Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Timing for Dollars: How Option Exercisability Influences Resource Allocation

Stock options have been advocated to encourage managers to make long-run investments like R&D and capital expenditures (CAPX) that entail upfront costs with the potential to generate favorable long-term returns. However, the effect of options on managerial decisions depends on managerial beliefs about how the stock market reacts to firm behavior. If, consistent with empirical evidence, managers believe that stock prices increase in the short term from increased R&D, but not CAPX, then stock option exercisability—which dictates when managers can receive option payouts—should influence resource allocation. We also consider the effect of changes in the value of options over time. Results from a study of more than 6,500 observations from about 1,000 manufacturing firms over 18 years show that unexercisable stock options positively influence CAPX but not R&D, while exercisable stock options positively influence R&D but not CAPX. Both patterns are consistent with behavior that increases managerial payoffs but not necessarily firm performance. In addition, we find an expected negative association between underwater options and CAPX but no evidence of a corresponding positive relation with R&D. Finally, we find partial evidence of a house money effect that makes allocations to CAPX and R&D sensitive to recent changes in option values.
Size-dependent vulnerability of juvenile bay anchovy Anchoa mitchilli to bluefish predation: Does large body size always provide a refuge?

Bay anchovy are known to be an important component of food webs in estuarine and coastal waters along the US east coast. Despite their role as a primary forage species for several top- level predators in these systems, very little is known about their behavioral interactions with preda- tors and the vulnerability of post-larval life stages to predation. In this study, we examined the vul- nerability of juvenile bay anchovy to age-0 bluefish predation using a size-structured laboratory design. For a range of bay anchovy and bluefish body sizes, we determined predator capture success, handling time costs, feeding rates, and prey profitabilities as functions of relative prey size. We eval- uated bluefish size selection when offered different sizes of bay anchovy simultaneously and identi- fied behavioral characteristics of prey that may contribute to disparate rates of attack. Bluefish cap- ture success was high on small relative prey sizes ( 50% of predator size), demonstrating that even large bay anchovy are highly susceptible to capture. Handling time and capture success relationships were combined with prey body mass to generate dome-shaped profitability curves that peaked at relative prey sizes of 0.50, which is much higher than typically observed for piscivore-prey interactions. Bluefish exhibited strong selection patterns and significantly higher attack rates on large bay anchovy. Disparate attack distributions on large and small bay anchovy appeared to be caused partly by differences in prey behavior among size groups. Our results suggest that bay anchovy may not achieve a refuge from predation with increased body size and support the importance of predation in shaping bay anchovy life history.
Pull-Out Testing of SWCNTs Simulated by Molecular Dynamics

In this paper we present our results of simulating a pull-out test of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) out of a single crystal gold lattice by means of molecular dynamics. We compare the obtained force-displacement data of the pullout test to results of simulated uniaxial tensile strain tests of SWCNTs. In doing so, we make a theoretical estimation about the quality of the clamping of SWCNTs in a gold crystal. We investigated the influence of chirality of SWCNTs and of the system temperature. Dependent on SWCNT chirality two different pull-out behaviours can be described. Zigzag nanotubes show stronger pull-out resistance than chiral or armchair nanotubes. Our results indicate a minor influence of embedding length of the SWCNT in the gold matrix on pull-out forces. The system temperature has only little effect on the maximum pull-out forces. The presented results have impact on design criteria of SWCNT-metal interfaces.
The psychological contract, violation of the psychological contract, work-related anxiety and intention to quit of sport coaches in South Africa : sport management and governance

Like most employer-employee relationships, the relationship between sport coaches and their employers is governed by legal work contracts which clearly spell out the rights and obligations of the two parties (the employer and the employee). However, formal contracts do not reflect all the exchanges between the employer and the employee in the workplace. The unwritten dimensions (psychological contract) also impacts on coaches' employment relationships which is often a neglected area of research. Hence, the purpose of this study was to examine whether the psychological contract, violation of the psychological contract and work-related anxiety predict sport coaches' intention to quit the coaching profession. The study is located within a quantitative research design. The respondents consisted of 151 (n=151) sport coaches sampled through a convenience sampling technique in the Gauteng province, South Africa. The PSYCONES Scale (employer obligations, employee obligations, violation of psychological contract), Work-related Anxiety Scale and Intention to Quit Scale were used to collect data. Descriptive and regression analysis were used to examine the relationship among the constructs. The findings reveal that violation of the psychological contract and work-related anxiety of sport coaches predict intention to quit. This study advocates the notion that, like in other organisational contexts, it is essential for employers in the sport industry to identify and fulfil the psychological contracts of sport coaches in the management of employee relationships between coaches and their employees.
Properties of H i discs in the Auriga cosmological simulations

We analyse the properties of the H i gas distribution in the Auriga project, a set of magnetohydrodynamic cosmological simulations performed with the moving-mesh code arepo and a physics model for galaxy formation that succeeds in forming realistic late-type galaxies in the 30 Milky Way-sized haloes simulated in this project. We use a simple approach to estimate the neutral hydrogen fraction in our simulation set, which treats low-density and star-forming gas separately, and we explore two different prescriptions to subtract the contribution of molecular hydrogen from the total H i content. The H i gas in the vast majority of the systems forms extended discs although more disturbed morphologies are present. Notwithstanding the general good agreement with observed H i properties – such as radial profiles and the mass–diameter relation – the Auriga galaxies are systematically larger and more gas-rich than typical nearby galaxies. Interestingly, the amount of H i gas outside the disc plane correlates with the star formation rate, consistent with a picture where most of this extra-planar H i gas originates from a fountain-like flow. Our findings are robust with respect to the different assumptions adopted for computing the molecular hydrogen fraction and do not vary significantly over a wide range of numerical resolution. The H i modelling introduced in this paper can be used in future work to build artificial interferometric H i data cubes, allowing an even closer comparison of the gas dynamics in simulated galaxies with observations.
High order analysis of the limit cycle of the van der Pol oscillator

We have applied the Lindstedt-Poincar\'e method to study the limit cycle of the van der Pol oscillator, obtaining the numerical coefficients of the series for the period and for the amplitude to order $859$. Hermite-Pad\'e approximants have been used to extract the location of the branch cut of the series with unprecendented accuracy ($100$ digits). Both series have then been resummed using an approach based on Pad\'e approximants, where the exact asymptotic behaviors of the period and the amplitude are taken into account. Our results improve drastically all previous results obtained on this subject.
The Effects of Climate Change on Livelihoods of Smallholder Farmers in the Upper East Region of Ghana

Smallholder households obtain livelihoods through the rural labour market, self employment in rural non-farm economy, migration and rain-fed agriculture. Agriculture is the major source of rural livelihoods and employs more than 60% of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Climate change presents severe threats and erodes essential livelihoods of the poor and marginalized. Guided by the Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF), the study combined qualitative methods, participatory rural appraisal (PRA) techniques such as Focus Group Discussion’s and interviews with a quantitative method (traditional survey) to gather the data. The results revealed that households have been under considerable stress of livelihood insecurity since key livelihood activities such as crop and animal farming, fishing, trading, basket weaving and shea butter processing were severely threatened by climate change through rippling effects such as droughts, floods, pest and diseases, post harvest losses and consequently declining crop yields and animal production. Non- farm/off-farm livelihood activities are vital to supplement the incomes gained from agricultural activities. Therefore, policy makers need to formulate more specific and targeted climate change adaptation policies and robustly pursue livelihood diversification strategies in order to reduce the vulnerabilities of smallholder households whose livelihoods depend largely on rain-fed agriculture.
Managing Information and Communication Technology in Sudanese Secondary School

This research article is based on a larger study whose purpose was to investigate the current status and implementation of ICT in Khartoum State secondary schools. The study, adopted a descriptive survey design. Two instruments questionnaires’ and a structured interview schedule were used to collect data. The target population comprised of 320 secondary schools in Khartoum State at the time of data collection. Stratified sampling was used to select 48 secondary schools for the study. Data collected by questionnaires from 48 principals and 5 administrators were analyzed using descriptive statistic and chi square with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings of the analysis of data revealed that the school principals have positive attitudes regarding the use of ICT in their schools. The results also indicated that, although a significant number of schools have a policy goal to use ICT for administration and for keeping track of student data, very few schools realized these goals. Out of this study recommendations were made to the secondary schools in Khartoum State and the Sudanese Ministry of Education in general.
How does alluvial sedimentation at range fronts modify the erosional dynamics of mountain catchments?

At the geological time scale, the way in which the erosion of drainage catchments responds to tectonic uplift and climate changes depends on boundary conditions. In particular, sediment accumulation and erosion occurring at the edge of mountain ranges should influence the base level of mountain catchments, as well as sediment and water discharges. In this paper, we use a landform evolution model (LEM) to investigate how the presence of alluvial sedimentation at range fronts affects catchment responses to climatic or tectonic changes. This approach is applied to a 25 km × 50 km domain, in which the central part is uplifted progressively to simulate the growth of a small mountain range. The LEM includes different slope and river processes that can compete with each other. This competition leads to ‘transport‐limited’, ‘detachment‐limited’ or ‘mixed’ transport conditions in mountains at dynamic equilibrium. In addition, two end‐member algorithms (the channellized‐flow and the sheet‐flow regimes) have been included for the alluvial fan‐flow regime. The three transport conditions and the two flow algorithms represent six different models for which the responses to increase of rock uplift rate and/or cyclic variation of the precipitation rate are investigated.
A New Method for Extracting the Channel-Length Reduction and the Gate-Voltage-Dependent Series Resistance of Counter-Implanted p-MOSFET ’ s

Based on the channel-resistance measurement, a new method for extracting the channel-length reduction( Ljj) and the gate-voltage-dependent source/drain resistance (RSD) of counter-implanted p-MOSFET’s is proposed, in which the necessity of the applying substrate bias is demonstrated and an empirical relationship between poly-Si gate length(LM) and device structure parameters for Ljj extraction is provided. This is the first attempt to extract the basic parameters of counter-implanted p-MOSFET’s with the LDD structure. Numerical analysis using two-dimensional (2-D) device simulator has been used to verify the proposed extraction method. Furthermore, an improved approach to extract RSD is also presented. Both numerical analysis and experimental results show good accuracy of our proposed method.
Light Absorbing Properties of Brown Carbon Generated from Pyrolytic Combustion of Household Biofuels

ABSTRACTThe light absorption properties of brown carbon aerosols generated in a lab scale experiment from wood (Magnifera indica) and dung cake were studied. Mie theory along with experimentally derived values for imaginary refractive index was used to estimate mass absorption coefficient for the samples. It was observed that for both wood and dung cake major portion of brown carbon were generated above 150°C. The light absorbing properties of brown carbon from wood depended on temperature of pyrolysis which was not the case for dung cake. The spectral dependence of absorption for brown carbon samples was estimated in terms of Absorption Angstrom Exponent and found to be greater than 2. The brown carbon aerosols from dung cake pyrolysis were having twice the light absorbing potential (in the wavelength range 280 nm to 750 nm) than brown carbon emitted from mango tree wood pyrolytic combustion.
M.A.G.I.C. W.O.R.K.S (Motivating Activities Geared-to Instilling Confidence-Wonderful Opportunities to Raise Kid's Self-Esteem)

This study investigates use of magic tricks to increase self-esteem and self-confidence of children with disabilities. Twenty-six children with various disabilities at both elementary and secondary levels volunteered for the study. Participants were taught various magic tricks and were given weeks of practice time to perfect their presentation prior to performing for others. Pre- and post-test measures of self-esteem and self-confidence were determined using the Self-image domain from the Self-Confidence dimension on the Student Self-Concept Scale. Overall results indicate that a statistical increase in self-esteem and self-confidence was noted for the entire group at the end of the study. Significance of results and their implications are discussed.
Camelthorn (Acacia erioloba) firewood industry in Western Cape, South Africa

The reliance of firewood demand on indigenous trees such as Acacia erioloba is a continuing phenomena despite the concern that over-exploitation of these resources will degrade the environment. This study tested the hypothesis that the cutting of A. erioloba in the Northern Cape is driven by (a) market demand in the Western Cape, (b) ignorance of the long-term ecological consequences and/or (c) ignorance of legislation along the chain of custody of this product. The assumption is that whoever is involved in the A. erioloba firewood industry (resource owner, trader or user) is neither aware of the protected status of the resource nor the negative consequences associated with the over-exploitation of the resource or they are driven by short term monetary gains. Therefore, there is a need to understand the needs of every participant in the chain and to further find out if there may be substitutes for A. erioloba firewood. The results of this study show that there is a market for firewood in the study area and that this demand is driven mainly by the availability rather than the quality of firewood. It will also be shown that Acacia mearnsii which is available in the study area is a better product than A. erioloba and therefore it can be a suitable replacement but consumers were found to bum almost everything that would give them embers. The most preferred firewood in the study area is A. cyclops. The concept of indigenous trees is not clearly understood by retailers and consumers. The major role players in the supply chain were found to be the retailers and the transport owners who may be targeted when firewood trade is to be stopped in the short-term. The results further highlighted the fact that the majority of consumers were aware that indigenous trees were protected in South Africa but the majority of retailers were not aware. The study recommends that firewood trade should be stopped completely by strict enforcement of the law or by the involvement of every role-player and/or that the trade should be regulated. 111 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za
Bird exploitation pattern: the case of Ptarmigan Lagopus sp. in the Upper Magdalenian site of La Vache (Ariège, France)

This paper deals with the exploitation of Ptarmigan (Lagopus sp.) during the upper Magdalenian and is based on the analysis of the bone remains from La Vache cave, Salle Monique (Ariege, France), the largest Palaeolithic assemblage hitherto collected. Circumstantial evidence suggests that Ptarmigan fowling may have taken place in autumn and winter. Anthropogenic modifi cations of the bones include traces of dismembering and burning as well as numerous cut marks. Unambiguous evidence for the use of bones as a raw material is lacking, implying that most traces result from food processing. The under-representation of some larger skeletal elements of the distal limbs can be explained best as resulting from activities of the Palaeolithic site inhabitants, whereas excavation bias may account for the absence of certain smaller skeletal elements in the assemblage. Bird carcass processing consisted in dismembering, portioning and fi lleting. The roasting of smaller portions as well as the removal of cooked meat using stone tools can be evidenced. Discussion focuses on the possible co-existence of different methods of processing, some of which may leave no traces in the archaeological record.
Study of the performance of Micromegas detectors in magnetic field

Resistive Micromegas (MICRO MEsh GAseous Structure) detectors have been chosen by the ATLAS collaboration at LHC for the high luminosity upgrade, due to their capability to maintain full efficiency and high spatial resolution at high occupancy, for tracking muons in the forward region of the detector. The Inner Muon Station, in the high-rapidity region, the so called New Small Wheel (NSW), will be composed of micromegas detectors that will have to maintain good performance in the presence of magnetic field of up to about 0.3 T. The response of micromegas detectors is affected by the magnetic field, where the deflection of the drift electrons is described by the Lorentz angle, resulting in a bias in the reconstructed track position. Several test-beam campaigns have been performed to test the behaviour of small size resistive micromegas prototypes (10×10 cm 2 ) in magnetic fields up to 1 T, using high momentum muon and hadron beams at CERN. These studies are performed in order to validate the capability of the chambers to provide unbiased tracks in the NSW conditions. Measurements of the Lorentz angle and drift velocity as a function of the magnetic field are presented and both are compared to expectations based on Garfield-Magboltz simulations. Several methods to correct the position bias are applied, based on the chamber configuration or on the knowledge of the local value of the magnetic field. The results of these studies are presented together with an overall discussion of the Micromegas tracking capability in magnetic field.
Integrability and strong normal forms for non-autonomous systems in a neighbourhood of an equilibrium

The paper deals with the problem of existence of a convergent “strong” normal form in the neighbourhood of an equilibrium, for a finite dimensional system of differential equations with analytic and time-dependent non-linear terms. The problem can be solved either under some non-resonance hypotheses on the spectrum of the linear part or if the non-linear term is assumed to be (slowly) decaying in time. This paper “completes” a pioneering work of Pustyl’nikov in which, despite under weaker non-resonance hypotheses, the nonlinearity is required to be asymptotically autonomous. The result is obtained as a consequence of the existence of a strong normal form for a suitable class of real-analytic Hamiltonians with non-autonomous perturbations.
The Effectiveness of a Multi-Dimensional Teaching Strategy on Students’ Attitudes and Level of Learned-Helplessness

Background: Learned helplessness can become a persistent problem that develops in response to a student’s lack of confidence and frustration with a certain course of study. Aims: This study examined the effects that a teaching strategy that was designed to trigger intrinsic motivation components had on students’ attitudes toward an unpopular scientific subject and students’ learned helplessness as a general characteristic. Sample: The participants consisted of 157 female undergraduate students. Method: A teaching strategy that consisted of multi-dimensional intrinsic motivation components was delivered to one neuropsychology class of students, while a second class was taught exactly the same concepts via a traditional lecturing strategy. Two dependent variables were assessed: Attitude toward the neuropsychology course and learned helplessness. The self-rating scales were administered twice: Once at the beginning of the course and once at the end. An analysis of variance ANCOVA was used to compare the results of the two groups of students. Results: The performance of the students in the experimental group was higher than that of students in the control group in terms of course grades. Furthermore, these students exhibited a more positive attitude to neuropsychology than the students in the control group. Learned helplessness decreased in the experimental group, and this was indicative of the fact that the new teaching strategy had a positive effect on motivational levels. Conclusion: A teaching method that incorporates the components of intrinsic motivation can enhance students’ performance on a specific course and can improve their attitude toward completing that course.