Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Entrepreneurial Intention Determinants: An Empirical Model and A Case of Iranian Students in Malaysia

This study investigated entrepreneurial intention among graduate students of USM**** Engineering Campus. Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB; Ajzen), we examined the empirical model of entrepreneurial intention determinants. Although research has been conducted in entrepreneurial intention, limited study has been done among Iranian graduate students who are studying abroad. This research aims to fill this gap using Entrepreneurial Intention Questionnaire (EIQ, version 3.1). Accordingly, a survey study was applied and Iranian graduate students of the USM Engineering Campus were studied using the census method. The authors propose an empirical model and tested its reliability and validity using structural equation modeling. Data was analyzed using Spss16 and Amos18 software. Results revealed that the level of knowledge about business sources of assistance for entrepreneurs in addition to components of the TPB, affected entrepreneurial intention. Empirical model ‘s goodness of fit indices indicated good model fit χ2=1.047, df=2, probability 0.592; NFI=0.981; CFI=1.000; RMSEA=0.000). It seems that current empirical model could be a guide for future research on this important topic.
Cumulative prospect theory and High Occupancy Toll Lanes : understanding and modeling drivers' choice behavior on High Occupancy Toll Lanes

High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes are a relative new approach to attack congestion and a better use for often underutilized High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes. Just like HOV lanes HOT lanes lay next to the normal or General Purpose (GP) lanes. The I-95 near Miami is an example of a road with HOV lanes and a lot of congestion. The transformation to HOT lanes will give single occupancy vehicles an alternative for the congestion: if they pay a fee, they are allowed to ride on the carpool lanes, if they don’t want to pay they can still ride for free on the GP lanes. The fee depends on the number of vehicles that ride on the HOT lanes, to prevent congestion on those lanes. In the literature there are several studies that use or develop a model of HOT lanes. The goal is to find an optimal tolling strategy, finding or comparing parameter values or investigate the influence of different attributes. Almost all the models that are developed or used are based on the assumptions of the Utility Theory, namely that people are rational and try to find the optimal solution. In the 1970’s Tversky and Kahneman developed the Prospect Theory. This theory is more descriptive than the Utility Theory. Instead of a cost benefit analysis, they separate gains and losses because of the loss aversion of people, losses are much higher valued than equal gains. Therefore the prospect theory should model actual behavior better than the utility theory. In 1992 Tversky and Kahneman came up with a further development of the prospect theory: the Cumulative Prospect Theory (CPT). The difference from the original version of prospect theory is that weighting is applied to the cumulative probability distribution function, rather than to the probabilities of individual outcomes. Although HOT lanes choice is a form of route choice, there is a significant difference because there are two main factors: time and money. The choice is based on a combination of those two factors. The prospect theory is not often used in route choice models and even less with HOT lane models. Therefor a model is developed to model the choice process on HOT lanes with the Cumulative prospect theory, it is implemented in a general HOT lane model of the I-95. The model is based on the CPT model from Tversky and Kahneman and the probability weighting function comes from Prelec(1998) and is used in more route choice models. This model has the following assumptions: the reference point of people is based on their previous experience with the general purpose lanes. With people’s value of time, time and money are comparable. Losses are two times higher valued than gains. The result is a practical and usable model. The outcomes of the original and calibrated utility theory model are roughly the same as for the new CPT model. However, the parameters are not calibrated for HOT lanes but come from other route choice models or the original CPT model. There is also more study needed to the suitability of the model for other HOT lane models.
Computational Investigation on Fully Developed Periodic Laminar Flow Structure in Baffled Circular Tube with Various BR

This paper presents a 3D numerical analysis of fully developed periodic laminar flow in a circular tube fitted with 45° inclined baffles with inline arrangement. The computations are based on a finite volume method, and the SIMPLE algorithm has been implemented. The characteristics of fluid flow are presented for Reynolds number, Re = 100–1000, based on the hydraulic diameter (D) of the tube. The angled baffles were repeatedly inserted at the middle of the test tube with inline arrangement to generate vortex flows over the tested tube. Effects of different Reynolds numbers and blockage ratios (b/D, BR) with a single pitch ratio of 1 on flow structure in the tested tube were emphasized. The flows in baffled tube show periodic flow at x/D 2-3, and become a fully developed periodic flow profiles at x/D 6-7, depending on Re, BR and transverse plane positions. The computational results reveal that the higher of BR and closer position of turbulators, the faster of fully developed periodic flow profiles.
The Influence of Online Reputation and Product Heterogeneity on Service Firm Financial Performance

Using two proprietary data sets, ReviewPro’s Global Review Index and Smith Travel Research’s performance database, we examine the influence of online review scores on service firm financial performance. We conceptualize online reviews as a measure of a service firm’s reputation and demonstrate that higher scores have a positive relationship to a hotel’s financial performance as measured by revenue per available room (RevPAR). We demonstrate that a 1% increase in a hotel’s online reputation score is related to a 0.99% increase in RevPAR. We also demonstrate that naturally occurring differences in the heterogeneity of different product classes moderates the relationship between review score and performance. The influence of online reviews monotonically decreases as the hotel class level increases (e.g., upscale hotels are less affected by reviews scores than midscale hotels). We also demonstrate that when controlling for occupancy, online consumer review ratings have a greater influence on a firm’s pricing power (average daily rate) for service/product categories with more depth, i.e., for products positioned within categories of diverse offerings. As a robustness check, we examine the influence of scores at the individual rather than aggregate level by using choice data from a major North American travel agency. Replicating our aggregate results, choice data affirm the positive impact of review scores on hotel selection as well as the moderating role of hotel type.
Cosmography and large scale structure by f(R) gravity: new results

The so-called 𝑓(𝑅)-gravity has recently attracted a lot of interest since it could be, in principle, able to explain the accelerated expansion of the Universe without adding unknown forms of dark energy/dark matter but, more simply, extending the General Relativity by generic functions of the Ricci scalar. However, apart several phenomenological models, there is no final 𝑓(𝑅)-theory capable of fitting all the observations and addressing all the issues related to the presence of dark energy and dark matter. An alternative approach could be to “reconstruct” the form of 𝑓(𝑅) starting from data without imposing particular classes of model. Besides, adopting the same philosophy, we take into account the possibility that galaxy cluster masses, estimated at X-ray wavelengths, could be explained, without dark matter, reconstructing the weak-field limit of analytic 𝑓(𝑅) models. The corrected gravitational potential, obtained in this approximation, is used to estimate the total mass of a sample of 12 well-shaped clusters of galaxies.
Increased cloud activation potential of secondary organic aerosol for atmospheric mass loadings

Abstract. The effect of organic particle mass loading from 1 to ≥100 μg m −3 on the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) properties of mixed organic-sulfate particles was investigated in the Harvard Environmental Chamber. Mixed particles were produced by the condensation of organic molecules onto ammonium sulfate particles during the dark ozonolysis of α-pinene. A continuous-flow mode of the chamber provided stable conditions over long time periods, allowing for signal integration and hence increased measurement precision at low organic mass loadings representative of atmospheric conditions. CCN activity was measured at eight mass loadings for 80- and 100-nm particles grown on 50-nm sulfate seeds. A two-component (organic/sulfate) Kohler model, which included the particle heterogeneity arising from DMA size selection and from organic volume fraction for the selected 80- and 100-nm particles, was used to predict CCN activity. For organic mass loadings of 2.9 μg m −3 and greater, the observed activation curves were well predicted using a single set of physicochemical parameters for the organic component. For mass loadings of 1.74 μg m −3 and less, the observed CCN activity increased beyond predicted values using the same parameters, implying changed physicochemical properties of the organic component. A sensitivity analysis suggests that a drop in surface tension must be invoked to explain quantitatively the CCN observations at low SOA particle mass loadings. Other factors, such as decreased molecular weight, increased density, or increased van't Hoff factor, can contribute to the explanation but are quantitatively insufficient as the full explanation.
Endogeneity of labor productivity and the real wage rate in a Kaleckian model - Why it makes a dierence

In this paper, endogenous labor productivity and endogenous real wages are incorporated into an open economy version of the Bhaduri-Marglin model. Productivity is inuenced by the real wage rate and the rate of utilization of the capital stock. Real wages are a function of the rate of capacity utilization to reect changes in the bargaining position of labor unions. Taking these relations into account, the conditions for wage-led or prot-led regimes do not change, but with a pro-cyclical prot share, the negative eect of real wage restraint on output in a wage-led demand regime is smaller than in the standard framework, i.e. the IS-curve is
Can Theories of Skill-Biased Technological Change Explain the Evolution of Wage Inequality in Finland since 1970?

Wage inequality has increased in many OECD countries since the 1970s. Many have explained this development in terms of skill-biased technological change. According to theories of skill-biased technological change, wage inequality is the result of a technology-induced increase in the demand for skills which has not been met by equal increases in the supply of skills. This paper explores the relationship between supply and demand for skills in Finland since 1970. The main finding is that changes in the supply of education can explain the bulk of changes in the skill premium and that technological change provides added explanatory power in periods when the simple supply-based framework falls short. The results also suggest an increasing within-group inequality of workers with equivalent educational levels. The cause of the within-group inequality is less clear, but both technological and institutional factors are likely to play roles in this development.
Tectonics and human evolution

The authors propose a new model for the origins of humans and their ecological adaptation. The evolutionary stimulus lies not in the savannah but in broken, hilly rough country where the early hominins could hunt and hide. Such ‘roughness’, generated by tectonic and volcanic movement characterises not only the African rift valley but probably the whole route of early hominin dispersal.
Heterogeneous Structural Transformation and Growth Incidence across the Income Distribution: the Kuznets Curve Revisited

In 1955, in an influential study Kuznets (1955) predicted an inverted-U relationship between development and inequality, mainly through structural transformation. Since then a large body of research has empirically tested the Kuznets hypothesis, but consensus is far less evident. In this paper, I argue that a heterogeneous process of structural transformation across the income distribution may explain such empirical irregularities. I specifically link the heterogeneity in growth incidence resulting from a shrinking agriculture sector across income quantiles to inequality measures. Empirical evidence drawn from the Cote d’Ivoire household survey data supports this theoretical prediction. However, the decomposition results indicate a relatively small contribution of structural transformation to total changes in inequality.
Biochemical and hematological evaluation in subjects with intellectual disability associated or not to Down syndrome

Down syndrome (DS) is one of the most leading causes of intellectual disability. The aim of this study was to compare biochemical and hematological parameters, triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratios in individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) associated or not with DS. The main result is the lower HDL-C level in individuals with DS than in the ID group, suggesting a modification in the lipid profile whose origin would lie in genetic alterations. However, further researches are important to analyze if there is any link between trisomy 21 and the reduction of plasma HDL-C levels in individuals with DS.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURAL IMPERATIVES ON ACADEMIC WRITING IN ARAB CONTEXTS

EFL Arab students have experienced difficulties in replicating the cultural thought patterns of L1 English users (Kaplan, 1966; Hirose, 2003). Also, they experience difficulties in replicating the textual expectations of academic genre in the English-speaking discourse community (Al- Khuweileh A Al-Hazmi & Schofield, 2007) at the tertiary level. However, two factors diminish their ability to produce an effective and efficient written product in academia. To this end, the purpose of this study is to answer the following question “Can a modified integrated process-genre model (MIM) extend and enrich the repertoire of Iraqi undergraduates’ writing competence to encounter the challenges of academic writing? ” Third-year EFL students English majors were the targeted research population. The participants of this study were 92 students. They were randomly assigned to two relatively comparable groups. These groups include the non-intervention being taught by the current product-based approach, and the intervention being taught by the MIM. All the participants were pre-tested for their proficiency in academic argumentative writing before the commencement of the intervention. Following the treatment, a post-test was administered to them. A mixed methods research methodology was adopted. An Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Research Design (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007) was employed to analyse the data coming from the students’ pre-and posttest’s written essays. The pre-test results had the evidence to suggest that the two groups were relatively similar and there were no statistically significant differences in their performance. The finding showed that most of the intervention group students achieved improvements in the quality of their argumentation as compared to peers in the non-intervention group.
Growth and yield of advanced breeding lines of medium grain rice as influenced by different transplanting dates.

Rice plantwas consideredsensitive to heat stress especially during reproductive gr owth phase.Eight medium grain rice accessions: 999421,KSK 401,KSK 402, PK 7797-1-2-1,KSK 301,KSK 418, KSK 406 and KS 282 were sown on different sowing dates: 1 6 th April, 1 st May, 16May, 1 st June and 1 6 th June duringsummer seasons of three succe ssive yearsfrom 2004 to 2006 to access their growth and yield performance under earlier, mid and late sown conditions . Experiment was laid out in split plot design . Accession◊sowingdate interaction remained significantly different for all traits studie d.The differential yield response of accessions to various sowing dates was found to be due to their differential tolerance against high temperature stress at vegetative and reproductive growth phases . On an average, 12% and9% reduction in paddy yield wa s obtained in sowing dates where heat stress coincided with reproductive and seedling growth, respectively. Paddy yield and number of grains panicle -1 increasedwithdelayin sowing time up to 16 th May whereas days to 100 % fl owering, tillers hill -1 and plant heightdecreased with delayed sowing. Among yield components number ofgrains panicle -1 showed positive linear relationship (R 2 =0.40) with paddy yield which means yield gains were attributed to higher number of grainspanicle -1 rather thnumber of tillers hill -1 . Maximum number ofgrains panicle -1 and paddy yieldofalmostall rice accessions under midsownconditions(16 th May)seem to be associatedwithnon-coincidence oftheirreproductive growth periods with heat stress as occurredin earlysown conditions(16 th April, 1 st May).
A Comparative Study of the Effects of Three Different Pre-Listening Tasks at Intermediate and Advanced Levels

Listening comprehension involves the simultaneous understanding the interlocutors’ accent or pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary, and meaning comprehension. Thus, English learners have difficulty in comprehending the spoken language and they need some external support like pre-listening tasks. The purpose of pre-listening task is to make the listeners activate their relevant background knowledge and get any help needed for completing the task. Despite the extensive number of studies on different pre-tasks, slight attention is paid to comparing the effects of pre-listening tasks on learners’ listening comprehension at different proficiencies. To this end, the present study investigates the comparison among the effects of three different pre-listening tasks, including lexical support, content support, and telling the main purpose of listening on the improvement of learners’ listening comprehension at intermediate and advanced levels. To meet the objectives of the study, four classes from each level were selected and randomly assigned into one control and three experimental groups. Each experimental group was given one kind of pre-listening task before the post-tests. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the data. After scoring the tests and analyzing the mean scores, significant differences were found among the effects of the three pre-tasks. The most facilitative pre-listening tasks at intermediate and advanced levels were lexical support and content support, respectively. Informing the learners of main purpose of listening was the least effective pre-task at both levels. It can be concluded that there might be no one single kind of pre-listening task appropriate for all learners. A variety of factors such as context of instruction, learners’ ages and their proficiency levels can affect the teacher’s choice of pre-task types.
Competencies Gap between Education and Employability Stakes

This paper sets out to report on the study that assessed the gap between the competencies perceived to have learnt through hospitality graduate studies against what the graduates really possess when they begin their career in the industry. This study adopted one of the employability skill models proposed by the Australian Training Authority (2003) with nine generic competency groups and 52 descriptions of skills. The data was collected through a sample survey of 125 fresh hospitality undergraduates both from private institutions and public universities and 50 Malaysian hospitality managers. The findings show a lower ranking by managers for 3 skill clusters out of 9 and 25 skill descriptors out of 52 than that of the graduates. These findings are good indicators of the gap between education and employability stakes. This study was limited by the poor response rate from the industry. The study also did not evaluate the level of the relevance of the skill descriptors rated low by the industrialists. Further study can be carried out in evaluating the level of relevance of the descriptors for entry level managers in the hospitality industry. Most of the previous studies emphasized on the comparison between expectations and perceptions regarding the competencies and many of these studies were carried out in the United States of America, United Kingdom and a few in Australia. However, this study was carried out in Malaysia where graduate studies in Hospitality and Tourism are gaining popularity. This study also rated and compared the competency levels of the graduates through their self evaluation and from the point of view of the industry.
UPPER EOCENE SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY AND THE ABSECON INLET FORMATION , NEW JERSEY COASTAL PLAIN

We evaluate the age, benthic biofacies, and sequence stratigraphy of thick and well-recovered upper Eocene sediments from the New Jersey Coastal Plain. These strata are herein defined as a lithostratigraphic unit and named the Absecon Inlet Formation. The formation is divided into upper and lower portions. At its type locality in the Atlantic City borehole, the lower portion of the Absecon Inlet Formation consists of 171 ft (52 m) of glauconitic silts and silty clays and is assigned to calcareous nannoplankton Zone NP 19/20 (late Eocene). At the ACGS#4 borehole, the type locality for its upper portion, the formation consists of slightly sandy clays and is assigned to Zone NP 21 (late Eocene to earliest Oligocene). The continuous stratigraphic occurrence of Hantkenina spp. in these sediments is evidence of an Eocene age for the upper portion of the Absecon Inlet Formation. Benthic foraminiferal analysis reveals five biofacies in the Absecon Inlet Formation, three of which can be related to paleowater depth: a Siphonina biofacies inhabited water depths of 75 ± 25 m; a Cibicidoides biofacies inhabited water depths of 100 ± 30 m; and a Globobulimina biofacies inhabited water depths of 125 ± 30 m. In addition, a Gyroidinoides biofacies occurs only within transgressive systems tracts. A Bulimina jacksonensis biofacies is believed to be related to a circum-Atlantic paleoceanographic event unrelated to depth changes on the shelf. Gamma-log, lithologic, and faunal/floral data are used to interpret the sequence stratigraphic architecture of the Absecon Inlet Formation. We conclude that the timing of unconformities (sequence boundaries) and maximum flooding surfaces within the Absecon Inlet Formation is consistent with the eustatic record of Exxon and the global δ18O record.
Gain enhancement for circularly polarized double layered printed hemispherical helical antenna arrays

To improve the performance of mobile satellite communications, such as for INMARSAT-M mobile vehicles, antenna with high gain and circular polarization over a wide angular range is important. With only 3-elements circularly polarized double-layered printed hemispherical helical antenna arrays that incorporated with parasitic helical wire in the structure, the array can produce significant improvement where it has been demonstrated that the gain and the 3 dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth and beam width can be increased by properly adjusting the relative angular displacement δ1, δ2, δ3, and the inter-element spacing dx and dy. Experimental and theoretical results demonstrate that the array can produce a gain of 11 dBi, the 3 dB AR bandwidth of more than 11% with AR beam width of ~136°, and the mutual couplings between each element less than −23 dB at required 3 dB AR bandwidth frequency range. The antenna design is performed in computer simulation technology and verified by measurement.