Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Endogeneity in Nonlinear Regressions with Integrated Time Series

This article considers the nonlinear regression with integrated regressors that are contemporaneously correlated with the regression error. We, in particular, establish the consistency and derive the limit distribution of the nonlinear least squares estimator under such endogeneity. For the regressions with various types of regression functions, it is shown that the estimator is consistent and has the same rate of convergence as for the case of the regressions with no endogeneity. Whether or not the limit distribution is affected by the presence of endogeneity, however, depends upon the functional type of the parameter derivative of regression function. If it is asymptotically homogeneous, the limit distribution of the nonlinear least squares estimator has an additional bias term reflecting the presence of endogeneity. On the other hand, the endogeneity does not have any effect on the nonlinear least squares limit theory, if the parameter derivative of regression function is integrable. Regardless of the presence of endogeneity, the least squares estimator has the same limit distribution in this case. To illustrate our theory, we consider the nonlinear regressions with logistic and power regression functions with integrated regressors that have contemporaneous correlations with the regression error.
VITICULTURAL TERROIRS IN STELLENBOSCH, SOUTH AFRICA. II. THE INTERACTION OF CABERNET-SAUVIGNON AND SAUVIGNON BLANC WITH ENVIRONMENT

Aims: A terroir can be defined as a grouping of homogenous environmental units, or natural terroir units, based on the typicality of the products obtained. Terroir studies therefore require an investigation into the response of grapevines to the natural environment. Methods and results: A network of plots of Sauvignon blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon were delimited in commercial vineyards in proximity to weather stations and their response monitored for a period of seven years. Regression tree methodology was used to determine the relative importance of the environmental and management related variables and to determine regression trees for each dependent variable. Excepting for scion clone, which had a high relative importance for bunch mass of Sauvignon blanc and yield to pruning mass index of Cabernet Sauvignon, no other nonenvironmental variable included in the analyses appeared to have a strong effect on grapevine performance and wine character. The performance of Cabernet-Sauvignon was related to the potassium content of the subsoil and climate (temperature and rainfall) of the season. The performance of Sauvignon blanc appeared to be related to soil texture, wind exposure and temperature of the site and season, both during the green berry growth stage and the month prior to ripening.
Evaluation of Relationship between Job Stress and Unsafe Acts with Occupational Accident Rates in a Vehicle Manufacturing in Iran

Nowadays, occupational accidents are one of the most important problems in developing countries. Job stress and unsafe acts have been also recognized as effective factors in increasing the risk of occupational accidents. The main goal of this research was to evaluate the relationship between job stress and unsafe acts with occupational accidents. This study was performed on 195 employees in Pars Khodro industry in 2007. Safety behavior sampling technique and standardized job stress questionnaire were used in current research. The information was then analyzed using SPSS and statistic tests. According to findings of job stress questionnaire 88 percent of workers were at level of high stress. Accidents at work were associated with job stress and unsafe acts. There was also a significant relationship between job stress and unsafe acts ( p < 0.05). The regression logistic test showed that 1% increase in the rate of unsafe practice had a higher impact on the number of accidents than a 1% increase in job-related stress. Therefore, based on the degree of change in these two variables, it is possible to predict the number of accidents in an organization. Reducing or eliminating identified effective stress factors and decreasing unsafe acts have been suggested to control the consequences of accidents. To achieve this, implementing behavior based safety principles can be an effective measure.
Measuring the Effects of Monetary Policy: A DSGE-DFM Approach

I propose new method of measuring the effect of monetary policy on a large number of macroeconomic series by combining dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) with a dynamic factor model (DFM) in a data-rich environment including a broad range of useful information for both central banks and the private sector. This method can resolve two problems inherent in the FAVAR approach proposed by Bernanke, Boivin and Eliasz (2005), yet can enjoy its benefits as well. Other positive aspects of this method are to split off components of model concepts (or common factors) and measurement errors from all observable variables, and to identify structural shocks, including monetary policy shocks, from the point of view of DSGE based on a microeconomic foundation with rational expectations. This new method calculates historical decomposition, which provides useful information for policy analysis for researchers and policymakers, as well as theoretically reasonable impulse response functions and variance decompositions for all observable variables of large panel data. Through this method I will provide empirical illustrations of 55 Japanese macroeconomic series during the late 1980s and the 1990s using a Smets-Wouter (2003, 2007) type medium size DSGE model.
Parents' Participation in Special Education in the Context of Implicit Educational Ideologies and Socioeconomic Status

This qualitative study situates parents' perceptions of their participation and role in special education planning in multiple contexts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 diverse parents of children with disabilities. The findings reveal the existence of special education discourses and practices that are entrenched in a deficit-based model and in implicit educational ideologies that sanction segregated education for many children with disabilities. Parents' perception of themselves as advocates was a key theme. Decisions about the placement of children with disabilities in inclusive classrooms appeared to be parent-driven. The findings shed light on the socioeconomic contexts in which family-professional partnerships and educational decision-making fern children with disabilities are embedded. Parents' engagement in seeking meaningful bodies that were instrumental in the forma education for their children with disabilities is don of federal legislation pertaining to stu not a new phenomenon in the landscape of dents with disabilities (Kirk, 1984; Winzer, special education in the USA. Indeed, in the 2009). historical struggle for educational rights for Today, parent participation in all aspects of children with disabilities, family advocacy and decision making for students receiving special grassroots family movements emerged as a education is not only acknowledged, but also driving force and provided impetus for sweep- mandated in educational laws. The Individu ing changes in educational laws pertaining to als with Disabilities Education Improvement this group of children (Gallagher, 1984; Win- Act of 2004 (IDEIA) validates the role of par zer, 2009). During the 1950 s and 1960 s par- ents and requires that schools make every ef ents banded together, establishing networks fort to maintain a collaborative relationship and organizations, the impact of which cannot with them throughout the IEP development be overstated. Parents organized to raise and implementation process. Given that the awareness in their local communities, lobbied legislation explicitly calls for parent involve for changes in legislation, brought litigation, ment in special education planning, it is im called for school boards to provide programs, perative to examine the ways in which families and created their own programs to educate perceive their experiences of this process, their children (Winzer, 2009). The national Moreover, if educational laws position parents groups that emerged during this time, such as M equal partners or as collaborators, it is rel the National Association for Retarded Citizens evant to ask questions about how families po
CALIFA spectroscopy of the interacting galaxy NGC 5394 (Arp 84): starbursts, enhanced [N II]6584 and signs of outflows and shocks

We investigate the spiral galaxy NGC 5394, which is strongly interacting with the larger spiral NGC 5395 (the pair is Arp 84), using optical integral-field spectroscopy from the CALIFA survey. Spatially-resolved equivalent-widths, emission-line ratios and kinematics reveal many features related to the interaction, which has reshaped the galaxy. $\rm H\alpha$ maps (with other diagnostic emission lines) show a concentrated central ($r<1$ kpc) starburst and three less luminous star-forming regions (one knot far out in the northern arm), and we estimate the dust-corrected total star-formation rate as 3.39 $\rm M_{\odot}yr^{-1}$. However, much of the galaxy, especially the outer tidal arms, has a post-starburst spectrum, evidence of a more extensive episode of star-formation a few $\times 10^8$ yr ago, triggered by the previous perigalacticon. The $\rm [NII]6584/H\alpha$ ratio is high in the nucleus, reaching 0.63 at the centre, which we interpret as related to high electron density ($n_e\simeq 750$ $\rm cm^{-3}$ from the $\rm [SII]{6717\over 6731}$ ratio). We find a central region of strong and blueshifted NaI(5890,5896) absorption, indicative of a starburst-driven outflow from the nucleus at an estimated velocity $\sim 223$ km $\rm s^{-1}$. The CALIFA data also show an annular region at radii 2.25--4 kpc from the nucleus, with elevated ratios of [NII], [OI]6300 etc. to the Balmer lines -- this is evidence of shock excitation, which might be the result of interaction-triggered gas inflow.
Global Value Chains in the Current Trade Slowdown

Real growth in global trade has decelerated significantly since its sharp recovery in 2010. Year-on-year growth in global real trade1 decelerated from 13.3 percent at the end of the first quarter of 2010, to 9.9, 3.1, and 0.5 percent at the end of the first quarters of 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively, while picking back up to 3.9 percent in the year leading up to the fourth quarter of 2013. This aggregate deceleration in global trade includes absolute declines in real trade for many product categories and regions. In the wake of the great trade collapse of 2008-9, understanding of the behavior of trade in slowdowns has improved. Among the many explanations offered for the great trade collapse, including explanations related to uncertainty, trade financing, and new protectionist measures by governments, there has been a significant focus on whether the emergence of global value chains (GVCs) in international trade, and their behavior, are a contributing factor in trade slowdowns.
Beehive fences as effective deterrents for crop‐raiding elephants: field trials in northern Kenya

Increasing elephant populations in Kenya since 1989 have been widely praised as a conservation success story. However, where elephants and agricultural land overlap, incidents of human‐elephant conflict are on the increase. Wildlife managers and farmers are now trying different farm-based deterrents to keep elephants out of crops. Here, we present data on the effectiveness of a novel beehive fence deployed in a Turkana community of 62 communally run farms in Kenya. Specifically, 1700 m of beehive fences semi-surrounded the outer boundaries of seventeen farms, and we compared elephant farm invasion events with these and to seventeen neighbouring farms whose boundaries were ‘protected’ only by thorn bush barriers. We present data from 45 farm invasions, or attempted invasions, recorded over 2 years. Thirteen groups of elephants approached the beehive fences and turned away. Of the 32 successful farm invasions, only one bull elephant broke through the beehive fences. These results demonstrate that beehive fences are more effective than thorn bush barriers at deterring elephants and may have a role to play in alleviating farmer‐elephant conflict. Additionally, the harvesting of 106 kg of honey during the trial period suggests that beehive fences may also improve crop production and enhance rural livelihoods through honey sales.
Towards the Acceptance of RSS to Support Learning: An Empirical Study to Validate the Technology Acceptance Model in Lebanon.

Simpler is better. There are a lot of "needs" in e-Learning, and there's often a limit to the time, talent, and money that can be thrown at them individually. Contemporary pedagogy in technology and engineering disciplines, within the higher education context, champion instructional designs that emphasize peer instruction and rich formative feedback. However, it can be challenging to maintain student engagement outside the traditional classroom environment and ensure that students receive feedback in time to help them with ongoing assignments. The use of virtual learning platforms, such as Blackboard Learn, and web feed syndication, using technology such as Rich Site Summaries (RSS), can help overcome such challenges. However, during an initial pilot at an institution in Lebanon, only 21% of students reported making use of both these facilities. In this study, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used to guide the development of a scale to be used to investigate antecedents to the use of web feeds. The proposed scale was reviewed by 4 experts and piloted with 235 students. The collected data were analysed using structural equation modeling (SEM) technique based on AMOS methods. The results revealed adequate face, content, and construct validity. However, perceived ease of use was not a significant predictor of attitude towards use. Overall, the proposed model achieves acceptable fit and explains for 38% of its variance of which is lower than that of the original TAM. This suggests that aspects of the model may lack criterion validity in the Lebanese context. Consequently, it may be necessary to extend the scale by capturing additional moderators and predictors, such as cultural values and subjective norms. We concluded that the existence of RSS feeds in education improves significantly the content presented by the instructors to the e-learning user decreasing at the same time the size and access cost.
Usage of Fly Ash and Waste Slime Boron for Soil Stabilization

Waste materials are hazardous and serious problem for environment. Because, they occur soil pollution, ground water pollution and also visual pollution. Especially, industrial wastes are composed in large quantities. Many scientists have made research to solve these problems. According to their results, they have suggested that usage of waste materials in many areas as a material or additive material. One of the areas is soil stabilization. Soil properties are improved with this additive wastes. In this study, laboratory tests were conducted on granular soil specimens amended with fly ash and slime waste boron. The specimens were prepared with granular soil and fly ash-waste boron at different ratios. They were compacted standard Proctor compaction energy and, than were cured 1, 7 and 28 days. After cure unconfined compressive tests were conducted to investigate the effect of fly ash-waste boron on granular soil strength. Addition of fly ash-waste boron increased soil strength. As a result, fly ash-waste boron can be used with granular soil for increasing strength. This is economical solution.
Plant nutrition, foliar standards, chlorophyll activity and soil nutrient status of two cultivars of Leucospermum cordifolium (Proteaceae)

Two cultivars (‘Succession II’ and ‘Tango’) of Leucospermum cordifolium were studied over three years in commercial plantations with optimum yields located on subtropical La Palma Island (Canarian Archipelago). Four foliar samplings were taken per year to determine the evolution of the N, P, and K contents over time and to determine the optimal month for foliar standard sampling. Foliar chlorophyll activity and the foliar standard concentrations of macro- and micronutrients were determined. Soil samples were also taken. Both cultivars developed well in soils with acid and slightly acid pH, low and high organic matter content, and in some cases, high available P concentrations, though Proteaceae is generally considered P sensitive. Chlorophyll activity correlated neither with foliar nutrient levels nor with leaf greenness. The foliar N content reached a maximum of 17.0 g kg-1 in the cultivar ‘Succession II’ and 17.2 g kg-1 in ‘Tango’, whereas the maximum P and K levels were lower in ‘Tango’ than in ‘Succession II’. The greatest stability of the concentrations of these nutrients occurred in September; therefore, this month was chosen for performing foliar standard sampling. The standard ranges of N, K, Ca and Mg were higher in ‘Succession II’, while Fe, Mn, and Zn were higher in ‘Tango’. The P and Cu standard ranges were similar in both cultivars. Se estudiaron dos cultivares de protea (‘Succession II’ y ‘Tango’) de Leucospermum cordifolium , durante tres anos, en plantaciones comerciales con rendimientos optimos situadas in la isla de La Palma (Archipielago Canario) con clima subtropical. Se realizaron cuatro muestreos anuales durante su ciclo vegetativo para conocer la evolucion de sus contenidos de N, P y K con el tiempo, y el mejor mes para realizar el muestreo foliar estandar. Se determinaron las concentraciones foliares estandar de macro y micronutrients asi como la actividad clorofilica. Tambien se tomaron muestras de suelo. Ambos cultivares se desarrollaron bien en suelos acidos y neutros, con contenidos altos y bajos de material organica, y algunos con elevada concentracion de P asimilable, al que las proteas son sensibles. La actividad clorofilica no se correlaciono con los niveles de nutrientes foliares ni con el verdor de las hojas. El maximo contenido foliar de N alcanzo 17,0 g kg-1 en el cultivar ‘Succession II’ y 17,2 g kg-1 in ‘Tango’, mientras que los maximos de P y K fueron menores en ‘Tango’. El muestreo de Septiembre mostro la mayor estabilidad de estos nutrientes, por lo que este mes se escogio para realizar el muestreo foliar estandar. Los intervalos estandares de N, K, Ca y Mg fueron superiores en ‘Succession II’, mientras que lo contrario sucedio con el Fe, Mn y Zn. Por otra parte, los de P y Cu fueron similares en ambos cultivares.
Gimenez-Gualdo, Ana M. and Hunter, Simon C. and Durkin, Kevin and Arnaiz, Pilar and Maquilon, Javier J. (2015) The emotional impact of cyberbullying : differences in perceptions and experiences as a function

Research is accumulating to confirm adverse consequences of cyberbullying. Less is known about the perceptions, expectations and reactions of those involved as a function of their different roles (e.g., as bullies, victims, bully-victims) and how this relates to their experiences of traditional bullying. We examined whether cyberbullies' beliefs about the impact of their actions reflects the impact as reported by cybervictims themselves. We tested also whether the emotional reactions to cyberbullying differed depending upon whether the victim was or was not also a victim of traditional bullying behaviors. Participants were 1353 Spanish adolescents. Approximately 8% reported experiences of cyberbullying (compared to 12% reporting experiences of traditional bullying). Cyberbullies believed that their victims would experience more discomfort than cybervictims actually reported experiencing. Those who had experienced victimization in both traditional and cyber contexts evaluated cyberbullying as having greater negative impact than did those who had experienced victimization only in cyber contexts. Perceptions differed according to role and the context(s) in which bullying has been experienced. Findings are discussed in relation to the ways in which technologically delivered aggression may differ from traditional bullying.
A novel approach to characterize the variability in mass-Dimension relationships: results from MC3E

Abstract. Mass-dimension (m-D) relationships determining bulk microphysical properties such as total water content (TWC) and radar reflectivity factor (Z) from particle size distributions are used in both numerical models and remote sensing retrievals. The a and b coefficients representing m = aDb relationships, however, can vary significantly depending on meteorological conditions, particle habits, definition of particle maximum dimension, the probes used to obtain the data, techniques used to process the cloud probe data, and other unknown reasons. Thus, considering a range of a,b coefficients may be more applicable for use in numerical models and remote sensing retrievals. Microphysical data collected by two-dimensional optical array probes (OAPs) installed on the University of North Dakota Citation aircraft during the Mid-latitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) were used in conjunction with TWC data from a Nevzorov probe and ground-based S-band radar data to determine a and b using a technique that minimizes the chi-square difference between TWC and Z derived from the OAPs and that directly measured by a TWC probe and radar. All a and b within a specified tolerance were regarded as equally plausible solutions. Of the 16 near-constant temperature flight legs analyzed during the 25 April, 20 May, and 23 May 2011 events, the derived surfaces of solutions on the first two days where the aircraft sampled stratiform cloud had a larger range in a and b for lower temperature environments that corresponded to less variability in N(D), TWC, and Z for a flight leg. Because different regions of the storm were sampled on 23 May, differences in the variability of N(D), TWC, and Z influenced the distribution of chi-square values in (a,b) phase space and the specified tolerance in a way that yielded 6.7 times fewer plausible solutions compared to the flight legs on the other dates. These findings show the importance of representing the variability in a,b coefficients for numerical modeling and remote sensing studies rather than assuming fixed values, as well as the need to further explore how these surfaces depend on environmental conditions in ice and mixed phase clouds.
COMMON FIXED POINT THEOREMS FOR MAPPINGS SATISFYING COMMON PROPERTY (E.A.) IN SYMMETRIC SPACES

In this paper, common flxed point theorems for mappings satisfying a generalized contractive condition are obtained in symmetric spaces by using the notion of common property (E.A.). In the process, a host of previously known results are improved and generalized. We also derive results on common flxed point in probabilistic symmetric spaces.