Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Helping Clients Select SRI Mutual Funds and Firms by Natalie Chieffe . DBA , CFR \ and

M any clients are interested in buying shares in firms they helieve are socially responsible, based on their personal criteria. These investments often take place through mutual funds, but it can be difficult to accurately classify "socially re.sponsible" funds and determine how they differ from each other. Do these funds support the same causes? Should clients assume that all mutual funds use the same definition of social responsibility? Furthermore, most investors would not consider investing in socially responsible investing (SRI) mutual funds unless their returns were "at least equal to" conventional mutual funds. Is it possible for SRI funds to meet these expected returns with a limited set of stocks from which to choose?
Reproductive Performance of Rabbit Does Fed Moringa Oleifera Leaf Meal ( Molm ) as a Protein Substitute to Soya Bean Meal

A study was conducted with 32 mixed breed rabbits averaging 2.35-3.11kg and aged between 7-8 months to evaluate the reproductive performance of rabbit does fed graded levels of Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) in a 12week feeding trial. Four treatment diets were compounded by MOLM substituted soya bean meal at 0, 25, 50 and 75% respectively. The animals were allotted to the four treatment diets so that each diet had 6 does and 2 bucks housed individually in each cage. Rabbit does were introduced to the bucks for mating in the early morning in the ratio 1:3 (01 male: 03 female) per week during the third week of the study. Feed intake and weight gain were recorded, while the gestation length, percentage conception, litter size at birth, litter weight at birth and survival rate of kids were calculated. The results showed no significant difference (P>0.05) in the average weekly weight gain of does, litter size at birth, average litter weight at birth and average survival rate of kids. However, the results revealed a significant difference (P<0.05) in the gestation length and average weekly weight gain of kids. The results suggest that MOLM incorporated in the diets of rabbits up to 75% had no detrimental effect on the reproductive performance of rabbit does.
The Impact of R&D and ICT Investment on Innovation and Productivity in Chilean Firms

This technical note examines the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) and research and development (R&D) investment on innovation and productivity in Chilean firms, in particular those in the services industry. It provides new evidence on this topic for a developing country and also for firms in the services sector, areas in which existing evidence is limited. The findings for services industries are relevant because this sector in Latin America has a large productivity gap when compared to the sector in developed countries. The results show that ICT contributes positively to innovation and productivity in both the total sample and the services industry. They also confirm that ICT investment increases productivity directly and not only through innovation, suggesting how hard is to disentangle the indirect and direct effects of ICT investment on productivity.
Swift J1644+57: an ideal test bed of radiation mechanisms in a relativistic super-Eddington jet

Within the first 10 d after Swift discovered the jetted tidal disruption event (TDE) Sw J1644+57, simultaneous observations in the radio, near-infrared, optical, X-ray, and γ-ray bands were carried out. These multiwavelength data provide a unique opportunity to constrain the emission mechanism and make-up of a relativistic super-Eddington jet. We consider an exhaustive variety of radiation mechanisms for the generation of X-rays in this TDE, and rule out many processes such as synchrotron self-Compton, photospheric and proton synchrotron. The infrared-to-γ-ray data for Sw J1644+57 are consistent with synchrotron and external-inverse-Compton (EIC) processes provided that electrons in the jet are continuously accelerated on a time-scale shorter than ∼1 per cent of the dynamical time to maintain a power-law distribution. The requirement of continuous electron acceleration points to magnetic reconnection in a Poynting flux-dominated jet. The EIC process may require fine tuning to explain the observed temporal decay of the X-ray light curve, whereas the synchrotron process in a magnetic jet needs no fine tuning for this TDE.
Acoustic signalling during courtship in the painted goby, Pomatoschistus pictus

Gobies emit sounds during different stages of reproduction, including courtship, pre-spawning events (in the nest) and spawning. The breeding sounds of the painted goby Pomatoschistus pictus and associated courtship behaviour were recorded in captivity and described for the first time. Males emitted thump-like sounds mainly when displaying alone in the nest and produced drumming sounds outside the nest. Thumps have never been reported for other species of the genus Pomatoschistus. Thumps were short (~80 ms) very-low frequency (below 100 Hz) non-pulsed sounds, whereas drums were longer (hundreds of ms) and consisted of low frequency (~300 Hz) pulse trains. Thump characteristics varied significantly among males but also showed high within-male variability. The frequency of thump emissions and courtship behaviour (total number of courtship displays, lead and nest display) were positively correlated with male size but not with male somatic condition. Thump bursts emitted during nest displays were significantly longer than when emitted with other behaviours. These results suggest that larger males courted females more intensively, both with visual and acoustic displays, than smaller ones.
Temporary Job Protection and Productivity Growth in EU Economies

The present study examines cross-national and sectoral differences in Total Factor Productivity (TFP) in fourteen European countries and ten sectors from 1995 to 2007. The main aim is to ascertain the role of employment protection of temporary contracts on TFP by estimating their effects with a “difference-in-difference” approach. Results show that deregulation of temporary contracts negatively influences the growth rates of TFP in European economies and that, within sectoral analysis, the role of this liberalisation is greater in industries where firms are more used to opening short-term positions. By contrast, in our observation period, restrictions on regular jobs do not cause significant effects on TFP, whereas limited regulation of product markets and higher R&D expenses positively affect efficiency growth.
A bound for the error in the normal approximation to the distribution of a sum of dependent random variables

This paper has two aims, one fairly concrete and the other more abstract. In Section 3, bounds are obtained under certain conditions for the departure of the distribution of the sum of n terms of a stationary random sequence from a normal distribution. These bounds are derived from a more abstract normal approximation theorem proved in Section 2. I regret that, in order to complete this paper in time for publication, I have been forced to submit it with many defects remaining. In particular the proof of the concrete results of Section 3 is somewhat incomplete. A well known theorem of A. Berry [1] and C-G. Esseen [2] asserts that if X1, X2, . is a sequence of independent identically distributed random variables with EXi = 0, EXV = 1, and ,B = EIXij3 < oo. then the cumulative distribution function of (1//;n) Yi=l Xi differs from the unit normal distribution by at most Kf3/ n where K is a constant, which can be taken to be 2. It seems likely, but has never been proved and will not be proved here, that a similar result holds for stationary sequences in which the dependence falls off sufficiently rapidly and the variance of(1//;n) X1.1 Xi approaches a positive constant. I. Ibragimov and Yu. Linnik ([3], pp. 423-432) prove that, under these conditions, the limiting distribution of (1/ /n) E Xi is normal with mean 0 and a certain variance G2 Perhaps the best published results on bounds for the error are those of Phillip [5]. who shows that if in addition the Xi are bounded, with exponentially decreasing dependence, then the discrepancy is roughly of the order of n-114 In Corollary 3.2 of the present paper it is proved that under these conditions the discrepancy is of the order of n 1/2(log n)2. Actually the assumption of boundedness is weakened to the finiteness of eighth moments. In Corollary 3.1 it is proved that if the assumption of exponential decrease of dependence is strengthened tormdependence, the error in the normal approximation is of the order of n1/2 The abstract normal approximation theorem of Section 2 is elementary in the sense that it uses only the basic properties of conditional expectation and the elements of analysis, including the solution of a first order linear differential equation. It is also direct, in the sense that the expectation of a fairly arbitrary
Detection by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and molecular characterization of avian metapneumovirus in Chicken flocks in Iran

Avian metapneumovirus causes acute and highly contagious upper respiratory tract infections in chickens and turkeys. Avian metapneumovirus plays an important role in respiratory diseases; it may be involved in multifactorial disease. The aim of this study was the detection and molecular characterization of avian metapneumovirus from commercial chicken flocks in Iran. Clinical samples from 50 commercial chicken flocks with respiratory signs such as swollen infraorbital sinuses, nasal discharges, coughing, tracheal rales and foamy conjunctivitis were collected and brought to the Razi vaccine and serum research Institute for RT-PCR. Samples included the choenal cleft, trachea and turbinate's swabs. The G genes of Positive samples were sequenced. Of the 50 chicken flocks, 8 flocks were positive by RT-PCR (16%). Partial sequence analysis of the G gene confirmed that the positive samples belonged to subtype B. Phylogenetic tree demonstrated that Iranian strains formed one group apart from subtype B vaccine strain used in Iran. Comparison of nucleotide sequences of the Ggene of the Iranian aMPV samples with subtype B isolates from other countries revealed 95.2% to 97.4% identity. Nucleotide sequences showed 96.9 to97.9% identities among the Iranian samples and 95.5 % identity with the subtype B vaccine strains used in Iran.
The Twentieth Century Reanalysis Project

The Twentieth Century Reanalysis (20CR) project is an international effort to produce a comprehensive global atmospheric circulation dataset spanning the twentieth century, assimilating only surface pressure reports and using observed monthly sea‐surface temperature and sea‐ice distributions as boundary conditions. It is chiefly motivated by a need to provide an observational dataset with quantified uncertainties for validations of climate model simulations of the twentieth century on all time‐scales, with emphasis on the statistics of daily weather. It uses an Ensemble Kalman Filter data assimilation method with background ‘first guess’ fields supplied by an ensemble of forecasts from a global numerical weather prediction model. This directly yields a global analysis every 6 hours as the most likely state of the atmosphere, and also an uncertainty estimate of that analysis.
Syntax of the Comparative Clause Construction in English

The comparative clause construction in English is almost notorious for its syntactic complexity. Exhibiting a variety of grammatical processes-recursion, deletions, permutations, and suppletions-it is a fecund source of ambiguities and puzzles. I mention here four well-known problems of the comparative, to which 1 offer a solution in what follows. What accounts for the fact that in (A), (i) and (ii) can be read as (roughly) synonymous, while (iii) and (iv) cannot? (A) 1. I've never seen a man taller than my father. 11. I've never seen a taller man than my father. lll. I've never seen a man taller than my mother. IV. I've never seen a taller man than my mother. Why does (iv) depart from grammaticality in (B)? (B) 1. Jack eats caviar more than he eats mush. 11. Jack eats more caviar than he eats mush. lll. Jack eats caviar more than he sleeps. IV. *Jack eats more caviar than he sleeps. What explains the ungrammaticality of (Civ)?
Effect of Grafting Dates, Methods on Success and Growth of Mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) Sapling

A field experiment was conducted at National Citrus Research Program (NCRP), Paripatle, Dhankuta to standardize the time and method of grafting and to assess the success and growth of mandarin saplings. Scions taken from ‘Khoku Local’ mandarin were grafted onto one-year-old trifoliate orange seedling rootstocks by shoot tip and veneer methods in eight different dates starting from 29 th October, 2009 to 12 th February, 2010 at 15 days interval. The grafts were planted inside closed tunnel of jute and plastic sheet at 10×10 cm spacing in 50×60 cm 2 experimental plots in two factorial split-plot design with three replications per treatment, containing 30 grafts per plot. The grafting methods were allotted on main-plots and the dates on sub-plots randomly. The success and growth of sapling was significantly affected by the dates while the methods had no effect. Study results showed that the highest success (96.11 %) was found on 13 th January, followed by 28 th January (91.11%) and the least (51.67%) on 29 th October grafting. The mortality of sprouted grafts was the lowest (0.17%) in 29 th December grafting, while it was observed higher in earlier and late season grafting. Observation on growth taken at 180 days after grafting in successful grafts showed that 29 th October had the highest number of primary branches (2.2); 14 th November had the highest number of leaves (48.47) and secondary branches (2.505); 29 th December gave the maximum sapling height (32.86 cm); 13 th January produced the lowest number of leaves (21.93) per sapling and 28 th January produced the lowest number of primary (1.533) and secondary branches (1.172) per sapling. From the study it was revealed that in Dhankuta, the most appropriate time of grafting was 2 nd to 4 th week of January. Nepal Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 14, No. 1 (2013) 23-30 DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3126/njst.v14i1. 8873
Thermal stability and corrosion resistance of nanocrystallized zirconium formed by surface mechanical attrition treatment

The thermal stability and corrosion behavior of the nanostructured layer on commercially pure zirconium, produced by surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT), were investigated. It is indicated that the nanograined Zr is stable at annealing temperatures up to 650 °C, above which significant grain growth occurs and the grain size shows parabolic relationship with annealing time. The activation energy for grain growth of the nanograined Zr is 59 kJ/mol at 750–850 °C, and the grain growth is dominated by grain-boundary diffusion. The as-SMATed nanograined Zr exhibits higher corrosion resistance than the 550–750 °C annealed SMATed Zr and the unSMATed coarse-grained Zr. It is indicated that the corrosion resistance of Zr tends to increase with the reduction of grain size, which is related to the dilution of segregated impurities at grain boundaries due to grain refinement and the formation of passive protection film.
Effect of the Aqueous Extract of Seeds of Casimiroa Edulis and Certain Drug Combinations on Cardiac Contractility, Phosphorilase a and Adenyl Cyclase Activation in Isolated Perfused Mammalian Heart

: Objective: To examine the hypotensive effect of the aqueous extract of the seeds of the plant casimiroa edulis on mammalian heart and vasculatiure. Materials and Methods: Studies were done on cardiac contractility, phosphorilase and adenyl cyclase in male Dunkin Hartley guinea-pigs weighing between 300-400 g. on perfused heart by the Langendorff technique. Results: Positive inotropic and chronotropic effects were observed mediated by cyclic 3', 5' - AMP, which were not abolished by beta adrenergic-blocking agents. These results further indicate that casimiroa edulis has the capacity to activate adenyl cyclase in particulate fractions of guinea-pig heart. Conclusion: These results suggest that there are separate adenyl cyclase systems for casimiroa edulis and nor epinephrine. However, definite proof would require physical separation of the two enzymes. The simultaneous use of H 1 -and H 2 -receptor agonists and antagonists thus provides a means for effective and selective inhibition of the cardiovascular actions of casimiroa edulis.
Modeling emergency supply flexibility in a two-echelon inventory system

We consider a two-echelon inventory system for service parts. To obtain high service levels at a low cost we allow not only for normal supply of parts but also for emergency supply options in terms of lateral transshipments and direct deliveries. After presenting the strategy we use for satisfying customer demand, we construct an analytical model that we use to calculate relevant performance measures. Simulation shows that our model produces accurate estimates, and that the performance of the inventory system is insensitive to the lead-time distribution. After introducing a cost structure we show that the strategy we propose can result in considerable savings when compared to using only normal supply. Comparison of the results of our model with the results of other models indicates that the combined use of lateral transshipments and direct deliveries can lead to significant cost savings.
Phenotypic characterization and production potentials of Nageswari duck in Bangladesh

The present study was conducted to know the morphology, morphometry, production and reproduction potentialities of Nageswari duck, an indigenous duck genetic resource of Bangladesh. Data on 58 representative adult Nageswari ducks were included for morphological study from 24 duck owners and two government organizations having Nageswari duck flocks while 468 individuals were considered for the traits of productive and reproductive performances. Information was collected by using a structured questionnaire through personal interaction, on spot recording and direct phenotypic measurements in five different regions of Bangladesh. Black plumage color with white stripe extended from neck to breast make unique features of Nageswari duck compared to other indigenous ducks. Morphometric measurements on adult live weight, body length, head diameter, bill length, neck length, shank length, wing length, massiveness and condition index in male and female were found to be 1.66±0.07 and 1.51±0.05 kg, 26.27±0.57 and 23.79±0.39 cm, 3.49±0.02 and 3.36±0.04 cm, 5.87±0.09 and 5.54±0.07 cm, 23.49±0.58 and 21.59±0.49 cm, 5.76±0.12 and 5.16±0.11 cm, 24.58±0.49 and 21.99±0.53 cm, 6.33±0.28 and 6.39±0.22, and 6.72±0.23 and 6.93±0.23 respectively. Age at first egg of Nageswari duck was found to be 168.48±3.53 days. Total number of eggs laid per year averaged 173.63±3.39 and peak production was found in 29.46±0.19 weeks. The average egg weight was estimated to be 67.32±0.82 g and characteristic bluish tinge of egg color was observed. Breed specific characteristic features and production profiles were observed in this study. The present study provided some baseline information on Nageswari duck of Bangladesh which could be useful for genetic characterization, conservation and future improvement programs in Bangladesh. Bang. J. Anim. Sci. 2015. 44(2): 92-99
Optimization of Spray-Drying Process Conditions for the Production of Maximally Viable Microencapsulated L. acidophilus NCIMB 701748

Inrecent years, the use of spray drying for the production of anhydrobiotics has gained the interest of functional food manufacturers, mainly due to cost efficiencies and enhanced product and process flexibility (e.g., enhanced shelf life). In the present work, spray-drying conditions (air inlet temperature and feed flow rate) were optimized for the microencapsulation of the thermo sensitive probiotic lactobacilli strains Lactobacillus acidophilus stabilized in a 60:20:20 (w/w) maltodextrin: whey protein concentrate: D-glucose carrier. A 23 full-factorial experimental design was constructed with air inlet temperature (120, 140, and 160°C) and feed flow rate (6, 7.5, and 9.0 mL/min) as the independent variables and total viable counts (TVC), water activity (a w ), and cyclone recovery (CR) defined as the dependent variables. The increase in air inlet temperature from 120 to 160°C induced a significant (p < 0.001) reduction in the TVC from 9.02 to 7.20 log cfu/g, which corresponds to a97.5% loss of the L. acidophilus viable counts. On the other hand, the increase in the feed flow rate from 6 to 7.5 mL/min significantly reduced (p < 0.001) the heat-induced viability loss. A further increase in the feeding rate did not further modify the achieved thermo protection, and a detrimental impact of cyclone recovery (reduction) and water activity (increase) of the powder was observed. Using pruned quadratic mathematical models, the optimum spray-drying conditions for the production of maximally viable microencapsulated L. acidophilus were 133.34°C and 7.14 mL/min. The physicochemical and structural characteristics of the powders produced were acceptable for application with regards to residual water content, particles mean size, and thermo physical properties to ensure appropriate storage stability under room temperature conditions, with a low inactivation rate of L. acidophilus. Microcapsules appeared partially collapsed by scanning electron microscope with a spherical shape with surface concavities.
Compensation and Span of Control in Hierarchical Organizations

This article presents evidence on the relationship between compensation ratios and spans of control within hierarchical organizations. We find that compensation ratios are lower than span of control at any position within the hierarchy, which is consistent with an elasticity of compensation to a number of subordinates lower than one. Managers’ human capital endowments determine a significant part of the salary differences throughout hierarchical levels, as predicted by models of talent allocation in hierarchies. Differences in the size of firms should be attributed more to differences in their number of hierarchical levels than to variations in the span of control.
Vertical Spatial Sensitivity and Exploration Depth of Low‐Induction‐Number Electromagnetic‐Induction Instruments

Vertical spatial sensitivity and effective depth of exploration (de) of low‐induction‐number (LIN) instruments over a layered soil were evaluated using a complete numerical solution to Maxwell's equations. Previous studies using approximate mathematical solutions predicted a vertical spatial sensitivity for instruments operating under LIN conditions that, for a given transmitter–receiver coil separation (s), coil orientation, and transmitter frequency, should depend solely on depth below the land surface. When not operating under LIN conditions, vertical spatial sensitivity and de also depend on apparent soil electrical conductivity (σa) and therefore the induction number (β). In this new evaluation, we determined the range of σa and β values for which the LIN conditions hold and how de changes when they do not. Two‐layer soil models were simulated with both horizontal (HCP) and vertical (VCP) coplanar coil orientations. Soil layers were given electrical conductivity values ranging from 0.1 to 200 mS m−1 As expected, de decreased as σa increased. Only the least electrically conductive soil produced the de expected when operating under LIN conditions. For the VCP orientation, this was 1.6s, decreasing to 0.8s in the most electrically conductive soil. For the HCP orientation, de decreased from 0.76s to 0.51s Differences between this and previous studies are attributed to inadequate representation of skin‐depth effect and scattering at interfaces between layers. When using LIN instruments to identify depth to water tables, interfaces between soil layers, and variations in salt or moisture content, it is important to consider the dependence of de on σa