Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
International price discovery in the presence of market microstructure effects

This paper addresses and resolves the problems caused by microstructure effects when measuring the relative importance of home and U.S. market in the price discovery process of internationally cross listed stocks. In order to avoid large bounds for information shares, previous studies applying the Cholesky decomposition within the Hasbrouck (1995) framework had to rely on high frequency data. However, this entails a potential bias of estimated information shares induced by microstructure effects. We propose a modified approach that relies on distributional assumptions and yields unique and unbiased information shares. Our results indicate that the role of the U.S. market in the price discovery process of Canadian interlisted stocks has been severely underestimated to date. Moreover, we find that rather than stock specific factors, market design determines information shares.
Multiple shoot proliferation in Tridax procumbens L. through in vitro method

The present study was performed to find out an efficient in vitro multiple shoot proliferation method for Tridax procumbens L. using shoot tip and nodal segment cultured in Murashige and Skoog's (MS) medium. Dipping in 0.1% HgCl2 was most effective for surface sterilization of explants. Among the different growth regulators, maximum number of shoot proliferation per culture was observed in MS medium supplemented with 6benzylaminopirine (BAP) and Nodal segments are more responsive for micropropagation than shoot tip explants. Micro cuttings were rooted most effectively in half MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l Indole-3-butaric acid (IBA). Propagated plantlets were successfully acclimatized in soil and more than 90% of the transplanted clones were survived.
DISCOVERY OF GAMMA-RAY PULSATIONS FROM THE TRANSITIONAL REDBACK PSR J1227-4853

The 1.69 ms spin period of PSR J1227−4853 was recently discovered in radio observations of the low-mass X-ray binary XSS J12270−4859 following the announcement of a possible transition to a rotation-powered millisecond pulsar state, inferred from decreases in optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray flux from the source. We report the detection of significant (5σ) gamma-ray pulsations after the transition, at the known spin period, using ∼1 year of data from the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The gamma-ray light curve of PSR J1227−4853 can be fit by one broad peak, which occurs at nearly the same phase as the main peak in the 1.4 GHz radio profile. The partial alignment of light-curve peaks in different wavebands suggests that at least some of the radio emission may originate at high altitude in the pulsar magnetosphere, in extended regions co-located with the gamma-ray emission site. We folded the LAT data at the orbital period, both pre- and post-transition, but find no evidence for significant modulation of the gamma-ray flux. Analysis of the gamma-ray flux over the mission suggests an approximate transition time of 2012 November 30. Continued study of the pulsed emission and monitoring of PSR J1227−4853, and other known redback systems, for subsequent flux changes will increase our knowledge of the pulsar emission mechanism and transitioning systems.
Regional climate change over eastern Amazonia caused by pasture and soybean cropland expansion

Field observations and numerical studies revealed that large scale deforestation in Amazonia could alter the regional climate significantly, projecting a warmer and somewhat drier post‐deforestation climate. In this study we employed the CPTEC‐INPE AGCM to assess the effects of Amazonian deforestation on the regional climate, using simulated land cover maps from a business‐as‐usual scenario of future deforestation in which the rainforest was gradually replaced by degraded pasture or by soybean cropland. The results for eastern Amazonia, where changes in land cover are expected to be larger, show increase in near‐surface air temperature, and decrease in evapotranspiration and precipitation, which occurs mainly during the dry season. The relationship between precipitation and deforestation shows an accelerating decrease of rainfall for increasing deforestation for both classes of land use conversions. Continued expansion of cropland in Amazonia is possible and may have important consequences for the sustainability of the region's remaining natural vegetation.
Induced effects by oxidation with potassium permanganate on the thermal, morphological, colorimetric and pasting properties of corn starch.

Introduction. Native starches are the most consumed polysaccharides in human diet. They are used in several industries as food, textile, pharmaceutic, etc. However due to some limitations starches should be modified chemically. Materials and methods. Corn starch modified with standard solutions of potassium permanganate (KMnO4) was analysed by simultaneous thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, rapid viscoamylographic analysis, field emission gun-scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and colorimetric analysis. Results and discussion. Corn starch was oxidised with KMnO4 at different concentrations (0.01; 0.02 and 0.05 mol L-1) at pH = 6.0 for 1 hour. (0.01; 0.02 and 0.05 mol L-1), pH = 6.0 for 1 hour. After filtered, washed and dried at 40 oC by 24 hours, the properties of the samples were investigated. Thermogravimetric curves showed an endothermic peak attributed to evaporation of water and two exothermic peaks, which refer to the decomposition and oxidation of organic matter until the formation of ash. A period of stability was observed, which decrease after modification. The gelatinisation of oxidised starch occurred at higher peak temperatures and also required higher gelatinisation enthalpy. The viscosity of the samples was significantly reduced and the relative crystallinity increased in proportion to the oxidant concentration used. Manganese and potassium content increased with the modification. There were no morphological changes after oxidation; however a darkening of the samples was identified due to the presence of potassium and manganese observed by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Conclusions. The obtained fluid paste with low retrogradation tendency suggests the application of oxidised starch in the paper industry.
Should Central Banks React to Exchange Rate Movements? An Analysis of the Robustness of Simple Policy Rules Under Exchange Rate Uncertainty

This paper evaluates the performance of simple policy rules in an open economy. By introducing a high degree of exchange rate uncertainty we find that policy rules with an important feedback from movements in the real exchange rate are very robust to uncertainty about the true exchange rate model. A closed economy rule performs badly in most exchange rate specifications. This is in contrast to the findings of many other studies. In our view, this result is due to the fact that these studies assume a known and reliable relationship between the exchange rate and the interest rate.
Stochastic electron motion driven by space plasma waves

Stochastic motion of relativistic electrons under conditions of the nonlinear resonance interaction of particles with space plasma waves is studied. Particular attention is given to the problem of the stability and variability of the Earth's radiation belts. It is found that the interaction between whistler-mode waves and radiation-belt electrons is likely to involve the same mechanism that is responsible for the dynamical balance between the accelerating process and relativistic electron precipitation events. We have also considered the efficiency of the mechanism of stochastic surfing acceleration of cosmic electrons at the supernova remnant shock front, and the accelerating process driven by a Langmuir wave packet in producing cosmic ray electrons. The dynamics of cosmic electrons is formulated in terms of a dissipative map involving the effect of synchrotron emission. We present analytical and numerical methods for studying Hamiltonian chaos and dissipative strange attractors, and for determining the heating extent and energy spectra.
EFFECT OF H9N2 VIRUS INFECTION ON THE ACUTE PHASE RESPONSE IN CHUKAR PARTRIDGES (ALECTORIS CHUKAR )

To determine the effect of H9N2 avian influenza virus (AIV) infection on the acute phase response, the serum concentrations of the inflammatory mediators, acute phase proteins and gangliosides in the acute stage of experimentally-induced AIV infection in adult partridges (Alectoris chukar) was measured. The birds were challenged intranasally with 10 EID50 dose of the A/Chicken/Iran/ 772/1998(H9N2) virus. Serum samples were obtained prior to challenge, at days 1, 3, and 6 post challenge (pc) and assayed for inflammatory mediators (TNF-α and IFN-γ), acute phase protens: haptoglobin (Hp), serum amyloid A (SAA) and gangliosides: total sialic acid (TSA), lipid-bound sialic acid and protein-bound sialic acid ((LBSA; PBSA) using validated standard procedures. All measured parameters showed significant differences from the baseline level in different days post challenge. Elevation in serum concentration of all measured parameters was observed after the 24 hour pc. In infected birds, the levels of Hp peaked at 24 h pc, while the concentrations of SAA, TNF-α and IFN-γ – 3 days pc. The level of TSA, PBSA and LBSA remained relatively constant during the experiment. The findings suggest that IFN-γ and TNF-α may have a role in immunopathogenesis of the H9N2 influenza virus and that Hp and SAA are induced by cytokines. Cytokines and acute phase proteins (APPs) could be therefore, useful indicators of H9N2 infection.
LATENT CLUSTER ANALYSIS OF INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES REPORTED BY HIGH- AND LOW-PERFORMING MATHEMATICS TEACHERS IN FOUR COUNTRIES

Using Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 eighth-grade international dataset, this study explored the profiles of instructional practices reported by high- and low-performing mathematics teachers across the US, Finland, Korea, and Russia. Concepts of conceptual teaching and procedural teaching were used to frame the design of the current study. Latent cluster analysis was applied in the investigation of the profiles of mathematics teachersâ€™ instructional practices across the four education systems. It was found that all mathematics teachers in the high- and low-performing groups used procedurally as well as conceptually oriented practices in their teaching. However, one group of high-performing mathematics teachers from the U.S. sample and all the high-performing teachers from Finland, Korea, and Russia showed more frequent use of conceptually oriented practices than their corresponding low-performing teachers. Another group of U.S. high-performing mathematics teachers showed a distinctive procedurally oriented pattern, which presented a rather different picture. Such results provide useful suggestions for practitioners and policy makers in their effort to improve mathematics teaching and learning in the US and in other countries as well. DOI : http://dx.doi. org/10.22342/jme.8. 2.4066. 115-132
Crop coefficient of haricot bean at Melkassa, central rift valley of Ethiopia

Crop coefficient (K c ), the ratio of potential crop evapotranspiration to reference evapotranspiration, is an important parameter in irrigation planning and management. However, this information is not available for many important crops. A study was carried out at the experimental farm of Melkassa Agricultural Research Center of Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization, which is located in a semi arid climate. Four drainage type lysimeters were used to measure the daily evapotranspiration of haricot bean, Awash Melka variety on a clay loam soil. Crop coefficient was developed from measured crop evapotranspiration and reference evapotranspiration calculated using weather data. The measured values of crop coefficient for the crop were 0.34, 0.70, 1.01 and 0.68 during initial, development, mid-season and late-season stages. These locally determined values can be used by irrigation planners and mangers at Melkassa and other areas with similar agroecological conditions.
Spillover impacts of the US macroeconomic news: Australian sectoral perspective

We study the spillover effects of the US macroeconomic news on different sectors of the Australian stock market. We find that an indication of economic contractionary from the US raises the conditional mean, and most news elicits the associated volatility in the Australian stock markets. While the US news has been absorbed relatively quickly on the conditional mean, the volatility impact speed is unclear. More importantly, we reveal that the US GDP news has the strongest impact on both the first two moments of the Australian daily returns and help reduce volatility in the latter market.
Cytopathological patterns of tuberculous lymphadenitis: an analysis of 126 cases in a tertiary care hospital

Lymphadenitis is the most common clinical appearance of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Tuberculous lymphadenitis is one of the most common cause of lymph node enlargement in developing countries. Diagnosis of tuberculosis can be done by various diagnostic methods as fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), biopsy, Acid fast bacilli (AFB) culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). FNAC is a routine cytological technique for diagnosis of tuberculous lymphadenitis as it has sensitivity and specificity of 88-96%. FNAC is economical and rapid compared to other tests as AFB culture and PCR. It prevents unnecessary biopsy of lymph nodes and it can be used for collection of material for cytopathological and bacteriological examination.
Continuous lactation in dairy cows: effects on feed intake, milk production, and mammary nutrient extraction

The effect of the pre-partum dry period was investigated in two groups of cows, either dried-off 7 weeks pre-partum or milked continuously into the next lactation, omitting the dry period. Continuous lactation decreased milk yield in the following lactation by appr. 24%. This was associated with a lower mammary capacity for nutrient uptake and extraction. Continuously milked cows were less metabolically stressed in the periparturient period, probably due to lower milk production. This partly explains the observed elevated milk protein content in these cows. The magnitude of change considered, local regulatory mechanisms must have been affected as well.
The structural relationships among user citizenship behavior, aberrant user behavior, social connectedness, privacy concern, and user satisfaction

Abstract This paper aims at investigating voluntary user participation such as user citizenship behavior and aberrant user behavior in the SNS context. Also it examines on how user participation behavior affects social connectedness, privacy concern, and user satisfaction. The empirical assessment of the research model was conducted using a total of 143 responses. The findings show that user citizenship behavior impacts on social connectedness positively and significantly whereas aberrant user behavior does not influence on social connectedness. Aberrant user behavior is proven not to be related to social connectedness, and to has positive relationship with concern for privacy invasion. Also, the results show that privacy concern is not associated with social connectedness. Finally, social connectedness is shown to be a key determinant of SNS user satisfaction whereas privacy concern is not related to user satisfaction. Key Words : Social networking site, User citizenship behavior, Aberrant user behavior, Social connectedness, Privacy concern, User satisfaction
Future Scenarios of the Food System: Insights from the Consumers’ Perspective

A careful analysis of contemporary society shows a radical evolution of the role and function of consumption. So-called post-modernity, along with the technological, economic and social transformations that have brought it on, inaugurate a different way of conducting relationships, of existing and of consuming. So consumptions evolve, assuming new expressions in extremely heterogeneous ambits, including that of food consumptions. The past decades have witnessed a progressive increase in the complexity of food consumptions due to the affirmation of increasingly more differentiated trends sensitive to territorial specificity and, at the same time, open to the globalisation of tastes. This topic represents a theme as interesting from the scientific viewpoint as it is decisive from the perspective of implementing food marketing strategies. In this framework, studying food consumptions and the sources that influence them in order to comprehend motivations and significances, implicates reflecting on and investigating into the way these practises can be the object of conditioning mediated by business communication, social practises and practises among friends, or by particular socio-economic conditions.
Multiple Temporalities of Policy Circulation: Gradual, Repetitive and Delayed Processes of BRT Adoption in South African Cities

In 2006, bus rapid transit (BRT) swept across South African cities. Within three years of learning of the Bogota model of BRT, Johannesburg's Rea Vaya opened, followed shortly by Cape Town's MyCiTi, while several other cities are at various stages of planning and implementation. This article traces the circulation of BRT across the South African urban context to expose the multiple and varied temporalities through which BRT came to appear as the only available solution. These earlier encounters, which include the first published discussion of BRT in South Africa in a 1973 conference report, study visits to Curitiba in the 1990s and a failed attempt to implement a Bogota-style BRT system in Cape Town in 2003, were instrumental in creating a fertile ground for later adoption practices. While it may appear as if circulated policies shorten the gestation time from policy introduction to policy adoption, these repeated attempts to implement circulated innovations ensure that the turnover only seems accelerated. This article unravels the story of BRT adoption, departing from the theoretical discussions of the policy circulation process as a rapid phenomenon, instead demonstrating that it is gradual, repetitive and at times delayed.
Identification of Rhizoctonia solani associated with soybean in Brazil by rDNA-ITS sequences

The aim of this study was to identify isolates of Rhizoctonia solani causing hypocotyl rot and foliar blight in soybean (Glycine max) in Brazil by the nucleotide sequences of ITS-5.8S regions of rDNA. The 5.8S rDNA gene sequence (155 bp) was highly conserved among all isolates but differences in length and nucleotide sequence of the ITS1 and ITS2 regions were observed between soybean isolates and AG testers. The similarity of the nucleotide sequence among AG-1 IA isolates, causing foliar blight, was 95.1-100% and 98.5-100% in the ITS1 and ITS2 regions, respectively. The nucleotide sequence similarity among subgroups IA, IB and IC ranged from 84.3 to 89% in ITS1 and from 93.3 to 95.6% in ITS2. Nucleotide sequence similarity of 99.1% and 99.3-100% for ITS1 and ITS2, respectively, was observed between AG-4 soybean isolates causing hypocotyl rots and the AG-4 HGI tester. The similarity of the nucleotide sequence of the ITS-5.8S rDNA region confirmed that the R. solani Brazilian isolates causing foliar blight are AG-1 IA and isolates causing hypocotyl rot symptoms are AG-4 HGI. The ITS-5.8S rDNA sequence was not determinant for the identification of the AG-2-2 IIIB R. solani soybean isolate. Additional keywords: anastomosis groups, foliar blight, hypocotyl rot, Glycine max. RESUMO Identificacao de Rhizoctonia solani associada a soja no Brasil atraves de sequencias da regiao rDNA-ITS
Recent Advances in Biology and Medicine

Imidacloprid (IMI) is known to target the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in insects, and potentially in mammals. However, IMI toxicity on mammalian tissues has not been adequately evaluated. The aim of the present study was to examine whether IMI induced functional impairment in hypthalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis tissues. An oral exposure of 40 mg IMI/kg for 28 days in male rats caused a significant increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) level. The antioxidant catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione S-transferase showed various alterations following administration, but a significantly depleted thiol (SH) groups was only recorded in hypothalamic tissues. The increase in the relative weight of adrenal glands and the increased adrenal cholesterol and plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels are indicative of general adaptation syndrome. The hypothalamic and pituitary acetylcholinesterase activity and calcium level were significantly increased, highlighting the alteration of cholinergic transmission. In conclusion, the findings obtained show that chronic exposure to IMI may alter biochemical processes of HPA axis.
Weak-Form Efficiency and Causality Tests in Chinese Stock Markets

China has two major stock exchanges, the Shanghai and the Shenzen exchanges. Each of these exchanges trades two types of shares, type “A” and type “B” shares. Type “A” shares are available to domestic investors only and type “B” shares are available to foreign investors. This article tests for the weak-form efficiency in these markets and explores the statistical relationships and causality among these Chinese stock markets with each other and with the U.S. and Hong Kong stock markets. The results indicate the existence of (1) a weak-form efficiency in the market for “A” shares but not “B” shares, (2) statistically weak linkages between the Chinese markets, (3) a weak causal effect from the Hong Kong to the four Chinese markets, and (4) a strong causal effect from U.S. stock mark to all four Chinese stock markets and the Hong Kong Stock market, particularly during the second period of the sample. These results support the assertion that the Chinese stock markets are becoming more integrated to the global economy.
Productivity and cost of farm tractor skidding.

In this study, productivity rate and operation cost of farm tractor were evaluated in a mountainous natural forest. Data for the study came from a detailed time study in the Research and Educational Forest of Tarbiat Modares University (REFTMU) and was used to develop a multiple linear regression model to predict the skidding cycle time. The results showed that effective independent variables of skidding time were skidding distance and slope of skid trail ( P = 0.01). Average productivity rate ranged from 2.43 to 2.60 m 2 ·h -1 . Total time and effective time, respectively. Total cost of the system was 10.24 USD·h -1 whereas 4.58% of the cost of skidding resulted from personal delay. The cost and productivity resulting from this study emphasized the importance for foresters to consider a farm tractor when designing skidding operations in young stands or prescribing a combination of two machines in mature stands.
Na-induced variations in the structural, optical, and electrical properties of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin films

The systematic variations in the structural, optical, and electrical properties of polycrystalline Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) thin films with Na doping level were investigated. Precise control of the Na concentration in CIGS films was demonstrated using alkali-silicate glass thin layers of various thicknesses deposited on substrates prior to CIGS growth. The CIGS grain size was observed to decrease with increasing Na concentration, although the surface morphology became smoother and exhibited a stronger (112) texture, which has been demonstrated consequence of larger grain size. The Ga composition gradient in the CIGS films was found to become large due to the presence of Na during growth, which in turn led to a decrease in the nominal band gap energy. Variations in the photoluminescence spectra and electrical properties suggested that the formation of an acceptor energy state, which may originate from OSe point defects, was enhanced in the presence of Na. This result suggests that not only Na, but also the pres.