Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Study of Bacterial Agents of Meningitis in Children and Detection of Their Antibiotic resistance Patterns in Hamadan, Western Iran.

Bacterial meningitis is still one of the most dangerous infection diseases and causes serious complications in children.The aim of present study was to identify the most common of bacteria causing meningitis in children under 10 years of age and detection of their resistance to antibiotics in patients who referred to hospitals of Hamadan. Overall 582 children suspected to meningitis were investigated for CSF cultures, elevation of CSF leukocyte count, hypoglucorrhachia and clinical manifestations, from January 2009 to December 2013 in two hospitals. The required data of patients were gathered through a questionnaire and analyzed using Epi6 system. The species were identified by biochemical and latex-agglutination tests. Antibiogram tests were also performed by gel- diffusion method of Kirby-Bauer. Out of 582 children suspected to meningitis, 146 children (%25.1) had positive bacterial culture that %58.9 of isolates was Gram-positive cocci and %41.1 was also Gram-negative bacilli. The most common isolates were Streptococcus (S.) pneumonia (%23.9), Staphylococcus (S.) aureus (%13.1), Escherichia (E.) coli (%10.9), Neisseria (N.) meningitides (%6.2) and Haemophilus (H.) influenzae type b (%4.1). Of 146 patients with bacterial meningitis, 79 cases (54.2%) were males and 67 cases (45.8%) were females. Fever (88.3%), Leukocytosis (74.6%), nausea and vomiting (67.1%), sleepness (66.4%) and headache (46.6%) were most common clinical manifestations of patients with bacterial meningitis. The most effective antibiotics against isolates were ceftizoxime, kanamycin, and gentamicin while most of isolates showed high resistance against ampicillin, sulfamthoxazole-trimethoprim, chloramphenicol and amoxicillin. The present study showed that gram positive cocci in particular, S. pneumoniae and S. aureus are predominant causes of bacterial meningitis in children under 10 years of age in this region. Most species showed high resistance against routine antibiotics such as amoxicillin, ampicillin and chloramphenicol. The antimicrobial susceptibility pattern for bacteria causes meningitis may provide a guideline for the selection of appropriate drug treatment.
Endangered Species Constrained by Natural and Human Factors: the Case of Brown Bears in Northern Spain

Abstract: We developed a conceptual framework for classifying habitat quality that requires the construction of separate habitat models for each key demographic feature; the framework can be applied when the factors that determine different demographic processes differ substantially. For example, survival of large carnivores is mainly determined by human‐induced mortality, whereas nutritional condition determines reproductive rate. Hence, a two‐dimensional habitat model built for reproduction and survival yields five hypothetical habitat categories: matrix, with no reproduction and/or very high mortality; sink, with low reproduction and high mortality; refuge, with low reproduction and low mortality; attractive sink, with high reproduction and high mortality; and source, with high reproduction and low mortality. We applied this framework to two endangered brown bear ( Ursus arctos ) populations in the Cantabrian Mountains, Spain. Our aim was to generate working hypotheses about the quality and spatial arrangement of bear habitat to analyze the present conditions of the different population nuclei and to facilitate identification of core areas of high conservation value, conflictive areas, or areas with unoccupied potential habitat. We used a geographic information system and two spatial long‐term data sets on presence and reproduction and performed logistic regressions for building a two‐dimensional model. The analysis reveals that both populations exist under different suboptimal conditions: the eastern population mainly occupies areas of suboptimal natural habitat and relatively low human impact, whereas the western population is located mainly in areas with high human impact but otherwise good natural quality. To test hypotheses about demographic features of the obtained habitat categories, we classified data on historic extinction in northern Spain ( fourteenth to nineteenth centuries ) with the two‐dimensional model. Extinction probabilities within each habitat category confirmed the hypotheses: most extinctions occurred in matrix habitat, and the fewest occurred in source habitat.
Use of δ15N signatures of different functional forms of macroalgae and filter-feeders to reveal temporal and spatial patterns in sewage dispersal

We examined whether δ 15 N levels of marine biota with different nutrient uptake character- istics can be used to trace the dispersal of sewage effluent in highly mixed, nitrogen-limited waters, and whether they can reveal the dispersal of sewage over different timescales. We hypothesised that macro- algal species with fast uptake rates would display a spatial pattern in δ 15 N levels reflecting recent sewage dispersal while those with slower rates would provide a signal integrated over a longer time period. Filter- feeding sponges and ascidians were also sampled to see if they reflected patterns in the dispersal of sewage particulate organic matter (POM). A laboratory experiment was performed to test whether the δ 15 N level of 3 macroalgal species (Ulva australis, Vidalia sp. and Ecklonia radiata) and 2 filter-feeding species (Clathria sp. and Pyura australis) was altered after cultivation in sewage nitrogen. We then sampled each organism along transects radiating away from the outlet of a wastewater treatment plant north of Perth, Western Australia, to determine spatial patterns in δ 15 N. U. australis and Vidalia sp. developed higher iso- topic signatures when exposed to low concentrations of sewage nitrogen (1:500 dilution in seawater) for 7 d in the laboratory. U. australis and Vidalia sp. showed an increase of 1.7 and 1.4‰ in treatments respectively. In the field, macroalgae sampled north and south of the sewage outlet generally had higher δ 15 N levels than those sampled west of the outlet and at the reference site, and algae within 500 m of the outfall tended to have lower values than at 1000 m or more from the outfall. These trends are consistent with our current knowledge of plume dynamics: a predominantly northerly drift of effluent as a buoyant plume that tends not to be fully mixed in the water column for the first 500 m. The results confirmed that the δ 15 N signature of macroalgae could be used to trace sewage disposed in well-mixed waters. The strength of the spatial trends varied between algae, with E. radiata, the species with the lowest nutrient uptake rates and affin- ity, having the least spatial variability. We interpret this as reflecting a wider regional dispersal of sewage in the longer time frame, but a strong northerly drift in the short term, which was reflected in the δ 15 N values of the species with the fastest nitrogen uptake rates. The results were consistent with our hypothesis and are suggestive of a relationship between algal functional form and isotopic signatures that can be applied to determine the dispersal of sewage over different timescales. The δ 15 N values of benthic filter feeders did not provide strong evidence to suggest that they can be used to represent the dispersal of sewage POM, but trends found in the field experiment for Clathria sp. warrant further investigation.
Job insecurity, affective organisational commitment and general health : the role of work locus of control

The primary objective of this research was to examine the relationship between job insecurity (cognitive and affective), affective organisational commitment, general health and the mediating role of work locus of control. The measuring instnunents that were used were the JIQ, the OCQ, the GHQ, and the WLCS. A cross-sectional survey design was conducted amongst 360 employees at a petro-chemical organisation, with 229 responses received. Results were statistically significant, whilst the only practical significant relationship of medium effect found was between both job insecurity dimensions and work locus of control, as well as negative practically significant relationships of medium effect between affective organisational commitment with work locus and also with the cognitive job insecurity subscale. Work locus of control was found to be a partial mediator between cognitive job insecurity with affective organisational commitment as well as between cognitive job insecurity with general health, whilst work locus of control was found to be a full mediator between affective job insecurity with affective organisational commitment as well as between affective job insecurity with general health.
Why do we overestimate others’ willingness to pay?

People typically overestimate how much others are prepared to pay for consumer goods and services. We investigated the extent to which latent beliefs about others’ affluence contribute to this overestimation. In Studies 1, 2a, and 2b we found that participants, on average, judge the other people taking part in the study to “have more money” and “have more disposable income” than themselves. The extent of these beliefs positively correlated with the overestimation of willingness to pay (WTP). Study 3 shows that the link between income-beliefs and WTP is causal, and Studies 4, 5a, and 5b show that it holds in a between-group design with a real financial transaction and is unaffected by accuracy incentives. Study 6 examines estimates of others’ income in more detail and, in conjunction with the earlier studies, indicates that participants’ reported beliefs about others’ affluence depend upon the framing of the question. Together, the data indicate that individual differences in the overestimation effect are partly due to differing affluence-beliefs, and that an overall affluence-estimation bias may contribute to the net tendency to overestimate other people’s willingness to pay.
Finite Conductivity Effects in Electrostatic Force Microscopy on Thin Dielectric Films: A Theoretical Model

A study of the electrostatic force between an Electrostatic Force Microscope tip and a dielectric thin film with finite conductivity is presented. By using the Thomas-Fermi approximation and the method of image charges, we calculate the electrostatic potential and force as a function of the thin film screening length, which is a magnitude related to the amount of free charge in the thin film and is defined as the maximum length that the electric field is able to penetrate in the sample. We show the microscope’s signal on dielectric films can change significantly in the presence of a finite conductivity even in the limit of large screening lengths. This is particularly relevant in determining the effective dielectric constant of thin films from Electrostatic Force Microscopy measurements. According to our model, for example, a small conductivity can induce an error of more than two orders of magnitude in the determination of the dielectric constant of a material. Finally, we suggest a method to discriminate between permittivity and conductivity effects by analyzing the dependence of the signal with the tip-sample distance.
AGRO-ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF MUNGBEAN INTERCROPPED IN SESAME UNDER DIFFERENT PLANTING PATTERNS

The performance of mungbean intercropped in sesame under different geometric arrangements was determined o sandy-clay loam soil at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad for two consecutive years (2001-02). The planting patterns consisted of 40 cm spaced single rows, 60 cm spaced 2-row strips and 100 cm spaced 4-row strips while mungbean was intercropped in all the three planting patterns and also grown as a sole crop. The results evinced that planting sesame in 100 cm spaced 4-row strips explored the possibility of intercropping in sesame. It not only permitted convenient intercropping but also facilitated the harvesting and handling of intercrops without doing any damage to the base crop. Intercropping sesame with mungbean in the pattern of 100 cm spaced 4-row strips appeared to be more convenient, productive and profitable than the monocropped sesame.
Time-Consistent Bailout Plans

Bailout policy is time-inconsistent, which results in multiple equilibria characterized by too much leverage, high risk correlation and little liquidity holding. I show that a long-run horizon allows the policy-maker to define bailout plans that rule out the worse equilibria. This result contrasts with the standard finding in environments with a unique equilibrium, as in most applications, in which a long-run horizon allows the policy-maker to support superior outcomes in equilibrium. I use this framework to discuss the effectiveness of three prudential policy proposals: too-big-to-fail size caps, taxes on borrowing and liquidity requirements. I also argue that policies alleviating the time-inconsistency of bailouts may generate large welfare gains. In this regard, I discuss three alternatives: policies against the scarcity of liquidity during crises, bailout design, and public debt.
Factors affecting the variability in home range size and distribution in European bison in the Polish and Belarussian parts of the Bialowieza Forest

The size and spatial distribution of home ranges of the European bison Bison bonasus (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Polish and Belarussian parts of the Bialowieza Forest were studied in the years 1993-1998. In this period, 28 bison (18 males and 10 females) aged 4-10 years, including 20 (15, 5) from the Polish part of the Bialowieza Forest and 8 (3, 5) from the Belarussian part, were radio-collared. The mean size of winter home ranges of bulls was 10.7 km (range 0.8-32.2, n - 25) while that of cows was 7.9 km (range 0.7-34.3, n = 15), difference between the sexes not being significant. The size of winter home ranges was significantly correlated with the duration of snow cover and with the mean daily temperature in winter (R = 0.311, p = 0.001). Long-lasting snow cover and low temperatures significantly limited bison mobility in the forest. In the snow-free season, the mean size of home ranges of bulls was 69.5 km (range 29-151.6) and that of cows was 68.8 km (range 45.4-97.5), the difference not being statistically significant. The size of bulls' home ranges in the snow-free period was related to their age. The mean size of home ranges of younger adult bulls was 44.0 km , being significantly smaller than the ranges of older adult bulls (84.3 km ) and cows. European bison used their ranges unevenly and showed individual spatial fidelity in subsequent years. Home ranges of the European bison of both sexes were not defended and overlapped extensively. Food abundance of remarkably diverse habitats (forest, meadows) had a significant effect on the size of bison home ranges. In August-October, home ranges of cows from the Polish populations penetrating the forest averaged 45.5 km and were significantly larger than the ranges of cows from the Belarussian population foraging on meadows (24.3 km ).
THE IMPACT OF MACROECONOMIC VARIABLES ON INDONESIA ISLAMIC BANKS PROFITABILITY

Economic development of Indonesia has an important role in the growth of Islamic banking sector. It is clear that the Islamic banking sector in Indonesia needs a conducive economic situation to make a better performance. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of macroeconomic variables on the profit of Islamic Banks in Indonesia. Macroeconomic variables used in this study were Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Inflation rate and BI Rate (interest rate of the central bank of Indonesia). In addition, Non Performing Financing (NPF) was included in this model to represent another determinant for banks in gaining profit. Econometric model by formulating a multiple regression model was used to estimate the impact of GDP, BI Rate, Inflation rate and NPF on the profit of Islamic banks.The results of this study showed that partially, all explanatory variables (GDP and BI Rate, Inflation Rate and NPF) have a significant effect on the Profit of Islamic Banks. Keywords : Macroeconomic variables, Islamic banks, Non Performing Financing
A phase transition model for mother–child interaction: comment on Olthof et al., 2000

Comments on the article by T. Olthof et al (see record 2000-03307-003) which describes 2 non-linear models for mother-child interaction: a connectionist model and a logical growth model. The present authors propose an alternative model, a phase transition model (PTM), which they say provides evidence (both numerical and analytical) for the possibility of abrupt changes, which give rise to several other interesting, empirically testable predictions. The predictions of the PTM deviate from those of the model proposed by Olthof et al, whereas it is only a modification of their 2nd model.
Working the day or the night shift? Foraging schedules of Cory's shearwaters vary according to marine habitat

The diel vertical migration of zooplankton and many other organisms is likely to affect the foraging behaviour of marine predators. Among these, shallow divers, such as many seabirds, are particularly constrained by the surface availability of prey items. We analysed the at- sea activity of a surface predator of epipelagic and mesopelagic prey, Cory's shearwater Calonec- tris diomedea, on its several wintering areas (spread throughout the temperate Atlantic Ocean and the Agulhas Current). Individual shearwaters were mainly diurnal when wintering in warmer and shallower waters of the Benguela, Agulhas and Brazilian Currents, and comparatively more nocturnal in colder and deeper waters of the Central South Atlantic and the Northwest Atlantic. Nocturnality also correlated positively with bathymetry and negatively with sea-surface tempera- ture within a single wintering area. This is possibly related to the relative availability of epipelagic and mesopelagic prey in different oceanic sectors, and constitutes the first evidence of such flexi- bility in the daily routines of a top marine predator across broad spatial scales, with clear expres- sion at population and individual levels.
The Political Economy of Implementing the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in India

This paper focuses on four selected questions. (1) How does local political competition and the characteristics of the elected officials matter for the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS)? (2) Is there local capture of the benefits from the scheme? (3) What role does reservation for caste and gender in political positions play in the implementation of the scheme. (4) Do center-state linkages have a role to play in how NREGS is implemented across states? To answer these questions, this paper reviews the relevant literature and finds avenues for future research. It provides some strategies to do empirical work on the four issues highlighted. The paper also provides evidence on some indicators of NREGS implementation across states and suggests that there may be some link between centre-state alignment and NREGS implementation.
What Determines the Allocation of Managerial Ownership within Firms? Evidence from Investment Management Firms

We show that the allocation of managerial ownership to individuals within firms varies depending upon the joint distribution of decision control and decision management rights. Using a unique dataset of institutional investment management firms, we show that ownership is higher for managers: with both executive and operational responsibilities; when benefits of cooperation are higher; and with large contributions to firm value. Consistent with career concerns, we find increases in a manager's ownership are associated with increases in unsystematic risk. Ownership dispersion within the firm is associated with the allocation of monitoring and operational roles and the potential benefits of cooperation.
Test Anxiety Beliefs as Predictor of Students’ Achievement in Chemistry in Public Secondary Schools in Kenya

The present study was designed to determine the extent to which test anxiety beliefs predicted achievement in chemistry among students in public secondary schools in Kenya. The study was guided by Eccles-Wigfield’s Expectancy-Value theory of motivation. The study adopted concurrent embedded design. A sample of 353 form for students, 10 chemistry and 10 guidance and counseling teachers was selected from 26 public secondary schools from Rachuonyo South Sub County in Homa Bay County using both Stratified random sampling and purposive sampling techniques. Data collection was done using questionnaire and interview schedule. Questionnaire was adapted from Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) By Spielberger (1980). Quantitative data was analyzed both descriptively and inferentially (Pearson Product Moment Correlation, multiple regression and ANOVA) while qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Pearson Product Moment revealed that there was statistically significant negative correlation (r= - .432, n=308, P< .05) between test anxiety and Chemistry academic and that test anxiety accounted for 18.7% (R2=.184) of the variation in performance in chemistry Academic. The study recommended that there is need for curriculum and efforts towards guidance and counseling in schools to include strategies of coping with test anxiety in the guidance and counseling programs alongside the education policies in Kenya relating to guidance and counseling. This is because test anxiety negatively affects chemistry academic achievement and learners who are at risk of developing test anxiety may end up performing poorly in chemistry exam.
Rainfall and sampling uncertainties: A rain gauge perspective

[1] Rain gauge networks provide rainfall measurements with a high degree of accuracy at specific locations but, in most cases, the instruments are too sparsely distributed to accurately capture the high spatial and temporal variability of precipitation systems. Radar and satellite remote sensing of rainfall has become a viable approach to address this problem effectively. However, among other sources of uncertainties, the remote-sensing based rainfall products are unavoidably affected by sampling errors that need to be evaluated and characterized. Using a large data set (more than six years) of rainfall measurements from a dense network of 50 rain gauges deployed over an area of about 135 km2 in the Brue catchment (south-western England), this study sheds some light on the temporal and spatial sampling uncertainties: the former are defined as the errors resulting from temporal gaps in rainfall observations, while the latter as the uncertainties due to the approximation of an areal estimate using point measurements. It is shown that the temporal sampling uncertainties increase with the sampling interval according to a scaling law and decrease with increasing averaging area with no strong dependence on local orography. On the other hand, the spatial sampling uncertainties tend to decrease for increasing accumulation time, with no strong dependence on location of the gauge within the pixel or on the gauge elevation. For the evaluation of high resolution satellite rainfall products, a simple rule is proposed for the number of rain gauges required to estimate areal rainfall with a prescribed accuracy. Additionally, a description is given of the characteristics of the rainfall process in the area in terms of spatial correlation.