Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sex Selection and Gender Balance V Bhaskar

Parents in many developing countries may prefer boys to girls, either due to intrinsic gender bias, or because of the marriage squeeze  girls nd it harder to marry due to population growth and the age gap at marriage, and parents also value having grandchildren. With intrinsic gender bias, sex selection results in a male-biased sex ratio. This is socially ine¢ cient, due to a congestion externality in the marriage market, and improvements in selection techniques aggravate the ine¢ ciency. On the other hand, if intrinsic gender bias is absent, then sex selection may improve welfare in the presence of the marriage squeeze. These results are robust to allowing prices in the marriage market, if the market is subject to frictions. We also consider the implications of selection and the sex ratio for parental investments in their children. We extend the model to consider gender preferences which depend upon family composition, allowing us to examine the possible sex ratio e¤ects of Chinas one-child policy, and the implications of choice in societies where family balancing considerations are paramount.
Understanding E-Learning Satisfaction in the Context of University Teachers

— The present study was designed to test the influence of confirmed expectations, perceived usefulness and perceived competence on e-learning satisfaction among university teachers. A questionnaire was completed by 125 university teachers from 12 different universities in Norway. We found that 51% of the variance in university teachers’ satisfaction with e-learning could be explained by the three proposed antecedents. Perceived usefulness seems to be the most important predictor of teachers’ satisfaction with e-learning.
Encoding touch and the orbitofrontal cortex

Lesion studies on nonhuman primates utilizing recognition memory tests have shown that the orbitofrontal cortex is critical for the encoding of novel information, and anatomical studies have shown that the orbitofrontal cortex forms part of a mnemonic circuit that connects limbic medial temporal areas with higher‐order lateral frontal cortical regions. Furthermore, functional neuroimaging studies have demonstrated increased activity in the orbitofrontal cortex of the human brain during the encoding of novel visual and auditory information. The present positron emission tomography study examined brain activity related to the encoding of tactile information. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) in normal human subjects during the tactile exploration of novel stimuli from a related set of textures and patterns, as well as from a set of aversive tactile stimuli, was compared with CBF during a control condition involving familiar tactile stimuli. The results demonstrate that the right rostral orbitofrontal cortex is involved in the active encoding of novel tactile information, while a more caudal region of the orbitofrontal cortex, which is more closely connected with limbic and autonomic regions of the brain, was activated when subjects explored novel aversive tactile stimuli. These results suggest that the orbitofrontal cortex, through its connections with the limbic areas of the medial temporal lobe, influences the processing of incoming information and thus contributes to its encoding. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The First Detections of the Extragalactic Background Light at 3000, 5500, and 8000 Å. III. Cosmological Implications

We have used the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 in combination with ground-based spectroscopy to measure the integrated flux of galaxies at optical wavelengths—the extragalactic background light (EBL). We have also computed the integrated light from individual galaxy counts in the images used to measure the EBL and in the Hubble Deep Field. We find that flux in galaxies as measured by standard galaxy photometry methods has generally been underestimated by about 50%, resulting from missed flux in the outer, lower surface brightness parts of galaxies and from associated errors in the estimated sky level. Comparing the corrected, integrated flux from individual galaxies with our total EBL measurement, we find that there is yet further light that contributes to the background that is not represented by galaxy counts and that the total flux in individually detected sources is a factor of 2-3 less than the EBL from 8000 to 3000 Å. We show that a significant fraction of the EBL may come from normal galaxies at z < 4, which are simply undetectable as a result of K-corrections and cosmological surface brightness dimming. This result is consistent with results from recent redshift surveys at z < 4. In the context of some simple models, we discuss the constraints placed by the EBL on evolution in the luminosity density at z > 1; while significant flux comes from galaxies beyond the current detection limits, this evolution cannot be tightly constrained by our data. Based on our measurements of the optical EBL, combined with previously published measurements of the UV and IR EBL, we estimate that the total EBL from 0.1 to 1000 μm is 100 ± 20 nW m-2 sr-1. If the total EBL were produced entirely by stellar nucleosynthesis, then we estimate that the total baryonic mass processed through stars is Ω* = 0.0062(±0.0022) h-2 in units of the critical density. For currently favored values of the baryon density ΩB this corresponds to 0.33 ± 0.12ΩB. This estimate is smaller by roughly 7% if we allow for a contribution of 7 h0.7 nW m-2 sr-1 to the total EBL from accretion onto central black holes. This estimate of Ω* suggests that the universe has been enriched to a total metal mass of 0.21 (±0.13) Z☉ ΩB, which is consistent with other observational estimates of the cumulative metal mass fraction of stars, stellar remnants, and the intracluster medium of galaxy clusters in the local universe.
Family factors and parental correlates to adolescent conduct disorder

ABSTRACT The present study examined the relationship between family factors and parental correlates with adolescent conduct disorder in a national sample of adolescents. A secondary analysis of the 2011–2012 National Child Health Survey was conducted. Results from the final multivariate regression revealed that the following factors placed adolescents at increased risk for conduct disorder: being Caucasian, not meeting a child’s friends, not eating dinner as a family, living with a parent who has been divorced, living with a parent who has recently passed, having a parent in jail, witnessing parenting violence, living with someone with a mental health problem, argued too much, and living with a parent who has reported drug use. Recommendations for preventionists, researchers and health professionals are provided.
Stability theorem for lateral inhibition networks that is robust in the presence of circuit parasitics

In the analog VLSI implementation of neural systems, it is sometimes convenient to built lateral inhibition networks by using a locally connected on-chip resistive grid. A serious problem of unwanted spontaneous oscillation often arises with these circuits and renders them unusable in practice. The authors report a design approach that guarantees such a system will be stable, even though the values of designed elements in the resistive grid can be imprecise and the location and values of parasitic elements might be unknown. The method is based on a rigorous, somewhat novel mathematical analysis using Tellegen's theorem and the idea of Popov multipliers from control theory. It is thoroughly practical because the criteria are local in the sense that no overall analysis of the interconnected system is required, empirical in the sense that they involve only measurable frequency response data on the individual cells, and robust in the sense that unmodeled parasitic resistances and capacitances in the interconnect network cannot affect the analysis. <<ETX>>
Genre analysis of article introductions in economics

L’analyse de genre est une nouvelle approche de l’analyse du discours et du texte en anglais de specialite. Il est maintenant etabli qu’il existe des modeles rhetoriques communs de l’expression ecrite en langue specialisee. C’est pourquoi l’analyse de genre joue un role important dans le developpement des competences de lecture et d’ecriture. A partir des principes de base de l’analyse de genre enonces ici et en nous referant a l’analyse de 80 introductions d’articles de recherche en economie, nous en presentons le modele a quatre temps. Nous evoquons ensuite brievement quelques repercussions de l’analyse de genre dans le domaine pedagogique.
Defining metric thresholds for software product lines: a comparative study

A software product line (SPL) is a set of software systems that share a common and variable set of features. Software metrics provide basic means to quantify several modularity aspects of SPLs. However, the effectiveness of the SPL measurement process is directly dependent on the definition of reliable thresholds. If thresholds are not properly defined, it is difficult to actually know whether a given metric value indicates a potential problem in the feature implementation. There are several methods to derive thresholds for software metrics. However, there is little understanding about their appropriateness for the SPL context. This paper aims at comparing three methods to derive thresholds based on a benchmark of 33 SPLs. We assess to what extent these methods derive appropriate values for four metrics used in product-line engineering. These thresholds were used for guiding the identification of a typical anomaly found in features' implementation, named God Class. We also discuss the lessons learned on using such methods to derive thresholds for SPLs.
Interrogating the Autonomy of Previously Marginalised Languages in Zimbabwe's Indigenous-Language Press

Abstract While Zimbabwe's 2013 Constitution officially recognises previously marginalised languages, existing studies expose the dominance of Shona and Ndebele in the public domain. Among existing newspapers, only two use indigenous languages. These are Kwayedza and Umthunywa, which publish in Shona and Ndebele respectively. However, presently Kwayedza publishes a column in Ndau, and uMthunywa includes a column in Kalanga. In the context of the prevailing politics of language in Zimbabwe, this study interrogates the autonomy of previously marginalised languages using hegemony, post-structuralist and political economy perspectives to unpack the conundrums of minority-language publishing. The study shows that, whilst the inclusion of previously marginalised languages in these newspapers improves their visibility in the public domain, it inadvertently legitimates the hegemonic position of Shona and Ndebele and the subtle subservience of previously marginalised languages. This study is an important addition to scholarship on the nexus between politics of language and the press in Zimbabwe.
THE EFFECT OF BRAND AWARENESS, BRAND ASSOCIATION, AND PERCEIVED QUALITY ON THE DECISION OF CHOOSING STATE UNIVERSITY IN SURABAYA

The main development of a country can be measured by the education progress. It is all based on people’s awareness to continue their study until college level. That’s why the government must continue their development in the field of education by providing additional college indicated by the significant growth of state universities. It requires the college to compete by improving brand equity to the people’s mind especially for prospective students or students. The strong brand equity in the people’s mind will accelerate decision related enrolled in college. Most state universities in Indonesia are in Surabaya with four public universities. This study aims to determine the effect of brand awareness, brand associations, and the perceived quality of decision to choose state universities in Surabaya. The method used quantitative by multistage sampling in 2012 students of state universities in Surabaya. The results of this study showed that brand awareness has directly effect on the decision to choose state universities in Surabaya. But brand association has no effect on the decision to choose. Those happen on perceived quality which only ITS respondents do not have effect on decision to choose state university in Surabaya. This is due to the differences of strategies used by each state university on students association.
A four-factor model of perceived control: Avoiding

ABSTRACT This study provides evidence that people evaluate their control over events and over feelings separately with respect to both positive and negative experiences Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that subjects made separate self-evaluations of control regarding their ability to (a) avoid negative outcomes, (b) cope with negative outcomes, (c) obtain positive outcomes, and (d) savor positive outcomes In addition, beliefs about avoiding and obtaining were more highly correlated (r = 50) than were beliefs about coping and savoring (r= 27) It is argued that coping and savoring involve different sets of cognitive and behavioral skills Multiple regression analyses generally indicated that beliefs about avoiding and coping related more strongly to measures of subjective distress, whereas beliefs about obtaining and strongly related more strongly to measures of subjective well-being These four control beliefs are discussed in relation to other conceptual models of control, and ways in which savoring may promote perceived control are described
Reliable beacon transmission based MAC protocol for LR-WPANs over WLAN interferences

The use of IEEE 802.15. 4 standard based application systems has been rapidly increasing, for example, in medical services, sensor networks, public safety systems, and home automation systems. However, issues arise from the fact that IEEE 802.15. 4 standard based low rate wireless personal area networks (LR-WPANs) use the same frequency bands as wireless local area networks (WLANs), and they interfere with each other. Based on past research on this issue, the interference has a more serious impact on LR-WPANs’ performance than on WLANs’ performance. In this paper we propose a method to improve LR-WPANs’ performance while coexisting with WLANs, which is called the reliable beacon transmission based medium access control (MAC) protocol. Since the reliability of a beacon frame is important, in this method, only the beacon frame is transmitted in interference-free channels, and the data packets are transmitted in interfered channels instead of abandoning the channels altogether. This method increases the reliability of beacon frames as well as overall channel utilizations. The effectiveness of the proposed method was evaluated through extensive simulations, and this paper proves that this method improves the performance of IEEE 802.15. 4 based wireless sensor networks (WSNs) over WLANs’ interferences.
A conceptual model of transgenerational entrepreneurship in family-influenced firms

Recent family business literature has witnessed an upsurge of interest in developing a deeper understanding of the entrepreneurial function of the family in social and economic wealth creation (Habbershon & Pistrui, 2002). As a result of this increased interest, recent studies have acknowledged that families have a dominant impact on business world wide (Stafford, 2001; Morck & Yeung, 2003), that they control between 60 and 90 percent of businesses in nearly every nation (INFERA, 2003), and they contribute more than 70% of private jobs (Shanker & Astrachan, 1996), and most likely function as the largest single source of start-up capital (Steier, 2001). Despite these advances, there is still an absence of research and validation of the family's entrepreneurial contribution to sustainable wealth creation. The overlap of family business studies and entrepreneurship has been traditionally described through a " common denominator " approach aimed at finding common subjects such as small business management, entrepreneurial couples, lifestyle start-ups, founders and founder's culture, transition and succession, and some corporate entrepreneurship themes (Dyer & Handler, 1994; Hoy & Vesper, 1994). We believe, however, that it is necessary to establish a true nexus between entrepreneurship theory and family business studies in order to fully understand the role and influence of the family in the entrepreneurial process and, therefore, the part they play in the entrepreneurial infrastructure of countries. To this end, the role of the family and of family-related influences on wealth creation have to be placed at center stage. One of the drivers in this convergence of thinking around the role of the family have been recent works adopting the concept of " familiness " These studies have demonstrated that the way to avoid the dichotomizing and, thereby, minimizing approach to investigating the impact of family is to create research models which assess family influence as a systemic variable within the resources and capabilities of the family group. The " familiness " approach has also been acknowledged as an appropriate framework for exploring how families find advantage, and for exploring the relationship of that advantage This conceptual paper is part of a wider project (" The STEP Research Project ") aimed at investigating antecedents and outcomes of Successful Transgenerational Entrepreneurship Practices. In order to pursue research around the constructs of family and entrepreneurship, we introduce the conceptual framework of " transgenerational entrepreneurship ". Transgenerational Entrepreneurship refers to a family's mindset and capabilities to continue …
Stochastic Uncertain Systems Subject to Relative Entropy Constraints: Induced Norms and Monotonicity Properties of Minimax Games

Entropy and relative entropy are fundamental concepts on which information theory is founded on, and in general, telecommunication systems design. On the other hand, dissipation inequalities, minimax strategies, and induced norms are the basic concepts on which robustness of uncertain control and estimation of systems are founded on. In this paper, the precise relation between these notions is investigated. In particular, it will be shown that the higher the dissipation the higher the entropy of the system, which has implications in computing the induced norm associated with robustness. These connections are obtained by considering stochastic optimal uncertain control systems, in which uncertainty is described by a relative entropy constraint between the nominal and uncertain measures, while the pay-off is a linear functional of the uncertain measure. This is a minimax game, in which the controller measure seeks to minimize the pay-off, while the disturbance measure aims at maximizing the pay-off. Salient properties of the minimax solution are derived, including a characterization of the optimal sensitivity reduction, computation of the induced norm, monotonicity properties of minimax solution, and relations between dissipation and relative entropy of the system. The theory is developed in an abstract setting and then applied to nonlinear partially observable continuous-time uncertain controlled systems, in which the nominal and uncertain systems are described by conditional distributions. In addition, existence of the optimal control policy among the class of policies known as wide-sense control laws is shown, and an explicit formulae for the worst case conditional measure is derived. The results are applied to linear-quadratic-Gaussian problems
Can Common Components Eliminate Momentum Returns?

This paper investigates the presence of momentum return when priced for common components. Using a sample period from 1926 through 2005 for all stocks listed in the NYSE, AMEX and NASDAQ we show significant momentum return remains both at the portfolio level and at the individual stock level. We report positive and significant alpha of 0.009 when Fama-French three factors and macroeconomic factors are used as common components at the portfolio level. At the individual stock level, though Fama-French factors cannot eliminate momentum return, the premium diminishes when macroeconomic variables are employed. The result is more pronounced when lagged variables are in play and during market upturn. Our results are robust in different sub-periods and when contemporaneous and lagged variables are used. We conclude that common components cannot eliminate momentum return; the explanatory power of macroeconomic variable is conditioned on assumptions like predictor variable and market condition.
Exploring the Relationship Between Connectedness With Nature, Environmental Identity, and Environmental Self-Identity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

A meta-analysis was carried out to investigate the relationship between connectedness with nature, environmental identity, and environmental self-identity. Through meta-analyzing these relationships, we are able to assess the true estimate of their magnitude. The results revealed a strong correlation between measures of connectedness with nature and environmental identity (r = .75 [0.67, 0.83], k = 11) as well as environmental self-identity (r = .57 [.31, .84], k = 5). Further moderation analysis indicated that the relationship between connectedness with nature and environmental identity is different for graphical and questionnaire instruments used for assessing connectedness with nature; the aggregated correlation for graphical instruments (r = .62 [.56, .67], k = 9) was significantly lower than for questionnaires (r = .82 [.74, .91], k = 9). We suggest revisiting the various instruments assessing human–nature relatedness to maximize unique variance among them.
Mentoring Programs: Key Differences in Support for Beginning Teachers

This study explored the issue of mentoring and its problems in aiding in the induction of new teachers into various school systems. Such a study is justified because teacher shortages remain a real threat in many areas of this country. The research sought to demonstrate that a mentor program without clear guidelines and accountability may actually damage new teachers. Some of the goals of a mentoring program were considered: the suitability and selection of mentors, the training of mentors, and program evaluation. A review of the literature included such topics as the high cost of attrition, the needs of new teachers, effective and practical mentoring methods, mentoring disasters, technology and creative ways to mentor, benefits to veteran teachers from mentoring, and the role of leadership in mentoring. A quantitative study of school districts with either very high or low teacher attrition rates sought to reveal what adjustments are necessary for greater teacher retention. A twenty-question survey that measured the perceptions and attitudes of administrators from these districts endeavored to answer some key questions such as why some mentoring programs fail, what mentors are actually doing, and how administrators could strengthen their programs.
On the relationship between the strength of the Brewer‐Dobson circulation and the age of stratospheric air

The strength of the Brewer‐Dobson circulation is computed for multi‐decadal simulations of a coupled chemistry‐climate model covering the period 1960 to 2100. The circulation strength, as computed from the tropical mass upwelling, generally increases throughout the simulations. The model also includes an age of air tracer which generally decreases during the simulations. The two different transport concepts of mass upwelling and reciprocal of the age of air are investigated empirically from the model simulations. The results indicate that the variables are linearly related in the model but with a change of gradient some time near 2005. Possible reasons for the change of gradient are discussed.