Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatiotemporal Patterns and Phenology of Tropical Vegetation Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence across Brazilian Biomes Using Satellite Observations

Solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) has been empirically linked to gross primary productivity (GPP) in multiple ecosystems and is thus a promising tool to address the current uncertainties in carbon fluxes at ecosystem to continental scales. However, studies utilizing satellite-measured SIF in South America have concentrated on the Amazonian tropical forest, while SIF in other regions and vegetation classes remain uninvestigated. We examined three years of Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) SIF data for vegetation classes within and across the six Brazilian biomes (Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, Cerrado, Pampa, and Pantanal) to answer the following: (1) how does satellite-measured SIF differ? (2) What is the relationship (strength and direction) of satellite-measured SIF with canopy temperature (Tcan), air temperature (Tair), and vapor pressure deficit (VPD)? (3) How does the phenology of satellite-measured SIF (duration and amplitude of seasonal integrated SIF) compare? Our analysis shows that OCO-2 captures a significantly higher mean SIF with lower variability in the Amazon and lower mean SIF with higher variability in the Caatinga compared to other biomes. OCO-2 also distinguishes the mean SIF of vegetation types within biomes, showing that evergreen broadleaf (EBF) mean SIF is significantly higher than other vegetation classes (deciduous broadleaf (DBF), grassland (GRA), savannas (SAV), and woody savannas (WSAV)) in all biomes. We show that the strengths and directions of correlations of OCO-2 mean SIF to Tcan, Tair, and VPD largely cluster by biome: negative in the Caatinga and Cerrado, positive in the Pampa, and no correlations were found in the Pantanal, while results were mixed for the Amazon and Atlantic Forest. We found mean SIF most strongly correlated with VPD in most vegetation classes in most biomes, followed by Tcan. Seasonality from time series analysis reveals that OCO-2 SIF measurements capture important differences in the seasonal timing of SIF for different classes, details masked when only examining mean SIF differences. We found that OCO-2 captured the highest base integrated SIF and lowest seasonal pulse integrated SIF in the Amazon for all vegetation classes, indicating continuous photosynthetic activity in the Amazon exceeds other biomes, but with small seasonal increases. Surprisingly, Pantanal EBF SIF had the highest total integrated SIF of all classes in all biomes due to a large seasonal pulse. Additionally, the length of seasons only accounts for about 30% of variability in total integrated SIF; thus, integrated SIF is likely captures differences in photosynthetic activity separate from structural differences. Our results show that satellite measurements of SIF can distinguish important functioning and phenological differences in vegetation classes and thus has the potential to improve our understanding of productivity and seasonality in the tropics.
Validating the Environmental Kuznets Curve in India: Ardl Bounds Testing Framework

This study empirically examines the cointegrating relationship among variables, viz. carbon emission, economic growth, square of economic growth, primary energy supply, financial development and trade openness in India, with a view to validate the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. The results based on ARDL bounds testing approach to cointegration find no credence to EKC hypothesis, for the period 1971&#8211;2016. This indicates that the relationships between carbon emission and economic growth are not significant, and therefore, the EKC hypothesis does not hold in the case of India. Furthermore, the study establishes a significant positive relationship between energy supply and carbon emission. A proportionate increase in energy supply causes more than proportionate increase in carbon emission. In order to cope up with the positive impact of energy on carbon emission, the study suggests that the country needs to expedite the process of enhancing the capacity of renewable and clean energy generation.
Analysis of Taxpayers’ Intention to Use Tax E-Filing System in Tanzania: Controlling for Self-Selection Based Endogeneity

This paper aims at analysing factors that influence taxpayers’ intention to use electronic tax filing system. The paper employs Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework. We first estimated traditional TAM model using OLS. Using econometric tests we observed self-selection endogeneity bias in intention to use e-filing system. To account for this bias we estimated endogenous switching regression model. Results of endogenous switching model show that risk, social influence and performance expectancy have significant effects on intention to use e-filing. Further, we found that these factors affect users and non-users intentions differently, calling for differentiated strategies in influencing e-filing use intention. Lastly, we recommended both administrative and technical issues to be considered for enhanced intention to use and adoption of e-filing system.
Working Longer but Not Harder: The Effects of Incentivizing Inputs versus Outputs in a Heterogeneous Workforce

To address the empirical phenomenon that organizations often reward time on the job as an end in itself, we design an experiment in which participants solve anagram puzzles, manipulating whether a compensation pool generated from the output of paired workers is allocated based on the individual inputs of relative time spent or on the individual outputs of puzzles solved. Relative to an output-based allocation, we find that an input-based allocation leads participants to spend more time on the task. However, when paired participants have widely different abilities, an input-based allocation also leads to less effort intensity, defined as puzzles solved per unit of time spent. We attribute these findings to fairness considerations, an interpretation we corroborate in a second experiment with purely individual incentives that finds the same effort duration advantage of input-based pay, but no offsetting disadvantage in effort intensity. JEL Classifications: D91; J33; M40.
Evidence on the Joint Determination of Audit and Non-Audit Fees

In this study, we investigate whether the characteristics of clients, auditors, and the auditor-client relationship simultaneously determine audit and non-audit fees. As done in prior studies, we maintain that fees proxy for the level of service provided and follow the physical flow of knowledge. Estimating single-equation models of audit and non-audit fee models, we confirm prior findings of an association between audit and non-audit fees. Studies have concluded such evidence is consistent with knowledge spillovers between the two services. However, we document empirically that audit and non-audit fees are simultaneously determined. Since the data indicate audit and non-audit fees are jointly determined, we then investigate whether previously documented associations between audit and non-audit fees are the result of biased estimation induced by using endogenous variables in single-equation models. In contrast to results from single-equation estimations, we find no association between audit and non-audit fees using a simultaneous specification of the fee system, suggesting that single-equation estimations suffer from simultaneous-equations bias. In sum, the findings are not consistent with the existence of economies of scope from the joint performance of audit and non-audit services after controlling for the joint behavior of audit and non-audit fees. Given the ongoing debate over the level of allowed non-audit services by auditors, the argument for the joint provision of audit and non-audit services is less justified than if joint-supply benefits had been documented.
Predictive Examination of Phonological Awareness Among Hebrew-Speaking Kindergarten Children

The purpose of this study was to examine the development of phonological awareness (PA) skills among Hebrew-speaking kindergarten children. Specifically, the study examines the effects of cognitive, early literacy, and language skills to PA among Hebrew-speaking children at the middle (Early K) and end (End K) of kindergarten, and the contribution of various literacy and cognitive skills measured from the early kindergarten stage to the subsequent development of PA. Participants were 41 native Hebrew-speaking children (28 boys), ages 5–6, who were recruited from two kindergarten classrooms. A battery of cognitive, early literacy, and language measures was administered and ten PA skills were examined extensively. The results demonstrated the rapid growth of PA skills from Early K to End K. The participants were significantly better at manipulations at the syllable level, as compared to phonemes or consonants. Furthermore, deletion of a final consonant was found to be easier for them than deletion of an initial consonant. This finding emphasizes the body-coda segmentation tendency, which characterizes the Hebrew language structure. Strong-moderate positive correlations were found between PA and both letter naming and executive functioning at Early K. A strong correlation between letter naming and PA was found at End K. Regression analyses demonstrated that letter naming and executive functioning at Early K were the most significant predictors of PA at Early K, and that letter naming was the most significant predictor at End K. These findings highlight both universal and language-specific features of phonological awareness.
Masculinized Labor Activism and Geographies of Household Reproduction in Thailand’s ‘Detroit’

This PhD dissertation project focuses on the collective agency of Thai organized workers—a group of regional migrant workers in one of Thailand’s most industrialized areas—whose labor geography and organizations were conditioned by Thai state-capitallabor relations. It examines how the social, political and geographical organizations of Thai workers shape their practices of labor activism. By linking workers’ ties to their place of origin with the new geography of automotive production in Thailand’s Eastern seaboard, this dissertation examines the agency of workers through labor activism and its relationships to migration—a geographical mechanism that bridges production and reproduction across workers’ multi-sited households. This dissertation builds on the critical traditions within Human Geography as well as the work of feminist geographers to center the role of households and cultural practices of labor activism. By bringing together processes of production and social reproduction often examined separately, it sheds light on the ways in which gender and class politics within labor activism are inextricably linked to the division of labor within spatially extended households of Thai migrant workers. It highlights how workers draw on their collective resources (i.e. the regional ethnic culture) and social reproductive network stretched across the geography of household reproduction, which sustain labor struggle strictly seen in the sites of production. Masculinized Labor Activism and Geographies of Household Reproduction in Thailand’s ‘Detroit’ by Kriangsak Teerakowitkajorn B.Sc., Chulalongkorn University, 1999 M.Sc., University of Warwick, 2001 M.A., Université Paul Cézanne, 2005 Dissertation Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geography Syracuse University May 2019 Copyright © Kriangsak Teerakowitkajorn, 2019. All Rights Reserved
Prevalence and correlates of psychotic-like experiences and other developmental antecedents of schizophrenia in children aged 9-12 years

Population surveys and cohort studies have demonstrated an association between schizophrenia and socio-demographic variables such as ethnicity and migration. Within the United Kingdom, the incidence of schizophrenia among the African-Caribbean and Black African populations is raised relative to the White British population. These socio-demographic variables are similarly associated with self-reported psychotic symptoms in the general adult population. Using questionnaires, the present study sought to determine whether ethnicity and migrant status were associated with 9-12 year-old children’s experience of a triad of putative antecedents of schizophrenia, including motor and language developmental delays, emotional and behavioural problems, and psychotic- like experiences. Participants were recruited through General Practitioners and schools. Children and parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to rate behaviour and emotional adjustment, and questions (extended and revised from the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children) to assess psychotic- like experiences. Parents reported developmental lags, child’s ethnicity, and child and parent migrant status. 2592 children and 602 parents completed questionnaires. 10% of boys and 7.3% of girls experienced a triad of antecedents comprising at least one psychotic-like experience, emotional or behavioural problem, and motor and/or speech delay. Ethnicity was significantly related to children’s experience of the triad of putative antecedents of schizophrenia. Relative to White British children, African- Caribbean children were significantly more likely to experience the antecedent triad. There were also non-significant trends for Black African children to be more likely, and for South Asian and Oriental children to be less likely, to experience the triad. There was no evidence of association between migrant status and experience of the antecedent triad. Among a community sample of children aged 9-12 years, child and parent responses to questionnaires identified a group who present a triad of putative antecedents of schizophrenia, and who may thus experience increased risk for developing the illness. Ethnicity was related to children’s experience of the antecedent triad in a manner similar to that observed for self-reported psychotic symptoms in general U.K. adult population samples, and for schizophrenia. Supported by NARSAD, U.K. Department of Health, and the BMA Margaret Temple Award.
Standards-based assessment and program efficacy: Comparing service delivery models for students with learning disabilities and their peers without disabilities

xi CHAPTER 1: THE PROBLEM 2 Introduction 2 Statement of the Problem 7 Purpose of the Study 8 Rationale 10 Definition of Terms 13 Delimitations of the Study 17 Limitations of the Study 18 Summary 18 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 20 Introduction to Conceptual Model 20 Current System 22 Philosophy and Beliefs 32 Legal Foundations 33 The Evolution of Least Restrictive Environment in Theory, Practice, and Research 38 Efficacy o f Service Delivery Models as Studied by Researchers 46 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Intersection of Effective Schools and Successful Inclusion 67 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 69 Research Questions 69 Description of the Research Instrumentation 71 Description of the Procedures 76 Description of Participants 79 Treatment of the Data 84 Ethical Considerations 87 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND RESULTS 89 Instructional Arrangements 89 Teacher-Identified Strengths and Recommendations 91 Quantified Program Efficacy 98 Participation of Students with LD in Standardized Testing 101 Student Performance on the Standards of Learning Tests 104 Summary 127 CHAPTER 5: IMPLICATIONS 131 Review of the Literature 132 Review of Hypotheses 133 Review of Methods 135 Study Findings 137 Problems and Limitations 145 Recommendations for Future Research, Policy, and Practice 147 Summary 152
Korean immigrant older adults residing in Non-Korean ethnic enclaves: Acculturation strategies and psychosocial adaptation

ABSTRACT Based on Berry’s bi-dimensional model of acculturation, this study examined acculturation strategies among first-generation Korean immigrant older adults residing in areas without a well-established Korean ethnic enclave and how their acculturation strategies are associated with psychosocial adaptation and acculturative stressors. Cluster analysis (N = 108) identified three acculturation strategies such as separated, moderately bicultural, and fully bicultural, indicating that the sample did not exhibit all four acculturation strategies of Berry’s model. The moderately bicultural group of the sample was the most dominant in size, which indicated strong adherence to Korean culture. The fully bicultural group reported less acculturative stress and depressive symptoms than the separated group, which indicated that biculturalism is strongly associated with a better psychosocial adaptation. A factor analysis showed that the separated group perceived stressors such as limited English proficiency and social isolation as more stressful than the other groups. The findings suggest that even though a strong adherence to ethnic culture might be a first-generation Korean immigrant older adults’ dominant acculturation strategy, it may make them more vulnerable to lingual and cultural barriers in a mono-cultural community without Korean ethnic enclaves. Implications for social work practice are explored.
Trust, poverty, and subjective wellbeing among Chinese entrepreneurs

ABSTRACT Entrepreneurs’ subjective wellbeing has become an important topic in research: entrepreneurs undertake risks and create their companies seeking personal satisfaction and fulfillment. As a result, researchers have given considerable attention to the antecedents and the conditions under which wellbeing materializes, especially in emerging economies where poverty may be acute. In this study, we propose that generalized trust serves as an informal institution that affects entrepreneurs’ subjective wellbeing. Further, we propose that this relationship is subject to boundary conditions of economic and social poverty as well as context-specific formal institutional features. We test our predictions using a multi-sourced sample of 818 Chinese entrepreneurs. We find that trust is positively associated with entrepreneurs’ subjective wellbeing. This association is moderated by both economic poverty and social poverty. When high or low institutional voids are evident across the different regions of China, the main and moderating effects are further differentiated. The study suggests that, as a mechanism to mitigate the negative effect of lacking formal institutions, the level of trust in different regions is more relevant in social poverty rather than in economic poverty.
Tensile Properties of Titanium Carbide Particulates Composites

In this research, Aluminium alloy 11.8% Silicon alloy with titanium carbide as a particulate were manufactured by sand and die casting methods. Tensile properties of these composite materials were investigated by different weight percentages, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%wt. The effects of reinforce materials on weight percentages were investigated. The experimental results show that using permanent metallic moulds has better tensile properties result compare using sand casting moulds.
Teachers' educational beliefs and curriculum orientations: A relational research

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teachers’ educational beliefs and curriculum design orientation preferences. In this research, prediction research design, one of the correlation models, was employed. The study group consisted of teachers (n = 182) working in public primary, elementary and high schools in Bilecik province, Turkey. The findings revealed there were significant relationships between the teachers’ educational beliefs and curriculum orientations. According to the regression analysis undertaken, the model was statistically significant as a whole and the teachers’ educational beliefs and curriculum orientations were significantly correlated. The teachers’ educational beliefs predicted 39% of the curriculum orientations. According to these results, it is suggested that the educational beliefs of teachers have a key role in shaping their curriculum orientations.
STUDENTS' NETWORKING AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: AN ANALYSIS USING SOCIAL NETWORKS MEASURES

According to literature, networking plays an important role when it comes to reinforce the student performance. In this paper we try to deepen in this concept, presenting data gathered within the period 2014-2018, coming from a single Human Resources subject, belonging to Tourism Faculty. Thus, data from 994 students was registered, using their final grade as the explained variable. Independent variables were students’ partial grades and whether they co-authored works or assignments through their assessment, using this for building a network model in software Gephi 0.9. 2. Right after this, we could execute a statistical study and calculate for any given student their measures according to the place he or she was keeping within the network. Students who co-authored more assignments received a higher score in centrality, for instance. We also calculated their respective degree, betweenness, closeness, eccentricity, clustering coefficient, etc. Furthermore, apart from the academic performance variables, we also included in our study dummy variables, such as the language of teaching, or the group they belonged. With this we could calculate a model that suggested that not the group nor the language was relevant for predicting the final score got by the student, since no effect seemed to have on the final grades. On the other hand, their final score appeared significantly linked with four statistical measures associated with their networking behaviour (measured through the papers and assignments co-authored). Namely, these variables were eccentricity and eigencentrality (positive relationship), or degree and clustering (negative relationship). From our perspective, and according to our results, networking cannot be understood as a tool plainly useful in any way, for it needs to be qualified. The student could need to overcome several drawbacks even in the event they freely choose their networking team (e.g. lack of time, disparity of mates, disagreements with other members of the network, disengagement, etc). Turns out that the limitations of this study, like the short period available for analysis, or the need for including information from other fields and courses, also constrains the chances of applying it in a wider context. The study is part of a wider project which intends to improve the understanding of the student’s behaviour when it comes to organise their work on their own, the responsibilities they take, and even how they tackle their job search strategy.
Time Preference for Investment in the Environment: The Impact of Intrinsic Motivation

Insights from behavioural economics suggest that individuals rely on different discount rates to assess the present values of gains and losses (the sign effect ). They also suggest that individuals rely on different discount rates to assess investment in financial, environmental and health domains. A first objective is to further consider these valence versus domain effects. The second, novel, objective is to question whether individuals are likely to employ a higher discount rate for the benefits of investment if they also derive intrinsic value from action. The analysis focuses on perceptions of intrinsic value derived from action to conserve the environment. Will intrinsic motivation increase the sign effect and the difference between the discount rate in different domains? In a questionnaire survey, we collected data from 450 undergraduate students. Participants made choices between hypothetical financial, environmental and health gains and losses that took effect either immediately, or with a delay of 10 years. Results suggest the presence of valence and domain effects and further suggests that intrinsic motivation over action is likely to increase present bias by increasing the sign effect . This dimension of time preference is likely to have an impact on differences between discount rates in different domains.