Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Age and education related preferences for pictograms concerning driving-impairing medicines

Purpose: Pictograms can increase public awareness about driving-impairing effects of medicines. However, pictograms that are not clear will negatively affect the comprehension of the message. Older and low educated adults are particularly vulnerable to misunderstandings. Comprehension is expected to be influenced by preference for the type of pictograph, but little is known about the preference of pictograms among drivers of different age groups and education levels. This study aims to investigate older and lower educated adults’ preference for a pictogram (triangle model pictogram versus rating model pictogram) related to the influence of taking driving-impairing medicines on driving fitness. Methods: Interviews among 270 drivers visiting a pharmacy were conducted. Participants were asked about their preference for the best pictogram expressing a warning message and expressing levels of impairment. A comparison between a pictogram with a more complex design (rating model) and an already implemented one (triangle model) was made. Results: 74.4% of the participants preferred the rating model to express warning messages and 82.6% preferred this model to express levels of impairment. However, older and low educated participants were more likely to prefer the triangle model over the more complex rating model. Age was the strongest predictor influencing participants’ preference for pictograms to express a warning message and levels of impairment. Young participants (18-39 years old) with high education level had the highest preference for the rating model, whereas older participants (> 60 years old) with low education level showed the lowest preference for this pictogram system. Conclusion: Age and education level are sensitive factors to be considered when designing a pictogram. In order to be equally well understood by older and low educated adults, pictograms should have a simple design and make use of familiar objects.
The Valuation of Cash Flow Forecasts: An Empirical Analysis

This paper compares the market value of highly leveraged transactions (HLTs) to the discounted value of their corresponding cash flow forecasts. These forecasts are provided by management to investors and shareholders in 51 HLTs completed between 1983 and 1989. Our estimates of discounted cash flows are within 10%, on average, of the market values of the completed transactions. Our estimates perform at least as well as valuation methods using comparable companies and transactions. We also invert our analysis and estimate the risk premium implied by transaction values and forecast cash flows, and the relation of the implied risk premium to firm-level betas, industry-level betas, firm size, and firm book-to-market ratios.
Effect of Nano and Micro Friction Modifier Based Lubricants on Wear Behavior Between Steel-Steel Contacts

The wear and surface morphology between steel (EN24, 22-24Rc)-steel (EN 31, 58-60Rc) contacts was investigated in presence of friction modifiers based (micro-graphite/nano particlesmulti wall carbon nano tubes and zinc oxide) mineral oil. Though a decrease in wear was observed (upto a certain concentration of nano friction modifiers) but a weight-gain in pins after the tests was observed for all tests with ZnO nanoparticles while weight loss was observed in tests with multi wall carbon nano tubes and graphite particles based oil samples. Surface characterization of the worn surfaces showed more surface deteriorations in case of mineral oil (no friction modifiers) and mineral oil with graphite as compared with nano particles/tubes based lubricants. The occurrence of a tribo film due to the deposition of nano particle and the formation of a modified layer on the pin surfaces are likely to be responsible for the reduction of coefficient of friction and better surface roughness. Apart from investigating the wear behaviour between two steel surfaces under micro and nano particles based lubricant and analysing the surfaces of the samples a part of the work was also focussed on the weight gain after tribo tests with ZnO nano particle additions. © 2017 Published by Faculty of Engineering Corresponding author: Shubrajit Bhaumik Department of Mechanical Engineering, SRM University, Kattankulathur, Chennai,Tamil Nadu, India 603203 E-mail: shubrajit.research@gmail.com
Do voles make agricultural habitat attractive to Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus?

Loss and degradation of habitat threatens many bird populations. Recent rural land-use changes in the Netherlands have led to a shift in habitat use by breeding Montagu’s Harriers Circus pygargus . Since the 1990s, unprecedented numbers of this species have bred in farmland compared with numbers in natural habitat. Destruction of nests by agricultural operations, however, compromises breeding success. Between 1992 and 2005, the number of breeding pairs in the northeastern Netherlands was positively, though weakly, correlated with previous-year estimated abundance of voles, mostly Microtus arvalis . In good vole years, the onset of laying was earlier and mean clutch size was larger. Vole abundance was relatively higher in set-aside land and in high and dense vegetation. We suggest that agri-environmental schemes aimed at increasing the availability of voles in agricultural breeding areas may be an effective management tool for the conservation of Montagu’s Harriers in the northeastern Netherlands.
Sınıf Öğretmeni Adaylarının Bilgisayar Öz-Yeterlik İnançları ve Eğitim Teknolojilerine Yönelik Tutumları

Sinif ogretmeni adaylarinin bilgisayar oz-yeterlik inanclari ve egitim teknolojilerine karsi tutumlarinin incelemeyi amaclayan bu arastirma Rize Universitesi Egitim Fakultesi Sinif Ogretmenligi programinda ogrenim gormekte olan toplam 217 sinif ogretmeni adayi uzerinde yapilmistir. Arastirmada, sinif ogretmeni adaylarinin bilgisayar oz-yeterlik inanclari ile egitim teknolojilerine karsi tutumlari, ogrenim gordukleri sinifa (birinci ve dorduncu sinif), cinsiyetlerine, egitim yasamlarinda bilgisayarla ilk karsilastiklari egitim kademesine ve bilgisayar sahibi olup olmama gibi degiskenlere gore karsilastirilmistir. Ayrica, ogretmen adaylarinin bilgisayar oz-yeterlik inanclari egitim teknolojilerine yonelik tutumlarindan kestirilmeye calisilmistir. Bilgisayar Oz-yeterlik Algisi Olcegi (Askar ve Umay, 2001) ve Teknoloji Tutum Olcegi (Yavuz, 2005) ile toplanan veriler uzerinde yapilan analizler sonucunda, sinif ogretmeni adaylarinin bilgisayar oz-yeterlik inanclarinin egitim teknolojilerine yonelik tutumlarindan istatistiksel olarak anlamli duzeyde kestirilebildigi gozlenmistir. Ote yandan, erkek ogretmen adaylarinin bilgisayar oz-yeterlik inanclarinin kiz ogretmen adaylarinkinden, kisisel bilgisayar sahibi olan ogretmen adaylarinin bilgisayar oz-yeterlik inanclari ise bilgisayar sahibi olmayan adaylarin bilgisayar oz-yeterlik inanclarindan daha yuksek cikmistir
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Design and control of recycle systems by nonlinear analysis

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Do Littoral Macrophytes Influence Crustacean Zooplankton Distribution?

In a meso-eutrophic reservoir, cladoceran and copepod assemblages were characterised in two sampling sites: One located in the pelagic zone (site 1) and the other in the shallow littoral zone (site 2), the latter colonised by emergent macrophytes. Samples were collected biweekly from June to July 2001 and from May to July 2002 at the two sites. At site 1, crustacean zooplankton samples were obtained by vertical hauls using a Wisconsin type net of 64 mm mesh size. At site 2 several random samples were obtained using a van Dorn bottle. Those samples were pooled together and the total sample was sieved through a 64 mm mesh size. Macrophyte relative abundance for each species was visually estimated. Macrophyte community was composed of Glyceria declinata, Eleocharis palustris and Carex sp. A Mann-Whitney U-test was carried out to test for statistically significant differences between sites, for environmental parameters and crustacean zooplankton species densities. Alona rectangula, Alona costata, Alona quadrangularis and Chydorus sphaericus were only found in littoral samples. Daphnia longispina, Daphnia pulex, Ceriodaphnia pulchella, Bosmina longirostris, Diaphanosoma brachyurum, Copidodiaptomus numidicus, and Acanthocyclops robustus were found at both sites. However, Daphnia and Bosmina densities did not differ significantly between the pelagic and littoral sites. Ceriodaphnia, Diaphanosoma, and C. numidicus densities were significantly higher in the pelagic site, whereas A. robustus densities showed the opposite pattern. Key-words: Zooplankton, Cladocera, Copepoda, reservoir, macrophytes, pelagic zone, littoral zone
Effects of Ag Content on the Mechanical Properties of Bi-Ag Alloys Substitutable for Pb based Solder

As one of the candidate materials for the high-temperature-resistant joining materials which substitute from the conventional Pb-rich solder, Bi-Ag solder alloys were used to investigate the characteristics. The mechanical properties have been investigated on lead-free Bi-Ag alloys using tensile tests to clarify the important characteristics for solder alloys having reflow resistant relatively high melting temperature solders. The tensile strength gradually increased with increase of Ag content, however, the elongation showed a minimum at eutectic Bi-2.5Ag and it only slightly increased with increase of Ag content up to 11%Ag for quenched alloys. On the other hand, air cooled Bi-11Ag alloy showed improved elongation about 20%, the value is much higher than that of quenched one, about 3%. The hypereutectic Bi-11Ag solder can be used as a solder material having relatively good wettability and mechanical properties, in particular it showed elongation of 20% under air cooled condition.
Influence of Capital Structure on Firm Performance: Evidence from Bangladesh

This paper mainly studies the influence of capital structure on firm’s performance. This investigation has beenperformed on a sample of 36 Bangladeshi firms listed in Dhaka Stock Exchange during the period 2007–2012.We have used four performance measures; earnings per share (EPS), return on equity (ROE), return of asset(ROA) and Tobin’s Q; as dependent variables and three capital structure ratios; short-term debt, long-term debtand total debt ratios; as independent variables. Using pooling panel data regression method, we found that EPSis significantly positively related to short-term debt while significantly negatively related to long-term debt.There is significant negative relation between ROA and capital structure. On the other hand, there is nostatistically significant relation exists between capital structure and firm’s performance as measured by ROE andTobin’s Q. Nonetheless, aside from the positive relation between EPS and STDTA, we can conclude that capitalstructure has negative impact on firm’s performance which is consistent with the proposition of Pecking OrderTheory.
Male sexual tourism in Costa Rica: team spirit, peer dialogue and gender roles in a large sample of Internet forum posts

There are few scientific studies about sexual tourism in Costa Rica. The most important study about male tourists, done by Megan Rivers-Moore, presented a series of hypotheses. Here I analyze all forum posts in the InternationalSexGuide.info from 2002 through 2015, and compare them with Rivers-Moore’s hypotheses, the Intimacy Prism categories of Milrod and Weitzer and with female sex tourists (as reported in the literature). The 4 409 reports show that men interact in peer dialogues in which they mostly advise each other about how to get a satisfactory visit to Costa Rica: a visit that includes paid sex but is not limited to it. While sex working women have little interaction among themselves, these men feel part of a group and exchange useful information. The desire for a Girl Friend Experience, though not predominant, is frequent and fits biological adaptations for mate interactions among humans. Male tourists mostly make short visits in which they try to meet a few women and then focus on those that make the best impression. A few evolve into complex relationships that include emotional commitment. Despite the financial disparity between men and women, traditional gender roles underlie the relationships of both male and female tourists, probably reflecting a complex combination biological and cultural factors.
International volunteering: employability, leadership and more

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the experiences of individuals in transition between education and work during international volunteering expeditions. While it was expected that outcomes might include employability enhancement and skill development, the authors aimed to clarify what the main factors were, examine employability related factors in relation to other groups of variables, investigate development needs perceived by individuals, and evaluate the extent to which factors explored were influenced by participant attributes. Finally, the authors aim to integrate these findings into a series of recommendations for future research.Design/methodology/approach – The study involved 406 respondents in three countries, where data were collected in the field. Survey design was based on previous related studies in volunteering and employability. Principal components analyses revealed a four‐component structure relating to leadership and teamwork, the environment and empathy, values and v.
Abundance and diversity of soil mites of fragmented habitats in a biosphere reserve in Southern Nigeria

Soil samples were collected from the top 7.5 cm of soil in a Strict Natural Reserve (SNR), a surrounding buffer zone, a cassava farm and matured plantations of Gmelina, teak, and pine, so as to determine if plantation establishment and intensive cultivation affect the density and diversity of soil mites. Altogether, 41 taxonomic groups of mites were identified. The diversity and densities of mites in within the SNR, the buffer zone and the Gmelina were more than the diversity and densities in the cassava farm, teak and pine plantations. Each plantation had its own unique community structure which was different from the community structure in the SNR plot. The SNR plot and Gmelina were dominated by detritivorous cryptostigmatid mites unlike teak and pine which were dominated by predatory mesostigmatid and prostigmatid mites respectively. Low cryptostigmatid mite densities in the plantations and cassava farm were seen as a consequence of low fertility status of the soil, the evidence of which was revealed by soil pH and organic matter data.
Does Better Corporate Governance Encourage Higher Payout? : Risk, Agency Cost, and Dividend Policy

We investigate whether corporate governance complements or substitutes for payout policy as an effective method of reducing agency cost through its interplay with the idiosyncratic risk of the firm. Corporate governance acts as a substitute for [complement to] the firm's dividend policy when its idiosyncratic risk is high [low]. Our empirical investigation reveals that moving from the weakest to the strongest quintile of corporate governance increases the predicted probability of dividend payout by 28% when the firm's idiosyncratic risk is at its lowest quintile. On the other hand, when the idiosyncratic risk is at its highest quintile, moving from the weakest to the strongest quintiles of corporate governance decreases the predicted probability of dividend payout by 32%. We also observe that the interplay of governance and idiosyncratic risk considerations shapes up managerial decisions for share repurchase, total payout, and dividend initiation.
Has the UAE Escaped the Oil Curse

The UAE is blessed with vast deposits of oil and gas. Contrary to other oil-rich economies, the UAE seems to have escaped from the so-called "oil curse". We study how the UAE used resource rents to achieve economic development and provide higher welfare for the local population. We identify, nevertheless, symptoms of the resource curse in three areas: very low growth in labor productivity, government policies unable to counteract economic cycles induced by oil-price volatility, and massive overemployment and declining productivity in the public sector. Therefore, we conclude that while the UAE has not been immune to the oil curse, but it has managed to make the benefits outweigh the negative outcomes of oil exporting. We finally study the case of Dubai as an example of how to overcome the dependency on oil exports and diversify the economy by using a combination of market deregulation, support for foreign trade, and efficient provision of infrastructure and institutions for private sector participation.
Does globalization cause a higher concentration of international trade and investment flows

It has sometimes been argued that globalization benefits only a small number of countries, and that this leads to greater marginalization of excluded countries. This paper argues that globalization is not necessarily biased towards greater concentration in international trade and investment flows. Marginalization is more likely to be explained by domestic policies in relatively closed countries. The paper shows that among relatively open economies, the concentration of international trade and investment flows has declined over the last two decades, whereas the opposite is true among relatively closed economies. Thus, marginalization is not intrinsic to globalization.
Scope for Export-Led Growth in a Large Emerging Economy: Is India Learning by Exporting?*

The ongoing debate of the literature on learning-by-exporting is whether the conspicuously stellar performance of exporters relative to non-exporters can be, at least partially, attributed to the horizonwidening interaction with foreign consumers and learning of cost-efficient and quality enhancing production methods, or whether all of the differential is due to the self-selection of best firms into exporting. This study uses data from the 1998-2008 Prowess Database to examine how firm-level productivity paths differ between firms with varying degrees of exposure to international trade in India, the country to rank third among the most dominant economies by the year 2050. Having used Levinsohn-Petrin measure of total factor productivity and a proxy for labor productivity, we find significant ex-ante differences in productivity between exporters and non-exporters and no difference in the ex-post productivity gains. These findings suggest that even in a large emerging economy with strong absorptive capacity and a significant catch-up potential, learning-by-exporting effects are nonexistent. Rather, self-selection of more productive firms into exporting explains the productivity differential between exporters and non-exporters.
THE RELATION BETWEEN SOLAR ERUPTION TOPOLOGIES AND OBSERVED FLARE FEATURES. I. FLARE RIBBONS

In this paper we present a topological magnetic field investigation of seven two-ribbon flares in sigmoidal active regions observed with Hinode, STEREO, and Solar Dynamics Observatory. We first derive the 3D coronal magnetic field structure of all regions using marginally unstable 3D coronal magnetic field models created with the flux rope insertion method. The unstable models have been shown to be a good model of the flaring magnetic field configurations. Regions are selected based on their pre-flare configurations along with the appearance and observational coverage of flare ribbons, and the model is constrained using pre-flare features observed in extreme ultraviolet and X-ray passbands. We perform a topology analysis of the models by computing the squashing factor, Q, in order to determine the locations of prominent quasi-separatrix layers (QSLs). QSLs from these maps are compared to flare ribbons at their full extents. We show that in all cases the straight segments of the two J-shaped ribbons are matched very well by the flux-rope-related QSLs, and the matches to the hooked segments are less consistent but still good for most cases. In addition, we show that these QSLs overlay ridges in the electric current density maps. This study is the largest sample of regions with QSLs derived from 3D coronal magnetic field models, and it shows that the magnetofrictional modeling technique that we employ gives a very good representation of flaring regions, with the power to predict flare ribbon locations in the event of a flare following the time of the model.
Working Paper No . 588 , 2003 Bubbles and Experience : An Experiment on Speculation

We investigate experimentally how the share of experienced traders in doubleauction asset markets affects trading, in particular the occurrence of bubble-crash pricing patterns. In each session, six subjects trade in three successive market rounds and gain experience. In a fourth round, depending on the treatment, two or four experienced subjects are replaced by inexperienced subjects. The results are compared to earlier findings when all traders were either inexperienced or experienced. We explore what can be learned by analogy between these laboratory findings and the performance of naturally occurring markets.
A Trend of Seasonality of Enteric Adenoviral Gastroenteritis in Pediatric Patients Less than Five Years from Baghdad

Background: In developing countries, viral agents are the most commonly identifiable causes in children with gastroenteritis. Some of the viral infections have showed seasonal tendencies in relation to geographical regions. Enteric types of adenoviruses (Ad 40, Ad41) are among the most common and important etiological agents associated with sporadic cases and outbreaks of infantile acute gastroenteritis. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and seasonal tendency as well as the diagnostic value of the related clinical and laboratory findings of Adenovirus- associated diarrhea in children up to five years of age. Study Design: A prospective study along one–year period (February, 2013 till January, 2014) was carried out in the outpatient clinics of AL-Elweya Pediatric Teaching Hospital and Welfare Children Teaching Hospital at Baghdad. Stool samples from a total of 807 children (aged between 5-60 months) with acute gastroenteritis, were enrolled in this study. Stool samples were tested by immunochromatographic assay for enteric adenoviruses. This sample of children, and according to their age, was categorized into four groups: >12 months, 12->24 months, 24->36months and <36 months. Total monthly numbers among these age groups formed the basis for assessing seasonal tendency of adenovirus infections. Results: Less than 5 years children with acute gastroenteritis tested for Adenovirus infection have a mean of 11.1±10.1 months and the males comprised 57.9% (467 out of 807) while females 42.1% (340 out of 807). Shedding of Adenovirus was detected in 14.6% of acute diarrheal stool samples, among them 58.5% were males with a male to female ratio of 1.4: 1. Children with acute Adenoviral diarrhea were younger than those without viral infection, yet the association was statistically not significant. Adenovirus-positive cases showed two ratal peaks; the highest one was during January (25 cases) and the second was during September (22 cases). During the hottest months in Iraq, July and August, the number of cases in each was dropped to three cases while two cases were reported during each of November and December. Conclusions: The present data indicate that the infection rate was low in November and December (had peaked equally in Autumn and early Winter), while high in January.