Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Relationship of Headings, Questions, and Locus of Control to Multiple-Choice Test Performance

This experiment examined the effects of headings and adjunct questions embedded in expository text on the delayed multiple-choice test performance of college students. Subjects in the headings-present group performed significantly better on the retention test than did the subjects in the headings-absent group. The main effect of adjunct questions was not significant, but there was a significant interaction of locus of control group and adjunct questions. For subjects with an internal locus of control, performance in the questions-present condition significantly exceeded performance in the questions-absent condition; however, adjunct questions did not significantly affect the performance of subjects with an external locus of control. The results support the view that headings may promote the organization of passage information so as to increase its general availability, and the results suggest possible differences in the organizational effects of adjunct questions in readers differing in locus of control.
The Incidence and Persistence of Dividend Omissions by Spanish Firms

This paper examines the dividend policies of firms in Spain. Using firm-level panel data, models are estimated for dividend omissions as functions of financial characteristics, whilst also considering a role for persistence. The results are consistent with a tax discrimination model in which cash flow is the marginal source of funds. High degrees of persistence are also found in binary panel data models that control for unobservables and initial conditions. Whilst companies in Spain use the dividend to adjust the balance sheet, such persistence suggests this occurs slowly.
The Relationship between attributional style, self-concept, and class placement in students with and without learning disabilities

The current investigationwas conducted to examine the relationship between attributional style, self-concept, and class placement in students with and without learning disabilities. Subjects included both students with and without learning disabilities from third, fourth, and fifth grade classrooms. The students who participated in the study were involved in either general or full inclusion programs. Students classified with learning disabilities in the general education program were pulled out for resource room services, while those in the full inclusive programs did not receive pull out services. All students were given the Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire and the Piers-Harris Children's Self-concept Scale. Three hypotheses were tested. Based on past research it was proposed that students classified with learning disabilities would possess a more negative attributional style in addition to a lower self concept in the area of academic achievement compared to their general education peers. Finally, it was predicted that attributional style, and not class placement, would be a stronger predictor of academic self-concept. Results show strong support for all three hypotheses. Results are discussed in terms of implications for interventions as well as directions for further research.
Sandpiles and superconductors: nonconforming linear finite element approximations for mixed formulations of quasi-variational inequalities

Similar evolutionary variational and quasi-variational inequalities with gradient constraints arise in the modelling of growing sandpiles and type-II superconductors. Recently, mixed formulations of these inequalities were used for establishing existence results in the quasi-variational inequality case. Such formulations, and this is an additional advantage, made it possible to determine numerically not only the primal variables, e.g., the evolving sand surface and the magnetic field for sandpiles and superconductors, respectively, but also the dual variables, the sand flux and the electric field. Numerical approximations of these mixed formulations in previous studies employed the Raviart–Thomas element of the lowest order. Here we introduce simpler numerical approximations of these mixed formulations based on the nonconforming linear finite element. We prove (subsequence) convergence of these approximations and illustrate their effectiveness by numerical experiments.
Exact Solutions of Heat and Mass Transfer with MHD Flow in a Porous Medium under Time Dependent Shear Stress and Temperature

This paper aims to study the influence of thermal radiation on unsteady magnetohyrdodynamic (MHD) natural convection flow of an optically thick fluid over a vertical plate embedded in a porous medium with arbitrary shear stress. Combined phenomenon of heat and mass transfer is considered. Closed-form solutions in general form are obtained by using the Laplace transform technique. They are expressed in terms of exponential and complementary error functions. Velocity is expressed as a sum of thermal and mechanical parts. Corresponding limiting solutions are also reduced from the general solutions. It is found that the obtained solutions satisfy all imposed initial and boundary conditions and reduce to some known solutions from the literature as special cases. Analytical results for the pertinent flow parameters are drawn graphically and discussed in detail. It is found that the velocity profiles of fluid decrease with increasing shear stress. The magnetic parameter develops shear resistance which reduces the fluid motion whereas the inverse permeability parameter increases the fluid flow.
The Mediating Effect of Career Success on HRM Practices and University Performance: A Study from Public Sector Universities of Pakistan

The main aspiration of the current study is to explore the determinants of university performance. The study also explored the mediating effect of career success between human resource management practices and university performance. Data were collected from 265 faculty members working in public sector universities of Punjab, Pakistan; by online survey, using Google docs through random sampling. The results demonstrate the partial mediation of career success between human resource management practices and university performance. Structural equation modelling-Partial least square (SEM-PLS) technique has been applied to acquire the results. The results will be helpful for policy makers in devising policies for universities and monitor the university performance. The results will also be helpful for faculty members working in public sector universities of Pakistan to know about their career success. Perceived university performance and human resource management practices have been found associated positively with university performance and individuals’ career success. In the study both motivation and skill enhancing practices are included to acquire accurate results.
Organic Food and Health: A Systematic Review

The current knowledge regarding effects of organic food on health is unclear. In this study we have focused to yield a consolidated knowledge on health related aspects of organic food. We searched for the MeSH term “organic food” in Pubmed search engine (other terms used for search are: Organic food-18296 articles, organic food and health-4018 articles). Studies done on organic food, related to health, free full papers available in English were included for review. From the total of 2,215 articles, 1805 were excluded due to studies which were not related to organic food, studies without abstracts. Out of remaining 410 studies, 338 studies were excluded due to nonavailability of full studies. Finally, 32 studies were selected after removal of articles not related to health. Out of 38 studies included, 9 studies focused on humans, in which 3 studies showed decreased pesticide content, 6 studies showed decreased risk of pre-eclampsia, hypospadias, cardiovascular diseases, etc. 14 studies focused on nutritional quality which showed increased lutein, PUFA and n-3 PUFA, antioxidants, analgesic and antiinflammatory properties, etc. A total 9 studies focused on microbiological aspects which showed increased prevalence of microbial contamination, increased antibiotic susceptibility, etc. From the available studies, the effect of organic food on health is not convincing enough to recommend widely. More follow-up studies on humans, with large sample size might possibly enlighten the concept of organic food and its effect on health in future.
COMPLEX ANALYSIS OF COMPANY BANKRUPTCY FORECASTING: THEORETICAL INSIGHT

In modern conditions for dynamic and competitive businesses, more and more companies face financial problems and eventually go bankrupt. A noteworthy trend: not only new companies that have not yet managed to establish themselves in the market go bankrupt but also large companies operating for years and maintaining good traditions. Bankruptcies of companies cause many problems not only for the companies themselves but also for the state and many members of society. Thus, it is crucial to evaluate the financial state of a company and its activity results as accurately and early as possible when forecasting the possibility of a bankruptcy. The paper recommends a complex analysis methodology for forecasting company bankruptcies. It consists of the following elements: 1) study of the external and internal environments; 2) evaluation of changes of absolute financial indicators; 3) calculation and evaluation of financial ratios; 4) application of bankruptcy prediction models; 5) research of bankruptcy causes and 6) application of operational and prospective measures to avoid bankruptcy. By carrying out a thorough analysis of each of these elements, it is possible to obtain detailed and objective information about the company's financial status, activity results and cash flows as early as possible and anticipate the possibilities of the company's business continuity.
A survey of the epiphytic bryophyte flora of the Rif and Tazzeka Mountains (northern Morocco)

Abstract The catalogue of the epiphytic bryophyte flora of the Rif Mountains includes a total of 72 taxa, of which 66 are mosses and six are liverworts. Some new records are provided: Hypnum resupinatum and Tortula israelis, new to northern Africa, Antitrichia curtipendula and Cryphaea heteromalla, new to Morocco, and Dicranoweisia cirrata, Isothecium alopecuroides and Orthotrichum macrocephalum, new to the Rif Mountains. Epiphytic communities in the different forest types have been analysed, with the conclusion that altitude and humidity are the main factors that determine their composition. The epiphytic stratum is best developed at the highest altitudes on the Principal chain and Tazzeka Mountain, where taxa of the genus Orthotrichum dominate or co-dominate the epiphytic communities: O. lyellii and Antitrichia californica co-dominate in the montane zones, while O. speciosum var. brevisetum and Pterigynandrum filiforme co-dominate at the highest altitudes. In lower areas, the abundance of epiphytic bryophytes depends on humidity conditions and the presence of a forest canopy. The best preserved forests, where exposed to oceanic winds, are dominated by hygrophilous taxa, such as Neckera pumila, Cryphaea heteromalla and Frullania dilatata , whereas the dry ones are dominated by thermophilous taxa, such as Orthotrichum tenellum. Finally, ubiquitous species, such as Orthotrichum diaphanum and Bryum capillare, are abundant in disturbed forests.
Diversity of adipokinetic hormones in termites (Isoptera)

In this study we report on the structural diversity of adipokinetic hormones (AKHs) in the evolutionarily oldest group of social insects, the termites (Isoptera). Using molecular methods combined with in silico bioinformatic analysis, we studied and compared the sequences coding for these neuropeptides in thirteen species of five families of Isoptera. There are three types of AKH octapeptides in termites: Empusa pennata adipokinetic hormone (Emppe-AKH; pQVNFTPNWamide), Microhodotermes viator corpus cardiacum peptide (Micvi-CC; pQINFTPNWamide) and Periplaneta americana cardioaccelerating hormone (Peram-CAH-I; pQVNFSPNWamide). Of these the Peram-CAH-I was the most frequently bioactive form detected in representatives of four out of the six families studied. The complete AKH preprohormones in the termites studied shared at least an 84% amino acid similarity. In agreement with current phylogenetic scenarios of termites as an internal monophyletic clade nested within cockroaches (Blattaria) in the proximity of the family Blattidae, our phylogenetic analysis of the AKH precursor sequences (in the absence of data for the Cryptocercidae) placed the Blattidae (Periplaneta americana) as a sister group of termites and the AKHs of other cockroach families (Blattellidae and Blaberidae) were more divergent from those of termites. Representatives of the basal termite families Mastotermitidae and Archotermopsidae (but also one rhinotermitid genus Prorhinotermes) occurred separately from the phylogenetically advanced lineage (Rhinotermitidae and Termitidae), and Neotermes (Kalotermitidae) was sister to all other termites included.
Constitutional Rules and Redistributive Policy: Evidence from Global Agricultural Protection *

The paper studies how electoral rules and forms of government shape agricultural policy across a large sample of developing and developed countries over the 19552005 period. Results from difference-in-difference and cross-country regressions give support to the idea that political institutions systematically affect agricultural protection. Democratic reform induces an increase in agricultural protection that is conditional to the country choice of the form of democracy. Indeed, what matters are reforms into proportional democracies (vis-a-vis majoritarian democracies) and, to a lesser extent, reforms into presidential democracies (vis-a-vis parliamentary democracies). Moreover, we show that the redistributive attitude of proportional democracy is not driven by the (left) ideology orientation of the governments.
Significant Points We Learn from Business Training and Entrepreneurship Evaluations from the Developing World

Business training programs are a popular policy option to try to improve the performance of enterprises around the world. The last few years have seen rapid growth in the number of evaluations of these programs in developing countries. This paper practically undertakes a critical review of these studies with the goal of synthesizing the emerging lessons and understanding the limitations of the existing research and the areas in which more work is needed. It finds that there is substantial heterogeneity in the length, content, and types of firms participating in the training programs evaluated. Many evaluations suffer from low statistical power, measure impacts only within a year of training, and experience problems with survey attrition and measurement of firm profits and revenues. Over these short time horizons, there are relatively modest impacts of training on survivorship of existing firms, but stronger evidence that training programs help prospective owners launch new businesses more quickly. Most studies find that existing firm owners implement some of the practices taught in training, but the magnitudes of these improvements in practices are often relatively modest. Few studies find significant impacts on profits or sales, although a couple of the studies with more statistical power have done so. Some studies have also found benefits to microfinance organizations of offering training. To date there is little evidence to help guide policymakers as to whether any impacts found come from trained firms competing away sales from other businesses versus through productivity improvements, and little evidence to guide the development of the provision of training at market prices. The paper concludes by summarizing some directions and key questions for future studies. Keywords: Business training; Consulting; Randomized experiments; Firm Productivity
The Economic Competitiveness of Countries: A Principal Factors Approach

Competition is a very important preconditionwhich affects the effectiveness of development of national economy under the conditions of globalization. In classical economics, the competitiveness of countries is determined through production inputs. In the modern era of globalization, it appears that, besides quantifiable factors, qualitative influences or ‘soft’ factors such as political stability, government policies, quality of education, etc., are all important in determining competiveness. The World Economic Forum’s global competitiveness index and the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY) are the two most widely used competitiveness indices. Using the same data as the WCY, Principal Components Analysis (PCA) is used in this analysis to develop indices of countries’ competitiveness. The procedure deals with first transforming the original variables to a new set of uncorrelated variables called Principal Components (PC) . The new variables are linear combinations of the original variables, independent, and are derived in order of decreasing importance--the first PC accounts for as much as possible of the variation in the original data. We find that the WCY data collection methods could be simplified without compromising quality--which may encourage more countries to participate in the survey. Moreover, the approach developed in this study does not suffer from the same empirical limitations of past attempts to develop indices of the competitiveness of nations.
Will Business Cycles in the Euro Area Converge? A Critical Survey of Empirical Research

This survey of business cycle synchronization in the European monetary union focuses on two issues: have business cycles become more similar, and which factors drive business cycle synchronization. We conclude that business cycles in the euro area have gone through periods of both convergence and divergence. Still, there is quite some evidence that during the 1990s business cycle synchronization in the euro area has increased. Higher trade intensity is found to lead to more synchronization, but the point estimates vary widely. The evidence for other factors affecting business cycle synchronization is very mixed.
Correlation of the Thanetian-Ilerdian turnover of larger foraminifera and the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum: confirming evidence from the campo area (Pyrenees, Spain)

It has long been known that a major larger foraminifera turnover (LFT) occurred at the boundary between the Thanetian and Ilerdian stages, but its possible correlation with the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM) was unsuspected until the work of Baceta (1996), and has been controversial ever since. After summarizing the history of this controversy, we present information from three new sections that conclusively resolve the issue, all of them placed less than 2 km to the east of the classical Campo section in the southern Pyrenees. In these three sections, an up to 7 meter-thick intercalation of continental deposits rich in pedogenic carbonate nodules is sandwiched between uppermost Thanetian and lowermost Ilerdian shallow marine carbonates. The d13C composition of 42 pedogenic nodules collected from two of these sections (San Martin and La Cinglera) ranges between –11.4 and -14.3‰ and averages –12.9‰, values that conclusively represent the PETM and for the first time are recorded in sections where the LFT is clearly represented. Further, a high-resolution lithological correlation between Campo and the three new sections across the P-E interval unquestionably demonstrates that the lowermost marine beds with autochthonous specimens of Alveolina vredenburgi (a tell-tale of the LFT) are laterally interfingered –and are therefore coeval- with the nodule-bearing PETM continental deposits. On the basis of the new evidence, the temporal coincidence of the PETM and the LFT can no longer be doubted.
An interdisciplinary framework to study farmers decisions on adoption of innovation: Insights from Expected Utility Theory and Theory of Planned Behavior

This study presented a conceptual framework based on Expected Utility Theory (EUT) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to study farmers’ decision on adoption of innovations. The framework explains the adoption decisions as a dynamic process, assuming a complex interaction of groups of variables coming from both theories. The combination of EUT and TPB overcomes some restrictions that arise when just one theory is used to study the adoption decision. Key words: Adoption, farmers’ decisions, expected utility theory, theory of planned behavior.
Implementation and evaluation of a spam classifier based on the dynamic behaviour of immune cells

E-mail has become a priceless tool in the information highway. Maybe more often than we would expect, some of the messages exchanged are at least very important, if not vital. Spam, the dark side of e-mail, is now a constant nuisance and affects us in many different aspects. To counter a worsening situation, legislators around the world have devised legal boundaries [26, 25, 73] trying to contain spam, while programers and researchers develop filtering solutions and blocking methods [35, 51, 54, 57]. However, despite their efforts, spammers always seem to be able to find a way to bypass the systems and target our inboxes — hence the problem persists. In this work, we look at the Human Immune System as an information processing system [11, 30]. Following a mathematical model [16] of the Tunable Activation Threshold theory proposed by Grossman and Paul [37], we have developed and implemented a framework that we hope will contribute to the spam fighting cause. The results proved its immaturity but show great potential, when compared to an implementation of a spam filter based on the Multinomial Nai've-Bayes version.
Proximity and Inter-Organizational Collaboration: A Literature Review

The proximity concept is used in many different ways in the literature. These dimensions of proximity are, however, defined and measured in many different (sometimes even contradictory) ways, show large amounts of overlap, and often are under- or over-specified. The goal of this paper is to specify the different dimensions of proximity relevant in inter-organizational collaboration more precisely and to provide definitions of these dimensions. The research presented contributes to reducing the ambiguity of the proximity concept as used in the literature. Based on the above, the following research question is addressed in this paper: ‘Which dimensions of proximity are relevant in inter-organizational collaboration and how are they defined? ’ A systematic literature review is presented in order to disentangle the dimensions of the proximity concept. Based on this literature review, three dimensions of proximity relevant in inter-organizational collaboration are distinguished: geographical proximity, organizational proximity and technological proximity. Examples (case studies) from the literature are used to illustrate the current conceptual ambiguity as well as to clarify how the proposed dimensions of proximity reduce this conceptual ambiguity.