Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Women at The Top: Female Directors vs. Female Executives, Firm Performance, and Corporate Decisions

We examine the impact of female directors and executives on firm profitability, value and firm’s decisions. Existing research has studied female CEOs and female directors in isolation and has offered inconsistent evidence on the benefits of having female directors and CEOs for modern corporations. We investigate this issue with a comprehensive dataset, controlling for the endogeneity of female CEOs and directors using panel dataset with firm fixed effects and utilizing an instrumental variable approach. Our findings show that female directors are positively related to firm’s profitability and Tobin’s q. However, these effects are significantly reduced for female CEOs. In addition, while female directors are associated positively with acquisitions, raising external finance and dividend payout, female CEO’s are less inclined to engage in acquisitions and associated with lower dividend payout. Our study presents evidence that the impact of women is different based on their roles in organizations. The relationships observed between female CEOs and firm performance and investment behavior are consistent with the behavioral literature and the hypothesis that more risk-averse female executives are associated with undertaking lower risk projects that realize subsequent lower returns. However, the results for female directors suggest that women on board do not exhibit such risk averseness and are beneficial for firm profitability and value.
Spatial pattern of well-being in Tehran: The north-south gap

Background: Human well-being is a core global issue. Thus, achieving and sustaining higher levels of well-being is a challenge for citizens, governments, and international organizations worldwide. The present study aimed at describing the well-being status of residents of Tehran municipal districts. To achieve this, a composite well-being index was constructed for 22 municipal districts of Tehran (Tehran Well-being Index; TWI). Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted from May to October 2017 in Tehran using the data collected in the second round of Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool (Urban HEART) Project of Tehran (2012-2013). The statistical population of this study was 22 municipal districts of Tehran and a sample of 34 700 households (118 000 individuals) selected using multistage cluster sampling. TWI was developed through the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) methodology of constructing composite indicators. Then, 22 municipal districts were categorized based on TWI scores. All data were analyzed using SPSS v.18. In addition, a cartogram was applied using GIS software to classify well-being status among Tehran municipal districts. Results: Factor analysis results showed that the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) value was 0.691 and 2 factors (material well-being and psychological well-being) explained 74.13% of the total variances. Furthermore, the best and worst performances were found in districts 6 and 17, respectively. District 6 had the best and district 17 the worst material well-being status. Also, districts 6 and 19 had the best and worst psychological well-being status, respectively. Conclusion: In general, the well-being status of the municipal districts of Tehran can be divided into 5 main categories: (a) prosperous (districts 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6); (b) fairly prosperous (districts 4, 21, and 22); (C) moderately prosperous (districts 7, 8, and 13); (d) less prosperous (9, 10, 11, 14, and 12); and (e) deprived zone (districts 12, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19).
Natural Language Generation for Effective Knowledge Distillation

Knowledge distillation can effectively transfer knowledge from BERT, a deep language representation model, to traditional, shallow word embedding-based neural networks, helping them approach or exceed the quality of other heavyweight language representation models. As shown in previous work, critical to this distillation procedure is the construction of an unlabeled transfer dataset, which enables effective knowledge transfer. To create transfer set examples, we propose to sample from pretrained language models fine-tuned on task-specific text. Unlike previous techniques, this directly captures the purpose of the transfer set. We hypothesize that this principled, general approach outperforms rule-based techniques. On four datasets in sentiment classification, sentence similarity, and linguistic acceptability, we show that our approach improves upon previous methods. We outperform OpenAI GPT, a deep pretrained transformer, on three of the datasets, while using a single-layer bidirectional LSTM that runs at least ten times faster.
Experimental Study on Carbon Steel Corrosion and its Inhibition Using Sodium Benzoate Under Different Operating Conditions

Corrosion experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of several operating parameters on the corrosion rate and corrosion potential of carbon steel in turbulent flow conditions in the absence and presence of sodium benzoate inhibitor using electrochemical polarization technique. These parameters were rotational velocity (0 - 1.57 m/s), temperature (30oC – 50oC), and time. The effect of these parameters on the corrosion rate and inhibition efficiency were investigated and discussed. It was found that the corrosion rate represented by limiting current increases considerably with increasing velocity and temperature and that it decreased with time due to the formation of corrosion product layer. The corrosion potential shifted to more positive with increasing temperature and velocity while it shifted to more negative with time. Sodium benzoate gave good inhibition efficiency for the whole investigated range of temperature and velocity. Its efficiency was high on clean surfaces and decreased with time in stationary and flow conditions. No noticeable effect of temperature on the inhibition efficiency was noticed.
SEASONAL VARIATION IN BIOMASS AND DISTRIBUTION OF BROWN SEAWEEDS (PHAEOPHYCEAE) IN GULF OF MANNAR, TAMILNADU, INDIA

Seaweeds are macrophytic algae widely distributed in Indian waters. The brown seaweeds belonging to the Phylum, Heterokontophyta and Class, Phaeophyceae constitute about 1,760 species and are currently arranged in 18 orders in the world (Guiry and Guiry, 2014). In India, there are about 191 species of brown seaweeds among the total of 844 available seaweeds (Oza and Zaidi, 2000). Studies on brown seaweeds have been carried out in the tropical waters of Hong Kong (Kong and Ang, 2004), Japan (Shimabukuro et al., 2007), Thailand (Mayakun and Prathep, 2005) and India (Krishnamoorthy and Baluswamy. 2010; Krishnamoorthy and Ezhili. 2013).
Vector Concentration used for Stenosis Assessment in the Carotid Artery before and after Carotid Stenting

Angiography of carotid stenosis is the preferred method for stenosis assessment, but the method is invasive and ionizing. The ultrasound technique Vector Flow Imaging (VFI) is proposed as a noninvasive and nonionizing alternative for stenosis assessment. Vessel stenosis and flow complexity are associated, and VFI can measure flow complexity with Vector Concentration (VC). VC goes towards 1 for laminar flow and 0 for complex flow. In this preliminary study, 5 patients treated with carotid stent for carotid artery stenosis were examined with VFI to evaluate if VC estimations were comparable with the corresponding digital substraction angiography (DSA) calculated stenosis degree percentage. VFI was obtained with a bk5000 ultrasound scanner and an 8L2 linear transducer with a frequency range from 2-8 MHz (BK Medical, Herlev, Denmark), while angiography data were obtained with Siemens Artis Q (Siemens, Erlangen, Germany). The flow in the stenosis was evaluated with VC as a mean over 100 frames with a frame rate of 30 Hz. VC of the stenotic carotid artery was low for all patients before stenting with a mean of 0.59 (SD:0.07), while mean VC increased to 0.97 (SD:0.02) after stenting (p=0.016). Mean DSA stenosis degree percentage was 82% (SD:9%) before stenting and was reduced to 11% (SD:6%) after stenting (p=0.001). Correlation coefficient between VC and DSA stenosis degree was strong 0.97. This is the first preliminary study that shows VFI can be used to evaluate stent treatment of carotid stenosis. The results indicate that VC is a useful parameter for flow complexity assessment, and that VC and stenosis degree are comparable for patients with carotid stenosis.
Historical newspaper semantic segmentation using visual and textual features

Mass digitization and the opening of digital libraries gave access to a huge amount of historical newspapers. In order to bring structure into these documents, current techniques generally proceed in two distinct steps. First, they segment the digitized images into generic articles and then classify the text of the articles into finer-grained categories. Unfortunately, by losing the link between layout and text, these two steps are not able to account for the fact that newspaper content items have distinctive visual features. This project proposes two main novelties. Firstly, it introduces the idea of merging the segmentation and classification steps, resulting in a finegrained semantic segmentation of newspapers images. Secondly, it proposes to use textual features under the form of embeddings maps at segmentation step. The semantic segmentation with four categories (feuilleton, weather forecast, obituary, and stock exchange table) is done using a fully convolutional neural network and reaches a mIoU of 79.3%. The introduction of embeddings maps improves the overall performances by 3% and the generalization across time and newspapers by 8% and 12%, respectively. This shows a strong potential to consider the semantic aspect in the segmentation of newspapers and to use textual features to improve generalization.
The Effect of Chronic Traumatic Experience on Palestinian Children in the Gaza Strip

This research was conducted on a representative sample of Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian people have been exposed to chronic traumatic experiences throughout the sixty years of wars, conflicts, crises, displacement and the occupation which has had so many effects on all aspects of their lives, in particular on the mental and physical health of children and their families. Palestinian children and their families currently have no hope that the circle of suffering will end. If this traumatized society gets no help in the near future, then the community will become too weak to recover and we might face the prospect of a lost generation of children. However, this research found that some children were exposed to traumatic experiences but did not develop PTSD, and when the researcher examined the reasons, he found that these particular children received a high level of support from family, friends, relatives, teachers, spiritual support, ideological commitment, and national pride as well as Governmental and NGO institutions. In addition, the positive traits of personality can reduce the effects of PTSD.
Income Segregation and Intergenerational Mobility Across Colleges in the United States*

We construct publicly available statistics on parentsâ€™ incomes and studentsâ€™ earnings outcomes for each college in the United States using deidentified data from tax records. These statistics reveal that the degree of parental income segregation across colleges is very high, similar to that across neighborhoods. Differences in postcollege earnings between children from low- and high-income families are much smaller among students who attend the same college than across colleges. Colleges with the best earnings outcomes predominantly enroll students from high-income families, although a few mid-tier public colleges have both low parent income levels and high student earnings. Linking these income data to SAT and ACT scores, we simulate how changes in the allocation of students to colleges affect segregation and intergenerational mobility. Equalizing application, admission, and matriculation rates across parental income groups conditional on test scores would reduce segregation substantially, primarily by increasing the representation of middle-class students at more selective colleges. However, it would have little effect on the fraction of low-income students at elite private colleges because there are relatively few students from low-income families with sufficiently high SAT/ACT scores. Differences in parental income distributions across colleges could be eliminated by giving low- and middle-income students a sliding-scale preference in the application and admissions process similar to that implicitly given to legacy students at elite private colleges. Assuming that 80% of observational differences in studentsâ€™ earnings conditional on test scores, race, and parental income are due to collegesâ€™ causal effectsâ€”a strong assumption, but one consistent with prior workâ€”such changes could reduce intergenerational income persistence among college students by about 25%. We conclude that changing how students are allocated to colleges could substantially reduce segregation and increase intergenerational mobility, even without changing collegesâ€™ educational programs.
Case Study of an IFAS System – Over 10 Years of Experience

The Annapolis Water Reclamation Facility (WRF), which is owned and operated by the Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works in Annapolis, Maryland, has undergone, over the last ten years, a transition from conventional activated sludge to an Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge (IFAS) system for Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) to, most recently, a dual anoxic zone process for Enhanced Nutrient Removal (ENR) without IFAS. This transition has included bench-scale and full-scale pilot work, full-scale upgrade and operation and finally, further study and modifications to expand the capacity while upgrading to the limit of technology for nitrogen and phosphorus removal. The twelve years of full-scale operating experience with IFAS media has taught some valuable lessons regarding the design, operation and performance of IFAS systems, particularly rope type media systems such as employed at the Annapolis WRF. The primary objective of this paper is to summarize the lessons learned from this experience focusing on the construction, performance, operation and maintenance issues. The following topics will be addressed using plant operating data to illustrate the points.
Have Financial Markets Become More Informative?

The finance industry has grown, financial markets have become more liquid, information technology has been revolutionized. But have financial market prices become more informative? We derive a welfare-based measure of price informativeness: the predicted variation of future cash flows from current market prices. Since 1960, price informativeness has increased at longer horizons (three to five years). The increase is concentrated among firms with greater institutional ownership and share turnover, firms with options trading, and growth firms. Prices have also become a stronger predictor of investment, and investment a stronger predictor of cash flows. These findings suggest increased revelatory price efficiency.
RSCAS 2019/87 The Gravity of Intermediate Goods

One of the puzzles of the gravity literature is the persistent effect of distance on trade flows, despite the dramatic fall in trade costs during the last few decades (Disdier and Head, 2008). A possible reason for the \distance puzzle" is that trade in intermediate goods, which has risen dramatically during this period due to the emergence of global value chains, may be more sensitive to distance than trade in final goods. Using a dataset of bilateral import flows covering 5000 products and more than 200 countries over the 1998-2011 period, we show that intermediate goods are indeed more sensitive to distance than final goods, with differentiated inputs exhibiting the highest distance elasticity. The results are robust to including different sets of controls, and using different samples and econometric methodologies. They suggest that sourcing inputs from nearby countries helps final good producers to better coordinate with their suppliers, monitor their production, and insure the timely delivery of inputs that need to be tailored to their needs.
The alate morph of Stomaphis wojciechowskii-first description and implications for species ecology

The first description of the hitherto unknown alate morph of the recently discovered giant aphid species Stomaphis wojciechowskii Depa is presented, based on examination of specimens collected in the United Kingdom and Poland in 2018. A key for the determination of known alate morphs of the genus Stomaphis is provided. Morphological comparisons are made between the alate morph of S. wojciechowskii and the closely-related, sympatric species Stomaphis quercus L. , and we discuss how the observed differences may have evolved as an adaptation of each species to the very different ecological niche occupied by their respective ant hosts: S. wojciechowskii to Lasius brunneus (Latreille), and S. quercus to Lasius fuliginosus (Latreille).
Reduced Acoustic Startle Response and Prepulse Inhibition in the Tg4-42 Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

Sensorimotor deficits have been described in several neuropsychiatric disorders including Alzheimer’s disease. The aim of the present study was to evaluate possible sensorimotor gating deficits in the Tg4-42 mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease using the prepulse inhibition task (PPI). Previous studies indicated that the hippocampus is essentially involved in the regulation of PPI. We analyzed 7-month-old homozygous Tg4-42 mice as mice at this age display severe neuron loss especially in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. Our results revealed a reduced startle response and PPI in Tg4-42 mice. The observed deficits in startle response and PPI are likely due to altered sensory processing abilities rather than hearing deficits as Tg4-42 displayed intact hearing in the fear conditioning task. The present study demonstrates for the first time that sensorimotor gating is impaired in Tg4-42 mice. Analyzing startle response as well as the PPI may offer valuable measurements to assess the efficacy of therapeutic strategies in the future in this Alzheimer’s disease model.
EFFECT OF BIORICHAR AMENDMENT ON GROWTH, NUTRITIONAL PROPERTIES AND BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES OF BANANA (Musa acuminata) cv. BERANGAN ESTABLISHED IN AN ULTISOL SOIL AT VEGETATIVE STAGE

Enrichment of soil fertility with organic amendment offers a new strategy for enhancing soil physical properties and improving soil fertility. Application of BioRichar can be a new alternative for adoption of organic banana cultivation in Malaysia. This study was conducted to determine optimum BioRichar rate for growth enhancement of banana cv. Berangan at vegetative stage. The BioRichar was mixed thoroughly with ultisol soil at 1.5, 3.0 and 4.5 t/ha, which were equivalent to 0.6, 1.2 and 1.8 kg/ polybag (size 16 x 16 inches), respectively. In the experiment, BioRichar at 3.0 t/ha and 4.5 t/ha improved plant growth characteristics significantly including plant height, pseudo-stem diameter, total leaf number and leaf area as compared to control. Application of 4.5 t/ha BioRichar changed total N, P, K, Ca and Mg significantly in leaves. Total N, P, K increased but Ca and Mg content decreased significantly, when BioRichar was applied at higher rate (4.5 t/ha). Meanwhile, proline and MDA contents in leaf tissue were higher in control as compared to BioRichar enriched plants. These findings suggested that optimum growth of banana cv. Berangan could be achieved with BioRichar at 4.5 t/ha applied at vegetative stages during acclimatization period prior to field transplanting.
CAROLINA TORRES ALEJO Study of the role of quail as reservoirs for avian infectious bronchitis virus São Paulo 2015

TORRES, C. A. Study of the role of quail as reservoir for avian i nfectious bronchitis virus. [Estudo do papel das codornas como reservatório para o vírus da bronquite infecciosa das galinhas]. 2015. 53 f. Tese (Doutorado em Ciências) – Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 2015. Tese (Doutorado em Ciências Veterinárias) Faculdade de Agricultura e Medicina Veterinária da Universidade de Pádua, Pádua, 2015. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence and molecular diversity of coronavirus in quail and laying hens raised on the same farms and quail only farms, to determine the role of quail as reservoir for avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV). To this end, two investigations were carried out, one in the São Paulo state, Southeastern Brazil, in 2013, when some farmers started quail vaccination with Massachusetts IBV serotype after surveillance carried out in 2009-2010 and the other in two regions of Northern Italy, in 2015. In the Brazilian study, samples were collected as pools of tracheas, lungs, reproductive tract, kidneys and enteric contents from quail (Coturnix coturnix Japonica) and laying hens showing IB-like symptoms, while, in the Italian study, samples were collected as pools of tracheal and cloacal swabs and intestine/enteric content from European quail (Coturnix coturnix), showing enteric disorders. All samples were tested by a nested RT-PCR targeted to the 3'UTR of the Gammacoronavirus genus. Positive samples were submitted to RT-PCR to the RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase gene (RdRp) and two different RT-PCRs to the spike gene, including a typing-multiplex one. Two other RT-PCRs were used to detect the avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) and Newcastle disease virus (NDV). Avian coronavirus was found in all types of samples analyzed in quail and chickens from both type of creations, aMPV subtype B was found in chickens (Brasil) and the NDV was not observed in any samples. Based on the DNA sequences for the RdRp gene, Brazilian and Italian quail strains clustered within either Gammacoronavirus or Deltacoronavirus genus, while, for one Brazilian sample, it was detected co-infection with the two genuses. Phylogeny based on partial S1 subunit sequences showed that the gammacoronaviruses detected in the Brazilian and Italian quail belong to the Brazil type and 793/B, respectively. These results suggest that quail are susceptible to Gamma and Deltacoronavirus and that quail avian coronavirus share spike genes identical to chicken infectious bronchitis virus (IBV); thus, quail might act as reservoirs for avian coronaviruses. Also, Massachusetts vaccination was not efficient to control IBV in Brazilian quail.