Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
STOCK MARKET INTEGRATION IN THE PRESENCE OF LEADING MACROECONOMIC INFORMATION: EVIDENCE FROM 30 SELECTED COUNTRIES

A notable attribute of empirical studies on stock market integration is that very few published papers rely on leading information-based in macroeconomics. To overcome this deficiency, this study examines the integration of stock markets across national borders with leading information in macroeconomics based on a sample of 30 countries. Using the heterogeneous panel cointegration and the catch-up methods, the findings provide some implications; the leading macroeconomic indicators can serve as an ongoing source of support for traders, as an attempt to optimize stock return from investments across national borders. Further, it can also serve as a buffer for countries regulatory support systems by avoiding economic catastrophes arising from excessive stock return co-movement across national borders, driven by macroeconomic uncertainty that eventually helps both policymakers and traders to achieve mutual benefits and promote stable economic conditions.
Aligning Strategic Objectives with Research and Development Activities in a Soft Commodity Sector: A Technological Plan for Colombian Cocoa Producers

Although Colombia has the potential to be a cocoa producer for fine flavor and high value markets, it is not greatly recognized as such. In spite of the government’s interest to position the country as a major specialty cocoa producer, no strategic actions have been taken to develop and strengthen this aspect of the value chain. This study structured a technology roadmap for the sector that identifies major research and development investment opportunities by examining the current challenges and weaknesses in key dimensions of the sector (e.g., postharvest technology, quality, capacity, and markets) that impinge on quality and add value to the product. These challenges are identified through a multidimensional and region-specific gap analysis that integrates the advances and technological trends developed worldwide as ideal practice scenarios. The findings of this study should help in prioritizing the investment of public and private resources in the sector in order to better position Colombia in the global specialty cocoa market.
Prevalence of Nosema bombycis in Malaysian field populations of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella

A study on the prevalence of Nosema bombycis infection in field populations of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L. , was conducted in October 1998 and April 1999. There was a significant difference in the percentage of Nosema infection and mean infection intensity among diamondback moth larvae or pupae sampled from the Cameron Highlands and Serdang-Gombak, each representative of high- and lowland cabbage-growing areas in Malaysia. The percentage of infection on diamondback moth larvae in Cameron Highlands was significantly higher than that in Serdang-Gombak in both sampling periods (seasons). The possible factors causing prevalence of disease infection are discussed.
The Learner Corpora of Spoken English: What Has Been Done and What Should Be Done?

The number of spoken learner corpora is smaller than that of written corpora; however, demand for spoken corpora has continuously increased. This study investigates the current state of spoken English-language learner corpora both in the world and in Korea, with a focus on their size, speakers, and genres. Based on this survey, the study discusses factors to consider when building and publishing a spoken learner corpus, especially with respect to the issues of conversation genre, proficiency level, and annotation.
Potential of Centella asiatica leaf extract in the management of paracetamol-induced jaundice in albino rats

Jaundice is a condition associated with the imbalance between bilirubin production and excretion when the liver is diseased. This study investigated the Potential of Centella asiatica leaf extract in the management of paracetamol-induced jaundice in albino rats. The rats were randomly distributed into six groups of five each. Group 1 (normal control- fed with rat feed and water), group 2 (paracetamol 2 g/kg body weight), group 3 (paracetamol 2g/kg bw + silymarin 100 mg/kg bw) and groups 4 – 6 (2g/kg bw each + 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg bw of CaL- extract respectively). The Paracetamol was first administered to the rats for 5 days to establish jaundice followed by administration of silymarin and CaL- extract for 10 days before sacrifice. The group 2 (negative control) rats had significant increase (p
Study on the Influencing Factors of Insulator on the Back-Flashover Lightning Withstand Performance of ±800 kV UHVDC Transmission Lines

The current research results indicate that the insulator’s insulation performance has a very important influence on the back-flashover lightning withstand performance of UHVDC transmission lines, especially for ±800 kV voltage level. However, it is not clear which factors will influence the insulation performance of the insulator, and the influencing mechanism is also not clear yet. To figure out this problem, the insulator’s insulation performance under different conditions has been deeply analyzed and considered to reveal the influence mechanism in this paper, such as the surface hydrophobicity, pollution degree, and the string type. Firstly, the insulator’s model is established using COMSOL software, and the lightning impulse voltage of insulator is calculated and verified with the corresponding experimental data. Then, the ±800 kV UHVDC transmission lines model is constructed using PSCAD software, and back-flashover lightning withstand level and back-flashover rate are calculated by considering the above lightning impulse voltage as the threshold of flashover. Finally, the back-flashover lightning withstand performance of ±800 kV UHVDC transmission lines is deeply analyzed based on different insulators. The simulation results demonstrate that the back-flashover lightning withstand performance of ±800 kV UHVDC transmission lines is obviously weakened with the increase of the pollution degree and slightly weakened with the decrease of the surface hydrophobicity. Considering the same pollution degree, the V-type string insulator has the least influence, while the II-type string insulator has the greatest influences on the back-flashover lightning withstand performance of ±800 kV UHVDC transmission lines. The research results are beneficial for providing theoretical basis for stable operation and reliable power supply of ±800 kV UHVDC transmission lines.
Farmers’ and AI Technicians’ Characteristics and Their Impact on AI Technology Adoption, Utilization and Its Efficiency in Ethiopia

The AI delivery system in Ethiopia constrained with various technical, infrastructural and financial problems and thus it is said to be inefficient in terms of genetics and productivity improvement. A study conducted in 2017,2018 and 2019 in Amhara, Oromia, Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples (SNPP) and Tigray regional states of the country to provide information on the impact of farmers’ and AI technicians characteristics that influence the adoption, utilization and efficiency of Artificial Insemination (AI) technology in Ethiopia. The overall mean age of AI technicians in the four studied regions was about 35 years. The total number of AI technicians in 2017/18 was 1,293 of which 93 (7.2%) were female. The engagement of women in the AI delivery system increased in 2017/18 from 1.8% to 7.2%. About 42% of the total AI technicians considered in this study trained for 45 days while the other 22%, 32%, and 7% trained for a period of three, six and nine months, respectively. AI technicians in the four study regions served as AI technician for an average of 8.17 years. Experience of AI technicians was positively correlated with the number of inseminations during regular (r=0.144), peak (r=0.159*) and off (r=0.219**) seasons. However, it was found to be negatively correlated with service per conception (r=-0.034). The average dairy farming household’s family size in the four studied regions was 6.18 persons per household. Total household income, income from livestock sale and livestock products was significantly different ( p <0.05) among the four regions. Keywords: Adoption, Experience, Extension, Households, DOI: 10.7176/JCSD/58-01 Publication date: April 30 th 2020
Leveraging Entity-Type Properties in the Relational Context for Knowledge Graph Embedding

SUMMARY Knowledge graph embedding aims to embed entities and relations of multi-relational data in low dimensional vector spaces. Knowledge graphs are useful for numerous artiﬁcial intelligence (AI) applications. However, they (KGs) are far from completeness and hence KG embedding models have quickly gained massive attention. Nevertheless, the state-of-the-art KG embedding models ignore the category speciﬁc projection of entities and the impact of entity types in relational aspect. For example, the entity “Washington” could belong to the person or location category depending on its appearance in a speciﬁc relation. In a KG, an entity usually holds many type properties. It leads us to a very interesting question: are all the type properties of an entity are meaningful for a spe-ciﬁc relation? In this paper, we propose a KG embedding model TPRC that leverages entity-type properties in the relational context. To show the e ﬀ ectiveness of our model, we apply our idea to the TransE, TransR and TransD. Our approach outperforms other state-of-the-art approaches as TransE, TransD, DistMult and ComplEx. Another, important observation is: introducing entity type properties in the relational context can improve the performances of the original translation distance based models.
Obesity among women of reproductive age using contraceptive methods in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Obesity predisposes pregnant women to increased risk of pregnancy complications for mother and fetus. Avoiding unintended pregnancy among obese women is therefore of major importance, given the increased risks associated with pregnancy. This study determined the prevalence of obesity among female contraceptive users in the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. This was a cross-sectional study among randomly selected married non-pregnant women of reproductive age attending the Family Medicine clinic. Data was collected using a specially designed structured questionnaire and analysed using SPSS version 20. The p-value of less than 0.05 was used as the criterion for significance. A total of 422 randomly selected participants who satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria were studied. Their age range was 15-49 years with a mean of 32.86 ± 6.85 years. Majority of the respondents (60.7%) had 13-18 years of formal education. The contraception prevalence among obese participants was 37.2%. The barrier method was the most commonly used (32.6%). There was no association between contraceptive use and the participants’ Body Mass Index (p= 0.730). The prevalence of obesity among contraceptive users was 37.2%. The barrier method was the most commonly used method. Although there was no association between contraceptive use and obesity, primary care providers including family physicians should educate women on the adverse effect of obesity on the general health of women.
Occurrence of aflatoxins in feedstuff, sheep milk and dairy products in Western Sicily

Abstract Samples of feedstuffs (15), milk (40), and cheese (30) coming from sheep and dairy farms (23) or market in Western Sicily were analyzed for their respective content of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and M1 (AFM1) to evidence any possible indirect mycotoxin contamination risk to the consumer. Analyses using HPLC and fluorescence detection were performed after immunoaffinity column sample extraction and cleanup; AFM1 was detected in 30% of the milk samples at levels ranging from 4 to 23 ng/l and in 13% of the cheeses from 21 to 101 ng/kg; in the feed the AFB1 ranged from <10 to 769 ng/kg. None of the contaminated samples exceeded the legal limits set down by the European Union for milk (50 ng/l) and feed (5 µg/kg ), or that in force in the Netherlands for cheese (200 ng/kg).
Corporate Governance and Organisational Survival in Manufacturing Firms in Port Harcourt

This study examined the correlation between corporate governance and organisational survival in manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt. It sought to proffer solutions to survival challenges experienced by firms, through an in- depth application of the concept of corporate governance. Data was collected from 198 management staff through the use of questionnaire. The data was analysed by the use of descriptive statistics and Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation Coefficient. The result revealed a positive relationship between the dimensions of corporate governance board independence and board supervision, and the measures of organisational survival (Innovation and adaptability. Also, the result showed that organisational structure significantly moderates the relationship between corporate governance and organisation survival. The study concludes that board independence has a significant and positive correlation with organisational survival in manufacturing firms. Based on the findings it was recommended that manufacturing firms should ensure that their boards are independent and board supervision should be enthroned to enhance efficiency and corporate survival. Keywords: Corporate Governance, Organisational Survival, Board independence, Board size, Innovation, Adaptability DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/64-06 Publication date: April 30 th 2020
Modeling the effect of agricultural best management practices on water quality under various climatic scenarios

The South Nation (SN) watershed in Eastern Ontario was studied for improvements in surface water quality due to best management practices (BMPs). Contributions of non-point sources (NPS) to nutrient loadings are both significant and poorly defined in the region. The study used the dynamic Annualized Agricultural NPS (AnnAGNPS) model to run continuous annual simulations, coupled with a dynamic water-quality model for simulation of riverine water chemistry. The simulation case matrix focused on the potential of BMPs within the context of climate change. Results of the work were then analyzed to determine ecological intensity (severity), duration, and frequency (IDF) of violations to species survivability within the stream network. Best management practices were found to reduce water quality impacts but stream standards were not reached. Adjustment of fertilizer application rates (FAR) and vegetative filter strips (VFS) outperformed alternative BMPs in the model. Results suggest that agricultural activity wi.
KEANEKARAGAMAN JENIS IKAN DI SUNGAI SEKONYER TAMAN NASIONAL TANJUNG PUTING KALIMANTAN TENGAH

Penelitian keanekaragaman jenis ikan di sungai Sekonyer Taman Nasional Tanjung Puting Kalimantan Tengah terdiri dari enam stasiun pengamatan pada bulan Januari-Februari 2013. Pemilihan stasiun pengamatan secara terpilih ( purposive sampling ) yaitu berdasarkan pertimbangan terwakili keadaan perairan.Hasil penelitian terdapat 43 jenis dari 25 genus dan 13 famili dari ikan yang berhasil dikumpulkan berjumlah 1013 ekor menggunakan pancing, gillnet, serok, seruak, taut dan pengilar secara ekplorasi. Jenis ikan terbanyak di sepanjang sungai Sekonyer terdiri dari famili Cyprinidae (10 jenis), Belontiidae (7 jenis), Channidae (6 jenis), Hemiramphidae (4 jenis) dan S iluridae (4 jenis). Keanekaragaman jenis ikan di Sungai Sekonyer TNTP Kalimantan Tengah dalam keadaan relatif sedang (H’ 0,6) sebesar 0,79. Hasil indeks keanekaragaman (H’) tertinggi pada stasiun VI dan terendah pada stasiun II. Indek kemerataan (E) tertinggi di stasiun I dan terendah di stasiun III. Jenis ikan yang mendominasi (Di) di sungai Sekonyer adalah Krytopterus bicirrhis (17%), Rasbora cephataena (11,8%), Mytus wyckii (10,5%), Ombok leiacahthus (6,8%), Plistolepis grooti (5,6%) dan Hemirhamphodon phaisoma (5,5%). A Study on the species diversity of fishes at six stasions along the Sekonyer river of Tanjung Puting National Park Central Kalimantan was conducted in January - February 2013. Eleciontion method use purpose sampling based on considerat to represent of freshwater characteristic. Study result total of 43 fish species, belong 25 genera and 13 family were captured using fish rods, gillnet, hand net, seruak, taut and pengilar. The most varied species of fish belonged to the Cyprinidae (10 species), Belontiidae (7 species), Channidae (6 species), Hemiramphidae ( 4 species) and Siluridae ( 4 species). The result TNTP divesity index was avarage relative (H’>3) with divesity indekx (H’) were 2,98 and pupolation was high relative (E>0,6) at 0,79. The result highest divesity index (H’) were station VI and lowest was at stations II. Evennes index (E) highest at stations I and lowest was stasion III. Dominant fish (Di) in Sekonyer river were Krytopterus bicirrhis (17%), Rasbora cephataena (11,8%), Mytus wyckii (10,5%), Ombok leiacahthus (6,8%), Pristolepis grooti (5,6%) and Hemirhamphodon phaisoma (5,5%).
Post Tax Reform and Corporate Effective Tax Rate: Evidence from Tunisia

This study examines the impact of the tax reform on corporate effective tax rate (ETR) and firm-specifics in Tunisia for the post tax reform period (after the fiscal year 2014). The corporate effective tax rate is a component by major firm-specific characteristics, especially firm size, capital structure (leverage), inventory intensity, capital intensity. The ETR provides information about the tax burdens and can be used as a political instrument to boost the economic reliance. The post tax reform period reflects the impact of lower corporate tax rate on the firm characteristics. The sample consists of 112 firm-year observations from 16 listed companies in Tunis Stock Exchange (known Bourse de Tunis- BVMT) covering seven years from 2010 to 2016. Our result indicates that the tax reform had a significant impact only on the inventory variable but no significant results on the others firm characteristics for the post-tax reform period. These findings urge the Tunisian’s tax authority to reformulate the corporate tax system.
Fluxo de biomassa em capim-tanzânia sob lotação rotativa com quatro níveis de suplementação concentrada

Avaliou-se o fluxo de biomassa em capim-tanzânia sob lotacao rotativa com quatro niveis de suplementacao concentrada, com periodo de ocupacao de tres dias e descanso de 21 dias, em delineamento de parcelas subdivididas, de modo que as parcelas foram os niveis de suplementacao (0,0; 0,6; 1,2 e 1,8% do PV) e as subparcelas, os ciclos de pastejo (quatro), com tres repeticoes (piquetes amostrais). Nao houve efeito dos niveis de suplementacao e dos ciclos de pastejo sobre a relacao entre as taxas de lâmina foliar (TAlF) das folhas 1 e 2 recentemente expandidas, com media de 0,69. A suplementacao e os ciclos de pastejo tiveram efeito quadratico sobre a taxa de alongamento foliar, cujas estimativas foram de 5,04; 4,95 (ponto de minimo estimado) e 5,7 cm/perfilho·dia nos niveis de 0,0; 0,46 e 1,8% de suplementacao, respectivamente. A taxa de alongamento das hastes e a altura do pseudocolmo nao foram afetadas pelos niveis de suplementacao. As taxas de senescencia foliar anterior, posterior e total nao foram afetadas pelos niveis de suplementacao nem pelos ciclos de pastejo. Nao houve efeito dos niveis de suplementacao nem dos ciclos de pastejo sobre o filocrono. A taxa de crescimento da cultura e a taxa de acumulo da cultura nao foram afetadas pelos niveis de suplementacao nem pelos ciclos de pastejo. O indice de area foliar residual foi estimado em 2,00 e de 2,72 nos niveis de suplementacao de 0,0 e 1,8% PV. Nao houve diferenca na densidade populacional de perfilhos entre os niveis de suplementacao, porem, entre ciclos, observou-se que o ciclo 4 foi superior ao 2 e semelhante aos demais. Os componentes do fluxo de biomassa do capim-tanzânia sao pouco afetados pelos niveis de suplementacao.
Use of spider silk for nest building by the Regent Honeyeater Anthochaera phrygia and the Helmeted Honeyeater Lichenostomus melanops cassidix

The Regent Honeyeater Anthochaera phrygia and Helmeted Honeyeater Lichenostomus melanops cassidix have both suffered a dramatic decline in number and reduction in range as a result of extensive habitat clearance. As part of recovery plans aimed toward reintroduction to the wild, both species are part of an intensive captive breeding program being conducted at a number of institutions, including Taronga Zoo, Sydney. These honeyeaters incorporate arthropod silk into their nests, as has been reported for other small passerines. However, little is known about how birds choose and use the silk that they collect during nest building. We presented breeding pairs with cribellate silk from the Black House Spider Badumna sp. and ecribellate silk from the Golden Orb-weaver Nephila plumipes or ‘clean/fresh’ and ‘dirty/old’ Badumna sp. silk and observed which were taken by the birds. Lichenostomus melanops cassidix showed a preference for the cribellate silk of Badumna sp. , always selecting this silk type first. Never.
Vegetative Reproduction in Posidonia oceanica. Survival and Development in Different Morphological Types of Transplanted Cuttings

The number of leaf bundles and the growth mode of the principal axis were used to define morphological type in cuttings of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile. Survival and development were compared in cuttings of three morphological types: orthotropic, with respectively one and two leaf bundles and plagiotropic with three bundles (one terminal and two lateral). A total of 216 cuttings were transplanted at their depth of origin, 14 m. Both orthotropic and plagiotropic cuttings were fixed in a horizontal position. After 11 months, the initial three-bundle plagiotropic cuttings showed 100% survival; 49% had formed new branches and 97% had formed new roots. Corresponding percentages for two-bundle initially orthotropic cuttings were 94%, 8% and 62%, and for one-bundle orthotropic cuttings only 31%, 9% and 14%
Predation and potential transfer of pollen in a population of Saxifraga hirculus

Body surface pollen load and gut pollen (pollen diet load) of flower visitors in a Danish population of Saxifraga hirculus were analyzed. The four most frequent visitors, Eurimyia lineata (Syrphidae), Neoascia tenur (Syrphidae), Asindulum nigrum (Mycetophilidae), and Zygaena trifolii (Zygaenidae) had total surface loads (and S. hirculus loads) of 1031 (771), 137 (106), 108 (78), and 318 (27) pollen grains, respectively. Other syrphid visitors had on average a load of 407 (192) pollen grains. Males of E. lineata, N. tenur, and A. nigrum carried more surface pollen than the females; females of E. lineata had a lot of pollen from Ranunculus acris and S. hirculus and males had a lot from S. hirculus. Females of N. tenur carried pollen mostly from S. hirculus, Lotus uliginosus and Galium uliginosum; males carried pollen mostly from S. hirculus. The surface pollen load of A. nigrum was dominated by S. hirculus pollen, whereas that of Z. trifolii was dominated by Cirsium palustre and Lychnis flos-cuculi pollen. The amount and kind of pollen varied enormously both intraspecifically and interspecifically. Eurimyia lineata, N. tenur and other syrphids had total pollen diet loads (and S. hirculus pollen diet loads) of approximately 14900 (657), 3739 (2327) and 17784 (13040). The average syrphid contained pollen from five plant species, only one to two, however, were quantitatively important. The average diet load in females was nine times that in males in both E. lineata and N. tenur. Eurimyia lineata ate a lot of R. acris; N. tenur ate a lot of S. hirculus and G. uliginosum. Generally, no correlation was observed between size or season and the composition of surface load and diet load. Eurimyia lineata made most of the pollen visits. Thus, the seed set from this Danish population of S. hirculus was dependent on a single syrphid species.