Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A VIRTUAL CHARACTER'S EMOTIONAL PERSUASIVENESS

Most of the researches so far have focused on emotional impulsive virtual characters, i.e virtual characters that express their own felt emotions without taking into account the socio-emotional context of the interaction. However, research in Human and Social Sciences has shown that during interpersonal interaction, people express very often emotions different from their felt emotions because they have to follow some sociocultural norms or they are pursuing specific goals. In this paper, we address the emotions that a virtual character should express to try to convince someone else during a negotiation. A model of an emotional persuasive virtual character and its implementation in the virtual world Second Life are presented. Such character is endowed with strategies of emotion expression that enable it to identify dynamically the emotion that it should express, depending on its interlocutor’s emotional reaction, to try to influence his opinion during a negotiation. The emotional persuasive virtual character has been evaluated in indirect interaction (i.e. when the user watches a conversation between two virtual characters). The results show than the proposed model of strategic expressions of emotion enables one to significantly improve the virtual character’s persuasiveness.
In-vitro antibacterial evaluation of ethanolic stem crude extracts of anacardium occidentale linn. (anacardiaceae) on streptococcus mutans associated with dental caries

The preliminary phytochemistry and antibacterial activity of ethanolic stem crude extracts of Anacardium occidentale on Streptococcus mutans isolated from dental caries were determined using chemical, standard microbiological and agar disc diffusion techniques. The phytochemical analysis of the ethanolic stem crude extracts of Anacardium occidentale revealed the presence of alkaloids (+++), phenolics (+++), saponins (+), tannins (++), flavonoids (++), phlobatanins (+), anthraquinones (+), terpenes (++), deoxy-sugar (++) and cardiac glycosides (+). The results showed that between 65.2% to 95.6% of S. mutans isolated were sensitive to different concentrations of ethanolic stem crude extracts of A. occidentale with Activity Index (A.I) ranging from 0.38 to 1.22 . Ethanolic stem crude extracts of A. occidentale showed the highest mean zones of Inhibition (17.9 ± 1.3mm) at 50.0 mgml -1 and lowest inhibition diameter (6.5±1.5mm) at 12.5 mgml -1 on S. mutans , thus, exhibiting concentration dependent activity. The results show that S. mutans with code WD09 was resistant to Streptomycin, Amoxycillin, di-methyl sulphoxide and A. occidentale ethanolic stem crude extracts. Therefore, there is a need to consider the use of this potent ethanolic stem crude extracts of Anacardium occidentale that have shown some measures of antimicrobial potency, judging by the antibacterial activity and activity index for developing synthetic drugs against dental caries caused by Streptococcus mutans .
A framework for predicting the effects of climate change on the annual distribution of Lyme borreliosis incidences

Global climate change is predicted to affect both the spatial and annual distributions of vector-borne diseases. Tick-borne diseases are particularly sensitive to the changing climatic conditions. Modelling them is, however, challenging due to the input-intensity of these models. A framework with low number of inputs (easily accessible weekly temperature data and week numbers) on modelling the seasonality of Lyme borreliosis incidences is presented. The modelling framework enables predicting the annual distribution of Ixodes ricinus tick's biting activity and Lyme borreliosis in two cascading phases, incorporating a population dynamics approach. The model is calibrated for Hungary as a case study, for the period of 1998-2008, using tick-borne encephalitis series as a proxy for biting activity. Prediction to the future period of 2081-2100 is also provided. Climate change may significantly alter both the annual distribution of I. ricinus activity and that of the Lyme borreliosis incidences. The currently unimodal annual distribution of Lyme borreliosis is predicted to become bimodal with a long summer pause and a spring maximum shifted 8 weeks earlier.
The age-metallicity dependence for white dwarf stars

We present a theoretical study on the metallicity dependence of the initial to final mass relation and its influence on white dwarf age determinations. We compute a grid of evolutionary sequences from the main sequence to � 3000 K on the white dwarf cooling curve, passing through all intermediate stages. During the thermallypulsing asymptotic giant branch no third dredge-up episodes are considered and thus the photospheric C/O ratio is below unity for sequences with metallicities larger than Z = 0.0001. We consider initial metallicities from Z = 0.0001 to Z = 0.04, accounting for stellar populations in the galactic disk and halo, with initial masses below � 3M⊙. We found a clear dependence of the shape of the initial to final mass relation with the progenitor metallicity, where metal rich progenitors result in less massive white dwarf remnants, due to an enhancement of the mass loss rates associated to high metallicity values. By comparing our theoretical computations with semi empirical data from globular and old open clusters, we found that the observed intrinsic mass spread can be accounted for by a set of initial to final mass relations characterized by different metallicity values. Also, we confirm that the lifetime spent before the white dwarf stage increases with metallicity. Finally, we estimate the mean mass at the top of the white dwarf cooling curve for three globular clusters NGC 6397, M4 and 47 Tuc, around 0.53M⊙, characteristic of old stellar populations. However, we found different values for the progenitor mass, lower for the metal poor cluster, NGC 6397, and larger for the younger and metal rich cluster 47 Tuc, as expected from the metallicity dependence of the initial to final mass relation.
Bank stock performance and bank regulation around the globe

ABSTRACT We analyze the effect of bank capital, regulation, and supervision on the annual stock performance of global banks during the period of 1999–2012. We study a large comprehensive panel of international banks and find that higher Tier 1 capital decreases a bank's stock performance over the whole sample period. However, during turbulent times stocks of more highly capitalized banks perform significantly better. Additionally, we find strong evidence that banks that are more likely to receive government bailout during financial distress realize smaller stock performance. In contrast, we find no convincing evidence that banks that generate higher non-interest income have a higher performance.
An Information-Theoretical Analysis of Budget-Constrained Nonpoint Source Pollution Control

This paper analyses budget-constrained, nonpoint source (NPS) pollution control with costly information acquisition and learning. To overcome the inherent ill-posed statistical problem in NPS pollution data the sequential entropy filter is applied to the sediment load management program for Redwood Creek, which flows through Redwood National Park in northwestern California. We simulate the dynamic budget-constrained management model with information acquisition and learning, and compare the results with those from the current policy. The analysis shows that the manager can reallocate resources from treatment effort to information acquisition, which in turn increases overall treatment effectiveness, and reduces sediment-related damage.
VERTICAL COLLECTIVISM, FAMILY-CONSCIOUSNESS AND URBANIZATION IN TURKEY

Oz Şehir yasami insanlara, ailelerine ve yakin arkadaslarina guvenme ihtiyacini azaltan kolayliklar sunmaktadir. Bu arastirmada buyuk sehirde yasayanlarin kirsalda yasayanlara gore daha bireyselci ve daha az toplulukcu olacagini one suren sehirlesme hipotezi sinanmistir. Bireyselcilik, toplulukculuk ve ailecilik Turkiye'nin birkac sehrinde ve bir ABD sehrindeki (Boston) universite ogrencileri arasinda olculmustur. Şehirlesmenin bireycilikten cok grup ici otorite figurlerinin bireysel amaclarin onune gecmesi olarak tanimlanan dikey toplulukculugun dusuk duzeyleri ve ailecilikle (aile ici toplumsalcilikla) iliskili olarak degistigi bulgulanmistir. Ailecilik ve dikey toplulukculuk kirsal alanlara nazaran, genis kentsel alanlarda daha az kabul gormektedir. Bu iliskiler, sehir yasaminin hangi ozelliklerinin (gelir duzeyi, egitim duzeyi, dini inanc, aileyle yasamanin pek tercih edilmemesi) toplulukcu degerleri etkilemesine iliskin daha spesifik sorular sormak icin bir temel olusturmaktadir. Anahtar Kelimeler: bireyselcilik, toplulukculuk, modernlesme, kulturlerarasi psikoloji
Economics of meat production from springbuck in the Eastern Cape Karoo

Abstract The feasibility of springbuck based meat production in the Eastern Cape Karoo was analysed through a stochastic budgeting model, while openly taking cost and price risk into consideration. Monte Carlo simulation of a springbuck-based meat production enterprise was used to quantify the risks that would be faced by springbuck ranchers. Springbuck ranching has been proven a viable alternative in the production of highly nutritious and healthy meat (venison) that is in high demand in European markets and more recently, with a promising and increasing local demand as well. The results indicate that in the Eastern Cape Karoo, springbuck ranching for meat production is a viable business. As the call for more environmentally friendly rangelands utilisation economic systems intensifies, rangelands owners in the Eastern Cape Karoo have a practicable option. At the very least, an alternative to broaden their incomes with springbuckbased meat production exists.
Antecedents of Trust in Electronic-Service Providers: Results from a Meta-Analysis

Consumers' trust beliefs are considered amongst the most important psychological states influencing their online behavior. Understanding the antecedents of consumer trust is thus of both academic and practical interest. Research into these antecedents has however been disconnected, and has not been integrated to provide an answer as to which are the most significant antecedents of trust. To address this problem, we synthesized the antecedents of trust in e-service through a meta-analysis of 67 previously published studies. The findings showed that structural assurance (STA), reputation (REP), perceived usefulness (PU), system quality (SYQ) and service quality (SEQ) demonstrate the strongest effect sizes on trust. Furthermore, vendor size (SIZ) and privacy protection (PRC) also affect trust, but to a lesser degree. Moreover, we found trust can be usefully integrated with constructs from the TAM and IS Success models. We considered explanations for identified heterogeneity in effect sizes through moderator analysis. We found that cultural context of the study almost moderated all the effect sizes, and certain effect sizes were also moderated by factors such as the type of e-service and the use of student samples. Results are important to guiding future e-services research and helping practitioners to better build e-service promotion strategy.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Combinatorial structure and iconicity in artificial whistled languages Verhoef

This article reports on an experiment in which artificial languages with whistle words for novel objects are culturally transmitted in the laboratory. The aim of this study is to investigate the origins and evolution of combinatorial structure in speech. Participants learned the whistled language and reproduced the sounds with the use of a slide whistle. Their reproductions were used as input for the next participant. Cultural transmission caused the whistled systems to become more learnable and more structured. In addition, two conditions were studied: one in which the use of iconic form-meaning mappings was possible and one in which the use of iconic mappings was experimentally made impossible, so that we could investigate the influence of iconicity on the emergence of structure.
Snowball Sampling Developments used in Marketing Research

The snowball sampling as network research presents numerous advantages in registering the “hidden populations”, but also a major disadvantage – the absence of objective, numeric criteria for the decision of stopping the investigation. There is also a certain ambiguity about the volume of the investigated sample, which cannot be previously calculated, but is at the choice of the investigator to stop the research when he considers a satisfactory volume of information was accumulated. The purpose of this paper is to adopt the sequential method for the case of small*volume populations, a typical situation for the researches that require the snowball sampling method.
Leading Indicators of Financial Stress: New Evidence

This paper examines which variables have predictive power for financial stress in a sample of 25 OECD countries, using a recently constructed Financial Stress Index (FSI). First, we employ Bayesian model averaging to identify leading indicators of our FSI. Next, we use those indicators as explanatory variables in a panel model for all our countries and in models at the individual country level. It turns out that panel models can hardly explain FSI dynamics. Although better results are achieved in models estimated at the country level, our findings suggest that (increases in) financial stress is (are) hard to predict out-of-sample.
DETERMINANTS OF BANK CAPITAL STRUCTURE – DOES BANK OWNERSHIP MATTER? EVIDENCE FROM TANZANIA

This study examined the determinants of capital structure of commercial banks operating in Tanzania using panel financial data of 14 banks drawn from 1998 to 2010 on a quarterly basis. A multiple-indicators-multiple-causes structural equation modelling was applied, with a consideration for structural break. In order of importance, bank size, profitability, non-tax depreciation shield, growth and volatility have been determined to be key determinants in capital structure decisions of commercial banks in Tanzania. Controlling for the ownership, growth of the banking firms is not significant in determining the capital structure among foreign banks. The study contributes to the understanding of commercial banks’ capital structure in relation to the ownership structure in emerging markets and provides a policy direction for foreign bank entry into developing countries.
Upper and Lower Lip Soft Tissue Thicknesses Differ in Relation to Age and Sex

This study was performed to determine ageand sex-related differences in lip thickness. Lateral cephalometric images of 220 healthy individuals were taken and the thicknesses of the upper and lower lips were measured. The measurements we re performed in three different age groups. Our results indicate that the lower lip thickness, as well as the distance between the most a terior point of contact between the upper and lower lips and the most protruding point of the upper incisor teeth, differed between th e t o sexes. The lips of males were thicker than those of females. Receiver operating curve analysis was performed to determine the c utoff values to differentiate thickness between males and females. Our results showed that knowledge of upper and lower lips thicknes s in relation to age and sex may be beneficial to forensic anthropologists, to plastic and reconstructive surgeons, and to orthodont ists for m re detailed examination, effective treatment, and optimised outcomes.
Molecular cloning , and characterizationofamodularacetyl xylan esterase fromthe edible strawmushroom Volvariellavolvacea

A new Volvariella volvacea gene encoding an acetyl xylan esterase (designated as Vvaxe1) was cloned and expressed in Pichia pastoris. The cDNA contained an ORF of 1047 bp encoding 349 amino acids with a calculated mass of 39 990 Da. VvAXE1 is a modular enzyme consisting of an N-terminal signal peptide, a catalytic domain, and a cellulose-binding domain. The amino acid sequence of the enzyme exhibited a high degree of similarity to cinnamoyl esterase B from Penicillium funiculosum, and acetyl xylan esterases from Aspergillus oryzae, Penicillium purpurogenum, and Aspergillus ficuum. Recombinant acetyl xylan esterase released acetate from several acetylated substrates including b-D-xylose tetraacetate and acetylated xylan. No activity was detectable on p-nitrophenyl acetate. Enzymecatalyzed hydrolysis of 4-methylumbelliferyl acetate was maximal at pH 8.0 and 60 1C, and reciprocal plots revealed an apparent Km value of 307.7 mM and a Vmax value of 24 733 IU mmol 1 protein. ReAXE1 also exhibited a capacity to bind to Avicel and H3PO4 acid-swollen cellulose.
Tracing symbol naming speed ' s unique contributions to reading disabilities over time

The contributions of naming speed measured on both serial-list and various discrete-trial formats to several reading subskills were examined longitudinally to determine their impact independent of other reading-related skills on reading disabilities. Tests of symbol naming speed, phonological awareness, vocabulary, memory span and coding speed were given to 38 poor and average readers when they were in Grades 2, 3 and 4. Grade 4 poor readers were discriminated from moderately poor or good readers on serial-list and discrete-trial naming speed tests in all grades. In addition, phonological awareness and vocabulary, but not memory span or coding speed, discriminated groups. These variables in Grade 2 contributed unique variance to reading scores in Grade 4 in differing patterns. Hypotheses about the nature of the reading naming speed relationship are discussed.
Effects of Pantethine Supplementation to Diets on Hepatic Lipogenesis of Laying Hens Exposed to a High Environmental Temperature

31°Cの高環塩下で産卵中の鶏を炭水化物の異なる飼料で飼育した時,これらの飼料へのパンテチン添加によって肝臓中の脂質合成にどのような影響を及ぼすかを検討した. 飼料中炭水化物源として,トウモロコシ,大麦あるいはトウモロコシと大麦を配合した飼料と,さらにそれぞれの飼料に200ppmパンテチンを添加した6種類の飼料を配合した. そして280日齢の産卵中の鶏(白色レグホーン種)を1区6羽ずつ6区に分け,それぞれの実験飼料を3週間給与した. 実験期間中の環境温度は31±3°Cとした. トウモロコシ配合および大麦配合飼料へのパンテチン添加は肝臓重量(g/100g体重)を増加させたが,肝臓中トリグリセリド含量を低下させた. トウモロコシ配合飼料にパンテチンを添加すると肝臓中総コレステロール含量が低下した. また,いずれの飼料にパンテチンを添加しても,血漿中のトリグリセリドおよびβ-リポ蛋白質-トリグリセリドの濃度は低下したが,総コレステロール濃度はトウモロコシ配合および大麦配合飼料にパンテチンを添加した時に,低下が観察された. また同時に肝臓中の脂肪酸合成関連酵素およびHMG-CoA還元酵素の活性が低下した. 血漿中サイロキシン濃度はいづれの飼料給与区においてもパンテチン添加によって高い値を示し,一方血漿中エストラジオール濃度は低下あるいは低下する傾向にあった. 産卵率,卵重および卵黄重量は,いずれの飼料給与区においても,パンテチンの添加給与によって,改善された. また,卵黄中の総コレステロール含量はいずれの飼料給与区においても,パンテチン添加によって低下した.
Development of High-Density Polyethylene /Orange Peels Particulate Bio-Composite

Renewable resources such as natural fillers in the field of particles reinforced materials with their new range of applications represent an important basis in order to fulfill the ecological objective of creating environmental friendly materials. In views of enormous advantages a study on composites using orange peels particles as a reinforcing material and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) as a novel matrix has been made. The composite was first compounded to produce homogeneity of the particles in the matrix, and then it was compacted into flat plates. The composites were produced by varying the orange peels particles (uncarbonized and carbonized) from 5-25wt%. The properties of HDPE reinforced with orange peels have been studied using mechanical tests and microstructural analysis. The results shown that there was a fairly uniform distribution of the orange peels particles in the microstructure of HDPE composites which is the major factor responsible for the improvement in the mechanical properties. The obtained results of the developed composites have shown that the orange peels waste could be used as a biodegradable eco-friendly reinforcement. Keywords : Polymer-matrix composites (PMCs), Mechanical properties, Microstructure and Compression moulding
Error characterization of the Gaia astrometric solution I. Mathematical basis of the covariance expansion model

Context. Accurate characterization of the astrometric errors in the forthcoming Gaia Catalogue will be essential for making optimal use of the data. This includes the correlations among the estimated astrometric parameters of the stars as well as their standard uncertainties, i.e., the complete (variance-)covariance matrix of the relevant astrometric parameters. Aims. Because a direct computation of the covariance matrix is infeasible due to the large number of parameters, approximate methods must be used. The aim of this paper is to provide a mathematical basis for estimating the variance-covariance of any pair of astrometric parameters, and more generally the covariance matrix for multidimensional functions of the astrometric parameters. The validation of this model by means of numerical simulations will be considered in a forthcoming paper. Methods. Based on simplifying assumptions (in particular that calibration errors can be neglected), we derive and analyse a series expansion of the covariance matrix of the least-squares solution. A recursive relation for successive terms is derived and interpreted in terms of the propagation of errors from the stars to the attitude and back. We argue that the expansion should converge rapidly to useful precision. The recursion is vastly simplified by using a kinematographic (step-wise) approximation of the attitude model. Results. Low-order approximations of arbitrary elements from the covariance matrix can be computed efficiently in terms of a limited amount of pre-computed data representing compressed observations and the structural relationships among them. It is proposed that the user interface to the Gaia Catalogue should provide the tools necessary for such computations. (Less)
PERSONALITY PROFILE OF NIGERIAN MALE ATHLETES IN SELECTED SPORTS

The study utilized 4 sports namely: Basketball & Volleyball as team sports and Athletics (Track & Field) and Swimming as individual sports. All participants were males. Two personality inventories namely: Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and Sixteen Personality Factor questionnaire were employed in carrying out the study. A total of 96 male athletes and 24 male athletes were drawn as subject samples. The sample subjects were matched in age and educational qualifications. Utilizing mean, SD and t-test statistical techniques differences were found between athletes and nonathletes as well as team and individual sports athletes. Specifically significance differences occurred between athletes and non-athletes on 16 PF factor O. showing athletes to have strong sense of obligation and expectations of themselves. Significant differences also occurred between team and individual sports athletes on EPQ factor N indicating that team sports athletes were sociable and factor O of EPQ portraying individual sports athletes as having strong sense of obligation.