Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Model of Citizen Response To Annexation

Due to the increasing size and growth of metropolitan areas, many local governments must confront the complex problem of providing system maintenance services to areas which are fragmented and decentralized (Martin, 1963: 1-11). These services, which require a larger scope of government and cooperation than is often available, include mass transportation, water supply, disposal of sewage, air pollution control, and land
Weather and SAD Related Mood Effects on the Financial Market

We investigate the relationship between weather or seasonal affective disorder and the financial market, using a wide variety of financial market data as well as several weather variables and a seasonal affective disorder proxy. We distinguish between a model with a direct effect of the weather and seasonal affective disorder on the financial market and one with an indirect effect via a latent variable mood. Whereas only the latter model is justified by psychological literature, the former model is often used as an approximation. One major innovation of this paper is a consistent econometric implementation of the indirect effects model. We demonstrate that the approximation by direct effects yields inconsistent estimates. Our study supports some weather related, but no seasonal affective disorder related effects on the financial market. We show that, instead of focusing on single market segments, an analysis of various financial market segments is required. We also show that the analysis of individual stock returns or bond spreads reveals additional information, compared to the analysis of aggregate stock or bond indexes.
Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) From the Northwestern Brazilian Amazon: Padauari River

Abstract The mosquito fauna (Culicidae) from remote northern areas of the State of Amazonas were sampled using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Shannon, Malaise, and Suspended traps, together with net sweeping and immature collections. One hundred and seven collections were performed in five localities along the Padauari River, State of Amazonas, Brazil, during June 2010. The 20,557 mosquitoes collected are distributed in 17 genera, representing 117 different species, of which four are new distributional records for the State of Amazonas. Furthermore, there are 10 morphospecies that may represent undescribed new taxa, eight of which are also new records for the State of Amazonas. The genus Culex had the highest number of species and the largest number of individuals. Aedes and Psorophora both represented 10% of the total sample and had the second highest number of species and individuals. The most abundant species was Culex (Melanoconion) gnomatos Sallum, Hutchings & Ferreira, followed by Aedes (Ochlerotatus) fulvus (Wiedemann), Culex (Melanoconion) vaxus Dyar, Culex (Melanoconion) portesi Senevet & Abonnenc, Psorophora (Janthinosoma) amazonica Cerqueira, Culex (Culex) mollis Dyar & Knab, Psorophora (Janthinosoma) albigenu (Peryassú), and Culex (Melanoconion) theobaldi Lutz. The epidemiological and ecological implications of mosquito species found are discussed and are compared with other mosquito inventories from the Amazon region. The results represent the most diverse standardized inventory of mosquitoes along the Padauari River, with the identification of 127 species-level taxa distributed in five localities, within two municipalities (Barcelos and Santa Isabel do Rio Negro).
Income Distribution and Well-Being: What Can We Learn from Subjective Data?

How does the income of others affect my own welfare? This survey of the empirical literature stresses the contribution of subjective data to the understanding of this issue, with an attempt to disentangle direct effects (preference interdependence) from indirect informational effects. It shows that perceived mobility is central to the link between other people's income and individual satisfaction, as it determines individual opportunities and risks. Agents also appreciate the egalitarian nature of mobility itself, so that individual welfare depends on dynamic inequality rather than static income distribution. These studies illustrate how subjective data can bring information on aspects of utility and social interactions that are beyond the scope of the method based on action-revealed preferences.
A new framework for building participation in the arts

One-liner: An investigation into how individuals decide to become involved in the arts and recommendations for effective strategies that may encourage participation. ABSTRACT: Arts organizations across the country are actively expanding their efforts to increase public participation in their programs. This report presents the findings of a RAND study sponsored by the Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds that looks at the process by which individuals become involved in the arts and attempts to identify ways in which arts institutions can most effectively influence this process. The report presents a behavioral model that identifies the main factors influencing individual decisions about the arts, based on site visits to institutions that have been particularly successful in attracting participants to their programs and in-depth interviews with the directors of more than 100 institutions that have received grants from the Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds and the Knight Foundation to encourage greater involvement in the arts. The model and a set of guidelines to help institutions approach the task of participation building constitute a framework that can assist in devising participation-building approaches that fit with an institution's overall purpose and mission, its available resources, and the community environment in which it operates-in other words, a framework that will enable arts institutions to take an integrative approach to building participation in the arts. (JD)
PFI, Public—Private Partnerships and the Neglected Importance of Process: Stakeholders and the Employment Dimension

The prominence of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and Public—Private Partnership (PPP) policy and practice is growing as a mechanism for improving resources available to, and value for money throughout, UK public services. This interest has not been accompanied by an appropriate level of academic scrutiny, nor by depth of insight into the impact of the PFI/PPP process upon public sector organizations. The authors draw on the experience of a National Health Service PFI project to examine key aspects of the PFI process, in particular, structural characteristics affecting design and implementation of PFI projects, financial and other organizational costs, and the nature of stakeholder involvement and the wider employment dimension. The article concludes by reflecting on implications for PFI/PPP policy, management and research.
Oxygen cost of breathing and breathlessness during exercise in nonobese women and men.

INTRODUCTION Although it has been reported that the work of breathing may be higher in women, inconsistencies among studies leaves this important question unresolved. Also, the association between the oxygen cost of breathing and rating of perceived breathlessness (RPB) during exercise has not been examined between women and men. PURPOSE This study aimed to measure oxygen cost of breathing during eucapnic voluntary hyperpnea and RPB (Borg 0-10 scale) during 6 min of constant work rate cycling at 60 and 90 W, respectively, in healthy, nonobese women and men. METHODS A total of 9 women (27 yr, body mass index = 21 kg·m(-2)) and 10 men (29 yr, body mass index = 25 kg·m(-2)) participated. All subjects underwent pulmonary function testing, exercise cycling, and determination of oxygen cost of breathing during eucapnic voluntary hyperpnea. Oxygen cost of breathing was obtained from the slope of the oxygen uptake (mL·min(-1)) and ventilation (L·min(-1)) relationship. RPB and cardiorespiratory measures were collected during minute 6 of the exercise. Data were analyzed by independent t-test and regression analysis. RESULTS Age and pulmonary function were similar between the nonobese women and men. Oxygen cost of breathing was similar between the nonobese women (1.17 ± 0.26 mL·L(-1)) and men (1.21 ± 0.42 mL·(-1)L). RPB during exercise was similar between the women (2.1 ± 1.3) and men (2.6 ± 1.2) and was correlated (P < 0.05) with relative oxygen uptake (r = 0.55) but not the oxygen cost of breathing. CONCLUSIONS In nonobese women and men, oxygen cost of breathing is not different over the ventilatory ranges studied and RPB is similar at the same relative exercise intensity. In addition, the oxygen cost of breathing was not associated with RPB during constant work rate exercise.
Are there non-linearities between SME growth and its determinants? A quantile approach

This article uses quantile regressions to study the relationship between the growth of Portuguese small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and its determinants. To control a sample selection bias, we use a two-step estimation. In the first stage, we verified that past growth, size, age, RD (ii) debt and RD (iii) age is a restrictive factor of Portuguese SME growth only when there is an increase in size; and (iv) cash flow, although a determinant promoting Portuguese SME growth regardless of the level of growth, takes on greater importance when there is a reduction in size. Copyright 2010 The Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Associazione ICC. All rights reserved. , Oxford University Press.
Understanding Overseas Students’ Concerns and Problems

Abstract A greater awareness of overseas students’ problems and a commitment to meeting their needs are critical for academic institutions to win the competition for overseas students. This study has empirically explored the perceptions of overseas students of the major problems encountered during their study. The interrelationships between each of the problems have also been examined. The data used for this study were drawn from the overseas students’ survey conducted at a university in the UK. The results yield some valuable insights for academic institutions in counselling and helping their overseas students and in improving the quality of services.
Longitudinal analysis of quality management practices in Australian organizations

Higher requirements for improved quality of products and services have led to three important changes in international business over the last decade: (i) the growing recognition of the strategic importance of total quality management (TQM) philosophy and methods; (ii) a major push by organizations world-wide to seek certification to the ISO 9000 quality standards; and (iii) the growing recognition and application of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the Australian Quality Award and the European Quality Award. Despite these developments, there is still considerable confusion and frustration surrounding the applied role and business value of quality management practices in Australian industry. A review of the literature revealed a major gap in research in this area of operations/quality management. The purpose of the paper is to evaluate the results of three empirical studies conducted in 1991, 1993 and 1996 on the adoption of quality management practices in Australian manufacturing organizations.
Investment and Uncertainty: Precipitating the Great Depression in the United States

A severe collapse of fixed capital formation distinguished the onset of the Great Depression from other investment downturns between the world wars. Using a model estimated for the years 1890-2000, we show that the expected profitability of capital measured by Tobin's q, and the uncertainty surrounding expected profits indicated by share price volatility, were the chief influences on investment levels, and that heightened share price volatility played the dominant role in the crucial investment collapse in 1930. Investment did not simply follow the downward course of income at the onset of the depression: rather, its slump helped to propel the wider collapse.
Energy consumption behaviour: rational or habitual?

Abstract Reducing energy demand is not simply about developing energy efficiency measures and technologies, but also changing behaviour and everyday practices. Although the over-emphasis on individual behaviour as the main driver of transition to low-carbon societies may be contested on the grounds that it distracts attention from the wider structural, economic and political factors, it is widely acknowledged that pro-environmental behaviours play an important part in such a transition. But, what constitutes such behaviour? Why do people behave in the way they do? What motivates them to change their behaviour? What are the key factors in behaviour formation and change? This paper aims to address these questions by drawing on three dominant perspectives on environmental behaviour and its drivers: the rational economic, the psychological and the sociological perspectives. The aim is to provide a conceptual understanding of behaviour, illustrated with example from energy consumption.
Relationship between occupational stress and coping strategy among operating theatre nurses in China: a questionnaire survey.

AIM To explore the relationship between occupational stress and coping strategies among operating theatre nurses in China. BACKGROUND Studies on occupational stress and burnout in nurses are common, but there is a dearth of research on the coping strategies of operating theatre nurses. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted in a typical operating theatre in China. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 70 nurses. The data were analysed using correlation and regression methods. RESULTS Nurses reported high stress levels in the workload and time pressure subscales. Female nurses' occupational stress was positively correlated with designation and negatively correlated with operation sets per day and night shifts. Nurses preferred self-control as a coping strategy. Active coping was positively related to resource and environmental problems, and passive coping was positively related to workload and time pressure, and to interpersonal relationship and management issues. CONCLUSION Nursing managers could reduce operating theatre nurses' passive coping by decreasing the stressors of workload and time pressure, and interpersonal relationships and management problems. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT Nursing managers could employ more nurses to reduce nurses' workload and occupational stress. In addition, managers should consider fortifying nurses' active coping strategies and training nurses in problem-solving skills.
Financialization and the US Economy

Ozgur Orhangazi brings together a comprehensive analysis of financialization in the US economy that encompasses the historical, theoretical, and empirical sides of the issues. He explores the origins and consequences of the dramatic rise of financial markets in the US economy and focuses on the impacts of this process of ‘financialization’ on the operations of the non-financial corporate sector.
Self-Report and Academic Factors in Relation to High School Students' Success in an Innovative Biotechnology Program.

Biotechnology constitutes one of the most challenging, cutting-edge, and rapidly growing fields in science today (U.S. Department of Labor, 2008). Its products influence our daily lives on multiple levels and often improve our quality of life. Both the practical implications and the hands-on nature of this ‘modern science’ make the topic of biotechnology an attractive addition to the high school science curriculum (France, 2007). The interdisciplinary nature of biotechnology also makes it an ideal candidate for future curricular offerings that strive to incorporate the K-12 Framework for Science Education (National Research Council [NRC], 2012) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS; http://www.nextgenscience.org/). Bybee (2011) noted that the shift from inquiry methods to the use of both science and engineering practices will likely be the greatest challenges related to the NGSS, and suggested that these practices should be thought of as both instructional strategies and learning outcomes. Indeed, the NGSS performance expectations place emphasis on combining practice and content in the assessment of student learning (Bybee, 2012). Sneider (2012) suggested the use of existing learning activities as a first step in integrating technology and engineering practice into science teaching. The literature provides both a conceptual base for integrating biotechnology into curricular offerings, as well as practical examples implemented by early adopters. Wells (1994), for example, gathered biotechnology experts to compose a common taxonomic structure to guide the development of high school biotechnology curricula. Twenty panel members identified eight main areas, including topics that span both science (e.g., biochemistry, medicine, environmental science) and engineering (e.g., genetic engineering, food science, environmental safety). Similarly, an early survey of biology teachers captured recommendations for science and engineering content (the structure and function of DNA, understanding the genetic code, genetic engineering, cloning, and the biology of cancer), as well as the recommendation that this content be delivered through labs when possible (Zeller,1994). Harms (2002) noted that providing students with the opportunity to practice biotechnology provides specific examples of applied science that generalize to a differentiated understanding of concepts.
NETWORK TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION BY US BIOTECHNOLOGY FIRMS: A CONTEXTUAL APPROACH OF SOCIAL MEDIA APPLICATIONS

The biotechnology industry is a knowledge-intensive industry that uses sophisticated production processes in which secrecy plays a key role. This paper investigates the contextual organisational characteristics such as firm size, firm age, and strategies of companies in the biotechnology sector that have adopted social media applications. A hypothetico-deductive method is used in this empirical study. The hypotheses were tested in 639 US Biotechnology firms, using the BioScan Database and an analysis of the firms' websites. Results suggest that social media tools analysed as an aggregate construct can produce misleading results. Except for marketing strategies, contextual characteristics differently affect the number and type of social media used.
Liberalisation and Producer Price Risk: Examining Subjective Expectations in the Ugandan Coffee Market

The transfer of marketing responsibilities from the state to private agents in developing country commodity markets has enhanced competitiveness in these markets. One consequence of this has been an increase in the extent to which fluctuations in international commodity prices are passed from exporters to domestic traders, and to producers. This paper presents unique data on farmer perceptions of coffee price risk in Uganda's post-liberalised market. Perceived price risk is found to be substantial, as expected. Less expectedly, perceived price risk is found to vary quite substantially across households. An analysis of this variance suggests that differences in coffee prices received in past seasons and the salience of particular prices explain a significant portion of this variation. Interventions that both provide market information and train farmers to better understand price determination would seem desirable. Copyright 2010 The author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Centre for the Study of African Economies. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org, Oxford University Press.
Social sustainability and neighbourhood design: an investigation of residents' satisfaction in Delhi

Social and environmental goals are often mutually reinforcing. Urban forms may encourage social sustainability as well as social inclusion or may have the potential to create areas of crime and social exclusion. The issues of relationship between sustainable development and urban form have given birth to new paradigms of design approach such as new urbanism, the compact city and the eco-city. This paper examines the impact of urban form on social sustainability at the neighbourhood level. It seeks to better understand the relationship between urban form and social sustainability by comparing three neighbourhoods with dissimilar urban forms in Delhi, India. Household surveys and observation surveys in these three neighbourhoods were conducted, and it was found that the urban form of a neighbourhood plays a very important role in creating a socially sustainable residential neighbourhood. The study established that social interactions within the communities are higher when dwelling units are placed around the public realm or common open space. The study demonstrated that provision of high quality and well-located open space at the precinct level, mixed land use and good accessibility to the public realm and social infrastructure play an important role in increasing the social sustainability of the neighbourhood.
Face Classification Using Color Information

Color models are widely used in image recognition because they represent significant information. On the other hand, texture analysis techniques have been extensively used for facial feature extraction. In this paper; we extract discriminative features related to facial attributes by utilizing different color models and texture analysis techniques. Specifically, we propose novel methods for texture analysis to improve classification performance of race and gender. The proposed methods for texture analysis are based on Local Binary Pattern and its derivatives. These texture analysis methods are evaluated for six color models (hue, saturation and intensity value (HSV); L*a*b*; RGB; YCbCr; YIQ; YUV) to investigate the effect of each color model. Further, we configure two combinations of color channels to represent color information suitable for gender and race classification of face images. We perform experiments on publicly available face databases. Experimental results show that the proposed approaches are effective for the classification of gender and race.
Explaining the decision to export: evidence from UK firms

In this study the determinants of export probability are investigated for a panel of 2134 UK firms between 1988 and 2001. Firm size, product diversification, innovation and human-capital are all found to increase the probability of exporting. It is also found that the variance of the sterling–dollar rate has a positive effect on export probability in a majority of industries, lending support to stock option theories of export behaviour.
An Intersectional Perspective on Access to HIV-Related Healthcare for Transgender Women

Abstract Transgender women experience decreased access to HIV-related healthcare relative to cisgender people, in part due to pervasive transphobia in healthcare. This perspective describes intersectionality as a salient theoretical approach to understanding this disparity, moving beyond transphobia to explore how intersecting systems of oppression, including cisnormativity, sexism/transmisogyny, classism, racism, and HIV-related, gender nonconformity, substance use, and sex work stigma influence HIV-related healthcare access for transgender women living with HIV. This perspective concludes with a discussion of how intersectionality-informed studies can be enhanced through studying underexplored intersections and bringing attention to women's resiliency and empowerment.