Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adult learning, health and well-being – changing lives

Abstract It is increasingly important for adult educators to articulate more clearly their understanding of the benefits and outcomes of adult learning. This paper reviews existing evidence of the impact of participation in education, and particularly explores the relevance of recent studies of how learning has influenced adults’ health and well-being. Overall, the balance of evidence suggests that learning has clear, identifiable positive effects for both well-being and health. Adult educators should, though, treat these findings with care. The relationships are probabilistic, and do not imply that all individuals will benefit in the same ways from any type of learning; and in most cases, the effects seem relatively small. However, given the well-known challenges of persuading adults to improve their health or well-being by other means, this evidence is important, and confirms’ practitioners experiences of the transformations that learning can produce in people’s lives.
The drivers of customer satisfaction and loyalty: Cross-industry findings from Denmark

What drives customer satisfaction and loyalty? Which drivers have the largest impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty? Are there cross-industry diVerences in the drivers’ impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty? These questions are of great importance to companies. Customer satisfaction must not be a goal in itself, but only a means for improving the company’s performance. Several empirical studies have demonstrated a link between customer satisfaction, loyalty and the economic performance, measured in several ways. For example, return on investments, stock market value and market value added (Anderson et al., 1994; Bohte, 1996; EkloÈ f et al., 1999; Fornell, 1999; Fortune, 1998; Ittner & Larcker, 1996; Kristensen, 1997; Reichheld & Sasser, 1990). A profound knowledge about each driver’s impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty can help companies to optimize the allocation of limited resources. This knowledge will thereby have consequences for the company’s priority-setting and strategy development. The above-mentioned questions are the focus of this paper. The paper reports the development of a Danish Customer Satisfaction Index and the ® rst results from a pilot study. The methodology, which is based on the recently introduced European Customer Satisfaction Index (ECSI), is shortly presented. By using this ECSI approach, it is possible to obtain information about the levels of satisfaction, to understand customers’ perceptions and the reasons behind these, and to calculate the impact in terms of future loyalty. The drivers’ impact on satisfaction and loyalty is crucial for a company’s future performance. The impacts will vary in strength and oVer good opportunities for exploring possibilities of improving the future competitive situation of the individual company. The paper presents impacts of the drivers on customer satisfaction and loyalty, and industry diVerences are investigated. Managerial implications are discussed brie ̄ y, and consequences of the results for future customer satisfaction research are mentioned.
DETECTING ABNORMAL RETURNS USING THE MARKET MODEL WITH PRE‐TESTED DATA

The current literature suggests various alternative procedures for increasing the power of tests to detect abnormal returns in event studies. Using randomly constructed portfolios, we simulate events and compare the results of tests using three alternative procedures: traditional, cross-sectional, and cross-sectional with standardized residuals. For each test, we compare results when all observations are included with results when the observations with high trading volume are omitted from the estimation period. The simulation results indicate that both the traditional approach with omitted observations and the cross-sectional approach using standardized residuals with all observations yield approximately the correct test sizes and significantly improve the power of tests to detect abnormal returns. However, the cross-sectional approach using standardized residuals is clearly dominant among the three procedures.
The Political Economy of Stabilisation Funds: Measuring their Success in Resource-Dependent Countries

Summary This paper seeks to make a meaningful contribution to the literature on the use of stabilisation funds in resource-dependent countries, by proposing a new manner by which to measure their effectiveness. Since the 1950s, over 30 countries have used these instruments to stabilise resource revenues into their budgets to avoid the resource curse and Dutch disease and/or to save income from non-renewables. As has been documented by case studies, these countries have had a mixed record in attaining their goals. This paper is novel in that it aggregates quantitative results of fund performance through the compilation of a new database of detailed fiscal indicators for, put together through the extraction of data from hundreds of IMF documents containing official government data. The cross-country analysis of fiscal performance provides a new direction for the measurement of the effectiveness of stabilisation funds and the underlying political economy reasons for their success or failure. Because these funds serve a purpose of both stabilisation and savings, it is argued that their effectiveness should be measured by a success variable which is an indicator of sustainable fiscal performance. This is defined by its impact along three dimensions: fiscal revenues, fiscal expenditures and savings. By looking at the underlying economic and political conditions, as well as the attributes of stabilisation funds which drive success, some interesting conclusions are reached. First, stabilisation funds matter. Although there is no a priori economic reason to create one, their presence leads to better fiscal outcomes. Second, the governance of stabilisation funds is the most important factor in determining their success. An independent civil service is positive for success, while open and regulated political systems are actually found to be detrimental, contrary to what the literature assumed. Finally, the rules of the stabilisation fund are also crucial. Discretion over resources is negative for success, while earmarking is positive. This means that these funds work best when they are relatively rigid and less susceptible to capture by politicians.
Thermal modeling of three-dimensional integrated circuits considering the thermal removal capability of different TSVs

In this paper, a thorough comparison of the heat removal capability of different types of through silicon vias (TSVs) for three-dimensional ICs is presented. It is shown that power TSVs with the associated power delivery network (PDN) has significantly better heat removal capability than the other types of TSVs. An accurate and efficient thermal simulation methodology is then proposed by incorporating an accurate heat removal model of the PTSVs and PDN. Experimental results show that the accuracy of the proposed methodology is close to that of detailed 3-D finite volume based heat solver, while the computational effort is much lower.
Corporate responsibility activities and economic performance: a theory of why and how they are connected

Whether a firm undertakes corporate responsibility (CR) activities for strategic or altruistic reasons, it is important to understand the relationship between such activities and economic performance. CR activities may be distinguished based on which combination of three possible outputs – learning, reputation and CR outcomes – they produce. This distinction matters not only for the ultimate environmental and social sustainability but also for the relationship between CR activities and economic performance. Taking advantage of this distinction, an integrative synthesis of knowledge of the relationship between CR activities and economic performance can be developed that presents the relationship in terms of a dynamic, case-specific, inverted U-shaped efficiency frontier and the vertical distance from this frontier. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Public Funding of Environmental Amenities: Contingent Choices Using New Taxes or Existing Revenues for Coastal Land Conservation

Alternative funding approaches affect stated preferences. An individual’s willingness to reallocate existing tax dollars exceeds willingness to pay new taxes to conserve land. However, stated preferences also imply a non-zero opportunity cost to existing tax dollars; different income groups reveal statistically equivalent marginal utilities both for income and for reallocating tax dollars. Yet individuals with lower income show a relatively larger increase in their willingness to support land conservation, when the choice shifts from new taxes to reallocation of existing tax dollars. The paper encourages consideration of equity implications that may be obscured when analysts focus on willingness to pay. (JEL Q58, Q51)
Effects of Social Capital, Top Executive Attributes and R&D on Firm Value in Chinese Small and Medium‐Sized Enterprises

This study uses an unbalanced panel data analysis to examine the effects of social capital, top executive attributes and R&D on firm value in Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Board from 2007 to 2011. There are several interesting findings. First, the gender (male) and academic degree of the chairperson in the SMEs have a positive and significant effect on firm value. Second, social capital (measured by political connections, managerial business association networks and technology association networks) and R&D have a positive effect on SME firm value. Third, the effect of political connections on firm value for state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is stronger than for non-SOEs, while the effect of business and technology networks on firm value for non-SOEs is stronger than for SOEs. Our study has important policy implications for SMEs that want to compete successfully in China.
Playing on Two Chessboards: Reputation Effects between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Corporate Political Activity (CPA)

It has recently been argued that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is ‘political’. It has been neglected however, that firms also operate politically in a traditional sense, in seeking to secure favourable political conditions for their businesses. We argue that there are potential synergies between CSR and corporate political activity (CPA) that are often overlooked by firms and that recognition of these synergies will stimulate firms to align their CSR and CPA. We develop a conceptual model that specifies how various configurations of a firm's CSR and CPA – alignment, misalignment, and non-alignment – affect the firm's reputation beyond the separate reputation effects of CSR and CPA. This model has important implications for understanding how and why firms should pay attention to their CPA and CSR configurations, and thereby contributes to the broader issue of why firms should make sure that they are consistent in terms of responding to stakeholder concerns.
Impact of Bilaterality and Headache on Health-Related Quality of Life in Meniere's Disease

Objectives We analyzed the impact of bilaterality and headache on the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of patients with Meniere's disease (MD). Methods A case series including 86 patients with a diagnosis of definite MD according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) diagnostic criteria was evaluated by the Short Form 36 (SF-36) Health Instrument and the Dizziness Handicap Inventory Short Form (DHI-S). Results The scores on all scales of the SF-36 were significantly lower for bilateral MD than for unilateral cases, except for body pain. Both groups had scores worse than those of their sex- and age-matched normative population on all SF-36 scales (p = 0.017 to p = 0.0001), except for body pain in men. The DHI-S scores were also better for unilateral than for bilateral cases (p = 0.04), suggesting that the dizziness is perceived to be more disabling in bilateral MD. Migraine was significantly associated with bilateral MD (odds ratio, 3.58 [95% confidence interval, 1.25 to 10.31]; p = 0.021). Headache and score on the AAO-HNS functional scale, which evaluates the effect of vertigo attacks on daily activities, were two independent factors that explained a great part of the variability on all SF-36 scales, except for “role emotional” in bilateral MD. Conclusions Patients with bilateral MD perceived their dizziness to be more disabling and had a worse HRQL than did patients with unilateral MD. Migraine was more frequently found in patients with bilateral involvement. Headache and score on the AAO-HNS functional scale were factors associated with the HRQL in bilateral MD.
In defense of the individual: the CEO as board chairperson

Purpose – Looks at group decision making by Boards and impact of diversity on effectiveness.Findings – Extensive research fails to demonstrate the superiority of the separate board leadership structure. Other factors supersede the need for independence where board leadership is concerned. There is no substitute for a single strong leader who is accountable.Practical implications – Provides executives with information on important factors to consider when determining board structure.Originality/value – Of particular value to CEOs and other board members
Impact of total and partial dipole switching on the switching slope of gate-last negative capacitance FETs with ferroelectric hafnium zirconium oxide gate stack

We report, for the first time, a gate last process, used to fabricate Negative Capacitance field effect transistors (NCFETs) with Hf0.5Zr0. 5O2 (HZO) as ferroelectric (FE) dielectric in a metal/ferroelectric/insulator/semiconductor (MFIS) configuration. Long channel NCFET's with HZO thickness down to 5 nm exhibit consistent switching behavior with switching slope (SSrev) below kT/q over four decades of drain current. Temperature dependent transport study shows that, the effective mobility of HZO NCFETs is 15 % higher than that of HfO2 based control MOSFETs due to suppression of Hf diffusion into the interfacial SiO2 layer (IL). Using the Preisach hysteresis model, which models dynamics of FE switching through a cluster of independent switching dipoles at arbitrary electric field, we (a) explain the asymmetric SS behavior of NCFETs in MFIS configuration, and (b) establish design guidelines for achieving sub-kT/q SS in both forward and reverse sweep direction.
The effects of linkage between business and human resource management strategies

Contingency theory holds that human resource management methods are selected in accordance with the type of competitive strategy adopted by a business. It moreover assumes that companies that closely coordinate their business strategy and HRM activities achieve better performance than companies that do not. This study attempts to examine the interactive effects of various combinations of business and HRM strategies from the standpoint of contingency theory. The conclusions are based on an analysis of questionnaires completed by 315 local firms in Taiwan. The results show that different business and HRM strategy combinations have different effects on organizational performance. However, these differences were not always consistent with the predictions of contingency theory.
Defective antigen processing associated with familial disseminated mycobacteriosis

To gain insights into a possible immune defect predisposing to disseminated mycobacteria infection, we studied three of six surviving children with disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex infection, who had no recognized form of immunodeficiency. We used mycobacteria isolated from the patients and diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine (DTP) to study antigen‐specific T lymphocyte responses. We observed that interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ) production by T cells in response to antigens (both mycobacteria and DTP) in these patients with disseminated infection was greatly impaired. This defect did not seem to be the result of T cell unresponsiveness, as phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation was able to induce high levels of IFN‐γ comparable to those seen in control patients with localized infection. Further experiments showed that peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with disseminated infection were able to present influenza haemagglutinin (HA) peptides to specific T cell clones. However, this ability was lost when the whole HA protein was used as source of antigen. Taken together, these observations support the notion that the primary immune defect in these patients with disseminated mycobacterial infection rests in the antigen‐processing functions of their antigen‐presenting cells (APC). These findings may provide clues to the wider problem of susceptibility to mycobacteria and other intracellular pathogens and have implications in designing therapy for these patients.
Switching from ritonavir to cobicistat in HIV patients with renal impairment who are virologically suppressed on a protease inhibitor

Cobicistat (COBI) is a pharmacoenhancer and one of the components of ECF/TDF (elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir DF), which is approved in treatment‐naïve HIV patients with creatinine clearance (CrCl) ≥70 mL/min. Study 118 assessed the renal safety of COBI‐containing regimens in HIV patients with mild to moderate renal impairment.
Factors restricting success of strategic decisions

This study analyzes the problems restricting success of formulation and implementation of strategic decisions and tests whether there are meaningful differences between firm groups categorized by success levels obtained in strategic decision making and implementing processes by dealing with each problem. The Turkish textile industry was examined in this study. Five formulation problems and six implementation problems were frequently experienced by the sample group. Findings showed that the most important formulation problem was “uncertainties arising from national economic conditions”, and the two of most important implementation problems were “implementation activities taking more time than originally planned”, and “uncontrollable factors in the external environment”. ANOVA results demonstrated that there were meaningful diversities among firms attained different success level for four formulation and two implementation problems.
Phylogenomics demonstrates that breviate flagellates are related to opisthokonts and apusomonads

Most eukaryotic lineages belong to one of a few major groups. However, several protistan lineages have not yet been robustly placed in any of these groups. Both the breviates and apusomonads are two such lineages that appear to be related to the Amoebozoa and Opisthokonta (i.e. the ‘unikonts’ or Amorphea); however, their precise phylogenetic positions remain unclear. Here, we describe a novel microaerophilic breviate, Pygsuia biforma gen. nov. sp. nov., isolated from a hypoxic estuarine sediment. Ultrastructurally, this species resembles the breviate genera Breviata and Subulatomonas but has two cell morphologies, adherent and swimming. Phylogenetic analyses of the small sub-unit rRNA gene show that Pygsuia is the sister to the other breviates. We constructed a 159-protein supermatrix, including orthologues identified in RNA-seq data from Pygsuia. Phylogenomic analyses of this dataset show that breviates, apusomonads and Opisthokonta form a strongly supported major eukaryotic grouping we name the Obazoa. Although some phylogenetic methods disagree, the balance of evidence suggests that the breviate lineage forms the deepest branch within Obazoa. We also found transcripts encoding a nearly complete integrin adhesome from Pygsuia, indicating that this protein complex involved in metazoan multicellularity may have evolved earlier in eukaryote evolution than previously thought.
Job-Relevant Information and Its Role with Task Uncertainty and Management Accounting Systems on Managerial Performance

This paper examines the effect of job‐relevant information on the relationship between management accounting systems (MAS) and task uncertainty affecting managerial performance. Data are obtained via survey questionnaire of a sample of 131 senior managers from manufacturing firms in Australia. The study finds a statistically significant three‐way interaction between the extent of use of broad scope MAS information, job‐relevant information and task uncertainty affecting managerial performance. More specifically, the results suggest that under low task uncertainty situations, the use of more broad scope MAS information, regardless of job‐relevant information, would potentially result in information overload, which is detrimental to managerial performance. On the other hand, the results suggest that under high task uncertainty situations, the use of more broad scope MAS information and high use of job‐relevant information for decision‐making leads to improved managerial performance.
Phishing-Alarm: Robust and Efficient Phishing Detection via Page Component Similarity

Social networks have become one of the most popular platforms for users to interact with each other. Given the huge amount of sensitive data available in social network platforms, user privacy protection on social networks has become one of the most urgent research issues. As a traditional information stealing technique, phishing attacks still work in their way to cause a lot of privacy violation incidents. In a Web-based phishing attack, an attacker sets up scam Web pages (pretending to be an important Website such as a social network portal) to lure users to input their private information, such as passwords, social security numbers, credit card numbers, and so on. In fact, the appearance of Web pages is among the most important factors in deceiving users, and thus, the similarity among Web pages is a critical metric for detecting phishing Websites. In this paper, we present a new solution, called Phishing-Alarm, to detect phishing attacks using features that are hard to evade by attackers. In particular, we present an algorithm to quantify the suspiciousness ratings of Web pages based on the similarity of visual appearance between the Web pages. Since cascading style sheet (CSS) is the technique to specify page layout across browser implementations, our approach uses CSS as the basis to accurately quantify the visual similarity of each page element. As page elements do not have the same influence to pages, we base our rating method on weighted page-component similarity. We prototyped our approach in the Google Chrome browser. Our large-scale evaluation using real-world websites shows the effectiveness of our approach. The proof of concept implementation verifies the correctness and accuracy of our approach with a relatively low performance overhead.
Cross-Domain Recommendation: An Embedding and Mapping Approach

Data sparsity is one of the most challenging problems for recommender systems. One promising solution to this problem is cross-domain recommendation, i.e., leveraging feedbacks or ratings from multiple domains to improve recommendation performance in a collective manner. In this paper, we propose an Embedding and Mapping framework for Cross-Domain Recommendation, called EMCDR. The proposed EMCDR framework distinguishes itself from existing crossdomain recommendation models in two aspects. First, a multi-layer perceptron is used to capture the nonlinear mapping function across domains, which offers high flexibility for learning domain-specific features of entities in each domain. Second, only the entities with sufficient data are used to learn the mapping function, guaranteeing its robustness to noise caused by data sparsity in single domain. Extensive experiments on two cross-domain recommendation scenarios demonstrate that EMCDR significantly outperforms state-of-the-art cross-domain recommendation methods.