Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SPECIES-SPECIFIC BIOMASS EQUATIONS FOR SMALL-SIZE TREE SPECIES IN SECONDARY TROPICAL FORESTS

Secondary tropical forests are largely dominated by small-diameter trees. Their contribution to the total stand productivity may be determinant for ecosystem functioning. However, the biomass contained in small-size trees is frequently ignored because they are rarely included in forest inventories, as well as due to the lack of biomass equations for such trees. The aim of this study was to generate specific biomass equations by tree structural components and total-tree biomass for 22 species (diameter at breast height-DBH ≤ 10 cm diameter) structurally important of secondary tropical forests in southeast Yucatán peninsula. The biomass equations were generated using two fitting approaches. First, using the additive approach where the biomass equations by structural tree components (stem, branches and foliage) were simultaneously fitted. Second, the tree-level approach where the total-tree biomass was independently fitted. We used DBH, total height (TH) and wood density (WD) as predictor variables during the fitting process. The performance of each total-tree biomass equation was compared to generalized biomass equations developed in other tropical forests. The variance explained of observed biomass across tree species were stem, 64% to 99%; branch, 24% to 95%; foliage, 35% to 94% for equations by structural tree components; while the explained variance for total tree biomass equations was between 94 to 99 %. The inclusion of TH and WD as predictor variables in the equation structure, significantly improved the goodness of fit statistics. These are the first equations developed for small-size tree species in secondary forests of Yucatán peninsula. We observed that generalized equations developed for other tropical forests, in some cases overestimated up to ~ 44.2% and in other cases underestimated up to ~ 48.4% the mean total-tree biomass. When we applied our equations to forest inventory data, they showed a better predicting performance than generalized equations. Therefore, they are reliable for estimating biomass of small-size tree species in similar forest types. Our equations could be used for biomass-carbon estimation in tropical secondary forests composed by high densities of small-size tree species; therefore, they are relevant within climate change contexts.
ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES CHARACTERIZATION OF ADHESION AND INVASION VIRULENCE FACTORS IN STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE, SHIGELLA, AND SALMONELLA SPECIES ISOLATED FROM ETHIOPIAN PATIENTS

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Coup with Adjectives: Conceptual Stretching or Innovation in Comparative Research?

Was Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff victim of a coup or removed through a legal process of impeachment? The heated debate on the 2016 ousting of Brazil’s president testifies to the growing controversy around the definition of coups. Focusing on Latin America, we show that the use of coups with adjectives have become more frequent in public and scholarly debates. Occurring at a time when coups are becoming rarer, we argue that this development is linked to prevalence-induced concept change, meaning that when instances of a concept become less prevalent, the understanding of the concept expands. The meaning of coups has expanded through a proliferation of adjectives. Coups with adjectives are not new, but recent usage changes the concept from a classic to a family resemblance structure. Although this strategy can avoid stretching and increase differentiation, we urge caution and warn against harmful consequences, whether conceptual, theoretical, or practical.
The Status of Corporate Social Responsibility

This report shows the reason why corporate social responsibility (CSR) is needed by Australia companies with a brief introduction of CSR, and in order to achieve sustainability, organisations should fulfil social expectations. Both organisations and society can benefit from acting CSR. Internally, acting CSR can decrease the turnover of employees and the company’s potential risk, improve customers satisfaction and the company’s reputation. In addition, externally, acting CSR will protect the environment, facilitate the economic development and improve organisations’ ability to survive. However, CSR is an uncompleted concept, it still has some limitations in comparability, consistency, reliability, and relevance. Therefore, effective regulatory system should be designed to monitor those companies that introduced CSR policies.
Causal characterization of functional connectivity through the spread of electrically induced oscillations in the epileptic human brain

Little is known about the rules governing the spread of local entrainment within synchronized networks distributed across the brain. The assessment of the causal influences impacting information flow between two brain regions have mainly relied on confirmatory model-driven approaches (such as dynamic causal modeling and structural equation modeling) and exploratory data driven approaches (such as Granger Causality analysis). However, stimulation-driven approaches offer a unique opportunity to impact ongoing brain activity and describe the causal consequences of such manipulations, performed on a specific node of a complex cerebral network. In this project, we characterize causal functional interactions between brain regions by assessing how frequency-tuned electrical currents delivered intracranially in awaken epileptic patients enhance inter-regional synchrony between pairs of areas. To achieve this goal, we worked with an existing iEEG database from 18 medication-resistant epilepsy patients undergoing Intracortical Stimulation Mapping Procedures (ISMP) performed to causally identify and localize the epileptogenic foci, prior to neurosurgical removal. Patients are implanted with series of multi-electrodes in well-known brain regions under MRI guidance. Intracranial EEG contacts allow continuous recordings and the delivery through pairs of adjacent contacts of biphasic pulses of rhythmic Direct Electric Stimulations (DES) at a 50Hz frequency coupled to electrophysiological recordings. Measuring significant increases in gamma power ( 50Hz) observed during the stimulation period (vs. prior the stimulation), and significant increases of Phase-Locking Value (PLV) between signals recorded in the electrically stimulated regions and activity evoked in the rest of implanted regions during stimulation (vs. prior simulation), we characterize the spread of oscillatory entrainment from the stimulated region to the remaining regions, thus establishing a network of functional connectivity in the brain. By comparing this network with the one shown during resting-state, we assess how entrainment to frequency-tuned electrical currents delivered intracranially is predicted by the resting-state functional connectivity network.
Supply and demand side determinants of inflation in Ethiopia auto-regressive distributed lag model (ardl)

Inflation is defined as a persistent increase in general price level of goods and services . Even though Ethiopia has experienced a low inflation until 2008, recently, double digit inflation has become troublesome for policy makers as well as the society. So, this study tried to examine the supply and demand side determinant of inflation in Ethiopia by employing the techniques of Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL) for 32 years’ data spanning from 1985 to 2016. The study included macroeconomic determinant that alter or change inflation level measured by consumer price index such as money supply, real gross domestic product, world oil price, budget deficit and real effective exchange rate. The results of bound test confirmed that the long run relationship between explanatory variables and consumer price index in Ethiopia. The empirical results implied evidence of a long-run positive impact of money supply, world oil price, budget deficit and real effective exchange rate on inflation in Ethiopia whereas as real gross domestic product insignificantly affect price level . Finally, from the finding of our study in the short run, real effective exchange rate, money supply budget deficit and world oil price are the main determinant of inflation in Ethiopia. Given these findings, the effectiveness of fiscal deficit and exchange rate as well as contractionary monetary policy as a mechanism of price stabilization in the long run and short run is recommendable for policy inference.
PET Tumor Segmentation Using a Deep Residual CNN with Dilated Convolutions

This research examines the effectiveness of using deep learning for medical image segmentation. Here, tumors are segmented from a dataset of three-dimensional PET-scans. A deep convolutional neural network is trained on this dataset, and approaches from natural image segmentation are tested, particularly residual connections and dilated convolution. Its segmentation performance is compared to that of a simple thresholding algorithm that segments based on voxel intensity values. Using a weighted Jaccard index metric and loss and a positive predictive value and sensitivity metric, the neural network appears to outperform the simple thresholding algorithm slightly but consistently. However, additional varied research is needed to corroborate the findings and the advantages of deep learning for medical image segmentation in general.
The effect of country-of-origin image on purchase intention: The mediating role of brand image and brand evaluation

Article history: Received: October 26, 2019 Received in revised format: November 27 2019 Accepted: November 27, 2019 Available online: November 27, 2019 In today's competitive business environment, organizations are always seeking for valuable practices to build a strong brand and enhance purchase intention. Accordingly, this study is designed to propose and test the effect of country-of-origin image on brand image, brand evaluation and purchase intention. These relationships are verified through 283 customers with purchase intention of electric household appliances. Cronbach’s alpha and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) tests are applied to examine the reliability and validity of the scale. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is also adopted to test hypotheses. The finding shows that the country-of-origin image had a positive effect on brand image, brand evaluation and purchase intention. Brand image and brand evaluation also had a positive effect on purchase intentions. In addition, the study indicates that both brand image and brand evaluation played mediating roles on the relationships between country-of-origin image and purchase intention. As the result, some implications are discussed, and the next research direction is proposed. © 2020 by the authors; licensee Growing Science, Canada
Long-term Care Financing: Inserting Politics and Resource Allocation in the Debate

The ageing of the countries’ populations, and in particular the growing number of the very old, is increasing the need for long-term care (LTC). Not surprisingly, therefore, the financing of LTC systems has become a crucial topic across the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In the last three decades, various financing policies have been carried out in different countries and the related international debate has grown. The latter has so far focused mostly on the different alternatives to collect economic resources to pay for care. The international debate needs now to focus also on other issues, so far less discussed. One is the politics of LTC: the degree and nature of the political interest in LTC, that affects the size and profile of public financing. The other is resource allocation: how different services and benefits are distributed among people with different care needs, that determines if resources made available are optimized. If we do not pay more attention to these issues – inextricably connected to policies aimed to collect funds – our understanding of LTC financing will remain inevitably limited.
Analysis of Earnings Management and the Estimation Models in Earnings Management

This paper analyzes critically the early and recent literature on earnings management. I summarize the motivations and estimation models for accrual earnings management and real earnings management. Specifically, I focus on estimation models in real earnings management which are developed by Vorst (2016), extending the original sample period. Cross-sectional analysis reveals that earnings management is detectable purely based on companies’ financial data. The analyses are of interest to investors, regulators, and researchers with respect to the identification and consequences of earnings management.
1 4 Ju l 2 01 7 A new look at the inverse Gaussian distribution

The inverse Gaussian (IG) is one of the most famous and considered distributions with positive support. We propose a convenient modebased parameterization yielding the reparametrized IG (rIG) distribution; it allows/simplifies the use of the IG distribution in various statistical fields, and we give some examples in nonparametric statistics, robust statistics, and model-based clustering. In nonparametric statistics, we define a smoother based on rIG kernels. By construction, the estimator is well-defined and free of boundary bias. We adopt likelihood cross-validation to select the smoothing parameter. In robust statistics, we propose the contaminated IG distribution, a heavy-tailed generalization of the rIG distribution to accommodate mild outliers; they can be automatically detected by the model via maximum a posteriori probabilities. To obtain maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters, we illustrate an expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm. Finally, for model-based clustering and semiparametric density estimation, we present finite mixtures of rIG distributions. We use the EM algorithm to obtain ML estimates of the parameters of the mixture model. Applications to economic and insurance data are finally illustrated to exemplify and enhance the use of the proposed models.
Sport consumer behaviour model: Motivators and constraints

Sport consumers are the most important component that ensure the continuum of the sport industry. So, it is crucial to understand the factors affecting the Sport Consumer Behaviour (SCB). In this research, we tried to examine the factors that influence the attendance of sport spectators in the national league of basketball and volleyball in Iran. The results showed that internal motivators included success and wining, team support, player support, coach support, sport level support, sports support, and community support; while external motivators were comprised of promotion, media advertisement, player behaviour, excitement, aesthetic, athlete physical skills, role model. Internal constraints were lack of knowledge, lack of success, lack of interest from others, and lack of companionship. The motivators were assigned to those factors that encouraged the attendees and the constraints were considered those that prevented the attendance of fans and consumers. The external constraints and other variables were shown to have insignificant and significant effects, respectively, on sport consumer behaviour. Constrains and motivators of sport consumer behaviour can help the sport marketers for better planning and achieving greater benefits and consumer satisfaction.
Using smart ICT to provide weather and water information to smallholders in Africa_ The case of the Gash River Basin, Sudan

In the Gash Delta of Eastern Sudan, spate irrigation (flood-recession farming) contributes substantially to rural livelihoods by providing better yields than rainfed dryland farming. However, spate irrigation farmers are challenged by the unpredictability of flooding. In recent decades, the number of farmers practicing spate irrigation has decreased, due to varying rainfall intensity and frequency, insufficient infrastructure and farmers’ limited capacity to manage such variations. One solution that may help farmers face such challenges is for them to access real-time waterrelated information by using smart Information and Communication a Technology (ICT). This paper shows how integrating remote sensing, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), floodforecasting models and communication platforms can, in near real time, alert smallholder farmers and relevant government departments about incoming floods, using the Gash basin of Sudan as an example. The Ministry of Water Resources of Sudan used the findings of this study to transform farmers’ responses to flood arrival from being ‘reactive’, to planning for the flood event. Intensive on-site and institutional efforts to build the capacity of farmers, farmer organizations, development departments and officers of the Ministry helped to develop the initiative from simply sending ‘emergency alerts’ to enabling stakeholders to visually see the flood event unfolding in the region and to plan accordingly for storing water, operating spate-irrigation systems and undertaking cropping activities. The research, initially conducted on a 60× 60 km site, was later extended to the entire Gash basin. The paper outlines how to develop tools that can monitor plot-specific information from satellite measurements, and supply detailed and specific information on crops, rather than providing very general statements on crop growth. Farmers are able to use such tools to optimize their farm profits by providing water to their crops in the right place, at the right time and in the right quantity. Finally, the work demonstrates the high potential of combining technology, namely remote sensing data and simple a agro-meteorological model with limited parameters, for large-scale monitoring of spate irrigation systems and information sharing to advise farmers as to how to apply this information to their managerial
Dysbiosis in the Microbiome Associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and the Potential of Dietary Fibers

The microbiome is an important regulator in the development of the immune system. The complexity and composition of the microbiota are crucial for maintaining health and intestinal homeostasis. The Western, high-fat/low-fiber, diet causes vital changes in the composition of the microbiota and is correlated with the development of multiple Western diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A well-balanced diet contains the right dietary fibers and is proven to be effective against the alteration of the gut microbiota. Whereat each dietary fiber is characterized by its own specific health benefits. The indirect effects mainly cause an increased level of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), but the dietary fibers can also affect receptors directly. Research discovered the TLR2 and 4 as the most commonly affected receptors. In this thesis, the increasing dysbiosis of the microbiota is discussed, in which the dietary fibers inulin, β-glucan, and pectin are discussed in association with their direct and indirect effects on the microbiota, immune system and intestinal health.
Aus dem Institut für Versorgungsforschung und Klinische Epidemiologie Leiter: Prof. Dr. med. Max Geraedts, M.San. des Fachbereichs Medizin der Philipps-Universität Marburg Entwicklung und Machbarkeitsüberprüfung eines Kern-Sets von Qualitätsindikatoren für die pädiatrische Primärversorgung i

Paediatric ambulatory healthcare systems in Europe are, because of historical reasons, diverse and show strikingly different outcomes. All across Europe, the benchmarking of structures, processes and outcomes could reveal opportunities for improving Paediatric Primary Care (PPC). The aim of this study was to develop a set of Quality Indicators (QIs) to assess and monitor PPC in Europe. In a three-step process, we used the available external evidence and European expert consensus in a modified RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method (RAM) to develop an indicator set. (1) A broad literature and online research of published QI and guidelines yielded an inventory of 1516 QI. (2) A collaborative panel of paediatric senior experts from the European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP) and the European Confederation of Primary Care Paediatricians (ECPCP) from 15 European countries participated in a first consensus process to reduce the initial indicator inventory by eliminating not PPC-focused indicators and duplicates. (3) In a second consensus process, the panel rated the QI regarding validity and feasibility. The final QI set BCOSI-PPC-EU^ consists of 42 indicators in five categories of PPC: (A) health promotion/prevention/screening (13 QI), (B) acute care (9 QI), (C) chronic care (8 QI), (D) practice management (3 QI) and (E) patient safety (9 QI). Conclusion: COSI-PPC-EU represents a consented set of a limited number of valid quality indicators for the application in paediatric primary care in different healthcare systems throughout Europe. Communicated by Peter de Winter * Dominik A. Ewald Dominik.Ewald@t-online.de Gottfried Huss gorehuss@googlemail.com Silke Auras silke.auras@gmx.net Juan Ruiz-Canela Caceres jruizcanela@gmail.com Adamos Hadjipanayis adamos@paidiatros.com Max Geraedts geraedts@uni-marburg.de 1 Paediatric Primary Care Centre, Regensburg, Germany 2 European Association of Primary Care Paediatricians, ECPCP, Rheinhausen, Germany 3 Institute for Health Systems Research, Faculty of Health, Witten/ Herdecke University, Witten, Germany 4 Centro de Salud Virgen de África, Seville, Spain 5 Medical School, European University Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus 6 Department of Paediatrics, Larnaca General Hospital, Larnaca, Cyprus 7 Institute for Health Services Research and Clinical Epidemiology, Department ofMedicine, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany European Journal of Pediatrics https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-018-3140-z Author's personal copy
Long-horizon model predictive control of induction motor drive

This paper investigates the application of a novel Model Predictive Control structure for the drive system with an induction motor. The proposed controller has a cascade-free structure that consists of a vector of electromagnetics (torque, flux) and mechanical (speed) states of the system. The long-horizon version of the MPC is investigated in the paper. In order to reduce the computational complexity of the algorithm, an explicit version is applied. The influence of different factors (length of the control and predictive horizon, values of weights) on the performance of the drive system is investigated. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is validated by some experimental tests.