Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Female Employment and Pre-Kindergarten: On the Unintended Effects of an Italian Reform

We theoretically show that when mothers need to buy childcare services not only if they work but also if they want to search actively for a job, a reduction in the price of childcare will increase their likelihood of searching but may decrease their willingness to accept a job offer and therefore lower employment. We test these predictions empirically by means of a Regression Discontinuity design and find that the introduction in Italy of pre-kindergarten, a much cheaper alternative to day care for 2-year-old children, increased both participation in the labour market and employment of mothers of eligible children. This effect was driven largely by a significant decrease in the stated reservation wage.
Constructing Healthy Experiences through Human-Animal Interactions for Autistic Children and Their Families: Implications for Research and Education

A significant body of research in the field of animal assistance in autism spectrum dis- order (ASD) therapy indicates that positive human-animal interactions (HAIs), such as playing with therapy dogs or dogs presence while reading Social Stories, improve the social interactions and the level of the behavioral indicators of positive moods (smiling, laughing) in autistic children. In this chapter, we aim to present a series of evidence- based modalities of including animal-assisted activities in standard therapeutic settings but also in the home environment (e.g., interactions with family animals), targeting the socio-emotional development of autistic children and their optimal communication with the family members, including the companion animals. The studies presented here are discussed from the perspective of potential mechanisms, such as oxytocin system, and several attachment-related views. Our studies point toward the valorization of companion animals in the process of development and optimizing the interpersonal communication abilities of ASD children in a positive and engaging manner for both humans and animals. the of the initiations of social interactions initiations initiations plus dog intervention baseline phase U Mann-Whitney p < 0.05). comparison of the SS and SS plus dog presence interventions a high-effect size for all the three participants d = 0.83 for the first participant, d = 0.92 the second one, and d = 0.79 for the third participant, p 0.05).
THz radiation emission properties of multienergy arsenic-ion-implanted GaAs and semi-insulating GaAs based photoconductive antennas

We compare the performance of THz photoconductive (PC) emitter antennas fabricated on multienergy arsenic ion implanted GaAs (multi-GaAs:As+) and semi-insulating GaAs. High damage threshold biasing (>60 kV/cm) and large saturation optical-pumping power (∼20 mW) for multi-GaAs:As+ based PC antennas are reported. Carrier mobility in the As ion implanted layer of GaAs:As+ was estimated to be about 150 cm2/V/s, which was comparable to that of low temperature GaAs.
Echokardiograficzna ocena układu krążenia młodzieży uprawiającej sport wyczynowy w aspekcie rozwoju mechanizmów adaptacyjnych do wysiłku fizycznego

Wstep. Ocena ukladu krązenia u mlodych sportowcow pozostaje tematem aktywnych badan. Duze trudności pojawiają sie w zakresie oceny wielkości i grubości jam serca ze wzgledu na istotne roznice antropometryczne miedzy poszczegolnymi zawodnikami gdzie trening fizyczny (nierzadko bardzo intensywny) naklada sie na okres dojrzewania i szybkiego wzrostu. Celem pracy byla ocena wplywu regularnego wysilku fizycznego na uklad krązenia u dorastających sportowcow. Material i metody. W badaniu oceniano 89 sportowcow — 41 jeden pilkarzy oraz tenisistow (grupa 1.) oraz 48 rozpoczynających kariere sportową wioślarzy (grupa 2.). U wszystkich kwalifikujących sie zawodnikow wykonano badanie ergospirometryczne z oceną szczytowego pochlaniania tlenu (VO2 max ) oraz badania elektrokardiograficzne i echokardiograficzne. Wyniki. Porownano sportowcow z obu grup, tj. pilkarzy i tenisistow (grupa 1.) z grupą wioślarzy (grupa 2.). Obie grupy nie roznily sie wiekiem (14,2 ± 1,1 v. 14,3 ± 1,2 roku; p = NS) oraz plcią (dziewczeta: 6 [7,6%] v. 8 [10,2%]; p = NS]. Dluzej trenujący pilkarze i tenisiści, w porownaniu z grupą wioślarzy, roznili sie pod wzgledem parametrow antropometrycznych, parametrow wydolności fizycznej oraz spoczynkowej czestości rytmu serca. Wiekszośc wymiarow jam serca indeksowanych wzgledem pola powierzchni ciala byla wieksza w grupie osob dluzej trenujących pilkarzy i tenisistow (koncoworozkurczowy wymiar lewej komory: 29,1 ± 2,5 v. 26,8 ± 2,7 mm/m 2 ; p < 0,001; grubośc przegrody miedzykomorowej: 6,0 ± 0,7 v. 5,4 ± 0,8 mm; p = 0,001; grubośc ściany tylnej: 0,8 ± 0,6 v. 5,2 ± 0,6; p < 0,001; proksymalny fragment drogi odplywu prawej komory: 16,1 ± 2,2 v. 14,5 ± 2,0 mm/m 2 ; p = 0,001; wymiar drogi naplywu prawej komory: 19,9 ± 2,1 v. 18,5 ± 2,6 mm/m 2 ; p = 0,01). Po zastosowaniu indeksacji allometrycznej wiekszośc oberwanych roznic przestala miec znaczenie istotne statystycznie, z wyjątkiem indeksowanej masy lewej komory (87,0 ± 13,9 v. 76,8 ± 12,2 g/(m 2 )1,5; p = 0,001). Wnioski. 1. Zastosowanie indeksacji allometrycznej w stosunku do parametrow echokardiograficznych u dorastających sportowcow wydaje sie wlaściwe ze wzgledu na nieliniową zaleznośc pomiedzy tempem wzrostu, a szybkością zwiekszania sie narządow wewnetrznych w tej grupie wiekowej. 2. Nawet krotki trening fizyczny u dorastających sportowcow ma istotny wplyw na poprawe parametrow wydolności fizycznej, bez znaczącego wplywu na wiekszośc parametrow morfologicznych serca.
Iron-based high transition temperature superconductors

In a superconductor electrons form pairs and electric transport becomes dissipation-less at low temperatures. Recently discovered iron-based superconductors have the highest superconducting transition temperature next to copper oxides. In this article, we review material aspects and physical properties of iron-based superconductors. We discuss the dependence of transition temperature on the crystal structure, the interplay between antiferromagnetism and superconductivity by examining neutron scattering experiments, and the electronic properties of these compounds obtained by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy in link with some results from scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy measurements. Possible microscopic model for this class of compounds is discussed from a strong coupling point of view.
Enhanced growth of cabbage seedlings by a Paenibacillus isolate in the presence of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris

Paenibacillus spp. are rhizobacteria that can promote plant growth through a range of mechanisms. A New Zealand isolate of Paenibacillus, P16, has reduced the incidence of black rot, caused by Xanthamonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc), in brassicas. To investigate if this response was provided through plant growth promotion, isolate P16 was co-applied with Xcc as a seed treatment. In the presence of Xcc, P16-treated seedlings had significantly greater root length, leaf area, and root and shoot dry weight compared to the positive control (Xcc alone). There were no significant differences in plant growth parameters between P16-treated seedlings in the absence of the pathogen and the negative control (seeds without Xcc or P16). Isolate P16 enabled plants to survive and grow normally by preventing disease development; the mechanism of disease suppression requires further investigation.
Isolation and Characterization of Simian Retrovirus Type D from Macaca fascicularis and M. nemestrina in Indonesia

Simian type D retroviruses (SRVs) are one of the causative agents of simian acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in Asian macaques. In the past, SRV isolates from macaques had only been identified at the US primate centers, outside the country of origin and after the animals had been introduced into a new environment. In this study, we report the first isolation, cultivation and molecular characterization of the type D simian retrovirus naturally infecting wild caught macaques in their natural habitats in the country of origin, in this case, Indonesia. When peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from (Mf) and (Mn) were co-cultured with Raji human B-cell line, syncytia were observed microscopically and confirmed by immunofluoresence assay using antibody to SRV-2. Immunoblot analysis of purified Mf-ET1006 from cell culture supernatants demonstrated that the viral core and envelope proteins reacted with rabbit anti-SRV. Sequence analysis of Mf isolates in the viral envelope region revealed high homology to SRV-2 (94-96%). On the other hand, the homologies in the envelope region of Mn isolates were less than 80% to SRV-1, SRV-2, SRV-3 and Mf isolates. This study suggests that the isolate from Mn may be different from any other published SRV isolates.
Modelling the dynamics of the Tanzanian coastal waters

A numerical modeling study was carried out using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) for the Tanzanian coast to investigate the seasonal dynamics of water circulation, temperature and salinity. The model results indicated the presence of an eddy on the surface that develops during the Northeast (NE) monsoon and which has not been documented previously. The study also revealed that, the core of the East African Coastal Current (EACC) passes adjacent to the coast, just off the three major islands of Pemba, Zanzibar, and Mafia. There are localized patches of strong currents parallel and adjacent to the mainland coast, with magnitudes that are influenced by the coastline configuration, bottom topography and the extent of exposure to the main stream of the EACC. The current speeds along the coast of Tanzania are lowest in February and March, and highest in July, August, and November but generally not exceeding 1 ms-1. Surface salinities generally vary between 34.8 and 35.5, whereas surface temperatures range from a minimum of 25.0°C to a maximum of 30.2°C. The modelled salinity and temperature profiles are similar to those observed from field observations of previous investigations. Key words: Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) model; seasonal variations; water circulation; salinity; water temperature; Tanzanian coast.
Sheep Fattening with Groundnut Haulms and Millet Bran in the West African Sahel

Sheep fattening is an important economic activity in the West African Sahel, especially towards the Islamic festival of Eid-al-Kabir, called Tabaski in the region (1, 3). It is particularly attractive to poor farmers including women because of the low initial investment, rapid rate of turnover and social acceptance. The main strategy is to fatten young, lean male sheep obtained either from the farmer’s own flock or, more often, purchased on the open market, over a twoto three-month period, with each farmer fattening between one and five animals. The sheep are usually tethered or kept in a small sheltered enclosure at the homestead, and often fed and watered individually. Basal feeds used for sheep fattening, such as bush hay and millet straw, are commonly supplemented with cowpea hay, groundnut haulms, and millet bran which is derived from the household processing of millet grains (10). The rapid growth and good condition required within a short time make feeding the appropriate quantity and quality critical for the profitability of the activity (10).
Multivariate Analyses of Factors Affecting Dividend Policy of Acquired European Banks

Dividends, particularly of acquired banks are influenced by several structural adjustments especially after mergers. The paper evaluates the various factors affecting dividend of both acquired and non-acquired banks. Using data from 120 large mergers and acquisitions in Europe, the study finds that while the levels of liquidity, risk, composition of the financial structure are pertinent factors in the dividend policy of banks, the price earning (PE) ratio is specifically fundamental to non-acquired banks. The significance of the variable in the non-acquired banks indicates that growth in bank investments and future projects exert more aggressive impact on banks that are not acquired or less likely to merge. This finding is novel as previous studies on dividend policy do not make this distinction.
Screening for high Kaempferol content in different species of Malaysian medicinal plants

Kaempferol is a natural flavonol and has been reported to reduce risk of pancreatic cancer and protect against heart disease. Kaempferol also acts as antioxidant that prevents oxidative damage to cell, lipids and DNA. The purpose of this study was to determine kaempferol distribution in the leaves of 20 Malaysian medicinal plants using GC–FID. Results demonstrated that kaempferol was only detected in eight plant species. Of all plants tested, Tibouchina semidecandra contained the highest kaempferol concentration. Further assessment showed that mature leaf extracts of T. Semidecandra had more kaempferol (4689.75±654.83mg kg –1 ) than young leaf extracts (1945.04±138.81mg kg –1 ). However, no kaempferol was detected in shoot extracts. These findings suggest that kaempferol content depends on plant species and physiological state of the plant organs. Thus, T. semidecandra could be an alternative source of kaempferol.
Tree diversity of tropical dry evergreen forests dominated by single or mixed species on the Coromandel coast of India

We investigated tree diversity of single- and mixed species-dominated tropical dry evergreen forests on the Coromandel coast of peninsular India and compared these forests with other monodominant forests of the tropical world. For this we established three 1- ha plots one each in three monodominant sites (Suryanpet- SP; Velleripet- VP; S. Pudhoor- SPD) and a 1- ha plot in a mixed species dominant site (Chinna Kumatti- CK). All trees ≥ 10 cm girth at breast height were enumerated. Dominance of a single species in the monodominant sites did not affect total tree diversity of these sites. Tree species richness totaled 56 species in four forests and ranged from 18 (at VP site) to 27 species ha -1 (at CK site). Tree density ranged from 771 (SP site) to 1285 trees ha -1 (CK site). Among the monodominant sites, Tricalysia sphaerocarpa formed 72 % of the forest stand density at SPD, Strychnos nux-vomica 67 % at VP and Dimorphocalyx glabellus accounted for 60.8 % of the total density at SP. A literature survey on the monodominant forests across the tropics revealed that a single tree species could account for 50 to 100 % of stand density in Asian, 58 to 100 % in African and 51 to 91 % in Neotropical forests. The monodominant tree species mostly belonged to Caesalpiniaceae in Africa and Neotropics, and Dipterocarpaceae and Lauraceae in Asia, while Rubiaceae, Loganiaceae and Euphorbiaceae contributed the monodominant species on our sites. As tropical dry evergreen forests of peninsular India still remain understudied, the need for conservation of both mono- and mixed species forests is emphasized.
The relationship between demotivation and intercultural communicative competence

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between intercultural communicative competence and demotivation to learn a second language. The participants of the study included 60 Iranian EFL learners at the intermediate level of language proficiency. Data were collected through administering the intercultural communicative scale and demotivation questionnaire and also conducting interviews. Data analysis was performed by running Pearson Correlation Coefficient using SPSS 21. The results of Pearson Correlation Coefficient showed that intercultural communication competence was negatively related to demotivation. Analysis of interview data showed that participants believed in negative relationship between intercultural communication competence and demotivation. They also maintained that integrating with other cultures and communicating with people from other cultures are sources of motivation in English language learning. Based on the findings of the study, teachers are encouraged to try to develop learners’ intercultural communicative competence in an effort to reduce EFL learners’ demotivation.
La representación de las mujeres trabajadoras en la ficción televisiva española

During the sixties and seventies the limited presence of women in the public sphere was reflected in the restricted repertoire of roles played by female characters in television fiction (mainly those of mothers and wives). The strengthening of the feminist movement in the following decades increased and diversified the portrayals of women in the workplace, and further encouraged academic research on the social construction of working women. Despite the relevance of female professionals in current TV shows, the importance of romantic relationships and sexuality has led to a decreasing number of studies on the subject. This article summarizes the results of a study on working women in Spanish TV fiction, part of a larger project on the construction of female identities. The research uses an original methodology that combines quantitative techniques and qualitative methods (socio-semiotics) to analyse the sample of 709 female characters. The results show a coexistence of the traditional stereotypes of working women in customer service and care-giving positions with those of highly skilled female professionals. However, the empowerment of women in positions of responsibility is often associated with a negative portrayal of the character, while the problems of reconciling family and work are systematically avoided.
Moulds and mycotoxins in stored maize grains

In this study the presence of moulds and mycotoxins in samples of stored maize grains in the period from October 2011 to September 2012 was investigated. Mycological analyses of whole and broken grains showed the presence of species from the genera Alternaria, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium, Rhizopus and others. Among the Aspergillus and Fusarium genera as potentially toxigenic fungi, Aspergillus flavus was identified with the highest percentage on broken grains (20.38%) whereas F. verticilioides was the predominant species in the whole maize grains (34.04%). In addition, it was obtained that tested samples of stored maize grains were 100% positive with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), zearalenone (ZON), deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisin B1 (FB1) with an average concentration of 1.39 μg kg -1 , 71.79 μg kg -1 , 128.17 μg kg -1 , and 1610.83 μg kg -1 , respectively. A significant positive correlation was found between the moisture content and the presence of Fusarium spp. on the broken grains (r = 0.44) and between the moisture content and the concentration of DON (r = 0.61). However, a significant negative correlation was found between moisture content and FB1 (r = -0.34), and between the concentration of ZON and DON mycotoxins (r = -0.58).
Evaluation of logistic regression on mode of the delivery of expectant mothers

The aim of the study is to obtain a Logistic Regression that can be used to classify the mode of delivery of pregnant women using some variables. Data from Health Records of 184 Pregnant women who delivered at the General Hospital, Wuse were used. The data consist of Mother’s Weight, Height, Age and Baby’s Weight, Baby’s Gender and mode of delivery (Natural birth and Caesarian Section). In literature the author discovered that the discriminant analysis cannot handle mixed data (discrete and continuous data) effectively instead logistic regression better fit the data. The model correctly classified 65.8% original grouped cases with positive and negative predictive values 65.75% and 68.70% respectively, which are higher than values obtained under the discriminant analysis.
The Effect of the Involvement Load Hypothesis on Improving Iranian EFL learners' Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition in Listening Comprehension Classes NafisehAsadzadehMaleki

Because of the importance of vocabulary learning and retention, Hulstijn and Laufer proposed the notion of the Involvement Load Hypothesis in 2001. This hypothesis consists of three main components: Need, Search, and Evaluation. This hypothesis claims that tasks inducing higher involvement load produce better vocabulary retention effects. Accordingly, this study intended to find out whether word learning and retention in a second language is contingent upon a task's Involvement Load Hypothesis, i.e. the amount of need, search, and evaluation. This study is aimed to apply the hypothesis to substantiate incidental vocabulary acquisition in EFL listening comprehension. To this end, 80 pre-intermediate EFL learners were assigned to one of the four groups: a control group that received no treatment and three experimental groups that completed one of the three vocabulary learning tasks that varied in the amount of the involvement; group 1, listening comprehension questions with marginal glosses irrelevant to the questions, group 2, listening comprehension questions with marginal glosses relevant to the questions, group 3, listening comprehension questions with marginal glosses relevant to the questions which were followed by writing sentences using those words. According to the immediate and delayed vocabulary retention post-tests' results, it turned out that there was a significant difference in retention effects among the three tasks, which proved the validity of the Involvement Load Hypothesis, confirming that tasks with higher involvement load lead to better retention effects. The findings of the current study have implications for language teachers, researchers, and material writers to encourage their students to use the involvement load hypothesis in order to enhance their vocabulary knowledge incidentally.
Unitary Approaches to Dissipative Quantum Dynamics

We describe in detail a general system–bath strategy for investigating the quantum behavior of small systems interacting with complex environments. In this approach, a simplified heat bath is used as a surrogate for realistic environments, and explicit, unitary quantum simulations of the “universe” (the system plus the bath) are performed by means of high-dimensional wave-packet techniques. In this chapter, we describe the underly‐ ing Hamiltonians and the related reduced dynamical descriptions, show how to recast real-world problems into this form, introduce some of the methods currently used to deal with high-dimensional quantum dynamics, and present the results of this strategy when applied to numerous problems of physicochemical interest.
Liquidity Preference and Financial Intermediation

We examine the characteristics of optimal monetary policies in a general equilibrium model with incomplete markets. Markets are incomplete because of uninsured preference uncertainty, and because productive capital is traded infrequently. Rational individuals are willing to hold a liquid asset—"money"—at a premium. Monetary policy interacts with existing financial institutions to determine this premium, as well as the level of precautionary holdings. We show that inflation is expansionary, and that the optimal inflation rate is positive if there is no operative banking system (the Tobin effect). Otherwise, efficiency requires that money be undominated in its rate of return (the Friedman Rule).