Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Non-intrusive techniques to measure roll waves level evolving in a flume

An open-channel experimental set-up is presented in this paper as a tool for examining the presence of instabilities on free-surfaces flows of non-Newtonian fluid. When these flows occur in favorable conditions of inclination, discharge and rheological properties, the propagation of instabilities can evolve into a specific type of wave, known as roll waves. The experimental apparatus developed allows study of stabilized roll waves in many scenarios for non-Newtonian rheology fluids, thereby constituting a highly useful tool for the understanding and control of roll waves. The test fluid used in the experiments was carbopol gel which is rheometrically representative of the muddy material from natural disasters, such as mudflows. Two non-intrusive level measurement systems are proposed (ultrasonic transducer and laser-based absorption technique), and the efficiency of each technique is presented and discussed. Both methods presented relatively low-cost implementation, and calibration procedure assured the quality of the results. The results from the experimental set-up were in agreement in shape and amplitude.
The effect of task-based language teaching on analytic writing in EFL classrooms

Abstract As task-based language teaching focuses on real word tasks and the learners need to complete these tasks in the process of learning a foreign or second language, it helps target language fluency and student confidence. That is why second and foreign language teachers and researchers have shown interest in TBLT. This study attempts to investigate the effects of employing task-based writing instruction on Iranian EFL learners’ writing competence. The participants included 69 Iranian EFL learners at the intermediate level and they were placed randomly into a control group and an experimental group. The students in the experimental group performed writing tasks using task-based language teaching techniques, while those in the control group practiced writing skills using traditional writing exercises. To collect the pre-test and post-test data, the researchers administered the writing sections of two paper-based TOEFL tests and analyzed the data through Statistical Package for Social Sciences using descriptive statistics, t-test, and analysis of variance. The results showed significant improvements in the writing ability of the Iranian EFL learners who practiced writing skills using task-based language teaching techniques. Besides, using task-based writing techniques improved the Iranian EFL learners’ ability significantly in terms of different aspects of the writing competence, including sentence mechanics, language use, vocabulary, content, and organization.
Post-switching Behavior: Bottom of the Pyramid (Bop) Stockpiling as a Result of Sales Promotion

Understanding brand switching behaviour enables companies to attract new consumers, win back lost ones and ultimately strengthen the relationship consumers have with brands. Sales promotions have been identified as a key driver for consumers switching brands and use a significant share of the total marketing expenditure. Whilst a fair amount of research has been conducted on the effect of sales promotions on brand switching behaviour, limited research has been conducted on the behaviour that follows once consumers have switched brands. This study identifies consumers’ post-switching behaviour, specifically the likelihood to stockpile after a consumer has brand switched in the understudied South African Bottom of the Pyramid market. Positive significant relationships were identified between all the constructs and it was found that the type of sales promotion did not moderate the relationship between sales involvement and brand switching. Brand switching did, however, mediate the relationship between sales involvement and stockpiling.
Effects of tree control method, seed addition, and introduced mammal exclusion on seedling establishment in an invasive Pinus contorta forest

Pinus contorta is a widespread and ecologically damaging invasive tree in the southern hemisphere. Land managers want control methods that limit reinvasion by P. contorta and promote the recovery of native plant communities and ecosystem functions. Recovery of native vegetation may be slow if native seed supply is limited and/or introduced mammals destroy seeds and seedlings. We investigated how tree control method (felling or poisoning), seed addition, and exclusion of introduced mammals affected subsequent seedling establishment in montane stands of invasive P. contorta. Tree control method had a significant effect on seedling establishment: felling trees promoted establishment of P. contorta seedlings, whereas poisoning trees favoured establishment of native seedlings (provided seeds were available). Native seedling establishment was higher where seeds were sown, indicating native seed limitation at these sites. Excluding introduced mammals increased P. contorta seedling establishment, but did not have a significant effect on native seedling establishment. Our results indicate that poisoning P. contorta is a better management approach than felling where native seedling establishment is the desired outcome, and that this outcome can be enhanced by sowing native seed.
Seed Viability and Oil Content of Castor Bean (Ricinus communis L.) as Affected by Packaging Materials during Storage

The use of a good and approviate packaging material can maintain seed quality during storage. The research aims was to investigate the effect of some packaging materials on the seed viability and oil content of castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) during 12 months storage. The seeds were stored under room conditions using three different packaging materials, namely polypropylena plastic, rami (jute), and goni (cloth) bags. Samples were drawn monthly for seed viability test, water and oil content. The results showed that seed viability and oil content decreased during storage in all packaging materials. The best packaging material for better seed viability and oil content was polypropylena plastic bag. The bag still could maintain the seed viability above 80% after 12 month storage.
Preliminary investigation on anthelmintic activity and phytochemical screening of leaf crude extracts of Tithonia diversifolia and Tephrosia vogelii

This investigation lies within the framework of studying the phytochemistry of two medicinal plants Tithonia diversifolia and Tephrosia vogelii and assessing their potentials in controlling the helminthiasis in goats. The crude extracts were obtained from the leaves by Soxhlet methodology and phytochemical screening, fecal eggs reduction and the anthelmintic activities were tested in various laboratories in Butare. The results from this investigation showed that both T. diversifolia and T. vogelii have lots of active principles grouped in alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids,and sterols and exhibit anthelmintic activities in goats. The percentages of reduction of fecal eggs are 98, 97, 96 and 95% with methanol crude extract of T. vogelii, infusion of T. vogelii, methanol crude extract of T. diversifolia and infusion of T. diversifolia, respectively. This investigation showed the efficacy of both T. vogelii and T. diversifolia against gastrointestinal nematodes in goats and therefore their potentials in assuring more the animal health care in Rwanda by for treating the parasitic nematodes in goats by plant-based drugs instead of crude extracts. Key words: Anthelmintic activity, feacal egg, gastro-intestinal nematodes, goats, phytochemical screening traditional medicine, Tithonia diversifolia, Tephrosia vogelii, medicinal plant, Rwanda.
WOOL’S FUTURE in WESTERN AUSTRALIA and the R&D IMPLICATIONS: A Discussion Paper

Sustained low prices for wool have resulted in a prolonged decrease in the profitability of wool production. The extent of the decline has led some farmers to question whether wool has a viable future on their farms. In many regions growers have substantially increased their area of crop and reduced their commitment to wool production. Stock numbers have declined appreciably and there is concern amongst some that the wool industry may not recover. This paper uses Western Australia as a case study for investigating the future of wool. In particular the nature and role of R,D&E in the industry is examined. The success of R,D&E is reviewed and the directions and likely impacts of future R,D&E on farm are discussed.
The effect of different starting materials on the synthesis of lithium triborate

Lithium triborate (LiB3O5) was synthesized using different starting materials. The effect of these materials on the phase purity of LiB3O5 was investigated in each case. Identification and characterizations of the products were carried out by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared (IR) analyses. The present study showed that the starting materials play an important role in the synthesis of lithium triborate with respect to phase impurity.
Analytical and Numerical Studies of 2D XY Models with Ring Exchange

In this thesis we take several different analytic and numerical approaches to studying the classical J-K model. This model describes an interacting many-body system of spins with continuous symmetry which interact via 2-site nearest-neighbour exchange terms and 4-site ring-exchange terms. We begin by looking at the traditional solution of the XY model, in order to gain insight into the behaviour and general properties of the system. Classical Monte Carlo simulations will then be used to study the properties of the J-K model in different regimes of phase space. We will see that we can use properties from the theoretical solution of the XY model to study the Kosterlitz-Thouless phase transition numerically. We then extend our simulation to study the aspect ratio scaling of the superfluid density in the XY model. It will also be shown that there exists a finite temperature phase transition in the pure-K ring-exchange model. After this we will develop a mapping from the 1D quantum Bose-Hubbard model to the 2D J-K model and use this mapping to search for topological phases in classical Hamiltonians. However, we find that our mapping fails to reproduce the topological phase present in the quantum model. Finally we will look at the XY model using tools from information theory. A method for measuring mutual information in classical Monte Carlo simulations is developed. We then show that this measurement of mutual information can be used as a completely new way to identify the Kosterlitz-Thouless phase transition in Monte Carlo simulations.
Do Dividend Announcements Affect the Stock Prices in the Greek Stock Market?

This paper examines the reaction of the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE) to dividend announcements by a sample of firms listed at the FTSE/ATHEX 20 and FTSE/ATHEX Mid 40 for a fixed period 2004-2008. It also provides analytical information about the Greek Stock Market and the regulations underlying it, which have been taken into account in the present thesis. Moreover, previous studies of important academic scholars are presented and discussed, in order for the reader to attain the appropriate theoretical knowledge about the examined issue. Finally, significant abnormal activity is documented throughout the multiple event-windows that are employed and therefore, the null hypothesis, which supports the irrelevance theory as introduced by Miller and Modigliani (1961), is rejected.
Hoping for the Best or Preparing for the Worst? Regulatory Focus and Preferences for Optimism and Pessimism in Predicting Personal Outcomes

People are rarely completely accurate in forecasting their own futures. Instead, past research has demonstrated tendencies for both optimistic and pessimistic bias in thinking about one's own outcomes. Furthermore, both biases are thought to be potentially functional. Recently, an “intuitive functionalist” account of forecasting biases has been proposed (Sackett & Armor, 2010; see also Armor, Massey, & Sackett, 2008), which posits that individuals flexibly shift between optimistic or pessimistic outlooks based on the perceived value of each outlook. The present research examines people's chronic motivational orientations as one factor that influences perceptions of the functional value of optimistic or pessimistic outlooks. Across three studies, we demonstrate that those primarily concerned with growth and advancement (i.e., promotion) prefer optimistic forecasts and perform better when adopting an optimistic outlook, whereas those primarily concerned with safety and security (i.e., prevention) prefer pes.
Spontaneous Markets, Networks, and Social Capital: Lessons from Africa

Recent years have witnessed a renewed interest in institutions as an essential ingredient for growth (The World Bank 2002). There is now an abundant literature documenting the role that institutions play in the development process (e.g. Keefer and Knack 1997, Acemoglu, Johnson and Robinson 2002). Market institutions in particular appear central to this process (e.g. North 1973, Acemoglu, Johnson and Robinson 2005), so much so that they are now commonly seen as a critical component of a good business environment. However, beyond generalities about courts and the respective merits of common law versus roman law, little practical advice is available on how to improve market institutions. Detailed analysis of how markets operate in practice has been provided by John McMillan, Chris Woodru¤, and coauthors for Vietnam and Eastern Europe (e.g. McMillan and Naughton 1996, Johnson, McMillan and Woodru¤ 2002, Johnson, McMillan and Woodru¤ 2000, McMillan and Woodru¤ 2000, McMillan and Woodru¤ 1999a, McMillan and Woodru¤ 1999b) and by myself with various coauthors for Sub-Saharan Africa (e.g. Fafchamps 2004, Bigsten, Collier, Dercon, Fafchamps, Gauthier, Gunning, Isaksson, Oduro, Oostendorp, Patillo, Soderbom, Teal and Zeufack 2000, Fafchamps 2002b, Fafchamps 2003, Fafchamps and Minten 1999, Fafchamps and Minten 2002, Fafchamps and Minten 2001). What
A comparison of investors’ and analysts’ efficiency in incorporating accounting information

ABSTRACT In this study, we compare the relative efficiency of investors and sell-side analysts in using various accounting information to predict future earnings. Our results indicate that the equity- value estimates inferred from the analysts’ earnings forecasts are more biased than the stock prices in interpreting stock price momentum, accruals, and the growth in long-term net operating assets. Therefore, we conclude that sell-side analysts are generally less efficient than investors in incorporating certain accounting information. Thus, investors may not be able to mitigate their mispricing of certain accounting information by fixating on analysts’ earnings forecasts as a benchmark for their earnings expectation.
Krill-derived Phospholipids Rich in n-3 Fatty Acid Improve Spatial Memory in Adult Rats

We indicated previously that dietary supplementation of the ethyl ester form of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) improves spatial cognition through an increase in DHA levels in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. In the present study, we investigated the effects of peroral administration of krill-derived phospholipids (KPL) on the spatial learning ability and the fatty acid composition of the plasma and brain tissues. Both parameters of the radial arm maze task, the reference- and working memory errors, significantly decreased after KPL administration. The plasma and brain levels of n-3 PUFAs significantly increased, and the levels of arachidonic acid were significantly decreased after KPL administration. Lipid peroxidation in the plasma and in brain tissues was depressed, and cell generation in the dentate gyrus was enhanced in KPL-administered rats. All these effects are similar to those induced by the ethyl ester forms of EPA and DHA.
Composition and sources of carbonaceous aerosols at three contrasting sites in Hong Kong

[1] A significant fraction of the fine particulate matter in Hong Kong is made up of organic carbon. In order to quantitatively assess the contributions of various sources to carbonaceous aerosol in Hong Kong, a chemical mass balance (CMB) receptor model in combination with organic tracers was employed. Organic tracers including n-alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), steranes, hopanes, resin acids, cholesterol, levoglucosan, and picene in PM2.5 collected from three air monitoring sites located at roadside, urban, and rural areas in Hong Kong are quantified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in the present study. Analyses of some overlapping species from two separate laboratories will be compared for the first time. Spatial and seasonal source contributions to organic carbon (OC) in PM2.5 from up to nine air pollution sources are assessed, including diesel engine exhaust, gasoline engine exhaust, meat cooking, cigarette smoke, biomass burning, road dust, vegetative detritus, coal combustion, and natural gas combustion. Diesel engine exhaust dominated fine organic carbon in Hong Kong (57 ± 13% at urban sites and 25 ± 2% at the rural site). Other sources that play an important role are meat cooking and biomass burning, which can account for as much as 14% of fine organic carbon. The primary sources identified by this technique explained 49%, 79%, and 94% of the measured fine organic carbon mass concentration at the rural, the urban, and the roadside sites, respectively. The unexplained fine OC is likely due to secondary organic aerosol formation.
Entrepreneurial marketing : Scale development and validation in the small firm context

Entrepreneurial marketing (EM) is seen as an integral component of small business success (Hills, Hultman, & Miles, 2008). It is generally conceptualized as marketing processes that firms undertake in ambiguous and resource constrained conditions. However, Ionita (2012) maintained that the EM construct is still underdeveloped and lacks a unifying theory, leading to fragmented research efforts. The present study addresses scale development and validation of the EM construct, to enhance consistency among measures used in empirical studies.
Urban concentration and economic growth: checking for specific regional effects

By using a semiparametric specification, we examine the impact of urban concentration in economic growth on different groups of countries that we classify according to a geographical criterion or according to their level of development. Facing a significant proportion of missing data, we handle that problem with a multiple imputation algorithm as advised in the statistical litterature. Therefore using a Bayesian estimation we obtain parametric coefficients and non parametric curves. Then we may perform Yatchew's tests of equality of non parametric effects to check out if the model specification is the same in the different groups of countries.
Collective Agency among Physics Teachers: A Case in China’s Curriculum Reform

This study explored how secondary physics teachers exercised their collective agency in the process of adopting and adapting to a nation-wide curriculum reform in China. Through an ethnographic approach and drawing on Social Cognitive Theory, physics teachers’ collective agency was explored and interpreted. The results revealed that collective agency was a mediating bridge through which the discrepancies between reform mandates and teachers’ pedagogies and curriculum interpretations were negotiated. Further, collective agency helped teachers to cope with uncertainties generated by the reform and offered mental supports. Moreover, the reform mandates undermined the traditional power hierarchy within teachers and thus stimulated teachers’ collective agency. The study demonstrates the interdependent relations between collective agency and reform environment and has implications for theory, practice, curriculum, and research.
Domestic bond market development : the Arirang bond experience in Korea

This study contrasts the development of the Republic of Koreas market for won-denominated foreign bonds (Arirang) with similar markets in the Asia-Pacific region. It discusses the problems, concerns, and key issues related to the development of this market within the broader context of domestic, regional, and global bond market development. Koreas experience provides valuable lessons for other emerging market economies also seeking to build bond markets for local and foreign issuers. The sophistication of the local bond market is not enough to make it appealing to foreign borrowers. Market development demands ensuring an enabling infrastructure and a background of macroeconomic stability, nurturing local and international demand, deregulating capital flows, and minimizing exchange restrictions.
Role of SHGs in socio-economic change of vulnerable poor

Self help groups (SHGs) have emerged as popular method of working with people in recent years. This movement comes from the people’s desires to meet their needs and determine their own destines through the principle “by the people, for the people and of the people”. Ordinarily ‘self help’ refers to the provision to aid self, but here self is also taken internally. Self ‐ help emphasizes self-reliance, self production and self-employment by mobilizing internal resource of the persons, the group or the community. Society is a patterned system of interaction among individuals and groups. The self-help groups, changes the pattern of social interaction. When such patterns change, substantial number of society members assumes new status and play new roles in the community. SHGs in social change imply not only the change of outer form of a community or a society but also in the social institutions as well as ideas of the people living in that society. In other words, it also applies to the changes in the material aspects of life as well as in the ideas, values and attitudes of the people.
Incidence and Severity of Brown Spot ( BS ) and Bacterial Leaf Blight ( BLB ) in Hybrid and Inbreed Rice Varieties in Bangladesh

The experiment was conducted in the Agronomy Farm, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh. Five hybrid varieties namely BRRI Hybrid Dhan 2, BRRI Hybrid Dhan 3, Aloran, Jagoran, Shakti 2 and five inbreed varieties namely BRRI Dhan 28, BRRI Dhan 29, BRRI Dhan 50, BINA 8 and BINA 10 were evaluated against incidence and severity of brown spot (BS) and bacterial leaf blight (BLB) diseases at three growth stages (40 DAT, 60 DAT and 80 DAT). The effect of diseases on yield and yield contributing characters were also observed. The incidence and severity of diseases varied significantly from one another. All the varieties were infected by brown spot and bacterial leaf blight diseases under field condition. Among hybrid varieties, the highest disease incidence and severity of brown spot was found in Aloran (incidence in hill, leaf, grain and severity in leaf 19.74, 6.62, 18.09 and 1.740% respectively) and BLB was recorded in Shakti 2 (incidence in hill, leaf and severity in leaf 16.670, 4.037 and 0.4664 respectively). The lowest incidence and severity of both diseases viz. BS and BLB were observed in BRRI Hybrid Dhan 2. The highest yield was found in BRRI Hybrid Dhan 2 (10.466 t/ha) and the lowest in Aloran (5.574t/ha) and Shakti 2 (7.434t/ha). Incase of inbreed varieties, the highest incidence and sevirity of brown spot was found in BRRI Dhan 29 (incidence in hill, leaf, grain and severity in leaf 16.66, 7.23, 19.29 and 1.413% respectively) and BLB was recorded in BRRI Dhan 28 (incidence in hill, leaf and severity in leaf 9.487, 3.892 and 0.4639% respectively). The lowest incidence and severity of brown spot was observed in BRRI Dhan 50 and BLB was found in BINA 10. The highest yield (8.926 t/ha) was recorded in BRRI Dhan 50 and BINA 10 while the lowest was recorded in BRRI Dhan 28 (4.746 t/ha) and BRRI Dhan 29 (5.434 t/ha. In case of both diseases, it was observed that disease incidence and severity was gradually increased with the age of the plant and minimum incidence and severity gave the maximum yield.