Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Extreme weather events and construction SMEs: vulnerability, impacts and responses

Purpose – The UK experienced a number of Extreme Weather Events (EWEs) during recent years and a significant number of businesses were affected as a result. With the intensity and frequency of weather extremes predicted in the future, enhancing the resilience of businesses, especially of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), who are considered as highly vulnerable, has become a necessity. However, little research has been undertaken on how construction SMEs respond to the risk of EWEs. In seeking to help address this dearth of research, this investigation sought to identify how construction SMEs were being affected by EWEs and the coping strategies being used. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed methods research design was adopted to elicit information from construction SMEs, involving a questionnaire survey and case study approach. Findings – Results indicate a lack of coping strategies among the construction SMEs studied. Where the coping strategies have been implemented, these were found to be extensions of their existing risk management strategies rather than radical measures specifically addressing EWEs. Research limitations/implications – The exploratory survey focused on the Greater London area and was limited to a relatively small sample size. This limitation is overcome by conducting detailed case studies utilising two SMEs whose projects were located in EWE prone localities. The mixed method research design adopted benefits the research by presenting more robust findings. Practical implications – A better way of integrating the potential of EWEs into the initial project planning stage is required by the SMEs. This could possibly be achieved through a better risk assessment model supported by better EWE prediction data. Originality/value – The paper provides an original contribution towards the overarching agenda of resilience of SMEs and policy making in the area of EWE risk management. It informs both policy makers and practitioners on issues of planning and preparedness against EWEs.
Soft Constrained Based MPC for Robust Control of a Cement Grinding Circuit

Abstract In this paper, we develop a novel Model Predictive Controller (MPC) based on soft output constraints for regulation of a cement mill circuit. The MPC is first tested using cement mill simulation software and then on a real plant. The model for the MPC is obtained from step response experiments in the real plant. Based on the experimental step responses an approximate transfer function model for the system is identified. The performance of the MPC in the real plant compares favorably to the existing control system based on fuzzy logic. Compared to the other controllers, soft MPC handles the real time uncertainties effectively. It also regulates the cement mill circuits better and in a plant friendly way by using less variation in the manipulated variables (MVs).
Serum 25(OH)D status and lipid profile in children with newly diagnosed asthma

Background. The problem of the influence of hyperlipidemia on asthma was addressed several years ago. Systematic review and meta-analysis performed in the pediatric population on the association between vitamin D status and lipid profile components revealed discordant results and indicated that higher serum 25(OH)D is related to a more favorable lipid profile. Objective. We aimed to elucidate whether there was an association between vitamin D status and lipid profile components and apolipoprotein B in a sample of children with newly diagnosed atopic asthma. Methods. The study included 150 children aged 2–12 years. Atopic asthma was diagnosed in 110 children; 40 children constituted a reference group. Fasting blood was collected to measure 25(OH)D total, lipid profile and apolipoprotein B concentrations. Results. Children with asthma had significantly lower 25(OH)D (p < 0.0001) but similar lipid and apolipoprotein B concentrations. The proportions of hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia and increased apoB concentrations were similar in both groups. HDL-C concentrations in asthmatic 25(OH)D-deficient children were higher compared with the children with sufficient levels (p = 0.05). ApoB concentration was lower in 25(OH)D-deficient compared with vitamin D sufficient asthmatics (p = 0.0008). Correlations between 25(OH)D concentration and lipids and apoB in asthmatics revealed gender differences. An inverse relationships between vitamin D and total cholesterol and HDL-C (R= –0.39, p < 0.05; R= –0.475, p < 0.001) were found in girls. In boys vitamin D correlated with LDL-C and apoB (R = 0.376, R = 0.498; p < 0.001). Conclusion. In children with asthma lower 25(OH)D had more favorable gender-dependent effect on the lipid profile. The association of serum 25(OH)D and lipid levels in children with asthma remains for further studies.
An Economic Premium Principle in Multiperiod Time Horizon

This paper considers a multiperiod economic equilibrium model to derive the eco nomic premium principle of Biihlmann (1980, 1983). To do this, we construct a consumption/portfolio model in which each agent characterized by his/her utility function and endowments can invest his/her wealth into insurance market as well as financial market to maximize the expected, discounted total utility from consumption. The state price density in an equilibrium is obtained in terms of the Arrow-Pratt index of absolute risk aversion for the representative agent. As special cases, power and exponential utility functions are examined, and some comparative statics results are derived.
Habitual Smoking and Musculoskeletal Symptoms in Japanese Blue‐Collar Workers

Habitual Smoking and Musculoskeletal Symptoms in Japanese Blue‐Collar Workers: Masaiwa Inoue, et al. Department of Hygiene, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine— Whether smoking is associated with musculoskeletal disorders is still debatable. To determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among smoking and non‐smoking employees doing strenuous physical work, we conducted a survey by means of a questionnaire that was distributed as a part of the annual health examination in a pulp and paper mill. The questions included smoking habit and musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck, arms, shoulders, back and low back. The analysis was performed on 905 male employees working in the manufacturing plant. For most age groups and regions, the percentage of smokers was greater among subjects with symptoms than among subjects without symptoms. Particularly among subjects in their 20s and 50s, there were significant differences in the percentage of smokers with symptoms and the percentage of smokers without symptoms (P<0.01 for both age groups). Although the percentage of ex‐smokers was greater among subjects without symptoms than among subjects with symptoms, the difference was not significant except among subjects in their 50s (P=0.023). The percentages of ex‐smokers in their 50s were greatest among subjects without symptoms for all 5 musculoskeletal regions. When the percentages of current smokers were analyzed according to the number of regions in which musculoskeletal symptoms were present, the number of regions tended to increase with the percentage of smokers but not significantly. Our study supports an association between habitual smoking and musculoskeletal symptoms with a proposal for an educational campaign aimed at helping individuals quit smoking.
FORMULASI BISKUIT TINGGI SERAT (KAJIAN PROPORSI BEKATUL JAGUNG : TEPUNG TERIGU DAN PENAMBAHAN BAKING POWDER) High-Fiber Biscuit Formulations (Study of The Proportions of Corn Bran : Wheat Flour and Addition of Baking Powder)

Corn bran is a byproduct of the rice milling process corn into corn rice. Corn bran with the advantages of having a fairly high fiber content (9.80%) then the material can be used for nutritional improvement, such as for making biscuits. This study used a randomized block design (RBD) was arranged with 2 factors and 3 repetitions. The data were analyzed using ANOVA test followed by BNT or DMRT at 5% confidence interval. The best biscuits physical chemical parameters have characteristic fat content 8.29%, ash content 2.56%, crude fiber 4.93%, broken power 11.43 N, color 3.60 (neutral), taste 3.35 (somewhat dislike), flavour 2.85 (somewhat dislike). While the best biscuits organoleptic parameters have characteristic fat content 6.18%, ash content 2.06%, crude fiber 3.57%, broken power 3.87 N, color 4.95 (rather like), taste 4.90 (rather like), flavour 3.55 (somewhat dislike).
The impact of forced mergers and acquisitions on banks’ total factor productivity: empirical evidence from Malaysia

In the present paper, we employ alternative techniques to examine the impact of mergers and acquisitions on the total factor productivity of Malaysian banks. These alternative techniques extend from the use of non-parametric ‘frontier’-oriented Malmquist productivity index (MPI) and central tendency ordinary least square (OLS) and fixed effects (FE) panel regression methods. We find that Malaysian banks have exhibited a higher mean total factor productivity level during the post-merger period. The results from the multivariate regression analysis suggest that income diversification and operating expenses are positively and significantly related to Malaysian banks’ total factor productivity, while credit risk and inflation exhibit a negative relationship. The empirical findings indicate that the acquiring banks have been relatively more productive compared to the target banks and banks in the control group.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT, ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES IN RURAL REGIONS IN THE STATE OF YUCATAN, MEXICO

Globalization today motivates companies to change according to market needs and for adapting to their environment, so it is necessary for them to manage their knowledge efficiently reinventing, innovating and implementing new product and service strategies, incorporating them to new business models and challenges. This is why the relation among knowledge management, entrepreneurial development and organizational performance becomes more important. In rural regions of the State of Yucatan, in the South East of Mexico, natural environment conditions, culture and the way of life could become barriers for entrepreneur formation and hence, for the development of micro and small business firms. Knowing the way for managing knowledge, the entrepreneurial competencies of micro and small entrepreneurs, as well as their organizational performance, will allow Government, universities, business chambers and private investors, design and implement strategies for contributing to a better development of such companies, improving the quality of life of people in such regions.
Insecticidal effects of plant extracts on immature whitefly Bemisia tabaci Genn. (Hemiptera: Aleyroideae)

Background: The whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Genn.) is a widely distributed and highly harmful plant pest species. The management of B. tabaci has been typically carried out by chemical pesticides. In the last decade however, there has been an increasing interest in natural products, particularly those of plant origin, to control this pest species. In the present work, aqueous and ethanolic extracts of native plants from the flora of the Yucatan peninsula (Acalypha gaumeri, Annona squamosa, Carlowrightia myriantha, Petiveria alliaceae and Trichilia arborea) and the introduced plant Azadirachta indica were collected and evaluated for insecticidal activity against eggs and nymphs Bemisia tabaci. Results: Most of the aqueous and ethanolic extracts showed high insecticidal effects on B. tabaci eggs. The lowest LC50 values were recorded in the aqueous extracts of A. gaumeri (0.39% w/v), A. squamosa (0.36% w/v), P. alliaceae (0.42% w/v) and A. indica (0.30% /v), as well as in the ethanolic extracts of P. alliaceae (2.09 mg mL-1) and T. arborea (2.14 mg mL-1). On the other hand, B. tabaci nymphs were not affected by the aqueous extracts, but were highly sensitive to the ethanolic extracts of the tested plants. The lowest LC50 values were recorded in the ethanolic extracts of P. alliaceae (1.27 mg ml-1) and T. arborea (1.61 mg mL-1). The GC-MS analysis showed that phytol was the major component of the ethanolic extract of P. alliaceae and fatty acids were the major components of ethanolic extract of T. arborea. Conclusions: Overall, results suggest that ethanolic extracts of P. alliaceae and T. arborea leaves showed the highest insecticidal effects on eggs and nymphs B. tabaci. The extracts from P. alliaceae and T. arborea are good candidates to be developed as sources of natural insecticides for the management of immature B. tabaci since their effects were comparable with that showed by the extracts of A. indica, a well-known plant species for its insecticidal activit
Trouble in Paradise: a Case of a Technology Industry Supply Network

The development of value networks is regarded as a necessity for achieving agility in global markets. Nowadays the focal companies often state that they are committing to more in-depth partnerships with selected suppliers, which are given more responsibility over both production and R&D. In this article we study the relationship of one focal company with its suppliers and identify the main concerns regarding governance and cooperation within the studied supply network in relation with the focal company’s strategy to enhance its innovative capabilities and ensure capacity in its supplier network. By analyzing the network relationships from three differing vantage points (the focal company, the supply companies, and the venture capitalists) we present three most challenging issues in the development of partnerships within the strategic context.
THEME AND THEMATIC PROGRESSION IN STUDENTS’ RECOUNT TEXTS

This study aims to investigate the Theme and Thematic progression patterns in students’ recount text in a state vocational school in Bandung. This study employs a descriptive-qualitative research design. The data were obtained from a collection of students’ texts. This study uses the theory of Theme system developed by Halliday (1994) and the theory of Thematic progression proposed by Eggins (2004) as the framework to analyze the data. The findings showed that the Theme and Thematic progression supports the character of Recount text written by the students to some extents: the Topical Theme represents the students’ ability to deliver what the text is about, the Interpersonal Theme helps students declare their personal comments, while the Textual Theme showed the students’ ability to develop the logical relationship between clauses and make their texts more cohesive and coherent. In terms of thematic progression patterns, the Theme Reiteration pattern signposts that the students tend to make the text focus by repeating the same element as Themes; the Zig Zag pattern showed that the students introduce newly information by promoting the Rheme in a clause to the Theme in the subsequent clause, and the Multiple Theme pattern specifies that the students develop the texts well according to the prior plan before writing those ideas in the text.
Elastic Plastic and Damage Model for Concrete Materials : Part I - Theoretical Formulation

thermodynamically consistent macroscopic constitutive model for concrete that incorporates concrete effective stress space plasticity and fracture energy based - continuum damage mechanics is presented. A plasticity yield criterion, with multiple hardening functions and a non-associative plastic flow rule, is used simultaneously with two (tensile and compressive) isotropic damage criteria. The spectral decomposition of the stress tensor into tensile and compressive components is utilized in all criteria in order to simulate different responses of the material under various loading patterns. The damage criteria are based on the hydrostaticdeviatoric sensitive damage energy release rates in tension and compression derived from the Helmholtz free energy function. Three dissipation mechanisms are defined, one for plasticity and two for damage, to control the dissipation process in the material model. The consistent elastic-plastic-damage tangent operator is also derived, which concludes the theoretical formulation of the proposed model. Verification examples are provided in order to evaluate the ability of the proposed model to capture the behavior of concrete under different states of loading. The detailed scheme of numerical integration of the constitutive equations and the application of the proposed model to study concrete and reinforced concrete members are important issues discussed in part II of this work.
Dominant factors associated with microcystins in nine midlatitude, maritime lakes

Abstract The study objective was to identify factors most closely associated with the presence of cyanotoxins in 9 lakes in the Puget Sound lowlands region of western Washington, USA. Four cyanotoxins (microcystins, anatoxina, saxitoxin, and cylindrospermopsin), phytoplankton, and limnological parameters were monitored twice per month from June through October 2012. Microcystin (MC) was the most commonly detected cyanotoxin and was detected in every lake at least once. Nonparametric decision forests and classification trees were used to identify variables that best predicted MC categories for 2 models; (1) presence–absence of MC, and (2) MC concentrations. The best predictors of MC in concentration categories for both models were epilimnetic total nitrogen to total phosphorus (TN:TP) ratios and the abundance of potential MC-producing cyanobacteria. Model 1 showed that observations with TN:TP ratios ≤25.7 were associated with MC presence, while MC was generally absent when TN:TP ratios were >25.7 and MC-producing cyanobacteria were ≤330 cells mL−1. Model 2 showed that Microcystis abundance >1300 cells mL−1 captured moderate (>1 and ≤6 μg L−1) and high (>6 μg L−1) MC concentrations. Low MC concentrations (>0.05 and ≤1 μg L−1) were found when TN:TP was ≤28.8 or when Dolichospermum abundance was >110 cells mL−1. Because of their broad applicability, thresholds for these variables may be useful in evaluating public health risk in the absence of MC measurements from lakes in this and similar regions. Decision forest and classification tree models may be promising tools for lake mangers to identify dominant factors and threshold limnological values associated with cyanotoxins.
Fracionamento químico e físico do carbono orgânico total em um solo de mata submetido a diferentes usos

A materia orgânica e um importante indicador da qualidade do solo, pois esta relacionada com diversas propriedades quimicas, fisicas e biologicas, sendo importante o conhecimento do teor de C orgânico total (COT), bem como de suas fracoes. Com base nisso, realizou-se esta pesquisa objetivando caracterizar e quantificar os estoques de COT e suas fracoes como indicadores da qualidade de um solo, submetido a diferentes usos: (1) Mata Atlântica, (2) Cacau (Theobroma cacao) e (3) Pastagem (Brachiaria decumbens), em uma microbacia no sul da Bahia. Para cada uso, coletaram-se amostras nas profundidades de 0-10 e 10-20 cm e procedeu-se a caracterizacao quimica e fisica do solo, a determinacao do COT e ao seu fracionamento quimico e fisico. O teor de COT nao diferiu entre os diferentes usos do solo nas duas profundidades estudadas. A percentagem de C humificado e nas fracoes de acidos fulvicos e humina foi maior na pastagem, na camada de 0-10 cm. Houve menor percentagem de C nao-humificado nos sistemas cacau e pastagem, e maior relacao C:N no sistema pastagem na camada de 10-20 cm. O sistema cacau promoveu aumento na quantidade de C orgânico na fracao leve na camada de 10-20 cm. A substituicao da mata pelo cultivo do cacau no sistema cabruca (sub-bosque) ou pela pastagem nao alterou os teores de COT e de suas fracoes na area estudada.
The Relationship between Pre- and Post-Matriculation Factors and College Student Retention in a Small, Technical, Public Institution

Despite the volume of research on college retention, additional investigation is warranted as many institutions continue to be plagued by poor retention rates. This study investigated the impact of preand postmatriculation factors on student retention at SUNY Cobleskill. The focus of the study was on the associate degree students and includes variables such as financial aid type and amount, and college choice. Statistical procedures such as Chi Square, Kendall’s Tau and Cramer’s V were employed during the data analysis. This research adds to the existing body of research by studying a small, regional, state-assisted institution that focuses on teaching. Most of the currently available studies have been conducted at large or mid-size researchbased institutions. The researcher did not find statistically significant findings when analyzing relationships between college choice, type of financial aid and expected family contribution, and college student retention. A significant relationship was found when looking at the total amount of aid received and college student retention. This relationship warrants further research into the ability to pay versus willingness to pay, as well as how financial aid packaging may impact college student retention. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Education (EdD) Department Executive Leadership First Supervisor Jerry Willis Second Supervisor Edward Sullivan Subject Categories Education This dissertation is available at Fisher Digital Publications: http://fisherpub.sjfc. edu/education_etd/125 The Relationship between Preand Post-Matriculation Factors and College Student Retention in a Small, Technical, Public Institution
One Money, But Many Fiscal Policies in Europe: What are the Consequences?

This Paper outlines some issues regarding the interaction of independent fiscal authorities and one central bank in the European monetary union. It points out the possibilities for coordination failures, ranging everywhere from potentially excessive deficits and free-riding problems to coordination failures in European fiscal or banking crises. As policy conclusions, some suggestions for institutional improvements are made. In particular, the Growth and Stability Pact needs strengthening rather than weakening. Furthermore, a solution for EMU-wide banking regulation needs to be found.
Gender differences in sexual behaviour amongst university students in Mahikeng, South Africa

Studies indicate that females are more prone to the consequences of ‘irresponsible’ sexual activities than males on university campuses. This paper presents gender differences in sexual behaviour among students on a university campus. Data were collected from 1,060 students (451 males and 609 females). Multivariate data analysis included both multiple OLS regression and multinomial logistic regression. The results show that the proportion of virgin females was twice as much as males. The average age at first sexual intercourse was higher for females (18 years) than males (16 years). The analysis also shows that gender and year of study are significant determinants of age at first sex. Moreover, in a multivariate perspective, males are less likely to indulge in risky sexual activities compared to their female counterparts. It is recommended that the HIV/AIDS programme on campus should focus on ways to minimize ‘irresponsible’ sexual activities and put more emphasis on females.