Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ESTIMATING AND FORECASTING TRADE FLOWS BY PANEL DATA ANALYSIS AND NEURAL NETWORKS

This paper aims to investigate bilateral trade flows among EU15countries from 1964 to 2003 with their determinants by using panel data analysis and neural network modeling. When we compare explanatory power of both models, it appears that neural networks can explain larger variation in bilateral exports compared to the panel data analysis. Moreover, in comparing out-of-sample forecasting performances of panel model and neural networks, it is seen that neural networks produce much lower MSE which makes them superior to the panel model. One of the main relative benefits of the neural network model is nonlinearity, as it uses sigmoid functions instead of linear functions as building blocks. This partly explains its success in our study. Another advantage of neural networks is that they make no a priori assumptions about the population distribution and the relationship between explanatory variables and the dependent variable. Keywords: gravity model, panel data, neural networks, EU15, bilateral trade TICARET AKIMLARININ PANEL VERI ANALIZI VE YAPAY SINIR AĞLARI ILE TAHMIN VE ONGORUSU OZET Bu calismada 15 Avrupa Birligi ulkesi arasinda 1964’ten 2003’e kadar gerceklesen ticaret akimlari ve bunlari etkileyen faktorler panel veri analizi ve yapay sinir aglari modellemesi kullanilarak incelenecektir. Her iki modelin aciklama gucu karsilastirildiginda yapay sinir aglarinin karsilikli ticareti panel veri analizine gore daha iyi acikladigi gorulmustur. Ayrica, orneklem disi tahmin performanslari karsilastirildiginda da yapay sinir aglarinin panel veri analizine gore cok daha dusuk ortalama karesel hata verdigi tespit edilmistir. Yapay sinir aglarinin en onemli avantaji dogrusal olmamalari, yani yapi taslarinin dogrusal fonksiyonlar degil de sigmoid fonksiyonlardan olusmasidir. Bu onlarin calismamizdaki basarisini kismen aciklar. Yapay sinir aglarinin diger bir avantaji da nufus dagilimi ile bagimli ve bagimsiz degiskenler arasindaki iliski hakkinda apriyori varsayimlarda bulunmamalaridir. Anahtar Kelimeler: cekim modeli, panel veri, yapay sinir aglari, AB15, iki tarafli ticaret
Geochemical signatures of the Namibian diatom belt: Perennial upwelling and intermittent anoxia

A gravity core from the Nambian diatom belt (83 m water depth) was analyzed for major (Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, P, Si, Ti) and minor elements (Ag, As, Ba, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni, Rb, Re, Se, Sr, Tl, U, V, Zn, Zr), as well as C and S. The major element geochemistry is dominated by the contribution of biogenic phases (opal and minor amounts of carbonate and phosphate), whereas terrigenous components of eolian and fluvial origin form only a minor admixture of <15%. Examination of the Fe/S/C‐relationship reveals a completion of pyritization close to the sediment‐seawater interface. Higher than average shale Fe/Al ratios reflect the presence of highly reactive iron oxides in terrigenous source material from the Namibian desert and suggest little loss of Fe within the OMZ. The low total Fe content likely represents an important factor responsible for sporadic H2S eruptions. The upwelling system off Namibia may be regarded as an intermediate system, combining high productivity typical for upwelling areas with the sporadic presence of H2S in the water column. By examining the source‐sink relationship of individual trace metals, two different trends are discernible: Mo, Re, and U accumulate following seawater availability, whereas Ag, Cd, Cu, Ni, Tl, and Zn require a biological preconcentration step. Trace metals like As, Ba, Cr, Se, and V show an intermediate behavior. Metal enrichment is favored by high interstitial water sulfide concentrations close to the sediment‐seawater interface, leading to slightly elevated Co contents as opposed to extremely low Mn/Al ratios, reflecting the overall reducing character of the Namibian system. Maximum contents of Cu, Ni, and Zn are significantly lower than those reported previously. This may in part be related to the absence of fecal material and a stronger dilution by biosiliceous material at this location compared to the seaward flank of the diatom belt.
Bat genitalia: allometry, variation and good genes

Male genitalia are typically highly variable across species, for which sexual selection is thought to be responsible. Sexually selected traits characteristically show positive allometry and high phenotypic variation, although genitalia seem to be typified by negative allometry due to stabilizing selection. Additionally, while sexual selection appears to be the primary force responsible for genital evolution, the precise mechanism is unclear, but good-genes selection could be involved. If so, male genital variation should correlate with some male quality measure(s). We investigated the allometry of male Nyctalus noctula genitalia and investigated associations between genital size and three phenotypic measures of male quality (body size, relative body mass, and fluctuating asymmetry (FA)). We found that the penis exhibited positive allometry and high phenotypic variation, and was positively associated with male body size and relative body mass, but not with FA. This pattern is more typical of sexually selected display traits, contrasting with general patterns of genital allometry. The baculum was negatively allometric and was not associated with any quality measure. Our results suggest that the N. noctula penis is under directional sexual selection and is a reliable indicator of male phenotypic quality.
Renibacterium salmoninarum gen. nov., sp. nov., the causative agent of bacterial kidney disease in salmonid fishes.

Isolates of the kidney disease bacterium, the causative agent of bacterial kidney disease in salmonid fishes, were characterized by the guanine plus cytosine content of the deoxyribonucleic acid, by cell wall sugar composition, and by amino acid composition of the peptidoglycan cell wall layer. The guanine plus cytosine contents of the deoxyribonucleic acids of the isolates were 53 ± 0.46 mol%. Glucose was the principal cell wall sugar detected in each kidney disease bacterium isolate. The major amino acids detected were alanine, glutamic acid, lysine, and glycine. It is proposed that these organisms form a single species belonging to a new genus, for which the name Renibacterium is proposed. The type species is Renibacterium, salmoninarum sp. nov., of which the type strain is Lea-1-74 (= ATCC 33209). This organism is most closely related to the Coryneform Group of Bacteria.
Managers' Motives to Withhold Segment Disclosures and the Effect of SFAS No. 131 on Analysts' Information Environment

Using retroactive disclosures required by Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 131, we examine managers' incentives for withholding segment information under SFAS No. 14 and the impact of SFAS No. 131 on analysts' information environment for a sample of firms that previously reported as single‐segment firms and initiated segment disclosure with SFAS No. 131. We examine this set of firms because they likely had the strongest incentives to withhold segment information and analysts potentially had the most to gain when these firms were forced to begin providing segment disclosures under SFAS No. 131. We find that these firms used the latitude in SFAS No. 14 to hide profitable segments operating in less competitive industries than their primary operations. However, we find no evidence to suggest that these firms used the latitude in SFAS No. 14 to mask poor performance. In contrast, our results suggest that by withholding segment information, these firms allowed themselves to appear as if th.
The contribution of residential coal combustion to atmospheric PM 2. 5 in northern China during winter

Abstract. A vast area in northern China, especially during wintertime, is currently suffering from severe haze events due to the high levels of atmospheric PM2. 5. To recognize the reasons for the high levels of PM2. 5, daily samples of PM2. 5 were simultaneously collected at the four sampling sites of Beijing city (BJ), Baoding city (BD), Wangdu county (WD) and Dongbaituo (DBT) during the winter and spring of 2014–2015. The concentrations of the typical water-soluble ions (WSIs, such as Cl−, NO3−, SO42− and NH4+) at DBT were found to be remarkably higher than those at BJ in the two winters, but almost the same as those at BJ in the two springs. The evidently greater concentrations of OC, EC and secondary inorganic ions (NO3−, SO42−, NH4+ and Cl−) at DBT than at WD, BD and BJ during the winter of 2015 indicated that the pollutants in the rural area were not due to transportation from neighbouring cities but dominated by local emissions. As the distinct source of atmospheric OC and EC in the rural area, the residential coal combustion also made a contribution to secondary inorganic ions through the emissions of their precursors (NOx, SO2, NH3 and HCl) as well as heterogeneous or multiphase reactions on the surface of OC and EC. The average mass proportions of OC, EC, NO3− and SO42− at BD and WD were found to be very close to those at DBT, but were evidently different from those at BJ, implying that the pollutants in the cities of WD and BD, which are fully surrounded by the countryside, were strongly affected by the residential coal combustion. The OC ∕ EC ratios at the four sampling sites were almost the same value (4.8) when the concentrations of PM2. 5 were greater than 150 µg m−3, suggesting that the residential coal combustion could also make a dominant contribution to atmospheric PM2. 5 at BJ during the severe pollution period when the air parcels were usually from southwest–south regions, where a high density of farmers reside. The evident increase in the number of the species involved in significant correlations (p
Refolding, Characterization, and Preliminary X-ray Crystallographic Studies on the Campylobacter concisus Plasmid-Encoded Secreted Protein Csep1p Associated with Crohn’s Disease

Colonization of Campylobacter concisus in the gastrointestinal tract can lead to the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Plasmid-encoded C. concisus-secreted protein 1 (Csep1p) was recently identified as a putative pathogenicity marker associated with active Crohn’s disease, a clinical form of IBD. Csep1p shows no significant full-length sequence similarity to proteins of known structure, and its role in pathogenesis is not yet known. This study reports a method for extraction of recombinantly expressed Csep1p from Escherichia coli inclusion bodies, refolding, and purification to produce crystallizable protein. Purified recombinant Csep1p behaved as a monomer in solution. Crystals of Csep1p were grown by the hanging drop vapour diffusion method, using polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000 as the precipitating agent. A complete data set has been collected to 1.4 Å resolution, using cryocooling conditions and synchrotron radiation. The crystals belong to space group P62 or P64, with unit cell parameters a = b = 85.8, c = 55.2 Å, α = β = 90, and γ = 120°. The asymmetric unit appears to contain one subunit, corresponding to a packing density of 2.47 Å3 Da−1.
Asian Equity Markets: A Time Series Analysis of their Co-integration

This research examines the time series characteristics of stock price indices for Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore Equity Markets or stock exchanges during the lengthy period from before 1997, 1997 to 2007 and after 2007. Specifically, we calculate the rate of return and the volatility of return for all three markets and estimate co-movement of the three markets. We find that the average rate of return varies dramatically for the three equity markets and across time. Further, we find that stock prices are positively serially correlated in general. In the multivariate regressions, we find that there is little evidence to show that either the rate of return in certain markets universally affects the rate of return in other equity markets. We suggest based on the evidence that the three markets are co-integrated but not universally across time and with each other in pairwise dimensions. Lastly, we studied and made conclusions concerning the mean and variation in the volatility of the rates of return in the three equity markets studied.
Monitoring important coastal sites for bottlenose dolphin in Cardigan Bay, UK

From 1994–2007 Ceredigion County Council and a network of shore-based, volunteer observers monitored levels of boat traffic and the occurrence of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus at seven sites on the coast of Cardigan Bay, Wales. We report high rates of site use and site occupancy by this species during the summer: at Mwnt for example, dolphins were recorded in >80% of 2 hours' observation periods; and at New Quay Harbour dolphins were present in >30% of all 15-minute intervals. At Mwnt and Aberporth there was a significant annual trend for increasing sighting rates; at Ynys Lochtyn a positive trend was only marginally non-significant; at New Quay Bird's Rock the trend was ambiguous but appeared stable over the seven most recent years. Although trends in site use may not reflect population trends in the wider region, these data were consistent with recent abundance estimates that indicate that the number of bottlenose dolphins using Cardigan Bay is stable or slightly increasing. Average group size at our study sites was small (<3 animals), which contrasts with observations of larger schools of the same population elsewhere in their range. The predominant behaviour in coastal Cardigan Bay is demersal foraging, often by solitary animals in shallow near-shore habitats. There was evidence that boat traffic suppressed site use by dolphins at New Quay Harbour, the busiest monitoring site: sighting rates fell when high numbers of boats were present and sighting rates were higher in 2007 than in previous years, when boat use was reduced due to poor weather during the main tourist season. This study demonstrates that networks of volunteer observers can provide a cost-effective, non-invasive means of gathering data on marine mammals for the purposes of coastal zone management.
Entrepreneurship Curriculum Contents and Entrepreneurial Development of University Students in Nigeria

The goal of this study was to examine the influence of the contents of an entrepreneurship curriculum as it relates to the entrepreneurial development of university students in Nigeria. In this descriptive research, quantitative content analysis followed by qualitative thematic analysis were used to examine the data collected through a survey and semi structured interviews conducted on entrepreneurship educators in a selected university in Nigeria. Results from the analysis showed that most educators opined that majority of the students in the selected university are able to develop critical thinking abilities and business idea generation competencies. However, the results also showed that the educators were of the opinion that most students are not able develop the confidence, commitment and drive for the achievement of entrepreneurial goals and aspirations at graduation. Therefore, it was recommended that entrepreneurship curricula in Nigerian universities should motivate the development of entrepreneurial mind-set and action. The study also recommended the engagement of real life scenarios in practical activities to motivate the development of the drive and commitment required for students to engage in entrepreneurship at graduation.
Understanding the Determinants of Rural Credit Accessibility: The Case of Ehiaminchini, Fanteakwa District, Ghana

Rural areas in developing countries are known to lack access to credit facilities. Lack of credit limits production activities and stifles agricultural productivity. The objective of this study is to identify the determinants of credit accessibility to more effectively aid alleviate poverty using Ehiaminchini, a village in the Fanteakwa District of Eastern Ghana as a case study. The study utilizes cross-sectional data collected with the use of structured questionnaires from 109 farm households. Interviews and focus group discussions were also conducted to supplement the data. A probit model was used to analyze the factors that determine households’ access to credit. The results show that livelihood diversification, household productivity, savings accounts and household size are factors that have a significant influence on households’ ability to access credit. Furthermore, the marginal effect of household productivity indicates that the predicted probability of accessing credit increases as productivity increases. We argue that improving household productivity and diversifying livelihoods in rural households will, to a large extent, address the problem of credit constraint.
Speciation and biogeography of Vietnam's primates

Summary Vietnam is home to approximately 24 primate taxa including two lorises, five macaques, 11 colobines, and six gibbons. The biogeography of these primates is quite interesting with the vast majority being restricted to the region of Southeast Asia to the east of the Mekong River making this area, with Vietnam forming its heart, much richer in primate diversity than the area to the west of the river. This is quite interesting because the Mekong does not appear to be an important barrier for most other mammalian groups. In addition, within Vietnam, there is an interesting north ‐ south distribution of primate taxa with closely related species replacing one another along this gradient. While this north ‐ south distribution appears to be closely related to modern climatic conditions, the distinct distribution of primate taxa east of the Mekong appears to be related to Pleistocene climatic change caused by glacial cycles. A final fascinating feature of primate biogeography in Southeast Asia is the close association of a number of Trachypithecus species with the distinctive limestone geography of northern Vietnam ‐ this union is so tight that the common name “limestone langurs” aptly characterizes the distribution of these taxa.
Relationship between endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene polymorphisms and the risk of myocardial infarction in the Algerian population

Introduction: Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), the enzyme in charge of nitric oxide production, plays a crucial role in vascular biology. However, the impact of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) affecting the gene encoding for eNOS (eNOS) on coronary artery diseases remains under debate and no data were available at present in populations originating from Mahghreb. Aim of the Study: Our purpose was to evaluate the association between the eNOS -786T/C and +894G/T SNPs and (i) the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and (ii) variations in systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure values. Patients and Methods: Concerning MI, the SNPs were characterised in a casecontrol study (70 cases vs 68 controls) based on the male population originating from Oran, Algeria. Results: The associations with blood pressure values were assessed in an enlarged control group including 115 male subjects. Since the -786T/C SNP could not be associated to MI, the genotype distribution of the +894G/T genotypes signifi cantly differed between MI cases and controls (p=0.025). The risk of MI (odds ratio) associated to the +894G/T SNP was estimated to 1.2 (95%CI=[1.03;1.32]). The haplotype analysis confi rmed this association and the absence of impact of the -786T/C SNP. On the other hand, no consistent association was shown between the two SNPs and SBP or DBP. Conclusion: As observed in other populations, the eNOS +894G/T SNP was associated with MI in the Algerian population but the mechanism underlying the effect could not be related to variations in blood pressure. Keywords: Endothelial nitric oxide synthase, myocardial infarction, blood pressure, genetic epidemiology.
Barriers to Education and School Attainment—Evidence from Secondary Schools in Rural Nepal

This paper examines the inequality in secondary school attainment and its determinants across gender, caste, and ethnic group in rural Nepal. Using the primary data from a questionnaire survey, a series of interviews, and school observations, this study found that girls’ school attainment is significantly lower than that of boys’. Similarly, Dalit (the lowest caste) and Janajati (indigenous, disadvantaged ethnic groups) students’ school attainment is considerably lower than that of Brahman and Chhetri (high caste and privileged ethnic groups) students. Furthermore, the regression analysis using the education production function approach revealed that household chores, father’s education, land sufficiency, student/teacher ratio, and local caste/ethnic composition are significant determinants affecting students’ school attainment. However, students’ desired level of education and the number of siblings they have were insignificant in this study. The results indicate that policy for inclusive education should be based on the local socio-cultural environment, especially with regard to the caste/ethnic composition of the local community.
Extracellular Biosynthesis and Antimicrobial Activity οf Silver Nanoparticles

Among various metal nanoparticles, the silver nanoparticles have various and important applications, including materials used in electrical batteries and conponents, polarizing filters, staining pigments in glasses and ceramics, etc. [1]. Historically, silver has been known to have a disinfecting effect and has been found in applications ranging from traditional medicines to culinary items. Moreover, several salts of silver and their derivatives are commercially manufactured as antimicrobial agents [2]. In small concentrations, silver is safe for human cells, but lethal for bacteria and viruses [3]. Bactericidal properties of metallic silver are associated with their slow oxidative properties and the liberation of silver ions to the environment, consequently it seems promising to incorporate the specified nanosilver drugs as a special class of biocidal agents. It is known that a large number of organisms, both unicellular or multicellular, are able to produce inorganic nanomaterials, either intracellularly or extracellularly [4]. It seems that, especially the filamentous fungi are very good candidates for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles because these types of biomasses are easly handled. Extracellular synthesis of silver nanoparticles by the wild strain of Penicillium sp. Pen2 is reported in this paper. The synthesis process was quick and nanosilver was formed within hours of silver ions coming in contact with the cell filtrate. Also, these nanoparticles are evaluated for their antimicrobial acivity against both the gram-positive, and the gram-negative bacteria.
Color Opponency in Synaesthetic

Grapheme-color synaesthesia is a rare condi- tion in which perception of a letter or a digit is associated with concurrent perception of a color. Synaesthetes report that these color experiences are vivid and realistic. We used a Stroop task to show that synaesthetically induced color, like real color, is processed in color-opponent channels (red-green or blue-yellow). Synaesthetic color produced maximal interference with the perception and naming of the real color of a grapheme if the real color was opponent to the synaesthetic color. Interference was re- duced considerably if the synaesthetic and real colors en- gaged different color channels (e.g., synaesthetic blue and real red). No dependence on color opponency was found for semantic conflicts between shape and color (e.g., a blue lemon). Thus, the neural representation of synaesthetic colors closely resembles that of real colors. This suggests involvement of early stages of visual processing in color synaesthesia and explains the vivid and realistic nature of synaesthetic experiences.