Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Extent to Which the Jordanian Private Industrial Companies Use SMA Techniques

This study aims to examine the extent of usage of SMA techniques in the Jordanian private industrial companies (JPIC) and to examine the impact of general and financial managers’ characteristics on the adoption of SMA techniques. It also aims to explore the importance of usage the SMA techniques by JPIC in the future. The study is based on a questionnaire survey of JPIC. The study reveals that 12 out of 19 SMA techniques were adopted by JPIC. These techniques are ABC, COQ, VCC, SCM, EMA, benchmarking, BSC, competitor cost assessment, competitor position monitoring, CPA, customer lifetime value and valuation of customer assets. The results also provide interesting findings; whenever JPIC used the SMA technique they placed high importance of usage rate in the future. The SMA techniques that were not used by JPIC had a low importance of usage rate in the future, in exception of integrated PMS which achieved high importance of usage rate and the LCC which achieved a moderate rate. Finally, no impact of general and financial managers' characteristics was found on the adoption of SMA techniques in JPIC. Keywords: strategic management accounting, private companies, Jordan.
A relevant LCA methodology adapted to biomass-based products.

The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology is commonly employed to assess the performances of the different uses of biomass, which is supposed to play an important role in both mitigating climate change and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. The range of LCA results is however very wide and prevents from having reliable and accurate results for policymaking. In order to better understand such discrepancies in results, this work reviews the LCA methodology and issues, and carries a sensitivity analysis on every LCA parameter, either assumption or data. Non- specific methodological elements appear to be of major importance for LCA results: allocation rule influence is quantified to range from 48 to 82%, and system boundaries one from 0 to 93%. Input data play also an important role in results discrepancy, especially for GHG emissions. Local specificities can influence the final results by 53 to 118% and N2O uncertainties by 31 to 67%. This calls for agreements about LCA methodology depending on its application, limitations of geographical coverages and integration of the best scientific knowledge about N2O dynamics. Finally the soil integration shortcoming is pointed out. Variations of soil carbon quantities due to land use changes can be very important and overwhelm GHG savings induced by biofuels use. This parameter is however lacking in LCA methodology applied to biomass-based products.
A Cognitively Founded Model of the Emergence of Social Conventions

This paper presents a model of the emergence of social conventions that allow a population of agents to co-ordinate their actions on the basis of some observable individual trait. In this paper the co-ordination problem is represented by the Stag-Hunt game, where the players can choose either the socially optimal or the risk-adverse action. While the theory of learning in games commonly assumes that the players can observe only the strategies chosen by their opponents, this paper introduces the additional assumption that the players are characterized by phenotypic traits observable by the other players with whom they interact. The extension of the traditional framework allows to introduce a more sophisticated and cognitively plausible formation model expectations than the ones proposed so far. In particular, this paper proposes a new model of the induction process through which the agents build mental models that take the form of lexicographically structured decision trees.
Exhaust Tailpipe Fuel Spray Optimization and Fuel Usage Rates for Operating an Exhaust Aftertreatment System on a Heavy-Duty Diesel Engine Powered Vehicle

Exhaust tailpipe fuel injection is required for many diesel engine aftertreatment systems including diesel particulate filter (DPF) systems, fuel reforming systems and lean NOx trap (LNT) systems. The design objective of this work was to develop an exhaust tailpipe fuel injection spray that promoted high aftertreatment conversion efficiencies with low fuel usage. A fuel injection system utilizing a pulse-width modulated (PWM) pressure swirl atomizer was first evaluated in a spray laboratory using drop size and spray patternation diagnostic equipment. The fuel system was later evaluated as part of an aftertreatment system consisting of a fuel reformer, LNT, DPF and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts. The aftertreatment system was sized to meet EPA 2010 emission standards for an on-highway heavy-duty diesel engine. A high turn-down ratio injection system (16.5:1) with a flow range from 30 to 500 grams per minute was developed for this application. This fuel flow range was required to operate the fuel reformer in both lean and rich modes. Low fuel flow rates were used during lean mode operation for catalyst heating and DPF regeneration. During rich mode operation, diesel fuel was converted to hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the fuel reformer. The fuel spray consisted of drop Sauter mean diameters (SMD) that ranged between 55 and 70 microns within a fuel supply pressure that ranged between 4.8 and 7.0 bar. The fuel injection and aftertreatment systems were evaluated using a heavy-duty diesel engine during dynamometer and on-highway vehicle testing. Test results showed the ability to meet EPA 2010 emission levels with low fuel usage rates.
The Scope of the Unit Value Problem

This paper investigates the scope of the unit value problem in household level expenditure data. Specifically, to what extent do unit values and prices coincide. I test whether self-reported prices vary with covariates thought to be important in household demand behavior. In addition, I measure the expenditure elasticity of quality for 196 distinct food aggregates. Approximately half of the expenditure elasticities estimated are significantly different from zero, suggesting that unit values and prices do not coincide in most cases. Finally, a generalization of the standard quality demand regression is proposed, in which the expenditure elasticity of quality is allowed to vary over the range of total food expenditure. Some food aggregates display significant nonlinearities, providing further evidence of the difference between prices and unit values.
Tracing atmospheric transport of soil microorganisms and higher plant waxes in the East Asian outflow to the North Pacific Rim by using hydroxy fatty acids: Year‐round observations at Gosan, Jeju Island

Atmospheric transport of soil microorganisms and higher plant waxes in East Asia significantly influences the aerosol composition over the North Pacific. This study investigates the year‐round atmospheric abundances of hydroxy fatty acids (FAs), tracers of soil microorganisms (β‐isomers), and plant waxes (α‐ and ω‐isomers), in total suspended particles collected at Gosan, Jeju Island, during April 2001 to March 2002. These hydroxy FAs showed a pronounced seasonality, higher concentrations in winter/spring and lower concentrations in summer/autumn, which are consistent with other tracers of soil microbes (trehalose), resuspended dust (nss‐Ca2+), and stable carbon isotopic composition (δ13C) of total carbon. The molecular distributions of β‐hydroxy FAs (predominance of C12 and C16 in winter/spring and summer/autumn, respectively) are consistent with those from a remote island (Chichijima) in the North Pacific and Asian dust standards (CJ‐1 and CJ‐2). This observation together with back trajectories over Gosan reveal that desert sources in China during winter and arid regions of Mongolia and Russian Far East during spring are the major contributors of soil microbes over the North Pacific. Predominance of ω‐isomers (83%) over β‐hydroxy FAs (16%) revealed a major contribution of terrestrial lipids from higher plant waxes over soil microbes in the East Asian outflow.
The organization of phytophagous guilds in Cardueae flower heads: conclusions from null models

Rich and diversified assemblages of larval stage phytophagous insects exploit the flower heads of the thistle tribe Cardueae. As these insects form communities within a shared resource unit with well-defined spatial boundaries, they offer a good opportunity to study the guild organization of communities of endophytic insects. We used random combinations of members of phytophagous taxa, which radiated on hosts of the subtribes Centaureinae and Carduinae, as species pools for null models to determine whether and to what extent the composition of the guilds in Cardueae flower heads follows predictable assembly rules. We tested two hypotheses and found that in both cases the null model can be rejected. Assembly rule 1: species assemblages in flower heads follow the rule of intra-generic isolation (i.e. each guild member belongs to a different genus) significantly more often than random combinations of Cardueae insects. We show that, where violations of this rule occur, they are almost exclusively due to the occurrence of a combination of those congeners of the genera Urophora, Larinus and Cerajocera, whose larval activities differ to some extent temporally and/or spatially. Assembly rule 2: the composition of guilds tends to develop towards a maximum of intra-guild differentiation – the three complementary trophic types (e.g. gall and callus feeders, receptacle and ovary chewers, omnivores and intra-guild predators) co-occur in guilds significantly more often than in random combinations. Our results show that the organization of phytophagous guilds in Cardueae flower heads is mainly a result of invasions due to host shifts. We suggest that in addition to larval competition for space and food, constraints such as the availability of enemy-free space and/or ‘free rendezvous arenas’ have shaped the structure of the guilds investigated.
Asymmetric Information and Market Collapse: Evidence from the Chinese Market

In this paper, using data for the period January 1995 to May 2009 for the Shanghai stock exchange (SHSE), we show that aggregate illiquidity is a priced risk factor. We develop the relationship between the illiquidity factor, asymmetric information, and market collapse. Our empirical results show that while the illiquidity factor is a source of asymmetric information on the SHSE, asymmetric information does not trigger a market collapse
Supply Side Aspects of Residential Housing for Low Income Earners in Kenya

The need to have shelter is indispensable to humanity. Access to adequate and decent housing units decreases with the increase in population, scarcity of fixed assets like land, escalating house prices and the rising cost of living. The study uses time series data, 1980-2011, drawn from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics to determine the factors that would be used to stimulate the low cost housing market in Kenya. The Instrumental Variable estimation technique is applied for this study using location specific factors for Mombasa and Nairobi. Regression results indicate unique results for the two towns. Whereas Nairobi had the lending rate, the cost of supply, the plinth area, labour and input cost index, inflation and the real interest rate being important in determining supply Mombasa reported the coefficient, cost of building a house, commercial bank rate and their lagged values as important factors in determining supply. At the same time inflation, treasury bill rate and plinth area were important in explaining supply of residential housing.
The Impact of Snow Model Complexity at Three CLPX Sites

Many studies have developed snow process understanding by exploring the impact of snow model complexity on simulation performance. This paper revisits this topic using several recently developed land surface models, including the Simplified Simple Biosphere Model (SSiB); Noah; Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC); Community Land Model, version 3 (CLM3); Snow Thermal Model (SNTHERM); and new field measurements from the Cold Land Processes Field Experiment (CLPX). Offline snow cover simulations using these five snow models with different physical complexity are performed for the Rabbit Ears Buffalo Pass (RB), Fraser Experimental Forest headquarters (FHQ), and Fraser Alpine (FA) sites between 20 September 2002 and 1 October 2003. These models simulate the snow accumulation and snowpack ablation with varying skill when forced with the same meteorological observations, initial conditions, and similar soil and vegetation parameters. All five models capture the basic features of snow cover dynamics but show remarkable discrepancy in depicting snow accumulation and ablation, which could result from uncertain model physics and/or biased forcing. The simulated snow depth in SSiB during the snow accumulation period is consistent with the more complicated CLM3 and SNTHERM; however, early runoff is noted, owing to neglected water retention within the snowpack. Noah is consistent with SSiB in simulating snow accumulation and ablation at RB and FA, but at FHQ, Noah underestimates snow depth and snow water equivalent (SWE) as a result of a higher net shortwave radiation at the surface, resulting from the use of a small predefined maximum snow albedo. VIC and SNTHERM are in good agreement with each other, and they realistically reproduce snow density and net radiation. CLM3 is consistent with VIC and SNTHERM during snow accumulation, but it shows early snow disappearance at FHQ and FA. It is also noted that VIC, CLM3, and SNTHERM are unable to capture the observed runoff timing, even though the water storage and refreezing effects are included in their physics. A set of sensitivity experiments suggest that Noah’s snow simulation is improved with a higher maximum albedo and that VIC exhibits little improvement with a larger fresh snow albedo. There are remarkable differences in the vegetation impact on snow simulation for each snow model. In the presence of forest cover, SSiB shows a substantial increase in snow depth and SWE, Noah and VIC show a slight change though VIC experiences a later onset of snowmelt, and CLM3 has a reduction in its snow depth. Finally, we observe that a refined precipitation dataset significantly improves snow simulation, emphasizing the importance of accurate meteorological forcing for land surface modeling.
Music ergogenic effect on strength performance: randomized clinical test

Background: Using preferred music during the exercise series was a differentiated way to increase muscle performance and fatigue slowdown, increasing the number of repetitions in these exercises. Despite of some studies present the effects of music, there is still a little music influence in strength training. Objectives: Verify the music effect on the strength performance in young adults, and the relation with the preferences of muscular grouping according to gender. Methods: a cross-sectional, controlled and crossover study was carried out with 20 physically active young adult participants (10 men). After previous laboratory evaluations, they underwent two exercise sessions, one experimental, where the participant performed 3 maximum series of exercises Barbell Curl and Leg Extensor seat listening to songs of their own choosing and another control session without music, adopting the series with greater repetition in each exercise for analysis. A minimum interval of 48 hours was adopted between each session. The protocol order (i.e. with music or without music) was made by the raffle. In the sessions, participants were asked to perform the maximum number of repetitions at 80% of the load determined in the laboratory. Results: The use of their preferred music significantly increased the number of repetitions in the two exercises, however, the preferences for muscular clusters characterized by the genders proved to be a determining variable. Conclusion: With the increasing of repetitions it was possible to observe an ergogenic resource to increase the performance in strength training, thus, a differentiated performance pattern was found between men and women in arm exercises when they use music.
Damping Properties vs. Structure Fineness of the High-zinc Aluminum Alloys

The subject of this study is the presentation of relation between the degree of structure fineness and ultrasonic wave damping coefficient for the high-zinc aluminium alloys represented in this study by the sand mould cast alloy Al - 20 wt% Zn (AlZn20). The studied alloy was refined with a modifying (Al,Zn)-Ti3 ternary master alloy, introducing Ti in the amount of 400 pm into metal. Based on the analysis of the initial and modified alloy macrostructure images and ultrasonic testing, it was found that the addition of (Al,Zn)-Ti3 master alloy, alongside a significant fragmentation of grains, does not reduce the coefficient of ultrasonic waves with a frequency of 1 MHz.
Spheres of responsibilities: An assessment of community assistance issues in Ghanaian mining communities

Business assistance to communities remains an important component of corporate social responsibility (CSR) because the notion we carry today is that, being a responsible corporate citizen means participating as an active member of the community in which they do business. However, the concept of community assistance confronts difficult balances and demands a lot of tactfulness and moral judgement. The article talk about issues of how mining companies offer support to security agencies. It notes that although companies’ community assistance programmes have served as a basis to address the needs of disadvantaged communities and even some malfunctioning state organisations in Ghana, it has also led to some concerns, especially over gestures made to members of the security services, who are regarded as apologists of the companies by local communities. Key words: Stakeholder, community, mining, security agencies, corporate social responsibility.
White mold detection in common beans through leaf reflectance spectroscopy

This study aimed to identify wavelengths based on leaf reflectance (400-1050 nm) to estimate white mold severity in common beans at different seasons. Two experiments were carried out, one during fall and another in winter. Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression was used to establish a set of wavelengths that better estimates the disease severity at a specific date. Therefore, observations were previously divided in two sub-groups. The first one (calibration) was used for model building and the second subgroup for model testing. Error measurements and correlation between measured and predicted values of disease severity index were employed to provide the best wavelengths in both seasons. The average indexes of each experiment were of 5.8% and 7.4%, which is considered low. Spectral bands ranged between blue and green, green and red, and red and infrared, being most sensitive for disease estimation. Beyond the transition ranges, other spectral regions also presented wavelengths with potential to determine the disease severity, such as red, green, and near infrared.
Bidirectional and unidirectional comitative constructions in Hungarian: A psycholinguistic investigation at the interface of argument structure and semantics

This paper explores how bidirectional and unidirectional comitative constructions are processed at the level of argument structure. Bidirectional comitative constructions describe events where the two actors undergo the same effect described by the predicate (e.g., John was kissing with Mary), whereas unidirectional comitative constructions describe events in which one of the actors is the agent, and the other one is the patient (e.g., John was messing with Mary). In particular, we used the self-paced reading paradigm to determine if the two constructions access distinct mental representations. The findings suggest that distinct mental representations are activated automatically by bidirectional and unidirectional verbs during online language comprehension.
On the revocation of malicious users in anonymous and non-traceable VANETs

For the proper performance of Vehicular Ad-hoc NETworks (VANETs) it is essential to protect the service against malicious nodes aiming at disrupting the proper operation by injecting fake, invalid data into the network. It is common to define a traditional identity-based authentication for vehicles, which are loaded with individual credentials. However, the use of these credentials in VANETs may allow vehicle tracking and thus violate users' privacy, a risk that can be overcome by means of anonymity schemes. This comes at the expenses, however, of on the one hand preventing VANET authorities from identifying malicious users and revoking them from the network, or on the other hand to avoid anonymity of users in front of the CA thus to allow their revocation. In this work, we describe a novel revocation scheme that is able to track and revoke specific users only after a number of complaints have been received while otherwise guaranteeing vehicle's anonymity.
NEW PROTECTION SCHEMES BASED ON NOVEL CURRENT SENSORS FOR UP-TO-DATE GRID

This paper presents novel solutions for protection, control, and metering in electric power systems using Rogowski coils as current sensors. Presented solutions include advanced differential protection systems for power transformers, power cables, and capacitor banks. Also, unique systems that effectively integrate protection, control, and metering functions were developed and successfully implemented. (4 pages)
Insufficient Antifungal Potential of Crude Extracts of Carissa Carandas Linn. & Nerium Oleander Linn.”

Objective : To evaluate the antifungal potential of crude extracts from different parts of Carissa carandas Linn. (Leaf, stem & root) and Nerium oleander Linn. (Leaf, stem & root). Material & method : Different parts of plants were collected, dried and then extracted by using soxhlet extraction method in different polar and non-polar solvents (Water, Methanol & petroleum ether). Extracts were then screened for antifungal activity using ‘Disc Diffusion Assay’ against Candida albicans (Yeast), Aspergillus flavus & Tricophyton mentagrophyte (fungi). Minimum inhibitory concentration, Minimum fungicidal concentration & Total activity were studied. Mean and Standard Deviation have also been calculated. Result : The results indicate that all the tested extracts were found to have no antifungal activity against all the tested microorganisms. Conclusion : The tested extracts did not have, or had too little, antifungal activity. Hence, may not be explored as promising source of new antimicrobial drugs.
Migration from Annotation-Based to Composition-Based Product Lines: Towards a Tool-Driven Process

Software product lines allow a developer to produce similar programs based on a common code base. Two main techniques exist: composition-based and annotation-based approaches. Although composition-based approaches offer potential advantages such as maintainability, in practice mostly annotationbased approaches are used. The main reason hindering the migration of existing projects is the difficulty of the transformation process that can take a lot of time in which maintenance and evolution of the system are put on hold. Thus, for a company, it is hard to estimate the transformation costs and the success is uncertain. As already stated in previous work, a hybrid solution using both approaches may be an adequate solution to overcome this problem. Therefore, we propose a migration concept focusing on technical requirements, such as tooland language support to reduce the risk during the error-prone migration process. We exemplify the concept by considering the partial migration of a real-world system from preprocessorbased variability to an implementation based on feature-oriented programming. We identify conceptual and tool-based challenges that must be addressed for the practical application. We present technical considerations that must be taken into account for stepwise migration and specific challenges related to our case study. Keywords–Software Product Lines; Step-wise Migration; Variability Mechanisms; Implementation Techniques.