Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Positive Facet of Self-compassion Predicts Self-reported Use of and Attitudes toward Desirable Difficulties in Learning

Previous research found that introducing difficulties and challenges during learning has desirable outcomes. With the present work, we investigated the question how the use of and the attitudes toward such learning strategies (so-called desirable difficulties) are related to self-compassion, a concept that describes the tendency to be understanding and kind to oneself when confronted with negative experiences. Evidence suggests self-compassion to be linked to less fear of failing, and further to higher control beliefs and mastery goals in learning. Given that applying desirable difficulties in self-regulated learning implies increased challenges, and further, a higher likelihood to experience a feeling of failing, we expected that the use of desirable difficulties increases with levels of self-compassion. We tested this hypothesis in an online study (N = 136) in which self-compassion and the self-reported use of and attitudes toward strategies of desirable difficulties were assessed via respective questionnaires. Results of a correlation analysis yielded first evidence for our idea. Decomposing self-compassion into a positive and a negative facet showed that the positive, but not the negative, facet is positively correlated with attitudes toward and the use of desirable difficulties. Additionally, a regression analysis showed that the positive but not the negative facet predicted attitudes toward and use of desirable difficulties, when entering both facets simultaneously as predictors. Practical implications for learners are discussed.
Ex‐Date Stock Price Adjustment to Stock Dividends: A Note

Many recipients of stock dividends look upon them as distributions of corporate earnings and usually in an amount equivalent to the fair value of the additional shares received. Furthermore, it is to be presumed that such views of recipients are materially strengthened in those instances, which are by far the most numerous, where the issuances are so small in comparison with the shares previously outstanding that they do not have any apparent effect upon the share market price and, consequently, the market value of the shares previously held remains substantially unchanged.
Efficacy of prednisone for severe refractory ulcerative interstitial cystitis.

PURPOSE We know that bladder inflammation has been noted in some patients with interstitial cystitis (IC). Studies with corticotherapy were performed about 50 years ago. Since that time few studies have been done with corticotherapy. We evaluated the efficacy of prednisone in patients with chronic severe IC with Hunner's ulcers unresponsive to first line therapies. MATERIALS AND METHODS A prospective study was performed on 14 patients with evidence of ulcerative IC between 1998 and 2003. The patients received 25 mg of prednisone daily for 1 to 2 months and the dose was then tapered to the minimum required for relief of symptoms. Efficacy was evaluated with the O'Leary symptom and problem index and a 6-point pain scale. RESULTS Of the 14 patients 9 (64%) were still using prednisone at the end of the study with an average followup of 16 months. In these 9 patients a 38% reduction (p <0.005) in the total score of the O'Leary index was observed. Pain was decreased by 88% (p = 0.0001). There were 5 patients who dropped out of the study due to lack of improvement or side effects. Overall results for the whole cohort included a reduction of 22% (p <0.02) of the total score of O'Leary index and a 69% improvement in pain control (p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that a trial of prednisone should be considered in patients with severe ulcerative IC otherwise unresponsive to conventional treatment. Improvement in pain control was particularly impressive in this group of patients.
How Similar is Innovation in German, Italian and Spanish Medium-Technology Sectors? Implications for the Sectoral Systems of Innovation and Distance-to-the-Frontier Perspectives

This study analyzes innovation activities in medium-technology sectors in Germany, Italy and Spain and checks whether cross-country similarities or differences prevail. The results have important implications for the Sectoral Systems of Innovation and the Distance-to-the-Frontier frameworks. While the Sectoral Systems of Innovation predicts the existence of technology-related similarities in innovative patterns in the same sectors across countries, the Distance-to-the Frontier suggests the existence of relevant differences related with the level of technological development of each national sector. Using Community Innovation Survey data and adapting an econometric strategy first devised by Griffith, Huergo, Mairesse and Peters [Innovation and Productivity Across four European Countries, Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 22(4), 483–498, 2006], I test whether similarities or differences prevail across country in different features of innovation activity. The results show that relevant differences between the three countries exist in the intensity of R&D activities and in the economic impact of different types of innovations, providing support to the Distance-to-the-Frontier hypothesis. On the contrary, cross-country similarities emerge among the sources of knowledge used to develop innovations, in line with the Sectoral Systems of Innovation framework. The results highlight the importance to take into account both frameworks for a useful analysis of innovation within sectors and across countries.
Structure of human steroid 21-hydroxylase genes.

We have determined the structure of cDNA and two genomic genes encoding steroid 21-hydroxylase [21-OHase; steroid 21-monooxygenase; steroid, hydrogen-donor:oxygen oxidoreductase (21-hydroxylating); EC 1.14. 99.10]. If this cytochrome P-450 enzyme is defective, cortisol cannot be synthesized, resulting in congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The cDNA encoding this enzyme is 2.0 kilobases long, and the encoded protein is predicted to contain 494 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 55,000. This enzyme is at most 28% homologous to other P-450 enzymes that have been studied. The 21-OHase genomic genes, which are located in the HLA major histocompatibility complex on chromosome 6, each contain 10 exons. This structure is distinct from other characterized P-450 genes, which contain 7 or 9 exons. Studies of individuals with homozygous deletions of the 21-OHase A or B genes suggest that only the B gene encodes an active enzyme. This is confirmed by the finding that the A gene has an 8-base deletion within codons 110-112, resulting in a frameshift that brings a stop codon into the reading frame at codon 130. A second frameshift and a nonsense mutation occur downstream. In contrast, the sequence of the exons of the B gene is identical to the cDNA sequence. The 21-OHase A gene is, therefore, a pseudogene.
Learning Combinations of Sigmoids Through Gradient Estimation

We develop a new approach to learn the parameters of regression models with hidden variables. In a nutshell, we estimate the gradient of the regression function at a set of random points, and cluster the estimated gradients. The centers of the clusters are used as estimates for the parameters of hidden units. We justify this approach by studying a toy model, whereby the regression function is a linear combination of sigmoids. We prove that indeed the estimated gradients concentrate around the parameter vectors of the hidden units, and provide non-asymptotic bounds on the number of required samples. To the best of our knowledge, no comparable guarantees have been proven for linear combinations of sigmoids.
A Conceptual Framework for Assessing Agriculture–Nutrition Linkages

The pathways through which agriculture affects nutrition are outlined. New evidence from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) on specific linkages is reported. Two groupings of impacts of agriculture on nutrition are identified: specific (because food per se is being produced) and generic. Specific effects include declines in food prices (to what extent do increases in food productivity lead to declines in food prices and better diets? ), own-consumption (to what extent does the production of certain foods influence their consumption within the grower households and communities? ), processing and preparation (how can nutrient losses be minimized? ), and plant-breeding (what can be done to make specific foods more nutritious? ). Generic effects include income generation for those engaged in agriculture and those linked to it, time allocation effects (how compatible are work activities with time investments in nutrition? ), impacts on household decision-making (does innovation in the sector draw influence away from nutrition decision makers? ), energy and nutrient expenditures (for certain individuals, are more additional nutrients expended than generated? ), and health environment effects of agricultural production. The time is right for international agricultural research to review its potential for increasing its impact on malnutrition. First, micronutrient malnutrition cannot be overcome by food fortification and supplements alone. Second, international agricultural research is being put under increased pressure to demonstrate poverty reduction; improving nutrition reduces poverty. Third, agricultural policy makers and scientists will be placed under increased pressure to be more nutrition sensitive in the context of increasing overnutrition.
The Effect of Socially Responsible Investing on Portfolio Performance

More and more investors apply socially responsible screens when building their stock portfolios. This raises the question whether these investors can increase their performance by incorporating such screens into their investment process. To answer this question we implement a simple trading strategy based on socially responsible ratings from the KLD Research & Analytics: Buy stocks with high socially responsible ratings and sell stocks with low socially responsible ratings. We find that this strategy leads to high abnormal returns of up to 8.7% per year. The maximum abnormal returns are reached when investors employ the best-in-class screening approach, use a combination of several socially responsible screens at the same time, and restrict themselves to stocks with extreme socially responsible ratings. The abnormal returns remain significant even after taking into account reasonable transaction costs.
Educational Computing Concerns of Postsecondary Faculty

Abstract This study examines teachers’ concerns related to the integration of technology into teaching practices and compares these concerns with professional and ancillary demographic variables. The study was conducted during the third year of a five-year computer integration innovation cycle. The results identified two groups: nonusers and users midway through the innovation process. Comparison based on academic task area revealed that for the areas Biglan (1973) described as hard and applied particpants exhibited higher-order concerns and higher integration levels than other academic task areas. A correlation existed among attendance of faculty development activities, integration level and higher-order concerns. Ancillary demo-graphic data revealed correlations among gender, age, and teaching experience when compared with concern, integration level, and attendance of faculty development activities. Females, young faculty, and faculty with less teaching experience expressed higher-order concerns and higher computer integration into teaching practices.
Innovating routines in the business firm: what corporate tasks should they be accomplishing?

One challenge in evolutionary economics is to give greater operational content to the notion of 'innovating routines' inside the firm. Historical and contemporary evidence suggests that such routines always have to deal with increasing specialization in knowledge production, increasing depth in knowledge sources and complexity in physical artefacts, and with the continuous matching of specific corporate competencies and organizational practices to the market opportunities offered by specific technologies. As a consequence, some innovating routines have always been important, such as those dealing with the tasks of co-ordination and integration within the firm, and of reducing uncertainty through learning. Others are becoming more so, such as those co-ordinating technological resources external to the firm, coping with systems and simulations, and adapting organizational practices to the requirements of radically changing technological opportunities. Copyright 2002, Oxford University Press.
Structural Reform in Australian Local Government

Amalgamation has always been the favoured Australian policy instrument for improving the efficiency of Local government. However, this policy consensus has flown against mounting evidence that amalgamation not only often fails to reduce costs, but also generates significant unintended negative consequences. This note considers various recent reports into Australian Local government and argues that the earlier policy consensus on the efficacy of Local council amalgamation has vanished.
Dietary Iron Content Mediates Hookworm Pathogenesis In Vivo

ABSTRACT Hookworm infection is associated with growth delay and iron deficiency anemia in developing countries. A series of experiments were designed in order to test the hypothesis that host dietary iron restriction mediates susceptibility to hookworm infection using the hamster model of Ancylostoma ceylanicum. Animals were maintained on diets containing either 10 ppm iron (iron restricted) or 200 ppm iron (standard/high iron), followed by infection with A. ceylanicum third-stage larvae. Infected animals fed the standard diet exhibited statistically significant growth delay and reduced blood hemoglobin levels compared to uninfected controls on day 20 postinfection. In contrast, no statistically significant differences in weight or hemoglobin concentration were observed between infected and uninfected animals fed the iron-restricted diet. Moreover, iron-restricted animals were observed to have reduced intestinal worm burdens on day 10 and day 20 postinfection compared to those of animals maintained on the standard/high-iron diet. In a subsequent study, animals equilibrated on diets containing a range of iron levels (10 ppm, 40 ppm, 100 ppm, or 200 ppm) were infected with A. ceylanicum and followed for evidence of hookworm disease. Infected animals from the intermediate-dietary iron (40- and 100-ppm) groups exhibited greater weight loss and anemia than those in the low (10-ppm)- or high (200-ppm)-iron diet groups. Mortality was also significantly higher in the intermediate-dietary-iron groups. These data suggest that severe dietary iron restriction impairs hookworm development in vivo but that moderate iron restriction enhances host susceptibility to severe disease.
AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF ACTIVITY-BASED COSTING (ABC) SYSTEMS WITHIN THE JORDANIAN INDUSTRIAL SECTOR: CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS AND BARRIERS TO ABC IMPLEMENTATION

Purpose – The aim of the study is to contribute to a better understanding of activity-based costing (ABC) implementation systems in the context of a developing country such as Jordan. The main objectives of the study were to determine the extent of ABC implementation within the Jordanian industrial sector and identify the factors that facilitate and motivate the decision to implement ABC. Additional objectives include determining the problems associated with ABC implementation and assessing the degree of success of ABC implementation. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey was conducted during 2008 among 88 Jordanian industrial companies that are listed on the Amman stock exchange. Eighty-eight questionnaires were distributed and 61 were returned giving a rate of response of 69.3%. Findings – The survey findings indicate that ABC implementation among the Jordanian industrial companies is quite satisfactory. The rate of ABC implementation is about 55.7%. The most cited factors that facilitate the decision to implement ABC were that adequate training was provided for designing ABC and operating data in the information system are updated in real time: followed by the fact that adequate training was provided for using ABC. The most influential factors that motivate the process of ABC implementation are among others the increasing proportion of overhead costs, growing costs, including product costs and administrative costs, and currently the increasing number of product variants. Further factors are identified in the paper. Originality/value – Most previous studies focused only on the implementation of ABC in western developed countries. The results of this study make a contribution to existing knowledge in the area of the implementation of ABC, especially in eastern developing countries such as Jordan. In addition, the current study used a multi-attribute to measure success of ABC implementation within the Jordanian industrial sector. This multi-attribute was composed of satisfaction with ABC implementation, the degree of using ABC in decision making and the success of ABC implementation.
Inefficient Labor of Inefficient Capital? Corporate Diversification and Productivity Around the World

I study the relation between corporate diversification and labor productivity in a sample of over 500,000 firms from 46 countries. Across the entire sample, greater diversification is associated with significantly lower labor productivity. The negative relation between diversification and labor productivity is not stronger in countries with more burdensome employment regulation, but it is significantly stronger in countries with better financial development. In addition, the negative relation is stronger in industries with high capital/labor ratios. Overall, the results suggest that the lower productivity in diversified firms is due more to the misallocation of capital than to the inefficient use of labor.
Purification, characterization, and preliminary crystallographic study of copper-containing nitrous oxide reductase from Pseudomonas nautica 617.

The aerobic purification of Pseudomonas nautica 617 nitrous oxide reductase yielded two forms of the enzyme exhibiting different chromatographic behaviors. The protein contains six copper atoms per monomer, arranged in two centers named Cu(A) and Cu(Z). Cu(Z) could be neither oxidized nor further reduced under our experimental conditions, and exhibits a 4-line EPR spectrum (g(x)=2.015, A(x)=1.5 mT, g(y)=2.071, A(y)=2 mT, g(z)=2.138, A(z)=7 mT) and a strong absorption at approximately 640 nm. Cu(A) can be stabilized in a reduced EPR-silent state and in an oxidized state with a typical 7-line EPR spectrum (g(x)=g(y)= 2.021, A(x) = A(y)=0 mT, g(z) = 2.178, A(z)= 4 mT) and absorption bands at 480, 540, and approximately 800 nm. The difference between the two purified forms of nitrous oxide reductase is interpreted as a difference in the oxidation state of the Cu(A) center. In form A, Cu(A) is predominantly oxidized (S = (1)/(2), Cu(1.5+)-Cu(1.5+)), while in form B it is mostly in the one-electron reduced state (S = 0, Cu(1+)-Cu(1+)). In both forms, Cu(Z) remains reduced (S = 1/2). Complete crystallographic data at 2.4 A indicate that Cu(A) is a binuclear site (similar to the site found in cytochrome c oxidase) and Cu(Z) is a novel tetracopper cluster [Brown, K. , et al. (2000) Nat. Struct. Biol. (in press)]. The complete amino acid sequence of the enzyme was determined and comparisons made with sequences of other nitrous oxide reductases, emphasizing the coordination of the centers. A 10.3 kDa peptide copurified with both forms of nitrous oxide reductase shows strong homology with proteins of the heat-shock GroES chaperonin family.
Macroeconomic Models for Monetary Policy: A Critical Review from a Finance Perspective

We provide a critical review of macroeconomic models used for monetary policy at central banks from a finance perspective. We review the history of monetary policy modeling, survey the core monetary models used by major central banks, and construct an illustrative model for those readers who are unfamiliar with the literature. Within this framework, we highlight several important limitations of current models and methods, including the fact that local-linearization approximations omit important nonlinear dynamics, yielding biased impulse-response analysis and parameter estimates. We also propose new features for the next generation of macrofinancial policy models, including a substantial role for the financial sector, the government balance sheet, and unconventional monetary policies; heterogeneity, reallocation, and redistribution effects;the macroeconomic impact of large nonlinear risk premium dynamics; time-varying uncertainty; financial sector and systemic risks; imperfect product market and markups; and further advances in solution, estimation, and evaluation methods for dynamic quantitative structural models.
Persistent poverty in North East Ghana

Abstract This paper explores local poverty and wealth inequality in the Upper East Region of northern Ghana in the period from 1975–89. Land was not scarce and the social management of household membership and household labour were critical to household security, but this social management was not independent of wealth status. There was a virtuous circle between wealth and household labour supply and a vicious circle between poverty and small household size. Poverty traps existed so that those with too little labour and too little wealth engaged in strategies which entrenched them in poverty.
The impact of religious sensitivity on brand trust, equity and values of fast food industry in Malaysia

Purpose – This study aims to examine the impact of religious sensitivity on brand trust, equity and values of the fast food industry in Malaysia.Design/methodology/approach – A survey of the fast food industry in Malaysia was conducted as the primary source of information.Findings – It is expected that religious sensitivity will influence brand trust, equity and values of the food industry in Malaysia.Research limitations/implications – The paper focuses on the fast food industry and concentrates only on the impact of religious sensitivity on brand trust, equity and values.Practical implications – The results provide insights to the fast food sector and other organizations of similar structure regarding how they could manage marketing strategies for improved business performance.Originality/value – This paper is perhaps one of the first to investigate the impact of religious sensitivity on the fast food industry.
Indexation and Incomes Policy: A Study of Wage Adjustment in Unionized Manufacturing

Data from nearly 200 collective bargaining units are used to study the frequency of wage change from 1957 to 1978. It is shown that incomes policies during the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations encouraged changes in the length of time between wage adjustments. Inflation, often thought to be responsible for fluctuations in the coverage of indexing provisions, is found to play virtually no role. The conclusion is that government intervention in the wageprice process aroused fears that the government will intervene again in the future. In the presence of this uncertainty, the wage adjustment provisions of collective bargaining contracts were changed.
The role of absorptive capacity in facilitating "open innovation" outcomes: A study of Australian SMEs in the manufacturing sector

The open innovation approach emphasizes porous knowledge boundaries between firms and upstream suppliers, but tends to ignore questions of transformative efficiency and effectiveness once the knowledge reaches the focal organization. In this paper, we test for the significance of interaction effects between open innovation strategies and absorptive capacity, finding support for the idea that effective knowledge absorption capabilities are of vital importance in the facilitation of innovation effectiveness.