Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Dynamics of Risk Perception: How Does Perceived Risk Respond to Risk Events?

This paper examines the relationship between perceived risk and experience. This research addresses the processes by which people learn about risk and choose among real life prospects with associated uncertainties, risks and benefits. By comparing the impact of acute risk events with that of chronic risk events on public perception of risk during and after the events, this research focuses on the learning processes that characterize what kinds of risk events alter the perception of risk. Comparing materialized hazards at existing facilities with the risks associated with potential facilities, this research addresses risk choices among real life prospects. This study uses a classic pre‐post quasi‐experimental design. Surveys conducted in the Spring of 1992 on perceived and acceptable risk in Odessa and La Porte, Texas were conducted prior to risk events. Respondents from that survey were re‐interviewed in the Spring of 1993 after the risk events to form a panel design. This paper analyzes the affect of risk events on perceived risk and the implications of these experiences for public policy concerning technological risk. The empirical results suggest that the social processes that construct and maintain risk in the public eye are at least as important as, if not more important than, the physical and psychological dimensions of risk.
Phylogenetic analysis of wild-type canine distemper viruses circulating among dogs from the Aburrá Valley, Colombia

El virus del Distemper Canino (CDV) es el agente causal de una enfermedad altamente contagiosa que afecta a poblaciones caninas domesticas y silvestres. El gen de la El virus del Distemper Canino (CDV) es el agente causal de una enfermedad altamente contagiosa que afecta a poblaciones caninas domesticas y silvestres. El gen de la hemaglutinina (H), la proteina de membrana que determina el tropismo viral, presenta gran variabilidad genetica entre las cepas existentes, identificandose hasta la fecha diez linajes distintos (H), la proteina de membrana que determina el tropismo viral, presenta gran variabilidad genetica entre las cepas existentes, identificandose hasta la fecha diez linajes distintos distribuidos alrededor del mundo. Fue posible obtener la secuencia completa del gen H de 15 cepas circulantes en las poblaciones caninas domesticas del Valle de Aburra (Departamento de Antioquia, Colombia). Se realizo un analisis filogenetico de las secuencias nucleotidicas de las cepas de CDV colombianas con otros virus de CDV aislados en diferentes partes del mundo, incluyendo las cepas vacunales. Las cepas colombianas se agruparon monofileticamente y por fuera de los linajes previamente descritos. Los anteriores resultados sugieren que en las poblaciones caninas domesticas del valle de Aburra circula una variante genetica del virus del distemper canino, no reportada anteriormente en ningun pais y altamente divergente de las cepas vacunales y otros linajes reportados hasta el momento. Proponemos que este nuevo linaje sea llamado “Sur America 3”. Esta informacion sugiere que en la actualidad circulan al menos tres linajes distintos en las poblaciones Suramericanas de carnivoros domesticos y silvestres. El primero de ellos, re-nombrado como Europa/Suramerica 1, circula en Brasil y Uruguay; el segundo, conocido como Suramerica 2, parece estar restringido a la Argentina; y un tercero, Suramerica 3, que alberga todas las cepas de CDV caracterizadas en este estudio
Optimal Determination of Common Operators for Multi-Standards Software-Defined Radio

This study proposes a new methodology for selecting the common operators for Software Defined Radios. It aims at optimizing resources use in the design of multi-standard SDR systems. A multi-standard SDR or reconfigurable radio system consists of software components that execute specific processing steps in a continuous flow. Their behavior can be changed by a reconfiguration procedure. In a common operator design, this change only requires an adjustment of certain parameters, which minimizes the reconfiguration overhead at run-time. In order to optimize the choice of those operators, the interrelationships among the various components of the system are represented in an oriented graph. The associated metrics and the cost function investigated to solve the optimization problem are presented. An illustration is given on an example , which even if not fully realistic, is sufficiently representative in its structure and orders of magnitude to provide useful insights. The optimization problem is solved by an heuristic based on simulated annealing and validated by comparison with an exhaustive search.
The Determinants of Information-Seeking Behavior Regarding Burglary and the Information Channels Used

This research was aimed at gaining insight into people’s information-seeking behavior regarding the individual risk of burglary. In order to achieve that, the determinants of risk information-seeking behavior were examined and the role of the new media, especially the Internet, was investigated. Based on the Framework of Risk Information-Seeking (FRIS), the determinants risk perception, personal involvement and self-efficacy were chosen. In addition, further literature review resulted in including response efficacy as a fourth determinant. Furthermore, some interactive relations between those constructs and information-seeking behavior were investigated. By means of an online survey consisting of already existing scales, the hypotheses were tested. This analysis revealed that there was a significant predictive effect of personal involvement and response efficacy on information-seeking behavior. Furthermore, the results showed that the participants would use the Internet significantly more often than all other information channels such as newspapers or television. However, the research revealed nonsignificant main effects of risk perception, self-efficacy and a nonsignificant interaction effect of response efficacy and risk perception on information-seeking behavior. Moreover, the proposed mediation effect of self-efficacy on the relation between personal involvement and information-seeking behavior was not significant either. Finally, there was no significantly higher rate of self-efficacy in the group that uses the Internet most often than in the other groups. However, the research revealed some practical implications. As it showed that most participants would use the Internet most often as a risk information channel it supports the police and other official institutions in their effort of informing people via the Internet. This was also perceived to be effective by the participants. Furthermore, the high average rate of self-efficacy showed that the participants perceived themselves to be able to handle the risks of burglary adequately. This would fit the shift of responsibility of the government to individuals very well. However, this was a personal estimation and might therefore not be highly reliable. Thus, it is important to further explore this. Furthermore, with some changes such as measuring actual self-efficacy and information-seeking behavior, this study could be reproduced to gain even more insight in people’s information-seeking behavior.
Standardization of potting media for nursery raising seedlings of jujube (Zyzyphus mauritiana Lamk.).

Jujube has taproot system and mortality percentage of the nursery raising seedlings is very high due to root injury caused by the soil medium. To avoid soil conditions an experiment was conducted on standardization of potting mix for healthy nursery raising seedlings of jujube (Zyzyphus mauritiana Lamk.). For the purpose seeds were obtained from the fruits of the healthy orchard of jujube and planted in various potting mixtures included canal silt, bagasse farm yard manure and coconut fiber. Ten different combinations of potted media were used to assess the best one for proper and healthy growth of jujube seedling. The maximum water holding capacity (41.34%), air filled porosity (16.47%), EC (1.85 dS/m), germination percentage (86.33%),maximum number of leaves (123.36),maximum number of sprouted shoots (8.14) maximum number of roots (69.11) was observed in T4 where canal silt and bagasse were used at 45% each plus 10% coconut husk. While, potting medium of this treatment was observed acidic in nature had pH value of 6.45. It was further observed that success ratio after transplantation in field was the highest in T4 i.e. up to 92.89%.
Locomotion (Empowering) and Assessment (Disempowering) Self-Regulatory Dimensions as a Function of Affective Profile in High School Students

The purpose of the present study was to examine high school adolescent pupils’ self-regulatory strategies in relation to psychological well-being and subjective well-being (i.e., temporal life satisfaction and affect) using the affective profiles model as the backdrop for the analysis. Participants were categorized into Self-fulfilling (high positive, low negative), High affective (high positive, high negative), Low affective (low positive, low negative) and Self-destructive (low positive, high negative) profiles according to their responses on the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule. The participants also self-reported self-regulation (“assessment” and “locomotion”), temporal life satisfaction (past, present and future) and psychological well-being (e.g. Self-acceptance, environmental mastery, personal growth). Self-fulfilling adolescents, in contrast to Self-destructive adolescents, expressed high levels of temporal life satisfaction and psychological well-being. The self-regulatory “locomotion” dimension was associated to high positive affect profiles, higher life satisfaction and psychological well-being whereas the self-regulatory “assessment” dimension was associated with high negative affect profiles, lesser life satisfaction and psychological well-being. Taken together, the well-being outcomes linked to the “locomotion” dimension seem to contribute to an upward ‘spiral of empowerment’, reinforcing approaching or agentic behavior; while the outcome linked to the “assessment” dimension appear to consist of a downward ‘spiral of disempowerment’ or inaction.
The pattern of development for gene expression of sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 1 in pigs

Sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor 1 ( SREBF1) has been implicated as a key regu - lator of adipocyte differentiation and lipid metabolism. The pattern of SREBF1 gene expression in different growth stages and the relation with adipose deposition is studied. Fifteen female Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire pigs in five groups, each group of three pigs at live weight 1, 30, 50, 70 and 90 kg, were used to study the developmental gene expression of SREBF1 in the subcutaneous adipose tissue by means of semi-quantitative RT-PCR. The results showed that porcine SREBF1 mRNA was present in a very low concentration at birth and continually increased to the highest expression at 90 kg growth stages, SREBF1 mRNA levels increased as pigs grew and deposited fat from 1 to 90 kg live weights ( < 0.05). The present data indicated a close positive correlation between the levels of SREBF1 gene expression and the fat deposition rate in pigs ( P < 0.05).
BIOMASS DERIVED, CARBON SEQUESTERING, DESIGNED FERTILIZERS

This work explores the hypothesis that functionalized biomass-derived chars (charcoal) can act as fertilizer-delivering, carbon-sequestering soil amendments. A naturally occurring precedent for this approach is based on recent results that clearly link increased soil productivity with charcoal-like Terra Preta deposits, which are characterized by enhanced microbial and fungal activity and are found in both temperate and tropical climates. In this work, peanut shell pellets were pyrolyzed under mild conditions (400°C). The resulting char retained nitrogen from the feedstock's high protein content. This char also provided the baseline material for further nutrient addition by reaction of pyrolysis oil with urea to add more bioavailable nitrogen. Replicated plant growth tests with corn conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment showed that these biomass-derived chars, as produced (raw) and chemically reacted (functionalized) with urea and pyrolysis oil, enhanced above and below ground plant growth similar to the periodic addition of an aqueous NPK fertilizer to the potting soil used for all experiments. We also found that char (raw and functionalized) addition to soil significantly enhanced root growth and that char could support the growth and subsequent release of nitrogen-fixing bacteria ( Azotobacter vinelandii ) into soils. These promising results provide the basis to design renewable time-release fertilizers for promoting above and below ground plant growth that also sequester carbon in the soil. Sustainable benefits of using these materials as targeted agricultural fertilizers include producing fertilizers from renewable biomass, eliminating conventional fertilizer nitrate runoff into watersheds (a severe and growing water quality problem), increasing soil organic matter accumulation from enhanced root growth, and sequestering carbon in soils. Permanent URL: http://hdl.handle. net/2047/d20000247
Electromagnetic surface modes of a dielectric superlattice: the supercell method

We present a study of the reliability of the supercell method in calculations of surface electromagnetic modes. For a truncated superlattice constituted of nonabsorbing dielectric layers, we demonstrate that the numerical solutions obtained by this method for transverse-electric waves agree with those based on the Bloch theory for the semi-infinite superlattice. A slab of superlattice with at least nine unit cells yields satisfactory convergence to an analytic dispersion relation for the surface modes. In addition, we apply the supercell method to study in detail the dependence of transverse-electric and transverse-magnetic surface waves on the cut-off position in the cell next to the surface. As a specific case, we choose a TiO2/SiO2 superlattice—layers with relatively high dielectric contrast in the visible spectrum. We find the surface modes strongly dependent on the position of the surface. In fact, they appear only for certain terminations. By plotting the field amplitudes, we show that there exist different possibilities for the guidance of surface waves. The variation of the penetration depth of these modes is also discussed.
Preliminary estimation of forage yield and feeding value of Lupinus angustifolius varieties cultivated in Jalisco, México, during the cool season

The effects of genotype and harvest date on lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) forage yield and quality were evaluated in Zapopan Jalisco, Mexico. Cultivars Haags Blaue, Boregine, Borlu, Probor, Sonate, and Boruta were grown during the 2013–2014 cool season and harvested twice, in January (early harvest) and February (late harvest). Fresh and dry matter (FM, DM) yield, crude protein(CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), minerals, and total alkaloids were measured at each harvest. FM yields varied from 9.1 to 12.2 t ha-1 and from 23.4 t ha-1 to 35.3 t ha-1 at the first and late harvests, respectively. DM yields from early harvest plants varied from 1.2 to 1.7 t ha-1; those from the second harvest (late harvest date) varied from 3.4 to 6.8 t ha-1. The highest CP content for both (early and late harvests) was identified in the Probor cultivar, at 226 and 187 g/kg, respectively. At early harvest, ADF values varied from 291.2 in Sonate to 392.3 g/kg in Borlu; at late harvest, ADF values varied from 417.2 in Sonate to 488.3 g/kg in Borlu. Harvest date and varieties did not influence alkaloid and mineral content.
Liquid Crystal Focusing Device

Создание сложных световых полей для реализации разнообразных оптических ловушек и их массивов, для управления фокусным расстоянием изображающих систем необходимо в биомедицине, астрономии, наноиндустрии. Уникальные возможности многоэлементных пространственных модуляторов света – формировать динамически управляемые световые поля с разнообразной структурой – находят широкое применение в схемах оптических пинцетов. Представлен бюджетный и технологически простой жидкокристаллический модулятор света (жидкокристаллический фокусатор) с модальным принципом управления, разработанный в СФ ФИАН.
Exploring the Factors That Affect the Intention to Use Collaborative Technologies: The Differing Perspectives of Sequential/Global Learners.

The use of collaborative technologies in learning has received considerable attention in recent years, but few studies to date have examined the factors that affect sequential and global learners’ intention to use such technologies. Previous studies have shown that the learners of different learning styles have different needs for educational technologies. Accordingly, understanding the factors that affect the different types of learners’ intention to use collaborative technologies is an important issue. To this end, we add two external variables, facilitating conditions and social influence, to the technology acceptance model and then testing a number of hypotheses. Our results show that most of the hypotheses are supported, and further reveal that (1) attitude towards using is the most important determinant of students’ intention to use a collaborative technology, followed by social influence and facilitating conditions; (2) sequential learners are more concerned about perceived usefulness; (3) global learners are more concerned about perceived ease of use.
Parasitism, condition and reproduction of the European hake (Merluccius merluccius) in the NW Mediterranean Sea

It is well known that parameters relating to physical condition and reproduction of fish provide essential data for estimating the productivity of exploited populations, as is the case with the European hake (Merluccius merluccius) in the NW Mediterranean Sea. Although parasitism might affect these parameters, research in this area is very scarce and, in the case of the Mediterranean, almost non-existent. This study evaluates for the first time the potential link between parasitism, condition and reproduction of the European hake. Indicators of fish energy reserves (total lipid content in liver and gonads) and reproductive capacity (fecundity, egg quality and atresia) were evaluated, as were the prevalence and intensity of infection by metazoan parasites. The results indicate that the impact of anisakid nematodes is mostly negative and occurs mainly when hake are allocating their energy reserves to gonadal development. Although the results reveal a link between parasitism, condition and reproduction, we concluded that the NW Mediterranean hake population is in equilibrium with its metazoan parasites, which are not causing severe impairment to their physical condition or reproductive capacity.
In Search of a Risk-Free Asset

To attract retail time deposits, over 7,000 FDIC insured U.S. commercial banks publicly post their yield offers. I document an economically sizable and highly pro-cyclical cross-sectional dispersion in these yield offers during the period 1997 - 2011. Banks adjusted their yields rigidly and asymmetrically with median duration of 7 weeks in response to increasing or constant Fed Funds rate target regimes and 3 weeks during regimes of decreasing Fed Fund rate target. I investigate to what extent information (search) costs on the part of the investors in this market can explain the observed pricing behavior. I build and estimate an asset pricing model with heterogeneous search cost investors. A large fraction of high information cost uninformed investors and the exit of low information cost informed investors rationalizes the observed price dispersion. I further qualitatively match the asymmetric yield rigidity within the framework of costly consumer search without the need to impose menu costs or other restrictions on the banks' repricing behavior.
The Relationship between Working Capital Management and Profitability: Evidence from Saudi Cement Companies

Aims: This paper investigated the relationship between the working capital management (WCM) and the firms’ profitability for the Saudi cement manufacturing companies. Methodology: There are 13 Saudi cement manufacturing companies operating in the market. Only eight companies were included which are listed in the Saudi stock exchange market (Tadawul) and were established before the year 2005, and the rest were excluded for the period of 5 years from 2008-2012. Results: The study results showed that, Saudi cement industry current ratio is the most important liquidity measure which effected profitability, therefore, the cement firms must set a trade-off between these two objectives so that, neither the liquidity nor profitability suffers. It was also found, as the size of a firm increases, profitability increased. Besides, when the debt financing increased, profitability declined. Linear regression tests confirmed a high degree of association between the working capital management and profitability. Conclusion: The Saudi cement firms could strengthened their working capital in more efficient ways by adopting more advanced financial devices which will help them to manage cash, accounts receivables and inventories, and will ultimately increase their profitability. There is much to be done about working capital in Saudi Arabia in future. Original Research Article British Journal of Economics, Management & Trade, 4(1): 146-157, 2014 147
Online Library Databases Quality and User ’ s Satisfaction

Academic libraries are currently facing their greatest challenge in the form of global digital revolution. The digital revolution has transformed the traditional forms of knowledge creation, organization and dissemination using online databases. Although library user satisfaction surveys have been numerous, those focusing on the online databases satisfaction have been lacking. Thus, this research aimed to identify the top five frequently used online databases, the quality of the databases and how it impacted user’s satisfaction and their future intention to continue using the online databases and the relationship between user satisfaction and continuance to use the online databases. This study is descriptive in nature and employed a cross sectional survey to collect the data. A total of 80 users participated to yield a return rate of 29%. It is found that online databases quality dimensions are significantly related with user’s satisfaction and continuance. However, only Perceived Usefulness and Service Quality significantly related to user satisfaction while only Perceived Usefulness and Information Quality. User satisfaction explained 46.5% variance in user continuance. This indicates the escalating importance to improve service quality of online databases among MTUN universities especially to encourage quality publications and research. Keywords— Online Library Databases, User’s Satisfaction, Continuance to Use