Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corporate Governance Mechanisms, Financial Risk, Industry Sector and Human Capital Investment as Determinants of Voluntary Disclosure of Intellectual Capital in UK Listed Firms

This research examines investment in human capital, financial risk, industry sector and corporate governance mechanisms as determinants of the voluntary disclosure of intellectual capital in a sample of 443 UK listed company annual reports for the year 2003/2004. This year precedes 2005 and the adoption of International Accounting Standards by European Union Member States thus providing the context for the study under reduced mandatory regulation. Voluntary disclosure is measured by an index based on intellectual capital attributes disclosed in the narratives and illustrations of the annual reports. The benefits of signalling intellectual capital are expected to outweigh proprietary costs due to these disclosures. These costs may be more prevalent in innovative and technological companies. Corporate governance mechanisms enhance voluntary disclosure and reduce information symmetry more specifically in those companies found to have higher levels of intangible assets in their resource base. The results suggest that companies associated with reduced financial risk and accompanied by growth are characterised with higher levels of voluntary disclosure of intellectual capital. Voluntary disclosure of intellectual capital is enhanced when large companies operating in high-tech and innovative industries are characterised by investments in human capital. The results suggest that companies that are able to maintain adequate governance systems through segregation of executive and non-executive duties and to a less extent through the presence of experienced non-executive directors exhibit higher levels of voluntary disclosure.
ALFABURST: a commensal search for fast radio bursts with Arecibo

ALFABURST has been searching for fast radio bursts (FRBs) commensally with other projects using the Arecibo L-band Feed Array receiver at the Arecibo Observatory since 2015 July. We describe the observing system and report on the non-detection of any FRBs from that time until 2017 August for a total observing time of 518 h. With current FRB rate models, along with measurements of telescope sensitivity and beam size, we estimate that this survey probed redshifts out to about 3.4 with an effective survey volume of around 600 000 Mpc 3 . Based on this, we would expect, at the 99 per cent confidence level, to see at most two FRBs. We discuss the implications of this non-detection in the context of results from other telescopes and the limitation of our search pipeline. During the survey, single pulses from 17 known pulsars were detected. We also report the discovery of a Galactic radio transient with a pulse width of 3 ms and dispersion measure of 281 pc cm -3 , which was detected while the telescope was slewing between fields.
Consumer buying behavior towards online shopping: An empirical study on Dhaka city, Bangladesh

Abstract The World Wide Web has propelled in no small extent of changes in the attitude and behavior of people all over the world. Due to this blessing, online shopping has emerged which influenced the lives of ordinary citizens. Online shopping has also been started in Bangladesh, but consumers are not much habituated yet to go online shopping frequently. This study is undertaken to understand the behavior of online shoppers through a self-constructed questionnaire of 160 respondents from Dhaka city. The survey reveals that consumers shop online to save time, and for available varieties of products and services. Both male and female both have the same type of behavior towards liking and disliking factors; they like home delivery facility and dislike inability to touch and feel the product most. They acquire online shopping information from websites especially from the social network and purchase apparels, accessories mostly through cash on delivery method of payment. The most of the consumers are concern about the security of the payment system, and their overall online shopping satisfaction is mixed.
The Effects of an Engineering Design Module on Student Learning in a Middle School Science Classroom

Eighth grade students often experience difficulty concretely representing learning objectives in a physical science course. In order to determine the effect of engineering design modules, advanced manufacturing machines were employed including 2D and 3D fabricators to create tangible objects from computer-aided designs. Students completed the Waves and Sound Assessment prior to participating in the digital fabrication activities, and again after the hands-on activities. We also aimed to examine differences in learning based on sex. Major findings for the 13 males and 8 females were that both males ( p < .01) and females ( p < .01) gained a large amount of knowledge over the course of the two week-long unit on waves and sound. Large effect sizes for the open-ended questions and multiple-choice questions were found in both males ( d = .83) and females ( d = 1.48). There were no significant differences in scores between sexes at either the pretest or the posttest time period for the open-ended or multiple-choice questions. Findings indicate advanced manufacturing activities were effective for both boys and girls in fostering gains in science content knowledge related to waves and sound concepts.
Florida Key deer Odocoileus virginianus clavium underpass use and movements along a highway corridor

Abstract In order to address endangered Florida Key deer Odocoileus virginianus clavium vehicle collisions along a 5.6-km segment of United States Highway 1 (US 1), the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) constructed a 2.6-km long system of fencing, deer guards and two underpasses to exclude deer from roadway. The US 1 project was completed in 2002 for the purpose of minimizing Key deer mortality and maintaining deer permeability through the Big Pine Key (BPK) corridor, Florida, USA. We evaluated the potential impact of these modifications to Key deer movements by comparing 1) annual ranges and movements of Key deer pre- (January 1998 - December 2000) and post-construction (February 2003 - January 2004), 2) deer-vehicle collisions on US 1 pre- and post-construction, and 3) underpass use post-construction. Mean female and male annual ranges and core areas did not change (P>0.05) between pre- and post-construction. Deer movements within the US 1 project area were comparable pre- (six of 23 radio-collared deer crossed the corridor) and post-project (four of 16). Key deer-vehicle collisions were reduced by 94% inside the fenced segment. Experimental deer guards and fencing minimized Key deer entry into the project area to eight deer during the first-year resulting in two deer mortalities (one deer-vehicle collision, one severe removal injury). Infrared-triggered camera data indicate that underpass movements increased over time, suggesting that an acclimation period is necessary for highway underpasses to be successful. Collectively, post-project data indicate that highway alterations have not restricted Key deer permeability while minimizing Key deer mortality; however, our study results suggest changes in deer movement patterns within the corridor. We recommend continued monitoring to verify accurate trends in deer use of wildlife underpasses and permeability across fenced areas.
Effect of Calcium Ion Supplementation on Swine Parturition

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of calcium ion supplementation on swine parturition. The focus of this trial was to determine if increased cytostolic calcium levels would reduce the inter-pig birth interval and reduce the number of Type II stillbirths. Thirty-four females were divided into either a control group (n = 17) or a treatment group (n = 17). The treatment group received 70 g of a calcium-chloride supplement, top dressed daily, for five days pre-farrowing. Results showed a reduction in inter-pig birth interval and reduction in Type II stillbirths for the treatment group as compared to the control group (P < 0.05).
(WP 2011-03) State Government Revenue and Expenditures: A Bootstrap Panel Analysis

The current fiscal crises that most states in the United States are facing are generally the result of a severe macroeconomic downturn combined with a limited ability of the states to respond to such shocks. States are facing increased demand for public services at the same time revenue is falling. In this context, this paper explores the issue of temporal priority between government expenditures and revenue at the state and local levels. The results show that there is no uniform relationship between government revenue and spending across different states in the US. In fact, about 40% of the states show the absence of any temporal relationship between these two variables. This is quite revealing given the current state of the debate in the academic and policy-making circle. A support for the tax-spend hypothesis is found in 18% of the states while the spend-tax hypothesis is prevalent in another 16%. In 26% of the states, the revenue and expenditures decisions are jointly determined by the government.
Teachers’ Beliefs and Educational Research: Cleaning Up a Messy Construct

Attention to the beliefs of teachers and teacher candidates should be a focus of educational research and can inform educational practice in ways that prevailing research agendas have not and cannot. The difficulty in studying teachers’ beliefs has been caused by definitional problems, poor conceptualizations, and differing understandings of beliefs and belief structures. This article examines the meaning prominent researchers give to beliefs and how this meaning differs from that of knowledge, provides a definition of belief consistent with the best work in this area, explores the nature of belief structures as outlined by key researchers, and offers a synthesis of findings about the nature of beliefs. The article argues that teachers’ beliefs can and should become an important focus of educational inquiry but that this will require clear conceptualizations, careful examination of key assumptions, consistent understandings and adherence to precise meanings, and proper assessment and investigation of specific belief constructs. Implications of findings and directions for future research are offered.
Dynamic aspects of soil water availability for isohydric plants: Focus on root hydraulic resistances

Soil water availability for plant transpiration is a key concept in agronomy. The objective of this study is to revisit this concept and discuss how it may be affected by processes locally influencing root hydraulic properties. A physical limitation to soil water availability in terms of maximal flow rate available to plant leaves ( Qavail ) is defined. It is expressed for isohydric plants, in terms of plant‐centered variables and properties (the equivalent soil water potential sensed by the plant, ψs eq ; the root system equivalent conductance, Krs ; and a threshold leaf water potential, ψleaf lim ). The resulting limitation to plant transpiration is compared to commonly used empirical stress functions. Similarities suggest that the slope of empirical functions might correspond to the ratio of Krs to the plant potential transpiration rate. The sensitivity of Qavail to local changes of root hydraulic conductances in response to soil matric potential is investigated using model simulations. A decrease of radial conductances when the soil dries induces earlier water stress, but allows maintaining higher night plant water potentials and higher Qavail during the last week of a simulated 1 month drought. In opposition, an increase of radial conductances during soil drying provokes an increase of hydraulic redistribution and Qavail at short term. This study offers a first insight on the effect of dynamic local root hydraulic properties on soil water availability. By better understanding complex interactions between hydraulic processes involved in soil‐plant hydrodynamics, better prospects on how root hydraulic traits mitigate plant water stress might be achieved.
Essential Heavy Metals in Renal Tumor Tissue and Its Possible Relation to Carcinogenesis: Applying the Scanning Electron Microscopy Coupled with X-Ray Microanalysis Technique

Background: Metals such as copper and zinc are crucial in several vital functions in the human body; the absence of these metals can cause serious illness. When in excess, however, they can have toxic effects which may be associated with carcinogenesis, as is described in the literature. Thus, it is important to realize that without these essential metals in their due proportion, the human body could not maintain its proper metabolic function. Methods: The main goal of this paper was to compare qualitatively and semi-quantitatively the amount of both copper and zinc present in the tumor tissue (tissue from patients who had undergone partial or radical nephrectomy) and in the control tissue (which was adjacent to the tumor tissue). This study was carried out using Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with X-Ray Microanalysis (SEM-XRM). Results: There is a different concentration of copper and zinc in the samples of tumor tissue and controls that were studied. Conclusion: This work complements previously published results about the presence of metals in the human body and their probable influence on carcinogenesis.
The Experience of Financial Institutions in the Delivery of Microcredit in the Philippines

This paper identifies the characteristic features of the different financial market players involved in the delivery of microcredit in the Philippines and looks into their experiences in addressing the credit demand of the small-borrower market segment, particularly the microenterprise sector. This paper argues that each group of lenders, specifically commercial banks, rural banks, credit-granting NGOs, and an apex financial institution, allocates its funds by establishing its own criteria for assessing the creditworthiness of borrowers and its own mechanisms to avoid borrower default. The delivery of microcredit takes place within an environment where the different financial market players face their own set of constraints in supplying credit to small-scale borrowers. This is made evident in the experiences of the different institutions in adopting the approaches of downgrading, upgrading, and financial linkage building.
Coordinated Learning by Model Difference Identification in Multiagent Systems with Sparse Interactions

Multiagent Reinforcement Learning (MARL) is a promising technique for agents learning effective coordinated policy in Multiagent Systems (MASs). In many MASs, interactions between agents are usually sparse, and then a lot of MARL methods were devised for them. These methods divide learning process into independent learning and joint learning in coordinated states to improve traditional joint state-action space learning. However, most of those methods identify coordinated states based on assumptions about domain structure (e.g., dependencies) or agent (e.g., prior individual optimal policy and agent homogeneity). Moreover, situations that current methods cannot deal with still exist. In this paper, a modified approach is proposed to learn where and how to coordinate agents’ behaviors in more general MASs with sparse interactions. Our approach introduces sample grouping and a more accurate metric of model difference degree to identify which states of other agents should be considered in coordinated states, without strong additional assumptions. Experimental results show that the proposed approach outperforms its competitors by improving the average agent reward per step and works well in some broader scenarios.
Seasonal Variation of δ13C of Four Tree Species: A Biological Integrator of Environmental Variables

Foliar delta C-13 values, an indicator of long-term intercellular carbon dioxide concentration and, thus, of long-term water use efficiency (WUE) in plants, were measured for Pinus massoniana Lamb. , P. elliottii Engelm. , Cunninghamia laceolata (Lamb.) Hook. , and Schima superba Gardn. et Champ. in a restored forest ecosystem in the Jiazhu River Basin. Seasonal variation and the relationship between the foliar delta C-13 values of the four species and environmental factors (monthly total precipitation, monthly average air temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, and monthly total solar radiation and evaporation) were investigated. The monthly delta C-13 values and WUE of the four species increased with increasing precipitation, air temperature, solar radiation, and evaporation, whereas delta C-13 values of the four species decreased with increasing relative humidity and atmospheric pressure. Despite significant differences in delta C-13 seasonal means for the four species, our results demonstrate a significant convergence in the responses of delta C-13 values and WUE to seasonal variations in environmental factors among the species investigated and that the delta C-13 signature for each species gives a strong indication of environmental variables.
Exploring the effect of selected biographical variables on the dimensions of the Leadership Scale for Sport : A multivariate analysis

In a sport context, the coach is often referred to as a leader or manager. While the coach is involved in many relationships which include, liaising with the management and other personnel of the sport organisation where s/he is employed, the governing body of the sport being coached, sport federations, the media and hosts of sport events, the most significant one may perhaps be the relationship with the athletes who s/he coaches. The present study examined student-athletes’ perceptions towards their coaches’ leadership behaviour from the perspective of selected biographical variables. The leadership behaviour was assessed using the Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS). The purpose was two-fold. Firstly, it was to establish whether participants’ scores on the LSS were reliable. Secondly, to determine which biographical variables had an effect on the subscales of the LSS. Participants were 400 studentathletes from two universities in South Africa. Reliability of the LSS scores was determined by computing Cronbach’s (1951) alpha which is a measure of internal consistency related to the interrelatedness of test items. An acceptable overall alpha value of . 91 was computed. In terms of the biographical variables differences were only established between males and females with respect to Training and instruction and Democratic behaviour. It was concluded that the findings should be useful in giving a sense of the leadership preferences as well as what student-athletes expect of their coaches.
The Comparison of the effectiveness of Two Education Methods video and lecture on Knowledge, Belief and Practice of Hand Hygiene in Nursing Students: Clinical Trial

Using educational methods among nursing students is very important, as they increase knowledge and affect their attitude and ultimately their performance. The use of an effective training method leads to reform and change in bad habits and replacement of correct hygiene habits. This issue is also very important element for providing, maintaining and improving the health of patients.The general purpose of this study was to compare the effect of two educational methods of film displaying and lecture on knowledge, attitude and performance of hand hygiene in nursing-midwifery students of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. In this study, the research population included 5th and 6th semester nursing students of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, School of Nursing and Midwifery, which are randomly selected based on inclusion criteria.This research is a clinical trial study. The data collection tool consists of 4 parts. In both group, demographic questionnaire, and questionnaire of knowledge, attitude and performance of hand hygiene before and after intervention were conducted. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS 17 software and they were analyzed using descriptive indices of mean, standard deviation and inferential statistics (paired t-test) and (independent t). The results of this study showed that there is difference between knowledge and belief of nursing students before and after training using film displaying method (p <0.05), while that is no significant difference between the performance of nursing students before and after training by displaying method. In addition, there is no significant difference between knowledge, belief, and the performance of nursing students before and after the training by lecture method.
DARK CURRENT STUDIES FOR SWISSFEL

Activation of the surrounding of an accelerator must be quantified and those data provided to the official agencies. This is a necessary step in obtaining the appropriate authorization to operate such accelerator. The SwissFEL, being a 4 th generation light source, will produce more accelerated charges, which are dumped or lost, than any conventional 3 rd generation light source, like the Swiss Light Source. We have simulated the propagation of a dark current beam produced in the photoelectron gun using tracking codes like ASTRA and Elegant for the current layout of the SwissFEL. Detailed experimental study have been carried out at the SwissFEL test facilities at PSI (C-Band RF Stand and SwissFEL Injector Test Facility), in order to provide necessary input data for detailed study of components using the simulation code OPAL. A summary of these studies are presented.
Seroprevalence of Swine Salmonellosis in Korean Swine Herds

Salmonellosis is one of the most important wasting diseases that leads to economic damage in the swine industry. Many risk factors have been reported to increase the spread of Salmonella infection; therefore, it is important to understand how to treat the risk factors of Salmonella to effectively prevent salmonellosis in commercial pig farms. To accomplish this, we conducted a study to determine if the seasons and porcine production stages affected the serological response to Salmonella in Korea. A total of 1,592 serum samples submitted to the School of Veterinary Medicine of Kangwon National University between Jan. 2001 and Dec. 2004 from commercial farms were tested by ELISA. The overall apparent seroprevalence of salmonellosis was 38.1% (95% CI, 38.0-38.2), while the prevalence of Salmonella according to seasons and production stages ranged from 17.9% to 62.8% for the former (24.6% in spring, 17.9% in summer, 38.5% in autumn, and 62.8% in winter) and from 16.1% to 68.3% for the latter (17.9% in suckling pigs, 16.1% in weaning pigs, 37.50% in growers, 41.9% in finishers, 48.0% in gilts, and 68.3% in sows). In this study of seroprevalence by production stage, most pigs were naturally infected by Salmonella during the weaning stage. Also, seroprevalences were found to have a seasonal pattern in which most pigs were infected in autumn to winter.
An analysis of the air-jet yarn texturing process. Part 7, The effects of processing parameters on yarn properties

The properties of the supply yarn and the processing parameters together determine the final properties of air-jet-textured yarns. An investigation is reported on how variations in overfeed, air-pressure, and texturing speed, wet or dry processing, and the use of an impact element each affect the properties of the yarn textured. The test plan and the test methods are described, prior to a report of the test results. It is concluded that the test results agree with the predictions made from the postulated mechanism of loop formation.