Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Perception of Inequality of Opportunity in Europe

Does the way scholars measure inequality of opportunity correspond to how people perceive it? What other factors influence individual perception of this phenomenon? To answer these questions we must first clarify how scholars define and measure inequality of opportunity. We discuss the possible mechanisms linking objective measures to subjective perception of the phenomenon, then propose a measure of perceived inequality of opportunity, and finally test our hypothesis by merging data coming from two sources: the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (2011) and the International Social Survey Programme (2009). We suggest that the prevailing perception of the degree of unequal opportunity in a large sample of respondents is only weakly correlated with its objective measure. We estimate a multilevel model considering both individual and country level controls to explain individual perception of unequal opportunity. Our estimates suggest that the two most adopted measures of inequality of opportunity have not clear role in explaining its perception. Conversely, other country level variables and personal experiences of intergenerational social mobility are important determinants of how inequality of opportunity is perceived.
The kinematics in the pc-scale jets of AGN - The case of S5 1803+784

We present a kinematic analysis of jet component motion in the VLBI jet of the BL Lac object S5 1803+784, which does not reveal long-term outward motion for most of the components. Understanding the complex kinematic phenomena can possibly provide insights into the differences between quasars and BL Lac objects. The blazar S5 1803+784 has been studied with VLBI at $\nu$ =1.6, 2.3, 5, 8.4, and 15 GHz between 1993.88 and 2005.68 in 26 observing runs. We (re)analyzed the data and present Gaussian model-fits. We collected the already published kinematic information for this source from the literature and re-identified the components according to the new scenario presented in this paper. Altogether, 94 epochs of observations have been investigated. A careful study of the long-term kinematics reveals a new picture for component motion in S5 1803+784. In contrast to previously discussed motion scenarios, we find that the jet structure within 12 mas of the core can most easily be described by the coexistence of several bright jet features that remain on the long-term at roughly constant core separations (in addition to the already known {\it stationary} jet component $\sim$ 1.4 mas) and one faint component moving with an apparent superluminal speed ($\sim$ 19c, based on 3 epochs). While most of the components maintain long-term roughly constant distances from the core, we observe significant, smooth changes in their position angles. We report on an evolution of the whole jet ridge line with time over the almost 12 years of observations. The width of the jet changes periodically with a period of $\sim$ 8 to 9 years. We find a correlation between changes in the position angle and maxima in the total flux-density. We present evidence for a geometric origin of the phenomena and discuss possible models.
Evaluating the Board of Directors of Financial Intermediaries: Competencies, Effectiveness and Performance

This paper proposes a model for analysing the effectiveness of boards of directors of financial intermediaries. The European Union recommends that companies in the Member States annually evaluate the performance of their boards. The degree of effectiveness of a board should be appreciated taking into account the business structure, ownership and institutional model of the firm, on the one hand, and the characteristics of its board, in terms of its composition, structure and skills, on the other hand. This paper also outlines the specificity of the role played by boards of directors in financial intermediaries, also in the light of the industry standards and regulations, and provides an overview of the board assessment methodologies proposed in literature, or developed by listed companies on the Anglo-saxon markets, with a view to considering their applicability to the financial sector. Lastly, and based on the foregoing, the paper proposes a model for diagnosing the conditions that need to be put into place to ensure the suitability of boards of directors and to evaluate the performance of both the board as a whole and the individual directors.
ANTIBACTERIAL MODE OF ACTION OF THE ROSEMARY/EUCALYPTUS OIL COMBINATION ON THE MEMBRANE INTEGRITY OF SELECTED FOOD BORNE PATHOGENS.

Pooja Patial 1,* , Dr. Savita Jandaik 2 and Rakesh Kumar 1 . 1. Research Scholar, Department of Microbiology, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Bhajhol, Solan (H.P). 2. Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Pathology University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan (H.P). Manuscript Info Abstract . Manuscript History
The Real Cost of Credit Constraints: Evidence from Micro-finance

Abstract The paper studies the effect of a law that banned micro-credit lending in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. Regions in Andhra Pradesh are matched to regions that did not face the ban. A difference-in-difference estimation of changes in matched regions is used to establish a causal impact on average household consumption in the region. The results show that the average household consumption in the ban-affected regions dropped by 15% immediately after the ban compared to the matched regions, and persisted for four quarters. The result is robust to cross-sectional variations in regional exposure to micro-finance prior to the ban, variation in rural and urban locations and variations in matching strategy. The analysis points to a ban as a sub-optimal intervention to improve customer welfare.
Hydrocarbon Biodegradation Potential of Native and Exogenous Microbial Inocula in Mexican Tropical Soils

Soil and water contamination by oil is one of the central environmental problems in Mexico. In the southeastern part of the country, especially in Tabasco and Veracruz states there are several oil facilities involved in extraction, transportation, processing and storage of oil and oil products. Historically in this region there have been spills that affect large areas of soil and eventually rivers, streams and lagoons. Pollutants often persist for long periods in the soil, sediments and water due to different factors like the environmental conditions prevailing in the region (heavy rains and extensive wetlands), the nature of the soils (mostly clayed soils adjacent to water bodies), and the recalcitrance of oil components (Adams et al. 2011).
Marketing of fish and fishery products in Dinajpur and Livelihoods of the fish retailers

Marketing of fish and fishery products in Dinajpur and livelihoods of the fish retailers were studied during the period from January to May, 2013. A total of 60 fish retailers were interviewed for obtaining pertinent data. A survey questionnaire was developed, pre-tested and finally used for collection of data. The collected data were tabulated using conventional statistical tools. The result showed that the livelihoods of a large number of people are associated with fish and fishery products distribution and marketing in six different markets. Three types of marketing channel were found to be operated in the selected markets. The shorter marketing chain which included the fish farmers, retailers and consumers was found to be more beneficial to the fish producers. Fish traders in village markets generally operate a capital of around TK. 8,000-10,000 and traders in town markets a capital of around TK. 10,000-20,000 per day. It was found that most of the fish traders used their own money. Price of fish depends on market structure, species, and freshness, supply demand of fish and size of fishes. There are seasonal variation in prices with the highest in summer (March to May), and lowest in pre-winter: (September to November) during the fish harvesting season. Different types of dried and salted fish were sold in the markets. Traders have broadly improved their food consumption facilities, standard of living, and purchasing power as an economic sector. However, the unhygienic conditions of the marketplace, lack of ice facilities, poor infrastructure, inadequate storage and poor transportation facilities were reported to be the major constraints hindering the marketing system in the surveyed areas. It is therefore necessary to provision of governmental, institutional and banking assistance for improvement of the marketing system.
School Input Factors and Teacher Effectiveness in Some Local Government Areas of Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract The effectiveness of any educational system depends to a great extent on the quality of teachers in terms of academic training and incentive administration. The study investigated school input factors and teacher effectiveness in public secondary schools in some local government areas in Lagos. Simple and stratified random sampling techniques were used to sample two federal recognized local government areas, ten secondary schools and 200 respondents. Training and Welfare Needs of Teacher Questionnaire (TWNTQ) was designed for the study. Nine hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Data were analysed using t-test and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. The findings indicated that the study independent variables were significant and had very strong relationship on teacher effectiveness. It was then recommended that the relevant educational bodies and other stakeholders should ensure that teachers welfare packages are genuinely improved upon and promptly administered.
Single-point blow-up for a semilinear reaction-diffusion system

In this paper, we consider positive solutions of the system ut −Δu = ur vp, vt −Δv = uq vs t ∈ (0, T ) , x ∈ B(0, R) = {x ∈ Rn | |x| < R} or x ∈ Rn and p, q, r, s > 1 . We prove single-point blow-up if r < q + 1 and s < p + 1 and for a large class of radial decreasing solutions. This extends the result of Friedman and Giga for this basic system known only for p = q = r = s . We also obtain lower pointwise estimates for the blow-up profiles. Mathematics subject classification (2010): 35B20, 35B40, 35B50, 35K55, 35K57, 35K58.
PHENETIC AND PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSES OF TENGKAWANG (Shorea spp., DIPTEROCARPACEAE) BASED ON MORPHOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR DATA

Tengkawang is referred to a group of approximately 16 species of Shorea producing illipe butter from their kernels. The name Tengkawang mostly referred to the Bornean Illipe Nut, even though they are not restrictly distributed in Borneo. Nine of the 16 species belonging to Shorea Section Pachycarpae, two species of Section Brachypterae, three species of Section Mutica and two species of Section Shorea. Recent phylogenetic studies K. S. Yulita. Phenetic and Phylogentic Analysis of Tengkawang (Shorea spp., Dipterocarpaceae) Based on Morphological and Molecular Data 48 | based on molecular markers considered Section Pachycarpae tend to form a monophyletic group. This present study was aimed to investigate the nature of groupings within Tengkawang and their relatedness based on phenotypic traits and molecular data. Thirteen species of Shorea were selected to perform a phenetic and cladistics analyses. An UPGMA dendrogram of Tengkawang was obtained using percentage similarity coefficient. All species tengkawang were united in a group at similarity coeffiecient of 70%. The relatively high similarity (70%) that shared among 13 species of tengkawang has supported the timber grouping of tengkawang. Shorea section Pachycarpae shared 78% similarity among them. The principal Component Analysis (PCA) was also performed and showed the relative position of 13 of Tengkawang in two-dimension. The PCA has also identified all the 35 morphological traits having important roles in the grouping of Shorea section Pachycarpae. A comparative phylogenetic analysis using several chloroplast genes was also in accordance to the results of phenetic analysis, and that the Bornean endemic Shorea section Pachycarpae was a monophyletic group located at the terminal cladogram.
Dynamic Factor Models, Cointegration, and Error Correction Mechanisms

The paper studies Non-Stationary Dynamic Factor Models such that: (1) the factors Ft are I(1) and singular, i.e. Ft has dimension r and is driven by a q-dimensional white noise, the common shocks, with q < r, and (2) the idiosyncratic components are I(1). We show that Ft is driven by r-c permanent shocks, where c is the cointegration rank of Ft, and q - (r - c) < c transitory shocks, thus the same result as in the non-singular case for the permanent shocks but not for the transitory shocks. Our main result is obtained by combining the classic Granger Representation Theorem with recent results by Anderson and Deistler on singular stochastic vectors: if (1 - L)Ft is singular and has rational spectral density then, for generic values of the parameters, Ft has an autoregressive representation with a finite-degree matrix polynomial fulfilling the restrictions of a Vector Error Correction Mechanism with c error terms. This result is the basis for consistent estimation of Non-Stationary Dynamic Factor Models. The relationship between cointegration of the factors and cointegration of the observable variables is also discussed.
Does fructose promote obesity

Today the largest source of fructose can be found in soft drinks, desserts and candies where it serves as a sweetener together with glucose. Fructose is not metabolized the same way as glucose and does not stimulate production of several key-hormones such as insulin, leptin and ghrelin, regulating energy balance. Because of these differences it might be asked whether there is a connection between the increased consumption of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a common used sweetener, and the epidemic-like increase in obesity throughout the world. Several studies indicate that fructose gives rise to more deleterious metabolic effects than glucose, consequently leading to obesity. At the same time no differences between HFCS and sucrose has been shown indicating that HFCS are not likely contributing to the development of obesity as believed. The biggest use of fructose is in the form of HFCS, suggesting no reason to worry. Instead we should focus on our total consumption of sugar, try to stay away from soft-drinks and candy, and continue to eat adequate amounts of fruit. However, further investigations needs to be done to fully understand and determine the metabolic effects of prolonged consumption of fructose.
IN EDUCATION ( GREDUC 2013 ) 52 THE RELATIONSHIP OF HARDINESS AND STRESS

The primary objective of this study was to assess the level of hardiness and stress of University Putra Malaysia in Malaysia using Cognitive Hardiness Scale (CHS) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). 181 undergraduate students selected via cluster random sampling to participate in this study. Questionnaires were used for self-reported measure and data collection. Results showed that majority of the respondents have low stress (58.0%), compared to high stress (42.0%), indicating a relative unhealthy proportion. Moreover, only a small proportion of respondents have high hardiness (23.8%), compared to moderate hardiness (76.2%). The mean score for stress is 41.69 (SD = 5.626), whereas the mean score for cognitive hardiness is 43.30 (SD = 5.399). The results of this study reaffirm the necessity of counseling intervention in tertiary education of Malaysia.
Effects of Collaborative Online Learning on EFL Leaners' Writing Performance and Self-efficacy

This study explored the effects of collaborative writing instruction on undergraduate nursing students’ writing performance and self-efficacy beliefs within an online learning system. A single-group experimental study utilized two instruments, the NCEEC (National College Entrance Examination Center) writing grading criteria (the SRCT) and a modified writing self-efficacy questionnaire (the WSQ), was conducted. The intervention was applied in the context of a four-month freshmen semester at the beginning of a two-year vocational education program conducted in fall 2010. Two hundred and nine learners were recruited through convenience sampling from four classes at a nursing vocational university in southwestern Taiwan. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, repeated measures MANOVA, explorative factor analysis (EFA), and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results showed that this instructional method effectively improved the learners’ writing performances and also influenced the latent structures of the learners’ self-efficacy from theoretical constructs toward pedagogical meanings, with the learners’ writing self-efficacy beliefs being altered by the instruction and becoming consistent with the assessment criteria. In addition, both the learners’ pre- and post-test self-efficacy levels had significant causal relationships with their individual learning progressions. These correlations between self-efficacy and writing performance suggest further teaching implications.
Globular cluster kinematics and X-ray emission in the early-type galaxy NGC 1399

Context. Of the various observational methods used to address the question of dark matter in early-type galaxies there is the possibility of spatial overlap in using kinematics of stars, clusters and X-ray halos. Aims. To investigate methods for the determination of velocity distribution profiles and deviations from a Gaussian distribution using globular clusters in early-type galaxies, and the implications for dark matter. Methods. The maximum likelihood method together with standard statistical procedures were used to calculate the velocity dispersion. A new “tracer mass estimator” was applied to obtain a mass estimate based on the globular clusters, which is then compared to the mass obtained using X-rays. Results. In NGC 1399 the departures from a Gaussian distribution of the velocities at all radial distances are small. Our conclusion is that in spite of the observations that show that the velocity dispersion decreases between 4 and 10 R e there is evidence that dark matter exists beyond ${\sim} 3\,R_{\rm e}$.
The Importance of Institutions in Expansionary Fiscal Consolidations a Critical Assessment of Non-Keynesian Effects

The short-term effects of fiscal consolidation have attracted an increasing attention from both the academia and policy makers in the recent years. Authors in the literature on non-Keynesian effects usually put the emphasis on the need for the devaluation of the national currency, the accommodating reaction of the monetary authority and the favourable international economic conditions as the necessary accompanying tools of fiscal consolidation, in order to realise short-term expansionary effects. Some also add the necessity of large-scale adjustment; while others support the view that a high and increasing debt ratio or increasing government spending, by triggering an unavoidable adjustment, is the key to experiencing short-term expansionary effects. The composition of adjustment also became a crucial explanation for non-Keynesian effects. However, as the following critical assessment of the literature on expansionary fiscal consolidations will reveal, institutional conditions, such as the importance of the depth of financial intermediation and the influencing role of labour market structure, can prove to be crucial in the occurrence of the desired expansionary short-term effects.
Stein's method, semicircle distribution, and reduced decompositions of the longest element in the symmetric group

Consider a uniformly chosen random reduced decomposition of the longest element in the symmetric group. It is known that the location of the first transposition in this decomposition converges to the semicircle distribution. In this note we provide a sharp error term for this result, using the "comparison of generators" approach to Stein's method.
Housing Conditions in Rural Nigeria: Empirical Evidence from Oil-Rich Akwa Ibom State

The study assessed the conditions of rural housing and the extent to which housing conditions related to household socio-economic characteristics of an oil-rich Nigerian State of Akwa Ibom. The study design was based on household cross-sectional survey. Direct observation and questionnaire administration were employed to collect both socio-economic and housing data from 540 randomly sampled households spread across 90 rural communities. Housing condition was evaluated using five broad indicators: safety/security, indoor temperature/ventilation, building condition, hygiene/sanitation and environmental quality, while socio-economic characteristics were examined using income, educational attainment, occupation, household size and crowding. Alongside descriptive statistics, the multiple correlation technique was used to analyze the relationship between housing conditions and socio-economic variables. Results showed aEnviron overwhelmingly poor condition of housing among the rural households. Majority of households were found deficient in facilities necessary to encourage safety, security, comfort, hygiene, sanitation, and environmental quality. The study also found households’ socio-economic characteristics to be highly correlated with housing conditions and therefore provides the basis for massive rural empowerment and development drive as a means to counter rural housing decay.
Customers' Expectation and Services Performance in Pension Fund Administration (PFA) in Southeast Nigeria

This paper examines service quality from the perspective of consumersi¯ expectations of the quality of service delivery contrasted with actual service delivery (or service performance) in pension fund administration (PFA) marketing. Three hundred and eighty four respondents from various ministries, departments and agencies in Enugu participated in the survey. A modified version of SERVQUAL questionnaire instrument was used to elicit response on the service quality attribute and satisfaction. Two hypotheses were developed and tested using the student t-test statistics and Regression Analysis. The results showed that significant difference exist between customer perception and expectations of pension services. The assurance attribute was found to have the greatest influence on satisfaction and tangible cues with the least influence. It was therefore, recommended that pension managers should adopt strategies to influence customer perception such as measuring and managing satisfaction and service quality, making promises they can keep and keeping them and managing the service evidence and providing training and empowerment to their employees.
Identifying instrumental and historical earthquake records in the SW Iberian margin using 210Pb turbidite chronology

Textural, mineralogical and geochemical analyses of near‐surface sediments from six different stations offshore SW Iberian Peninsula revealed the presence of thin detrital intervals corresponding to very fine‐grained turbidites. Precise dating of the two most recent sedimentary layers based on 210Pb and 137Cs geochronology provides ages of 1971 ± 3 AD and 1908 ± 8 AD. These ages correspond to high‐magnitude historical and instrumental earthquakes that occurred in the region: the 1969 Horseshoe Earthquake (Mw 8.0) and the 1909 Benavente Earthquake (Mw 6.0). Such a good correlation between turbidites and high‐magnitude (Mw > 6) historical and instrumental seismic events suggests that the record of mass transport deposits can also be used as a paleoseismic indicator in low‐convergence margins.