Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Our sustainable Earth

Recent evidence demonstrates that the Earth has been warming monotonically since 1980. Transient to equilibrium temperature changes take centuries to develop, as oceans are slow to respond to atmospheric temperature changes. Atmospheric CO2 concentrations, from ice core and observatory measurements, display consistent increases from historical averages, beginning in about 1880, and can be associated with the industrial revolution. The climactic consequences of this human dominated increase in atmospheric CO2 define a geologic epoch that has been termed the ‘Anthropocene. ’ The issue is whether this is a short term, relatively minor change in global climate, or an extreme deviation that lasts for thousands of years. Eight ‘myths’ that posit the former are examined in light of known data. The analysis strongly suggests the latter. In order to stabilize global temperatures, sharp reductions in CO2 emissions are required: an 80% reduction beginning in 2050. Two examples of economically sustainable CO2 emission reduction demonstrate that technological innovation has the potential to maintain our standard of living while stabilizing global temperatures.
Knowledge-Belief Space Approach to Robust Implementation

In this paper, we extend the notion of the universal type space (Mertens and Zamir [20]) by explicitly considering what the agents know a la Aumann’s knowledge-belief spaces (Aumann [3]) in order to generalize the existing results in robust implementation (Bergemann and Morris [5]). Our finding is that robust implementation is equivalent to Bayesian implementation on this extended particular belief structure. This result makes it possible to directly apply the existing Bayesian implementation literature, such as Jackson [13], to obtain a characterization result of robust implementation in a more general class of environments.
Towards new cultures of learning: Personal learning environments as a developmental perspective for improving higher education language courses

Abstract This article provides readers with an understanding of the concept of the personal learning environment (PLE). It suggests that PLEs can be used in two complementary ways: as a developmental lens for integrating ICT and creating new pedagogical practices and digital literacies for academic language learning, and as a context in which learners can practise and develop core skills such as digital literacies, team and knowledge work, and interactional skills – skills that are needed for success in today’s knowledge economy. The article places PLEs within the broader development related to the cultural changes brought on by the proliferation of Web 2.0 technologies – participation, teamwork and co-design – and considers PLEs in relation to digital literacies and 21st-century skills. It then reports on a research-and-development project that makes use of design-based research and creates tools and models for learner-centred technology integration on the basis of a rich set of data and experiments. The article presents theoretical as well as practical insights into implementing PLEs in higher education (HE) language centre teaching and outlines principles for implementation in formal education. It concludes by expressing the need to purposefully balance the structure provided by traditional approaches to learning against ways of organising it with the nearly unlimited resources and participatory aspects afforded by the new media.
Assessing the effect of NAFTA's rules of origin

In the last decade or so, a voluminous literature (see e.g. de Melo and Panagarya, 1992; Bhagwati and Panagaryia, 1996; Frankel, 1997; or Bhagwati, Krishna and Panagariya, 1999, and references therein) has attempted to assess the implications of Preferential Trading Arrangements (PTA) for trade patterns, global welfare, and the multilateral trading system. If this literature has yet to converge to an unambiguous answer as to whether PTAs are, in a second-best world, good or bad for world welfare, the theoretical arguments are by now fairly clear (see e.g. Bhagwati and Panagariya, 1999). By contrast, the empirical evidence is still scant. In particular, one basic question remains largely unanswered: to what extent do PTAs really improve market access for member countries, in particular for smaller ones in asymmetric blocs? The answer is less obvious than it looks. Notwithstanding the fact that GATT Article XXIV, para. 8 (b) requires the removal of tariff barriers on “substantially all trade” inside Free-Trade Areas, non-tariff measures can create significant barriers to intrabloc trade.
Fear in the Neighborhoods: an Investigation of the Impact of Crime

Residents in four Chicago neighborhoods were surveyed to determine the rela tionship between fear of crime and official crime rates. Several anomalies were found. Citizens' perceptions of dangerous areas in their neighborhoods match, for the most part, official records of crimes committed there. However, assessments of neighborhoods' specific crime problems and personal risks do not consistently cor respond with official statistics. The authors argue that citizens' perceptions of crime are shaped not so much by the neighborhood conditions reflected in the crime statistics, but rather by the level of incivility in their communities. Indicators of incivility are conditions, more frequently confronted, indicating that community social control is weak. These include abandoned buildings, vandalism, drug use, and loitering teenagers. The authors demonstrate the correspondence between levels of fear and concern about incivility. They suggest that fear of crime is trig gered by a broad range of neighborhood conditions, and argue that attempts to understand and control that fear should look beyond serious crime incidents as the sole source of the problem.
Improving the Productivity and Sustainability of Rice-Wheat Systems of the Indo-Gangetic Plains: A Synthesis of NARS-IRRI Partnership Research

India M.N. Saha, Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres; A.K. Bhardwaj, B. Mishra, R.P. Pareek, R.K. Sharma, P.P. Singh, U.S. Singh, Y. Singh, P.C. Srivastava, R.S. L. Srivastava, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology; R.M. Bhagat, P.K. Sharma, T.S. Verma, Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University; P.K. Aggarwal, S.K. Bandyopadhyay, N. Kalra, H. Pathak, A.K. Singh, R.D. Singh, S. Sujith Kumar, A.K. Vashist, Indian Agricultural Research Institute; S.K. Patil, A.S. R.A. Sastri, Indira Gandhi Agricultural University; P. Mukerjee, H.M. Singh, R.K. Srivastava, M.R. Verma, D.S. Yadav, Narendra Deva Agricultural University; R.L. Yadava, Project Directorate for Cropping Systems Research; A.L. Bhandari, C.S. Khind, Bijay-Singh, Yadvinder-Singh, Punjab Agricultural University; I.P. Abrol, R.K. Gupta, Rice-Wheat Consortium; R.K. Singh, IRRI.
EFFECT OF MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS ON BANKING SECTORPERFORMANCE IN NIGERIA

Over the years, the Nigerian banking sector has undergone a series of reforms aimed at enhancing its capacity to support growth in the real economy. To achieve this aim, there is ample evidence that the Central Bank of Nigeria has relied heavily on bank capital reforms in tackling problems of under-performance in the sector. Implementation of these reforms has often led to a simultaneous reduction in the number of banks and increase in bank size, a process commonly referred to as consolidation. Mergers and acquisitions are common strategies adopted in the implementation of consolidation programmes. This study seeks to examine the extent to which banking sector performance differs between pre- and post-merger and acquisition periods. Return on assets, bank asset ratio and capital adequacy ratio were adopted as proxies for bank performance. The study employs ex-post facto research design and covers a period of nine (9) years before and nine (9) after the 2005 banking sector recapitalization exercise. Data on the variables were analyzed using the independent sample test technique. The study finds that there is non-significant negative difference in the performance of return on asset in the pre- and postmerger and acquisition periods. Bank asset ratio shows significant positive difference between the pre- and the post-merger and acquisition periods. However, the result shows significant negative difference for capital adequacy ratio between the periods. The study therefore concludes that mergers and acquisitions have significant impact on banking sector performance in Nigeria. We recommend that due diligence should adopted in the identification and selection of compatible partners in order to achieve synergy. In the case of policy-induced merger and acquisition, a reasonable time should be allowed for compliance and implementation should be closely monitored
Assessing Intercultural Experience: Differences in Biculturalism, Intercultural Sensitivity, and Cognitive Flexibility Among Latino Immigrants

This study examined first generation immigrants, defined as those who were born in a Latin American country and moved to the U.S. after the age of 12, and second generation immigrants, defined as those who were born in the U.S. or moved here before the age of 12. Literature in the field of cross-cultural adaptation suggests that intercultural communication competence tends to be further developed as a result of intercultural adaptation. The intent of this research was to test this assertion. Data was collected by way of survey administration on a sample of 216 Latino immigrants representing both first and second generations. Three hypotheses guiding this study proposed that first generation immigrants would score higher on cognitive flexibility, intercultural sensitivity, and biculturalism than second generation immigrants, because of their tangible exposure to more than one culture. These hypotheses were not supported; results showed that second generation immigrants scored higher on all three measures than their first generation counterparts. Furthermore, it was expected that a bicultural orientation would be correlated with cognitive flexibility and intercultural sensitivity. However, only a moderate correlation was found between higher scores on biculturalism and cognitive flexibility and intercultural sensitivity. Reasons for these unexpected findings are discussed. Key Terms: immigrants, acculturation, biculturalism, intercultural communication, Latinos, intercultural sensitivity, cognitive flexibility. ASSESSING INTERCULTURAL EXPERIENCE vi Table of
The Time-Varying Risk Price of Currency Carry Trades

Recent studies show that carry trade returns are predictable and this predictability reflects changes in expected returns. Changes in expected returns may be related to time variation in betas and risk prices. We investigate this issue in carry trades and find clear evidence of time-varying risk prices for the carry factor (HMLFX). The results further indicate that time-varying risk prices are more important than time-varying betas for the carry trade asset pricing model. This suggests that investors overreact to changes in economic states.
DIAGNOSTIC AND PROGNOSTIC INFORMATION PROVIDED BY A HIGH SENSITIVITY ASSAY FOR CARDIAC TROPONIN T DIJAGNOSTI^KE I PROGNOSTI^KE INFORMACIJE KOJE PRU@A VEOMA OSETLJIVI TEST ZA SR^ANI TROPONIN T Jochen Jarausch

Kratak sadr`aj: Sr~ani troponini (cTns) preporu~uju se kao biomarkeri za dijagnozu akutnog infarkta miokarda, pro cenu rizika i prognoze, kao i za odre|ivanje antitrom botske terapije i strategije revaskularizacije kod pacijenata sa akutnim koronarnim sindromima. Implementacija visoko osetljivih testova za cTn u klini~koj praksi je pove}ala broj pacijenata kod kojih je dijagnostikovan infarkt mio karda. Pored toga, pove}an je i broj pacijenata sa povi{e nim nivo ima cTn koji se ne mogu pripisati akutnom ishe mijskom o{te }enju, {to je prime}eno kod pacijenata sa hro ni~nim sr~anim bolestima i drugim neishemijskim sr~a nim o{te}e njima ili kod pacijenata sa o{te}enom renalnom funkcijom. Nova definicija infarkta miokarda podr`ava tu ma ~enje povi{enih cTn izmerenih pomo}u visokoosetljivih testova za cTn kod pacijenata kod kojih se sumnja na akutni koro narni sindrom. Ovde se prikazuju kli ni~ke stu dije sa nedavno uvedenim visokoosetljivim testom za cTnT (TnT hs) uz uop{teni osvrt na iskustva sa viso ko osetljivim cTn testovima.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PROJECT CULTURE IN ACHIEVING QUALITY OUTCOMES IN CONSTRUCTION

This paper presents a review of developments that have led to current construction quality management philosophies. The primary factors responsible for the relatively poor quality outcomes currently achieved by the sector are reviewed and the influences of bureaucratic and hierarchical management systems are considered. It is posited that, in general, the typical approach to procurement by the principal and head contractor is motivated more by risk shedding than by a desire to improve the control of the process. Furthermore, arguments are drawn from the literature to show that a productive culture and teamwork within the supply chain are essential for the achievement of planned quality outcomes. A study of the relationship between project cultures as assessed by Quinn’s Competing Values Framework and the quality of outcomes on thirteen construction sites is presented. Clan type cultures were found to correlate with improved quality outcomes, whereas market cultures, more common on construction projects, were found to correlate with weaker quality outcomes.
An analytical study on indifference management in educational system of Iran: Reflection on expert's opinions

This study attempted to explore and analyse the indifference management trend in the Educational system of Iran. This objective was achieved through a qualitative approach and grounded theory. The population included all educational management professionals and experts who had at least two years of management experience. Twenty-four individuals were selected through purposive sampling based on theoretical data saturation. In order to collect research data, semi-structured interviews were adopted. Moreover, the results were evaluated through systematic analysis method based on open, core and selective coding. The findings suggested that the causal conditions affecting indifference management entail eight dimensions: job motivation, employee development, organisational culture, organisational climate, attitude and manager's performance, employee attitude, work environment and nature of work. Organisational culture, organisational climate and workplace conditions were the underlying factors of indifference management, while behaviour and performance of managers were mediating or confounding conditions, playing a dramatic role in indifference management.
A new pachyrhizodontid fish (Actinopterygii, Teleostei) from the Muhi Quarry (Albian-Cenomanian), Hidalgo, Mexico

Abstract. A new genus and species – Motlayoichthys sergioi (ZooBank registration: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2C503741-2362-4234-8CE0-BB7D8BE5A236, urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:EF5040FD-F306-4C0F-B9DA-2CC696CA349D) – from the Cretaceous (Albian-Cenomanian) of the Muhi Quarry, Hidalgo, central Mexico is assigned to the family Pachyrhizodontidae based on the presence of the inner premaxillary tooth and a few other cranial characters. Its unique suite of characters, that includes several autapomorphies supports its assignment as a new genus and species, such as the presence of a triangular head with three sides of similar lengths and with its deepest part at the level of the supraoccipital region; the lower jaw projecting anterior to the premaxilla; the ornamentation of cranial bones – especially those of the cheek region – consisting of fine longitudinal crests densely covering the bony surfaces; one or a few deep grooves on the mandibular teeth, which in addition bear acrodin tips ornamented with fine parallel striae; and the position of the dorsal fin, near the posterior margin of the cranium. Motlayoichthys n. gen., together with Michin, Pachyrhizodus, Rhacolepis, and Notelops, is part of the early radiation of pachyrhizodontoids during Albian times.
Trade Liberalisation and Income Distribution: Evidence from a Small Open Economy

Over the last few decades there has been a great deal of interest in investigating the link between trade liberalisation and income distribution in developing countries. Although there is a significant amount of empirical evidence to support the positive link between trade liberalisation and growth, the evidence on the relationship between trade liberalisation and income distribution among different household groups has been inconclusive. This study investigates the effects of trade liberalisation on income distribution in the Sri Lankan economy using a computable general equilibrium model. In terms of income distribution it can be observed that tariff reduction in manufacturing industries tends to widen the income gap between the low and the high income earners. Understanding these distributional effects of trade liberalisation will help in designing better targeted and robust welfare programmes in order to mitigate the adjustment costs of further liberalisation in developing countries like Sri Lanka.
Measuring of Software Maintainability Using Adaptive Fuzzy Neural Network

Software maintenance mainly refers to the process of correcting software after delivery. Maintenance process is usually a high percentage of Organizational effort to the whole process of software programs. As a result, the effectiveness of the entire production process and customer satisfaction is dependent on the effectiveness of maintenance activities. Because many factors including type of service, type of product and human factors is dependent on the maintenance process, And the imprecise nature of qualitative factors and sub-criteria leading software maintenance, accurate assessment can be maintained in order to measure the effectiveness of programs seem highly desirable. In this paper, using adaptive fuzzy neural network to provide a method for evaluating the capability of software maintenance conducted after the tests, the root mean square error of the proposed method was equal to 0.34331. The results show that the method is based on adaptive fuzzy neural, maintainability software performance evaluation is appropriate.
Fatty Acid ω-Hydroxylases in Soybean

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr. ) is an important and widely cultivated crop. A substantial cause of soybean yield loss is due to root rot caused by the pathogen Phytophthora sojae. There is an established correlation between preformed soybean root aliphatic suberin and high levels of partial resistance to P. sojae. Since fatty acid ωhydroxylase (FAωH), which introduces a second functional group to fatty acids, is a critical enzyme in suberin biosynthesis, characterization of soybean FAωHs was undertaken. Six putative soybean FAωHs (Gm FAωHs) were identified using a sequencebased in silico approach. Gene-specific primers were developed and relative expression was analyzed across various tissues using RT-PCR. While differential expression patterns were detected for Gm FAωH-1, Gm FAωH-2, Gm FAωH-3 and Gm FAωH-4, neither Gm FAωH-5 nor Gm FAωH-6 were detected in any of the tissues examined. In comparison with RNA-Seq and EST in silico data, RT-PCR profiles revealed contrasting expression patterns.
The use of a monoclonal antibody specific for the N-terminal region of Southern bean mosaic virus as a probe of virus structure

Summary The N-terminal cyanogen bromide peptide of the coat protein of the cowpea strain of southern bean mosaic virus (SBMV-C) was purified by high-pressure liquid chromatography and used as an immunogen in the production of monoclonal antibodies. One monoclonal antibody, designated 4D6, bound to both purified peptide and immobilized virus in a solid-phase ELISA. The reactivity of this monoclonal antibody with immobilized peptide could not be inhibited by native SBMV-C but was inhibited by low levels of EDTA-swollen virus in an antigen inhibition ELISA. The binding of 4D6 to the swollen conformation of the virus was not significantly diminished upon collapsing the swollen virus by pH adjustment or addition of calcium ions. Reactivity of the antibody was also observed with native virus particles which had been dialysed against weakly alkaline buffers. The binding of 4D6 was extremely sensitive to trypsin proteolysis of the virus coat protein, indicating that the antibody binding site was most likely located within the first 30 amino acid residues of the N-terminus. Monoclonal antibody 4D6 also cross-reacted weakly with red clover necrotic mosaic virus in both indirect ELISA and antigen inhibition ELISA.
Engineering Notes Backstepping Control Design with Actuator Torque Bound for Spacecraft Attitude Maneuver

BACKSTEPPING is a popular nonlinear control design technique [1,2]. It hinges on using a part of the system states as virtual controls to control the other states. Generating a family of globally asymptotically stabilizing control laws is the main advantage of this method that can be exploited for addressing robustness issues and solving adaptive problems. The term backstepping refers to the recursive nature of the control design procedure in which a control law and a control Lyapunov function are recursively constructed to guarantee stability. Backstepping has been considered for the spacecraft slew maneuvers [3,4]. The cascaded structure of spacecraft kinematics and dynamics makes the integrator backstepping a preferred approach for the spacecraft attitude maneuver problem, resulting in smooth feedback controls [5]. However, the typical control actuators used for this problem (such as reaction wheels, control moment gyros, or thrusters) have an upper bound on the control torque they can exert onto the system and the simple or conventional backstepping control method may result in excessive control input beyond that saturation bound. The issue has been addressed in the literature using other control methodologies such as nonlinear proportional–integral–derivative control [6], Lyapunovoptimal control [7] and variable structure control [8–11]. In this work, we design a nonlinear backstepping attitude controller using the inverse tangent-based tracking function [4] and a family of augmented Lyapunov functions [12]. Using this control law, we derive an analytical upper bound of the control torque norm. The bound is effectively used to tune the control parameters so that, for the given settling time specification, the upper bound of the control input is minimized. The performance of the proposed controller has shown improvements in minimizing the peak control torque and the settling time. The rest of the Note is organized as follows: First, the kinematics and dynamics of rigid spacecraft are summarized. Second, the details of the design procedure for the proposed controller and the analytical bounds for the control torque components are given. Third, the efficacy of the proposed scheme is demonstrated by the numerical simulations for the cases of attitude stabilization and tracking both. Finally, the conclusions are presented.