Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cognitive Modelling: A Case Study of Reading-to-write Strategy Instruction and the Development of Second Language Writing Expertise in a University English for Academic Purposes Writing Course

This case study investigates how the teaching of cognitive strategies in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) writing course at a Canadian university occurs and relates to students’ engagement in course writing tasks. While universities offer writing courses in order to improve academic writing skills, English Language Learners (ELL) may still be considered poor writers by mainstream standards. Perhaps the problem is not writing skill, but an ineffective linking of reading and writing strategic knowledge to the task at hand. Pedagogically interconnecting reading and writing skills reciprocally supports learner proficiency development, which may be enhanced by directly teaching awareness raising strategies. This doctoral study seeks to investigate the declarative, procedural and conditional knowledge of what a teacher actually does in the classroom. This instrumental qualitative case study took place in a 10-week EAP writing course. Data collection involved classroom observation, open-ended interviews, reflective questionnaires and retrospective think-aloud tasks of 6 focal students. Analysis of the classroom observations, stimulated recalls, interviews and end-of-term questionnaires were thematically analysed for links between observed teaching activities and student perceived awareness of learning.
Perceived Attractiveness of Structured Financial Products: The Role of Presentation Format and Reference Instruments

Abstract Structured equity-linked products hold a strong position in the asset universe in Europe, although they are often considered to be overly complex. Their risk and return profile is typically presented by simple payoff diagrams and verbal descriptions. The authors propose to complement the payoff diagrams with information on the payoff’s probability distribution and study different presentation formats in an experimental setting with multiple investment decisions. They introduce a flexible framework for designing tailor-made products, which allows them to implement a part of the experiment as an interactive exploration in which the participants experience the risk-return tradeoff and the role of different features of structured products. The authors find that displaying probability histograms can have a strong effect on the perceived attractiveness of the products by revealing the loss probability. In contrast to common practice, the present results suggest that the reference instrument shown in graphical displays should be risk-adjusted to match the risk of the structured product. Otherwise, a preference for lower risk might be misinterpreted as a preference for a specific return profile. These findings can be used to improve information documents for investors such as the “Key Information Document” required by European regulation.
Low-shot Visual Recognition

Many real world datasets are characterized by having a long tailed distribution, with several samples for some classes and only a few samples for other classes. While many Deep Learning based solutions exist for object recognition when hundreds of samples are available, there are not many solutions for the case when there are only a few samples available per class. Recognition in the regime where the number of training samples available for each class are low, ranging from 1 to couple of tens of examples is called Lowshot Recognition. In this work, we attempt to solve this problem. Our framework is similar to [1]. We use a related dataset with sufficient number (a couple of hundred) of samples per class to learn representations using a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). This CNN is used to extract features of the lowshot samples and learn a classifier . During representation learning, we enforce the learnt representations to obey certain property by using a custom loss function. We believe that when the lowshot sample obey this property the classification step becomes easier. We show that the proposed solution performs better than the softmax classifier by a good margin. Low-Shot Visual Recognition
GaN‐based emissive microdisplays: A very promising technology for compact, ultra‐high brightness display systems

High‐brightness GaN‐based emissive microdisplays can be fabricated with different approaches that are listed and described. They consist either of hybridizing a GaN LED array on a CMOS circuit or building a monolithic component on a single substrate. Using the hybridization approach, two types of 10‐μm pixel pitch GaN microdisplay prototypes were developed: (1) directly driven, 300 × 252 pixels and (2) active‐matrix, 873 × 500 pixels. Brightness as high as 1 × 106 and 1 × 107 cd/m2 for blue and green arrays, respectively, were reached. GaN‐based emissive microdisplays are suitable for augmented reality systems or head‐up displays, but some challenges remain before they can be put in production.
It Is Not All About Money: Obtaining Additional Benefits Through Equity Crowdfunding

Equity crowdfunding allows entrepreneurs to directly access financing from a large number of investors via Internet platforms. Recent research has started to examine additional, non-financial benefits of crowdfunding campaigns. This article connects to this emerging research stream by investigating these additional benefits while discussing their potential to contribute to the success of equity crowdfunding projects. Building on interviews with entrepreneurs and investors from Norway and Israel, we find that the benefits offered by investors to entrepreneurs can be divided into two categories: inward benefits and outward benefits. The latter are aimed at increasing public exposure and advancing the project’s success by recruiting additional investors. By contrast, inward benefits are implemented through investors’ contributions of personal experience and expertise. These benefits are aimed at the entrepreneurs and, when harnessed, can become resources that advance future success. We also find that investors receive personal gain by participating in crowdfunding, which takes the form of personal growth and the development of social capital. These benefits are based on intrinsic motives and complement the financial returns, which are more related to extrinsic motives.
Impact of Weather and Herd Size Management on Beef Cow Profitability

Producers often contemplate expanding or contracting production to take advantage of cyclical cattle price trends. This study quantifies profitability and risk implications of (1) constant herd size, (2) dollar cost averaging, and (3) price signal-based, anticipatory countercyclical expansion/contraction strategies. Weather simulation on forages with different calving season and land use intensity showed fall calving herds with added hay sales from greater fertilizer use and the countercyclical herd size management strategy to be most profitable regardless of weather or time period analyzed. Income risk was comparable to least fertilizer use. Overall, holding herd size constant led to little regret.
Google Searches and Stock Returns: Indian Evidence

Using Google Trends data as a proxy for investor attention, we examine the relation between investor attention and future stock returns in the Indian stock market during the period 2012-2017 (254 weeks) in a sample of 93 stocks. The results show that a higher GSV leads to a positive excess return in the first week and negative in the second week. The findings are consistent with the “price pressure hypothesis” of Barber and Odean (2008).
Mobile Assistance in Language Learning: A critical appraisal

Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) literature tends to focus on formal learning contexts, but in so doing, the research may overlook some of the rich variety of mobile language learning and rehearsal taking place in informal settings. Informal uses of personal technologies call for a deeper examination of the notion of assistance, which may be built into mobile systems, environments and application designs and also provided by many different people. The chapter reviews relevant literature relating to mobile assistance with special consideration of individual learner requirements and the important challenge of supporting informal learning among migrants. The author considers how the notion of assistance may be extended so that learners not only benefit from assistance but they are also empowered to help themselves and others. A classification of assistance for mobile language learning and communication support is proposed. The idea that a handheld device can offer ‘personal assistance’ to its user has been around a long time, but technology advancements and more mobile lives introduce new perspectives. Mobile learning researchers, designers, practitioners and others must consider not only mobility of technology but also many other mobilities which include the dynamic nature of human communication and language development. As advanced societies appear to be on the cusp of a new era of ‘intelligent assistants’ and ‘social robots’, the pressing need to revisit the notion of assistance and explore its multifaceted nature in informal and out-of-class language learning is very apparent.
Short-term traffic flow prediction based on spatio-temporal analysis and CNN deep learning

Accurate short-term traffic flow forecasting facilitates active traffic control and trip planning. Most existing traffic flow models fail to make full use of the temporal and spatial features of traffic data. This study proposes a short-term traffic flow prediction model based on a convolution neural network (CNN) deep learning framework. In the proposed framework, the optimal input data time lags and amounts of spatial data are determined by a spatio-temporal feature selection algorithm (STFSA), and selected spatio-temporal traffic flow features are extracted from actual data and converted into a two-dimensional matrix. The CNN then learns these features to construct a predictive model. The effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated by comparing the forecast results with actual traffic data. Other existing models are also evaluated for comparison. The proposed method outperforms baseline models in terms of accuracy.
A Pilot Study of an Electronic Exam System at an Australian University

This study sought academic staff and students’ views of electronic exams (e-exams) system and the benefits and challenges of e-exams in general. The respondents provided useful feedback for future adoption of e-exams at an Australian university and elsewhere too. The key findings show that students and academic staff are optimistic about the future adoption of e-exams if the e-exams system is sufficiently improved. They are fully aware of the benefits the technology could offer in supporting learning and education in general and see e-exams as an innovation for learning and teaching in higher education.
A NOTE ON MEASURING US TIME SERIES VOLATILITY DURING THE GREAT MODERATION

We identify volatility breaks in all testable series in the FRED database over the 1957–2013 period. This yields 17,681 breaks, which we categorize using text analysis. We show that 70.5% of series categories experienced a decline in volatility over the 1985–1999 period, suggesting that the Great Moderation was far broader in scope than the literature has documented. We also show that this decline reversed in 2000, leading to a sharp increase in volatility for most time series categories; however, this did not fully materialize in GDP volatility until the Great Recession. Finally, we identify labor markets, demographics, finance, and government debt as potential drivers of low-frequency shifts in volatility over the 1957–2013 period.
An Investigation into the Effects of Product Design on Incremental and Radical Innovations from the Perspective of Consumer Perceptions: Evidence from China

By integrating research on product design with ideas from marketing and consumer perceptions, this paper formulates a set of coherent hypotheses about the effects of tripartite design dimensions on consumer perceptions and responses. We conduct two surveys on incremental and radical technology innovations, respectively, and accordingly get two different samples to test the hypotheses. Empirical results reveal that the effects of aesthetic and functional dimensions on consumer purchase intention and word of mouth vary across two types of innovations. Specifically, for incrementally innovative products, aesthetic and functional dimensions influence consumer purchase intention and word of mouth, both directly and indirectly, through the mediation of consumer perceived quality. By contrast, for radically innovative products, the effects of aesthetic and functional dimensions on purchase intention and word of mouth are totally mediated by perceived quality. Additionally, the effects of symbolic dimension on consumer perceptions and responses achieve consistency across radical and incremental technology innovations. That is, the higher the level of symbolic dimension, the stronger purchase intention and the better word of mouth there will be, whereas the direct influence of symbolic dimension on perceived quality is not significant in either innovation category.
Egyptian Intra Agriculture Trade with Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Trading Partners: A Gravity Model

The regional trade provides better environment for any country to achieve the trade objective instead of a total free trade in this modern age. This study investigates the determinants of Egyptian agriculture trade with her 20 COMESA trading partners by using data of 1990-2015 and by applying Pooled Mean Group Estimators (PMG) on gravity model. Our results are confirming the panel cointegration in our model. Egyptian GDP and population are negatively influencing to the agriculture balance of trade. COMESA trading partners’ GDP and population have positive impact on the balance of trade. The exchange rate depreciation has unfavorable impact on agriculture balance of trade in the short run and has a favorable impact in long run. This is an evidence for presence of J-curve hypothesis in Egyptian trade in COMESA region and also showing an elastic behavior of exchange rate on balance of trade in the long run. Hence, this study recommends to Egyptian policy makers to adopt depreciation policy to correct agriculture balance of trade with COMESA trading partners.
Current Practices and Challenges in Auditing Fair Value Measurements and Complex Estimates: Implications for Auditing Standards and the Academy

Auditing fair value measurements and other complex estimates (hereafter FVMs) has received significant attention from regulators, practitioners and researchers. Using a survey, we gather data from audit partners with FVMs expertise to gain further insights in areas that have not been fully explored in the previous literature. Specifically, we extend the literature by providing a deeper understanding of the following areas: auditors’ use of different substantive approaches to test higher risk FVMs, auditors’ use of pricing services and valuation specialists, and how challenges differ when auditing financial vs. nonfinancial FVMs. In doing so, our findings and analyses extend prior research and coalesce pieces of several prior studies on auditing FVMs to provide a more complete picture of current auditing practices and challenges encountered by auditors. Our study provides insights useful in reconciling seemingly inconsistent findings in previous studies and provides important implications for future research, regulation and standards setting.
A critical review on value co-creation: towards a contingency framework and research agenda

Purpose Although a dominant marketing concept, value co-creation (VCC) is not without controversy. Inspired by value co-destruction (VCD), the purpose of this paper is to review the scattered literature on the uncertainties in collaborative value formation, synthesising contingency factors of value outcomes in VCC. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on an examination of 84 peer-reviewed journal articles. Recognising the drawbacks of the macroscopic abstraction in existing the VCC literature, the authors adopt a zooming-in approach to identify distinct patterns of contingency factors in the collaborative value-formation process. Findings From a macro-social perspective, VCC may connote a sense of exploitation of “consumers” and a need for consumer control of “producers”, impeding harmonious value formation. Zooming into actor-to-actor interactions, the collaborative relationship is found to be a source of uncertainties in value formation, which is further complicated by differences in the knowledge intensities of services. Finally, reviewing the individual consumer reveals a most nuanced picture that demonstrates heterogeneities of consumers’ VCC involvement and complexities in their perceptions and behaviours. Five propositions and a contingency framework are proposed. Research limitations/implications Six value formation mechanisms are proposed based on interconnected and multi-level perspectives, providing implications for managers and future researchers. Originality/value This paper contributes to rebalancing VCC research by synthesising insights on the potential contingencies, which are relatively under-explored yet vital to keep the controversy alive and relevant, and re-invigorating business processes.
Customer satisfaction, loyalty, knowledge and competitiveness in the food industry

The subject of this article is customer satisfaction, loyalty, know-ledge and business competitiveness from the perspective of afood-industry customer. This article aims to analyse the relation-ship between customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, productknowledge, business competitiveness and other selected factorswhich influence customer satisfaction. The research is aimed atcustomers who purchase the product in question repeatedly andhave personal experience with this product. The research was car-ried out using a questionnaire which was presented to therespondents, who were customers of the selected companies. Inorder to model the relationships between the factors, a structuralequation model approach was used. The research showed the dir-ect influence of the product-knowledge variable on customerexpectation and product competitiveness, as well as the influenceof customer loyalty on product knowledge. Increased loyalty thusleads to the customer’s increased knowledge of the product. Therate of repeat purchase of the same product is important for therelationship between the variables. In this case, customer expect-ation was shown to be an important variable which is influencedby customer satisfaction. It can be concluded that when a prod-uct’s price is set correctly in relation to its quality, the price doesnot affect other research factors.
Beyond Task and Maintenance: Defining External Functions in Groups

Using interview and log data from 38 new product team managers and 15 team members, we identify a set of activities that group members use to manage their dependence on external groups. Team members carry out scout, ambassador, sentry, and guard activities along with immigrant, captive, and emigrant roles to manage external transactions. It is hypothesized that high team performance is associated with a fit between the level of boundary activity and the degree of resource dependence.
IMPACT OF INTERNET CHANNEL ON THE SERVICE CANNIBALIZATION PERCEPTION AND THE ROLE OF RELATIVE CAPITAL

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of sales agent representatives’ service cannibalization and its possible outcomes (effort, job satisfaction, job performance and job alienation) resulting from ICT especially internet adoption as an alternative distributional channel in tourism industry. In addition, causal relationships between these possible outcomes have been tried to be revealed. According to field studies carried out in 2016 with 387 group A sales representatives working in travel agencies that are members of TÜRSAB located in the European side of Istanbul, it was determined that the relational capital levels of the sales representatives were relatively low while the service cannibalization perceptions reached a moderate result. A regression analysis was conducted to test hypotheses established in the theoretical and framework of the research. Service cannibalization has been identified as a predictor of effort, job satisfaction, job performance and job alienation. Another result reached through the study is that the level of relational capital as a partial mediator between sales agent’s service cannibalization perception and its outcomes. At the end of the work, various suggestions were made to Travel Agencies.
DEBT FINANCING AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION: EVIDENCE FROM CHINA

The availabilities of debt for Chinese firms have been increased since 2008 due to the expansionary monetary policies. These policies triggered concerns over the impact of debt financing on firms’ technological innovation activities. Based on a sample of 225 listed computer and telecommunications equipment firms in China within 2008-2015, this study explored the effect of debt financing on two types of technological innovation, namely radical and incremental innovation. Specifically, both the direct effect of debt financing on technological innovation and its moderating effect on the relationship between R&D intensity and technological innovation were investigated. Results of this study reveal that radical innovation decreases with debt financing at decreasing rates, while incremental innovation is not affected by debt financing itself. In addition, debt financing interacted with R&D intensity exerts positive effect on both radical and incremental innovation. This study adds meaningful insights to the literature on financing technological innovation and builds a bridge connecting macroeconomic policies to firm activities.
Measuring technical and allocative efficiencies of public accounting firms in Taiwan

ABSTRACT This study examines whether public accounting firms are efficient in transforming human resources into service revenues and in allocating these resources to an optimal mix of services. Using Data Envelopment Analysis to analyze data from 51 Taiwan accounting firms for the period 2015–2016, we find that there are significant allocative inefficiencies in accounting firms and these inefficiencies are negatively associated with the proportion of management advisory services (MAS). Further, we find a significant improvement in technical efficiencies from 2015 to 2016 although not in allocative efficiencies. Collectively, our results suggest that accounting firms should expand MAS to improve allocative and aggregate efficiencies.
Scientific Visualization: Uncertainty, Multifield, Biomedical, and Scalable Visualization

Based on the seminar that took place in Dagstuhl, Germany in June 2011, this contributed volume studies the four important topics within the scientific visualization field: uncertainty visualization, multifield visualization, biomedical visualization and scalable visualization. Uncertainty visualization deals with uncertain data from simulations or sampled data, uncertainty due to the mathematical processes operating on the data, and uncertainty in the visual representation, Multifield visualization addresses the need to depict multiple data at individual locations and the combination of multiple datasets, Biomedical is a vast field with select subtopics addressed from scanning methodologies to structural applications to biological applications, Scalability in scientific visualization is critical as data grows and computational devices range from hand-held mobile devices to exascale computational platforms. Scientific Visualization will be useful to practitioners of scientific visualization, students interested in both overview and advanced topics, and those interested in knowing more about the visualization process.