Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Growth and institutions in African development

* Growth and Institutions in African Development 2. Determinants of Industrial Embeddedness: Evidence from Manufacturing Firms in an African Economy 3. Does Lack of Innovation and Absorptive Capacity Retard Economic Growth in Africa? 4. Exchange Rate Regimes and Trade: Is Africa Different? 5. Interrelationships among Health, Environmental Quality, and Economic Activity: What Consequences for Economic Convergence? 6. Emerging Evidence on the Relative Importance of Sectoral Sources of Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa 7. Tourism and Economic Growth: African Evidence from Panel Vector Autoregressive Framework 8. Hunting for Leopards: Long-Run Country Income Dynamics in Africa 9. Growth and Distributional Aspects of Poverty Reduction in South Africa 10. Outfits: Narrowly Tailored Laws that Harm Instead of Help. A Case Study of Liberia's Telecommunication Laws 11. Does Foreign Aid Support Democracy Development? Aid, Democracy, and Instability from Trade 12. Who's the Alien? Xenophobia in post-Apartheid South Africa 13. How Does Colonial Origin Matter for Economic Performance in Sub-Saharan Africa? 14. Institutional Reforms, Private Sector, and Economic Growth in Africa 15. Women's Labour Supply and Household Insurance in Africa
Long-term temporal changes in the occurrence of a high forest fire danger in Finland

Abstract. Climate variation and change influence several ecosystem components including forest fires. To examine long-term temporal variations of forest fire danger, a fire danger day (FDD) model was developed. Using mean temperature and total precipitation of the Finnish wildfire season (June–August), the model describes the climatological preconditions of fire occurrence and gives the number of fire danger days during the same time period. The performance of the model varied between different regions in Finland being best in south and west. In the study period 1908–2011, the year-to-year variation of FDD was large and no significant increasing or decreasing tendencies could be found. Negative slopes of linear regression lines for FDD could be explained by the simultaneous, mostly not significant increases in precipitation. Years with the largest wildfires did not stand out from the FDD time series. This indicates that intra-seasonal variations of FDD enable occurrence of large-scale fires, despite the whole season's fire danger is on an average level. Based on available monthly climate data, it is possible to estimate the general fire conditions of a summer. However, more detailed input data about weather conditions, land use, prevailing forestry conventions and socio-economical factors would be needed to gain more specific information about a season's fire risk.
Evaluation of biogas plants by the application of an internal rate of return and debt service coverage approach.

Energy production using renewable energy has an effect on environmental sustainability and on public expenditure. In fact, this industry is heavily assisted by public support from the European Union and the Italian State. Developing and applying a method to evaluate the return on investment for companies operating in the field of renewable energy allows them to quantify their efficient use of public resources. In this research we develop an assessment method that combines the rate of return on equity capital (IRRE) and financial viability (DSCR), in which IRRE > Ke and sub DSCR >1 for any given period of the investment. This method enables us to quantify both the equity capital return and financial sustainability. The method is applied to a case study of a company’s production of biogas from livestock effluents located in the province of Reggio Emilia, Italy. The analysis shows that biogas investment guarantees financial sustainability, even in the case of financial liabilities, in the case examined. It also shows that IRRE is higher than average, with a return on equity assured both by market average (MRP) and government bonds in the long term. The research could be further developed by quantifying the social welfare generated by public spending and private investment as equity capital, both in terms of its activation of the economy and in terms of assessing the environmental effects that qualify as externalities.
Corporate Sustainability, Intangible Assets Accumulation and Competitive Advantage *

The article bridges corporate sustainability (CS) and intangibles, deepening the mechanisms linking specific stakeholder-related CS policies and practices to intangible asset accumulation and competitive outcomes. The implementation of CS strategies, practices and processes strengthens company ability to identify, protect and give value to inimitable resources, stimulating the development of intangibles related to human capital, innovation and knowledge, culture and reputation.
Effect of combination of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisae+Candida utilis) and herbs supplementation in finishing diet on carcass characteristics of beef cattle.

A 75 days feeding trial was completed to study the effect of inclusion of a combined probioticyeast+herbs in finishing diet on carcass characteristics of beef cattle. Thirty bull of Ongole crossbred,age 2.5-3 years old with average body weight (BW) of 320 kg were used in this experiment. They weredivided into 2 groups, each of 15 animals and were allotted to control and treatment. They wereslaughtered at around 450 kg BW. The treated animals were given a supplementation containingcombined yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisae and Candida utilis) and herbs. All animals were fed a diet ofammoniated rice straw and commercial concentrate with a ratio of 10: 90. Addition of combinedprobiotics + herbs in the diet increased percentage of carcass, dressing and meat, but there were noeffect on live weight gain (LWG), % bone, meat:bone ratio, % body fat, back fat thickness and eyemuscle area. There was a reduction in the percentage of offal due to a decrease in intestinal weight in thetreated animal.
Impact of investment banking on economic growth in Kenya

Investment banks are an essential part of the financial sectors of modern economies Providing alternative savings tools to savers and non-bank sources of financing for enterprises, the markets promote economic growth through improved efficiency in savings mobilization (Hunter, 2003). Nevertheless, in an economy of many private enterprises, many firms list in the market while many that qualify to do so do not Capital market authorities may be unaware of plausible factors that induce firms to list in the market Worse, they may be unaware of persisting negative factors that may inhibit qualified firms from listing in the stock exchange The capital markets consist of the primary market and the secondary market The primary markets are where new stock and bonds issues are sold (underwritten) to investors The secondary markets are where existing securities are sold and bought from one investor or speculator to another, usually on an exchange This study was a descriptive study According to Schinler and Coopers (2004) descriptive studies are more formalized and typically structured with clearly stated hypotheses or investigative questions. It serves a variety of research objectives such as descriptions of phenomenon or characteristics associated with a subject population, estimates of proportions of a population that have these characteristics and discovery of associations among different variables This study was carried on investment banks in Kenya and the population of the study was all the 23 investment banks in Kenya (CBK, 2008). Census was used in carrying out the study. The whole population was covered hence no sampling done. Secondary data was used in this study. This was obtained from NSE database and included Gross Domestic Product measured as the real Gross Domestic Product generated within the year, average commission fee charged by the investment banks in Kenya, the total number of investment banks in Kenya within the year; The total value of stocks traded or transacted within the year; the trading cycle within the investment market to measure the microstructure of investment markets. The study revealed that efficient investment banking in the general economy strives to; improve their capital bases, reduce operational costs, improve assets quality by reducing the rate of nonperforming loans, employ revenue diversification strategies as opposed to focused strategies and keep the right amount of liquid assets Indeed the descriptive analysis of these factors by number of investment banking showed that large investment banks perform better than the small and medium investment banks hence superior in their contribution to economic growth This study therefore, sought to establish the impact of investment banking on economic growth of Kenya
A mid infrared study of low-luminosity AGNs with WISE

RESUMEN Utilizando datos en el infrarrojo medio (MIR) del Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), mostramos que las galaxias AGNs de baja luminosidad (LLAGNs) presentan colores en el infrarrojo medio (MIR) significamente diferentes de los de las estrellas post-rama asintotica gigante (PAGBs). Esto se debe a una diferencia en la distribucion de energ´oa espectral (SED), pues los LLAGNs muestran una componente plana debida a un AGN. Congruentemente con esta interpretacion, mostramos que en un diagrama color-color los LINERs y las Seyfert 2s siguen una ley de potencia con colores espec´oficos que permiten distinguir unas de las otras, y de las galaxias con formacion estelar, en base a sus diferentes niveles de formacion reciente de estrellas. Basado en estos resultados, presentamos un nuevo diagrama de diagnostico en el MIR que confirma la clasificacion obtenida en ela partir de diagramas de diagnostico estandar, e identifican claramente los LINERs y LLAGNs como verdareros AGNs. ABSTRACT Using data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) we show that the mid infrared (MIR) colors of low-luminosity AGNs (LLAGNs) are significanlty different from those of post-asymptotic giant branch stars (PAGBs). This is due to a difference in the spectral energy distribution (SEDs), the LLAGNs showing a flat component due to an AGN. Consistent with this interpretation we show that in a MIR color-color diagram the LINERs and the Seyfert 2s follow a power law with specific colors that allow to distinguish them from each other, and from star forming galaxies, according to their present level of star formation. Based on this result we present a new diagnostic diagram in the MIR that confirms the classification obtained in the optical using standard diagnostic diagrams, clearly identifying LINERs and LLAGNs as genuine AGNs.
Decreased level of the anti-inflammatory adipokines, secreted frizzled-related protein 5 and adiponectin, in high cholesterol diet-induced atherosclerotic rats

Introduction: The involvement of secreted frizzled-related protein5 (SFRP5) and adiponectin, two important adipokines produced by adipocytes, in cardiovascular diseases demand further assessment. Therefore, in this study the relation of the adipokines and atherosclerosis was evaluated in Rat. Materials and methods: For the study, thirty male Wistar rats were divided into 2 groups (each group contain 15 rats): Control group, received a normal diet and the high cholesterol diet (HCD) group which received an additional 2% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid for 15 weeks. At the end of treatment, HCD-induced atheroma plaques were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining of aortic tissue sections. Furthermore, serum levels of SFRP5 and adiponectin in the two groups of rats were measured by immunoassay and their relationships with the development of atherosclerotic plaques in the experimental group were analyzed. Results: The serum level of SFRP5 and adiponectin was significantly decreased in HCD rats compared with the control group (P<0.05). There was also an inverse relation between the serum level of the two adipokines and atherosclerotic plaque formation (P<0.05). Conclusion: Serum levels of SFRP5 and adiponectin are decreased in rats fed with high cholesterol diet, highlighting the involvement of the two adipokines in atherosclerosis.
P o S ( H T R S 2 0 1 1 ) 0 7 6 A model for optical / X-ray correlation in black hole X-ray binaries

Simultaneous optical and X-ray observations of black holes in X-ray binaries (GX 339–4, XTE J1118+480, SWIFT J1753.5–0127) show complicated shape of the cross-correlation function (CCF), with an anti-correlation preceding positive correlation. Similar CCFs were found in two neutron star X-ray binaries, Sco X-1 and Cyg X-2. We propose a novel model capable of explaining timing properties of these objects. We argue that the X-ray emission is produced by synchrotron self-Compton mechanism, which also contributes to the optical luminosity. Small variations in the accretion rate cause changes of parameters of the flow (optical depth, total luminosity), leading to variations in X-rays and optical luminosities. By simulating spectra for specific parameters, we show that fluxes in the two bands are anti-correlated. Additional contribution to the optics comes from reprocessing of the X-rays by the outer regions of the accretion disk. We find that our model is consistent with the CCFs recently observed in Galactic black holes. From the presence of the dips in the CCFs, we can estimate the size of the synchrotron-emitting region, and from the relative amplitude of the dips to the peaks we constrain the contribution of synchrotron radiation in the optical energy band.
A Novel Genetic-based Optimization for Transmission Constrained Generation Expansion Planning

Transmission constrained generation expansion planning (TC-GEP) problem involves decisions on site, capacity, type of fuel, and etc. of new generation units, which should be installed over a planning horizon to meet the expectations of energy demand. This may lead to adding or lightening transmission lines congestion. This paper presents an application of genetic algorithm (GA) to TC-GEP problem for simultaneously determination of new generation site, capacity and fuel type for a multi-period generation expansion plan. The objective function in this paper is to minimize the total generation cost which is composed of generation capital investment costs, operation and maintenance (O&M) costs, outage cost, transmission losses costs and transmission enhancement costs. In this paper, also a new method is proposed for computing transmission enhancement costs. In addition a new approach is presented in this paper to determine site and number of combined cycle power plants regarding to candidate units. The GA is applied to solve TC-GEP problem for 4 bus test system from Grainger & Stevenson for a planning horizon of one year and the results are compared and validated against Enumeration Method (EM). Then GA is applied to solve TC-GEP problem for IEEE-RTS 24-bus test system for a planning horizon of three years and results are discussed.
A REVIEW ON PREDICTION OF MISSING DATA IN MULTIVARIABLE TIME SERIES

Time series models helps to track the behaviour for process or metrics over a set of time periods. The advancements in the complexity of the time series data leads to the evolution of multi variable time series analysis demanding qualitative machine learning techniques. Data missing in collections of multi variable time series occurs frequently is a challenging issue, due to the involvement of sensors to generate huge amount of data, which affects the quality of the data analysis. In order to overcome this issue, there is a need of applying efficient missing data prediction models. This paper addresses the impact of missing data in multi variable time series and presents the survey of the various models exists to handle missing data. The focus of this paper is on matrix factorization models in smoothing time series data and also the future directions to improve the quality of the missing data prediction.
Multi-level Fast Multipole Algorithm for 3-D Homogeneous Dielectric Objects Using MPI-CUDA on GPU Cluster

─ The implementation of Multi-level Fast Multipole Algorithm (MLFMA) on a 13-node Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) cluster using Message Passing Interface (MPI) and CUDA programming is presented. The performance achievements are investigated in terms of accuracy, speed up, and scalability. The experimental results demonstrate that our MLFMA implementation on GPUs is much faster than (up to 66x) that of the CPU implementation without trading off the accuracy. Index Terms ─ Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), Multilevel Fast Multipole Algorithm (MLFMA).
A Novel Integrated Corrugated Waveguide Bandpass Filter

─ This paper presents the approach for the design of a X-band bandpass filter using substrate integrated corrugated waveguide (SICW). The SICW filter which is proposed in this paper, is totally realized in a single-layer dielectric substrate with two sequences of metallic vias with the different diameters, and fabricated using a standard PCB process. This proposed filter has the same dispersion characteristics as a waveguide filter, while its dimensions are very shorter than it. A transition circuit between the SICW and 50 Ω microstrip lines was designed for excitation of the filter. Index Terms ─ Microstrip bandpass filter, substrate integrated corrugated waveguide (SICW).
On an equation of Goormaghtigh

Nagell [5] confirmed a conjecture of Ramanujan [6] that the solutions of equation x + 7 = 2 in integers x > 0, n > 0 are given by (x, n) = (1, 3), (3, 4), (5, 5), (11, 7), (181, 15). This result implies that the solutions of equation (1) with x = 2 and n = 3 are given by (2). Perhaps equation (1) has no solution other than the ones given by (2). Shorey [10] proved that 31 and 8191 are the only primes N such that N has all the digits equal to 1 with respect to two distinct bases and ω(N−1) ≤ 5. Here ω(N − 1) denotes the number of distinct prime divisors of N − 1. We re-write equation (1) as
Artistic Adjustment of Image Spectral Slope

The Fourier spectral slope of 31 artworks was compared to the spectral slope of closely matched photographic images. The artworks were found to display a relatively narrow range of spectral slopes relative to the photographs. Two accounts for this range compression were investigated. The first proposes that the band-pass nature of the visual system’s psychophysical ‘window of visibility’ is responsible. Simulation of this effect by application of an appropriate spatial filter to the original photographs could not explain the range compression, unless one assumed a consistent relation between the visual angle subtended by the scene at the artist’s eye, and the scene’s spectral slope (such that scenes with a steep slope subtended larger angles than scenes with a shallow slope). The second account involves more complex ‘artistic’ filtering which smoothes out textural details while preserving edges. Application of two such filters to the photographs was able to reproduce the spectral slope range compression evident in artworks. Both explanations posit a central role for the artist’s visual system in adjusting image spectral slope, which can be modelled using visual filters.
Toward a more general approach to political stability in comparative political systems

This paper provides a general framework for analyzing political (in)stability in comparative political systems. It distinguishes different subgroups of a society, some of which have a potential for pursuing a redistribution of wealth in its broadest sense via constitutional or non-constitutional government overturns. Political instability implies a cycle of overturns and redistributions with no stable equilibrium. It will be shown that individual incentives for participating in overturn attempts hinge not upon specific distributions of wealth but are rather dependent on the respective structure and credibility of promises and threats within and across the different subgroups of the society. What is more, without credible commitments of the incumbent governments to a carrot-and-stick policy there will be the danger of endless over-turn and redistribution cycles, leading to failed states. For much the same reason, democratic constitutions contain effective measures against redistribution cycles. Stability within non-democracies, by contrast, can be explained by the fact that commitments among potential re-bels cannot be backed by formal institutions, whereas incumbent governments can use their legal surrounding for developing institutions that, in turn, help them to embed potentially threatening societal groups into a system of carrot and stick.
An Assessment of Monetary Policy Effectiveness in POLONIA Rate Stabilization During Financial Crisis

Starting from the year 2008, the official goal of the National Bank of Poland is to influence the liquidity of the money market via open market operations in such a way so as to enable the POLONIA rate to run close to the NBP reference rate. In the paper we aimed to prove that the central bank retained its ability to steer the POLONIA rate even in the situation of considerable decline in confidence in the Polish interbank market after the bankruptcy of the Lehman Brothers. We assessed the ability investigating the properties and behaviour of the spread between the POLONIA rate and the NBP reference rate.
What does it take to host a (restrictive) relative clause

This paper discusses the syntactic and semantic properties of descriptive relative clauses, a type of relative clause which has mainly been discussed in the literature on Chinese. It is argued that descriptive relative clauses are found in German. In particular it is shown that German has a set of determiners which are used for discourse referents that are already uniquely identifiable. As such, they cannot be restricted by a relative clause. However such DP’s can be modified by descriptive relative clauses. It is proposed that descriptive relative clauses attach to NP while restrictive relative clauses attach to nP. Thus, the paper contributes to the question as to whether there are different relative clauses associated with different layers of projections in the nominal domain.
Damage Identification of Bridge Based on Modal Flexibility and Neural Network Improved by Particle Swarm Optimization

An approach to identify damage of bridge utilizing modal flexibility and neural network optimized by particle swarm optimization (PSO) is presented. The method consists of two stages; modal flexibility indices are applied to damage localizing and neural network optimized by PSO is used to identify the damage severity. Numerical simulation of simply supported bridge is presented to demonstrate feasibility of the proposed method, while comparative analysis with traditional BP network is for its superiority. The results indicate that curvature of flexibility changes can identify damages with both single and multiple locations. The optimization of bias and weight for neural network by fitness function of PSO algorithm can realize favorable damage severity identification and possesses more satisfactory accuracy than traditional BP network.