Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bisphenol A MIP Fabrication using the Application of Factorial Design Analysis

Molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) has caught the attention of many researches in recent years as a great tool for molecule recognition and other applications. But the main issue in the synthesis of MIP nanoparticles is the identification and optimization of the main factors affecting the material structure and size. This paper describe an experimental design approach to synthesis bisphenol A molecular imprinted polymer nanoparticles (BPA-MIP NPs) aimed at analysis of the relationship of four selected parameters: the polymerisation temperature, agitation rate, cross-linker to solvent ratio, and percentage of initiator. The results presented demonstrate the importance of keeping the right balance between these various parameters of polymerisation conditions. Generally, it can be concluded that MIPs should be synthesized using enough heating, adequate agitation, low concentration of initiator and with a considerably higher amount of solvent. Such procedure is proven as time and cost effective, and also can be used as a general tool in the preparation of MIPs for many different target molecules.
Proverbial Language and Its Role in Acquiring a Second Language and Culture

Researchers in the domain of Russian as a foreign and a second language have paid relatively little attention to proverbs as units of linguistic and cultural expression. Due to this neglect and the overall scarcity of statistical data on current Russian proverbial language, many Russian textbooks and dictionaries offer at best some outdated proverbs that have fallen into disuse in contemporary Russia and at worst, disregard proverbial language altogether. However, this expressive language deserves much more serious consideration from both researchers and teachers of Russian. Russian native speakers take it for granted that their interlocutors share the assumptions behind proverbs, which constitute an important part of their cultural heritage. Moreover, proverbs constitute a functional component of spoken Russian. Native speakers use proverbs or allude to them to share certain subtleties of expression, such as humor, irony, erudition, etc. Thus, without understanding the underlying figurative meanings and cultural connotations of this expressive speech component, American students of Russian may experience certain linguistic and cultural misunderstandings that will impede their interactions with Russians.
IZA Discussion Paper No. 650

Overeducation and Ethnic Minorities in Britain This study examines the utilisation of education across ethnic minorities in the UK. In particular, we examine the incidence of mismatch between educational qualifications and occupational attainment, the determinants of any mismatch and the consequences for earnings and other labour market outcomes. Using a modal measure of required education across sixty occupations we find that different ethnic groups have varying levels of overeducation with the highest incidence being amongst the Indian and Africa-Asian groups. When we introduce controls we find that the African-Asians are more likely to be both over and under-educated relative to Indians (the omitted group), but this is reversed for those born in the UK. Foreign qualifications increase the likelihood of over-education for Pakistanis and Bangladeshis but reduce it for African-Asians. Language fluency increases the likelihood of mismatch. The results from our earnings regressions support previous work in relation to the returns to over, required and under-education, though with differences between native and immigrant non-whites. JEL Classification: I2, J3, J7
Toys for Boys? Women's Marginalization and Participation as Digital Gamers

This paper develops out of ongoing research into the location and use of digital gaming in practices of everyday life. Specifically this paper draws on a questionnaire based survey of just under four hundred undergraduate students and twenty-three follow up interviews. This paper suggests that the women in this research play digital games significantly less than their male counterparts, and suggests that this is largely due to digital games continuing to be viewed, both culturally and by the gaming industry, as belonging to men. However, this paper suggests that for some women video and computer gaming can be an important social activity, and for others mobile telephone based gaming can offer a less restricted and more accessible leisure activity.
Banking reforms, performance and risk in China

ABSTRACT We investigate the impact of the banking reform started from 2005 on ownership structures in China on commercial banks’ profitability, efficiency and risk over the period 2000–2012, providing comprehensive evidence on the impact of banking reform in China. We find that banks on average tend to have higher profitability, lower risk and lower efficiency after the reforms, and the results are robust with our difference-in-difference approach. Our results also show that the Big 5 state-owned banks (SOCB) underperform banks with other types of ownership when risk is measured by non-performing loans (NPLs) over the entire study period but tend to have fewer NPLs than other banks during the post-reform period. Our results provide some supporting evidence on the ongoing banking reforms in China, suggesting that attracting strategic foreign investors and listing SOCBs on stock exchanges appear to be effective ways to help SOCBs deal with the problem of NPLs and manage their risk.
Growing Your Own: developing leaders through succession planning

Few professions have spent as much time contemplating their present and future as have academic librarians. Conspicuous by its absence until recently has been any systematic discussion of leadership, and more specifically the process of succession planning. In this paper I will argue that neglect of succession planning reflects a series of widespread assumptions which, even if once valid, can no longer inform strategic planning for academic libraries. Although it is clear that there are risks attached to succession planning, the experience of Cambridge University Library highlights both the need for such an exercise and the advantages that it can bring to the profession of academic librarianship as a whole.
Minor revisions on “High occurrence of new particle formation events

This study aims to report and characterize the frequent new particle formation (NPF) events observed at the Maïdo observatory, Reunion Island, a Southern Hemisphere site located at 2150 m (a.s.l.) and surrounded 15 by the Indian Ocean. From May 2014 to December 2015, continuous aerosol measurements were made using both a Differential Mobility Particle Sizer (DMPS) and an Air Ion Spectrometer (AIS) to characterize the NPF events down to the lowest particle size scale. Carbon monoxide (CO) and Black Carbon (BC) concentrations were monitored, as well as meteorological parameters, in order to identify the conditions that were favourable to the occurrence of nucleation in this specific environment. We point out that the annual NPF frequency average (65%) 20 is one of the highest reported so far. Monthly averages show a bimodal variation of the NPF frequency, with a maximum observed during transition periods (autumn and spring). A high yearly median particle Growth Rate (GR) of 15.16 nm.h is also measured showing a bimodal seasonal variation with maxima observed in July and November. Yearly medians of 2 and 12 nm particle formation rates (J2 and J12) are 0.858 and 0.508 cm.s respectively, with a seasonal variation showing a maximum during winter, that correspond to low temperature and 25 RH typical of the dry season, but also to high BC concentrations. We show that the condensation sink exceeds a threshold value (1.04 ×10 s) with a similar seasonal variation than the one of the NPF event frequency, suggesting that the occurrence of the NPF process might be determined by the availability of condensable vapours, which are likely to be transported together with pre-existing particles from lower altitudes.
An Assessment of the Correlation between Happiness and Mizaj (Temperament) of University Students in Persian Medicine

Background: Mizaj (Temperament) is one of the fundamental concepts of Persian Medicine (PM) and identifying this concept is crucial for providing various healthcare recommendations and for the treatment of patients. In PM, various indices can indicate a person’sMizaj,oneof themisthehappinessof people. Fromthisperspective,peoplewithwarmMizajarehappierthanpeoplewith cold Mizaj. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between happiness and Mizaj. Methods: In order to conduct this Cross Sectional (descriptive-correlational) study based on convenience sampling method, 610 participants completed the 29-item Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ) and the 10-item Mojahedi Mizaj questionnaire (MMQ). The study started since September, 2016 and ended in November, 2016 in Tehran, Iran. The collected data were compared by chi-squared test. Results: The frequency of happy individuals in warm, temperate, and cold Mizaj groups was 85.2%, 79% and 58.2%, respectively. According to the results of chi-squared test, individuals with cold Mizaj were signiﬁcantly less happy than people with warm and temperate Mizaj. However, there was no signiﬁcant diﬀerence between warm and temperate Mizaj groups. Moreover, the level of happiness in people with wet Mizaj was not signiﬁcantly diﬀerent from people with dry Mizaj. Conclusions: There is a signiﬁcant correlation between happiness and an individual’s Mizaj. Accordingly, one of the hypotheses regardingindicesof MizajidentiﬁcationinPMisstrengthened. Thisindexcanbeusedinresearchesassociatedwithdesigningand validating Mizaj evaluative scales in PM to diﬀerentiate cold and warm Mizaj.
WARING’S PROBLEM IN ALGEBRAIC NUMBER FIELDS by ALA’ JAMIL ALNASER

Let p be an odd prime and γ(k, p) be the smallest positive integer s such that every integer is a sum of s k-th powers (mod p). We establish γ(k, p) ≤ [k/2]+2 and γ(k, p) √ k provided that k is not divisible by (p−1)/2. Next, let t = (p−1)/(p−1, k), and q be any positive integer. We show that if φ(t) ≥ q then γ(k, p) ≤ c(q)k for some constant c(q). These results generalize results known for the case of prime moduli. Next we generalize these results to a number field setting. Let F be a number field, R it’s ring of integers and P a prime ideal in R that lies over a rational prime p with ramification index e, degree of inertia f and put t = (p − 1)/(p − 1, k). Let k = pk1 with p k1 and γ(k,P) be the smallest integer s such that every algebraic integer in F that can be expressed as a sum of k-th powers (mod P) is expressible as a sum of s k-th powers (mod P). We prove for instance that when p > e + 1 then γ(k,P) ≤ c(t)p. Moreover, if p > e + 1 we obtain the upper bounds γ(k,P) ≤ 2313 ( k k1 )8.44/ log p + 1 2 if f = 2 or 3, and γ(k,P) ≤ 129 ( k k1 )5.55/ log p + 1 2 if f ≥ 4. We also show that if P does not ramify then γ(k,P) ≤ 17 2 ( k k1 )2.83/ log p + 1 2 if f ≥ 2 and k1 ≤ p, and γ(k,P) ≤ ( f pf/2−1 ) k if f > 2 and k1 > p . WARING’S PROBLEM IN ALGEBRAIC NUMBER FIELDS by ALA’ JAMIL ALNASER M.S., Kansas State University, 2005 A DISSERTATION submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Mathematics College of Arts and Sciences KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY Manhattan, Kansas 2009
Who Will Graduate? Disruption of High School Education by Arrest and Court Involvement

Little research has assessed the effects of juvenile justice involvement during high school on educational outcomes. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, this study assesses the effect of first‐time arrest and court involvement during high school on educational attainment. In addition, differential effects by structural location are examined. Findings suggest support for the labeling perspective. First‐time court appearance during high school increases the chances of dropping out of high school independent of involvement in delinquency. Furthermore, the effect of court appearance is particularly detrimental to less delinquent youths.
Light trapping as a dependent of moonlight and clouds.

We examined in our study the theoretical catching d istance and the catching results of the Jarfas and Jermy type light-traps in the function o f the moon phases and the clouds. The clouds determine the theoretical catching distances of both the Jarf as and Jermy type light-traps fundamentally. The ra tio of theoretical catching distances of completely overca st and clear sky is approximately 2.4:1. This diffe rence does not appear however in the catching results. Th e catching of Turnip Moth ( Agrotis segetum Den. et Schiff.) in moonless hours is the most successful w hen the sky is totally through, if it is not rainin g. In opposition to this, the catch decreases by the incr ease of the cloud cover in moonlit hours. The most moths were found in the light-trap when the sky was almost clear. The increase of cloud cover results in a reduction of the catch. The number of the Macrolepi doptera individuals and species are higher when the sky is clear than overcast in the event both the al l and low clouds. It was also found that the height of cloud base also modify the light-trap catch. If the cloud base is low the light-trap catch is also low , in the opposite it is high.
AN EXAMINATION OF THE EFFECTS OF OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE AND FINANCIAL LEVERAGE ON THE DIVIDEND POLICIES OF LISTED FIRMS IN NIGERIA

In an attempt to provide a developing economy perspective to the corporate dividend puzzle, this study basically examined the effects of ownership structure and financial leverage on the dividend payouts of firms operating in Nigeria. Using the judgmental sampling technique, a sample of 50 selected listed firms from the Nigerian Stock Exchange Market where analyzed using the annual reports for the period 2006 to 2010. The choice of the selected firms’ arises based on the capital structure and the availability of data for the listed firms. The regression analysis method was employed as a statistical technique for analyzing the data collected from the annual report of the selected firms. Findings from the paper revealed that there is a significant positive relationship between ownership structure and the dividend payout of the sampled firms in Nigeria. In addition, the paper revealed that there is a significant negative relationship between financial leverages and the dividend payout of firms. Thus the paper concludes that while the ownership structure of firms in terms of equity interest appear to have a visible and significant effect on dividend payout of firms, on the other hand, the financial leverage have a very significant negative impact on firms corporate dividend payout policies.
Cross‐Region and Cross‐Sector Asset Allocation with Regimes

type="main" xml:id="acfi12017-abs-0001"> Cross-region and cross-sector asset allocation decisions are one of the most fundamental issues in international equity portfolio management. Equity returns exhibit higher volatilities and correlations, and lower expected returns, in bear markets compared to bull markets. However, static mean–variance analysis fails to capture this salient feature of equity returns. We accommodate the nonlinearity of returns using a regime switching model across both regions and sectors. The regime-dependent asset allocation potentially adds value to the traditional static mean–variance allocation. In addition, optimal allocation across sectors provide greater benefits compared to international diversification, which is characterized by higher returns, lower risks, lower correlations with the world market and a higher Sharpe ratio.
Specific Determinants of Work Motivation, Competence, Organizational Climate, Job Satisfaction and Individual Performance: A Study among Lecturers

This research was designed to test and analyse empirically the effect of work motivation, competence, and organizational climate on job satisfaction and lecturer performance. Survey method was used to collect data by cross-section. Simple random sampling was used with the total sample of 185 lecturers. Structural Equation Model in AMOS ver. 22 proved that work motivation has positive and significant effect on job satisfaction. Competence, organizational climate and job satisfaction have positive and significant effect on lecturer performance. Work motivation has negative and significant effect on lecturer performance. Job satisfaction was not the mediating variable to explain the effect of work motivation, competence and organizational climate on lecturer performance. The limitation of this research was on the sample size of lecturers only and performed at private colleges, so limited the generalization of research findings. The originality of this research provided basic configuration of modelling development by Structural Equation Model and conceptual model that proved the effect of work motivation, competence and organizational climate on high performance of lecturer inserting job satisfaction as mediation effect of the influence between variables that were executed separately in previous researches. Job satisfaction is not as the mediating effects to improve lecturer performance.
The X-Efficiency in Islamic Banks

This paper investigates relative efficiency of the Islamic banking industry in the world by analyzing a panel of banks during the period of 1995-2001. Both parametric (cost and profit efficiency) and nonparametric (data envelopment analysis) techniques are used to examine efficiency of these banks. Five DEA efficiency measures such as cost, allocative, technical, pure technical and scale efficiency scores are calculated and correlated with conventional accounting measures of performance. The results indicate that, on average, the Islamic banking industry is relatively less efficient compared to their conventional counterparts in other parts of the world. The results also show that these efficiency measures are highly correlated with ROA and ROE, suggesting that the efficiency measures can be used concurrently with conventional accounting ratios in determining Islamic bank performance.
Bank Capital and Basel 3. Impacts on Italian Banks

The issues raised by Basel III, with specific reference to the introduction of more stringent capital requirements, are numerous and touch upon different aspects, such as cost and profitability-related problems and the repercussions concerning strategies implemented by banks. Our aim is to clarify the impact on Italian banks. We will first present some general considerations addressing the main implications for bank management, before illustrating the results of a survey aimed at detecting possible fears and doubts, on the part of banks, with reference to the extent to which some of the capitalisation proposals included in the reform can actually be pursued.
Achievement and competitiveness in elite youth basketball: what matters?

In a previous study we described the achievement and motivation variables that can explain the belonging to an elite competitive level of young basketball players, divided in two groups: elite and local. Two questionnaires were used: the Work and Family Orientation Questionnaire/WOFO (Spence and Helmreich, 1983), with three dimensions of achievement: work, mastery and competitiveness, and the Deliberate Practice Motivation Questionnaire/DPMQ (De Bruin et al., 2007), which assesses two dimensions of deliberate practice: will to compete and will to excel. Sixty-four male and fifty-two female basketball players under 16 years (mean age 15.4±0.91) participated in this study. A second group of players (14 males and 14 females) was obtained from those who were selected to play for the regional teams competing in the national youth festival. To compare the selected with the non-selected athletes, logistic regression was used. All the parameters, except mastery, explain the possibility to belong to the elite group, with will to compete and will to excel at the top of the discriminant variables. Once again, the findings suggest that a self-orientation to excellence may play a crucial role in ambition to reach higher standards in competition. The will to reach excellence in performance can be considered as a condition to aspire to participate in more specialized and demanding practice. The present study overcame the limitations of previous research regarding the selection moment, and globally confirmed the findings. The crucial need of inter-disciplinary, longitudinal research is stressed, because the path to expertise in sport is only meaningful over a long period of time.
Train-the-Trainer: A Study of the Professional Skill Competencies and Psychological Qualities of Teacher Trainer

This study aims to explore the current challenges that teacher trainers are confronting and their training needs. Looking particular into the professional competencies and psychological qualities that teacher trainers need to possess, this study further examines the perceptions of the trainers' changing roles from subject teachers to teacher trainers. Interviews were conducted to collect data and Dempster's "expert judgment" technique was adopted as an evaluation method. Findings showed that 'facilitation skills', 'pedagogical knowledge', 'rich experience', 'good understanding of the participants' expectations', 'confidence' and 'self-regulation of emotion' are the most essential skill competencies and the psychological needs of the teacher trainers. A range of 'critical abilities' and 'reflective attitudes' would also ease the anxieties raised from the trainers' changing roles during their transitions from subject teachers to teacher trainers because teacher training is a much complex and demanding job. 
Trade liberalization and economic growth: the role of regulatory policies

This paper investigates the relationship between international tradeliberalization and economic growth with a focus on the role of regulatorypolicies in a selected sample of sixteen sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries.While international trade liberalization refers to the removal ofbarriers to international trade, regulatory policies refer to the improvement ofcredit, labour and product markets in a country. Using panel data, the study applies the Instrumental Variables (IV) and the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM)methodologies to deal with the problem of endogeneity. The results show thatbetter regulatory policies significantly contribute to economic growth.Further, international trade liberalization works well when regulatory policiesare improved in tandem with liberalization. Thisimplies that less regulated countries benefit more from international tradeliberalization than heavily regulated countries. Therefore, improvements in policies that regulate credit, labour and product markets willenhance the gains from international trade liberalization in Sub-Saharan Africa. Further, the results show that accumulation of physical capital contributes to economic growth. Thus, Sub-Saharan African countries should reform their regulatory policies as they continue to deepen international trade liberalization.