Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Picking ‘ lemons ’ or ‘ cherries ’ ? Domestic and foreign acquisitions in Norwegian manufacturing ∗

We compare the performance in employment, wages and productivity for domestic plants acquired by new domestic and foreign owners. Prospective foreign owners pick large, high-wage, high-productivity plants, while new domestic owners choose average performers of above average size. Employment, labour productivity and total factor productivity decline in domestic acquisition targets before acquisitions, only wages recover afterwards. Employment, wages and labour productivity increase after foreign acquisitions. The sample selection introduced by long-term comparisons and a focus on unique events introduces a downward bias into the results for domestic acquisitions and an upward bias for the foreign acquisitions.
Commitment and the Adoption of a Common Currency

In contrast to Mundell's inquiry on the optimality of currency areas, this article aims to understand under what circumstances a Pareto-dominant monetary union will be established. Using a multicountry overlapping generations model, we highlight gains from monetary union arising from reduced transactions costs and lower inflation. Despite these gains, countries acting independently will impose barriers to exchange through local currency restrictions, thereby creating transactions costs and providing an incentive for inflation. Therefore, the gains from monetary union are most likely to be lost without collective effort.
An analysis of the interdependence between cash crop and staple food futures prices

This paper investigates the price dynamics between a selection of international staple food and cash crop futures prices. This price interaction is particularly relevant for developing countries that rely on cash crop export earnings to finance their staple food import requirements. We employ a multivariate Copula-DCC-GARCH model to characterize the cash crop and staple food price interaction over time and a rolling-sample volatility index to identify the direction of the volatility spillover for staple-cash commodity pairs. Results show that the intensity of interaction varies considerably over the sample time, but is, generally positive, and stronger during the period 2007-2012 associated with high commodity prices and financial market stress.
Chapter Eighteen j BEHAVIOR OF MORMYRIDAE

There are over 200 species of fishes belonging to the African family Mormyridae, making it the largest single group of electrogenic fishes. All of the mormyrids produce weak electric discharges by a highly specialized electric organ in the tail, and all possess at least three major classes of electroreceptors: ampullary, used in prey detection and predator avoidance; mormyromasts, used for active electrolocation; knollenorgans, used for social communication. The mormyrids may be divided into three main subfamilies, based on external morphology and bone structure: there is 1 species in the Gymnarchinae; there are over 20 in the Petrocephalinae, which has a single genus, Petrocephalus; and there are over 170 species in the subfamily Mormyrinae . Recent field recordings of the electric signals have made it possible to distinguish between sibling species . The diversity of electric discharges plays a vital role in species and in sex recognition. Mormyrids occur in virtually every type of freshwater habitat in Africa, but they -: ' are primarily river specialists. Many species migrate laterally from rivers or streams into flooded areas for reproduction. Little is known about the breeding and nesting behavior of mormyrids except for Gymnarchus, which produces a large floating nest and has an elaborate system of parental care, and Pollimyrus isidori, which has been observed to build nests and show male parental care in aquarium observations.
Impact of piggery training on the income level and profit of pig farmers-A case study in Kamrup district of Assam (India)

Present study was conducted to understand the impact of piggery training on the production, income, profit and knowledge level of pig farmers. Sample for the study consisted of 110 farmers distributed across six different villages who obtained training on Improved and scientific methods of pig farming from the Krishi Vigyan Kendra Kamrup in Kamrup district of Assam. Study revealed that training of pig farmers increased their gross return by 65.71 per cent and annual profit by 72.95 per cent and benefit-cost ratio by 10.02 per cent in pig farming. Knowledge level of pig farmers on improved methods of pig farming also increased by 25.87 per cent after obtaining the training from Krishi Vigyan Kendra.
A low-cost albedometer for snow and ice measurements – 3 Theoretical results and application on a tropical mountain in Bolivia 4

14 This study presents a new instrument called a low-cost albedometer (LCA) composed 15 of two illuminance sensors that are used to measure in-situ incident and reflected 16 illuminance values on a daily timescale. The ratio between reflected vs. incident 17 illuminances is called the albedo index and can be compared with actual albedo values. 18 Due to the shape of the sensor, the direct radiation for zenith angles ranging from 55° 19 to 90° is not measured. The spectral response of the LCA varies with the solar 20 irradiance wavelengths within the range 0.26 to 1.195 μm, and the LCA detects 85% 21 of the total spectral solar irradiance for clear sky conditions. We first consider the 22 theoretical results obtained for 10 different ice and snow surfaces with clear sky and 23 cloudy sky incident solar irradiance that show that the LCA spectral response may be 24 responsible for an overestimation of the theoretical albedo values by roughly 9% at 25 most. Then, the LCA values are compared with two “traditional” albedometers CM3 26 pyranometer (Kipp & Zonen) in the shortwave domain from 0.305 to 2.800 μm over a 27 one-year measurement period (2013) for two sites in a tropical mountainous catchment 28 in Bolivia. One site is located on the Zongo Glacier (i.e. snow and ice surfaces) and 29 the second one is found on the crest of the lateral moraine (bare soil and snow 30 surfaces) which present a horizontal surface and a sky view factor of 0.98. The results, 31 at daily time steps (256 days), given by the LCA are in good agreement with the classic 32 albedo measurements taken with pyranometers with R = 0.83 (RMSD = 0.10) and R 33 = 0.92 (RMSD = 0.08) for the Zongo Glacier and the right-hand side lateral moraine, 34 respectively. This demonstrates that our system performs well and thus provides 35 relevant opportunities to document spatio-temporal changes in the surface albedo from 36 direct observations at the scale of an entire catchment at a low cost. Finally, during the 37 period from September 2015 to June 2016, direct observations were collected with 15 38 LCAs on the Zongo Glacier and successfully compared with LANDSAT images 39 showing the surface conditions of the glacier (i.e snow or ice). This comparison 40 illustrates the efficiency of this system to monitor the daily time step changes in the 41 snow/ice coverage distributed on the glacier. Despite the limits imposed by the angle 42 view restrictions, the LCA can be used between 45°N and 45°S during the ablation 43 season (spring and summer) when the melt rate related to the albedo is the most 44 important. 45
Head injury, α-synuclein genetic variability and disease.

Background and purpose: Head injury has been linked to Parkinson’s disease (PD) in some but not all studies. Diﬀerences in the genetic and environmental susceptibility to PD between populations might be one explanation. The joint eﬀects of head injuries and SNCA genetic variants were investigated. Methods: From 2001 to 2012, 561 incident idiopathic PD cases and 721 population controls from central California were enrolled. Subjects reported on head injuries throughout their lifetime and were assessed for genetic variability in the SNCA 5 0 region (D4S3481; Rep1) and 3 0 untranslated region (rs356165). In unconditional logistic regression models adjusted for confounders, interactions between head injuries and genetic risk variants were investigated. Results: Parkinson’s disease risk in individuals with head injury who are carriers of at least one 263 bp allele in D4S3481 or rs356165 variants was 3 – 4.5-fold higher compared with non-carriers without head injuries. However, tests for interaction between head injury and SNCA D4S3481or rs356165 were not statistically signiﬁcant. Conclusions: Our study ﬁnds some evidence that head injury and D4S3481 or rs356165 variants jointly increase the risk of PD but little evidence of interaction.
Nucleic Acid Homologies in the Genus Pseudomonas

On the basis of ribosomal ribonucleic acid homologies, the genus Pseudomonas can be divided into at least five distinct groups, some of which are as distantly related to each other as they are to Escherichia coli. One of these groups contains members of the genus Xanthomonas. The data presented support and extend the previous grouping based on deoxyribonucleic acid homologies and support the current view that the portion of the genome coding for ribosomal ribonucleic acid is more conserved in the course of evolution than the bulk of the genome.
A Sociocultural Study in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

The choice of terms of address is a typical example to show the relational aspect of language. People will be addressed differently throughout the day. They will reciprocate depending on factors such as power, affect, distance or closeness. Using different words in different contexts show if the person has crossed the borders of socially accepted language or not. This research is going to focus on dialogues of the play "Death of a Salesman" according to Brown, Levinson and Wardhaugh's theories of politeness, taboo words, and power relation. A few examples were studied carefully and the researcher understood that different factors cause people use power and consider politeness in their speech or use taboo words.
CARDIFF METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY Prifysgol Fetropolitan Caerdydd CARDIFF SCHOOL OF SPORT DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) SPORT AND EXERCISE SCIENCE 2013-4 THE FEASIBILITY OF SPRINT INTERVAL TRAINING WITHIN JUDOKA UTILISING ARM CRANK ERGOMETRY

To include: collation of information and ideas and evaluation of those ideas relative to the extant literature/concept/theory and research question/problem; adoption of a personal position on the study by linking and combining different elements of the data reported; discussion of the real-life impact of your research findings for coaches and/or practitioners (i.e. practical implications); discussion of the limitations and a critical reflection of the approach/process adopted; and indication of potential improvements and future developments building on the study; and a conclusion which summarises the relationship between the research question and the major findings.
Geography Teachers ’ Perspectives towards Geography Education with Geographic Information Systems ( GIS ) Assist

The purpose of this research is to put forth a total of 104 geography teachers’ perspectives towards the use and applications of GIS through a questionnaire throughout Turkey. In the study, general survey model was used and the questionnaire was used as data gathering tool. In the analysis of the data, descriptive statistics along with t test and one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Chi-square tests were used. According to the findings of the research In terms of educational institutions’ physical facilities, nearly half of the institutions have computer labs and only a few of them (22%) have GIS software. A majority of the research teachers have heard about GIS before but only 32% of them are able to use and 25% of them use it in their geography courses. Among the research teachers’ students, only 19% of them use GIS or its applications in their projects or assignments. According to the findings, 27% of the research teachers participated in an educational activity towards GIS and 48% of them stated that they know where to take GIS education. A very significant point is that a majority of the geography teachers stated that they would participate in educational activities related to GIS organized by the National Educational Board. The participant geography teachers’ opinions towards GIS had no significant difference according to “gender”, “age”, or “vocational experience” variables.
Failure prediction from the investors’ view by using financial ratios. Lesson from Romania

FAILURE PREDICTION FROM THE INVESTORS’ VIEW BY USING FINANCIAL RATIOS. LESSON FROM ROMANIA Monica Violeta Achim, Sorin Nicolae Borlea, Lucian Vasile Găban The purpose of our study is to identify which fi nancial indicators have a signifi cant impact on the probability of Romanian companies’ bankruptcy risk from the investors’ point of view by studying the impact on the probability of shares delisting from the stock exchange. The research is conducted on a sample of 16 failed and 21 non-failed non-fi nancial companies listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange between 2002 and 2012. The Logit analysis is used for identifying the variables that are signifi cant and have predictive power on distress likelihood. By using 12 main fi nancial ratios, we estimate three alternative Logit models for determining their signs, signifi cance, predictive power, effi ciency of fi t tests. The fi rst model provides the highest explanatory power. Three variables such as Flexibility ratio (FLEX), Assets turnover (ASTU) and Current assets turnover (CASTU) are found to be signifi cant determinants for stock exchange delisting. These three variables provide 52.59% of correct prediction of bankruptcy risk. The percentage for correctly classifi ed observations for the fi tted Logit model is of 83.33%. Moreover, this research attempts to reveal the changes that may appear among bankruptcy predictors given that the bankruptcy risk model is developed from the investors’ point of view and not from that of a simple decision-making person. For a stock market investor, bankruptcy already starts at the stage of delisting the company because the investment was strongly compromised, whether or it continues its activity or not. Orientation towards investors when predicting bankruptcy risk is the main element of originality that our research adds to the scientifi c achievements in bankruptcy, until this moment.
High efficiency Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} thin film solar cells without intermediate buffer layers

The nature of the interface between CuInGaSe2 (CIGS) and the chemical bath deposited CdS layer has been investigated. We show that heat-treating the absorbers in Cdor Zncontaining solutions in the presence of ammonium hydroxide sets up an interfacial reaction with the possibility of an ion exchange occurring between Cd and Cu. The characteristics of devices made in this manner suggest that the reaction generates a thin, n-doped region in the absorber. We suggest that this aspect might be more important than the CdS layer in the formation of the junction. It is quite possible that the CdS/CuInSe2 device is a buried, shallow junction with a CdS window layer, rather than a heterojunction between CdS and CIGS. We use these ideas to develop methods for fabricating diodes without CdS or Cd.
Optimizing an integrated production and quality strategy considering inspection and preventive maintenance errors

Preventive maintenance is implemented following the inspection point is reached given an imperfect and controlled production process. Generally, estimation errors in inspection and preventive maintenance are ignored in inspection and preventive maintenance models. Where estimation errors exist in inspection and preventive maintenance in an imperfect production process this study attempts to discuss the range of estimation errors and their influence on the number of inspection times, first inspection interval, production lot size and expected costs of the manufacturer. Finally, the numerical example is used to examine and analyze production strategy optimization.
Genetic variability among sorghum accessions for seed starch and stalk total sugar

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is a staple food grain in many semi-arid and tropical areas of the world, notably in sub-Saharan Africa because of its adaptation to harsh environments. Among important biochemical components for sorghum for processors are the levels of starch (amylose and amylopectin) and total sugar contents. The aim of this study was to determine the genetic variation for total starch in the seed, its components and total sugar in the stalks of the sorghum accessions from Ethiopia and South Africa. Samples of 22 sorghum accessions were evaluated. Significant variations were observed in total starch (31.01 to 64.88 %), amylose (14.05 to 18.91 %), the amylose/amylopectin ratio (0.31 to 0.73) and total stalk sugar content (9.36 to 16.84 %). Multivariate analysis showed a wide genetic variation within and among germplasm accessions which could be used in the selection of parental lines for the improvement of traits of interest through breeding. The variation found among the sorghum accessions shows that an improved total starch and starch components and stalk sugar contents can be achieved through crossing these selected genotypes.
CRUDE GLYCEROL AS SUBSTRATE FOR SULFATE-REDUCING BACTERIA FROM A MATURE OIL FIELD AND ITS POTENTIAL IMPACT ON SOURING

Crude glycerol (CG) is an abundantly available and cheap by-product from biodiesel production. Value-added applications for CG are highly wanted by industry and several processes such as the use of CG for enhanced oil recovery have been proposed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sulfide production of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) indigenous to oil reservoirs using CG as substrate. The samples of CG were obtained from a biodiesel production plant, processing castor beans, soybeans, cotton, and waste oils and fats. Growth tests were performed in Postgate medium, with different types and concentrations of CG, and a mixed inoculum of SRB isolated from the produced water of a mature oil well of Bahia (Brazil). The experiment was monitored by measuring the concentration of sulfide using a colorimetric method. The results showed that SRB grew and produced more than 250 ppm sulfide at CG concentrations of 2%. However, at CG concentrations of 3% or higher, the biogenic production of sulfide was reduced. The study demonstrates that CG will likely stimulate SRB in oil fields, whenever CG is present at lower concentrations. Maintaining CG concentrations inhibitive to SRB will not certainly be achievable throughout oil reservoirs. Dosing CG to oil fields may lead to problems associated with souring in longer terms. The utilization of CG by SRB could in turn be interesting for other biotechnological processes, e.g. metal recovery processes based on precipitation with biologically formed sulfide.
Many-body large polaron optical conductivity in SrTi$_{1-x}$Nb$_{x}$O$_{3}$

Recent experimental data on the optical conductivity of niobium-doped ${\text{SrTiO}}_{3}$ are interpreted in terms of a gas of large polarons with effective coupling constant ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{\text{eff}}\ensuremath{\approx}2$. The theoretical approach takes into account many-body effects, the electron-phonon interaction with multiple LO-phonon branches, and the degeneracy and the anisotropy of the $\text{Ti}\text{ }{t}_{2g}$ conduction band. Based on the Fr\"ohlich interaction, the many-body large polaron theory provides an interpretation for the essential characteristics, except\char22{}interestingly\char22{}for the unexpectedly large intensity of a peak at $\ensuremath{\sim}130\text{ }\text{meV}$, of the observed optical conductivity spectra of ${\text{SrTi}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\text{Nb}}_{x}{\text{O}}_{3}$ without any adjustment of material parameters.
The Use of ICT Among University Lecturers: A Pedagogical Perspective

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current pedagogical practices in relation to ICT at a university, particularly for its off-campus programmes. This study addresses the need to understand aspects of lecturers’ pedagogies and practices in relation to ICT and to review trends in the ways in which ICT is used and employed. In this single case study, three methods of gathering data were employed which were questionnaires on e-Learning (ICT) employment, observations made during the teaching and learning process, and individual interviews with the participants. The participants were 13 university lecturers teaching off-campus programmes at a public university in the northern part of Malaysia. The findings indicate that the participants acknowledged the potentials of having ICT in classroom. However, their pedagogical practices did not reflect their understanding of the potential of affordances of ICT. The findings reveal the complex relations between lecturers’ orientations concerning the conditions affecting technology use, and the lecturers’ views concerning their pedagogical practices.
Towards understanding KM practices in the academic environment: The shoemaker's paradox

One area of omission in knowledge intensive studies is within higher education/research where there is the virtuous circle of teaching, research and consulting professional work. Using a model adapted from Handzic (2001) and a survey modified from Arthur Andersen (1998) the perceived importance and perceived implementation to faculty members is explored. The discrepancy between results of the two forced the researchers to confront their own biases. Guidance was sought from ethnographic accounts which allowed allows the researcher to state personal feelings in a confessional accompaniment to the
Doing Politics in the Recent Arab Uprisings: Towards a Political Discourse Analysis of the Arab Spring Slogans

The present paper aims to analyse a number of those slogans collected from the sit-in quarters in Egypt, Libya and Yemen. Using political discourse analysis, it unravels various typical discourse structures and strategies that are used in slogans in the construction of a sub-genre of political discourse in the Arab world. Drawing data from several mediums, including banners, wall graffiti, audio-visual instruments, chanting, speeches and songs, this paper tries to show the extent to which the slogans serve as a medium by which political complaints and comments are dispensed and consumed. This paper draws on a rhetorical analysis to find out their persuasive effect on shaping the Arab intellect and on the change of the political atmosphere in the region. Lastly, this paper attempts to show to what extent the slogans meet the standards of political discourse and whether they can be considered as a sub-genre of political discourse or not.