Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Double squeeze on educational development: land inequality and ethnic conflict in Southeastern Turkey

This paper examines two structural factors that have restricted educational development in Southeastern Turkey: land inequality and ethnic fractionalization/conflict. Until recently a semi-feudal structure persisted in the region with politically and economically powerful tribal leaders and large landowners called agas. At the same time, the region has been the site of an ethnic conflict, which has been ongoing as an armed insurgency for over 30 years between Kurdish insurgents and the Turkish State. Using a province-level data set, we test the impact of land inequality, conflict and ethnicity on education investment and school enrollment for the period 1970-2012. We find that higher land inequality reduces the school enrollment rates due to budget constraints imposed on poorer households. However, the economic and political power of agas in the region does not block education investments. Moreover, we find that although the armed conflict in the region did not directly hinder education investments, it did reduce school enrollment rates at middle and high school levels, while increasing enrollment at the primary school level. Finally, we find that provinces with higher percentages of Kurdish population received less education investment even after controlling for conflict and land inequality. These results suggest that high land inequality and the Turkish State’s neglect of Kurdish areas were the important factors behind Southeastern Turkey’s educational underdevelopment, while the conflict had mixed effects on the education in the region.
Residential Construction Activity in OECD Economies

Six years after the burst of the housing bubble in some of the main world economies, the recovery does not follow a homogeneous pattern among them. In this context, it is necessary to pay attention to the evolution of residential investment, which traditionally has played an important role in the revival of the economy after previous episodes of bubbles in the housing market. In the second stage of our study, we test our conceptual framework by means of a sample of 17 OECD countries which spans the period 1970 to 2013.
Wanted: A Test for Fsd Optimality of a Given Portfolio

FIRST-ORDER STOCHASTIC DOMINANCE (FSD) is one of the fundamental concepts of decision making under uncertainty, relying only on the assumption of nonsatiation, or decision makers preferring more to less. There exist well-known, simple algorithms for establishing FSD relationships between a pair of choice alternatives. Unfortunately, these algorithms have limited use in applications with more than two choice alternatives. The analysis of investment portfolios is one such application; investors generally can form a large number of portfolios by diversifying across individual assets. For such applications, there is a need to develop an algorithm for establishing if a given portfolio represents the optimal solution for at least some nonsatiable investor, i.e., is in the FSD optimal set.
PREY SELECTION AND TROPHIC POSITION OF SOUTHERN RIVER OTTER (Lontra provocax) IN THE WETLAND 'CARLOS ADWANDTER NATURE SANCTUARY', SOUTHERN CHILE

Otters are considered as top predators and participate in ecosystem services and affect community structure by the modulation of prey densities. Nevertheless, diet of the southern river otter (Lontra provocax) has been described only based on the frequency of occurrence of prey in feces. Actually, the relationship between trophic availability and prey selection is unknown. In this study we evaluated the relationship between prey selection and availability in different environments. We hypothesized that this species is an opportunistic predator, and that their diet could be determined by prey abundance. We studied fecal remains in two different environments (marsh-river) in the "Carlos Andwanter Nature Sanctuary" in southern Chile. The prey found in the scats were identified through reference collections. We estimated the frequency of occurrence, relative availability of prey item, and the Selection Index. In addition, we quantified prey availability using electrofishing. Our results suggest that the trophic niche for L. provocax is restricted to a few prey items, with crayfish (Samastacus spinifrons) as the most important diet component. However, L. provocax consume specific crayfish size independently of their availability in the environment. Our results suggest that L. provocax is an opportunistic predator, but shows a clear selection of medium-sized crayfish.
Poverty Reduction in Nigeria: Is Financial Deepening Beneficial?

This study investigated the impact of Financial Deepening in reducing Poverty in Nigeria. Human Development Index was used as proxy for reducing Poverty due to its multidimensional nature while the ratios of Credit to the Private Sector, Broad Money Supply and Market Capitalization to GDP were used to proxy financial deepening. Data sourced from Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin (2015) and World Development Indicators published by the World Bank from 1981 to 2015 were used to analyze this relationship by adopting the multilinear econometric model and using the Error Correction Model. It was found that there is a unidirectional causality running from financial deepening to Poverty Reduction. The study concluded that financial deepening is beneficial in reducing poverty in Nigeria. The study therefore recommended that Policy Makers should embark on a policy of financial inclusion and financial intervention programmes in Nigeria. Keywords : Financial Deepening, Poverty Reduction and Human Development Index
The critical period for weed control (CPWC) in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.).

Accurate assessment of crop-weed control period is an essential part for planning an effective weed management for cropping systems. Field experiments were conducted during the seasonal growing periods of potato in 2012 and 2013 in Kayseri, Turkey to assess critical period for weed control (CPWC) in potato. A four parameter log-logistic model was used to assist in monitoring and analysing two sets of related, relative crop yield. Data was obtained during the periods of increased weed interference and as a comparison, during weed-free periods. In both years, the relative yield of potato decreased with a longer period of weed-interference whereas increased with increasing length of weed free period. In 2012, the CPWC ranged from 112 to 1014 GDD (Growing Degree Days) which corresponded to 8 to 66 days after crop emergence (DAE) and between 135-958 GDD (10 to 63 DAE) in the following year based on a 5% acceptable yield loss. Weed-free conditions needed to be established as early as the first week after crop emergence and maintained as late as ten weeks after crop emergence to avoid more than 5% yield loss in the potato. The results suggest that CPWC could well assist potato producers to significantly reduce the expense of their weed management programs as well as improving its efficacy.
Exploring the Effects of Cognitive Flexibility and Contextual Interference on Performance and Retention in a Simulated Environment

knowledge cannot be represented in separate blocks of instruction. The presentation of knowledge should be interconnected, such that learner flexibility can be channelized. The interconnectedness of multiple concepts leads to advanced knowledge acquisition. Active Participation and Guidance for Management of Complexity Authors suggest that to acquire complex knowledge, the involvement of the learner as an active participant is as important as the mentor for providing guidance. This mentor-mentee relationship helps in managing the complexity of the knowledge. These guiding principles of the cognitive flexibility theory help students in acquiring complex knowledge. CFT asserts that when learning is meaningful, retention and transfer of knowledge is naturally acquired. Retention Strategies to be Improved by Cognitive Flexibility Cognitive flexibility theory assumes that for learning to occur, the learner must develop knowledge and understanding of the concept, and apply it flexibly in diverse contexts. When learning problems are characterized by ill structured domains, there is a need for aiming at indepth knowledge acquisition which would involve grasping the concepts and applying them in diverse contexts (Spiro et al., 1988) wherein, students’ flexibility of cognition dictates their understanding and decision making (Deak, 2003). Traditionally, instructions were imparted via linear media (e.g. Textbooks and lectures). Linearity of media results in loss of vital information when content complexity increases, making the content less accessible for the students understanding (Spiro and Jenhg, 1990). A complex cognitive task creates an added layer of difficulty; according to Schunn and Reder (2001)
Effects of solar eclipse on the electrodynamical processes of the equatorial ionosphere: a case study during 11 August 1999 dusk time total solar eclipse over India

Abstract. The effects on the electrodynamics of the equatorial E- and F-regions of the ionosphere, due to the occurrence of the solar eclipse during sunset hours on 11 August 1999, were investigated in a unique observational campaign involving ground based ionosondes, VHF and HF radars from the equatorial location of Trivandrum (8.5° N; 77° E; dip lat. 0.5° N), India. The study revealed the nature of changes brought about by the eclipse in the evening time E- and F-regions in terms of (i) the sudden intensification of a weak blanketing ES-layer and the associated large enhancement of the VHF backscattered returns, (ii) significant increase in h' F immediately following the eclipse and (iii) distinctly different spatial and temporal structures in the spread-F irregularity drift velocities as observed by the HF radar. The significantly large enhancement of the backscattered returns from the E-region coincident with the onset of the eclipse is attributed to the generation of steep electron density gradients associated with the blanketing ES , possibly triggered by the eclipse phenomena. The increase in F-region base height immediately after the eclipse is explained as due to the reduction in the conductivity of the conjugate E-region in the path of totality connected to the F-region over the equator along the magnetic field lines, and this, with the peculiar local and regional conditions, seems to have reduced the E-region loading of the F-region dynamo, resulting in a larger post sunset F-region height (h' F) rise. These aspects of E-and F-region behaviour on the eclipse day are discussed in relation to those observed on the control day. Key words. Ionosphere (electric fields and currents; equatorial ionosphere; ionospheric irregularities)
Molecular Identification of Fungal Communities in a Soil Cultivated with Vegetables and Soil Suppressiveness to Rhizoctonia solani

Fungi constitute an important part of the soil ecosystem, playing key roles in decomposition, cycling processes, and biotic interactions. Molecular methods have been used to assess fungal communities giving a more realistic view of their diversity. For this purpose, total DNA was extracted from bulk soils cultivated with tomato (STC), vegetables (SHC), and native forest (SMS) from three sites of the Taquara Branca river basin in Sumare County, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. This metagenomic DNA was used as a template to amplify fungal 18S rDNA sequences, and libraries were constructed in Escherichia coli by cloning PCR products. The plasmid inserts were sequenced and compared to known rDNA sequences in the GenBank database. Of the sequenced clones, 22 were obtained from the SMS sample, 18 from the SHC sample, and 6 from the STC sample. Although most of the clone sequences did not match the sequences present in the database, individual amplified sequences matched with Glomeromycota (SMS), Fungi incertae sedis (SMS), and Neocallimastigomycota (SHC). Most of the sequences from the amplified taxa represent uncultured fungi. The molecular analysis of variance (AMOVA) indicated that fluctuations observed of haplotypes in the composition may be related to herbicide application.
Genotoxicity and mutagenicity of solid waste leachates: A review

Solid waste production is inevitable and its unsanitary disposal in the environment is of public and environmental health concern. Leachate, generated due to the infiltration of water/precipitation through the waste mass and the wastes biodegradation, is a mixture of dissolved organic matter, inorganic macro-components, heavy metals, xenobiotic organic compounds and microorganisms. Several studies have reported the acute toxicity of leachate using different end points, while evidences are accumulating on their potentials to induce genetic damage. In this wise, different short-term in vivo and in vitro bioassays are being utilized in the evaluations of genotoxicity and mutagenicity of leachates; and the possible mechanisms of genetic damage. This paper reviews reports on leachate-induced genetic damage. There is need for a shift from waste disposal to sustainable waste management. Awareness on possible health impacts or consequences of exposure to solid waste should also be created through health education. Keywords : Solid waste leachate, genotoxicity, mutagenicity, environmental pollution African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(27), pp. 4206-4220
Population Attributable Fraction of Smoking for Tuberculosis (TB) Disease Incidence and TB Mortality in High-Burden TB Countries

POPULATION ATTRIBUTABLE FRACTION OF SMOKING FOR TUBERCULOSIS (TB) DISEASE INCIDENCE AND TB MORTALITY IN HIGHBURDEN TB COUNTRIES by GENET AMERE _____________________ Background: Globally, there are 10 million new cases of tuberculosis (TB) disease annually and 95% of cases occur in lowand middle-income countries (LMIC). More than 1 billion people use tobacco, and 80% of tobacco users reside in LMIC. Smoking approximately doubles the risk of TB disease and is associated with excess mortality during TB treatment. We aimed to estimate the proportion of annual incident TB cases and TB mortality attributable to tobacco smoking in high burden TB countries. Methods: To estimate population attributable fractions (PAF), we obtained country specific estimates of TB incidence and TB mortality rates from the WHO 2015 Global TB Report. Country specific smoking prevalence was estimated from WHO 2015 tobacco surveillance reports and the Tobacco Atlas. Risk ratios for the effect of smoking on TB incidence and TB mortality were obtained from previously published meta-analyses. Country specific PAF of smoking for TB disease were age and sex adjusted. Results: In high burden countries during 2014, an estimated 4.5 million adults developed TB disease and 163,000 people died from TB. An estimated 740 million adult smokers lived in those high burden countries in 2014. We estimated that tobacco smoking was attributable for 17.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 8.6-21.9%) of TB cases and 15.0% (95% CI 1.9-31.6%) of TB mortality. Of the high burden countries, Russia had the highest proportion of smoking attributable TB disease (31.8%, 95% CI 16.0-37.8%) and death (28.1%, 95% CI 3.8-51.3%). India had the greatest absolute number of TB cases (233,000) and TB deaths (7,400) attributable to smoking. Men (30.5%, 95% CI 14.9%-36.9%) had a greater proportion of TB cases attributable to smoking than women (4.7%, 95% CI 1.9%-6.2%). Conclusion: In high-burden TB countries, nearly one-sixth of all TB cases and TB deaths were attributable to smoking. Our findings highlight the need for tobacco control in high TB burden regions and specifically among patients with TB. Reaching key populations and integrating smoking cessation efforts into TB programs will be essential to achieve global TB control goals. POPULATION ATTRIBUTABLE FRACTION OF SMOKING FOR TUBERCULOSIS (TB) DISEASE INCIDENCE AND TB MORTALITY IN HIGHBURDEN TB COUNTRIES BY GENET ASMAMAW AMERE M.D., ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303
Dynamics and Structure of Stratified Flows Around Wedge: from Diffusion Induced up to Transient Vortex Regime

The problem of evolution of continuously stratified flow on wedge is investigated. The flow is characterized by a wide range of values of internal scales that are absent in a homogeneous liquid. Solution of the problem is constructed numerically in the complete non-linear formulation using finite volume method in the open source package OpenFOAM. The calculation results of flows in a stratified fluid around the stationary and moving wedge are shown. High-gradient interfaces and pattern of internal waves have been identified like observed in laboratory experiments.
4U 0115 + 63: phase lags and cyclotron resonant scattering

Context. High-mass X-ray binaries are among the brightest objects of our Galaxy in the high-energy domain (0.1-100 keV). Despite our relatively good knowledge of their basic emission mechanisms, the complex problem of understanding their time- and energydependent X-ray emission has not been completely solved. Aims. In this paper, we study the energy-dependent pulse profiles of the high-mass X-ray binary pulsar 4U 0115+63 to investigate how they are affected by cyclotron resonant scattering. Methods. We analyzed archival BeppoSAX and RXTE observations performed during the giant outburst of the source that occurred in 1999. We exploited a cross correlation technique to compare the pulse profiles in different energy ranges and developed a relativistic ray-tracing model to interpret our findings. We also studied the phase dependency of the cyclotron absorption features by performing phase-resolved spectroscopy. Results. The pulse profiles of 4U 0115+63 displayed clear “phase-lags” at energies close to those of the cyclotron absorption features that characterize the X-ray emission of the source. We reproduce this phenomenon qualitatively by assuming an energy-dependent beaming of the emission from the column surface and verify that our model is also compatible with the results of phase-resolved spectral analysis. Conclusions. We show that cyclotron resonant scattering affects the pulse profile formation mechanisms in a complex way, which necessitates both improvements in the modeling and the study of other sources to be better understood.
Dam removal: Panacea or Pandora for rivers?

Correspondence to: Gordan Grant, Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA. E-mail: gordan.grant@orst.edu We stand at a curious juncture with respect to the increasingly passionate debate about what to do with aging dams in the US—numbering more than 75 000 by one recent count (Graf, 1999). This debate is playing out against a backdrop of power crises, cycles of flood and drought, endangered ecosystems, and changing societal expectations and demands for water. Within this larger debate, the idea that dams are not necessarily permanent features of the landscape, but can and—by some views—should be removed, has emerged as a rallying cry, political lightning rod, and unparalleled scientific opportunity for understanding the behaviour of rivers. As evidence of interest in this issue, all of the major American geoscience and ecological societies (i.e. AGU, GSA, AAG, NABS, ESA) hosted special sessions on dam removal in the past year, two national panels (at the Aspen Institute and Heinz Center) are examining dam decommissioning, and the topic surfaced in last fall’s US presidential debates. Clearly, something is going on. Why is dam removal emerging as an issue? A convergence of science, management, and policy concerns is driving it forward, centred on the increasing hazards to human and ecological communities posed by aging dams that have, in many cases, outlived either their design lives or original purposes. An open ‘policy window’ due to the large cohort of non-Federal hydropower dams up for relicencing by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in the next decade, is prompting scrutiny of past dam effects and discussions of dam removal in some cases. Dam removal is also being proposed in response to concerns about threatened and endangered fish species, physical fragmentation of river systems, and calls for a return to a more ‘natural’ hydrologic regime to restore ecological and geomorphic functions to rivers (Poff et al., 1997; Richter et al., 1997). Finally, dam removal has great symbolic value in terms of representing our good intentions towards the environment, as embodied by former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt’s sledgehammer, or a recently published comment that ‘Dam breaching is America’s own exercise in truth and reconciliation’ (Moore, 2001). For most, the topic of dam removal conjures the image of large dams being removed from large rivers, such as the ongoing debate over the fate of the lower four dams on the Snake River in Idaho (Kareiva et al., 2000). Most dams are small, low-head, and run-ofriver, however, and most dam removals in the past and foreseeable future will likely involve these more modest structures. Their greater number, smaller size, and lower hydraulic and political profiles
An HPSG approach to Welsh unbounded dependencies

Welsh is a language in which unbounded dependency constructions involve both gaps and resumptive pronouns (RPs). Gaps and RPs appear in disjoint sets of environments. Otherwise, however, they are quite similar. This suggests that they involve the same mechanism, and in HPSG that they involve the SLASH feature. It is possible to provide an analysis in which RPs are associated with the SLASH feature but are also the ordinary pronouns which they appear to be.
THEORIES OF STATE AND COLLECTIVE ACTION

Bu makale teorik tartismalari inceleyerek kolektif hareket konsepti icinde devlet, ekonomi ve cikar gruplarinin incelenebilecegi bir cerceve olusturma amacini tasimaktadir. Bu calismada kurumlari ve kolektif hareketi makro duzeyde –yani, politik kurumlari (devlet) ve devlet-toplum ilsikilerini- izahetmeye calisan teorileri irdelemektededir. Kurumlari ve kolektif hareketi mikro duzeyde –yani, bireyi kolektif davranisa ve harekete yonlendiren rasyoneli- izaha cabalayan teoriler yer azligindan bu makale kapsaminin disinda brakilmistir. Farkli gruplarin kendi ekonomik ve politik cikarlarini savunmak amaciyla orgutlenmelerini saglayan etkenleri belirlemeye calisan teorilerden olusan cok genis bir literatur sozkonusudur. Literaturun genisligi bizi temel sayilabilecek politik teorileri inceleyip bu teorilerin devlet, isadami ve isci sinifinin kolektif davranislarinin genel yapisini izahetmelerindeki ortak anatemalarini ve bu cabalamalarindaki eksik ve ustun yonlerini tartismaya yoneltmektedir
The Technological Resilience of U.S. Cities

We study the resilience of cities by analyzing their capacity to sustain the production of technology when facing adverse events. Patent applications for 366 U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas, spanning the period 1975 to 2002, are used to analyze the vulnerability and response of cities to technological crises. Crises are defined as periods of sustained negative growth in patenting activity. We find that the frequency, intensity and duration of technological crises vary considerably across American cities. We examine how the technological knowledge bases of cities, their network openness and institutional environment condition resilience. Econometric analysis suggests that cities with knowledge bases that are diverse, flexible and proximate to technologies in which they do not currently possess comparative advantage tend to avoid technological crises, have limited downturns in patent production and recover faster from crisis events.