Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial bias in field‐estimated unsaturated hydraulic properties

We use a Monte Carlo approach to explore the potential impact of observation and inversion model errors on the spatial statistics of field‐estimated unsaturated hydraulic properties. For this analysis we simulate tension infiltrometer measurements in a series of idealized realities, each consisting of spatially correlated random property fields. We consider only simple measurement errors that can be easily modeled. We show that estimated hydraulic properties are strongly biased by small, simple observation and inversion model errors. This bias can lead to order‐of‐magnitude errors in spatial statistics and artificial cross correlation between measured properties. The magnitude of bias varies with the true mean of the property field, the type of error considered, and the type of spatial statistic. We find no unique indicators of bias as property values may appear reasonable and spatial statistics may look realistic. Our results suggest new concerns for geostatisticians, stochastic modelers, and unsaturated zone practitioners who are unaware of the potential impact of spatial bias in field‐estimated properties.
US Infl ation and infl ation uncertainty in a historical perspective: The impact of recessions

We use over two hundred years of US inflation data to examine the impact of inflation uncertainty on inflation. An analysis of the full period without allowing for various regimes shows no impact of uncertainty on inflation. However, once we distinguish between recessions and non recessions, we find that inflation uncertainty has a negative effect on inflation only in recession times, thus providing support to the Holland hypothesis.
The Central Tendency 1 Running Head: Central Tendency and Intragroup Variability This research was supported by a Bonus Qualité Recherche grant from the Université

People report less variability within in-groups than within out-groups when they make their ratings on traits on which the in-group has a higher central tendency than the out-group. Simon, B. (1992a, 1992b) proposed that this effect is motivated by the need to protect a positive social identity. The present research tested the necessity of the social identity motive by using participants who were not members of any of the target groups that they judged. In Study 1 (N = 60), psychology undergraduate students reported significantly less intragroup variability on positive traits among a group of fashion designers that won a fashion competition than among a group that lost. Study 2 (N = 75) found a reverse effect on negative traits and confirmed the mediating role of perceived central tendency. These results demonstrate that the social identity motive is not necessary to explain the effect of central tendency on ratings of intragroup variability, and that the effect is more general than previously reported.
Applications of aqueous nano-sericite to a dual-chemical papermaking retention system

A widely used dual-chemical retention system in the paper industry containing polyacrylamide (P) at 300 ppm and globular colloidal silica (GS) at 430 ppm (calculated to actual solid content) was examined. GS was substituted with an indigenous mica mineral, nano-sericite (NS), and effects at different doses on the paper properties were investigated. Concept of electrical charge balance was included in the experimental design to obtain optimal NS doses. A set of experiment was carried out by fixing dose of P and maintaining fiber surface charge at -40±2 mV, which comply with the commonly used GS condition. Another set added NS at doses of 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 ppm (calculated to actual solid content). Pulp furnishes were then formed into standard handsheets for paper properties examination. Optimal conditions entailed a P: NS ratio of 300: 600 ppm. Afterward, a 2 2 factorial design was applied, and paper physical properties were analyzed with ANOVA to delineate the effects of polymer and microparticle interactions on the dual-chemical system. In addition, NS was observed with TEM to provide clues to its roles in the paper forming process. The results indicated that substituting NS for GS enhanced mechanical strengths of the handsheets. Under the optimal conditions, tensile index of handsheets increased from 35.8±1.02 to 41.1±1.26 N·m/g; burst index increased from 2.20±0.08 to 2.43±0.04 kPa·m 2 /g; elongation rate increased from 3.33% to 4.57%; folding endurance (MIT) increased from 8 to 13. In addition, there was no significant change in the first pass retention, ash content and brightness due to the substitution, which were 84.01%, 16.67%, and 82.67% ISO, respectively. Along with increased NS doses, ash content of the handsheets increased from 15.94% to 17.03%; brightness increased from 82.99 to 83.11% ISO. Tensile index, first-pass retention, and rate of elongation showed an increasing and then decreasing trend. Tensile index and first-pass retention reached maximum at 400 ppm NS charge, at 41.14±1.21 N·m/g, and 84.71%, respectively; burst index and rate of elongation reached maximum at 6000 ppm NS charge, at 2.43±0.04 kPa·m 2 /g, and 4.57%, respectively; tear index, smoothness, and air permeability didn’t change much with varying NS doses. Results of the ANOVA indicated that at a 95% confidence interval, NS dose affected all paper physical properties significantly; while P dose affected first-pass
Ownership Structure and Investment Efficiency: Evidence From Egypt

This paper aims to examine the relationship between Ownership Structure Mechanisms (Managerial Ownership, Institutional Ownership, Block holder Ownership and Outside Director Ownership) and Investment Efficiency by using panel data analysis. To investigate this relationship used the multiple regression models. Findings of investigation of 35 firms listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange in the period 2006 to 2015 by balanced Panel model representative . Results indicated that Managerial Ownership isn’t related with investment efficiency. In contract, institutional ownership, block holder ownership and outside director ownership have a negative relationship with investment efficiency. In addition, the researcher found that control variables (Firm size, Debt ratio, Tobin’s Q) not related to investment efficiency. These findings imply that the Majority of Egyptians firms relies on institutional without individual ownership and then reduces much of possible from agency problems and decreasing information asymmetry and facilitating the monitoring of investment decisions .
Resistance and resilience: can the abrupt end of extreme drought reverse avifaunal collapse?

Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events, such as severe droughts and intense rainfall periods. We explored how the avifauna of a highly modified region responded to a 13‐year drought (the ‘Big Dry’), followed by a two‐year period of substantially higher than average rainfall (the ‘Big Wet’).
Fluoride accumulation in paddy (Oryza sativa) irrigated with fluoride-contaminated groundwater in an endemic area of the Birbhum District, West Bengal.

Substantial accumulation of fluoride (F) was observed in different parts of paddy (rice, Oryza sativa) irrigated with F-contaminated groundwater (0.62–4.06 mg/L) grown in soil containing 1.45–3.80 mg water-extractable (FH2O) and 140–144 mg total (FTOTAL) F/kg dry wt. Statistically significant correlations (p leaf (FH2O 5.88, FTOTAL 50.30) > stem (FH2O 3.26, FTOTAL 19.57) > seeds (FH2O 2.88, FTOTAL 12.31). The transfer factor (TF) with respect to water-extractable soil F and in different parts of paddy also showed a high translocation pattern similar to the accumulation pattern.
The Effect of Subsidies on R&D Investment and Success – Do Subsidy History and Size Matter?

This study provides insights into the effects of public R&D grants on R&D input and output of firms from Germany. Previous research has shown that the allocation of R&D project grants is rather stable regarding the pool of beneficiaries. The question is whether this participation pattern can be justified by its realized effects. In addition, the impact of the grant size on the effects is investigated. Therefore, I allow to a certain extent for heterogeneous treatment effects in these two dimensions. Using a sample of about 8,500 observations, a non-parametric matching approach with multiple treatments is applied to estimate the effects of public R&D grants on firm's R&D input. The results show that particularly frequently given grants as well as medium and large grants are suitable to increase the scope of firm-financed R&D plans. For the analysis of the effects on firm's R&D output the R&D expenditures are disentangled in R&D which would have been spent in the absence of the grant and publicly induced R&D, including the grant and the effect on private R&D expenditures. Basically both types of R&D are equally productive in terms of innovative output. For the statement that a rather stable pattern of program participation leads to a lower effectiveness of the instrument no evidence has been found.
Prevalence, antibiotic-resistance properties and enterotoxin gene profile of Bacillus cereus strains isolated from milk-based baby foods

Purpose: To investigate the prevalence, distribution of enterotoxins and antibiotic resistance of B. cereus in milk-based infant foods. Methods: Three-hundred milk-based infant foods were collected and immediately transferred to the laboratory. Samples were cultured and B. cereus isolates were also confirmed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based detection of gyrB gene. B. cereus strains were subjected to disk diffusion and PCR-based detection of enterotoxigenic genes. Results: Prevalence of B. cereus in infant foods was 3 %. Contamination was in the range of 12.5 – 41.5 CFU/g. Brand D had the highest prevalence of B. cereus (6.2 %). NheA (88.8 %), nheC (55.5 %) and entFM (55.5 %) were the most commonly detected enterotoxigenic genes. Bacteria showed the highest prevalence of resistance against penicillin (100 %), tetracycline (77.7 %) and oxacillin (66.6 %). Prevalence of resistance against two antibiotics were 100 %. Conclusion: Considerable prevalence of resistant and toxigenic B. cereus and high consumption of milk-based infant foods in Iran, represent an important public health issue which should be considered for further preventive approaches. Keywords: Prevalence, Bacillus cereus , Antibiotic resistance, Enterotoxigenic genes, Milk-based infant food
Comparison of the Monetary Reward Decision of Taiwan and U.S. Managers : Allocation Context as a Moderator

This study examines the effects of the affect, loyalty, and contribution factors of the manager-subordinate exchange relationship on the monetary reward decision. It also analyzes the moderated effects of nations (Taiwan and the U.S.) and the reward allocation context (private and public) on these three factors and the monetary reward decision. The study uses a 2 × 2× 2 scenario experiment design to examine the effects of perspective. Total valid samples were received from 224 Taiwan and 152 U.S. managers regarding their reward allocation choices under a simulated situation involving eight types of employee. The results indicate that, regardless of a public or private context, Taiwan managers allocate more monetary rewards to subordinates with a closer affective relationship, whereas U.S. managers place more emphasis on their subordinates’ work contribution. The limitations of the research are discussed and suggestions for further research proposed.
The socio‐economic impact of an urban park: the case of Wilderness National Park

Most of South Africa’s national parks are based in rural areas, although a few parks – such as Wilderness National Park (WNP) – are situated in an urban area. This park differs from other national parks in several ways: it is not fenced in, it has very few animal species and it is a marine (fresh and salt water) reserve. WNP is a scenic park with wetlands, beaches and forests. It is well known that national parks are not developed and managed for their environmental purposes alone but they also have an economic and social obligation to surrounding communities. The aim of this article is therefore to determine the socio‐economic impact of WNP. In order to achieve this aim, the research involved three surveys, namely a business survey, a community survey and an overnight park tourists survey. The results indicated that the park has an impact in terms of production, income generation and employment and it is also achieving its goal with regard to conservation, creating economic opportunities and involving the community of Wilderness. It was found that the social impact of the WNP is bigger than its economic impact.
The Relationship Between Problem Solving and Creative Thinking Skills among Nursing Students

The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between problem solving and creative thinking skills among nursing students. This is a cross-sectional and correlational study. The sample was composed of 266 nursing students who were assessed on the creative thinking scale and problem solving inventory. The problem solving capability of students increase statistically significant levels as the grades of the students increase. The average score students get from creative thinking scale, did not show any difference due to the level of grade and all students obtained scores to be defined as “over the average creativity”. There was a moderately significant negative correlation between the scores of the two scales employed by the study. Especially higher scores on problem solving for the senior nursing students in comparison with others, is an important result proving nursing education has a positive effect on problem solving.
Biochemical alterations in hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with doxorubicin

Doxorubicin (Dox) is an anthracycline antibiotic used as a single chemotherapeutic agent for HCC and has been shown to produce a response rate of about 10-15% but with no proven survival benefits. The present work was conducted to study the biochemical alterations in HCC patients treated with doxorubicin. The study included 30 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). They were divided into 3 groups. Group 1.Ten specimens of heptocellular carcinoma patients were taken before doxorubicin treatments. Group 2.Ten specimens of heptocellular carcinoma patients were taken one week after doxorubicin treatment. Group 3.Ten specimens of heptocellular carcinoma patientswere taken two weeks after doxorubicin treatment. Another ten normal volunteers were used as controls. Treatment schedule consists of i.v. injection of doxorubicin at a dose of 15 mg/m2 weekly for 3 weeks.Ascitic fluid and blood serum were collected for biochemical examinations. The results showed that asciticAFP, CEA, T.LDH and LDH4, LDH5 increased significantly inHCC patients.ALT,AST andALP showed significant increase in sera of HCC patients. These biochemical parameters revealed significant decrease in Dox treated patients.
When Sell-Side Analysts Meet High-Volatility Stocks: An Alternative Explanation for the Low-Volatility Puzzle

Empirically, high-volatility stocks tend to deliver low average returns; this result is robust globally and has been documented in various studies. We confirm this finding using a global equity dataset that includes emerging markets data. We also show that high-volatility stocks exhibit high analyst bias in earnings growth forecasts. Although sell-side analysts are predictably optimistic, the relationship between the degree of optimism and a stock’s volatility has not been documented before. We hypothesize that analysts inflate earnings forecasts more aggressively for volatile stocks, in part because the inflation would be more difficult for investors to detect. Because investors are known to overreact to analyst forecasts (under-adjust to analyst bias), this can lead to systematic overvaluation and low returns for high-volatility stocks. Additionally, we find sell-side analysts’ research informative despite the analysts’ biases; stocks that have high forward E/P ratios based on analyst earnings forecasts tend to outperform and produce significantly positive Fama-French alphas. This evidence rejects the cynical view of some in our industry that sell-side analysts are unskilled. More interestingly, we find high forward E/P stocks also exhibit high analyst bias, which supports an interpretation that analysts are more willing to inflate earnings forecasts for stocks that they believe are likely to deliver high returns — or for which their inflated forecasts are likely to do no harm.
Current Velocity Data on Dwarf Galaxy NGC 1052-DF2 do not Constrain it to Lack Dark Matter

It was recently proposed that the globular cluster system of the very low surface brightness galaxy NGC 1052-DF2 is dynamically very cold, leading to the conclusion that this dwarf galaxy has little or no dark matter. Here, we show that a robust statistical measure of the velocity dispersion of the tracer globular clusters implies a mundane velocity dispersion and a poorly constrained mass-to-light ratio. Models that include the possibility that some of the tracers are field contaminants do not yield a more constraining inference. We derive only a weak constraint on the mass-to-light ratio of the system within the half-light radius ( at the 90% confidence level) or within the radius of the furthest tracer ( at the 90% confidence level). This limit may imply a mass-to-light ratio on the low end for a dwarf galaxy, but many Local Group dwarf galaxies fall well within this contraint. With this study, we emphasize the need to reliably account for measurement uncertainties and to stay as close as possible to the data when determining dynamical masses from very small data sets of tracers.
The Evolution of Animal Domestication

The domestication of plants and animals over the past 11,500 years has had a significant effect not just on the domesticated taxa but also on human evolution and on the biosphere as a whole. Decades of research into the geographical and chronological origins of domestic animals have led to a general understanding of the pattern and process of domestication, though a number of significant questions remain unresolved. Here, building upon recent theoretical advances regarding the different pathways animals followed to become domesticated, we present a large-scale synthesis that addresses the global pattern of animal domestication alongside a discussion of the differential evolutionary processes that have shaped domestic animal populations. More specifically, we present a framework for understanding how unconscious selection characterized the earliest steps of animal domestication and the role of introgression and the importance of relaxed and positive selection in shaping modern domestic phenotypes and genomes.
Essays in entrepreneurial finance

In Chapter 1, a theory of optimal fund size in venture capital is developed. Fund managers - the VCs - add value to the projects they finance, but their human capital is scarce. A matching model is proposed where VCs span their nurturing activity over more projects, and entrepreneurs, who own the projects, direct their search to VCs based on their projects’ quality. The work provides necessary and sufficient conditions for positive and negative assortative matching over VC attention and project quality to emerge and shows when VCs fundraising decision is distorted by selection considerations. The chapter ends with an investigation of the effects of entry of less skilled intermediaries. By attracting the worse entrepreneurs, these new agents alleviate the adverse selection problem associated to managing a larger fund. This offers a new angle to think about policies encouraging entry in the venture capital industry. In Chapter 2, the model developed in Chapter 1 is extended to a dynamic setting, where projects need time to develop and produce returns. VCs can choose to enter in a short-term contract with investors, giving them access to investors liquidity for a given period of time, and an open credit relationship that allows them to raise investors money at any point in time. The model illustrates a novel advantage of closed, finite-horizon funds, which emerge in equilibrium even when they are socially undesirable: they attract the best entrepreneurs, who value the most the exclusive relationship that only a closed-end fund can guarantee. The interpretation is that VCs benefit from committing to a size in the first place. In Chapter 3, the focus moves to the study of the distortions in fund managers’ behavior that may occur within a fund’s life. A setting is introduced where information about a manager’s ability is imperfect and managers are interested in their reputation. Given the application to investments in young firms, managers in the model are agents that create value because they can experiment and learn about a projects potential. Their incentive to take on risk is distorted by career concerns, and can result in under or over risk-taking. The result contrasts with Holmstrom (1999) where managers directly affect the project’s success rate, and career concerns can only produce inefficiently low risk-taking. It is shown that the inefficiency is reduced when the market can also observe the outcome of projects with the same fundamental.
Effects of Ethanolic Extract of Brassica juncea (Mustard Seed) on the Brain and Kidney Tissues of Albino Wistar Rats

Mustard seeds ( Brassica species ) are widely used as medicinal crops and spices. They are a rich source of oil and protein containing as high as 46 – 48% oil and 43.6% protein in whole seed meal. Historically, mustard seeds are mentioned in ancient Sanskrit writings dating back five thousand years. The ancient Greeks and Romans also used the seeds for medicinal purposes. However, not much has been documented on the neurotoxic and nephrotoxic effects of mustard seeds. A study designed to investigate the possible toxicity of mustard seeds on brain and kidney tissues was carried out. Twenty albino wistar rats of mixed sexes, aged two months and weighing 100 - 140g were divided into four groups of five rats labeled A to D. Groups A and B were orally administered different concentrations of ethanolic extract of mustard seeds, 2000mg/kg and 4000mg/kg body weight respectively daily for two weeks while groups C and D served as pre and post-treatment controls and received no extract. Kidney and brain tissues of rats were histologically processed and stained using Haematoxylin and Eosin technique and examined microscopically. Sections revealed that the ethanolic extracts of Brassica juncea had visible histological effects and altered the histoarchitecture of the brain and kidney tissues of the test groups. The results suggest that prolonged ingestion of extract is toxic to tissues at the concentrations investigated. Keywords: Mustard seeds, albino wistar rats, ethanolic extract