Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Political Connections and Tariff Evasion: Evidence from Tunisia

Are politically connected firms more likely to evade taxes? This paper presents evidence suggesting firms owned by President Ben Ali and his family were more prone to evade import tariffs. During Ben Ali’s reign, evasion gaps, defined as the difference between the value of exports to Tunisia reported by partner countries and the value of imports reported at Tunisian customs, were correlated with the import share of connected firms. This association was especially strong for goods subject to high tariffs, and driven by underreporting of unit prices, which diminished after the revolution. Consistent with these product-level patterns, unit prices reported by connected firms were lower than those reported by other firms, and declined faster with tariffs than those of other firms. Moreover, privatization to the Ben Ali family was associated with a reduction in reported unit prices, whereas privatization per se was not.
Influence of “Mild” Sonication Conditions on the Characteristics of Streptococcus thermophilus ST-M5

Mild sonication intensity is an acoustic energy which involves the conversion of electrical signal into a physical vibration modifying the permeability of the cell plasma membrane. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of mild sonication intensities at different temperatures on growth, bile tolerance and protease activity of Streptococcus thermophilus. The treatments were four mild sonication intensities (8.07, 14.68, 19.83 and 23.55 W/cm2) randomized at three different temperatures (4°C, 22°C and 40°C). The energy input (1500 J) was kept constant in all treatments. Control samples did not receive any sonication treatment. Growth and bile tolerance were determined every two hours for 12 h of incubation. Protease activity was determined at 0, 12 and 24 h. Mild sonication conditions included a) mild sonication intensities, b) temperatures and c) times, all three of which played a role in influencing the desirable attributes of Streptococcus salivarius ssp. thermophilus ST-M5. Of all the mild sonication intensities studied, 14.68 W/cm2 had the best overall influence at certain time points for improving bile tolerance and growth at 4°C, growth at 22°C and bile tolerance and growth at 40°C of Streptococcus salivarius ssp. thermophilus ST-M5. Mild sonication intensity of 23.55 W/cm2 had the overall best influence at certain time points for protease activity of Streptococcus salivarius ssp. thermophilus ST-M5 at 40°C. Streptococcus thermophilus ST-M5 pretreatment with some mild sonication conditions can be recommended for improvement of some of its characteristics.
Managing Multilinguality: Machine Translation and Multilingual Language Technology

espanolEste articulo describe el impacto potencial de la Traduccion Automatica en las lenguas minoritarias, como el Euskera, en cada uno de los tres tipos basicos de la traduccion, para la asimilacion, para la diseminacion y en situaciones interactivas. Presenta el estado actual de la investigacion y el desarrollo de la TA y trata sobre temas relacionados con la evaluacion de los sistemas de TA y el rendimiento de la TA. francaisCet article decrit l’impact potentiel de la Traduction Automatique sur les langues minoritaires, comme l’euskara, dans chacun des trois domaines de base : la traduction par assimilation, la traduction par dissemination et la traduction en situations interactives. Il presente l’etat actuel de la recherche et le developpement de la TA et aborde differentes questions liees a l’evaluation des systemes de TA et le rendement de la TA. EuskaraHizkuntza minoritarioen kasuan, esaterako, euskararen kasuan, Itzulpen Automatikoak honako oinarrizko hiru esparru hauetako bakoitzean izan dezakeen eragina deskribatzen du artikuluak: asimilatzeko itzulpenean, hedatzeko itzulpenean eta interakziozko egoerako itzulpenean. IAren ikerketaren eta garapenaren egungo egoera aurkezten du eta IA sistemen eta IAren errendimenduaren ebaluazioari loturiko gaiak jorratzen ditu.
Mercosur Congress on Process Systems Engineering 1 ESTIMATION OF DIFFUSIVITY OF MERCURY IN ADDICTIVED ACTIVATED CARBON

In this work the diffusivity of mercury in a commercial additived activated carbon was experimentally determined using an Argelian condensate. The diffusivity was estimated using the homogeneous solid diffusion model (HSDM) for short and long times (effective diffusivity). To the employed solid/liquid ratios, the values the diffusivity at short times were smaller than the corresponding values at long times and were in range obtained to diffusivity of organic solutes in activated carbon. The effective diffusivity was found to better represent the process than the diffusivity determined at short times, indicating that diffusivity depends on solute concentration in solid.
MODELING AND SIMULATION OF SIX-PHASE PERMANENT MAGNET SYNCHRONOUS MOTOR DRIVE

The use of six-phase permanent magnet synchronous motor for industrial drives presents several advantages over the conventional three phase drive such as improved reliability, magnetic flux harmonic reduction, torque pulsations minimization and reduction on the power ratings for the static converter. This paper investigates a sixphase permanent magnet synchronous motor supplied by two independent voltage source three-phase inverters with PWM generators. This paper presents the modeling and simulation of six phase permanent magnet synchronous motor using MATLAB/SIMULINK software. The proposed model is simulated under various loading conditions and the results found to be satisfactory.
Asymmetric Response in Foreign Exchange Volatility under Structural Break

This paper considers the embedded dynamics of conditional volatility in five selected exchange rates vis-a-vis Indian Rupee. Specifically, it explores the possible asymmetric response of volatility towards good and bad news and inquires whether it is sensitive to breaks in volatility. Using a suitable GARCH family model no asymmetric response of volatility is found when structural breaks were ignored. However, once the breaks in volatility are incorporated, significant asymmetric volatility response and leverage effects could be detected in all five selected exchange rates. Leverage effects have been strong in the years following the currency crisis of 1997-98, for four out of the five exchange rates. The same phenomenon recurs during the recent recovery after the financial crisis of 2007-08. Thus, during recovery, with the shocks of crisis still in the mind of the investors, bad news tends to exert greater impact on volatility than the good ones.
KIER DISCUSSION PAPER SERIES

Agglomeration externalities have been recognized as major sources of lumpy spatial distributions of industries and population. While the abstraction of interregional space has been a common exercise, recent increasing availability of disaggregated geographical data and more sophisticated computational techniques have promoted counterfactual analyses based on many-region models of agglomeration externalities with explicit interregional space (e.g., Redding and Sturm, 2008; Allen and Arkolakis, 2014). A caveat is that incorporating interregional space to a many-region model with agglomeration externalities does not by itself warrant the formation of polycentric agglomerations in stable equilibria—a crucial property in order to replicate the observed geography of agglomerations. We elaborate this point by comparing a pair of new economic geography models, Forslid and Ottaviano (2003) and Helpman (1998). In a two-region economy, these models exhibit both “agglomeration” (i.e., a relative concentration of mobile agents in one of the regions) and “dispersion” (i.e., a uniform distribution of mobile agents across the two regions). But, if the location space were more disaggregated, only the former admits poly-centric agglomerations in stable equilibria, while in the latter, only a mono-centric agglomeration can occur if any.
SIMULTANEOUS DETECTION OF TYPE A AND TYPE B TRICHOTHECENES IN CEREALS BY LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY COUPLED WITH ELECTROSPRAY IONIZATION QUADRUPOLE TIME OF FLIGHT MASS SPECTROMETRY (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS)

A new method based on Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) technique followed by liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS) was developed for the determination of eight(8) type-A and type-B trichothecenes in cereal samples. The quantification of the analytes was measured by performing low-energy collision induced tandem mass spectrometry (CID-MS/MS) using the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. This method excludes the use of dispersive solid-phase extraction (dSPE) extraction cleanup step to reduce time and cost of analysis. Type-A trichothecenes were ionized in the positive ion mode and type-B trichothecenes in the negative ion mode. The recoveries of fortified cereal samples ranged from 61.9% to 110.9%, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were lower than the acceptable 12% in all the cases. The detection limits (S/N = 3) of type-A and type-B trichothecenes were 6.1–8.3 and 12.5–18.7 µg/kg, respectively.
Measuring host sincerity: scale development and validation

Purpose The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a scale for host sincerity. Design/methodology/approach The ten-item host sincerity scale was developed by following a multi-stage scale development procedure (Delphi technique, qualitative interviews and surveys). Findings The findings reveal that host sincerity is a second-order construct with two underlying dimensions: “sincere social interaction” and “sincere emotional response”. By incorporating host sincerity into the consumer-based model of authenticity, the findings established significant relationships among all constructs, confirming the predictive validity of the host sincerity construct. Research limitations/implications Data were gathered from visitors to troglodyte heritage sites (Kandovan and Cappadocia). Future studies should test the newly formed sincerity scale at other cultural destinations to further explore the generalisability of the scale. Further, data were gathered from tourists. Future studies should consider host sincerity from a host perspective. Practical implications Cultural destination managers and local hosts can use this instrument as a supplementary tool to evaluate how sincere their hospitality offering appears to tourists. Originality/value This paper develops a host sincerity scale to explore the importance of sincere host–guest interactions and tourists’ emotional response to these interactions. It extends the consumer-based model of authenticity by drawing further attention to the importance and impact of host sincerity in stimulating memorable tourism experiences.
On the Effectiveness of ICA based Eye Artifact Removal from EEG Windows of Different Lengths

Eye artifacts, i.e., blinks and saccades, are usually nonavoidable when recording electroencephalogram (EEG) data. These artifacts can affect the performance of classifying the EEG patterns especially in real world applications, e.g. brain computer interfaces. To evaluate the effectiveness of independent component analysis (ICA) based eye artifact removal methods, the data are analyzed in batch and window-based modes in this paper. Despite the improvements achieved in the batch mode, it turns out that applying the removal methods to overlapping windows of the EEG data stream does not improve the classification performance.
The value of information services in a market for factors of production with multiple attributes: the role of consultants in private timber sales

The value of infomarion services is incorporated into a hedonic pricing model in the context of private timber sales, where forestry consultants are often hired by landowners selling their timber. A data set containing detailed information on a sample of private sales is used to estimate the effects on bid prices of hiring a consultant. The estimated effects, using an estimation procedure that corrects for the statistical shortcomings of a simple OLS model, indicate that on average the increased price on consultant sales is approximately equal to the prices consultants charge for their services. FOR. Scl. 40(3):474496. HE DETERMINATION OF MARKET PRICES for goods and resources with multiple attributes is often modeled in a hedonic pricing framework (Rosen 1974). Empirical applications of this framework have been used to obtain estimates of market-clearing prices of individual attributes of a variety of goods and resources [Bartik and Smith (1987), Brorsen, Grant, and Rister (1984), Follain and Jimenez (1985), Palmquist (1984), Palmquist (1989), Veeman (1987), and Wilson (1984)]. Acquiring information on the market values and attributes of complex goods and resources i costly. 1Individuals with a comparative advantage inproviding such information play an important role in many competitive market settings. Although this point is universally accepted among economists, existing hedonic pricing models, which assume perfect information, fail to acknowledge informationprovision explicitly as a valued attribute. In this paper, we incorporate the value of information services into a hedonic pricing model in the context of private timber sales. Information services on these sales are provided by forestry consultants who are sometimes hired by landowners to assist in the sale of privately owned timber. These consultants provide information on tract attributes, market conditions, and the identities of potential buyers who are likely to place high values on the tract. Although consultants claim to generate higher prices for their clients, after accounting for differences in See Stigler (1961) for the seminal discussion ofthis point.
Linking remittances with financial development and institutions: a study from selected MENA countries

This paper seeks to examine the effect of remittances on economic growth in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries. Using unbalanced panel data covering a sample of 12 MENA countries over the period 1984-2012, we studied the hypothesis that the effect of remittances on economic growth varies depending on the level of financial development and institutional environment in recipient countries. We use GMM estimation in which we address the endogeneity of remittances. Our results reveal a complementary relationship among financial development and remittances to ensure economic growth. The estimations also show that remittances promote growth in countries with a developed financial system and a strong institutional environment.
Simultaneous Growth of Chaetoceros muelleri and Bacteria in Batch Cultures

The relationship between bacterial load and the microalga Chaetoceros muelleri was analyzed in a scale-up experiment. The microalga was grown during five days in a 0.4-L Erlenmeyer flask, 2-L Fernbach flask, 18-L Carboy and 400-L column, during which the cell density of C. muelleri, the abundance of heterotrophic bacteria, Vibrio spp. , and total bacteria were determined. The highest specific growth rates (μ) of C. muelleri occurred during the first day of culture (0.88 to 2.29 d-1). Highest cell density was recorded on the fifth day at the 2-L (7.62 × 106 cells·mL-1) and 18-L (6.32 × 106 cells·mL-1), coinciding with the maximum counts of heterotrophic bacteria (16.55 × 105 and >30 × 105 CFU·mL-1, respectively). There was a high correlation (0.80, 0.75, 0.85; p 5 cells·mL-1) during the five days occurred at 18-L Carboy. The concentration of total bacteria at all levels was always higher than that of heterotrophic bacteria. The average ratio of heterotrophic to total bacteria was higher in the 2-L (0.0108) and 18-L (0.0172) cultures. The high biomass of C. muelleri and the presence of Vibrio spp. at the 18-L and 400-L levels indicate that it is necessary to establish programs to prevent diseases and economic losses caused by pathogenic bacteria in penaeid shrimp farming.
Synthesis of Some Salicylaldehyde-Based Schiff Bases in Aqueous Media

A new efficient and environmental friendly procedure for the synthesis of a series of salicylaldehyde-based schiff bases under microwave irradiation is described. The method is compared with the conventional method also. The present work involves condensation of salicylaldehyde with various aromatic amines in water under microwave irradiation. A judicious choice of the solvent and reaction conditions allowed the final products to be generated in excellent yields in a one-step procedure, whereas experiments under thermal conditions led to lower yields with tedious work-up. Microwave irradiation method gives advantages like reduction in reaction time, increase in conversion, reduced wastes, and good yields. The structures of synthesized compounds were confirmed by IR, 1HNMR, and Mass Spectra data.
Genetic effects of Calotropis procera CpTIP1 gene on fiber quality in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)

Background: The importance of cotton crop ( Gossypium hirsutum ) in textile industry is based on its fiber quality. A number of fiber-specific genes play important role in the development of cotton fiber. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of genes that are responsible for metabolic functions and their involvement in cotton fiber development. Methods: This study was focused at successful Agrobacterium mediated stable transformation of the fiber gene CpTIP1 , isolated from the wild plant Calotropis procera , into cotton variety NIAB-846 for one generation. Results: Transformation efficiency was calculated to be 1.01% for the target gene. Different molecular techniques such as PCR were used for confirmation and Real-Time PCR was used to check the level of quantitative expression of fiber expansin gene in putative transgenic cotton plants. On the base of molecular analysis, results showed higher expression level of fiber gene ( CpTIP1 ) in transgenic plants as compared to the control plants. Conclusion: The results of this study support the idea of improved cotton fiber through genetic modification especially the cotton fiber strength.
Monte Carlo Option Pricing

The Monte Carlo method is applied to various cases of financial option pricing. Its performance is satisfactory in terms of accuracy when it is compared to other numerical methods. The precision of the estimates provided by Crude Monte Carlo can be improved by implementing variance reduction techniques such as antithetic variate and control variate. However, the use of these techniques implies a greater computational effort; thus, there is a trade-off between a lower variance estimator and a higher computational requirement which demands us to check not only for the accuracy of the estimator but also for its efficiency.
Microwave Assisted DNA Hydrolysis for Global Methylation Analysis by Gas Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry

The analysis of the global DNA methylation, calculated as the percentage of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) over the total sum of cytosines, is a well stablished biomarker for monitoring large scale epigenetic events in organisms. DNA purification, hydrolysis, separation and detection methods are critical steps to determine this biomarker. In the present work is proposed a robust procedure for DNA acid-hydrolysis assisted by microwave that provides identical DNA methylation patterns that enzymatic hydrolysis and better release of 5mC than acid classic method. The quantification was performed using a gas chromatographer coupled to a mass spectrometer with triple quadrupole as mass analyzer (GC-TQ-MS/MS) using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode for the trimethylsilyl-derivates of nucleobases; following the transitions of 254→238, 240→170 and 254→238, 254→184 (m/z) for C and 5mC respectively, was achieved a limit of detection of 0.46 fmol for C and 0.41 fmol for 5mC. The proposed procedure is capable of determine 0.004% of 5mC in 50 ng of DNA in a chromatographic time of 10 minutes, being a good alternative to LC-MS/MS analysis.
Professional Stress Factor of Vulnerability in Which Has Occurred of the Road Traffic Accidents at a Sample of Drivers in Morocco

The professional stress is a physical and emotional harmful reaction. In fact, it presents a major public health problem in Morocco. Our work is directed to study the differences between the various groups of professional and non-professional drivers in terms of stress reactions, noise nuisance and implication in the production accidents. The present study is transversal descriptive type based on a questionnaire and neuropsychological tests conducted by 60 non-professional drivers and 60 taxi drivers in Kenitra. Two scales evaluated the stress: the Resistance Test of Stress (TRS) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). According to this last scale, 63.5% of the taxi drivers were considered as stressed. These drivers have the following specific components: mood trouble, sleep trouble, pressure of time, work boredom, stress sensation and tiredness at the end of driving. 65% of drivers take a pause after 5 to 6 hours of work. According to the Test of Resistance at the Stress, the taxi driver’s populations are more homogeneous but are less likely to resist stress compared to their non-professionals counterparts. Indeed to work on the professional stress requires a qualitative and quantitative approach phenomenon allowing a more complete vision. This study sheds new light on the understanding of stress at work by using new measurement and evaluation methods such as TRS, with an aim to reduce or to eliminate the number of road accident.
EFFECTS OF MEDICINE BALL TRAINING ON PHYSICAL FITNESS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

Medicine balls provide an effective means of improving muscular power, endurance and functional fitness. The aim of this research was to determine the effects of medicine ball training on physical fitness in primary school children. A total of 60 (26 girls) primary school children aged 10-12 voluntarily participated in this study. The physical fitness of the children was estimated by the following tests: standing broad jump, vertical jump, bent-arm hang, sit-ups, push ups, medicine ball tests. The experimental group had twice per week medicine ball training on nonconsecutive days for 12 weeks under monitored conditions in school. Compared with the initial testing, there was a significant (p<0.05) improvement in both jump tests. In the medicine ball tests the ANOVA revealed a statistically significant difference between groups pre- to post-training (p<0.05) in Backward Overhead Medicine Ball Throw. There were significant differences (p<0.05) between the initial and final testing for the flexed arm hang, push ups and sit ups in both groups. Findings from the present study indicate that medicine ball training instructed by qualified professionals can result in significant improvements in selected physical fitness components in children, and is a costeffective and time efficient method for promoting physical activity in school-based programs.
Evaluation of structural behavior of externally prestressed segmented bridge with shear key under torsion

Externally Prestressed Segmented (EPS) concrete beams are generally used in the construction of bridge structures. External Prestressed technique uses tendons that are placed completely outside the concrete section and attached to the concrete at anchorages and deviators only. Segmented bridge is a bridge built in short sections. Segmented bridge applies smart technique that is a part of an engineering management. EPS bridges are affected by combined stresses i.e., bending, shear, normal, and torsion stresses especially at the segments interface joints. Previous studies on EPS bridges did not include the effect of torsion in the load carrying capacity and other structural behavior. This paper presents an experimental investigation of the structural behavior of EPS bridged under combined bending, shear, normal, and torsion stresses. The aim of this paper is to improve the existing equation to include the effect of torsion in estimating the failure load of EPS bridge. A parametric study was carried out to investigate the effect of different external tendon layouts and different levels of torsion.