Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regional heterogeneity and fertility behaviour in India

This paper examines regional heterogeneity both from statistical and cartographic perspectives, using factor analysis of non-demographic data, models of fertility determinants and district-wise mapping to test out the presence of regional clustering. Regional analysis reveals that economic, social and health indicators display spatial patterns as strong as fertility rates. All recent models of fertility incorporate a significant geographical component (using dummy regional variables or autocorrelation measurements). The map of fertility decline spreading along culturally and spatially contiguous regions also suggests that diffusion mechanisms may play an independent role in the spread of new reproductive behaviour (small family norm). Though diffusion per se, no real explanation for the fast decline of fertility in Southern or Coastal India (what would then be the cause of diffusion in the first place? ), it would definitely be important to understand how these mechanisms are facilitated by social and cultural homogeneity or by regional policies. [Working Paper No. 290]
Genetic structure of Potentilla acaulis (Rosaceae) populations based on randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) in habitat fragmented grassland of northern China

Potentilla acaulis Linn. (Rosaceae) is an important companion species in central Asia steppe. However, no information was so far detected about genetic diversity of this species. In recent years, effects of habitat fragmentation have become central issues in conservation genetics. In order to evaluate the genetic structure and to measure the effects of isolation caused by habitat fragmentation, the randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) data were generated and analyzed from 110 samples collected from seven sites of local populations of P. acaulis distributed in northern China. Eleven RAPD primers produced a total of 61 unambiguous bands, of which 51 bands (83.6%) were polymorphic. A high level of genetic diversity was recognized within the populations of P. acaulis : 34.4 to 68.9% of polymorphic bands observed in the given population. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that, genetic variability was greater within populations (83.4%) than among populations within regions (12.0%) or among regions (4.6%) investigated in this study. In addition, a low degree of genetic differentiation (ΦST= 0.17) was detected among all populations, which indicated that isolation had weak effects on genetic structure. The statistical analysis also revealed that, the genetic distances of P. acaulis among different populations were not significantly related with their geographic distances. Therefore, P. acaulis should be treated as a separate species that needs more attention from a conservation point of view and it should be considered as a conservation strategy to increasing gene exchange among isolated populations. Key words: Potentilla acaulis Linn. (Rosaceae), steppe, habitat fragmentation, genetic diversity.
Ten year observations of gravity waves from thunderstorms in western Africa

A new study of gravity waves produced by thunderstorms was performed using continuous recordings at the IS17 (Ivory Coast) infrasound station of the International Monitoring System developed for the verification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test‐Ban Treaty. A typical case study is presented for a large thunderstorm on 10–11 April 2006 lasting near 14 h. Comparison with cloud temperature measured by the Meteosat 6 satellite shows that wave activity is large when the cloud temperature is low inside convection cells located over the station. Statistics based on 10 year data show that the wave activity is intense throughout the year with peak periods in May and October and less intense activity in January, in good agreement with the local keraunic level. The seasonal variations of the wave azimuth highlight clear trends from northward direction from February to August to southward direction from August to December. Lightning flashes, observed from space, show a similar motion confirming that thunderstorms are the main sources of the gravity wave activity. The gravity wave azimuth follows the seasonal motion of the tropical rain belt partly related to the Intertropical Convergence Zone of the winds. The contribution of other possible sources, such as wind over relief, is weak because surface winds are weak in this region and only oceans are present south of the station. We conclude that the large observed wave activity is mainly produced by convection associated to thunderstorms.
Reducing Recidivism through Entrepreneurship Programmes in Prisons

Prison systems are facing significant challenges from overcrowding and a ‘revolving door’ routine. Reducing recidivism would help alleviate both these problems and would also assist in breaking the cycle of career criminality. However, one of the primary causes of recidivism is a lack of employment opportunities for people who have spent time in prison, thereby causing them to return to crime. Given the dearth of entrepreneurship research on ex-prisoners, this paper examines a ‘Start Your Own Business’ programme delivered inside a prison. Based on interviews with the participants, the author examines whether such programmes offer a realistic opportunity for reducing recidivism.
PERFORMANCE OF HYDRAULIC AND ROTARY ATOMISERS FOR MOSQUITO SPRAYING

The performance of hydraulic flat fan and rotary cage and sleeve atomisers for aerial application of adul-ticides in mosquito control was assessed in a wind tunnel and spray chamber. Droplet size spectra were measured for different spray formulations of known physical properties, at different atomiser operational use c onditions and wind tunnel air velocities. The droplet size measurements were made using a laser dif-fraction particle size analysis system. The sprays were studied using an Oxford Lasers spray visualisation system, which facilitated the interpretation of the atomisation data based on modes of liquid breakup. The rotary atomisers were more ca pable of readily producing the optimum droplet size of 25 µm for this kind of application than were the hydraulic nozzles. Droplet size from the rotary atomisers could be controlled b y changing the rotation rate e ither through adjustments to the pitch of the windmill blades or through changes in the voltage and current supplied to the e lectric motor. Droplet size decreased with h igher r otation rates. Flow rate tended to reduce the rotation rate, which was the main reason for droplet size increasing as flow rates increased up to approximately 20 L/min. At higher flow rates, the mechanism of atomisation from the rotary atomisers changed from direct droplet formation and ligament breakup to sheet disintegration. With the coarser mesh rotary cage atomiser, some droplet formation was also by jet-on-wire shatter. With the 10, 20 and 40µm mesh porous screen rotary sleeve atomisers, the sprays were relatively narrow in droplet size ranges (low relative span) compared to similar sprays from the rotary cage a tomisers. With the hydraulic nozzles, droplet size tended to d ecrease with h igher pressure and wind speed, and greater nozzle a ngle to the a irstream. The physical properties of the spray mixture affected droplet size, with finer sprays tending to be formed from lower surface tension conditions, due to less resis-tance occurring for spray formation.
MARKETING MARGIN AND EFFICIENCY OF WATERMELON MARKETING IN NIGER DELTA AREA OF NIGERIA

The study analyzed the marketing effi ciency and determinants of the net margin of marketers of watermelon in Niger Delta area of Nigeria. The study focused on Southern Ijaw, a major Niger Delta region of the country. Data for the study were collected from forty randomly selected watermelon marketers in the survey area with the aid of questionnaire as the data collection instrument. Data were analyzed using tables, percentages, mean, frequency distribution, gross margin and net return analysis as well as the percentage effi ciency index and the ordinary least squares multiple regressions technique. The result shows that about 70% of the respondents are within their active age of life (21–40 years) and that an average respondent have had two and half years marketing experience while the mean number of years an average respondent spent in school was just 7 years.The study shows that watermelon marketing system in the area is ineffi cient while a net margin of about 42% prevails in the area. The statistically signifi cant variables that infl uence the net marketing margin of the respondents were found to be marketing experience, depreciation cost of marketing equipment, cost of produce and marketing cost. The marketing enterprise is profi table in the area. The major problems encountered by the respondents include seasonality and limited supply, paucity of capital and spoilage of fruits. Improved marketing system and establishment of a microfi nance bank in the area are necessary.
Relationships between lake water chemistry and benthic macroinvertebrates in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Alberta

Sulphur and nitrogen emissions in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) are a threat to regional lentic ecosystems. Benthic macroinvertebrates have been used successfully elsewhere to monitor the impacts of acid emissions on water bodies and the opportunity exists to implement a regional lentic biomonitoring program in the AOSR. Metrics are often used to assess the impacts of anthropogenic stressors because they describe biological conditions through a variety of measures. The selection of appropriate metrics is an integral component of any biomonitoring program and it depends on the in situ relationships between water chemistry and benthic macroinvertebrates. In order to establish these relationships we compared lake water chemistry parameters with benthic macroinvertebrate communities and metric scores from 32 lakes in the AOSR through Redundancy Analyses. Lake acidity correlates positively with Hyallelidae and negatively with Chironomidae and Oligochaeta while dissolved organic carbon is also an important determinant of benthic macroinvertebrate community composition. A number of metrics were strongly correlated with lake acidity and the following compositional metrics proved to be the most suitable for monitoring acidification in the AOSR: % Diptera, % Oligochaeta, % EPT, Total Ephemeroptera and Total Trichoptera.
LOCALLY COMPACT GROUPS ACTING ON TREES

Following Serre's original description of groups having the fixed point property for actions on trees, Bass has introduced the notion of a group of type FA'. Groups of type FA' can not be nontrivial free products with amalgamation. We show that a locally compact (hausdorff) topological group with a compact set of connected components is of type FA'. Furthermore, any locally compact group which is a nontrivial free product with amalgamation has an open amalgamated subgroup. l A group G is called an amalgam if it is a free product with amalgamation of subgroups A and B along C, i.e., G = A*B, so that CΦ A,CΦB. If a group G acts without inversions on a tree so that it has a fixed vertex we say G has property FA on X. Serre has introduced the notion of a group of type FA. We say that G is of type FA if G has property FA whenever it acts on a tree. The following theorem characterizes G group theoretically.
THE IMPACT OF RESERVOIR CONDITIONS ON MULTIPHASE FLOW IN THE CO2-BRINE SYSTEM IN PERMEABLE SANDSTONE

Capillary strength and multiphase flow are key parameter inputs for modeling CO2 injection processes for enhanced oil recovery and CO2 storage. Experimental observations of the multiphase flow properties in this system reported over the past 10 years have raised important questions about the impact of reservoir conditions on flow through effects on wettability, interfacial tension and fluid-fluid mass transfer. In this work we report the results of a three year investigation aimed at resolving many of these outstanding questions for flow in sandstone rocks. The capillary pressure, relative permeability and residual trapping characteristic curves have been characterized in Bentheimer and Berea sandstone rocks across a pressure range 5 – 20 MPa, temperatures 25 – 90 C and brine salinities 0-5M NaCl. In total over 30 reservoir condition core flood tests were performed evaluating these properties with techniques including the steady state relative permeability test, the semi-dynamic capillary pressure test and a novel test for the rapid construction of the residual trapping initial-residual (IR) curve. Test conditions were designed to isolate effects of interfacial tension, viscosity ratio, density ratio and salinity. The results of the tests show unequivocally that reservoir conditions have minimal impact on relative permeability and residual trapping, consistent with continuum scale multiphase flow theory for water wet systems. The invariance of the characteristic curves is observed across the range of conditions, including transitions of the CO2 from a gas to a liquid to a supercritical fluid, and in comparison with N2-brine systems. Variations in capillary pressure curves are generally well explained by corresponding changes in IFT although some further variation may reflect small changes in wetting properties that have been observed in sessile drop experiments. As with gasbrine systems, the low viscosity of CO2 at certain conditions results in particular sensitivity to rock heterogeneity. We show that (1) heterogeneity is the likely source of much of the uncertainty around relative permeability observations for this system and (2) that appropriate scaling of the driving force for flow by a quantification of capillary heterogeneity allows for the selection of core flood parameters that eliminate this effect. Similarly this scaling can be used to approximate the effect of small scale heterogeneity on flow for real reservoir systems.
Bank Credits: An Aid to Economic Growth In Nigeria

This paper explores the necessity of bank credit and economic growth of Nigeria, the paper examines the relationship between bank credit and economic growth in Nigeria over the period under review. However the problem associated with bank credit facility is the constraint and regulation imposed by CBN on the percentage of credit to be given to the entrepreneurs. The study used Secondary data from banks credit on sectorial distribution such as production, General commerce, services and others were spread across the period 1980- 2011. Various statistical technique such as Diagnostic test, Unit root, co-integration Var model and Casuality test are statistically used to test the stability function, stationary properties, variable relationship and casuality effect of the variable and the result revealed that the time series properties of the variables are stationary and co integrated at most 1 with at least 2 co integrating equation. The study also showed that all the bank credit measures such as Total Production Bank Credits (TPTBKC), Total General Commerce Bank Credits (TGCBKC), Total Services Bank Credit (TSCBKC), and Other Banks Credit (OTHBKC) did not granger cause GDP instead GDP exerted influencing factor on them. More so, short run relationship exited between bank credit measures and GDP as sustainable key player in the economy It therefore recommended total supervision and over haul of the banks credit activities towards encouraging Investors in Nigeria for economic growth. Key words: Bank credits, Economic Growth, Sectorial Distribution, Production, General Commerce.
Exercise Associated Genes and Their Involvement in the Prevention of Colon Cancer : A Voluntary Running Experiment in a Rat Model

Epidemiology confirms that physical activity has the potential of reducing the risk of colon cancer. The underlying biological mechanisms are still to be unravelled. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of chronic wheel running on the gene expression in rat colon mucosa by real-time RT-PCR and cDNA micro-array analysis. Both methods showed different gene expression patterns in the investigated groups in response to chronic wheel running. This represents an important step in understanding the molecular mechanisms responsible for the preventive effect of physical activity on the development of colon cancer.
Performance of the forward calorimeters for heavy-ion experiments at FAIR, NICA, and CERN SPS

The Projectile Spectator Detectors (PSDs) for the NA61/SHINE at CERN SPS and the CBM at FAIR, and Zero Degree Calorimeter (ZDC) for the MPD at NICA are discussed. The PSDs and ZDC are compensating lead-scintillator calorimeters designed to measure the energy distribution of the forward going projectile nucleons and nuclei fragments (spectators) produced close to the beam rapidity. Design of the PSD modules, their readout electronics, and calirmeter performance for the collision centrality and reaction plane determination are presented. The PSD module tests with different beams at CERN SPS and results of radiation hardness tests of the avalanche photodiodes used for light readout from the PSD module are also reported.
Variations in sugarcane yield among farmers’ fields and their causal factors in Northeast Thailand

Information on variations in crop yield among farmer fields in a specific area and theircausal factors is important for efficiently targeting efforts to increase production of the crop inthe target area. This study determined the yield variations and their causal factors for sugarcanegrown in the service area of a sugar mill in Northeast Thailand. Two villages with the dominantsandy and clayey soil types in the area were selected as the study sites. A questionnaire wasused to collect information on management practices and crop yields for the individual fields inthe 2012/2013 and 2014/2015 cropping seasons for 369 fields, of which 134 were planted cropand 235 were ratoon crop. A stepwise multiple regression was used in determining thesignificant factors influencing yields and their order of importance. The results show greatvariations of sugarcane yields among farmers’ fields in all crop classes, locations and years.However, their significant causal factors differed among crop classes, locations and years. Thenumber of weedings was the most frequent yield constraint identified, followed by pre-harvestburning, number of fertilizer applications and land type. Soil type, diseases and insects, cultivarand frequency of irrigation were sporadically significant. Yield influencing factors in fields atdifferent yield levels also varied, indicating the need for targeting improved management onindividual fields. A participatory approach is suggested in the design and implementation ofcultural managements for improving sugarcane yield of the individual fields.
Differentiated duopoly and horizontal merger profitability under monopoly central union and convex costs

Can a merger from duopoly to monopoly be detrimental for profits? This paper deals with this issue by focusing on the interaction between decreasing returns to labour (which imply firms' convex production costs) and centralised unionisation in a differentiated duopoly model. It is pointed out that the wage fixed by a monopoly central union in the post-merger case is higher than in the pre-merger/Cournot equilibrium, opening up the possibility that merger reduces profits. Indeed, it is shown that this "reversal result" actually applies when the central union is sufficiently little interested to wages with respect to employment. Moreover, the lower the degree of substitutability between firms' products and the higher the workers' reservation wage, the higher ceteris paribus the probability that profits decrease as a result of the merger.
The Black Hole Masses and Eddington Ratios of Type 2 Quasars

Type 2 quasars are an important constituent of active galaxies, possibly representing the evolutionary precursors of traditionally studied type 1 quasars. We characterize the black hole (BH) mass (MBH) and Eddington ratio (Lbol/LEdd) for 669 type 2 quasars selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, using BH masses estimated from the MBH–σ* relation and bolometric corrections scaled from the extinction-corrected [O iii] λ5007 luminosity. When stellar velocity dispersions cannot be measured directly from the spectra, we estimate them from the core velocity dispersions of the narrow emission lines [O ii] λλ3726, 3729, [S ii] λλ6716, 6731, and [O iii] λ5007, which are shown to trace the gravitational potential of the stars. Energy input from the active nucleus still imparts significant perturbations to the gas kinematics, especially to high-velocity, blueshifted wings. Nonvirial motions in the gas become most noticeable in systems with high Eddington ratios. The BH masses of our sample of type 2 quasars range from MBH ≈ 106.5 to 1010.4 M⊙ (median 108.2 M⊙). Type 2 quasars have characteristically large Eddington ratios (Lbol/LEdd ≈ 10−2.9–101.8; median 10−0.7), slightly higher than in type 1 quasars of similar redshift; the luminosities of ∼20% of the sample formally exceed the Eddington limit. The high Eddington ratios may be consistent with the notion that obscured quasars evolve into unobscured quasars.
EFL Business Writing with Task-based Learning Approach: A Case Study of Student Strategies to Overcome Difficulties

This study reports on implementing task-based learning (TBL) approach into an elective course, ＂English Writing for Business,＂ offered to junior students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in the first twelve weeks of the semester course, for two hours per week. Students were asked to complete three correspondence tasks rooted in real-life business contexts: enquiry, negotiation and complaint. Students' performance was evaluated from a variety of pre- and post-writing measured by three types of online evaluation. Two questionnaires about writing strategies and writing difficulties were administered at the end of the instruction. The results indicated that students made significant improvement in most linguistic and content-based parameters and the analysis results by the three types of online evaluation were significantly correlated. An independent sample t-test revealed that there was a significant difference in individual type of strategy use among students with different post-writing ability. In addition, students with weaker writing proficiency showed greater overall writing difficulties and were concerned more with surface errors. But, proficient students were more aware of content knowledge, expressed more words of higher levels and had fewer possibilities to borrow words from the model texts in the post-writing.
Reinforcing Mechanical, Water Absorption and Barrier Properties of Poly(Lactic Acid) Composites with Kenaf-Derived Cellulose of Thermally-Grafted Aminosilane

The effects of filling poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites with cellulose thermally-grafted with hydrolysed 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS) were investigated. Composites containing 30 wt% of kenaf-derived cellulose (C) and silane-grafted cellulose (SGC) were melt-blended into a PLA matrix before being hot-pressed into 0.3 mm sheets. The tensile strength of neat PLA was 47 MPa. With addition of C and SGC, the tensile strength was improved by 13% and 23%, respectively. The tensile modulus was approximately doubled for both of the composites. PLA/C and PLA/SGC composites remained brittle with marginally lowered elongation at break. The addition of C and SGC significantly increased the oxygen barrier of PLA with the reduction of oxygen transmission rate (OTR) of PLA at 76.6 cc/m 2 /day to 42.2 cc/m 2 /day and 40.3 cc/m 2 /day, respectively. This was due to the tortuous path created and crystallites induced by the fillers. The water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) for PLA, PLA/C and PLA/SGC was in the range of 21-23 g/m 2 / day. From the water absorption test, PLA/SGC reported slightly better water resistance as compared to PLA/C. The reinforcing results from these bio-based materials may suggest contribution towards packaging oxygen and moisture sensitive food.