Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphometric parameters comparisons of the digestive tract of four teleosts with different feeding habits

The present study compared some morphometric parameters of the digestive tract of four teleosts with different feeding habits: traira (Hoplias malabaricus, carnivore), silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen, omnivore), hassar (Hoplosternum littorale, omnivore), and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella, herbivore). The digestive tract was removed from fish collected from nature and fixed for some morphometric analyses, such as: intestinal quotient, intestinal area quotient, vilosity height, digestive somatic index, and hepatosomatic index. Grass carp showed the highest values of intestinal quotient and height vilosity. On the other hand, the intestinal area quotient was higher in traira than in the other species. The intestinal quotient can be used to estimate the feeding habit, and the intestinal area quotient, vilosity height and the relationships between digestive tract length and fish weight or digestive tract weight can provide important additional information to analyze the feeding habits.
Corporate Acquisitions and Financial Constraints

Using a large sample of US acquisitions made between 1985 and 2013, we study the effect of financial constraints on acquisition gains and acquisition likelihood. Our findings show that financial constraints of target companies significantly increase acquisition premiums and abnormal returns for both parties. Our results further show that the presence of financial constraints in the target is one of the most important determinants of a takeover bid. This supports the idea that acquisitions may improve the ability of financially constrained companies to access capital through a better reallocation of resources within segments of the same company (e.g., internal capital market) or through better access to external markets. This would eventually benefit bidders too, as new capital would be invested in valuable growth opportunities that otherwise would expire unexercised.
Extrusional Tectonics in the Core of a Transpressional Orogen; the Kaoko Belt, Namibia

The Pan-African Kaoko Belt of NW Namibia provides a wellexposed example of material flow in the evolving middle and lower crust during sinistral transpressional orogenesis. The Kaoko Belt is a composite metamorphic belt with shear zone bounded zones of contrasting metamorphic style that were metamorphosed at approximately the same time (575–550Ma). It is divided into a Barrovian-style Escape Zone with inclined nappes and thrusts that verge outward towards the foreland, a steep high-grade Orogen Core that experienced intense wrench-style deformation and, in the hinterland, an older (650Ma) exotic Coastal Terrane that was reworked at moderate-T/low-P conditions during transpressional orogenesis. The kinematic-lineation array (defined by stretching lineations and shear-sense indicators) shows variation in degree and polarity of lineation obliquity to the grain of the belt, lineation plunge and different polarity of vergence along the plunge, with respect to the overall sinistral shear sense. The gross regional lineation pattern defines an arcuate array from near orogen-parallel in the Orogen Core to higher-angle obliquity across the Escape Zone, reflecting lateral escape towards the orogen margin. Two highgrade lobes within the Orogen Core are coincident with obliqueinclined, upward flow trajectories based on the kinematic-lineation array, and represent oblique extrusion of lower-crustal material into middle-crustal levels. An intervening low-grade metamorphic ‘trough’ within the Orogen Core and the Coastal Terrane coincides with acute oblique downward and outboard-directed apparent flow trajectories. These kinematic patterns are consistent with barometric constraints for peak metamorphism of 5� 2kbar and 4� 5kbar in the low-grade ‘trough’ and Coastal Terrane and 8� 0kbar in the two high-grade lobes. Integration of the kinematic and metamorphic datasets shows that oblique, shallowly inclined extrusion trajectories occurred within the Orogen Core of this classic transpressional orogen, and that stretching lineations approximately reflect the particle paths experienced. Across-orogen metamorphic gradients indicate a marked contrast between the Escape Zone and Orogen Core. The Escape Zone experienced an inverted Barrovian-style high-P/moderate-T metamorphism and low thermal gradients of 20 � C/km. The Orogen Core experienced moderate-P/high-T metamorphism and high thermal gradients of 30–40 � C/km. Clockwise P–T paths were experienced in all parts of the Kaoko Belt. Tight and shallow conduction-dominated P–T paths were experienced in all Orogen Core domains, involving heating-dominated prograde paths followed by decompression, consistent with extrusional tectonics. Steeper and more open advection-dominated P–T paths were experienced in the crustal over-thrust Escape Zone, which experienced low thermal gradients.
“Membership”, Dependencies And Free Riding In Networks – A Case Study Of The European Metal Sector

The aim of this paper is to highlight the complex nature of informal industry networks and their functions. These networks enable the actors to be better aware of situations in other countries and to coordinate their actions accordingly. The theoretical part of this paper deals with the resource dependency and free riding, both of which can emerge in networks. On the other hand the term membership, usually referring to formal networks, is not necessarily suitable for the analysis of informal or not yet existing ones, thus requiring a new way of defining these types of networks. Empirically this paper draws from a survey made to the all the member affiliations of the EMF, using network methods to analyze the dependencies and free riding. Membership comes into play when discussing free riding in a network and imbalance between the actors’ roles and resource inputs.
Effect of lavender (Lavandula Stoechas) essential oil on growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality and antioxidant status of broilers

The study evaluated the effect of essential oils from lavender (Lavandula stoaches) (LEO), on growth performance, carcass quality and antioxidant status of broilers. Three nutritionally adequate diets were composed with the addition of LEO at 0, 24, and 48 mg/kg of feed. The diets were fed as mash in the starter (d 0–21) and grower (d 22–39) phases. A total of 405 day-old chicks (Ross-308) were allocated to the three dietary treatments, each with three replicate pens with 45 birds per pen. After the first 21-day feeding period, the bodyweight of chicks fed 24 mg/kg LEO was higher (P <0.01) than the 48 mg/kg LEO treatment, but only slightly higher than that of the untreated group. Diets with 24 and 48 mg/kg of LEO tended to increase final bodyweight of birds at 39 days old. No differences were observed for feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and mortality among treatments. Feeding chickens on a diet with added LEO significantly reduced the relative weight of liver (P <0.01) compared with the control (CNT) group. Percentage of spleen weight of birds fed 24 mg/kg LEO was lower (P <0.05) than for those who received 48 mg/kg LEO. However, it was similar to that of the CNT. Birds fed diets supplemented with 24 and 48 mg/kg LEO had breast meat with higher brightness (L* value) and higher concentration of superoxide dismutase (SOD) compared with birds that did not receive LEO. Based on the data, it can be concluded that LEO could be used as a growth promoter in broiler nutrition with potential improvements in breast meat quality. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Keywords : Antioxidative activity, broiler, growth promoting effects, lavender oil, meat yield,
Characterization of Fresh Cattle Wastes Using Proximate, Microbial and Spectroscopic Principles

The main aim of this study is to perform a comparative study on freshly collected cow dung samples to guide farmers in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Hence, fresh cow dung samples (CD1, CD2 and CD3) from three different farms (F1, F2 and F3) provided with locally available resources such as grass, palm tree wastes and corn were subjected to proximate analysis, microbial and FTIR characterization principles. Results from proximate analysis showed that the CD2 had significantly high (p<0.05) nutrient characteristics such as total carbon (41.89±0.11%), total nitrogen (2.65±0.01%), crude protein (16.90±0.06%) and organic matter (75.40±0.2%) than the other two cow dung samples, CD1 (total carbon-38.84±0.06%, total nitrogen-1.40±0.15%, crude protein-8.9±0.09% and organic matter-69.92±0.1%) and CD3 (total carbon-39.16±0.04%, total nitrogen- 2.05±0.2%, crude protein-13.07±0.17% and organic matter-70.48±0.07%). Total viable counts of bacteria also showed that the CD2 (2.84±0.01x10 cfu/g) had substantially higher (p<0.05) total colony forming units than CD1 5
The Impact of Information Intermediaries on Stock Price Synchronicity

This paper investigates the extent to which information intermediaries,represented by financial analysts, influence the relative amount of firmspecificand market-level information being impounded into stock prices,as measured by stock price synchronicity. Using a sample of fifteenthousand and one hundred twenty (15,120) stocks from forty (40) countries,we find that stock price synchronicity is positively associated with analysts’forecasting activities, which is consistent with analysts increasing theamount of market level information in prices through intra-industryinformation transfers. We also find that increased disclosure, representedby the level of frequent reporting, moderates the relationship betweenanalysts’ forecasting activity and stock price synchronicity, and facilitatesthe firm-specific component of future earnings. Together, the results suggestthat price-relevant information conveyed by financial analysts’ activities isa function of the relative information advantage they have.
Introducing a new scale for the measurement of moral disengagement in peace and conflict research

As part of his Social Cognitive Theory, Albert Bandura (e.g. 1986) introduces a process called moral disengagement. Eight dif- ferent mechanisms are described through which behavior can be disengaged from moral self-control, thus enabling inhumane conduct without negative consequences for the person's self. These mechanisms will be briefly reviewed and the development of a new scale for measuring moral disengagement will be described. An existing measurement of moral disengagement developed by Grussendorf et al. (2002) and McAlister (2000, 2001) will be introduced and criticized. The necessity for the construction of a new scale, its development, psychometric properties and possible weaknesses will be discussed. As a related but conceptually different construct militarism-pacifism is introduced and first results regarding the relationship between the newly developed scale and the militarism-pacifism scale from Cohrs et al. (2002) are reported. First applications of the scale in two different studies will be outlined mainly in reference to properties of the new scale. Finally, critical questions about the construct will be raised and proposals for further research will be given.
Antibacterial activity of the stem bark extracts of Acacia mearnsii De Wild

The extracts assessed include hexane, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane and methanol. The hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts showed some inhibitory effects on the selected bacteria. The hexane extract showed some activity against four Gram-positive and two Gram-negative bacterial strains, but was not active against one Gram-positive and three Gram-negative bacterial strains. The ethyl acetate extract was effective against all the bacterial strains used in this study. The methanolic extract was effective against all the Gram-positive bacterial strains but it was not active against the Gram-negative bacterial strains except
The Swedish Scots pine seed orchard Västerhus: a study of linear deployment.

The Scots pine seed orchard Vasterhus is a seed orchard in the 2 round of orchards in Sweden, but since the clones were selected after progeny testing, it is genetically comparable to the 3rd round of seed orchards. It contains 28 clones which were selected from clones used in six plus tree seed orchards and used in different numbers. The clonal selections and deployed clonal proportions were worked out by Dag Lindgren and Bengt Andersson in an attempt to apply advanced designs in an operational orchard. The gain should then be increased while constrains would be kept on the genetic variation, a strategy later named linear deployment. In this deployment, the strategy was that the clones with the highest breeding values should be represented in higher numbers. In addition, flowering capacity was considered to predict gene contribution from each clone for the clonal deployment. The seed orchard was established 1991. In the summer 2007 16.1% of the grafts were dead and for 0.9% of the grafts, the root stock had replaced the grafted clone. The gain in breeding value by the linear deployment was initially estimated to 5.7-6.2% as compared to a comparable hypothetical seed orchard with equal clonal representation. The estimated gain by linear deployment at establishment did not change much due to loss of grafts. It is assumed that in this young seed orchard pollen contamination from the surrounding stands may have a larger and reducing effect on the genetic gain than loss of grafts and thus changed clone proportions.
Spreads, Depths, and the Impact of Earnings Information: An Intraday Analysis

For a sample of NYSE firms, we show that wide spreads are accompanied by low depths, and that spreads widen and depths fall in response to higher volume. Spreads widen and depths fall in anticipation of earnings announcements; these effects are more pronounced for announcements with larger subsequent price changes. Spreads are also wider following earnings announcements, but this effect dissipates quickly after controlling for volume. Collectively, our results suggest liquidity providers are sensitive to changes in information asymmetry risk and use both spreads and depths to actively manage this risk. Article published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Financial Studies in its journal, The Review of Financial Studies.
Two's Company, Three's a Crowd: Differences in Dominance Relationships in Isolated Versus Socially Embedded Pairs of Fish

Summary We performed experiments with cichlid e sh to test whether several basic aspects of dominance were the same in isolated pairs as in pairs within a social group of three or four. We found that the social context, whether a pair was isolated or within a group, strongly affected the basic properties of dominance relationships. In particular, the stability of relationships over time, the replication of relationships in successive meetings, and the extent of the loser effect were all signie cantly less in socially embedded pairs than in isolated pairs. We found no signie cant winner effect in either isolated or socially embedded pairs. These e ndings call into question many current approaches to dominance that do not consider social context as an important factor in dominance behavior. These e ndings also cast serious doubt on the validity of empirical and theoretical approaches based on dyadic interactions. Among these approaches are game theoretic models for the evolution of aggressive behavior, experimental designs evaluating how asymmetries in attributes ine uence the outcome of dominance
Farmers Perceptions and Adaptation about Changing Climate and Its Variability in UKP Area of Karnataka

Climate change is expected to have serious environmental, economic, and social impacts on Indian agriculture. Adaptation to climate change involves changes in agricultural management practices in response to changing in climate condition. It often involves a combination of various individual responses at the farm-level and assumes that farmers have access to alternative practices and technologies available in the region. The pre-tested structured schedule was used to collect primary data of 100 households in 10 villages of Upper Krishna Project area of Karnataka for the cropping season 2009–10 and 2010-11. Further, secondary data on temperature, rainfall, relative humidity etc, were also used for the study to find out variability in crop yield. The study describes farmer perceptions to change in long-term temperature and precipitation as well as various farm-level adaptation measures and barriers at the farm household level. This study examines farmer adaptation strategies to climate changing climate in Upper Krishna Project area of Karnataka state. Results confirmed that awareness of climate change is important component of farm-level adaptation. The study also reveals that temperature has increased over the years, rainfall is characterized by large inter annual variability with previous three years being very dry. Indeed, the analysis showed that farmer’s perceptions on climate change are in line with the climatic data records. However, majority of farmers have adjusted their farming practices to account the impact of climate change. Lack of access to credit was cited by respondents as the main factor inhibiting adaptation. An important policy message from these results is that enhanced access to credit, information on climatic and agronomic as well as to markets (input and output) can significantly increase farm-level adaptation. Government policies should support research and development on appropriate technologies to help farmers to adapt the changes in climatic conditions like crop development, improving climate information forecasting, and promoting appropriate farm-level adaptation measures such as use of irrigation technologies.
A biodiversity intactness score for South Africa

South Africa's new Biodiversity Act requires the development of a national framework for the integrated management of biodiversity in the country. The act also requires regular monitoring and reporting of the status of biodiversity. We apply a new approach, the Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII), to assess the state of biodiversity in South Africa. The index is a measure of the change in abundance across all well-known elements of biodiversity, relative to their inferred pre-colonial state. The BII can be calculated nationally, by province, municipality, or ecosystem type, or any other defined spatial unit. We estimate that, averaged across plants, mammals, birds, reptiles and frogs, abundances have declined by 19 + 7%over the past three centuries in South Africa. Losses are greatest in the grassland, fynbos and forest biomes, and mammals are the most affected taxonomic group. It is estimated that 80% of the remaining wild organisms in South Africa are in the extensive areas predominantly under grazing management. This suggests that the policy action with the greatest potential to limit further loss of biodiversity is to prevent the degradation of these areas, which could potentially halve the abundance of the remaining wild organisms.
Soil washing, ozofractionation and metal sequestration:removing organic and inorganic species from contaminated soil and water

Most research of soil washing conducted around the world has involved the removal of inorganic species from contaminated soil matrices. Few have considered its potential for removing organic species, although it has been used to remove volatile organic compounds and diesel. Similarly, a significant amount of research has considered the roles of advanced oxidation and ozonation in destroying organic species in water, but few have examined the potential of ozofractionation to perform this role. The purpose of this study was to assess the capacity of soil washing to remove both organic and inorganic species from a complex contaminated industrial soil, and once contaminants had been liberated from the solid phase, examine whether ozofractionation destroyed organic and inorganic species and whether a chemical reagent sequestered inorganic species in the flushing solution. Findings suggest that soil washing had a salutary effect on liberating organic and inorganic species from contaminated soil, reducing total petroleum hydrocarbons, for example, from 1,290 mg/kg to 320 mg/kg. The study also found that ozofractionation destroyed organic and inorganic species, for example reducing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from 13.2 mg/L to <0.5 mg/L and cyanide from 5.9 mg/L to 0.02 mg/L, and reagents sequestered heavy metals in the flushing solution.
Evaluating the evaluations: Evidence from energy efficiency programmes in Germany and the UK

To make robust judgments of an energy efficiency programme’s economic effectiveness, we need to know how much energy and CO2 is actually being saved through the financial support it provides. But most evaluations of home retrofit energy efficiency programmes depend on calculated, rather than measured, levels of energy consumption. This fails to take into account the discrepancies that have been observed in practice, between calculated and actual energy consumption both before and after refurbishment. nergy efficiency programmes
Bounded geometry of quadrilaterals and variation of multipliers for rational maps

Let Q be the unit square in the plane and h : Q→ h(Q) a quasiconformal map. When h is conformal off a certain self-similar set, the modulus of h(Q) is bounded independent of h. We apply this observation to give explicit estimates for the variation of multipliers of repelling fixed points under a “spinning” quasiconformal deformation of a particular cubic polynomial.
Qualitative Phytochemistry and Antibacterial Resistance Pattern of Leaves and Stem Bark Extracts of Jatropha curcas

Jatropha caurcas (Euphorbiaceae) is used in folklore medicine to cure various ailments in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Present study investigated the phytochemical components and antimicrobial activities of Jatropha caurcas against some selected clinical isolates. The leaf and stem bark was macerated successively in ethanol and aqueous solvent for 24 hrs each. Qualitative phytochemistry screening of aqueous and ethanolic solvent extracts of plant materials was conducted using standard methods. The antibacterial susceptibility assay was carried out on three clinical isolates by preparing discs of a standard concentration of aqueous extracts of Jatropha caurcas. Result obtained indicates the presence of some secondary metabolites which are glycosides, flavonoids, phenols, tannin, steroids, reducing sugar and terpenoids. It was observed that alkaloids and saponins were absence in aqueous extract of leaves and stem bark solvent extract but present in stem bark extracts. However, ethanolic leaves extract contains no alkaloids and saponins. Susceptibility pattern of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Shigella dysentriae was measured to be 17mm, 23mm and 24mm respectively. Present investigation could serve as a panacea for emergence of multidrug resistance bacteria and also, the analysis of the secondary metabolites will provide the pharmacognosy and drug development sector preliminary information about the phytochemical constituent of Jatropha caurcas (Euphorbiaceae).