Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of Credit Reference Bureaus on Loan Recovery among Selected Commercial Banks in Kenya : A Survey of Nakuru Sub-County

The high rates of Non-Performing Loans in Kenya has led to collapse of some commercial banks and reduced profitability for others. The issue of the NPL was a result of serial defaulters due to the information asymmetry existing between commercial banks then. The introduction of the CRB has reduced the information asymmetry between different lenders. This study aimed to examine the usage of the CRB within commercial banks in Nakuru Sub County in the context of loan advancement and recovery. The objective of the study was to analyse the role of CRB on credit scoring among selected commercial banks in Nakuru Sub County. The study was based on the moral hazard and the adverse selection theories. The study was based on the survey descriptive research design, and both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The primary data was collected by use of structured questionnaires. The secondary data was gathered from peer reviewed and published journals and from regulatory authorities such as the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). A sample size of 55 respondents was drawn from selected commercial banks in Nakuru Sub County using stratified random sampling method. The exact number of respondents per bank was determined through the bank’s market share. Both the inferential and descriptive statistics were derived through the use of SPSS Version 21 and findings were presented in tables. The study established that, CRB reports were being used for both secured and unsecured personal and business lending by all (100%) commercial banks. The CRB reports were used in credit scoring to prevent over borrowing and over-committing the customers’ payslips. The use of the CRB report in credit scoring had positive results on loan default rates as 70.8% of the respondents indicated that customers exerted more efforts in paying their credit facility to avoid being listed. The study recommended the use of white CRB information as a basis of offering preferential credit rates to customers. The study also recommended the use of CRB listing in legal proceedings to enable faster paying times. The commercial banks should educate their customers more on the effects of CRB listings and the general operations of the CRB.
Detecting stellar-wind bubbles through infrared arcs in H ii regions

Mid-infrared arcs of dust emission are often seen near ionizing stars within HII regions. A possible explanations for these arcs is that they could show the outer edges of asymmetric stellar wind bubbles. We use two-dimensional, radiation-hydrodynamics simulations of wind bubbles within HII regions around individual stars to predict the infrared emission properties of the dust within the HII region. We assume that dust and gas are dynamically well-coupled and that dust properties (composition, size distribution) are the same in the HII region as outside it, and that the wind bubble contains no dust. We post-process the simulations to make synthetic intensity maps at infrared wavebands using the TORUS code. We find that the outer edge of a wind bubble emits brightly at 24um through starlight absorbed by dust grains and re-radiated thermally in the infrared. This produces a bright arc of emission for slowly moving stars that have asymmetric wind bubbles, even for cases where there is no bow shock or any corresponding feature in tracers of gas emission. The 24um intensity decreases exponentially from the arc with increasing distance from the star because the dust temperature decreases with distance. The size distribution and composition of the dust grains has quantitative but not qualitative effects on our results. Despite the simplifications of our model, we find good qualitative agreement with observations of the HII region RCW120, and can provide physical explanations for any quantitative differences. Our model produces an infrared arc with the same shape and size as the arc around CD -38 11636 in RCW120, and with comparable brightness. This suggests that infrared arcs around O stars in HII regions may be revealing the extent of stellar wind bubbles, although we have not excluded other explanations.
Recovery goals : goal quality, goal content and the impact of goal attainment on outcome for consumers with enduring mental illness.

Personal goals are an important foundation of recovery from enduring mental illness (EMI), providing a sense of meaning, identity and hope. Recovery goals, within a case-management setting, are developed in collaboration between the person in recovery from EMI and the mental health worker. Goals are a fundamental component of most rehabilitation programs and models of recovery emphasise the importance of the goal striving process, yet minimal research has examined goal setting and striving within the mental health case-management context. This thesis aimed to progress recovery research related to goal striving. Four studies are presented that examine aspects of recovery goal setting for consumers with EMI. Study 1 and 2 examined aspects of goal setting quality. Study 1 investigated the quality of goal setting within Australian mental health services. Mental health consumer files (N = 122) were reviewed and goal records were assessed for quality. Seventy four percent of files contained a goal record and on average goal records included 50% of goal setting principles likely to enhance goal progress. Goal setting quality was examined after mental health workers were trained in the Collaborative Recovery Model (CRM), which includes goal setting protocols drawn from previous evidence from goal research. Mental health consumers’ goal records (N = 78) both prior to and subsequent to the Collaborative Recovery Training Program (CRTP) were also reviewed. CRTP lead to an improvement in both the frequency and quality of goal setting and the use of a structured goal setting intervention also seemed to promote further goal quality. To examine the relationship between goal quality and improvements in working alliance and treatment outcome, standardised residual gain scores for the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI-s) and mental health outcome measures were calculated and correlated with goal quality for 110 mental health consumers. Goal quality was also associated with the goal and task subscales of the consumer rated WAI-s, and there was a modest relationship between goal quality and improvements in symptom distress
Gridded Population Maps Informed by Different Built Settlement Products

The spatial distribution of humans on the earth is critical knowledge that informs many disciplines and is available in a spatially explicit manner through gridded population techniques. While many approaches exist to produce specialized gridded population maps, little has been done to explore how remotely sensed, built-area datasets might be used to dasymetrically constrain these estimates. This study presents the effectiveness of three different high-resolution built area datasets for producing gridded population estimates through the dasymetric disaggregation of census counts in Haiti, Malawi, Madagascar, Nepal, Rwanda, and Thailand. Modeling techniques include a binary dasymetric redistribution, a random forest with a dasymetric component, and a hybrid of the previous two. The relative merits of these approaches and the data are discussed with regards to studying human populations and related spatially explicit phenomena. Results showed that the accuracy of random forest and hybrid models was comparable in five of six countries.
Class music learning activities: Do students find them important, interesting and useful?

Retaining students in elective class music programmes is an issue in many secondary schools. Retention is particularly problematic among lower secondary students. Eccles (2005) states that the subjective task values students attach to learning activities in any elective subject are key indicators of future enrolment decisions. Accordingly, this article reports on a study which utilized subjective task values as a theoretical foundation for investigating why many students drop out of elective class music programmes at this early stage. Specifically, the article reports on a study into students’ valuing of class music learning activities in Western Australia. Participating students were in their first year at secondary school (age 12–13 years), and their values for class music learning activities were measured at the start and end of the academic year. Findings revealed a decline in all values components, particularly situational intrinsic value, mirroring declines reported across other subjects among students of this age. Given criticism of the theoretical frameworks and methodologies associated with much past research into retention in music education, this study promotes subjective task values as a valid and reliable framework for progressing research in the field of class music. The article briefly synthesizes recommendations for enhancing student task values drawn from the general motivational literature with the finding of this study, and concludes by considering issues and possible directions for future research.
Selectivity and selective perception: An investigation of managers''belief structures and informatio

Dearborn and Simon's evidence of departmental bias in problem identification has prompted a scholarly concern about managers' information-processing capabilities. Through measures of managers' entire work histories, their belief structures, and three indexes of information processing in an ill-structured decision situation, the present research conceptually replicated and extended Dearborn and Simon's early work. ’ Contrary to prevailing belief about managers' information-processing limitations, the managers in this investigation did not emerge as simple-minded information processors.
Development of swimming abilities in reef fish larvae

Recent studies have revealed that reef fish larvae have excellent sustained swimming capabilities and considerable potential for modifying their dispersal patterns by active swimming. However, these studies concentrate solely on the late pelagic phase. We examined the development of swimming abilities from hatching through to settlement in 3 reef fish species (Pomacentrus amboinensis, Sphaeramia nematoptera, Amphiprion melanopus). Larval rearing provided larvae at all stages of development. Experiments were conducted in flow chambers designed for measuring the critical and sustained swimming capability of young larvae. In all 3 species, critical swimming ability increased steadily with age, size, relative propulsive area and developmental stage of the larvae. In contrast, sustained swimming ability showed a marked inflection during development. Differences among species throughout development appear to reflect variations in the developmental patterns of the 3 species. Propulsive area was highly correlated with swimming ability and may prove useful for estimating swimming capabilities among species. The results suggest that some species have the potential to actively modify their dispersal patterns from an early age.
A Chi-Square Application on the Factors Influencing Internet Banking Adoption (IBA) and Usage in Botswana

There exists a myriad of studies on technology acceptance theories that have been used to study the adoption of Internet banking services world over. However, Technology acceptance model (TAM) has gained wide popularity compared to other behavioral theories. This study uses some constructs from TAM and IDT to investigate the factors that influence IBA in Botswana’s Gaborone city working class and college students. A quantitative research study approach, using a questionnaire as the research instrument was adopted. The study notes that among other factors, PEOU, PU and trust have a significant influence on IBA. The study also notes that IB awareness and resources must be increased for them to contribute significantly to the positive adoption rates of IB in Botswana. Lastly, instead of taking a confirmatory approach to behavioral studies like this one, the authors would like to suggest that an exploratory study maybe more appropriate with structural equation modeling as the preferred analysis technique. This can reveal more insights into the data. However, if this is to be done, the sample size needs to be increased. Sample size is one of the weakness of this study hence we cannot generalize the findings to the whole of Botswana. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014. v5n20p596
The Cadbury Code Reforms and Corporate Performance

This paper investigates the impact on corporate performance of UK firms from adopting the Cadbury Committee's Code of Best Practice. The findings show improved corporate performance for companies adopting the code. Regarding the specific recommendations of the Code, splitting the positions of the Chairman of the Board and CEO does not result in improved corporate performance. The establishment of an internal audit and/or remuneration committee is positively associated with corporate performance, while the presence of a key executive director in such committees is negatively associated with corporate performance. There is a negative association between corporate performance and the proportion of non-executive directors, but a positive relation between corporate performance and the square of the proportion of non-executive directors.
Corporate Finance and Corporate Governance

A combined treatment of corporate finance and corporate governance is herein proposed. Debt and equity are treated not mainly as alternative financial instruments, but rather as alternative governance structures. Debt governance works mainly out of rules, while equity governance allows much greater discretion. A project-financing approach is adopted. I argue that whether a project should be financed by debt or by equity depends principally on the characteristics of the assets. Transaction-cost reasoning supports the use of debt (rules) to finance redeployable assets, while non-redeployable assets are financed by equity (discretion). Experiences with leasing and leveraged buyouts are used to illustrate the argument. The article also compares and contrasts the transaction-cost approach with the agency approach to the study of economic organization.
The Final Frontier? Border Effects and German Regional Wages

Recent studies of border effects have focused on the intra-country and inter-country comparison of trade flows. It is found that borders have a negative impact on the size of cross-border trade. In order to estimate border effects on a regional level one needs not only data on inter-country but also on intra-country trade. For many countries (regional) data on intra-country trade are simply lacking, which makes an analysis of border effects and border regions cumbersome. In this paper we take a different approach to measure the impact of borders. We estimate a market potential function for German regional wages and by analysing whether German border regions can be distinguished from the other regions in terms of their wages. We use a market potential function because its basic idea (regional wages fall the further one moves away from economic centers) can be grounded on different trade theories and also because the resulting wage equation is related to border effect studies based on trade flows. We use a data set for 441 German districts for the years 1992 and 1995. In general, we find some evidence that is consistent with the existence of border effects but this evidence is probably better looked upon as an indication of a strong localisation of demand spillovers on regional wages in general. Even though border effects can not be ruled out, the overriding outcome is that of a strong localization of demand spill-overs for all German regions.
Students’ Success Prediction based on Bayes Algorithms

Prediction in data mining is a sophisticated task that is conducted in various disciplines. Given that the overall success of educational institutions can be measured by their students’ success, many studies are dedicated to predicting it. This paper provides a model of student’s success prediction based on Bayes algorithms and suggests the best algorithm based on performance details. Two built Bayes Algorithms (naïve Bayes and Bayes network) were used in this model with students’ questionnaire answers. The questionnaire consists of 62 questions that cover the fields affecting students’ performance the most. The questions refer to health, social activity, relationships and academic performance. The questionnaire is constructed based on a Google form and open-source applications (LimeSurvey); the total number of student answers is 161. To build this model, the tool Weka 3.8 is used. The overall model design process can be divided into two stages. The first stage is finding the most correlated questions to the final class, and the second is applying algorithms and finding the optimal algorithm. A comparison is made between these two Bayes algorithms based on performance details. Finally, the naïve Bayes
DEM analysis of soil fabric effects on behaviour of sand

The effects of initial soil fabric on the shear behaviour of granular materials are investigated by employing distinct element method (DEM) numerical analysis. Soil specimens are represented by an assembly of non-uniform sized spherical particles. DEM specimens that have different initial contact normal distributions were prepared at two different densities (loose and dense) and then isotropically consolidated triaxial tests were simulated with the following conditions: (a) different drainage conditions (undrained/drained), (b) different modes of shearing (compression/extension), and (c) different directions of shearing (vertical/horizontal). The numerical analysis results are compared qualitatively with the observed experimental data and the effects of initial soil fabric on resulting soil behaviours are discussed. The discussions include the effects of specimen reconstitution methods, effects of large preshearing, and anisotropic characteristics in drained and undrained conditions. The effects of initia.
Multi-Objective Control of Air Conditioning Improves Cost, Comfort and System Energy Balance

A new model predictive control (MPC) algorithm is used to select optimal air conditioning setpoints for a commercial office building, considering variable electricity prices, weather, occupancy and lighting. This algorithm, Cost-Comfort Particle Swarm Optimization (CCPSO), is the first to combine a realistic, smooth representation of occupants’ willingness to pay for thermal comfort with a bottom-up, non-linear model of the building and air conditioning system under control. We find that using a quadratic preference function for temperature can yield solutions that are both more comfortable and lower-cost than previous work that used a ``brick wall'' preference function with no preference for further cooling within an allowed temperature band and infinite aversion to going outside the allowed band. Using historical pricing data for a summer month in Chicago, CCPSO provided a 3\% reduction in costs vs. a ``brick-wall'' MPC approach with similar comfort and 13\% reduction in costs vs. a standard night setback strategy. CCPSO also reduced peak-hours demand by 3\% vs. the ``brick-wall'' strategy and 15\% vs. standard night-setback. At the same time, the CCPSO strategy increased off-peak energy consumption by 15\% vs. the ``brick-wall'' strategy. This may be valuable for power systems integrating large amounts of renewable power, which can otherwise become uneconomic due to saturation of demand during off-peak hours.
In-Depth Analysis on the Germinability , Soil Mineral Composition and Seed Oil Content of Barbados Nut ( Jatropha Curcas L . )

A study was carried out to determine the seed viability and influence of growth in Barbados nut, (Jatropha curcas) on soil nutrient. In the germinability, quality seeds were obtained considering the vigor of seeds as analyzed under different textural classes of soil samples. The highest sample found within 0-2, 15 and 30cm was sandy with a Mean percentage (%) 50.67 (SE ±0.30), organic matter, moisture content; pH, density and cat ion exchange capacity (CEC) were all analyzed. The mean composition of mineral nutrients in a triplicate soil samples collected was recorded highest in Mg (0.076%), N (0.050%) and Ca (0.034%) respectively. Each fruit pod contains 2-4 seeds black spindle shaped and measured about 1-2cm. 1000 seeds yielded 577.4g and a total of 300 seeds (85.7%) sank when immersed in water and were considered viable, while 50 seeds (14.3%) were considered non viable. each with a mean weight of 0.5774g. The investigations on the volume of oil extracted revealed that 2.50kg liters of oil could be generated from 2.31kg of seeds and lipid has the highest (41.6 to 46.3%) mean percentage in the proximate analysis of the seed cake extracted. Meanwhile, seeds were highly viable with 98.33% mean germination with fertilizing effect when grown on soil. It is recommended that a means of enlightening the local farmers and plant scientists should be identified and effectively used to encourage for commercial production of seed oils and planting the tree as life fence around farms in order to reduce the effect of grazing animals and land dispute with cattle rearers.
Racial Bias in the Manager-Employee Relationship : An Analysis of Quits , Dismissals , and Promotions at a Large Retail Firm

Using data from a large U.S. retail firm, we examine how racial matches between managers and their employees affect rates of employee quits, dismissals and promotions. We exploit changes in management at hundreds of stores to estimate hazard models with store fixed effects that control for all unobserved differences across store locations. We find a general pattern of own-race bias across all outcomes in that employees usually have better outcomes when they are the same race as their manager. But we do find anomalies in this pattern, particularly when the manager-employee match violates traditional racial hierarchies (e.g. nonwhites managing whites). Racial Bias in the Manager-Employee Relationship: An Analysis of Quits, Dismissals, and Promotions at a Large Retail Firm Laura Giuliano l.giuliano@miami.edu Department of Economics University of Miami Coral Gables, FL 33124-6550 David I. Levine Levine@haas.berkeley. edu Haas School of Business University of California Berkeley, CA 94720 Jonathan Leonard Leonard@haas.berkeley. edu Haas School of Business University of California Berkeley, CA 94720 Original version: July 2006 This version: March 2009 JEL Classification: J7, J59
Muddy Greenhouse Gas Accounting Requires Independent Third Party Certification

At the Conference of Parties (COP 6 II) the sinks became a central issue in the Kyoto negotiations. This paper illustrates the uncertainties involved in the greenhouse accounting with respect to sinks. Different assessments, using the same basic data, result in dramatically different results with respect to the sink capacities. In order to achieve the targeted efforts with the sinks in the Kyoto process a new institutional setup is required. An important component of this institutional setup is the introduction of independent third party certification of greenhouse gas accounts and country reports submitted to the UNFCCC Secretariat.