Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Economic and Utilization Potentials of Solid Wastes Management in Urban Markets of Ibadan

The study evaluates solid waste management techniques in two selected markets in Ibadan in order to determine solid waste management for the purpose of efficient utilization potentials and economic benefits. The markets selected are Aleshinloye and Bodija markets which are built to meet national standard. Oral interview was conducted on the randomly selected respondents using well-structured questionnaires and review of published literature was also adopted for this study. The nature and composition of solid waste generated, disposal techniques, recycling, and potentials of waste management techniques in relation to the socio-economic characteristics of the traders in the markets were investigated. 200 questionnaires were administered to the study areas and the data obtained were analyzed using frequency, bar charts and chi-square for the solid waste techniques between both markets. The findings showed that there are variations in all the variables and revealed that the techniques used for waste management in both markets were inadequate. It was recommended that awareness campaign should be set up for proper waste management process through proper education among the traders especially. This paper also suggests that State and local government should collaborate with other environmental agencies in managing, constructing and building waste recycling plant and government should assist in other logistics to allow smooth running of the factory. Finally, it was recommended that urban renewal strategy should also be adopted for future reference.
Integrating Remote Sensing and Street View Images to Quantify Urban Forest Ecosystem Services

There is an urgent need for holistic tools to assess the health impacts of climate change mitigation and adaptation policies relating to increasing public green spaces. Urban vegetation provides numerous ecosystem services on a local scale and is therefore a potential adaptation strategy that can be used in an era of global warming to offset the increasing impacts of human activity on urban environments. In this study, we propose a set of urban green ecological metrics that can be used to evaluate urban green ecosystem services. The metrics were derived from two complementary surveys: a traditional remote sensing survey of multispectral images and Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data, and a survey using proximate sensing through images made available by the Google Street View database. In accordance with previous studies, two classes of metrics were calculated: greenery at lower and higher elevations than building facades. In the last phase of the work, the metrics were applied to city blocks, and a spatially constrained clustering methodology was employed. Homogeneous areas were identified in relation to the urban greenery characteristics. The proposed methodology represents the development of a geographic information system that can be used by public administrators and urban green designers to create and maintain urban public forests.
The European Marriage Pattern and Economic Development

Tracy Dennison California Institute of Technology September 2010 1. The European Marriage Pattern and Economic Development When John Hajnal first outlined the characteristics of the ‘European Marriage Pattern’ (EMP) in a seminal article in 1965, it was assumed by many researchers that a system of late, non-universal marriage and nuclear family households had been prevalent in pre-industrial societies across the European continent.1 Subsequent research findings, however, revealed significant variation in family forms, particularly in southern and eastern parts of Europe. Taking this evidence into account, Hajnal, in a later article (1982), made an explicit distinction between Northwest Europe, where household patterns conformed to the so-called ‘European’ pattern, and the rest of the continent (and indeed elsewhere), where a ‘non-European’ pattern was thought to have predominated.2
Governance Mechanisms and Financial Structure: Case of Tunisia

In Eastern Europe, privatization raises the question of how private firms should be governed. China is experimenting with some forms of corporate governance that combine features of the market system with public ownership. Notwithstanding all these debates, observations about the effects of different corporate governance systems remain fragmented. In the area of corporate governance, the facts have been swept away by judgments. Building a governance index that synthesizes all control mechanisms has prompted empirical research to test the effectiveness of a governance structure for aligning leaders' interests with those of others shareholders. This framework focuses on the governance-performance relationship. Empirical studies have sought to test whether "well-governed" firms with low agency costs and low information asymmetry are doing more call option on debt to finance their investment opportunities. This article is organized around the two main parts. In the first part, we will summarize the main previous empirical works that have dealt with governance mechanisms and the choice of a financial structure. In the second part, we will empirically validate these governance mechanisms of the twenty-eight firms listed on the Securities Exchange in Tunisia during the period from 2012 to 2016. However, the governance mechanisms and the choice of the financial structure will be modified over time and the sample. Citation: Mohamed AB, Nidhal M (2019) Governance Mechanisms and Financial Structure: Case of Tunisia. Arabian J Bus Manag Review 9: 389.
APPENDIX F 4265 ACOUSTIC PROPERTY EXPERIMENTAL 4266 RESULTS 4267 F . 1 Attenuation of Common Bridge Steels

Unexpected observations were made during preliminary experimental testing. After similar surface 4270 preparation was performed on various steel specimens, more than 4 dB difference in amplitude was found 4271 between SDHs located at a depth of 0.5” in 6 different steel specimens when using a 5 MHz shear wave 4272 probe. Currently the AWS D1.5 procedures (for conventional UT and Annex K) explicitly assume that all 4273 carbon bridge steels possess the same attenuation characteristics and no correction or consideration needed 4274 to be taken during the inspection of bridge welds. As a result, the difference in attenuation found during 4275 this preliminary testing directly led to a controlled experimental evaluation of the ultrasonic attenuation in 4276 different base metals typically used in bridge construction. The objective was to investigate the effect of 4277 different variables, such as ultrasonic frequency, wave mode, material microstructure, and material acoustic 4278 velocity, on the magnitude of material attenuation. 4279
CAPITAL STRUCTURE DECISIONS AND DEBT MATURITY STRUCTURE: AN EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM JORDAN

49 CAPITAL STRUCTURE DECISIONS AND DEBT MATURITY STRUCTURE: AN EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM JORDAN Ghassan AL Taleb1 Faris Nasif ALShubiri2 Abstract This study examines the capital structure decisions and debt maturity structure of 60 industrial companies listed in Amman Stock exchange. To our knowledge this is the first time such study has been attempted for a multi-country emerging market sample. To achieve this objective the study was set to test a number of hypotheses regarding the determinants of capital structure decisions and debt maturity structure. These hypotheses were related to the effects of profitability, growth opportunities, asset maturity, size, liquidity and age. Total debt ratio was found to be positively and significantly related to the percentage growth in total assets and negatively and significantly related to liquidity and asset structure. A growth opportunity variable was found to be positively and significantly related to long term debt and was negatively and significantly related to long term debt. The relationship between asset maturity and long term debt was found to be negative and significant. Therefore, there is no support of the hypothesis that debt maturity decreases as the proportion of growth potentials increase. Size was found to be positively and significantly related to long term debt and negatively and significantly related to short term debt implying that larger firms borrow on long term and small ones borrow on short term. Profitability, age and liquidity appeared to have no statistical significance on the different types of debt.
Modeling high-performance HBTs

Epitaxial-layer, bipolar transistors are intrinsically well suited to high-frequency applications because their critical, physical dimensions are mainly in the direction of the semiconductor film growth, which can be controlled on a near-atomic scale. This is in contrast to field-effect transistors (FETs), where the critical dimension of gate length must be determined lithographically. Among the family of bipolar transistors, heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) are particularly attractive for operation at high frequencies because their employment of a wide-bandgap emitter allows a highly doped base region to be used without compromising the current gain [1]. With a highly doped base, the base width can be reduced while still maintaining an acceptable base resistance. A short base width leads directly to an improved cut-off frequency, fT , which, when coupled with the lower base resistance, leads to an improved oscillation frequency, fmax. These, and other, attributes of HBTs have been reviewed [2]. In this chapter, some important aspects of modeling high-performance HBTs are discussed. The aims are twofold: (i) to gain some insight into the workings of an HBT at the microscopic level; (ii) to use this insight to examine, or develop, analytical expressions which may be useful in the engineering design of high-frequency and high-speed devices. At the microscopic level, the emphasis is on the collector current density, JC . This is an important parameter for high-frequency devices because, via the charge-control method, it is involved in the calculation of the overall signal delay time, τEC , which, in turn, is related to the common-emitter, unity gain, current cut-off frequency, fT which, in its turn, is related to the unity gain, power cut-off frequency, fmax. These two frequencies are the main performance metrics for a high-frequency device. At the
Does Easing Financing Matter for Firm Performance

Financial reforms have been found to be highly important in promoting aggregate productivity. Yet, the linkage between access to finance, firm-level productivity, and exporting performance has been overlooked in the literature. We fill this gap using a rich dataset of 11,612 Indian firms over the period 1988-2014 to study the impact of a unique financial policy intervention on firm performance. We document a significant effect of capital-account liberalization through the lens of an export-oriented policy initiative on firms’ productivity and consequently on their exporting activity. Finally, the beneficial effect of the policy change is more pronounced for financially vulnerable firms, as measured by high debt dependence and low levels of liquidity.
Non-intrusive wettability characterization on complex surfaces using 3D Laser Scanning Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy

The present paper addresses a non-intrusive technique, the Laser Scanning Confocal Fluoresce Microscopy LSCFM to characterize the wettability on complex surfaces. The technique is firstly validated comparing the equilibrium contact angles obtained by an optical tensiometer with those measured using the LSCFM, for milimetric droplets deposited on smooth glass surfaces. The results show that the contact angles measured by the LSCFM are consistently similar to those measured by the tensiometer, although they are generally lower. A detailed analysis on the accuracy of the measurements shows that the angles obtained with the tensiometer are more likely to be affected by the flattening of the droplet, which is particularly evident in large droplets, where gravitation effects can play already an important role. Substantial differences are however obtained between the apparent angles measured by the tensiometer and those evaluated with the LSCFM technique. Hence, the liquid-solid contact line is visibly distorted by the pillars, which results in high differences in the local contact angles. Nevertheless, the measurements performed show much more stable and consistently constant angles measured with the LSCFM technique, when repeating the measures on surfaces with similar topology. This is possible as the LSCFM technique can provide a detailed reconstruction of the surface topology at the liquid-solid interface region. This feature allows identifying stable Wenzel wetting regimes, in geometries for which the apparent contact angles measured with the tensiometer can be up to 40o higher than those obtained with the LSCFM. Following these results, a few usual approaches to predict the wetting regimes, based on geometric relations are revisited. The analysis suggests that these approaches allow identifying trends with the apparent angles, but fail in predicting the angles measured by the LSCFM, being therefore unable to predict the unstable non-wetting regimes that were observed.
PORTRAIT OF A COMPANY: DEFINED BENEFIT

This study describes firms that sponsor defined benefit pension plans (DBPP) based on firm specific characteristics, financial and operating performance. Firms are classified into portfolios based on their funding levels and described accordingly. The results suggest that firms in the most underfunded portfolio are on average smaller and value firms, with negative stock returns, poor financial and operating performance, lower profitability, invest smaller amounts in advertising, research and development and capital assets and are more indebted with higher probabilities of bankruptcy. The opposite is seen for the least and overfunded firms. The portrayal of these characteristics can help regulators in the effective identification of firms that may confront funding problems before it is too late. The detection of risk behavior or tendencies in terms of firm characteristics can help regulators in establishing policies to decelerate and improve pension plan funding levels and to protect the public interest.
Preliminary experience with uterine artery embolization for uterine fibroids

Purpose To evaluate the potential usefulness of transcatheter uterine artery embolization as a treatment for fibroid - related vaginal bleeding. Methods 28 patients (aged 36 - 49 years; mean, 41 years) with refractory vaginal bleeding and/or chronic pelvic pain related to u-terine leiomyomata underwent uterine artery embolization with use of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) particles. Clinical improvement was assessed by detailed questionnaire at 3 - 12 months (mean, 5 months) after the procedure. CT measurements of the uterus and dominant masses were obtained before and at 3 months after the procedure. Results All 28 patients underwent technically successful embolization. Eighteen of twenty - eighty women who completed the follow - up questionnaire reported noticeable symptomatic improvement, including fifteen women with complete resolution of symptoms . One woman (the only patient undergoing unilateral embolization) exhibited no clinical response. Large reductions in uterine volume (average, 40%) and dominant fibroid size (average, 65%) were CT demonstrated. Conclusion Uterine artery embolization represents a promising new method of treating fibroid- related menorrhagia and pelvic pain. Further investigation will be required to define the optimal angiographic technique and PVA particle size.
Price Discrimination in International Transportation: Evidence and Implications

Despite the recognized complexity of the international shipping industry, most trade models treat transport costs as a multiplicative exogenous friction, fixed at the bilateral country level. In this paper, I use a uniquely detailed freight price data from a new customs data set to study transport costs not only as a trade friction, but also as prices of business services traded between firms. I document empirical regularities inconsistent with both the Law of One Price in the shipping industry and the “iceberg” trade cost assumption: freight prices vary substantially across shipments within narrowly defined routes and conditional on the shipment’s value. I show theoretically that these regularities are rationalized in a standard model of trade with transportation sector, in which carriers engage in standard price discrimination activities studied in industrial organization literature. In support of the model, I show empirically that freight carriers price discriminate across exporters, especially through sizable quantity discounts, and charge overall larger exporters lower prices irrespective of the shipment’s size. Using the structure of the model, I show that this strategic pricing behavior of freight carriers generates a substantial deviation of transport costs from the “iceberg” assumption. Using an exogenous weather-related shock to the level of competition in the shipping industry, I find that competition increases the extent of quantity discounts thus giving further advantage to larger firms participating in international trade. These results have important policy and welfare implications, especially for developing countries that pay substantially higher transportation costs than developed nations.
Inflation Threshold in India: An Empirical Investigation

This paper examines the issue of the existence of threshold effects in the relationship between inflation rate and real GDP growth in India using 3 different approaches. In view of the structural changes of the economy, the empirical analysis uses data for the period of Q1:1996-97 to Q3:2010-11 in order to capture the more recent picture of the growth inflation nexus. A specific question addressed in this paper was: does inflation in India have to reach some minimum "threshold" before the growth effects turn adverse? The findings clearly suggest that inflation threshold in the sense of structural break point exists for India and this implies a non-linear relationship between inflation and growth. Empirical results suggest that there exists statistically significant structural break in the relation between output growth and inflation in between 4.0 and 5.5 per cent of inflation above which inflation retards growth rate of GDP and below the threshold level, there is a statistically significant positive relationship between inflation rate and growth. Thus substantial gains can be achieved if inflation is kept below the threshold. JEL classification: C22; E00; O11.
Study of Local Inertial Focusing Conditions for Spherical Particles in Asymmetric Serpentines

Inertial focusing conditions of fluorescent polystyrene spherical particles are studied at the pointwise level along their pathlines. This is accomplished by an algorithm that calculates a degree of spreading function of the particles’ trajectories taking streaklines images as raw data. Different confinement ratios of the particles and flow rates are studied and the results are presented in state diagrams showing the focusing degree of the particles in terms of their position within a curve of an asymmetric serpentine and the applied flow rate. In addition, together with numerical simulation results, we present empirical evidence that the preferred trajectories of inertially focused spheres are contained within Dean vortices’ centerlines. We speculate about the existence of a new force, never postulated before, to explain this fact.
Making or Not Making Environmental Disclosures in Thailand

This study investigated why companies make or do not make environmental disclosures and whether stakeholder theory can explain voluntary environmental reporting practice in Thailand. A questionnaire was used, divided into three sections: reasons for making disclosures of environmental information, reasons for not making such disclosures, and demographic details. A five-point Likert scale and closed-ended questions were used in the questionnaire. The highest rated reasons for disclosing environmental information were meeting legal obligations, increasing customer loyalty and competitive advantage, customer concerns, and investors’ right to information. The highest rated reasons for not disclosing environmental information were that companies had no environmental impact, and that there were no environmental regulations or standards in Thailand. This study may not have covered all possible reasons for making or not making environmental disclosures since the respondents could not state their own reasons. The results suggest that many companies in Thailand will only undertake environmental reporting when it is mandatory but that stakeholder theory can be used to explain environmental reporting in developing countries as well as in developed countries. The study provides valuable information about companies’ reasons for making or not making environmental disclosures and compares the results with those from studies undertaken elsewhere.
Sources of Market Disintegration in 18 Century China

Recent empirical work on grain market integration in China and Western Europe on the eve of the Industrial Revolution finds consistent evidence for a substantial decline in Chinese integration over time: by 1800, Qing China’s grain markets were fragmented, including in the economically most advanced Jiangnan region. In this paper we provide qualitative and quantitative evidence for population growth and its economic, social, political and environmental implications as one important factor driving this process. One of the seminal questions in World and Chinese economic history is why China, in contrast to Western Europe, failed to industrialize during the 19 century, leading to differential development paths commonly referred to as the ‘Great Divergence’ (Elvin, 1973; Pomeranz, 2000). Social and economic historians have tried to tackle this issue by identifying potential  Correspondence: Markus Eberhardt, School of Economics, University of Nottingham, Sir Clive Granger Building, University Park, Nottingham NG2 7RD, UK. Email: markus.eberhardt@nottingham.ac. uk. We thank seminar participants at the 12 GEP Postgraduate Conference in Nottingham, the GEP China/ifo/CEPII Conference in Ningbo, the ETSG meeting in Birmingham, Nankai, Birmingham, the Xiamen Young Economist Society conference, George Mason, the Oxford CSAE conference, the CES North America Conference at Michigan, the 3 Workshop on the Economic Analysis of Institutions in Xiamen, the 3 Workshop in Empirical Economic History at Peking, Nottingham GEP, Sheffield, Lincoln Business School, the IMF SPR Department, Reading, the EHS Annual Conference in Cambridge, the Asian Historical Economics Conference in Seoul, Nottingham University Business School, the Vienna FRESH Meeting, American University SIS, the 2 CEPR-NYUAD workshop on Drivers of Economic Divergence, and the LSE Economic History Department for helpful comments and suggestions. James Fenske and Giovanni Federico provided detailed comments on this project at an early stage and we thank them for their help in guiding the research. Access to the University of Nottingham High Performance Computing facility is gratefully acknowledged. The usual disclaimers apply.