Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Indecision in Employee Selection

Margaret Brooks, Advisor The current study was conducted to uncover the antecedents to indecision in employee selection. Drawing on past research from the consumer decision-making literature, three potential antecedents to indecision were identified. These antecedents were dominance, missing information, and trait indecisiveness. Furthermore, option quality was examined as a moderator of the relationship between dominance and decision deferral. 981 workers from Amazon's Mechanical Turk participated in this study. The results show that there was higher deferral when there were no dominant candidates than when there was a dominant candidate. Moreover, option quality moderated the relationship between dominance and deferral such that dominance affected deferral in decisions between high quality applicants but not in decisions between low quality applicants. In addition, there was higher deferral when there was missing information in the profile of job candidates than when there was no missing information. However, trait indecisiveness did not significantly predict hiring deferral. The study’s implications for research and practice are discussed, and directions for future research are provided.
A Dual-Pulse Repetition Frequency Scheme for Mitigating Velocity Ambiguities of the NOAA P-3 Airborne Doppler Radar

Abstract To mitigate some of the deleterious effects of the relatively small unambiguous Doppler velocity range (Nyquist interval) of airborne X-band Doppler radars, a technique has been developed to extend this interval. This technique, termed the batch-mode dual-PRF (pulse repetition frequency) technique, utilizes two batches of pulses that are each averaged to produce two velocity estimates at each range bin, with each batch at a different sampling rate. Comparison of the two velocity estimates produces a difference velocity that is used to dealias the second estimate within an extended velocity range that is larger than the Nyquist velocities of either of the two original samples. In this implementation, the choices of the two PRFs are restricted to ratios of 3/2 or 4/3 of the lowest PRF. Due to the spread of the input Doppler spectrum and spatial displacement from one radial to the next, however, this batch-mode technique can produce processor velocity dealiasing mistakes, particularly in high wind s.
The effect of presentation time and working memory load on emotion recognition.

Current research on the role of cognitive resources on emotional face recognition provides inconclusive support for the automaticity model. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of working memory load and attentional control on emotion recognition. Participants (N=60) were shown photographs of fearful, angry, happy and neutral faces for 200 ms, 700 ms or 1400 ms while engaging in concurrent working memory load task. A restricted response time was employed. Data analysis revealed that presentation time did not affect the reaction time across emotions. Furthermore, reactions times were marginally affected by graded load. Reaction times to fear and anger were significantly greater compared to other emotions across load conditions. These findings are relatively congruent with the automaticity theory and negativity bias, suggesting that efficient emotion recognition can occur even in the expenditure of working memory processes, whereas longer reaction time for negative stimuli indicates the partial involvement of higher cognitive processes that are necessary for evaluating potential threats. It is suggested that although processing negative emotional faces can be carried out automatically, at the same it requires sufficient attention in order to be executed.
Corn cob as a potential feedstock for slow pyrolysis of biomass

The aim of this study is to investigate the characteristic of corn cob as a biomass feedstock for slow pyrolysis process. This was achieved by using proximate, elemental and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis as well as heating value, pH and lignocellulosic determination. Proximate analysis was performed using ASTM E1756-01, ASTM E1755-01 and ASTM E872-82. Proximate analysis showed that the corn cob feedstock contained 87.76 mf wt% of volatile matter, 1.05 mf wt% of ash content and 11.09 mf wt% of fixed carbon. The elemental analysis revealed that corn cob feedstock contain less than 1 mf wt% of nitrogen and sulfur. The percentages of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin of corn cob feedstock are 45.88%, 39.40% and 11.32% respectively. The weight loss of corn cob feedstock was prominent in the temperature range of 250°C–350°C. Two distinct peaks of derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) curve indicate the difficulty of corn cob feedstock to degrade due to its high fixed carbon content. The overall findings showed that corn cob is suitable to be used as the feedstock for slow pyrolysis because of its high volatile matter and low percentages of nitrogen and sulfur. Its high fixed carbon makes it a potential feedstock for the slow pyrolysis of biomass.
A review on automated pavement distress detection methods

Abstract In recent years, extensive research has been conducted on pavement distress detection. A large part of these studies applied automated methods to capture different distresses. In this paper, a literature review on the distresses and related detection methods are presented. This review also includes commercial solutions. Thereafter, a gap analysis is conducted which is concluded that in particular the distresses related to pavement micro-texture need serious additional research in order to be implemented in a cost-effective fashion. Depth-related distresses are detectible fairly well, but rely on expensive tools.
Earnings Quality and Financial Reporting Credibility: An Empirical Investigation

Existing research indicates that firms with high accruals are more likely to experience future earnings reversals and SEC enforcement actions for GAAP violations, but that investors do not appear to anticipate these consequences. In this paper, we directly examine the published opinions of two types of professional investor intermediaries to see if they anticipate the consequences of high accruals. First, we examine the earnings forecasts of sell-side analysts. We show that analysts' earnings forecasts do not anticipate the future earnings reversals associated with high accruals. Second, we examine the audit opinions of independent auditors. We find no evidence that auditors signal the higher likelihood of GAAP violations through their audit opinions. Overall, our evidence indicates that even professional investor intermediaries act as if they do not anticipate the consequences of high accruals.
Potencial de liderança criativa em equipes de trabalho de empresas de base tecnológica incubadas

Creative leadership is considered an important factor for enhancing work teams’ performance, in particular because of its capacity to promote organizational knowledge management. Based on this perspective, this article examines the potential for creative leadership in work teams of incubated technology-based (ITB) firms, by means of an intervention tool based on the Creative Leadership Model – Team Factor Inventory (TFI). This descriptive research consists of a multiple-case study and involved administering the TFI to the owner-managers of nine of the fourteen resident companies in an ITB incubator. The findings reveal that the Atmosphere and Own Ideas factors display higher average scores, while the Share Vision factor presents the lowest; among the variables, Creativity and Productivity stand out, and regarding leadership style, the average of the Transformational Leadership variable outdoes the Transactional Leadership. The conclusion is that, for the sector investigated, the obtained creative leadership ratings allow the classification of the work teams as creative, since all the ITBs fit into the Dream Team category.
The Informational Role of Warranties and Private Disclosure about Product Quality

The Informational Role of Warranties and Private Disclosure about Product Quality Author(s): Sanford J. Grossman Source: Journal of Law and Economics, Vol. 24, No. 3, Consumer Protection Regulation: A Conference Sponsored by the Center for the Study of the Economy and the State (Dec., 1981), pp. 461-483 Published by: The University of Chicago Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor. org/stable/725273 Accessed: 27/08/2008 20:18
Should We Retire Earlier in Order to Look after Our Parents? The Role of Immigrants

This paper aims to detect whether or not people could work for more years in the presence of a more flourishing and cheaper formal care market, which, in turn, would provide support for people who are still at work and who have to cope with the care of their elderly parents and relatives. We focus on the flow of immigrants as a key variable in order to detect whether or not this channel is at work. We disentangle retirement decisions, first by modelling retirement choice using a simple life-cycle framework in which caring for parents is introduced into the choice set. We then correlate retirement choice with the gap between the foregone salary if early retirement is chosen and the price of formal care. The findings show that immigrants contribute to the postponement of retirement for women only.According to our estimates, we predict that the increase in immigration rate (equal to 4 percentage points) which occurred over the period 2000-2008 raised the retirement age for Italian women (with parents who are still alive) by almost one year, while the impact on men was non-existent.
Atomistic modeling of water infiltration in defective zeolite for thermal storage applications

In this article, the impact that zeolite materials may have in the near future in loss-free, more compact and efficient thermal storage systems is numerically investigated. Water infiltration within MFI zeolite presenting different concentrations of hydrophilic defects is studied by Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. Results show that the characteristic infiltration pressure of water in the considered zeolite framework is reduced with increased hydrophilicity. Dubinin-Astakhov model is then applied to link zeolite-water interaction energy with the resulting infiltration isotherms of the nanoporous material. The effort, therefore, is to gather some model-driven guidelines towards innovative materials for thermal systems that may be manufactured and employed in the near future for addressing a great challenge of our society: storage and use of thermal energy
The hidden hazard of melting ground-ice in northern Iceland

This thesis explores the morphology, dynamics and causes of landslides and debris flows in mountainous regions of northern Iceland. The primary objectives are to define the initiation and evolution of Icelandic landslides and debris flows, and to understand the link between ground-ice thaw and rapid mass movements. Slopes are predicted to react more intensely to global warming, so improving our knowledge of rapid mass movements in cold environments, which are even more sensitive to climate change, is crucial, as they could pose at risk local population in Iceland and other mountainous periglacial areas. I first perform a detailed study of debris flows in north-western Iceland, distinguishing through quantitative geomorphological methods the different mechanisms of debris-flow initiation and the associated geomorphic features. The approach of this study is easily applicable to similar settings, and its results could help in anticipating new potentially destructive events. Secondly, I describe and quantify the morphometric characteristics of two landslides in northern Iceland, whose source materials comprised ground ice-cemented deposits. This study reveals different dynamic landslide processes and the crucial role of thawing ground ice in landslide emplacement. I then analyse meteorological and seismic data near these two landslides. I define and distinguish precipitation, seismic activity and permafrost degradation as the preparatory and triggering factors for the failures. Finally, through a geomorphic approach I analyse molards, conical mounds of debris that I found in both landslides deposits. I show conclusive evidence that molards form from thawing of blocks of ice-rich sediments that degrade into cones of debris. I demonstrate that molards are the ‘fingerprint” of permafrost degradation, and their different morphology and distribution can reveal different types of landslide processes in periglacial terrains. This thesis widens our knowledge of the conditions and processes controlling rapid mass movements in cold environments, which is crucial in the perspective of hazard assessment, and opens up new avenues for the study of potentially hazardous geomorphic responses of cold landscapes to changing climate conditions.
Effect of Mg fertilization on yellowing disease of Norway spruce at higher elevations of the Šumava Mts., Czech Republic

AbSt RACt : Norway spruce yellowing and defoliation caused by Mg deficiency was frequently recorded on many sites of the Sumava Mts. (Bohemian Forest Mts.) since 1980's. A forest experiment aimed at investigation response of spruce to Mg application (commercial fertilizer SILVAMIX ® Mg NPK) was set up in 1998. Fertilizer was applied manually in a dose of 96.5 kg Mg/ha in spruce (S) and beech-spruce (BS) vegetation altitudinal zones in spring 2000. Immediate decrease of yellowing was revealed in fertilized plots in both vegetation zones and yellowing almost completely disap - peared at the end of the investigation in 2005. Further, fertilization resulted in stabile foliation while marked defoliation was reported from control plots in both vegetation zones. Mg deficiency can be effectively eliminated by appropriate fertilizer application. Balanced nutrition contributes to long-term vigour and stability of forest stands.
Low-Level, Liquid-Only and Mixed-Phase Cloud Identification byPolarimetric Lidar

Abstract. The measurement of low-level, liquid-only and mixed-phase clouds in the polar regions is a necessary building block to understand the regional surface energy and mass budgets over ice sheets. The unambiguous retrieval of cloud phase from polarimetric lidar observations is dependent on the assumption that only cloud scattering processes alter the transmitted polarization. However, due to clouds varying in range, optical depth, and scatterer size and shape, most atmospheric lidar systems must observe high dynamic ranges in scattered signal strengths. Depending on the polarization component measured, these signals can far exceed the linear range of a detection system. Thus, due to the high optical thickness and predominately low-lying nature of liquid-only and mixed-phase clouds in the polar regions, relative to ice only clouds, a systematic overestimate of the traditional depolarization ratio, which uses the co-polarized and cross-polarized signals, can occur due to the large dynamic range signals. For both liquid-only and mixed-phase clouds, this results in a misidentification of liquid water in clouds as ice, which has broad implications on evaluating surface energy budgets. The Clouds Aerosol Polarization and Backscatter Lidar (CAPABL) at Summit, Greenland employs multiple planes of linear polarization, and photon counting and analog detection schemes, to self evaluate, correct, and optimize signal combinations to improve cloud classification. For example, an examination of observations of liquid-only and mixed-phase clouds at Summit shows as much as a 2 kilometer offset in median cloud height of those identified as liquid due to a systematic bias in photon counting signals. At a constant altitude, more than 94 % of the liquid pixels identified with analog signals can be misidentified as ice with photon counting signals. This results in a possible error of fractional occurrence of cloud liquid of approximately 30 %. It is shown that by observing polarization planes that are non-orthogonal, the dynamic range of observed signals is reduced, the coverage of the expected signal dynamic range is increased, and more linear response can be captured. Using non-orthogonal polarization observations is shown to enhance measurement sensitivity increasing the effective sampling range for CAPABL by as much as 18 % or approximately 1.5 km.
Characterising open clusters in the solar neighbourhood with the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution

Context. The Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS) subset of the first Gaia catalogue contains an unprecedented sample of proper motions and parallaxes for two million stars brighter than G ~ 12 mag. Aims. We take advantage of the full astrometric solution available for those stars to identify the members of known open clusters and compute mean cluster parameters using either TGAS or the fourth U.S. Naval Observatory CCD Astrograph Catalog (UCAC4) proper motions, and TGAS parallaxes. Methods. We apply an unsupervised membership assignment procedure to select high probability cluster members, we use a Bayesian/Markov Chain Monte Carlo technique to fit stellar isochrones to the observed 2MASS JHKS magnitudes of the member stars and derive cluster parameters (age, metallicity, extinction, distance modulus), and we combine TGAS data with spectroscopic radial velocities to compute full Galactic orbits. Results. We obtain mean astrometric parameters (proper motions and parallaxes) for 128 clusters closer than about 2 kpc, and cluster parameters from isochrone fitting for 26 of them located within a distance of 1 kpc from the Sun. We show the orbital parameters obtained from integrating 36 orbits in a Galactic potential.
The association between musculoskeletal disorders with mental workload and occupational fatigue in the office staff of a communication service company in Tehran, Iran, in 2017

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the most common work-related illnesses, which lead to high costs and a reduction in labor productivity. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between MSDs with mental workload (MWL) and occupational fatigue among the office staff of a communication service in Tehran, Iran, in 2017. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 94 staff of a communication service company in June 2017. The data collection tools included Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA), NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) questionnaire and Swedish Occupational Fatigue Inventory (SOFI). Data analysis conducted using descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA test in SPSS software. Results: 73 of the participants were women with mean age of 28.25 ± 3.40 years and the remaining participants were men with mean age of 26.91 ± 4.60 years. According to the results of the Nordic questionnaire, the highest pain was observed in the neck (65.94) during the last year. According to the results of the ROSA, 71 of the participants were at the warning risk level and the need for ergonomic interventions. In addition, the relationship between occupational fatigue and its subscales with MSDs was significant in all cases (P < 0.001). Finally According to the results, the participants’ MWL was high. Conclusions: The results of the present study showed that high workload and occupational fatigue cause MSDs, and intervention is necessary in these individuals.
Honey ameliorates ampiclox-induced testicular damage in male Wistar rats Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769) (Rodentia: Muridae)

In an experiment to determine the effect of honey on ampiclox-induced testicular damage in rats, twenty (20) adult Wistar rats Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769) (Rodentia: Muridae) weighing 150-250 g were divided into four groups (A-D) of five rats each. Group A (control) was administered with 0.5 mL distilled water, group B was given freshly prepared honey orally by gavage daily at a dose of 1.2 g/kg body weight (b.wt), group C received ampiclox (50 mg/kg b.wt) daily while group D received ampiclox (50 mg/kg b.wt) and honey (1.2 g/kg b.wt) for a duration of 14 days. Findings indicate that honey significantly reduced ampiclox-induced damage on the testicular histology. It also improved the serum testosterone level and sperm parameters. The study suggests that honey has a protective effect against testicular damage caused by ampiclox.
Internal marketing: A study of employee loyalty, its determinants and consequences

Relationship marketing and services marketing emphasize the importance of focusing on employees in creating and maintaining customer value and loyalty. It is commonly argued that there are links between employee loyalty, customer loyalty and profitability. Therefore, it is important to manage and improve job satisfaction and employee loyalty. Based on this view, the purpose of the paper is to develop and apply a model of employee loyalty. It presents a structural equation model with latent variables, linking employees’ job satisfaction, and loyalty to its determinants, and, in turn, to its consequences: perceived contribution to the company value. The paper reports the empirical results from a study among employees in a large international hotel chain. To estimate the model, the partial least square (PLS) method has been used. The determinants of employee loyalty are examined to identify relevant areas of improvement. Priority maps are developed and interpreted in a managerially useful way.
Overeducation: A Disease of the School-to-Work Transition System

This paper aims to survey the theoretical and empirical literature on cross-country differences in overeducation. While technological change and globalization have entailed a skill-bias in the evolution of labour demand in the Anglo-Saxon countries, instead, in other advanced economies in Western Europe the increased educational level has not been associated with a parallel raise in the share of skilled occupations, therefore generating skills mismatch. This suggests that a demand-side explanation of overeducation is justified in Western Europe, which would be also confirmed by circumstantial evidence coming from the recent literature. Nonetheless, overeducation may also turn to be positive in the long run if the expansion of the supply of skills generates a technological upgrading of the production system. Moreover, from a micro-economic point of view, recent theoretical and empirical studies tend to justify a human capital theory based interpretation of the phenomenon, whereas the disorganization of the educational system, its degree of integration with the labour market may play an important role in helping young graduates develop the work experience and the competences they need to prevent them from experiencing overeducation. Overeducation causes a penalty to individuals in terms of earnings and employment opportunities and a waste of resources to the society at large in terms of state investment into education that do not bear its yields. Both penalties are higher not only where the demand for skill is lower, but also where school-to-work transition systems fail to effectively address the aim of generating competences rather than only education for their graduates.