Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Macroeconomic performance of countries across monetary policy regimes from 2000 to 2017

Abstract The goal of the article is to compare macroeconomic performance of 27 advanced and emerging OECD countries through the lens of their monetary policy frameworks. We find no advantage of the euro area countries and countries whose central banks follow a dual mandate in inflation and output stabilisation as compared to full-fledged inflation targeters including strongly inflation-averse central banks. The study contributes to the unresolved discussion on optimal monetary policy after the Great Recession. The novelty relies on employing a synthetic median-based measure adjusted for initial macroeconomic conditions. The failure to account for the initial conditions leads to underestimation of performance of countries with an originally unfavourable economic situation. We verify the results with panel data models using macroeconomic variables of key importance for monetary policy after the Great Recession. Overall, the study suggests that assigning a special role to money or output in a monetary policy strategy is not required for successful macroeconomic performance.
A Digital Ethnography of Teach For America: Analysis of Counternarrative From the Truth For America Podcast

To analyze the counternarrative in the public discourse surrounding Teach For America (TFA), this paper represents the first digital ethnography in education policy. We conduct a qualitative analysis of Truth For America, an education policy podcast. We found four overarching themes that arose from conversations with respondents: (1) problematic practice, preparation, and pedagogy; (2) concerns linked to critiquing TFA and the organization’s responses to that critique; (3) issues related to race and diversity; and (4) disconcerting funding practices and political power. We conclude by discussing the implications of how individual-level stakeholder experiences inform the public discourse about TFA.
Meteorological driven factors of population growth in brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens Stål (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), in rice paddies

Growth of brown planthopper (BPH) (Nilaparvata lugens Stål) in rice paddies is mainly driven by meteorological factors under similar management practices. By analyzing field investigation and meteorological data collected from 2008 to 2013 in Nanchang, China, we show that BPH population densities and monthly growth rates (BGR) changed greatly from May to October, and these changes were closely associated with meteorological factors. Stepwise regression and path analysis indicated average speed of winds (AW) in June and lowest temperature (LT) in July were the first factors entering analysis, which interpreted 46.20% and 31.90% of their influences on BGR. While highest temperature (HT) in August and average temperature (AT) in September were the most important factors affecting BGR, but their direct path coefficients were all smaller than their corresponding indirect path coefficients. In October, relative humidity (RH), AW and number of raining days (RD) had significant effects on BGR. According to the sum of each meteorological factor entering stepwise regression analysis sequences, we found AW had the utmost effect on BPH growth, followed by AT and RH, but LT and RD least. The work demonstrate dynamic meteorological factors driving BPH growth and outbreak in rice paddies, which would facilitate the development of durable approaches for forecasting and controlling this destructive rice pest.
Cytotoxic Activity of Cronobacter spp. Isolated from Indonesian Food

In previous research. twenty isolates ol Cronobacter spp. were obtainedfrom local powdered infant formula. vlieaning food and other dried products. Molecular showed that nineteen isolates were confirmed as Cronobacter :·;akazakii, llihile one isolate was Cronobacter muytjensii. Cronobacter virulence factors have been reported including toxin production and its cytotoxic activity. However there is limited report ojits haemoly tic activity. The objective o.lthis study was to evaluate the cytotoxic activity oltl'l entyfood isolates olCronobacter spp. obtained/i'om indonesia. Invitro analysis olthe cytotoxic aclivity oj"Cronobacter crude toxin was conducted by MTT (Methyl Thiazol Tetrazolium) Assay which measures its inhibition to Vero cell growth. Thirteen out ojtwenty isolates weref(JLmd to have positive cytotoxin activity which varied between 51-80% Vero cell deaths.
Maghnite‐H
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 Catalytic Synthesis and Characterization of Polyindenes and Oxidized Derivatives

Financial support from the Direction Generale de la Recherche Scientifique et du Developpement Technologique (DGRSDT), the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades, Generalitat Valenciana and FEDER funds (RYC-2017-23618, PROMETEO/2018/087) are gratefully acknowledged.
Effect of chelating form of microelements and β-carotene on morphological and chemical composition of quail eggs

The quail chickens took feeding complex of glycine chelated microelements and microbial β-carotene during 90-day growing period. The inorganic compounds of copper, zinc, iron, manganese and cobalt were replaced by their glycine forms in a dose corresponding to the physiological daily norm in these elements. We fixed increasing the thickness of shell eggs by 5.2 % compared with the control group, and by 11 % compared to quails, which took feeding complex of glycinate microelements and microbial β-carotene in a dose equal to half physiological norm. Replacement of inorganic sources of microelements with their glycinate in doses of norm and half norm did not affect the weight of the eggs, yolks and shell of egg; nevertheless, the quail that treated of glycinate microelements in half norm doses, increased weight protein eggs by 3.3 % compared to quail, that feeding by glycinate microelements in norm dose. Feeding of quail of glycinate microelements and microbial β-carotene in a half norm dose caused the egg shell thickness reduction by 5l6 % compared to the control group. The introduction of glycinate microelements and microbial β-carotene in a daily norm dose contributed to the accumulation of dry matter in eggs by 3% due to the increase of organic matter, including 1.6 per cent of crude protein, 0.6 per cent of nitrogen free extract, and 0.17 per cent of ash. We registered strong increase of nitrogen free extract in the eggs of Group II by 0.88 % compared to the control.
Health Assessment of Allen Cays Rock Iguana, Cyclura cychlura inornata

ABSTRACT The Allen Cays rock iguana, Cyclura cychlura inornata, though endangered, has stable and natural populations in the Allen Cays, in the Exuma Islands of the northern Bahamas. Thirty-seven animals (20 male and 17 female) were sampled during a long-term mark and recapture study in May 2004. Complete blood counts were performed on 18 animals and plasma biochemical analyses were performed on all 37 animals. Results of hematologic and plasma biochemical analyses for all animals showed that male Cyclura cychlura inornata had significantly lower levels of aspartate aminotransferase than female Cyclura cychlura inornata. Fecal parasite screens were completed on six animals and fecal cultures were performed on 17 animals. Oxyurid sp. were found in four of six fecal samples, and multiple bacteria, including Salmonella spp. , were isolated from cloacal cultures.
Failure to protect the frailest old from Covid-19: Safety in the light of person-centered care

The end results of the Covid-19 pandemic are as yet unknown. However, even at this stage there are outcomes that command the attention of the nursing profession, both the research side and the practice side. By 14 July 2020, 5455 people in Sweden had died infected with Covid-19 and, of those, 2505 lived in what would internationally be regarded as nursing homes (45.9%). In addition, another 1316 individuals, living at home with the support of public home care and services, died. The reports were a shock to the public and rightfully received a lot of attention in the Covid-19 debate. This scenario is not perhaps unique to Sweden; reports from other countries provide similar information. The statistics raise many questions: How could this happen? Where is the voice of the nursing profession? What is happening in nursing research? Is it focusing on what is going on in practice?
Multigene phylogeny and morphology of newly isolated strain of Pseudo-nitzschia mannii Amato & Montresor (Adriatic Sea)

An increasing number of cryptic and pseudo-cryptic species have been found within many newly described diatom species. To resolve the phylogenetic relationships of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia, molecular markers are being widely used in combination (or separately) with different morphological characters. Sequence analysis of ribosomal DNA markers (18S, ITS and 28S) and morphological analyses of Pseudo-nitzschia mannii strain (CIM_D-4), isolated from the Telašćica Bay (Adriatic Sea), differentiate it from all other currently reported strains of this species.
Coconut Water Based Extender Effects on Motility,Viability, and DNA Integrity of Chilled Kintamani Dog Semen

This research was conducted to investigate coconut water based extenders as an alternative extender for chilled Kintamani dog semen. Semen were collected from five dogs using manual stimulation and evaluated microscopically. Sperm were stored at 5 0 C and divided into two aliquots which were extended with either coconut water based extender and sodium citrate extender in the ratio 1:2, 1:3 and 1:4. Sperm motility, viability and DNA integrity immediately and periodically (0,3 and 6 hour) were evaluated. Result showed that the effect of diluent on sperm motility and integrity of the Kintamani dog exerted a highly significant (p 0.05). These results indicate that coconut water extender give good results in maintaining the motility, viability and DNA integrityof Kintamani dog sperm. It is concluded that coconut water suitable for extender of Kintamani dog.
New data on the introduction of the invasive signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus (Dana, 1852) (Crustacea, Decapoda) and ectosymbiont branchiobdellidans (Annelida, Clitellata) in NW Iberian Peninsula

The non-native signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus (Dana, 1852) has successfully been established in many catchments of Europe, causing detrimental impacts on both native flora and fauna. The aim of this paper was to report the anthropogenic introduction of P. leniusculus and its ectosymbionts (family Branchiobdellidae) in the River Tambre (NW Spain). Seventy one individuals of P. leniusculus were captured in the Barrie de la Maza reservoir in November 2016. The presence of several age classes, including young of the year individuals, and ovigerous females suggests that the population is already established and viable. Most individuals (96%) presented branchiobdellidans and 4% exhibited white spots probably caused by a virus. Melanised spots caused by the oomycete Aphanomyces astaci (Schikora, 1906) (crayfish plague) were not found in this sample. This population is expected to disperse through the River Tambre basin. The Tambre population may also be a source of individuals for new introductions in the region, where currently no P. leniusculus populations are known at a minimum radio of 150 km in straight line. Therefore, immediate management and preventive actions should be pursued to control the dispersion and growth of this population and to avoid new introductions (e.g. ban of crayfish fishing).
Corporate Taxes and Foreign Direct Investments: An Impact Analysis

Objective – The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of corporate taxes on the flow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Nigeria between 1983 and 2017. Methodology/Technique – This study adopts an ex-post facto research design. Secondary data was sourced from the World Bank Development Indicator, the Central Bank of Nigeria database, and the Federal Inland Revenue database. The research data was analyzed using the Error Correction Model (ECM). Findings – The coefficient of determination (R2) shows that approximately 77% of systematic changes in FDI are attributed to the combined effect of all of the explanatory variables used in this study. Specifically, the study concludes that Company Income Tax, Value Added Tax, and Custom and Excise Duties have a significant but negative relationship with FDI. In contrast, Tertiary Education Tax has a positive association with FDI. Further, Exchange Rate has a negative but significant relationship with FDI, Inflation had an insignificant but positive association with FDI, and GDP growth Rate and Trade Openness demonstrate a positive and significant association with FDI. Novelty – The findings of this study are distinguishable from previous studies, as it uncovers new evidence that higher Education Tax Rates influences FDI and emerging evidence on the effect of non-tax variables on FDI inflow. Type of Paper: Empirical. JEL Classification: E22, F21, H2, P33. Keywords: Corporate Taxes; Foreign Direct Investment; Error Correction Model; Nigeria; Non-Tax Variables. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Edo, O.C; Okafor, A; Justice, A.E. 2020. Corporate Taxes and Foreign Direct Investment: An Impact Analysis, Acc. Fin. Review 5 (2): 28 – 43. https://doi.org/10.35609/afr.2020. 5.2(1)
Understanding the Distribution of Multimodel Ensembles

When analyzing multimodel climate ensembles it is often assumed that the ensemble is either truth centered or that models and observations are drawn from the same distribution. Here we analyze CMIP5 ensembles focusing on three measures that separate the two interpretations: the error of the ensemble mean relative to the error of individual models, the decay of the ensemble mean error for increasing ensemble size, and the correlations of the model errors. The measures are analyzed using a simple statistical model that includes the two interpretations as different limits and for which analytical results for the three measures can be obtained in high dimensions. We find that the simple statistical model describes the behavior of the three measures in the CMIP5 ensembles remarkably well. Except for the large-scale means we find that the indistinguishable interpretation is a better assumption than the truth centered interpretation. Furthermore, the indistinguishable interpretation becomes an increasingly better assumption when the errors are based on smaller temporal and spatial scales. Building on this, we present a simple conceptual mechanism for the indistinguishable interpretation based on the assumption that the climate models are calibrated on large-scale features such as, e.g., annual means or global averages.
Cycle biologique et utilisation successive de différents hotes (Homoptères - Psyllidae) par Prionomitus mitratus Dalman 1820 (Hyménotpère - Encyrtidae)

Dans la region toulousaine, Prionomitus mitratus parasite de plusieurs especes de Psylles vivant soit sur Aubepine soit sur Poirier. Toutefois, le controle du chalcidien sera d'autant plus efficace en ete sur P. pyri, un des principaux ravageurs du Poirier, que quand il peut trouver au debut du printemps d'autres hotes relais (Psylla melanoneura, P. crataegi, P. pyrisuga). (Resume d'auteur)
Modeling and simulation of an active solar water heating system for Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria

The recent interests in renewable energy throughout the world has created a need for research in the area of solar technology, specially solar water heating system. A numerical experimental investigation was conducted to develop a model of an active solar water heating system to produce domestic hot water at 90oC using Typical meteorogical year (TMY 2) solar weather condition data of Maiduguri. The numerical experiment was used for simulation and TRNSYS 16 software was also used to determine the hourly thermal performance of the model. The main component of the TRNSYS deck file constructed for this purpose is Type 109, accompanied by other components require for the model. TMY 2 weather data of Maiduguri was processed to obtain the monthly average daily hot water for Maiduguri, and the recommended average day of each months were also used. The weather condition of the month of August was considered for the design. The result of simulation shows that an active solar system collector area of 2.04m2 with inlet flow rate of 120kg/hour for hot water application, tilted at an angle of 12o to the horizontal would be capable of producing daily domestic hot water of 0.1m3 volume to the desired temperature of 90o C. The validation computed by using statistical tool of Nash-Sutcliffe Coefficient Efficiency (NSE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) reveal the system ambient temperature and storage tank temperature of 1.60C,0.82 and 3.60C,0.96 respectively. For the experiment conducted, the model has capacity of predicting the performance of system with 82% and 96% degree of accuracy for that the experiment conducted. The early hours of each months as compared by the collectors showed that the serpentine solar collector has higher thermal performance than the riser-header flat plate collector but after 15:00 hours, Riser-header solar collector performance is better. This means that that riser-header solar collector has higher performance better than serpentine solar collector.
Acridine Orange and some Plant Growth Hormones

The present study aimed to investigate the mutagenic effect of acriflavine and some plant growth hormones on mitochondrial DNA of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Two yeast isolates isolated from different sources were used in this work. The results of acriflavine treatments showed significant toxicity on the viability of yeast cells via a dose – response appeared. This means that the survival of cells was decreased with the increasing in acriflavine concentrations. This is a clear evidence for the toxic action of acriflavine on yeast cells. At the concentration of 1 ppm the parent cells of isolate – A retain the normal respiratory abilities, while the isolate – B was less affected. The high rate of petite mutants appeared when the cells were exposed to 4 ppm. Isolate – B was more sensitive to acriflavine than isolate – A regarding the decline in the viability of cells and respiratory deficient mutants induced. In addition, kinetin and naphthyl acetic acid showed a dose – response for the viability of yeast cells without respiratory deficient mutants induced. This indicated that both plant growth hormones enhances the division of yeast cells leading the cells to continue growing. In addition, plant growth hormones plays several vital roles in biochemical processes related to cell cycle of yeast cells. The signaling molecules regulated cell growth must received significant attention because it is alarm sounds for the potential of carcinogenicity.
Morphological differentiation in Asian honey bee (Apis cerana) populations in the basin and highlands of southwestern China

In the evolutionary process, honey bee populations became divergent due to geographical barriers or ecological adaptation, but to date which specific barriers and ecological isolation conditions that blocked the honey bee gene flow remain uncertain. Here, the morphometric divergence of Apis cerana was studied across southwestern China, a region of diverse topography, featuring a low-elevation basin in the east and a high-elevation mountain and plateau in the west. A multivariate morphometric analysis was conducted on 1482 A. cerana individuals from 25 sampling sites across Sichuan province. The populations dwelling in high-elevation areas with larger body sizes and darker coloration were differentiated from the eastern low-elevation basin population. Moreover, the populations dwelling in the Jinshajiang, Yalongjiang, and DaduRiver Valleys showed significant divergence. Our data indicate that the morphometric variation between the high and low altitudes, probably due to the adaptation to the integrated effects of ecological factors such as air temperature, humidity, the nectar and pollen plants, and light intensity etc. Additionally, the mountains with an altitude of more than 3300 m and a honey bee-free zone probably served as a barrier to gene flow between the river valley populations.
Green consumption: consumer behavior after an environmental tragedy

The aim of this study was to identify whether there is a difference in the environmentally‐conscious consumer behavior (ECCB) of a region directly impacted by an environmental tragedy, as compared to the ECCB of non-impacted regions. We empirically tested the main argument of the protection motivation theory, through the design of a structural model, based on the literature, that was estimated with cross-sectional data, which allowed us to distinguish the effects of both green behavior and perceived consumer effectiveness on the ECCB from both regions. Our model also considers the antecedents of both green behavior and perceived consumer effectiveness, thereby attempting to accurately model the complex process of forming the ECCB in a context of environmental tragedy. Using a sample of 420 individuals from an impacted region, and 394 individuals from non-impacted regions, results show that perceived consumer effectiveness affects the ECCB only in the impacted region. In this region, perceived consumer effectiveness is strongly influenced by ecological attitudes compared to environmental concern and external motivators. Conversely, green behavior affects the ECCB more in the non-impacted regions. Our evidence suggests that, after experiencing an environmental tragedy, consumers began to reflect on the effects of their consumption, which in turn influenced the ECCB. However, the effect of their green actions on their consumption behavior seems to decrease in the impacted region relative to the non-impacted regions.
PROTOCOL: Interventions to improve the economic self‐sufficiency of unemployed immigrants from non‐Western countries

Abstract Background This is a protocol for a Campbell Review. The objectives are as follows: Objectives This review systematically collects and synthesizes evidence from evaluations of causal effects of interventions designed to improve employment outcomes for non‐Western immigrants. The review aims to answer the following questions: 1) Do interventions designed to improve the economic self‐sufficiency for non‐Western immigrants affect participants employment, use of cash assistance, income, or job retention? 2) Do effects differ depending on programme content or populations served?