Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Remittances Impact on Economic Growth, Domestic Savings and Domestic Capital at the Presence of ODA and FDI in Selected MENA Countries

This article investigates the impact of remittances on economic growth, investment and domestic savings in selected MENA labor exporting countries. The estimations have been done in the presence of other international capital inflow, which are foreign aid and foreign direct investment. A multiple equations model estimated simultaneously using different techniques. We found a positive impact of remittances on both growth and investment, meanwhile a negative impact on domestic savings. Aid impacts negatively on both growth and savings where it finance consumption instead of investment and enhance rent seeking behavior. Government expenditure and FDI are important source of growth. We recommended that policies for encouraging final use of productive investment of remittances. In addition, enhancing more project of migrant in home country that may facilitate their trade with host countries. Finally, more efficient allocation of aid is requires, and attracting more FDI.
DETERMINANTS OF INTENTION TO FORWARD ONLINE COMPANY-GENERATED CONTENT VIA FACEBOOK

The aim of the present study is to analyze consumer intention to forward online company-generated content (CGC) from the retail banking sector via Facebook, the leading social network, based on a) the mediating effect of attitude to forwarding online CGC on the relationship between brand experience and the intention to forward online CGC and b) the mediating effect of Facebook perceived usefulness on the influence of subjective norms and source trustworthiness on the intention to forward online CGC. A sample of 404 users was recruited, and data collected by means of questionnaires distributed via email and personal interviews. The dataset obtained was analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. The findings demonstrate the mediating effect of attitude as the main antecedent of intention to forward online CGC. Relevant scholarly and managerial implications are drawn for financial entities and the agencies that provide them with corporate and marketing communications services.
Heterogeneity and Anisotropy of Earth's Inner Core

Seismic observations provide strong evidence that Earth's inner core is anisotropic, with larger velocity in the polar than in the equatorial direction. The top 60–80 km of the inner core is isotropic; evidence for an innermost inner core is less compelling. The anisotropy is most likely due to alignment of hcp (hexagonal close-packed) iron crystals, aligned either during solidification or by deformation afterward. The existence of hemispherical variations used to be controversial, but there is now strong evidence from both seismic body wave and normal mode observations, showing stronger anisotropy, less attenuation, and a lower isotropic velocity in the western hemisphere. Two mechanisms have been proposed to explain the hemispherical pattern: either (a) inner core translation, wherein one hemisphere is melting and the other is solidifying, or (b) thermochemical convection in the outer core, leading to different solidification conditions at the inner core boundary. Neither is (yet) able to explain all se.
The skilled u-shaped Europe: is it really and on which side does it stand?

This study estimates a quadratic sectoral wage equation for the member countries of the enlarged EU where wages are a function of each country's geographical location with respect to market size (new trade/New Economic Geography (NEG) effect), human capital (HOS endowment effect), and productivity (Ricardian effect). Wages react to these variables according to a U-shaped curve. They react negatively to market size and productivity of neighbouring countries, but react positively to skilled labour in neighbouring countries. However, due to non-linearity, further increases in these variables will induce a reversal in the outcome. Wages react more to market size, less to skill endowments, and even less to productivity, making economies of scale an important mechanism in explaining why firms can afford to pay higher wages in larger markets. In addition, EU real wages are significantly determined by country-specific characteristics other than geography that push the real wages of old EU members upward and pull the real wages of new EU members downward.
Ground-Based Transit Observations Of The HAT-P-18, HAT-P-19, HAT-P-27/WASP40 And WASP-21 Systems

As part of our ongoing effort to investigate transit timing variations (TTVs) of known exoplanets, we monitored transits of the four exoplanets HAT-P-18b, HAT-P-19b, HAT-P-27b/WASP-40b and WASP-21b. All of them are suspected to show TTVs due to the known properties of their host systems based on the respective discovery papers. During the past three years 46 transit observations were carried out, mostly using telescopes of the Young Exoplanet Transit Initiative. The analyses are used to refine the systems’ orbital parameters. In all cases we found no hints for significant TTVs, or changes in the system parameters inclination, fractional stellar radius and planet-to-star radius ratio. However, comparing our results with those available in the literature shows that we can confirm the already published values.
Reliability Modeling and Aging Characteristics Analysis of Bus-Motor

Complex systems are usually repairable and subject to a few types of different preventive maintenance (including overhaul), which can be imperfect. This paper reanalyzes the bus-motor-failure data of [1]. Four different competing risk models, each of which has three parameters, are fitted to the data and the best model is identified. Based on an examination of the failure rate of the fitted model, two basic aging characteristics are identified and analyzed. The results are useful for modeling and analyzing similar systems.
Spiritual Well-Being, Emotional Distress, and Perception of Health After a Myocardial Infarction

Background: Myocardial infarction (MI) is a critical life event, but subsequent interactions between spiritual well-being, distress, and perception of health have not been researched. Objectives: This study examines relationships between spiritual well-being (SWB), emotional distress, and perception of health after MI. Methods: A sample of 124 patients recovering from MI completed the SWB Scale, Profile of Mood States, and Health Perceptions Questionnaire. Scores were analyzed for variability and central tendency. Simple associations between subscales were measured using correlation coefficients. Pearson partial correlations were used to examine associations between variables of interest after adjustment for sample demographics. Results: SWB was negatively correlated with emotional distress and positively correlated with perception of health. Among the subscales of emotional distress, only Tension-Anxiety was negatively correlated with perception of health. Conclusions: Further research is needed to determine whether improved SWB and perception of health, and decreased emotional distress, are associated with improved clinical outcomes.
Effect of tillage system on soil temperature in a rainfed Mediterranean Vertisol

Abstract Soil temperature is a factor that influences the rates of physical, chemical, and biological reactions in soils and has a strong influence on plant growth. A field study was conducted during 2006-2007 and 2009-2010 on a typical rainfed Mediterranean Vertisol to determine the effects of the tillage system and the crop on soil temperature. The experimental treatments were the tillage system (no-tillage and conventional tillage) and the crop (wheat and faba bean). Soil temperature was measured at a 20 cm depth at 1 h intervals from December 1st to November 30th of 2006-2007 and 2009-2010. There was a highly significant relationship between air temperature (both maximum and minimum) and soil temperature for the two tillage systems. Soil temperature was similar in the growing season for both crops but was higher in the conventional tillage than in the no-tillage system, with differences between 0.7 and 2.6°C depending on the month of the year. A higher soil temperature with conventional tillage can be beneficial in the cold sowing period (November-December), improving crop establishment. In contrast, in critical periods with water deficits (spring) during which grain formation occurs, the lower temperature corresponding to the no-tillage system would be more favourable.
The inhomogeneous submillimeter atmosphere of Betelgeuse

The mechanisms responsible for heating the extended atmospheres of early-M spectral-type supergiants are poorly understood. So too is the subsequent role these mechanisms play in driving the large mass-loss rates of these stars. Here we present ALMA long (i.e., ~16 km) baseline 338 GHz (0.89 mm) continuum observations of the free-free emission in the extended atmosphere of the M2 spectral-type supergiant Betelgeuse. The spatial resolution of 14 mas exquisitely resolves the atmosphere, revealing it to have a mean temperature of 2760 K at ~1.3 R ⋆ , which is below both the photospheric effective temperature ( T eff = 3690 K) and the temperatures at ~2 R ⋆ . This is unambiguous proof for the existence of an inversion of the mean temperature in the atmosphere of a red supergiant. The emission is clearly not spherically symmetric with two notable deviations from a uniform disk detected in both the images and visibilities. The most prominent asymmetry is located in the north-east quadrant of the disk and is spatially resolved showing it to be highly elongated with an axis-ratio of 2.4 and occupying ~5% of the disk projected area. Its temperature is approximately 1000 K above the measured mean temperature at 1.3 R ⋆ . The other main asymmetry is located on the disk limb almost due east of the disk center and occupies ~3% of the disk projected area. Both emission asymmetries are clear evidence for localized heating taking place in the atmosphere of Betelgeuse. We suggest that the detected localized heating is related to magnetic activity generated by large-scale photospheric convection.
SEEDLING RECRUITMENT IN FORESTS: CALIBRATING MODELS TO PREDICT PATTERNS OF TREE SEEDLING DISPERSION'

Recruitment, the addition of new individuals into a community, is an im- portant factor that can substantially affect community composition and dynamics. We present a method for calibrating spatial models of plant recruitment that does not require identifying the specific parent of each recruit. This method calibrates seedling recruitment functions by comparing tree seedling distributions with adult distributions via a maximum likelihood analysis. The models obtained from this method can then be used to predict the spatial distributions of seedlings from adult distributions. We calibrated recruitment functions for 10 tree species characteristic of transition oak- northern hardwood forests. Significant differences were found in recruit abundances and spatial distributions. Predicted seedling recruitment limitation for test stands varied sub- stantially between species, with little recruitment limitation for some species and strong recruitment limitation for others. Recruitment was limited due to low overall recruit production or to restricted recruit dispersion. When these seedling recruitment parameters were incorporated into a spatial, individual-based model of forest dynamics, called SOR- TIE, alterations of recruitment parameters produced substantial changes in species abun- dance, providing additional support for the potential importance of seedling recruitment processes in community structure and dynamics.
Capital structure and the firm's life stage

In this paper we argue the case for a relationship between capital structure and a firm’s life stage. We provide an overview of the two sets of theories and follow this with a proposed linkage between the life stage and capital structure. We use the Adizes life stage model to assess the life stage of the firms in our sample. Our pilot study found a statistically significant relationship between life stage and the capital structure of respondents. The nature of the relationship (more debt in the early and late life stages than in prime) supports the pecking order theory of capital structure and suggests a practical use of the life stage model in helping firms to understand how their financing is likely to change over time.
Board composition, board leadership structure and firm performance: evidence from Bangladesh

This study examines if the corporate board composition in the form of representation of outside independent directors and structural independence of the board influence the firm economic performance in Bangladesh. By using 2-stage least square regression (2SLS) analysis, it is found that neither the board composition, nor the CEO-duality influence the firm performance. The finding of this study does not capture the agency theory for board composition, implying that the outside independent directors are not good for firm performance in Bangladesh. However, it supports the agency theory for board leadership structure. The outside directors can not add any value as they do not have any supervisory position in the board; they may have a close relationship with inside board members; many of them may not have adequate qualification and expertise of the independent directors. Similarly, the CEO duality may have reduced the board’s ability to exercise the governance function in the context of Bangladesh. Therefore, without legislative requirement of having the adequate qualification and expertise of the independent directors and without restructuring the board, the board independence may not provide any beneficial outcome to the firms.
Selection effects in the black hole-bulge relation and its evolution

We present an investigation of sample selection effects that influence the observed black hole-bulge relations and its evolution with redshift. We provide a common framework in which all kinds of selection effects on the M•-bulge relations can be investigated, but our main emphasis is on the consequences of using broad-line AGN with virial estimates of black hole masses and their host galaxies to search for evolution in the BH-bulge relation. We identified relevant sources of bias that were not discussed in the literature so far. A particularly important effect is caused by the fact that the active fraction among SMBHs varies considerably with BH mass, in the sense that high-mass BHs are less likely to be active than lower mass ones. In the connection with intrinsic scatter of the BH-bulge relation this effect implies a bias towards a low BH mass at given bulge property. This effect adds to the bias caused by working with luminosity or flux limited samples that were already discussed by others. A quantitative prediction of these biases requires (i) a realistic model of the sample selection function, and (ii) knowledge of relevant underlying distribution functions: the distribution of spheroid properties such as velocity dispersions or masses; the active fraction as a function of BH mass, or alternatively the active black hole mass function; and the Eddington ratio distribution function. We employed our formalism together with recently determined distribution functions to investigate how much existing studies of the M•-bulge relation using AGN hosts might suffer from selection biases. For low-redshift AGN samples we can naturally reproduce the flattening of the relation observed in some studies without having to invoke intrinsic differences in the BH-bulge relation between active and inactive galaxies. When extending our analysis to higher redshift samples we are clearly hampered by limited empirical constraints on the various relevant distribution functions. Using a best-guess approach for these distributions we estimate the expected magnitude of sample selection biases for a number of recent observational attempts to study the M•-bulge evolution. In no case do we find statistically significant evidence for an evolving M•-bulge relation. While the observed apparent offsets in M• /MBulge from the local relation can be quite large, the sample selection bias estimated from our formalism is typically of the same magnitude. We suggest a possible practical approach to circumvent several of the most problematic issues connected with AGN selection; this could become a powerful diagnostic in future investigations.
Fabrication and Properties of Zinc Composite Coatings for Mitigation of Corrosion in Coastal and Marine Zone

Deterioration of metals and alloys during service due to corrosion and wear phenomena shortens materials’ life span and structural integrity particularly in aggressive environ‐ ments such as coastal and marine. This degradation also limits the use of these materials in most industrial applications. Therefore, the improvement of the quality of these mate‐ rials in order to combat these challenges in industry remains critical. Surface modification techniques are employed to enhance materials’ properties to enable better performance and to extend their applications in demanding environments. Electrodeposition has been a useful method developed to improve the corrosion and mechanical properties of mate‐ rials. In the present contribution, ample knowledge about electrodeposition of Zn compo‐ site/nanocomposite coatings and their characteristics are reviewed to address coastal and marine degradation of metals and alloys.
E↵ect of field spread on resting-state MEG functional network

18 A popular way to analyze resting-state EEG and MEG data is to treat them as a functional network 19 in which sensors are identified with nodes and the interaction between channel time-series with the 20 network connections. Although conceptually appealing, the network-theoretical approach to sensor21 level EEG and MEG data is challenged by the fact that EEG and MEG time-series are mixtures of 22 source activity. It is therefore of interest to assess the relationship between functional networks of 23 source activity and the ensuing sensor-level networks. Since these topological features are of high 24 interest in experimental studies, we address the question of to what extent the network topology can 25 be reconstructed from sensor-level FC measures in case of MEG data. Simple simulations that consider 26 only a small number of regions do not allow to assess network properties; therefore, we use a di↵usion 27 MRI-constrained whole-brain computational model of resting-state activity. Our motivation lies behind 28 the fact that still many contributions found in the literature perform network analysis at sensor level, 29 and we aim at showing the discrepancies between sourceand sensor-level network topologies using 30 realistic simulations of resting-state cortical activity. Our main findings are that the e↵ect of field 31 spread on network topology depends on the type of interaction (instantaneous or lagged) and leads 32 to an underestimation of lagged FC at sensor level due to instantaneous mixing of cortical signals, 33 instantaneous interaction is more sensitive to field spread than lagged interaction, and discrepancies 34 are reduced when using planar gradiometers rather than axial gradiometers. We therefore recommend 35 to use lagged interaction measures on planar gradiometer data when investigating network properties 36 of resting-state sensor-level MEG data. 37
Status of phytoplankton diversity and biomass in relation to productivity of Ram-Ganga reservoir at Kalagarh (Uttarakhand)

Reservoirs, Lakes and Rivers are most important water resources with multiple human utilization and ecological relevance. Ramganga reservoir (latitude 29o-31'-13'' longitude 78o-45'-35'') is covering an area 7831 hectares of water surface in the foot hills of Shiwalik Himalayan range in between Garhwal and Kumaun region. The present study was to assess the status of phytoplankton diversity and biomass in order to know the productivity of Ram-Ganga reservoir. A total 31 species were recorded out of which 14 were Chlorophyceae, 9 Bacillariophyceae and 8 Cyanophyceae. Present study revealed maximum percentage wise composition, the highest number of Chlorophyceae (50%) in lower zone, Bacillariophyceae (35%) in the middle zone I and the number of cyanophyceae (20%) in lower zone. Shanon Weiner index (H’) values (2.26) were found to be the highest at middle zone II and lowest value (0.69) were found in upper zone.
IMPROVING THE GRAMMATICAL ACCURACY OF THE SPOKEN ENGLISH OF INDONESIAN INTERNATIONAL KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS

The need to improve the spoken English of kindergarten students in an international preschool in Surabaya prompted this Classroom Action Research (CAR). It involved the implementation of Form-Focused Instruction (FFI) strategy coupled with Corrective Feedback (CF) in Grammar lessons. Four grammar topics were selected, namely Regular Plural form, Subject Pronoun, Auxiliary Verbs Do/Does, and Irregular Past Tense Verbs as they were deemed to be the morpho-syntax which children acquire early in life based on the order of acquisition in Second Language Acquisition. The results showed that FFI and CF contributed to the improvement of the spoken grammar in varying degrees, depending on the academic performance, personality, and specific linguistic traits of the students. Students with high academic achievement could generally apply the grammar points taught after the FFI lessons in their daily speech. Students who were rather talkative were sensitive to the CF and could provide self-repair when prompted. Those with lower academic performance generally did not benefit much from the FFI lessons nor the CF.
Conceptual framework for subnational citizen-based participatory democracy and empowerment : case of Vhembe District Municipality

The apartheid government had consciously entrenched a governance system in which local communities did not have a voice in their local development agenda. During the apartheid era, the national government held command of local authorities on all matters of developmental initiatives. This was the case with all areas inhabited by Blacks while those inhabited by Whites were allowed some degree of self-governance. Post–1994, as outlined in the 1998 White Paper on Local Government, the African National Congress government undertook to correct the apartheid governance discrepancies. As a result, Parliament enacted pieces of legislation and various regulatory frameworks to foster community participation in local development initiatives. Subsequent transformation has arguably registered some success in urban areas, amidst persistent failures in rural areas. Reasons for these variable spatial effects range from literacy issues among community members to capacity challenges of the elected municipal councils. This is exacerbated by persistent migration of the young and educated citizens to urban areas. This article assesses and, thereafter, formulates a subnational citizen-based participatory and empowerment model that allows for vulnerable communities to participate in their local development initiatives. Additionally, it derives a conceptual framework for assessing subnational citizen-based participatory and empowermen arrangements.