Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Moderating Effect of Employee Education and Professional Skills on the Relationship between Entrepreneurial Orientation and Performance

The effects of entrepreneurial orientation on firm performance are grounded and well established. However, when accounting for potential factors having a moderating effect on this relationship, most scholarly attention has been given environmental factors, thus consequently, potential organizational implications on this relationship have been neglected. In response, this article discusses what role specific organizational factors play in moderating the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and labor and sales growth. The dataset was collected from the World Bank’s Enterprise Survey which uses a stratified random sampling to select German firms used as data sources. The sample consisted of a total of 1196 firms (N=1196). After we adjusted for missing values and firms having more than 250 employees, the final sample size were 459 firms with complete data (n=459). We developed a conceptual framework, based on Lumpkin and Dess (1996), explaining the relationships between entrepreneurial orientation, performance and firm resources. The findings presented suggest that a firm’s intellectual resources, in terms of professional employees and skilled workers, positively and significantly influence the entrepreneurial orientation-performance relationship in small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany.
External Factors Influencing the Co-constructing of Experiential Learning Between Afghanistan Participants and Malaysian Lecturers

The purpose of this study was to determine if cultural expectations can impede or facilitate trainer/trainee relationship between the Malaysian master teacher trainers (MMTTs) and the Afghanistan master teacher trainees (AMTTs). The study also aimed to highlight the external factors influencing the co-constructing of experiential learning between the MMTTS and the AMTTs. The sample consisted of randomly selected participants from the 240 master teacher trainers from different teacher training institutions in Afghanistan. For this study, data were collected using the mixed-method study utilising trainee? s profiles, post-training feedback via Facebook and e mails, lecturers? interviews, qualitative observations and course evaluation feedbacks. Findings highlighted empathy for the students? socio-cultural home context as an important new socio-cultural factor influencing the Malaysian success in their master teacher training. Other expectations of a trainer? s role and image based on prior cultural beliefs can impede any classroom trainer/trainee relationship. This is true in the average classroom unfortunately, where in conflict educational or fragile contexts, there are other hindrances which need to be addressed.The case study findings highlighted four aspects faced by the ATTs when co-constructing relationships with the MTTs from marginalised, fragile contexts. The four areas which required specific empathy were: sharing relationship, building an inclusive empathetic relationship with students, inclusion of women in education, and peaceful diversity.
Improving Asian Students? Writing Skills through TELL Environment: What makes the difference?

Technology-enhanced language learning (TELL) has played an importantly integral tool in providing EFL students with valuable language experiences in language classrooms. Since the introduction of recording machine for pronunciation in 1970s? , teaching and learning innovation has been advanced and moved forward with an interesting pace. It is however an unanswered question whether teaching innovation can make any true advantages to Asian students who have typically been familiar with a spoon-feeding learning approach. This study focuses on technology-enabled lessons as a supplemental teaching tool for teaching English writing to EFL university students in a Thai university. Additionally, a discussion is developed on the benefits found in using technology (e.g., web-based lessons, blogs, electronic feedback, and Microsoft Office Word) as a part of writing activities. The researcher is particularly interested in investigating on how Asian students harness technology when they have always been passive learners in schools. The paper thus further illustrates the importance of promoting learner autonomy in Asian EFL context and elaborates the main factors contributing to its development. The author also criticizes on the effectiveness of TELL in an Asian university for future advancement in EFL education.
Dynamics of Consumer Response to Food Contamination: The 2007 Peanut Butter Recall

We investigate the foodborne illness outbreak affecting a national brand of peanut butter to determine how demand for the product category was affected. The illness outbreak coincided with growth in the quantity demanded for the peanut butter category. The negative impact on the category associated with the initiation of the product recall was significant and dissipated over time. The recovery of the product category after the recall indicates that the information was correctly targeted and actions of the companies in the market overcame the initial food scare.
Nitrogen forms and total phosphorus in water courses: a study at Maringá stream, Paraná State

This paper aimed to monitor the nitrogen compounds and total phosphorous in the Maringa Stream watershed in order to investigate the spatial and temporal variations in the water quality. For this, samplings were collected from seven sites during the period from October 2008 to September 2009. The results indicated the most critical stretches of water pollution with the inflow of the discharges from a sewage treatment plant of the city. Also it is important to highlight the influence of diffuse pollution coming from agricultural runoff and wastewater from fishing lakes, on the water quality.
LANDSCAPE CHARACTERISTICS INFLUENCE POND OCCUPANCY BY FROGS AFTER ACCOUNTING FOR DETECTABILITY

2 Departement de phytologie, Pavillon Paul-Comtois, UniversiteLaval, Quebec, Quebec, G1K 7P4, Canada Abstract. Many investigators have hypothesized that landscape attributes such as the amount and proximity of habitat are important for amphibian spatial patterns. This has produced a number of studies focusing on the effects of landscape characteristics on am- phibian patterns of occurrence in patches or ponds, most of which conclude that the land- scape is important. We identified two concerns associated with these studies: one deals with their applicability to other landscape types, as most have been conducted in agricultural landscapes; the other highlights the need to account for the probability of detection. We tested the hypothesis that landscape characteristics influence spatial patterns of amphibian occurrence at ponds after accounting for the probability of detection in little-studied peatland landscapes undergoing peat mining. We also illustrated the costs of not accounting for the probability of detection by comparing our results to conventional logistic regression anal- yses. Results indicate that frog occurrence increased with the percent cover of ponds within 100, 250, and 1000 m, as well as the amount of forest cover within 1000 m. However, forest cover at 250 m had a negative influence on frog presence at ponds. Not accounting for the probability of detection resulted in underestimating the influence of most variables on frog occurrence, whereas a few were overestimated. Regardless, we show that conven- tional logistic regression can lead to different conclusions than analyses accounting for detectability. Our study is consistent with the hypothesis that landscape characteristics are important in determining the spatial patterns of frog occurrence at ponds. We strongly recommend estimating the probability of detection in field surveys, as this will increase the quality and conservation potential of models derived from such data.
Wells turbine for wave energy conversion: a review

In the past 20 years, the use of wave energy systems has significantly increased, generally depending on the oscillating water column concept. Wells turbine is one of the most efficient oscillating water column technologies. This article provides an updated and a comprehensive account of the state‐of‐the‐art research on Wells turbine. Hence, it draws a roadmap for the contemporary challenges, which may hinder future reliance on such systems in the renewable energy sector. In particular, the article is concerned with the research directions and methodologies, which aim at enhancing the performance and efficiency of Wells turbine. The article also provides a thorough discussion of the use of CFD for performance modeling and design optimization of Wells turbine. It is found that a numerical model using the CFD code can be employed successfully to calculate the performance characteristics of W‐T as well as other experimental and analytical methods. The increase of research papers about CFD, especially in the last 5 years, indicates that there is a trend that considerably depends on the CFD method. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Birth fathers' perspectives on reunions with their relinquished children

As part of a larger study, 20 birth fathers from Australia and overseas were surveyed regarding their contact or reunion experiences with their children. In all cases, the children had been relinquished for adoption as infants and were now adults. Qualitative data were analysed to identify themes that were associated with satisfying or dissatisfying aspects of the contact or reunion experiences. The first contact was typically associated with strong emotional responses. A degree of mutuality, in which the adoptee also wanted contact, was helpful in establishing a positive first contact experience for the birth father. Satisfying ongoing reunion relationships were associated with regular contact, shared experiences, and close, supportive relationships. Less satisfying reunions sometimes involved less contact, a mismatch of the birth fathers’ and adoptees’ needs, and difficulties with the developing relationships. As birth fathers with positive reunion experiences were overrepresented in this study, more research is needed to further elucidate factors that contribute to dissatisfying reunions. Further research would also benefit from more in-depth interview data. Implications of the findings for adoption practitioners are discussed.
Identification of putative low phytic acid mutants and assessment of the total P, phytate P, protein and divalent cations in mutant populations of soybean

Phytic acid (myo-inositol hexakisphosphate) is one of the principal storage forms of phosphorous in the plant tissues. The six attached phosphorus groups on the myo-inositol ring form a high density of negative charges allow the molecule to bind a number of mineral cations. There by preventing their absorption in addition to decreasing the phosphorus availability. Also undigested by monogastrics, the unabsorbed phytate is a major cause of phosphorus related water pollution. The objective of this study was to select mutant lines among the soybean mutant populations having low phytic acid content, along with high protein and mineral levels. Following the treatment of 17 soybean genotypes with chemical (Ethyl Methane Sulphonate) and physical (gamma rays) mutagens, 34 mutant populations were developed. The M2 through M10 plants were screened on the basis of their resistance to yellow mosaic virus (YMV). The plants of the M10 generation analysed for their phytic acid (PA), protein and mineral levels revealed five mutant lines, IR-JS-101-4, IR-V-101-3, IR-DS-118-2, IR-DS-119-4 and IR-DS-122-2 which showed significant reduction in phytic acid and phytic acid phosphorus (PA-P) contents compared to their parental lines. Seed total phosphorus (P) was significantly and highly correlated with PA and PA-P (r=0.98) among the mutant populations and a significant correlation of total P with PA and PA-P (r=0.52 and 0.48 respectively) was also observed in the five mutant lines showing low phytic acid content. PA and seed protein were positively and significantly correlated (r=0.33) among the mutant population and negatively and significantly correlated (r=0.74) in the low phytic acid lines. A negative but no significant correlation between PA and divalent cations (r= 0.05 for Iron, 0.07 for Zinc, 0.04 for Calcium and 0.09 for Manganese) among the mutant populations but a significant and a negative correlation was however observed between PA and iron (r= 0.8) in the low phytic acid lines. The low phytate mutant thus identified in the present study can be a good germplasm source for breeding low phytic acid (LPA) soybean.
Solving the Maxwell-Klein-Gordon equation in the Lattice Gauge Theory formalism

In this article we study the discretization of the Maxwell-Klein-Gordon equation from a variational point of view. We first solve the problem with an action corresponding to the Yee scheme for the Maxwell part, which is automatically gauge invariant, and a gauge invariant action for the Klein-Gordon part given by the Lattice Gauge Theory. The action is showed to be consistent with the continuous formulation, and the equations to be solved are derived from a discrete stationary action principle. Due to the gauge invariance, the local electric charge can be shown to be conserved through Noether’s theorem. As this is an essential feature of the continuous model, this conservation can be viewed as the great achievement of this scheme. Thereafter we compare the above described scheme with a scheme that uses a standard finite difference approximation of the derivatives, and where the coupling between the scalar field and the gauge field is done in the simplest way. This scheme will posess a global gauge symmetry which ensures the conservation of global charge as in the hybrid case, but the scheme has no local symmetry and no locally conserved charge. At last we present some numerical results in the temporal gauge, shedding light on the theoretical discussion. snorrec@math.uio. no t.g. halvorsen@cma.uio. no 1
Sodium carbonate pre-extraction of Trema orientalis in the production of paper grade pulp

To increase the profitability of the pulp and paper industry, additional value added products from lignocelluloses are needed, and consistent with this goal, a biorefinery concept based on the sodium carbonate pre-extraction of Trema orientalis prior to pulping was proposed. The solid content in the sodium carbonate pre-extracted liquor was much lower than the hot water pre-extraction, which affected the pre-hydrolysis yield and overall pulp yield positively. The alkaline pre-extraction had a beneficial effect on delignification in the subsequent soda-AQ-pulping. In addition, the alkaline pre-extraction improved the pulp bleachability. The papermaking properties of the alkaline pre-extracted soda-AQ pulp were very close to non-extracted pulp after D0EpD1 bleaching.
A pair of bubbles’ rising dynamics in a xanthan gum solution: a CFD study

The motion and interaction of a bubble pair in a non-Newtonian fluid (xanthan gum solution) were numerically simulated using a volume of fluid (VOF) method, in which the continuous surface tension model and the power-law model were adopted to represent the surface tension and rheological properties of non-Newtonian fluids, respectively. The effects of the initial horizontal bubble interval, oblique alignment and rheological properties of non-Newtonian fluids on a pair of bubbles rising side-by-side are evaluated in this study. The results indicate that for the case with a non-dimensional initial horizontal bubble interval h* = 4.0, the interaction between the bubbles shows a minimal repulsive effect. Moreover, for the oblique angle alignment a greater repulsive force between the bubbles was seen when the angle was reduced. However, oblique coalescence occurred due to the higher attraction between the bubbles at higher angles, which is independent of the flow index. It is also found that the repulsion effect as well as the variation of the bubble shape from spherical to irregular are more significant at a lower flow index (n < 0.5) due to the shear-thinning effect as well as the differences in their flow field structures.
Chaotic System Parameter Identification Based on Firefly Optimization

Firefly Optimization Algorithm (FA) is a novel heuristic stochastic algorithm based on swarm intelligence, which is inspired by the fireflies biochemical and collective behavior. Due to the increment of attractiveness and the fixed step factor, the optimizing results are easily repeated oscillation on the position of local or global extreme value point, and the optimizing accuracy is reduced. Accordingly, this paper puts forward chaos firefly optimization algorithm (CFA), the improved algorithm can improve the diversity of population and the ergodicity of optimization, increase the ability of getting rid of trapped into local minima point. Chaos firefly optimization algorithm is used for the identification of chaotic system parameter; the results show the high accuracy of the algorithm parameter identification.
Pilot evaluation of a fracture process zone in a modified compact tension specimen by X-ray tomography

In the case of quasi-brittle material, there is a zone of non-linear behaving material, near the crack tip. A major part of this zone forms a socalled fracture process zone (FPZ), where mechanisms of material toughening take place. The main idea is to estimate the size of the fracture process zone under various types of load by using X-ray tomography. The estimation of the zone is supported by the theory of linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) that could be a limit case of quasi-brittle mechanics. The size of the zone envelop is provided in X-ray snaps and compared with the theoretical size from LEFM.
JUVENILE MYOCLONIC EPILEPSY AND MIGRAINE: STUDY OF COMORBIDITY AND CLINICAL CO-OCCURRENCE.

Received: 27 December 2016 Final Accepted: 28 January 2017 Published: February 2017 Epilepsy and migraine are comorbid with each other as they have common pathophysiological and electrophysiological phenomena. Materials and methods: Patients with Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy(JME) diagnosed by clinical and electrophysiological study (electroencephalogram) with or without comorbid migraine underwent detailed history for migraine headache, general examination, neurological examination and brainMRI and MRS. Results: Migraine was clinically associated with JME in 58.6% of cases. NAA/CR and CHO/CR ratio were significant (P<0.05) between JME cases and control group and non-significant between JME cases with or without migraine(P >0.05). Conclusion: migraine is highly comorbid with JME risk factors are female gender and family history of migraine, with no structural or functional comorbidity in MRS study
The Effectiveness of Structural Policy in the European Union: An Empirical Analysis for the Eu-15 in 1995-2001

The main aim of structural policy is to decrease the regional disparities within the European Union (EU). In 2004 ten new member countries joined the EU, and it is expected that this enlargement will cause strong regional disparities within the Union. For this reason the distribution of financial support by structural policy will undergo drastic changes. In this study we consider two main themes. First, convergence of the current EU Member States is empirically tested for the period 1995-2001, and the effect of the structural funds in this context is identified. Structural funds do indeed appear to have had a positive impact, and poorer countries (like Greece) appear to have caught up with the richer countries. The importance of the structural funds in this respect therefore cannot be neglected. Second, we touch on the problem of moral hazard and the substitution effect. It may be expected that receivers of structural funds in some cases are not really eligible and may therefore use the funds inefficiently. Our first and preliminary results seem to indicate that the less clean countries (or as we measure it, more 'corrupt' countries) of the current EU-15 do not gain less economic growth from the structural funds. The hypothesis that structural funds contributed to fewer interregional disparities within the current 15 European countries cannot be rejected. This may mean the intended plans of channelling a big share of the funds to the candidate countries in 2007-13 will probably contribute to higher economic growth in these countries. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2005.
Efficacy of bacterial fermented oilcake mix as fishmeal substitute in the diet of tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon (Fabricius) post larvae

Diets incorporated with varying levels (5, 15, 25 and 35%) of bacterial fermented oil cake mix, derived by solid-state fermentation (SSF) as fishmeal replacement, were evaluated in Penaeus monodon post larvae for growth, digestibility and body composition through a 42 days laboratory experiment. A diet containing 35% fishmeal and no fermented ingredient mix was used as the control. Pure culture of Bacillus coagulans MTCC-2449 was used for SSF and the 36 h fermented product was incorporated in the diets. Analysis of response data revealed that the shrimp fed diet containing 35% fermented ingredient mix (100% fishmeal substitution) had significantly higher (P<0.05) mean weight gain (0.63±0.03 g), better feed conversion ratio (1.58), apparent protein utilization (25.65) and protein efficiency ratio (1.71) than all other diets as well as the control. The apparent protein digestibility (86.56%) and apparent fat digestibility (94.55%) were also found to be the highest for this diet. The survival rate was 100% in all the treatments and the control.
Solitonic Excitations In Collisions Of Superfluid Nuclei

We investigate the role of the pairing field dynamics in low-energy heavy ion reactions within the nuclear time-dependent density functional theory extended to superfluid systems. Recently, we have reported on unexpectedly large effects associated with the relative phase of the pairing field of colliding nuclei on the reaction outcomes, such as the total kinetic energy and the fusion cross section [P. Magierski, K. Sekizawa, and G. Wlazlowski, arXiv:1611.10261 [nucl-th]]. We have elucidated that the effects are due to creation of a "domain wall" or a "solitonic structure" of the pairing field in the neck region, which hinders energy dissipation as well as the neck formation, leading to significant changes of the reaction dynamics. The situation nicely mimics the one extensively studied experimentally with ultracold atomic gases, where two clouds of superfluid atoms possessing different phases of the pairing field are forced to merge, creating various topological excitations, quantum vortices and solitons, as well as Josephson currents. In this paper, we present unpublished results for a lighter system, namely, $^{44}$Ca+$^{44}$Ca. It is shown that the pairing effects on the fusion hindrance are rather small in lighter systems, due to a strong tendency towards fusion, which is consistent with an earlier study.
Building the core of the Istat system of models for forecasting the Italian economy: MeMo-It

This paper provides a description of Istat’s new Macroeconometric Model MeMo-It. This is the tool used by Istat to produce bi-annual medium-term forecasts of the Italian economy since May 2012. The key model’s features are illustrated and compared with other modeling approaches used in the literature. The paper describes the theoretical foundations of the model along with the set of equations and their estimation. It also presents an assessment of model’s performance by focusing on the key multipliers