Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Croatian accession to the European Union - the challenges of participation

This chapter summarizes the findings of the project of monitoring Croatian accession to the European Union. It draws particular attention to the challenges entailed in participation in the accession process and in relations with European countries, irrespective of Croatia’s membership status. It tries to answer questions about: the place of Croatia in Europe; the problems of its economy; the nature of its political elite and the views of its citizens, and institutions’ capacities to adapt to requirements of modern and open societies. Among the findings one could highlight: First, irrespective of the membership status, there are possibilities for Croatia to participate and even to try to act as leader in some fields (e.g. Adriatic Sea protection) and Croatian experts could participate in and contribute to the discussions of EU-relevant topics (e.g. European citizenship or communicating Europe). Second, high and stable distrust in the EU, rising unwillingness to join the EU and views concerning the EU that are more based on impressions than on utilitarian considerations might lead to a Croatian “no” to the EU in the final moment of decision. However, if the benefits of reforms are reaped even without joining the EU, this does not have to be a disaster for the country, although it could be a serious setback for the political elite. Third, adaptation of the capabilities of Croatian institutions is despite many improvements still the weakest spot. The progress of re-
Application Research of BIM Technology in Computer Aided Design of Building Foundation

With the rapid development of the domestic high-rise buildings, the scale and depth of deep excavation pit projects are also expanding. More and more deep foundation pit appear in built-up and densely populated areas, which imposes higher requirements on the excavation engineering design. BIM technology, as a new technology in the construction industry, has gradually been used in various fields. In this paper, taking the deep foundation pit project of Changsha Zhongqing Square for example, the BIM software REVIT was used to establish a 3D model of excavation pit supporting. The structural collision checking, simulation of construction process and deepening design of nodes were carried out to provide guidance to building construction. The problems and causes of applying BIM technology in the design of building foundation pits were analyzed and summarized. The expectations on the development of BIM technology in the field of building foundation pits were also made.
An Investigation of Structural Breaks on Spot and Futures Crude Palm Oil Returns

The implications of omitting structural break in volatility clustering modelling process are largely discussed in various developed macroeconomic and finance variables. The empirical evidence highlights the importance of this structural break in modelling process that gives a more accurate volatility persistency estimation result. The main purpose of the paper is (i) to identify the existence of structural breaks in crude palm oil return and (ii) to demonstrate the implication of structural break in volatility clustering estimation process. This paper tests for the presence of structural breaks in spot and future crude palm oil returns. Using daily data that span from January 1996 to August 2008, we test the existence of structural changes in tested crude palm oil series mean via the Bai and Perron procedure. Using the Inclan and Tioa Iterated Cumulative Sums of Squares (ICSS) algorithm procedures, we proceed to identify any structural changes in series variance. Based on the Bai and Perron test results, we found two structural changes in tested returns mean series located in late 1998 and 1999. Additionally, the Inclan and Tiao Iterated Cumulative Sums of Squares (ICSS) algorithm test results identified some regime changes in futures crude palm oil variance located in late 1996, late 2001 and early 2008. We provide some internal and external explanations for the cause of these structural shifts in both mean and variance. Then, the study continues to investigate the implication of structural breaks in crude palm oil volatility clustering estimation process. Initially, we estimate a Baba, Engle, Kraft, and Kroner model (BEKK model) without the structural break. Having identified the breaks in the mean and variance of both returns series, we model their relationship by incorporating those breaks in the volatility clustering procedure (using modified BEKK model). The volatility clustering finding show that the spot crude palm oil persistency parameters have slightly increased when structural breaks are taken into account in the estimated model. In contrast to the spot crude palm oil findings, the futures crude palm oil exhibits a lower persistency estimation when structural changes are considered. The results support the importance of structural breaks in this volatility clustering estimation, and failure to do so may lead to bias persistency parameter estimation.
Analysis of GHG Emissions for City Passenger Trains: Is Electricity an Obvious Option for Montreal Commuter Trains?

Alternative technologies have emerged to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of traditional commuter rail systems powered by diesel. Even larger reductions can be obtained with energy production from renewable resources. This paper uses the commuter rail system in Montreal, Quebec, as a case study for implementing alternative technologies, namely, complete electrification of the network (only one of the existing five lines is electrified) and hydrogen fuel cell-powered trains. It is important to note that the main source of electricity generation in Quebec is hydropower which is offered at a relatively low cost. Several criteria were considered to determine the most suitable alternative including GHG emissions from operation and fuel production, operation and capital costs, and technological and commercial viability. Electrification of the commuter rail system would decrease annual emissions by 98% which is more than 27,000 tons. The GHG reductions for hydrogen trains are lower than electric trains but still substantial. The operation costs favor the electrification scenario; however, the high costs of electrical infrastructure make hydrogen trains more competitive since additional infrastructure is unnecessary. However, hydrogen trains remain a new and unproven technology; uncertainties associated with it should be settled before full implementation.
Green Transformational Leadership and Green Performance: The mediating role of Green Mindfulness and Green Self-efficacy

To increase the green performance of an organization Green Transformational Leadership is very important. This study mainly focuses the impact on Green Performance of Green Transformational Leadership by considering the mediating effect of Green Self-Efficacy and Green Mindfulness.The study is descriptive and quantitative in nature. Survey questionnaire method was used and data have been collected from 200 respondents by applying simple random sampling technique. After applying required tests on AMOS and SPSS, findings revealed that transformational leadership has asignificant and positive impact on Green performance. Moreover, a result also enlightened that Green Mindfulness and Green Self-efficacy significantly and moderately mediates the relationship between Green Performance and transformational leadership. At the end, this article implementation, suggestion, and limitation have also been included for further researches.
Development of the Attitude Towards Women’s Sports Scale (ATWS)

8 The purposes of the present study were to develop the Attitude Towards Women’s Sports 9 (ATWS) scale and examine the instrument in terms of score reliability and validity. The ATWS 10 was constructed to measure individuals’ evaluations of women’s sports in terms of cognitive and 11 affective dimensions theoretically proposed by related literatures. The scale was developed in 12 two phases using both subject matter expert reviews and the analysis of data from three samples 13 of participants. In the first phase, reliability and validity evidence for the ATWS were gathered 14 by utilizing subject matter expert reviews and conducting item analyses. In the second phase, 15 data was collected on a new sample and examined using exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach’s 16 alpha, and correlations with an external variable. Results from the study indicate that the ATWS 17 Scale reliably measures eight theoretically hypothesized factors that are associated with 18 cognitive and affective evaluations of women’s sports. In addition, these factors were positive 19 predictors of participants’ self-reported consumption intentions. 20
ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL AND SOIL FERTILIZATION ON POST-TRANSPLANT DEVELOPMENT OF OUTPLANTS OF SEVEN FOREST SPECIES

Seedling of seven forest species were raised in conventional nursery substrate either infested or not with a mixture of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Glomus etunicatum, Gigaspora margarita and Acaulospora scrobiculata) and transplanted into plastic pots with a low-fertility Oxisol amended with low or high NPK-fertilization and with or without re-inoculation. It was found that either inoculation at nursery or at transplanting stage guaranteed high root colonization (>70%), growth response and favorable nutrition after transplant. Growth effects varied with treatments and with plant species. Inoculation benefits for shoot dry matter were as high as 800% for Colvillea racemosa. Reduced growth was observed when seedling non-inoculated at nursery stage were also not inoculated at transplanting, whereas nursery-inoculated ones grew well independently on soil fertility and re-inoculation. Enhanced soil fertility did not increase shoot dry matter yield of Luehea grandiflora, Senna macranthera and Enterolobium contortisiliquum. It increased dry matter of Cecropia pachystachya in the absence of mycorrhiza; of mycorrhizal Senna multijuga and C. racemosa and of Sesbania virgata caused an increase in all treatments. Only C. racemosa did not respond to inoculation at transplanting.
Machining Performance Analysis in End Milling: Predicting Using ANN and a Comparative Optimisation Study of ANN/BB-BC and ANN/PSO

End milling machining performance indicators such as surface roughness, tool wear and machining time are the principally indicators of machine tool industrial productivity, cost and competitiveness. Since accurate predictions and optimisations are necessary for control purposes, new merit-driven approaches are for good results. The aim of this work is two folds: prediction of machining performance for surface roughness, tool wear and machining time with ANN and the optimisation of these performance indicators using the combined models of ANN-BB-BC and ANN-PSO. However, the optimisation platform is hinged on the fuzzy goal programming model, which facilitates comparisons between the performance of the BB-BC and the PSO algorithms. To demonstrate the approach, optimal tool wear and surface roughness were obtained from a fuzzy goal programme, then converted to a bi-objective non-linear programming model, and solved with the BB-BC and the PSO algorithms. The outputs of the artificial neural network (ANN) were integrated with the optimisation models. The effectiveness of the method was ascertained using extensive literature data. Thus, prediction and optimisation of complex end milling parameters was attained using appropriate selection of parameters with high quality outputs, enhanced by precise prediction and optimisation tools in this proposed approach.
Impact of Chamomile on Submandibular Salivary Gland of 5-Fluorouracil Treated Rabbits (Histological and Immunohistochemical Study)

Background and objectives: Chamomile has been used for centuries as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and mild astringent and healing medicine. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential anticytotoxic effect of chamomile extract on the submandibular glands of 5-FU treated female rabbits. Materials and methods: Forty female white rabbits weighing between 1.0 kg and 1.5 kg were divided randomly into two groups. Control groups (intraperitoneally injected by physiological saline) consist of distilled water treated group and chamomile extract treated group (100 mg/kg), 10 animals each, and the treatment continue for 16 days. Study groups (intraperitoneally injected by 5-FU) consist also of distilled water treated group and chamomile extract treated group, 10 animals each, and the treatment also continue for 16 days. They were gavaged by distilled water or by chamomile extract in a similar way like control groups, but intraperitoneal injections of the 5-FU at a dose of (4 mg/kg) administered intraperitoneally once daily for 5 successive days. The right and left submandibular salivary glands of all the animals were dissected out and prepared for histological and immunohistochemical examinations. \ Results: 5-FU cause signs of acini degeneration and large dilated blood vessels engorged with red blood cells were also seen. A statistically no significant differences were found between saline/distilled water and the other three groups regarding Ki-67 immuno expression (p>0.05). Statistical analysis also showed no significant differences present between saline/distilled water and saline/chamomile group in term of rate of apoptosis (p>0.05), but this difference were significant (p<0.05) between group 5-FU/distilled water and 5-FU/chamomile group, saline/ distilled water group and 5-FU/distilled water or 5-FU/chamomile group (p<0.05), and saline/chamomile and 5-FU/ distilled water or 5-FU/chamomile group. Conclusion: Chamomile extracts at a concentration of 100 mg/kg/day orally gavaged for 16 days cause some microscopically changes to rabbit’s submandibular salivary gland. Cytotoxicity of chamomile extract increased if it’s taken with 5-FU by increasing the expression of cleaved caspase-3 immunostaining.
Social Interactions between Two Owl Species Sometimes Associated with Intraguild Predation

Species may act simultaneously as competitor and predator for other species at the same trophic level. This is known as Intraguild Predation (IGP). Most research on this topic describes the final steps of this phenomenon, when one species suffers lost progeny or decreased numbers due to predation and competition by another species. However, little is known about the mechanism that regulates this interaction in previous steps. In this work two species of the same guild (Little Owl Athene noctua and Barn Owl Tyto alba) were selected to test the hypothesis that the hunting and social behaviour of the Little Owl would be conditioned by the presence of Barn Owls. Nine Little Owls were radio-tracked and monitored for nine months. 1223 fixes were obtained and 250 hours of listening were recorded. Moreover, during this time Barn Owls were detected 66 times screeching, hunting or flying in the same areas as the monitored Little Owls. The subsequent activity (movements and voices) of tagged and untagged Little Owls was observed during 30-minute periods. The results show that Little Owl behaviour was affected by Barn Owl presence. When Little Owls noted the presence of Barn Owls, they stayed quiet and silent, or alternatively, sought refuge in the branches of trees or in secure holes in buildings, resuming their activities minutes later, when the risk of predation was presumably lower. This behaviour may have enabled survival and successful breeding of Little Owl in close proximity to Barn Owls.
A Proposed Framework for Service Trade Mode Selection: The Value Chain and Value Co-creation Perspectives

Owing to business trends moving toward service economy and globalization, service trade is becoming a vital issue for many countries. This is particularly true for countries either fostering industrial development by governments or with lower revealed comparative advantage index (RCA) for service sectors. In fact, the growth of service exports within the past 25 years is much higher than that of goods exports. The value of service exports has grown sevenfold since 1984, with a compound annual growth rate of nearly 7% per year (Habermann et al., 2002). In 1995 the World Trade Organization (WTO) was formed to help nations deal with the issues of service trade in a much more systematic manner. Then, came the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) with its corresponding modes of service trade. In light of this growth, it is surprising to find that there is very little research focusing purely on service trade, in contrast, for example, to the number of studies on manufacturer internationalization (Cicic et al., 2002). Generally speaking, key drivers for service globalization include deregulation and the opening of closed domestic markets, impacts from the GATS, increasing demand for services resulting from economic growth, advanced ICT, and trends towards service outsourcing (La et al., 2005). Moreover, the current work on service research overemphasizes the features of service itself, processes and encounter (i.e., levels of service intangibility, contact and customization). For instance, Maister & Lovelock (1992) positions service industries by two static features: level of customization and level of interaction, and suggests that each service industry should belong to one single position. Restaurants, for example, are regarded as a service type with high degrees of customization and interaction. However, Teboul (2006) shows that restaurants can perform well and serve customers across a variety of modes, as in the case of fast food restaurants with low levels of customization and interaction. Such a claim may imply that, as long as a given service type can truly fulfill customer needs, service providers
Camp David and the Al-Aqsa Intifada: An Assessment of the State of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process, July-December 2000

This article examines the Al-Aqsa Intifada and its impact on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. It is argued here that the Intifada was the result of long-term frustrations of the Palestinian people with the lack of change as well as the short-term need of the Palestinian leadership for an exit strategy after the Camp David summit. Palestinian strategy aimed at shifting the blame for the failure of Camp David from Yasser Arafat to Ehud Barak and to create maximum international solidarity to pressure Israel into concessions. Yet, closer analysis reveals that despite early successes, the Intifada strategy is one of diminishing returns. Conversely, Israeli crisis management, while taking some initial blows particularly in terms of public image, has proved relatively successful at preventing the erosion of Israeli positions on the ground. Ultimately, however, neither Palestinians nor Israelis will be able to achieve their respective aims of statehood and security without returning to the negotiating table.
The inflammatory markers: C-Reactive Protein and TNF-? predict Cardiovascular risks in obese North Indian subjects

Obesity is associated with a low-grade inflammation of white adipose tissue (WAT) resulting from chronic activation of proinflammatory molecules: C-reactive Protein(CRP), TNF-alpha and interleukin-6 (IL-6). These cytokines subsequently lead to insulin resistance, im-paired glucose tolerance and even diabetes. This is a cross-sectional, open label, compara-tive, observational study, in a North Indian population cohort. Thirty cases of obesity were evaluated, against twenty normal weight regarding metabolic and inflammatory markers in relation to cardiovascular risk factors. All patients underwent detailed clinical and bio-chemical, CRP and TNF-α estimation at baseline and at the end of the study period. The dif-ferences between the percentage changes in each parameter in the two groups was com-pared by applying the unpaired t-test using the SPSS 10.0 software. Comparison showed significant difference in CRP and TNF-α between normal weight individuals (BMI 30) at a p value 30) at a p value <0.05. Inflammatory markers like TNF-α and CRP levels were elevated in obese subjects, reinforcing the view that obesity is in part an inflammatory disorder. Further there was evi-dence of worsening dyslipidemia with BMI and cardiovascular risks The study also sug-gested that inflammatory marker TNF-α is correlated with cardiovascular risk factors in obesity, rather than just being a manifestation of the inflammatory state.
A Lyα EMITTER WITH AN EXTREMELY LARGE REST-FRAME EQUIVALENT WIDTH OF ∼900 Å AT z = 6.5: A CANDIDATE POPULATION III-DOMINATED GALAXY?

We have identified a very interesting Lyα emitter (LAE), whose Lyα emission line has an extremely large observed equivalent width of EW0 = 436+422− 149 Å, which corresponds to an extraordinarily large intrinsic rest-frame equivalent width of EWint0 = 872+844− 298 Å after the average intergalactic absorption correction. The object was spectroscopically confirmed to be a real LAE by its apparent asymmetric Lyα line profile detected at z = 6.538. The continuum emission of the object was definitely detected in our deep z′-band image; thus, its EW0 was reliably determined. Follow-up deep near-infrared spectroscopy revealed emission lines of neither He ii λ1640 as an apparent signature of Population III (Pop III) nor C iv λ1549 as proof of an active nucleus. No detection of the short-lived He ii λ1640 line is not necessarily inconsistent with the interpretation that the underlying stellar population of the object is dominated by Pop III. We found that the observed extremely large EW0 of the Lyα emission and the upper limit on the EW0 of the He ii λ1640 emission can be explained by population synthesis models favoring a very young age less than 2–4 Myr and massive metal-poor (Z < 10−5) or even metal-free stars. The observed large EW0 of Lyα is insufficiently explained by Population I/II synthesis models with Z ⩾ 10−3. However, we cannot conclusively rule out the possibility that this object is composed of a normal stellar population with a clumpy dust distribution, which could enhance the Lyα EW0, though its significance is still unclear.
Genetic evaluation of post-weaning growth traits in teddy goats

The study was carried out to genetically evaluate post weaning growth traits in Teddy goat and for this purpose data available on 18702 kidding and performance records of 5150 Teddy goats and progeny of 382 sires maintained at Livestock Experiment Stations (I) Rakh Ghulaman, District Bakkhar (1983-2008) (II) Rakh Khariewala District Layyah (1971-2008) and (III) Chak Katora, District Bahawalpur (1975-2008) Punjab, Pakistan were analyzed. Restricted Maximum likelihood (REML) procedure fitting an Individual Animal Model was used for variance component estimation. Estimates of breeding values for various performance traits were calculated by using BLUP. For these purposes WOMBAT software was used. The heritability estimates for weight at six months (6MW), weight at nine months (9MW), yearling weight (YW), post-weaning daily gain at six (ADG1), nine (ADG2) and twelve months (ADG3), were 0.19±0.42, 0.09±0.01, 0.21±0.32, 0.17±0.42, 0.12±0.02 and 0.15±0.01, respectively. The estimates of genetic correlations between different growth traits varied from 0.61 between 6MW & ADG3 to 0.97 between 6MW and ADG1. The genetic trend in 6MW, 9MW and YW had no significant trend and fluctuated in the vicinity of zero. It is envisaged from the present study that over the 34 years period selection remained ineffective to bring the desired changes and it will remain so if random use of breeding animals is practiced.