) at Vaalharts were resistant and the subsequent generation of larvae completed their life cycle on Bt maize. Similar results were observed in the laboratory experiments. This study confirmed resistance of B. fusca to the Cry1Ab toxin (MON810). The geographical distribution of resistance was shown to include at least the Vaalharts area, in addition to the original report for the Christiana area. These observations that larvae collected from refugia at Vaalharts was resistant, show that the efficacy of the refuge strategy is compromised in this area because the contribution of refugia did not produce large enough numbers of susceptible individuals to mate with moths of which larvae survived inside Bt maize fields.
Corporate Governance and Performance in the Wake of the Financial Crisis: Evidence from US Commercial Banks

Manuscript Type: Empirical. Research Question/Issue: Does corporate governance explain US bank performance during the period leading up to the financial crisis? We adopt the factor structure by Larcker, Richardson, and Tuna (2007) to measure multiple dimensions of corporate governance for 236 public commercial banks. Research Findings/Insights: Findings reveal corporate governance factors explain financial performance better than loan quality. We find strong support for a negative association between leverage and both financial performance and loan quality. CEO duality is negatively associated with financial performance. The extent of executive incentive pay is positively associated with financial performance but exhibits a negative association with loan quality in the long‐run. We find a concave relationship between financial performance and both board size and average director age. We provide weak evidence of an association of anti‐takeover devices, board meeting frequency, and affiliated nature of committees with financial performance. Theoretical/Academic Implications: We apply agency theory to the banking industry and expect that the governance‐performance linkage might differ due to the unique regulatory and business environment. Results extend Larcker et al. (2007), especially regarding the concave relationship between board size and performance, and the role of leverage. Given the lack of support for our agency theory predictions, we suggest that alternative theories are needed to understand the performance implications of corporate governance at banks. Practitioner/Policy Implications: We offer contributions to regulators, especially for ongoing financial reforms of capital requirements and executive compensation. Specifically, we show a consistent negative association between leverage and performance, which supports the current debate on Tier I capital limits for banks.
Feeding of Calanus finmarchicus nauplii in the Irminger Sea

Recent studies have shown that the passage from nauplius to copepodite is a key event in the population dynamics of Calanus finmarchicus. As a first step towards understanding if and how trophic interactions influence this event, we investigated the feeding of C. finmarchicus nauplii IV-VI in the Irminger Sea during spring and summer in a series of incubation experiments. Generally, feeding efficiencies were highest on large cells, whereas small flagellates were ingested at very low rates. Colonies of Phaeocystis sp. were not ingested. Among the larger cells, the diatoms Chaetoceros pelagicus and Tropodineis sp. and the ciliate Strombidium sp. were the main food sources. We observed a negative relationship between the percentage of diatoms in the food environment and the filtration rate on Strombidium sp. We therefore suggest that the combination of low feeding efficiency on small cells and the generally low concentrations of ciliates in oceanic waters explains why C. finmarchicus relies on phytoplankton blooms for recruitment from nauplius to the first copepodite stage.
Academy 2009 : Responsible Investment : Integration , Engagement , Transparency Responsible Investment and the Claim of Corporate Change-Making Sense of Institutional Investors as Drivers of Corporate Social Responsibility

Financial institutions such as mutual funds and pension funds have started to subscribe to CSR in their investment decisions. In line with other scholars in the field of responsible investment, we thus propose to analyze the role of institutional investors as a driver of CSR. However, in contrast to the existing literature, the distinct motivation of our study is to focus on how institutional investors may drive large corporations to become socially responsible. Our aim is to understand the complex nature of responsible investment, and to identify the critical underlying processes that allow institutional investors to have an impact on a corporate management’s decision-making with regard to CSR. By drawing upon sensemaking studies (Weick, 1995, 1979, 1969), issue-selling (Dutton and Ashford, 1993; Dutton et al., 2001), and impression management (Goffman, 1959; Schlenker, 1980) we thereby derive several influence tactics that institutional investors can use to foster CSR.
Immigrants’ perception of business opportunities in Spain: the impact of general and specific human capital

Perceiving business opportunities is an important part of entrepreneurship. This study analyzes how immigrants’ general and specific human capital influences their likelihood of perceiving business opportunities. Analysis focuses on comparison between a group of immigrants and a group of Spanish citizens. Data from the 2008 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) was used. Logistic regression was used to analyze data. Results revealed that both immigrants’ and Spanish citizens’ human capital such as education is not significant to perceiving opportunities. Much to the contrary: the impact of specific human capital on perceiving opportunities is in general significant to both groups. This research reveals which specific types of human capital are relevant in the process of perceiving opportunities amongst immigrants. This paper is a novelty because it introduces a theoretical approach to the perception of opportunities within the universe of new businesses established by immigrants in Spain.
The Rise of Low-Skill Immigration in the South

The 1990s witnessed a significant geographic redistribution of immigration away from the traditional immigrant-receiving states, mainly California, and towards other parts of the country, mainly the Southern states that have not historically been immigrant-receiving states. This paper documents the impact of this change in immigrant settlement patterns on the skill endowment of the workforce in Southern states. The empirical analysis indicates that the recent change in immigrant settlement patterns led to the rise of a sizable foreign-born low-skill workforce in the South, particularly outside Florida and Texas. This workforce developed both as a result of increased settlement of many newly arrived low-skill immigrants in those states, and increased internal migration of low-skill immigrants from the non-South to the South.
Corporate liquidity and firm value: evidence from China’s listed firms

The value of liquidity is a promising area for research. This paper analyzes the correlation be-tween corporate liquidity and firm value by using evidence from China’s listed firms. This paper also investigates the relation among corporate liquidity, R&D and firm size. The authors find that firm’s sufficient liquidity can increase its market value. However, corporate liquidity has insignificant effect on firm’s R&D. What’s more, the authors further find that corporate liquidity also has diseconomies of scale. Excess corporate liquidity may ad-versely affect market value of large firms.
Curing kinetics of two commercial urea-formaldehyde adhesives studied by isoconversional method

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to evaluate the curing kinetics of two commercial urea-formaldehyde (UF) adhesives having different formaldehyde to urea (F/U) ratio of 1.112 (UF1) and 1.086 (UF2). DSC measurements were done in dynamic scanning regime with heating rates of 5, 10, 15 and 20oC•min-1 in order to determine the activation energy for each adhesive. Obtained data were analyzed using isoconversional methods with application of Ozawa-Flynn-Wall and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose kinetic models. In addition, different catalyst levels were tested at the heating rate of 10°C/min. Results showed that the adhesive with higher F/U ratio achieved higher activation energy, while having lower peak temperature of curing reaction. It was also noticed that the increase of catalyst level influenced the increase of reaction enthalpy of the adhesive with lower F/U ratio.
Experimental investigation on solar absorption refrigeration system in Malaysia

The experimental investigation of the performance of a solar absorption refrigeration system is described. The influence of generator, evaporator and condenser temperatures on the system performance is studied using evacuated tube solar collectors and ammonia-water as working fluid. It was seen that if higher cooling capacity and also lower evaporator temperature are desired from the system, the generator temperature should be increased considerably. In general, a solar absorption system can work only if the collectors’ outlet temperature is higher than the cut in/cut off temperature, and there exists an optimal value for this temperature. This paper is provided an actual compact unit and operated under real outside conditions for Malaysia and similar tropical regions. It is produced an air conditioning and refrigeration capacity of 1.5 ton and reached a COP of 0.6. This unit is considered a step forward towered commercial use. Key-Words: Operating Parameters; Experimental performance; Refrigeration; Absorption
The Impact of Credit Rating, Ownership and Relationships on Loan Spreads-Taiwan's Evidence

Using panel data from Taiwan, this paper performed empirical test to explore how the credit status and relationship have impacted loan spreads. Our findings are as follows : (1) Private financial holding companies and private non-financial holding companies grant loan spreads that are significantly lower than those of state-owned banks. Foreign banks grant loan spreads that are significantly higher than those of state-owned banks, and only foreign bank loan spreads are significantly higher than those of state-owned banks when borrowers are considered to be high risk. (2) Banks reduce their loan spreads only for high credit risk borrowers with obvious improvements in credit ratings, but this does not apply to general borrowers even when the credit rating condition is improved. Furthermore, creditor banks unreasonably increase their loan spreads, when the borrowing companies have their credit ratings upgraded. (3) Empirical findings show that the biggest and main creditor banks exhibit significantly lower loan spreads, and were also willing to give high credit risk customers lower lending spreads, which imply that Taiwan’s banks emphasis “banking relationship” while lending. (4) However, robust test over the past decade shows that the banks will raise the lending spreads while the borrower’s risk increasing and reduce the lending spreads while the borrower’s credit rating upgraded.
Problematic internet use questionairre-short form-6 (PIUQ-SF 6): a validity and reliability study in Turkey

Background: The study was a methodological type scale adaptation study in which the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Problematic Internet Use Questionairre-Short Form-6 (PIUQ-SF 6) was assessed and the cut-off score was determined.Methods: The study group was consisted of 465 students studying in five different faculties of Eskisehir Osmangazi University. The questionnaire form consists of questions about the sociodemographic characteristics, internet usage characteristics of the individuals and PIUS, PIUQ-SF 6.Results: The mean age of 465 who agreed to participate in the study was 21.1±2.1, with 256 males (55%) and 209 females (45%). In the study group, the instagram usage frequency was 80.4% and the facebook usage frequency was 78.7%. The content validity ındex value of PIUQ-SF 6 was calculated as 0.90. According to the exploratory factor analysis, 3 sub-dimensional structures consisting of 6 items explained 53.42 % of the total change in PIUQ-SF 6 scores and factor loads of the items in 3 sub-dimensions changed between 0.84-0.89. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient value of PIUQ-SF 6 was 0.82 and the test-retest reliability coefficient value was 0.82. There was a strong positive correlation between PIUS and PIUQ-SF 6. Students who spent more than 5 hours on the Internet were found to get high scores from all 3 sub-dimensions of PIUQ-SF 6. Confirmatory factor analysis values of PIUQ-SF 6 were found at acceptable intervals. As a result of K-Means clustering and ROC analysis, the cut-off score of PIUQ-SF 6 was calculated as 13.Conclusions: As a result, it has been concluded that PIUQ-SF 6 is a valid and reliable measurement tool as well as researches to be carried out in larger and different groups would be useful.
Physico chemical properties of water collected from Dhamra estuary.

The temporal and spatial distribution of salinity, DO, BOD, turbidity, pH, hardness and dissolved nutrients of surface water collected from different points of Dhamra estuary were measured during February2007 to January2008. The pH of water was alkaline throughout the year. The salinity, conductance, hardness increased towards the river mouth as compared to inland stations. The DO level was found to be ~ 8 mg/l while BOD remained < 3 mg/l in all cases. Nutrients (NO3, PO4, and NH3) in general exhibited decreasing trend from riverine to estuarine region. TDS values were high in the riverine and TSS values were high during monsoon period due to higher amount of floating particles. The concentration of NO3− was higher than NH3 and PO4 although the values were well within tolerance limits.