Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stress and well-being in mothers of young children 11 years after the Chornobyl nuclear power plant accident

Background. This paper examines the association between exposure to the Chornobyl nuclear power plant explosion and the psychological and physical well-being of mothers with young children. The study also examines whether exposure to Chornobyl increased the vulnerability of mothers to subsequent economic and social stress, and thus represents a unique test of the stress–vulnerability model in a non-Western setting. Method. The sample consisted of mothers evacuated from the contamination zone surrounding the plant (evacuees) and mothers who had never lived in a radiation-contaminated area (controls). In addition to exposure status, the interview obtained data on perceived economic stress, social stress and stress moderators. The dependent variables were measured by the SCL-90 global severity index (GSI), perceived physical health and number of days unable to work due to illness. Results. Overall, evacuees reported fewer stressors and greater personal and social resources than control mothers. Nevertheless, evacuees scored higher on the GSI, reported lower perceived physical health and took more sick days relative to control mothers, even after controlling for demographic factors, stressors and stress moderators. Tests of interaction effects were not statistically significant. Conclusions. The findings confirmed that married women with young children evacuated to Kyiv following the Chornobyl nuclear power plant explosion reported significantly poorer psychological and perceived physical health than controls 11 years later. Although perceived social and economic adversities also affected these outcomes, there was no evidence that exposure to the Chornobyl accident increased the vulnerability of mothers to these stressors, giving support to the additive burden model of stress.
TOWARDS A LEARNER-CENTERED APPROACH TO ACADEMIC WRITING INSTRUCTION IN THE TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (TEFL) CONTEXT OF IRAN

Academic writing constitutes a significant part of teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) students’ academic literacy. Therefore, it is paramount to adopt sound approaches to efficient instruction of academic writing to students of TEFL. To achieve these aims, this mixed-methods study explores the perceptions of Iranian Master of Arts (MA) students of TEFL about their attitudes towards learning academic writing and its challenges and merits. Instruments of this study included a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. A total of 289 TEFL students took part in the survey phase of the study and 119 TEFL students participated in the interview phase of the study. The findings indicated that the TEFL students held positive attitudes towards learning academic writing despite several perceived challenges and obstacles to its learning in the TEFL context of Iran. The barriers included both stakeholder-related and pragmatic constraints. It was also depicted that the students had low levels of genre-based skills related to academic writing. Furthermore, TEFL students’ interest in academic genres and their preference of activities and materials which can be used for academic writing instruction and learning were examined and discussed. The results of this study can have direct implications for the integration of academic writing instruction in TEFL curricula across the world.
Poor Numbers: How We Are Misled by African Development Statistics and What to Do about It

One of the most urgent challenges in African economic development is to devise a strategy for improving statistical capacity. Reliable statistics, including estimates of economic growth rates and per-capita income, are basic to the operation of governments in developing countries and vital to nongovernmental organizations and other entities that provide financial aid to them. Rich countries and international financial institutions such as the World Bank allocate their development resources on the basis of such data. The paucity of accurate statistics is not merely a technical problem; it has a massive impact on the welfare of citizens in developing countries.Where do these statistics originate? How accurate are they? Poor Numbers is the first analysis of the production and use of African economic development statistics. Morten Jerven's research shows how the statistical capacities of sub-Saharan African economies have fallen into disarray. The numbers substantially misstate the actual state of affairs. As a result, scarce resources are misapplied. Development policy does not deliver the benefits expected. Policymakers' attempts to improve the lot of the citizenry are frustrated. Donors have no accurate sense of the impact of the aid they supply. Jerven's findings from sub-Saharan Africa have far-reaching implications for aid and development policy. As Jerven notes, the current catchphrase in the development community is "evidence-based policy," and scholars are applying increasingly sophisticated econometric methods—but no statistical techniques can substitute for partial and unreliable data.
Lifetime prevalence of panic states.

OBJECTIVE Little is known about the prevalence of panic symptoms that do not meet criteria for panic disorder. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of panic disorder, panic attacks, and limited-symptom attacks in the general population. METHOD The authors identified a community-based sample of 1,683 randomly selected adults in 18 census tracts in San Antonio, Tex. ; 1,306 of these subjects agreed to be interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III. Subjects were classified as having panic disorder if they met DSM-III-R criteria, as having panic attacks if they had attacks of four or more panic symptoms but did not have panic disorder, and as having limited-symptom attacks if they had attacks of fewer than four symptoms but no full-blown panic attacks. RESULTS The crude lifetime prevalence rates were 3.8% for panic disorder, 5.6% for panic attacks, and 2.2% for limited symptom attacks. Women had higher rates of panic disorder and panic attacks than men, but the difference between men and women was not statistically significant for limited-symptom attacks. No statistically significant differences in rates between Hispanic and either non-Hispanic white or black subjects were found. Non-Hispanic white subjects had higher rates of limited-symptom attacks than black subjects. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of limited-symptom attacks in this community-based study was 2.2%; black subjects had lower rates than non-Hispanic white subjects. Panic attacks appear to be at least as common as DSM-III-R panic disorder and, like panic disorder, are more common among women.
Equivalence Principle Violations and Couplings of a Light Dilaton

We consider possible violations of the equivalence principle through the exchange of a light ‘dilaton-like’ scalar field. Using recent work on the quark-mass dependence of nuclear binding, we find that the dilaton-quark-mass coupling induces significant equivalence-principleviolating effects varying like the inverse cubic root of the atomic number - A 1/3 . We provide a general parameterization of the scalar couplings, but argue that two parameters are likely to dominate the equivalence-principle phenomenology. We indicate the implications of this framework for comparing the sensitivities of current and planned experimental tests of the equivalence principle.
A study on container breeding mosquitoes with special reference to Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and Aedes albopictus in Thiruvananthapuram district, India.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES The district of Thiruvananthapuram reports the maximum number of cases of dengue in the state of Kerala. To determine the larval diversity, density and breeding site preferences of Aedes mosquitoes, during pre-monsoon and monsoon periods in urban and rural areas of Thiruvananthapuram district. METHODS Based on the daily reports of dengue cases, 70 clusters were identified in Thiruvananthapuram district. A cross-sectional larval survey was done in the domestic and peri-domestic areas of 1750 houses, using the WHO standard techniques. The larval indices were calculated, and the larvae were identified by using taxonomic keys. Urban and rural differences and the variations during pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons were also studied. RESULTS In the surveyed houses, 15% had mosquito breeding, with 88% having Aedes larvae. The house index, container index and the breteau index were 13.08, 13.28 and 16.57%, respectively. About 86% of the clusters were found positive for Aedes albopictus and 11% for Ae. aegypti. Aedes albopictus was distributed almost equally in rural and urban clusters, whereas the distribution of Ae. aegypti was significantly higher in urban areas (p = 0.03). The most common water holding containers found (outdoor) were of plastic, followed by coconut shells. The breeding preference ratio was highest for tyres. Significantly lesser positivity was found for containers during monsoon period when compared to pre-monsoon period. CONCLUSION The geographical distribution of Ae. albopictus is significantly high in peri-domestic areas and, therefore, its epidemiological role in the widespread disease occurrence needs to be studied. The discarded tyres being the most preferred breeding sites, where IEC activities will help in source reduction.
Social Capital and Civil Society

Social capital is an instantiated informal norm that promotes cooperation between individuals. In the economic sphere it reduces transaction costs, and in the political sphere it promotes the kind of associational life that is necessary for the success of limited government and modern democracy. Although social capital often arises from iterated Prisoner`s Dilemma games, it also is a byproduct of religion, tradition, shared historical experience, and other types of cultural norms. Thus whereas awareness of social capital is often critical for understanding development, it is difficult to generate through public policy.
THE DETERMINANTS OF SELECTIVE EXCHANGE RISK MANAGEMENT–EVIDENCE FROM GERMAN NON‐FINANCIAL CORPORATIONS

Survey studies of both corporate exchange risk management and the corporate use of derivatives in general have shown considerable variation in managerial practices. Some firms do not hedge open positions at all, and some hedge their exposures completely. Most companies, however, hedge only those positions on which they expect a currency loss, while leaving open positions on which they expect a currency gain-a practice known as "selective hedging. " Finally, there is a small minority of firms that engage in outright speculation, deliberately creating risk exposures in addition to those arising from their normal business operations. 2002 Morgan Stanley.
Newcomers to Like‐Minded Aid and Donor Darlings: The Strange Case of Spain in Vietnam

This article analyses the motives behind the relations between Spain as a donor and Vietnam as a recipient of international aid. The main hypothesis is that this relationship does not respond to the traditional causes for international aid, as identified by the academic literature. On the basis of qualitative data collected in interviews with elites, the article suggests instead that a ‘learning factor’ and an ‘image factor’ might be at play in the Spanish presence, as well as herd behaviour on the part of the donor community.
The market for information—evidence from finance directors, analysts and fund managers

The theoretical distinction between information efficiency and fundamental efficiency suggests an important question for accounting research, which is whether (and to what extent) there exists an equilibrium mechanism whereby fund managers investment decisions can be fully informed. This question is approached in this paper by means of developing a grounded theory of the market for information. The theory is derived from a (mostly interview-based) empirical analysis of the economic incentives of finance directors, analysts and fund managers with respect to stock market information flows. The evidence suggests a two-part theory. First, it is argued that ‘raw’ data flowing directly from companies is of considerably greater importance to fund managers than ‘processed’ data generated by analysts. Second, analysts are nevertheless argued to play an important role in the market for information, as both mechanisms of information efficiency and as providers of benchmarks for consensus valuation. This theory implies that the research literature has paid insufficient attention to the role of accounting information in direct communication between companies and fund managers and, related to this, that the role of analysts in share price determination has been overstated and only superficially understood.
What Determines Export Diversification in the Development Process? Empirical Assessment

This paper assesses the role played by country‐specific factors as determinants of relative export diversification. Using a panel data set for 60 countries and 20 years (1985–2004), we confirm that even after clearing out differences in income per capita, cross‐country variability in the degree of export diversification is significant. In general, apart from per capita income, features influencing the size of accessible markets (domestic and foreign) are the most relevant and robust determinants of the export diversification process. Diversification opportunities grow if countries are large and not located far from economic core areas and when barriers to trade are restricted.
Multivariate Skewed Student's t Copula in the Analysis of Nonlinear and Asymmetric Dependence in the German Equity Market

Analyzing comovements in equity markets is important for risk diversification in portfolio management. Copulas have several advantages compared to the linear correlation measure in modeling comovement. This paper introduces a copula ARMA-GARCH model for analyzing the comovement of indexes in German equity markets. The model is implemented with an ARMA-GARCH model for the marginal distributions and a copula for the joint distribution. After goodness-of-fit testing, we find that the skewed Student's t copula ARMA(1,1)-GARCH(1,1) model with Lévy fractional stable noise is superior to alternative models investigated in our study where we model the simultaneous comovement of six German equity market indexes. This model is also suitable for capturing the long-range dependence, tail dependence, and asymmetric correlation observed in German equity markets.
The SMART Handoff Policy for Millimeter Wave Heterogeneous Cellular Networks

The millimeter wave (mmWave) radio band is promising for the next-generation heterogeneous cellular networks (HetNets) due to its large bandwidth available for meeting the increasing demand of mobile traffic. However, the unique propagation characteristics at mmWave band cause huge redundant handoffs in mmWave HetNets that brings heavy signaling overhead, low energy efficiency and increased user equipment (UE) outage probability if conventional Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) based handoff mechanism is used. In this paper, we propose a reinforcement learning based handoff policy named SMART to reduce the number of handoffs while maintaining user Quality of Service (QoS) requirements in mmWave HetNets. In SMART, we determine handoff trigger conditions by taking into account both mmWave channel characteristics and QoS requirements of UEs. Furthermore, we propose reinforcement-learning based BS selection algorithms for different UE densities. Numerical results show that in typical scenarios, SMART can significantly reduce the number of handoffs when compared with traditional handoff policies without learning.
Managerial Assessments of Export Performance: Conceptual Framework and Empirical Illustration

Export performance has long been an issue of concern in the literature; however, there has been little research on managers’ evaluations of their firms’ performance in the presence of multiple export objectives. This study proposes a framework for understanding managerial assessments of export performance and illustrates its application using the analytic hierarchy process methodology. The framework explicitly acknowledges that the importance of different export objectives may differ both within and between firms and that the latter may also differ in terms of the frame of reference and/or time horizon used when assessing the attainment of objectives. Using this framework, the authors construct a composite index of assessed export performance that allows for valid interfirm comparisons. They use data from an online survey of 171 exporting firms to demonstrate the application of the framework and the assessed export performance index in an empirical setting.
Investigating the Effects of Corporate Governance of Banks in Nigeria: A Grounded Theory Approach

This thesis investigates the phenomena that underlie corporate governance practices in the Nigerian banking sector (NBS); the purpose is to understand the nature of corporate governance and the factors influencing it. It offers a response to a number of concerns raised about the effectiveness of banks’ corporate governance practices, especially before the consolidation reform and during the 2007-2009 global financial crisis. Culture and leadership are identified as providing the most suitable theoretical framework for this study, and through grounded theory (GT), an empirical study is undertaken to identify the nature of corporate governance practices in banks, the factors that influence such practices and the outcomes of this influence. The GT methodology is used in the following ways: First, a comparative analysis is performed in the open coding stage, based on first and second series of semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions conducted with the executive managers of the 24 quoted banks in Nigeria, officials from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), representatives of the Nigerian Deposit and Insurance Corporation (NDIC), and other stakeholders. The open coding leads to the development of eight open categories, their properties and dimensions based on the responses garnered from the interviews and focus groups. Second, through axial coding, the identified open categories are subsumed into higher categories, and the relationships among these categories are established by means of the paradigm model. The paradigm model provides the basis for the development of a substantive GT. Third, through the selective coding process, based on a third series of semi-structured interviews that identify human action and a lack of leadership as core categories, relationships with other sub-categories are verified, which eventually leads to the presentation of the substantive theory of corporate governance for banks. This theory perceives corporate governance practice in banks to be affected by human actions and a lack of leadership. This substantive theory is then explored in relation to the formal theories of culture and leadership; this offers an understanding of the corporate governance of banks in Nigeria and explains the relevance of the formal theories more clearly. Furthermore, the idea of the social contract in relation to cooperation and trust is presented as a tool with which to address free-rider issues. The use of GT is extended to explore the phenomena underlying corporate governance in the given context, providing a better understanding of the influence of culture and leadership in corporate governance theorising. Finally, this thesis is the first attempt to combine the GT methodology, corporate governance and the theories of culture and leadership, and to offer insight into how to address the identified issues using the social contract strategy through trust and cooperation, making it a useful guide on corporate governance for banks. vii Table of
Capital market access and corporate loan structure

In this article, we use a sample of 14 075 loan packages issued between 1993 and 2007 to examine if borrower access to external capital markets influences corporate loan structure. We classify firms into three access categories: private, unrated public and rated public. Private firms have the lowest access, and to date, no large sample investigation of their loans has been done in the literature. Rated public firms access the capital markets the most. We find the level of access influences loan structure in ways that are consistent with having greater or fewer financing alternatives, as well as theories on information asymmetry, agency and monitoring. In particular, loans to firms with higher levels of access have shorter maturities, fewer loan facilities per package, and a lower probability of being secured. We also find that a higher level of access results in a higher incidence of single-lender loans, but among multiple-lender loans, it leads to a larger number of lenders. Furthermore, we find evidence that access affects financial covenants in a nonmonotonic manner. Finally, lender type and economic conditions influence loan structure. Our results are robust to endogeneity caused by simultaneity of contract terms and rating.
Benefits and costs of political connections: evidence from Tunisia

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether political connections in Tunisia give firms advantages such us easy access to external financing and tax benefits and/or force them to spend more on employment. In addition, we show if political connections affect accounting and market performance. Using a sample of listed Tunisian firms between 2006 and 2010, we apply OLS regression to identify the effect of political connections on firms' policies and performance. We find that politically connected firms gain easier access to credit with relatively high costs compared to unconnected counterparts. They are offered more government subsidies and they enjoy better tax benefits thanks to their ties with politicians. Additionally, politically connected firms outperform their unconnected counterparts and they have higher value. Hence, political relationships seem to help firms getting access to key resources which improve their accounting and market performance without contributing to the job creation process. Our results are more robust for non-financial firms.
Corporate identity and corporate communications: the antidote to merger madness

This article examines the potential relevance of corporate identity and corporate communication to the merger and acquisition process. Recent studies indicate that around 50 per cent of all mergers failed to produce the synergistic benefits that were expected of them. The authors argue that this failure rate may be attributable to the neglect of corporate identity and corporate communication issues and have identified nine reasons why mergers fail, chief among which are: the undue attention that is given to short‐term financial and legal issues to the detriment of long‐term identity and communication issues; inadequate recognition of the impact of leadership issues on identity and communication; and failure to secure the goodwill of a wide range of stakeholder groups common to both companies. The authors offer a template pertaining to corporate identity and corporate communication issues in the merger and acquisition process which they call the merger mix.