Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES AND PERFORMANCE OF FIVE STAR HOTELS IN NAIROBI COUNTY, KENYA

The study sought to establish if strategic leadership practices generally and leadership strategic direction specifically significantly influence performance of five-star hotels in Nairobi County. Using cross-sectional descriptive survey design, a complete sampling frame consisting all the 10 classified five-star hotels in Nairobi County were investigated. Given that the number of five-star hotels in Nairobi County was small and considering that they were well defined, they were all incorporated in the study. Moreover, using the whole population in the research eliminated any potential bias occurring through any sampling technique. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaires for Key informants who included management and employees from each of the hotels. One hundred and ten (110) questionnaires targeting 10 five-star hotels were prepared and dispatched. However, two (2) of the targeted hotels did not participate in the survey. In total, 88 questionnaires were returned. Secondary data was obtained from desk review of journals, books, reports and website sources. With the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20, Frequency tables, charts, graphs and narratives were generated and used to present the findings. Multiple regression analysis was done, and descriptive analysis carried out. This analysis generated the requisite means and standard deviations required for interpreting the results. Moreover, inferential statistics were obtained and used to ascertain if the independent strategic leadership variable significantly influenced organizational performance (depend variable). It was established that leadership strategic direction significantly influenced organizational performance in five-star hotels in Nairobi County. The study recommended that all five-star hotels in Kenya should endeavor to implement strategic leadership strategies among other innovations as such strategies would enable them to favorably compete with other international hotel brands. Keywords: Strategic leadership practices, Leadership strategic direction, Five-star hotels, Hotel performance CITATION: Muteti, P. N. (2019). Leadership practices and performance of five star hotels in Nairobi County, Kenya. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 6 (3), 720 – 634.
Intellectual Capital and Firm Performance in ASEAN: The Role of Research and Development

This paper aims to investigate the association between intellectual capital, research and development, and firm financial performance in an emerging market context, which is ASEAN. The effect of Intellectual Capital and Research and Development Intensity towards firm financial performance is examined while testing the moderating role of research and development on the relationship between intellectual capital and firm financial performance. Panel data regression model analysis is used for a sample of non-financial companies in ASEAN countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore during 2015-2017. The final sample used in this study consists of a total of 383 observations. The results showed that intellectual capital has a positive effect on firm financial performance. This result indicates that intellectual capital can generate higher financial performance for the firms. A similar result also found in the relationship between research and development intensity and firm financial performance. Meanwhile, research and development are proved to be able to moderate the positive relationship between intellectual capital and firm financial performance. This result means that if the companies could facilitate their intellectual capital by giving more intensity of research and development, intellectual capital will be generated even more performance for the firms. This result implies that firms should utilize and maintain intellectual capital together with research and development
Conceptualizing Discursive Analysis as a Culturally Contextualized Activity

Discursive psychology recognizes the primacy of the social and relational nature of human life. Research participants whose discourses (empirical data) we analyze do not exist independent of material and social world. In this paper, I attempt to develop an understanding of discursive analysis of social and psychological phenomena as a culturally contextualized activity in which discursive researchers analyze and interpret participants’ discourses in the light of the cultural context in which the discourses are embedded. First, I provide a brief background to discursive psychology. Second, I discuss the cultural embeddedness of discursive analysis. I then conceptualize discursive data analysis as a culturally contextualized enterprise by drawing upon my own reflexive accounts on gender-based violence research to illustrate how discursive analysts can bring together an analysis of in-the-moment performative accounting with an understanding of the cultural context in which this accounting is embedded. I argue for and foreground research participants’ lived experiences and the embodied socio-cultural meanings as origins of the consciousness and social behavior of people with whom and about whom psychological research is conducted. I conclude that data analysis is not and cannot be an innocent activity; it involves active thinking through the cultural lens of both the researcher and the researched.
Socio-demographic, economic and health profile of adults with sickle-cell disease

Objective: to describe socio-demographic and economic characteristics, lifestyle, clinical manifestations, use of medications and monitoring of adults with sickle-cell disease. Methods: a descriptive study with quantitative approach, made with 20 adults, registered in a Hematology and Hemotherapy Center, using, for data collection, interviews in the participant’s home and medical records. In order to have the database, the EpiDatae analysis software through statistical program was used. Results: most of the population consisted of women, married, with complete high school, which used exclusively the Unified Health System. The average age was 30.6 years, and 90.0% (95% CI 68.3-98.8) were black. All of them reported painful crises and fatigue. They used folic acid daily 35.0% (95% CI 15.4-59.2). Conclusion: the implications of sickle-cell disease could be mitigated through primary, secondary and tertiary health care, according to the needs of those adults.
Micronutrients in Moringa oleifera and Their Potential in Food Fortification

Micronutrients in Moringa oleifera and their Potential in Food Fortification Yee Kei Kiki Chan Master of Applied Science Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry University of Toronto 2018 Moringa oleifera is frequently endorsed for its high micronutrient content relative to other vegetables, but reported data on Moringa’s nutritional value are inconsistent with common nutritional claims. A comparative analysis on the macronutrient and micronutrient content of Moringa leaves and pods was conducted. Moringa contains multiple nutrients but its iron content is similar to that in spinach and its vitamin A content is lower than carrots on a dry basis. Nevertheless, Moringa’s abundance in micronutrient deficient regions makes it applicable as a natural fortificant. Bouillon cubes were identified as a suitable food vehicle for the incorporation of Moringa. Bench-scale cold extrusion processing was conducted to explore the feasibility of creating Moringa-fortified bouillon cubes. Nutritional characterization confirmed that supplemental fortificants would be required to enhance the nutritional value and stability of Moringa-fortified bouillon cubes. Flavours of Moringa may either be enhanced or suppressed depending on the application.
From Standpoint Epistemology to Epistemic Oppression

Standpoint epistemology is committed to a cluster of views that pays special attention to the role of social identity in knowledge‐acquisition. Of particular interest here is the situated knowledge thesis. This thesis holds that for certain propositions p, whether an epistemic agent is in a position to know that p depends on some nonepistemic facts related to the epistemic agent's social identity. In this article, I examine two possible ways to interpret this thesis. My first goal here is to clarify existing interpretations of this thesis that appear in the literature but that are undeveloped and often mistakenly conflated. In so doing, I aim to make clear the different versions of standpoint epistemology that one might accept and defend. This project is of significance, I argue, because standpoint epistemology provides helpful tools for understanding a phenomenon of recent interest: epistemic oppression. My second goal is to provide an analysis that makes clear how each of the readings I put forth can be used to illuminate forms of epistemic oppression.
THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA ON THE EUROPEAN UNION TOURISM MARKET

Purpose – The main purpose of this article is to determine competitive position of the Republic of Croatia on the European Union tourism market by analyzing Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index 2017 (TTCI). Also, this paper aims to compare TTCI of the Republic of Croatia and leading EU countries by international tourism receipts in order to define the weakest point of its competitiveness. Methodology – To achieve the purpose cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling have been used. By cluster analysis, different clusters have been identified, and distance between clusters according their mutual vicinity has been measured by multidimensional scaling. Findings – The K-means cluster analysis split the sample into the two distinct clusters. The first cluster consists of 13 countries and the second one of 15 countries. By comparing the TTCI of Republic of Croatia with leading EU countries by international tourism receipts it has been concluded that Republic of Croatia has the worst results in Air Transport Infrastructure, Ground and Port Infrastructure, Cultural Resources and Business Travel, Human Resources and Labor Market, and ICT Readiness. Contribution –The results point out the main weaknesses of Croatian tourism and also highlight areas where concrete and urgent actions are required in order to reach the best competitive position. The findings of this article are valuable for state authorities as a base for definition and classification of tourism policy goals and for tourism strategy development as well as for general decision making. The results are also beneficial as guideline for increasing tourism revenues.
Tactile memory Ranschburg effects under conditions of concurrent articulation

In a single experiment, we investigate the Ranschburg effect for tactile stimuli. Employing an immediate serial recall (ISR) procedure, participants recalled sequences of six rapidly presented finger stimulations by lifting their fingers in the order of original stimulation. Within-sequence repetition of an item separated by two intervening items resulted in impaired recall for the repeated item (the Ranschburg effect), thus replicating the findings of Roe et al. Importantly, this impairment persisted with concurrent articulation, suggesting that the Ranschburg effect is not reliant upon verbal recoding. These data illustrate that the Ranschburg effect is evident beyond verbal memory and further suggest commonality in process for both tactile and verbal order memory.
Evaluating feedback during the Step It Up! game to increase physical activity exhibited by elementary school students during recess

by Carla Burji University of the Pacific 2019 Children who are physically inactive are more likely to suffer numerous health complications such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. The Good Behavior Game (GBG) has been identified as an effective method for decreasing inappropriate behaviors and increasing appropriate behaviors in a variety of settings; however, few studies have used the GBG to increase physical activity. Furthermore, no previous research has evaluated the effects of feedback while playing the GBG to increase physical activity. Some research suggests certain characteristics of feedback tend to produce consistent changes in behaviors such as providing feedback immediately and privately. The purpose of the current study was to extend previous research and evaluate whether the addition of feedback to the Step it UP! Game, a modified version of the GBG has an impact on children’s step counts. A reversal (ABCAB) design was used to examine the number of steps students took during baseline (A), the Step it UP! Game (B), and the Step it UP! Game with feedback (C). Sealed pedometers were distributed to 21 students from a fifth-grade general education classroom. The results of this study suggest that the Step it UP! Game with feedback did not enhance the number of steps taken during recess. Additionally, the Step it UP! Game (with and without feedback) did result in a slight increase in mean steps per min during recess initially but, these steps did not maintain overtime.
Progress in Animal Models of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

As a common gastrointestinal tumor, the incidence of pancreatic cancer has been increasing in recent years. The disease shows multi-gene, multi-step complex evolution from occurrence to dissemination. Furthermore, pancreatic cancer has an insidious onset and an extremely poor prognosis, so it is difficult to obtain cinical specimens at different stages of the disease, and it is, therefore, difficult to observe tumorigenesis and tumor development in patients with pancreatic cancer. At present, no standard protocols stipulate clinical treatment of pancreatic cancer, and the benefit rate of new targeted therapies is low. For this reason, a well-established preclinical model of pancreatic cancer must be established to allow further exploration of the occurrence, development, invasion, and metastasis mechanism of pancreatic cancer, as well as to facilitate research into new therapeutic targets. A large number of animal models of pancreatic cancer are currently available, including a cancer cell line-based xenograft, a patient-derived xenograft, several mouse models (including transgenic mice), and organoid models. These models have their own characteristics, but they still cannot perfectly predict the clinical outcome of the new treatment. In this paper, we present the distinctive features of the currently popular pancreatic cancer models, and discuss their preparation methods, clinical relations, scientific purposes and limitations.
Evaluation of the Effects of Prescribing Gait Complexity Using Several Fluctuating Timing Imperatives

Abstract Variability in the temporal structure of gait patterns, measured by “Fractal Index” (FI), is thought to represent abundancy of movement patterns facilitating adaptive control of walking. However we do not know how FI changes according to different walking rhythms or if this is repeatable, as needed to exploit the paradigm for rehabilitation. Fourteen healthy young adults synchronised heel contact to an auditory metronome twice each in four conditions (uncued, white noise, pink noise, and red noise) and three sessions. FI differed based on the walking condition while no effect of session was revealed. The results of this study suggest gait fractality changes systematically with different stimuli and can be consistently prescribed in a desired direction within a group of healthy young individuals.
Improvement of Surface Properties via an Electroless Ni-B Coating for Commercial Purity Titanium

Bu calismada, ticari saf titanyumun (CP-Ti) yuzeyi akimsiz Ni-B ile kaplandi. Yuzey morfolojisi, mikroyapi ve faz analizi, Taramali Elektron Mikroskobu (SEM) ve X-Isinlari Difraksiyonu (XRD) ile analiz edildi. Elde edilen Ni-B kaplama, islem gormemis CP-Ti'ye kiyasla onemli olcude daha dusuk asinma hizi ve kararli surtunme katsayisi sergilemistir. CP-Ti yuzeyine olusturulan Ni-B kaplamanin ustun asinma direnci sergilemesi, olusturulan kaplamanin yuksek sertlik ve kendinden yaglama ozelliginden kaynaklanmaktadir.
An Investigation of Factors Affecting the Willingness to Invest in Renewables among Environmental Students: A Logistic Regression Approach

Renewable energy sources (RES) have gained increased popularity across the world mainly due to their ability to contribute to environmental protection through the generation of infinite ‘clean’ energy. To achieve a greater diffusion of renewables, however, small-scale investments implemented by individuals are critically important. In contrast to citizens whose attitudes have been consistently explored by research, there is little evidence on the attitudes towards investments among environmental students who will occupy positions of responsibility and play key roles in the environmental sector in the future. Hence, the purpose of the present study is to identify the most important factors that affect environmental students’ willingness to invest in renewable energy (RE) by developing a logistic regression model. According to our analysis, the participants in their majority expressed their willingness to invest, while environmental values, the low risk and profitability of renewable investments, as well as preferences for certain energy types were significant factors determining this willingness. However, willingness to invest was irrespective of the current taxation and subsidies, suggesting that significant improvements are required in these areas. The present study could be particularly useful for policymakers since the necessary steps to create favorable investment environments in Greece and elsewhere are highlighted.
High Order M-QAM Massive MIMO Detector with Low Computational Complexity for 5G Systems.

In this work, the behaviour of bit error rates for both conventional and massive MIMO systems with high order constellations, which are essential to achieve spectral efficiency for 5G standard communications, has been evaluated. We have used real-domain Schnorr Euchner enumeration with K-best algorithm to reduce computational complexity of detection. The results, presented in this letter, have outperformed existing detection algorithms in terms of complexity and BER, especially in low SNR regions, for both massive and conventional MIMO systems. We performed simulations for N $\times$ N MIMO system, where N = 8, 25, 40, 50, 60, 80, 100 and 120, for both 256-QAM and 1024-QAM high order transmission systems as per the latest 3GPP standards for 5G systems and beyond. All the analyses and results that are given in this letter are from our MIMO detector, prior to usage of error correction decoder.
Strong Memory Consistency For Parallel Programming

Correctly synchronizing multithreaded programs is challenging, and errors can lead to program failures (e.g., atomicity violations). Existing memory consistency models rule out some possible failures, but are limited by depending on subtle programmer-defined locking code and by providing unintuitive semantics for incorrectly synchronized code. Stronger memory consistency models assist programmers by providing them with easierto-understand semantics with regard to memory access interleavings in parallel code. This dissertation proposes a new strong memory consistency model based on ordering-free regions (OFRs), which are spans of dynamic instructions between consecutive ordering constructs (e.g. barriers). Atomicity over ordering-free regions provides stronger atomicity than existing strong memory consistency models with competitive performance. Ordering-free regions also simplify programmer reasoning by limiting the potential for atomicity violations to fewer points in the program’s execution. This dissertation explores both software-only and hardware-supported systems that provide OFR serializability. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Computer and Information Science First Advisor Joseph Devietti Second Advisor Steve Zdancewic
El Cambio de Residencia del Menor tras la Ruptura: la Importancia de los Criterios Valorativos

This descriptive study analyzes Spanish forensic psychologists’ (N = 64) rating of criteria proposed in the scie.jpgic literature to assess relocation cases after parents’ separation. Our results showed that forensic psychologists gave a high importance to evaluation criteria suggested, giving a lower ranking to criteria related to infrastructural, economic, and cultural aspects. Regarding the technical advice on the convenience or inconvenience of the relocation, it is observed that professionals reported favorably to the change of residence only in few occasions, showing a trend to maintain the statu quo.
A low-complexity RARE-based 2-D DOA estimation algorithm for a mixture of circular and strictly noncircular sources

A new rank reduction (RARE)-based two-dimensional (2-D) direction of arrival (DOA) estimation algorithm is proposed considering a mixture of circular and strictly noncircular sources. To enhance array aperture, a geometry of three uniform linear arrays is considered and then treated as displaced arrays from a virtual array using a simple linear transformation. The received data and the conjugated counterpart are combined together, exploiting the noncircular property. Both sources can be estimated separately by designing and exploiting the distinctive nature of circular and noncircular steering vectors. However, a 2-D spectrum search would lead to a high computational complexity burden. To reduce this high computational complexity burden, a novel RARE-based method is proposed, which plays a vital role by decomposing 2-D observation space into two successive 1-D peak search functions. The proposed method has some distinctive advantages: it can enhance the array aperture utilization, it can provide better estimation accuracy when mixed sources are greater than the number of sensors, it can estimate a larger number of mixed sources than the number of sensors, and finally it can automatically pair 2-D DOAs without any complicated pairing formulation. Extensive simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Play it Again! A Natural Experiment on Definitivity Avoidance

Behavioral biases affect a large number of human decisions, many of which have relevant welfare effects. We identify a bias that we denote as "reversibility bias" and explore how the introduction of explicit exposure mechanisms can contribute to attenuate it. To do this, we exploit a unique natural experiment - the introduction of a decision review system represented by player challenges and the associated Hawk-Eye technology in professional tennis. This experiment allows us to identify the bias, by illustrating that if such a bias exists, the challenge rule should reduce the number of calls that postpone the assignment of a point. Our findings may have significant policy implications providing a conceptual framework for the design of institutions to alleviate the welfare costs associated with reversibility bias in different contexts, such as court rulings, human resource management and debt roll-over decisions.