Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How Do Consumers Judge Celebrities' Irresponsible Behavior? An Attribution Theory Perspective

In 2007, Michael Vick, quarterback for Atlanta Falcons and a celebrity athlete was in news for his involvement with dog fighting. Corporate endorsers for Vick quickly reacted by withdrawing or terminating the endorsement deals - a response that is based on the assumption that consumers blame the celebrity for the undesirable action. Inspired by this observation and by drawing on the literature in diagnosticity of information, attribution and blame theory, this qualitative research paper investigates how consumers make judgments about celebrity blameworthiness. Results from this qualitative study show respondents were more likely to find the actor blameworthy when they perceived that the latter played a pivotal role in the negative action and that the cause of the action was under his control. Conversely, respondents judged the celebrity as blameless when they perceived the cause of the action as being outside of the actor’s control, i.e., the latter was not empowered to alter the consequence. Lastly, in both sets of blame judgments, causal stability emerged to be an unimportant dimension in blame attribution. The findings from the paper offer both theoretical and managerial implications.
Apsidal precession, disc breaking and viscosity in warped discs

We demonstrate the importance of general relativistic apsidal precession in warped black hole accretion discs by comparing three-dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamic simulations in which this effect is first neglected, and then included. If apsidal precession is neglected, we confirm the results of an earlier magnetohydrodynamic simulation which made this assumption, showing that at least in this case the α viscosity model produces very similar results to those of simulations where angular momentum transport is due to the magnetorotational instability. Including apsidal precession significantly changes the predicted disc evolution. For moderately inclined discs thick enough that tilt is transported by bending waves, we find a disc tilt which is non-zero at the inner disc edge and oscillates with radius, consistent with published analytic results. For larger inclinations, we find disc breaking.
Investigation of Various Cross-Linking Methods for the Immobilization of Cytosine Arabinoside on Bacterial Magnetosomes

Bacterial magnetosomes (BMs) have emerged as potential drug delivery vehicles, possessing an iron oxide or iron sulfide core surrounded by a natural lipid membrane shell. In this study, we immobilized cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) effectively on BMs by using various methods such as direct absorption (ABMs), and others include different cross-linkers such as genipin (GP) and glutaraldehyde (G). A well-dispersed Ara-C coupled bacterial magnetosomes resulted in significantly higher negative charge than that of naked BMs (− mV) confirming the drug loading. Out of all methods, direct absorption process led to the highest encapsulation efficiency and drug loading of % and %, respectively. These designs have shown the long-term drug release behavior without an initial burst release. Our results indicate that BMs-based nanoconjugates will potentially find widespread applications in pharmaceutical field.
The Effect of the Rising Abdominal Perfusion Pressure on Kidney Function Assessed by the RIFLE Criteria in Critically Ill Patients with Multiorgan Dysfunction

Abdominal perfusion pressure (APP) is a novel, clinically measurable parameter to explain the circulatory compromise in the abdominal cavity, defined as the difference between the mean arterial pressure (MAP) and the intrabdominal pressure (IAP). Kidneys are especially vulnerable intrabdominal organ to the circulatory compromise and the third spacing in multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS) patients. And this study was to evaluate the relationship of the APP to AKI assessed by RIFLE Patients and methods: 106 MODS patients were included in the study, routine laboratory investigations and vital signs were recorded and APP and RIFLE score were assessed daily for the first three days. Results: AKI patients had lower APP (86.3 ± 9.0 vs 78.4 ± 18.5 P 0.009). Patients with APP < 60mmHg showed worse RIFLE scores (0=0/18, R=1/6, I=2/27, F=13/39 p=0.03). APP was significantly correlated with urine output (r=0.239 P 0.013). Conclusion Low APP causes deterioration of kidney function and oliguria is the first and sensitive predictor.
Does Broadband Facilitate Immigration Flows? A Non-Linear Instrumental Variable Approach

This paper investigates whether ICT facilitates migration flows from any one OECD member country to others, and from non-OECD to OECD countries. Among various ICT tools, we primarily focus on broadband. Our instrumental-variable model derives its non-linear first stage from a logistic diffusion model, where pre-existing voice-telephony and cable-TV networks predict maximum broadband penetration. The selection of both OECD- and non-OECD-origin countries, governed by the availability of the data, is based on the magnitude of the flows, leading us to examine those with a minimum number of 100 people (threshold 0.1) who are migrating from source to host, followed by 300 (threshold 0.3) and 500 (threshold 0.5) people. By looking at the efficacy of ICT connections, we intend to fill the gap in the literature on the relationship between communication facilities and migration decisions. We find a strong and positive effect of broadband on migration flows between 1995 and 2009. This effect is more prominent for non-OECD to OECD country pairs. The larger the threshold, the better the results.
CUSTOMERS PERCEPTIONS OF MOBILE BANKING USING THE TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL FOR SELECTED BANKING OUTLETS IN GAUTENG, SOUTH AFRICA

Much of the available literature that has examined the diffusion of mobile banking has tended to focus on the developed societies where these innovations had initially been introduced. As such, there is a paucity of studies on the diffusion of innovations that have focused on mobile banking in developing contexts generally and in particular in South Africa. This study focused on convenience, cost/price, trust and the original variables of the extended technology acceptance model by Venkatesh and Davis. The study has further explored the main influencers for mobile banking among customers on the basis of their perceptions of important attributes of the electronic banking technology
Comparative Study on Strategic Environmental Assessment System in Selected Countries

Recently, Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is recognized as one of the best envi- ronmental policy tool to support environmental friendly and sustainable decision making. Back to 1970, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of USA was introduced as a world first national EIA sys- tem including SEA concept. Up to now, many developed countries as well as developing countries in- cluding Asian countries have already successfully introduced national SEA systems. General concept of SEA is widely accepted in academics and practitioners. However, there is no widely recognized SEA defi- nition. Although many presented several SEA definitions, they are not recognized as world standard. This study conducted the comparison of SEA systems from 11 countries with referring to 8 SEA definitions from existing literatures, and identified decisive factors for SEA definition by additionally utilizing the AHP (Analytic Hierarch Process) analysis. In conclusion, one of the basic decisive factors of SEA defini- tion assumed to be the application for policies, plans and programs. Also there were other important fac- tors: The employment of systematic process; Stakeholder involvement; Economic, social and cumulative effects assessment; and Alternative development, which were in some cases included in SEA.
A new conceptualization of union commitment: Development and test of an integrated theory.

An introductory conceptual and empirical review stresses the need for a stable theoretical basis for union commitment research. The purpose of this paper is to develop a new conceptualization of union commitment based on the integration of two theories (the theory of reasoned action and the rationalistic approach to commitment). The integrated theory suggests that union commitment is composed of two dimensions, one based on instrumentality and one based on ideology, which are causally related to prounion behavioral intentions and, in turn, to union participation. Propositions derived from the integrated theory are tested using data on 1486 blue‐collar workers in Sweden. Results of linear structural equation modelling with latent variables and of multiple regression analyses provide strong support for the construct validity of the commitment dimensions and the overall applicability of the integrated theory. The central findings, their conceptual implications for the understanding of union commitment, and their practical implications for unions are discussed.
Intermittency for branching random walk in Pareto environment

We consider a branching random walk on the lattice, where the branching rates are given by an i.i. d. Pareto random potential. We describe the process, including a detailed shape theorem, in terms of a system of growing lilypads. As an application we show that the branching random walk is intermittent, in the sense that most particles are concentrated on one very small island with large potential. Moreover, we compare the branching random walk to the parabolic Anderson model and observe that although the two systems show similarities, the mechanisms that control the growth are fundamentally different.
Pollen grain traits of oil species from the Novi Sad collection

The collection of oil species in Novi Sad contains 12 species represented with 1-4 cultivars or landraces. In the continuous work on this collection in the sense of breeding of some of those species and their usage as a source of 'desirable genes' we analyzed pollen grain morphology (shape and size), as well as pollen viability. To determine mentioned pollen traits we used Axiovert 40C microscope together with a software package (AxioVision LE; Rel.4.3.) for measurement of pollen length and width. Pollen viability was determined using a staining method (ALEXANDER, 1969). The results showed that species differ by pollen grain shape (round, egg-shaped, triangular and rod) as well as by shape of exine (thick and spiky, thick to thin). In some species there was a specific number of apertures present (1-11). The size of viable pollen grains ranged from 29,10/12,58μ (coriander) to 176,63/169,94μ (oil gourd), while non-viable pollen grains were always smaller (27,27/10,97μ to 119,62/100,86μ) at the same plant species. Pollen viability of most species was around 80%. Lowest pollen viability was found in white flax (56,98%), and the highest in oil pumpkin (91,43%).
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF ISLAMIC BANKS AND CONVENTIONAL BANKS IN INDONESIA

The paper compared and examined financial performance of Islamic banks against conventional banks before and after the enactment of Indonesia’s Islamic Banking Act No. 21/2008. The law aims to strengthen the regulatory environment for further growth of Indonesia’s market Islamic finance. The data was based on selected financial statements of Islamic commercial banks in Indonesia from year 2000 to 2007. Financial performance measures were expressed in terms of various financial ratios in which were categorized into profitability, liquidity, risk and solvency and efficiency. To test the hypotheses, Mann-Whitney was employed to compare financial performance of Islamic banks and conventional banks. In general, the study found no major difference in financial performance between Islamic banks and conventional banks, except in terms of its liquidity. This indicated that Islamic banks are generally more liquid as compared to conventional ones.
Route Reconstruction from Floating Car Data with Low Sampling Rate Based on Feature Matching

Floating Car Technology is widely used to collect traffic information. To reappear the actual trips of drivers, a bi-level probability method is proposed to reconstruct routes from floating car data, address two issues: the first one is incorrect map matching caused by GPS accuracy and complexity of road network; and the second one is the link missing duo the low sampling rate of floating car. Using confidence region, GPS points are divided into three types: zero-feature points with no feature matching, single-feature points that have a unique matched link or node and multiple-features points that have multiple features. The matching probability for GPS points to the possible feature according to the distance between GPS point and the link, which is assumed to be normal distribution. The missing links between two single-feature points are reconstructed by the shortest path algorithm with consideration of the probability of multiple matched features. A case study of Guangzhou floating car data shows that the proposed method can produce reasonable routes on complicated urban road network.
Adsorptive removal of Reactive and Direct dyes using non-conventional adsorbent - Column studies

This study presents effect of influent concentration, flow rate and bed height on packed bed column prepared by Euphorbia antiquorum L activated carbon used for adsorptive removal of dyes, Reactive Red 4 and Direct Blue 53. Adsorption efficiency increases with increase in influent concentration and bed depth and decreases with increase in flow rate. Yoon-Nelson model described adsorption behaviour of selected adsorbent-adsorbate system more reasonably than Thomas model and Reactive Red 4 adsorption behaviour fits exceptionally well with Yoon-Nelson model.
Determinants of Consumption of Fluid Milk Products in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

This paper investigated the determinants of consumer choices of fluid milk products in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The study was carried out in Dar es Salaam; the most populated city in the country (about 4 million residents). Specifically, the study sought to (i) explore locally and imported milks brands in the market; (ii) to examine fluid milk intake level amongst consumers (iii) examine characteristic features of locally processed milk products present in the market (iv) assess consumer choice responses to characteristic features of fluid milk products. A survey of 384 consumers was conducted, complemented by interviews of key stakeholders; importers of milk product, processors and wholesalers of local brands. It was found that the Dar es Salaam fluid market is dominated by imported milk brands and products mainly from Kenya and South Africa. The dominant imported fluid milk was Ultra Heat Treated (UHT) with 6 to 12 months shelf-life. Local processors had limited access to UHT technology and thus produced short-lived milk which was dependent on refrigeration. A number of intrinsic and extrinsic consumption drivers which determined consumer responses were identified to include product form, price, packaging, taste/flavour and availability. Milk consumption was far lower than recommended by FAO/WHO mainly due to low level of consumer income and awareness/education. The study concludes that consumer responses to fluid milk products is determined driven mainly by intrinsic and extrinsic product characteristics and there is low consumption rate of milk in the market. A number of recommendations were put forward mainly directed towards enhanced product consumption promotion. Keywords: Fluid Milk Products Consumption, Dar es Salaam Milk Market, Milk Consumer Choice Responses, Milk Product Characteristics
The Intervaling Effect on Higher-Order Co-Moments

This paper investigates the sensitivity of higher-order co-moments for different return measurement intervals. The levels of systematic skewness and kurtosis are found to be signiﬁcantly inﬂuenced by the length of return interval. An asset preferred because of its positive co-skewness and low co-kurtosis when measured in one particular interval may have negative co-skewness or high co-kurtosis for another interval. We ﬁnd the intervaling effect varies according to the level of price adjustment delay as proxied by market capitalization and illiquidity. Findings persist for intervals of up to twelve months, and are consistent during both volatile and stable periods.
Cross-cultural Consumer Impulsiveness Scale Deliberate Self-Indulgence vs. Involuntary Loss of Self-Control: Towards a Robust Cross- Cultural Consumer Impulsiveness Scale

There is neither a consensus about the dimensionality of the consumer impulsiveness construct, nor sufficient evidence about the validity and crosscultural measurement equivalence of its various scales. We address these gaps by using cross-cultural differences in control orientations as the conceptual foundation for a more robust consumer impulsiveness scale. Specifically, we demonstrate that unlike individualistic consumers, collectivistic consumers distinguish between deliberate self-indulgence and involuntary loss of selfcontrol, as reflected in the three-factor structure (prudence, self-indulgence, and self-control) for the collectivists and a two-factor structure (prudence and hedonism) for the individualists. We also discuss some implications and limitations of this research.
Price distance to moving averages and subsequent returns

This paper is testing the premise that U.S. stocks exhibit mean reversion characteristics in the short to medium term (one week to one year), with the “mean”being the most commonly used moving averages. The analysis indicates that there is a connection between the distance of stock prices to moving averages and subsequent returns: portfolios of stocks with lower prices to moving averages generally outperformed portfolios of stocks with higher prices to moving averages This “overextended” effect is more pronounced when using shorter moving averages of 20 and 50 days, and is especially strong in short-term holding periods like one and two weeks. The highest annual returns are recorded when buying in the range of 0-5% below shorter moving averages of 20/50 days, and 0-10% below longer moving averages of 100/200 days. However, buying very far below almost all moving averages on almost all holding periods produces the lowest returns.
Correlation of Grassy Lake and Cedar Lake ambers using infrared spectroscopy, stable isotopes, and palaeoentomology

The Late Cretaceous Grassy Lake and Cedar Lake amber deposits of western Canada are among North America’s most famous amber-producing localities. Although it has been suggested for over a century that Cedar Lake amber from western Manitoba may be a secondary deposit having originated from strata in Alberta, this hypothesis has not been tested explicitly using geochemical fingerprinting coupled to comparative analyses of arthropod faunal content. Although there are many amber-containing horizons associated with Cretaceous coals throughout Alberta, most are thermally mature and brittle, thus lacking the resilience to survive long distance transport while preserving intact biotic inclusions. One of the few exceptions is the amber found in situ at Grassy Lake. We present a suite of new analyses from these and other Late Cretaceous ambers from western Canada, including stable isotopes (H and C), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, and an updated faunal compendium for the Grassy and Cedar lakes arthropod.
Impacts of Agricultural Cooperatives on Farmers’ Revenues in Cambodia: A Case Study of Tram Kak District, Takeo Province

Agricultural cooperatives in Cambodia have been promoted with the aim of increasing agricultural production and farmers’ revenues. The objectives of this study are to identify factors influencing farmers’ decision on membership in agricultural cooperatives, and to assess the impact of being a member in those cooperatives on farmers’ revenues from paddy, livestock and farm. Cross-sectional data from interviews of 242 households in Tram Kak District, Takeo Province were used. The probit model and propensity score matching were employed to achieve the objectives. The results show that farmers who sold their paddy and had been contacted by extension workers from the government agency and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are more likely to join the cooperatives while male-headed household farmers and farmers who have high off-farm income are less likely to become members of the cooperatives. Moreover, the results of propensity score matching reveal that agricultural cooperatives have no impact on paddy yields and paddy revenue due to the fact that agricultural cooperatives do not provide sufficient training to their members, and members did not actively attend those trainings provided. Also, the cooperatives have failed to provide members better prices for their paddy. There are positive impacts on their livestock and farm revenues through increasing livestock and other crop production when agricultural cooperatives provide livestock and other crop training to their members. However, there is no impact on non-members if they join the cooperatives as they have higher off-farm income, less paddy land size and fewer laborers that are not favorable to taking on other farming activities.
Employment Trends in India

This article explores the trends in labour force, employment and unemployment from 2000 to 2012 using NSSO data in major Indian states. Most of the states experienced acceleration in employment growth when economic growth was slow during the first quinquennium of the twenty-first century. These trends have reversed during the second quinquennium. The deceleration in growth of employment was driven mainly by decline in female employment in rural areas in almost all the states, and the withdrawal from labour market could not be fully explained in terms of its correlates. This article highlights the need to improve the data on employment and increase its frequency, and also suggests the measures. JEL: J21
Hubble Space Telescope observations of the host galaxies and environments of calcium-rich supernovae

Calcium-rich supernovae (SNe) represent a significant challenge for our understanding of the fates of stellar systems. They are less luminous than other SN types and they evolve more rapidly to reveal nebular spectra dominated by strong calcium lines with weak or absent signatures of other intermediate-and iron-group elements, which are seen in other SNe. Strikingly, their explosion sites also mark them out as distinct from other SN types. Their galactocentric offset distribution is strongly skewed to very large offsets (~1/3 are offset >20 kpc), meaning they do not trace the stellar light of their hosts. Many of the suggestions to explain this extreme offset distribution have invoked the necessity for unusual formation sites such as globular clusters or dwarf satellite galaxies, which are therefore difficult to detect. Building on previous work attempting to detect host systems of nearby Ca-rich SNe, we here present Hubble Space Telescope imaging of five members of the class three exhibiting large offsets and two coincident with the disc of their hosts. We find no underlying sources at the explosion sites of any of our sample. Combining with previous work, the lack of a host system now appears to be a ubiquitous feature amongst Ca-rich SNe. In this case the offset distribution is most readily explained as a signature of high-velocity progenitor systems that have travelled significant distances before exploding.