Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antimicrobial activities and time kill profiles of five essential oils from Southern Africa against selected bacterial and fungal organisms

Essential oils are complex mixtures of volatile secondary metabolites from plants. In this study, essential oils from five plants traditionally used to treat infectious diseases were tested for antimicrobial activity against seven Gram-positive bacteria, eight Gram-negative bacteria and six yeast species (Candida species and Cryptococcus neoformans) using the agar diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the oils were determined by the microdilution technique. The killing kinetics of the oils was further evaluated against specific bacterial and fungal organisms. Both antifungal and antibacterial activities were observed from the essential oil of Conyza scabrida, Eriocephallus punculatus and Artemisia afra with the MIC values ranging from 0.95 to 7.5 mg/ml against the bacterial isolates and 0.24 to 7.50 mg/ml against the fungal isolates. The oils of Adansonia digitata and A. afra were fungicidal to all the yeast isolates tested with minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) values ranging from 0.12 to 7.50 mg/ml, while the essential oil from C. scabrida was fungicidal to 4 of the 6 yeast isolates tested with the smallest MFC of 0.48 mg/ml against Candida tropicalis. Essential oils from A. afra were able to kill 90% of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells within 3 h. This study revealed the antimicrobial activity of C. scabrida and Helichrysum foetidum. The results of this study indicate that essential oils are promising sources of natural products with potential antimicrobial activity. These results will guide the selection of some plant species for further pharmacological and phytochemical analysis. These results also support the use of essential oils to treat microbial infections and could be used as pharmaceuticals as well as preservatives in the food industry. Key words: Medicinal plants, essential oils, antibacterial activity, antifungal activity, time-kill activity.
Investigating Learners’ Acceptability of World Englishes Preferences

This study aimed to investigate learners’ preferences of World Englishes pronunciation, to compare the preferences across gender, and to explore reasons why they prefer a particular pronunciation. The study was conducted at a secondary school in Sa Kaeo province. The participants were 300 upper secondary school learners (Mathayom 4-6). The study used a mixed-methods approach, combining a survey and interviews. To complete the survey, the learners listened to four pronunciations, selected from the three concentric circles by Kachru (1985). The pronunciations consisted of Cambodian, Thai, Filipino, and American. After listening to the pronunciations, the learners rated the level of their preference. The results showed that the learners’ preferred the American pronunciation the most. Through semi-structured interview, six informants were requested to explain their justification. It turned out that the main reason behind why the participants preferred a particular pronunciation falls into three reasons: 1) comprehensibility, 2) self-image, and 3) clarity of speech. Moreover, the results also showed that there are no differences in the preferences towards World Englishes pronunciation across gender distinctiveness. Keywords: Learners’ Preference, World Englishes Pronunciation DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-12-09 Publication date: April 30 th 2020
Investigation of the Emotional Intelligence Levels of University Students Working Voluntarily in Special Olympics

The aim of this study was to investigate of the emotional intelligence levels of university students working voluntarily in Special Olympics. The research was designed with a descriptive survey model, one of the quantitative research methods. A total of 256 university students participated in the study. 135 students voluntarily worked in Special Olympic. 121 students didn’t serve in Special Olympic. The emotional Intelligence Scale developed by Chan (2004) and used as Turkish by Aslan and Ozata (2008) was employed as a data collection tool in the study. It was determined that the research data showed normal distribution. Then, it was decided that the parametric test was used. Independent samples T-test was preferred to compare the emotional intelligence levels of working voluntarily and non-working students in Special Olympics. Likewise, a t-test was used to investigate the emotional intelligence of volunteers according to gender. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that the scores of working voluntarily students were statistically higher in the emotional appraisal, positive regulation, empathic sensitivity, positive utilization sub-dimensions and general emotional intelligence scores than the non-working students in the organization. But, according to the gender variable, there was no statistically significant difference between the participants in both sub-dimensions and the whole scale. According to these results, it can be said that emotional intelligence levels of individuals who serve voluntarily in organizations for disabled people, like Special Olympics, were higher. Moreover, it can be deduced that there is no difference according to gender in the emotional intelligence levels of the participants working voluntarily in Special Olympics.
Insurance–growth nexus: empirical evidence from emerging Asian markets

Abstract This study examines the drivers of insurance market growth and causality between insurance and economic growth using a dynamic one-step system GMM estimator and panel Granger causality test on the sample of 19 emerging Asian economies over the period 2007-2017. Several macro-economic factors influence the development of the insurance market but the magnitude of effects varies between high and middle-income countries and types of insurance growth proxies used. On examining the causality between insurance and economic growth, the result of the Granger causality test shows that unidirectional causality is running from economic growth to the insurance sector supporting demand leading framework of insurance growth literature. The study suggests that higher economic activities with regulated price levels, higher banking activities with credit rationing and more outreach programmes are contributing to insurance sector growth. Therefore, policymakers should stimulate economic activities of the country to boost insurance growth.
Non-Apis bees as model organisms in laboratory, semi-field and field experiments

Im Rahmen der Zulassung von Pflanzenschutzmitteln und ihren Wirkstoffen in der EU wurde das Risiko fur Bienen bisher anhand der Westlichen Honigbiene (Apis mellifera L.) als Modellorganismus fur alle Bienenarten bewertet. In den letzten Jahren wurde kontrovers diskutiert, ob Wildbienenarten in der Risikobewertung ebenfalls berucksichtigt werden sollten, um die bisherigen Daten­anforderungen fur Honigbienen zu erweitern. Dies geht damit einher, etablierte, standardisierte Methoden fur die Honigbiene an zusatzliche Wildbienenarten anzupassen und zu verstehen, wie diese Arten auf den verschiedenen Testebenen (Labor-, Halbfreiland- und Freilandtests) eingesetzt werden konnen. In diesem Artikel gehen wir zunachst auf die Bedeutung von Bienen als Testorganismen ein, diskutieren den derzeitigen Stand der Forschung, die fur die Methodenentwicklung und das experimentelle Design fur das Arbeiten mit Bienen wichtig ist, um abschliesend einen Ausblick auf aktuelle Aktivitaten in der Standardisierung von Testmethoden zu geben.
Using results-blind reviewing to support the peer review competency framework

The focal article byKöhler et al. (2020)develops a highly compelling competency framework for excellent reviewing. It is certainly akeypieceof a robustandopenscienceecosystem(Bankset al., 2019). The framework can and should be used as a guide for novice and seasoned reviewers “in definingwhat they shouldpayattention to, uponwhat their review should touch, howthey shouldword their review,what kindofadvice theyneedtoprovide,andhowtheyshouldoverall goaboutpeer reviewing” (Köhleret al., 2020, p. 17). Creating specific reviewer training around the competencies takes this framework to the next level by actively teaching reviewers how to implement the proposed guidelines. Developing these skills is a critical component for bettering the publication process by enabling reviewers to provide feedback to colleagues that is more organized, reliable, and helpful. The focal article, by design, has an individual focus. Thus, this commentary will serve as an extension to the focal article, pushing the call for better reviewing further by making the case for results-blind reviews (RBR) as an environmental mechanism that better supports the framework and training of competencies discussed in the focal article.
Investor’s Intrinsic Motives and the Valence of Word-of-Mouth in Sequential Decision-Making

Abstract An escalation of commitment refers to an individual’s decision to engage in greater risk-taking following prior losses than gains. This behavior was found to be preeminent in situations framed as portfolio decisions. However, there is lack of evidence regarding the underlying mechanism behind an individual’s decision to engage in later high (or low) risk-taking in a loss (or gain) domain. A model was developed based on the connections between prospect theory, self-determination theory and word-of-mouth to provide underlying mechanisms that activate investors’ decisions to engage in later high (or low) risk-taking. We theorized that self- and/or social motives and negative word-of-mouth (NWoM) or positive word-of-mouth (PWoM) would double mediate the effect of prior low (high) risk-taking on later high (low) risk-taking in the loss (gain) domain. Results supported a double mediation effect and indicated that investors have different underlying self- and/or social motives, manifested in NWoM or PWoM, that activate later high (low) risk-taking in the loss (gain) domain. The findings have pertinent implications for advisors wishing to understand underlying self- and/or social motives in order to predict and manage client risk-attitude. The findings also help researchers and analysts to identify patterns in investor behavior that can predict market trends.
Building social capital and learning relationships through knowledge sharing: a social network approach of management students' cases

This study has adopted theoretical frameworks of social capital, social networks and the Community of Practice to study how different types of relationships influence the knowledge sharing relationship. This paper aims to suggest that building social capital, particularly structural capital, is part of expected key in knowledge sharing networks. ,Using social capital theory, through social network analysis of 111 management students in the US business school, identified key social capital dimension in knowledge sharing networks. To incorporate the interdependency among examined relationships, network logistic regression with the quadric assignment procedure was used. ,The proposed research model showed that about 98% of the existence of knowledge sharing relationship could be correctly predicted. Among three dimensions of social capital, this study found a superior influence of the structural dimension (i.e. task interdependence) in predicting having a knowledge sharing relationship. The significant effect of trust and friendship network on knowledge sharing was also found. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research were also discussed. ,Existing literature as to how people learn through knowledge sharing is limited in at least two important ways. First, scholars of knowledge management acknowledge that organizational knowledge originates from dyadic relationships between or among individuals at work. However, prior research has heavily relied on survey responses from one’s perception of knowledge sharing experience, viewing as unidirectional. Second, substantial attention of prior research has been devoted to the factors of individual attributes. Emphasizing individual interactions as the fundamental building blocks of learning, this study focuses more on relational characteristics of knowledge sharing based on social capital theory.
Parametric and optimization studies on the production of nanoscale biochar-NPK fertilizer using sugarcane bagasse-derived biochar as carrier

Current agricultural practices such as excessive and inefficient application of conventional fertilizers causes serious environmental problems. Thus, this study aimed to produce a fertilizer with nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium impregnated in an activated sugarcane bagasse biochar which has potential for slow nutrient release. Activated sugarcane bagasse-derived biochar was produced via pyrolysis at 450 °C for 1 hour followed by activation using potassium hydroxide. Analysis of the activated biochar showed that it has a high capacity to hold exchangeable cations with a value of 127 mol c/kg soil, high porosity and large surface area (79 m2/g), and high carbon content (77.3% wt). The effects of biochar-NPK ratio (w/w), mixing time, and mixing temperature on the nutrient content of the fertilizer were then evaluated implementing a full factorial experimental design. All main factors were found to be significant on the NPK content of the fertilizer. Optimization runs were subsequently done following Response Surface via Central Composite Design (CCD) to determine formulation conditions for maximum NPK content of the fertilizer. Optimized conditions were 1:2 (w/w) biochar-NPK ratio, 50 °C mixing temperature, and 25.60 minutes mixing time. The nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium content of the fertilizer at optimum condition were successfully verified to be 4.20 %N, 7.57 %P, and 7.01 %K, respectively. The average particle size of the fertilizer was found to be about 2117.2 nm with a polydispersity index of 0.568. The properties of the biochar-NPK fertilizer may be further examined to evaluate its capacity for controlled- or slow-release of nutrients.
Time-convolutionless master equation: Perturbative expansions to arbitrary order and application to quantum dots

The time-convolutionless quantum master equation is an exact description of the nonequilibrium dynamics of open quantum systems, with the advantage of being local in time. We derive a perturbative expansion to arbitrary order in the system-reservoir coupling for its generator, which contains significantly fewer terms than the ordered-cumulant expansion. We show that the derived expansion also admits a simple recursive formulation. The derived series is then used to describe the nonequilibrium dynamics of a quantum dot, including coherences. We find a relation between the generator and a generalization of the $T$-matrix. Even though the $T$-matrix rate equations are plagued by divergences, we show that these cancel order by order in the generator of the time-convolutionless master equation. This generalizes previous work on the time-convolutionless Pauli master equation, which does not include coherences, and lays the ground for possible numerical evaluations and analytical resummations.
The one-loop matter bispectrum in the Effective Field Theory of Large Scale Structures

Given the importance of future large scale structure surveys for delivering new cosmological information, it is crucial to reliably predict their observables. The Effective Field Theory of Large Scale Structures (EFTofLSS) provides a manifestly convergent perturbative scheme to compute the clustering of dark matter in the weakly nonlinear regime in an expansion in k/kNL, where k is the wavenumber of interest and kNL is the wavenumber associated to the nonlinear scale. It has been recently shown that the EFTofLSS matches to 1% level the dark matter power spectrum at redshift zero up to k≃ 0.3 h Mpc−1 and k≃ 0.6 h Mpc−1 at one and two loops respectively, using only one counterterm that is fit to data. Similar results have been obtained for the momentum power spectrum at one loop. This is a remarkable improvement with respect to former analytical techniques. Here we study the prediction for the equal-time dark matter bispectrum at one loop. We find that at this order it is sufficient to consider the same counterterm that was measured in the power spectrum. Without any remaining free parameter, and in a cosmology for which kNL is smaller than in the previously considered cases (σ8=0.9), we find that the prediction from the EFTofLSS agrees very well with N-body simulations up to k≃ 0.25 h Mpc−1, given the accuracy of the measurements, which is of order a few percent at the highest k's of interest. While the fit is very good on average up to k≃ 0.25 h Mpc−1, the fit performs slightly worse on equilateral configurations, in agreement with expectations that for a given maximum k, equilateral triangles are the most nonlinear.
Governance Mechanisms for Green Supply Chain Partnership

The literature has recognized the value of green supply chain management in achieving the goals of environmental management. Yet developing and fostering sustainability partnerships among supply chain organizations remains challenging. Bounded rationality and opportunistic behaviors are likely to hinder joint sustainability collaboration and performance. The literature has called for a better understanding of the governance of green supply chain collaboration. This study applies transactional cost economics as a conceptual framework to investigate the relationships among transaction features, governance mechanisms, and environmental performance. Using the data collected from 969 plants in 17 countries, the statistical analysis compares and validates the effectiveness of three alternative governance mechanisms: contractual governance, problem-solving cooperation governance, and information-sharing governance. The statistical results reveal significant performance differences in how firms apply alternative governance mechanisms to mitigate opportunism, manage adaptation problems, and improve green supply chain collaboration and performance. Overall, this study makes research contributions by confirming the mediation effects of governance mechanisms on green supply chain practices. For green supply chains to be a viable practice, firms should apply governance mechanisms in proper alignment with the nature of the collaborative and environmental conditions.
Transformerless Quasi-Z-Source Inverter to Reduce Leakage Current for Single-Phase Grid-Tied Applications

The conventional single-phase quasi-Z-source (QZS) inverter has a high leakage current as it is connected to the grid. To address this problem, this paper proposes a transformerless QZS inverter, which can reduce the leakage current for single-phase grid-tied applications. The proposed inverter effectively alleviates the leakage current problem by removing high-frequency components for the common-mode voltage. The operation principle of the proposed inverter is described together with its control strategy. A control scheme is presented for regulating the DC-link voltage and the grid current. A 1.0 kW prototype inverter was designed and tested to verify the performance of the proposed inverter. Silicon carbide (SiC) power devices were applied to the proposed inverter to increase the power efficiency. The experimental results showed that the proposed inverter achieved high performance for leakage current reduction and power efficiency improvement.
Corporate governance on intellectual capital disclosure and market capitalization

Abstract Intellectual capital (IC) has been widely recognized as an important resource in creating value and competitive advantage for companies. This study therefore examined the effect of corporate governance on intellectual capital disclosure and market capitalization through the use of the companies listed in the Indonesian Corporate Governance Forum (FCGI) during 2015–2018 as a case study. A path analysis was conducted and the results showed corporate governance practices have a positive influence on intellectual capital disclosure which has a consequent effect on market capitalization. This research was able to show the direct and indirect relationships of corporate governance and market capitalization through the use of intellectual capital disclosure as a mediating variable.
In Vitro Antioxidant Properties of Three Varieties of Allium sativum L. Extracts

Many herbs possess antioxidant ingredients that provide efficacy by additive or synergistic activities. Allium sativum L. is a strong astringent, used for the treatment of liver and spleen diseases, rheumatism and tumors. The antioxidant activities of different concentrations of ethanolic extracts of garlic bulb of three varieties were determined by the four assays i.e. DPPH radical scavenging assay, reducing power ability, hydrogen peroxide scavenging assay and total antioxidant capacity. Due to its natural origin and potent free-radical scavenging ability, Allium sativum L. could be used as a potential preventive intervention for free radical-mediated diseases.
The Impact of OFDI and Institutional Quality on Domestic Capital Formation at the Disaggregated Level: Evidence for Developed and Emerging Countries

In this study, we investigate whether outbound foreign direct investment (OFDI) either augments or impedes domestic public and private investment, incorporating the role of institutional quality into the context of developed and emerging countries. To this end, we apply a cross-sectional-autoregressive-distributed lag (CS-ARDL) approach to analyze panel data from the period 1996–2017. Our empirical findings suggest that OFDI augments private capital formation for developed countries. Institutional quality (IQ) is found to be a driving factor that promotes private capital formation in the established economies of developed countries. However, OFDI has a negative association with the public capital formation in the established economies of developed countries, while IQ has a positive association with it. In the context of emerging economies, OFDI is found to be too insignificant to have an effect on private and public capital formation. Interestingly, IQ has a detrimental effect on both private and public capital formation in emerging economies. Our findings are robust. The empirical findings of this study imply that institutional quality should continue to be improved in developed countries, while it should surpass a certain threshold for emerging economies to promote domestic capital formation.
Legislator Dissent as a Valence Signal

Existing research suggests that voters tend to respond positively to legislator independence due to two types of mechanism. First, dissent has an indirect effect, increasing a legislator’s media coverage and personal recognition among constituents (profile effects). Secondly, constituents react positively to dissent when this signals that the legislator has matching political or representational preferences (conditional evaluation). This article presents a third effect: dissent acts as a valence signal of integrity and trustworthiness. Consistent with the valence signalling mechanism, it uses new observational and experimental evidence to show that British voters have a strong and largely unconditional preference for legislators who dissent. The findings pose a dilemma for political systems that rely on strong and cohesive parties.