Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Performance: Where to Begin?

Although there have been numerous studies that have addressed the sign of the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities within companies and their performance, very little analysis has been undertaken as to the causation between these two variables. Further, the little work that has been done on causation has suffered from poor research design, inappropriate statistical method and inadequacies in data so little weight can be placed on their findings. In this study we attempt to overcome the weaknesses in previous studies and so provide better insights into these issues. We first replicate the previous studies and confirm their findings of a feedback relationship between CSR activities and corporate performance. However when we apply our own method, we find support for the proposition that it is the availability of discretionary resources that is the main motivating force that causes management to fund CSR activities, especially those of a more discretionary nature. Our findings question whether we have yet reached a stage where management has accepted that it is in their interests to voluntarily direct the corporation's resources
Proposed “ Congruent Matching Cells ( CMC ) ” Method for Ballistic Identification and Error Rate Estimation

The 3D measurement and correlation on “correlation cells” were proposed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for establishing the NIST Ballistics Identification System (NBIS) [1]. Based on the concept of correlation cells, a Congruent Matching Cells (CMC) method is proposed for accurate ballistic identification and error rate estimation using three sets characteristic parameters of the paired correlation cells: cross correlation function maximum CCFmax, spatial registration positions in x-y and registration phase angle θ. The proposed CMC method can be used for correlation of both geometrical topographies and optical images. The “congruent matching” method can be potentially applied for all case scenarios of fired cartridge cases, fired bullets, and toolmarks. The CMC parameters and algorithms are in the public domain and subject to open tests. High-speed correlations are ensured by “synchronous processing” of multiple correlation cell pairs at the same time. Based on the CMC method, an error rate procedure is proposed for establishing a statistical foundation to support nationwide ballistics identifications in forensic science, and to provide an error rate report for court proceedings in a manner similar to the method used for reporting the Coincidental (Random) Match Probability (CMP) in forensic identification of DNA evidences.
Biocontrol of root and crown rot in tomatoes under greenhouse conditions using Trichoderma harzianum and Paenibacillus lentimorbus: Additional effect of solarization

Trichoderma harzianum 650 (Th650) and Paenebacillus lentimorbus 629 (Pl629) selected earlier for their ability to control Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium solani and F. oxysporum in vitro , were applied alone or combined with solarization (summer assay) and/or with methyl bromide (MeBr) (summer and winter assays) to a soil with a high inoculum level, for the control of tomato root rot caused by the complex F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici - Pyrenochaeta lycopersici - Rhizoctonia solani. Evaluations were also performed independently for root damage caused by P. lycopersici , and also for R. solani in the summer assay. MeBr decreased tomato root damage caused by the complex from 88.7% to 21.2% and from 78.4% to 35.7% in the summer and in the winter assay, respectively. None of the bio-controllers could replace MeBr in the winter assay, but Th650 and Pl629 reduced root damage caused by this complex in the summer assay. Treatments with bio-controllers were improved by their combination with solarization in this season. Independent evaluations showed that the positive control of Th650 towards R. solani and the lack of effect on P. lycopersici correlates well with the endochitinase pattern expressed by Th650 in response to these phytopathogens. Root damage caused by R. solani can be controlled at a similar level as it does MeBr in summer assays, thus representing an alternative to the use of this chemical fungicide for the control of this phytopathogen.
Play Behaviors in Chinese Toddlers with Down Syndrome

Play, especially symbolic play, is one of the most significant cognitive developments in early childhood and is the precursor of representational thought and language. The current investigation compared the play behaviors of a group of Chinese children with Down syndrome matched cognitively to a group of typically developing children. The groups were matched by cognitive development as measured by the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (Bayley). Play behaviors were determined by using the Symbolic Play Scale. The children with Down syndrome were functioning at approximately the same developmental stage as the cognitively matched typical developing children, but the children with Down syndrome exhibited behaviors that were more pre-symbolic during the earliest stages of the Symbolic Play Scale and fewer play behaviors at the highest stages. The play behaviors of children with Down syndrome correlated significantly with their chronological ages but not their developmental age. The current findings suggest that Chinese children with Down syndrome function at a similar developmental stage of play as that of younger non-handicapped peers.
Chronology of Wetland Hydrological Dynamics and the Mesolithic-Neolithic Transition along the Lower Scheldt: A Bayesian Approach

The Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in the wetland margins of the southern North Sea basin occurred well over a millennium after the transition in neighboring loess regions. This article investigates the possible role of hydrological dynamics in the presence of the last hunter-gatherer-fishermen in these wetland regions. A Bayesian modeling approach is used to integrate stratigraphic information and radiocarbon dates both from accurately datable archaeological remains and key horizons in peat sequences in the Scheldt floodplain of northwestern Belgium. This study tests whether the Swifterbant occupation of the study area was contemporaneous with hiatuses in peat growth caused by organic clastic sedimentation due to increased tidal influences and local groundwater rise. The results suggest that the appearance of this culture followed shortly after the emergence of a brackish tidal mudflat landscape replacing a freshwater marsh.
Differences in Anxiety Between IT Competent And Incompetent Malaysian Pre-Service Teachers: Can a Discrete IT Course Taught in a Constructivist Learning Environment Solve This Problem?

The purpose of the study was to determine if teaching a discrete course in a constructivist learning environment could reduce the level of anxiety towards Information Technology (IT) among pre-service teachers who perceived themselves as IT competent (Group 1) and IT incompetent (Group 2). The study also sought to investigate if the anxiety level gap between Group 1 and Group 2 could be reduced through this method of teaching. Participants who were from Group 2 showed significantly positive changes in terms of their anxiety level after completing the course. Pretest results showed that participants who were IT competent had significantly lower level of anxiety towards IT. While the posttest results showed no differences between Groups 1 and 2 by the end of the course. The results indicated that participants who perceived as IT incompetent benefited more from the course compared to those who perceived themselves as IT competent. The results also suggested that infusing constructivism into a discrete IT course can reduce the anxiety level among participants who perceived themselves as IT incompetent.
Response of coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi to elevated partial pressure of CO2 under nitrogen limitation

Precipitation of calcium carbonate by phytoplankton in the photic oceanic layer is an important process regulating the carbon cycling and the exchange of CO2 at the ocean-atmosphere interface. Previous experiments have demonstrated that, under nutrient-sufficient conditions, dou- bling the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) in seawater—a likely scenario for the end of the century— can significantly decrease both the rate of calcification by coccolithophorids and the ratio of inorganic to organic carbon production. The present work investigates the effects of high pCO2 on calcification by the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi (Strain TW1) grown under nitrogen-limiting conditions, a situation that can also prevail in the ocean. Nitrogen limitation was achieved in NO3-limited contin- uous cultures renewed at the rate of 0.5 d -1 and exposed to a saturating light level. pCO2 was increased from 400 to 700 ppm and controlled by bubbling CO2-rich or CO2-free air into the cultures. The pCO2 shift has a rapid effect on cell physiology that occurs within 2 cell divisions subsequent to the perturbation. Net calcification rate (C) decreased by 25% and, in contrast to previous studies with N-replete cultures, gross community production (GCP) and dark community respiration (DCR) also decreased. These results suggest that increasing pCO2 has no noticeable effect on the calcifica- tion/photosynthesis ratio (C /P) when cells of E. huxleyi are NO3-limited.
Transgenerational plasticity and environmental stress: do paternal effects act as a conduit or a buffer?

Summary For most organisms, early life-history stages are the most sensitive to environmental stress and so transgenerational phenotypic plasticity, whereby the parental environment and offspring environment interact to alter the phenotype of the offspring, is viewed as key to promoting persistence in the face of environmental change. While there has been long-standing interest in the role of transgenerational plasticity via the maternal line (traditionally the field of maternal effects), increasingly it appears that paternal effects can also play a role. Despite the emerging role of paternal effects in studies of global change, key knowledge gaps remain: first, whether paternal effects act to increase or decrease offspring performance remains largely unexplored; second, the relative roles of maternal and paternal effects are rarely disentangled; and third, the role of environmental variation, a key determinant of the benefits of transgenerational plasticity, has not been explored with regard to paternal effects. Here, we explore all three issues using the marine tubeworm Galeolaria caespitosa, an important habitat-forming species in southern Australia. We found that both paternal and maternal experiences affected key stages of offspring performance (fertilization and larval development) and, surprisingly, paternal effects were often stronger than maternal effects. Furthermore, we found that paternal effects often reduced offspring performance, especially when environments varied compared with when environments were stable. Our results suggest that, while transgenerational plasticity may play an important role in modifying the impacts of global change, these effects are not uniformly positive. Importantly, paternal effects can be as strong, or stronger, than maternal effects and environmental variability strongly alters the impacts of paternal effects.
The Revival of The"Cash Versus Food"Debate: New Evidence for an Oldquandary?

The longstanding"cash versus food"debate has received renewed attention in both research and practice. This paper reviews key issues shaping the debate and presents new evidence from randomized and quasi-experimental evaluations that deliberately compare cash and in-kind food transfers in ten developing counties. Findings show that relative effectiveness cannot be generalized: although some differences emerge in terms of food consumption and dietary diversity, average impacts tend to depend on context, specific objectives, and their measurement. Costs for cash transfers and vouchers tend to be significantly lower relative to in-kind food. Yet the consistency and robustness of methods for efficiency analyses varies greatly.
Does Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction Increase Strategy Use and Conceptual Learning From Text?

The authors define reading engagement as the mutual support of motivations, strategies, and conceptual knowledge during reading. To increase reading engagement, a collaborative team designed a year-long integration of reading/language arts and science instruction (ConceptOriented Reading Instruction, CORI). The authors compared students who received this instruction to similar students who received traditionally organized instruction aimed toward the same objectives. A path analysis showed that CORI had a positive effect on strategy use and text comprehension for students at Grades 3 and 5 when accounting for past achievement and prior knowledge. CORI also had a positive, indirect effect on conceptual knowledge mediated by strategy use, and this instruction facilitated conceptual transfer indirectly through several paths simultaneously. The findings are discussed in relation to a growing literature on instructional contexts for motivated strategy use and conceptual learning from text.
Comparing performance and quality of traffic assignment techniques for microscopic road traffic simulations

Focusing on the tradeoff between accuracy of the assignment and computation time this paper proposes different traffic assignment methods targeting at microscopic traffic simulation. The corresponding network-wide performance indices, the generated route sets and the respective significance tests are analyzed and compared. The results indicate that the saving on computa-tion time is significant with use of macroscopic assignments. However, the deficiency of ne-glecting turning behaviors in macroscopic assignments results in worse assignment results. Moreover, the used computation time of some microscopic methods (e.g. the one-shot method) is competitive with that of the macroscopic assignments. While the exact parameteri-zation as well as the sensitivity of the methods to the size of the scenarios still need further investigation, it seems favorable to employ microscopic assignment techniques or hybrid methods for producing a good traffic assignment for a microscopic simulation.
InverseRenderNet: Learning Single Image Inverse Rendering

We show how to train a fully convolutional neural network to perform inverse rendering from a single, uncontrolled image. The network takes an RGB image as input, regresses albedo and normal maps from which we compute lighting coefficients. Our network is trained using large uncontrolled image collections without ground truth. By incorporating a differentiable renderer, our network can learn from self-supervision. Since the problem is ill-posed we introduce additional supervision: 1. We learn a statistical natural illumination prior, 2. Our key insight is to perform offline multiview stereo (MVS) on images containing rich illumination variation. From the MVS pose and depth maps, we can cross project between overlapping views such that Siamese training can be used to ensure consistent estimation of photometric invariants. MVS depth also provides direct coarse supervision for normal map estimation. We believe this is the first attempt to use MVS supervision for learning inverse rendering.
Freezing point of raw and heat-treated goat milk

The freezing point (FP) was established in 48 bulk tank samples of raw and 48 samples of pasteu rized goat milk that were collected in the course of lactation. Alongside, non-fat solids (NFS) content was moni - tored. Milk freezing point measurements were carried out using the thermistor cryoscope method in compliance with the standard CTS 570538 (1998). The mean freezing point of raw milk was found to be in an interval of -0.5513 ± 0.0046°C, variation ranged from -0.5466°C to -0.5567°C, with higher values in the spring months and a drop at the end of lactation. FP corresponded to the NFS content. The average freezing point of goat milk heat-treated on the farm to the temperature of 72°Ca period of 20 s was -0.5488 ± 0.0046°C, pasteurisation brought an average increase in FP by 0.0025°C.
Malignant transformation in a patient with fibrous dysplasia and aneurysmal bone cyst

A 38-year old woman, with a history of monostotic fibrous dysplasia (MFD) of the right femur, developed secondary transformationto both an osteosarcoma and an aneurysmal bone cyst. The patient was initially treated with wide resection and insertion of a hipprosthesis and postoperative chemotherapy. After 3 months she had a recurrence and a hemipelvectomy was performed, followedby a new series of chemotherapy. Seven years after treatment the patient is still alive with no signs of metastasis. It is unknownwhether the osteosarcoma developed from the MFD or from the aneurysmal bone cyst. Secondary transformation of fibrous dysplasia into osteosarcoma is a rare event, especially in MFD without concomitant McCune-Albright syndrome or in patients with MFD without prior radiation therapy. Transformation of an aneurysmal bone cyst is aneven more rare event. This case is reported due to the rare event of malignant transformation of MFD with a concomitant aneurysmal bone cyst and dueto the favorable outcome, in spite of the poor prognosis associated with the condition.
On a one-dimensional -patch model with nonlocal drift and fractional dissipation

We consider a one-dimensional nonlocal nonlinear equation of the form ∂ t u = (Λ − α u ) ∂ x u − ν Λ β u , where Λ = ( − ∂ xx ) 12 is the fractional Laplacian and ν ≥ 0 is the viscosity coeﬃcient. We primarily consider the regime 0 < α < 1 and 0 ≤ β ≤ 2 for which the model has nonlocal drift, fractional dissipation, and captures essential features of the 2D α -patch models. In the critical and subcritical range 1 − α ≤ β ≤ 2, we prove global wellposedness for arbitrarily large initial data in Sobolev spaces. In the full supercritical range 0 ≤ β < 1 − α , we prove formation of singularities in ﬁnite time for a class of smooth initial data. Our proof is based on a novel nonlocal weighted inequality which can be of independent interest.
Recent past (1979–2014) and future (2070–2099) isoprene fluxes over Europe simulated with the MEGAN–MOHYCAN model

Abstract. Isoprene is a highly reactive volatile organic compound emitted by vegetation, known to be a precursor of secondary organic aerosols and to enhance tropospheric ozone formation under polluted conditions. Isoprene emissions respond strongly to changes in meteorological parameters such as temperature and solar radiation. In addition, the increasing CO2 concentration has a dual effect, as it causes both a direct emission inhibition as well as an increase in biomass through fertilization. In this study we used the MEGAN (Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature) emission model coupled with the MOHYCAN (Model of HYdrocarbon emissions by the CANopy) canopy model to calculate the isoprene fluxes emitted by vegetation in the recent past (1979–2014) and in the future (2070–2099) over Europe at a resolution of 0.1∘×0.1∘. As a result of the changing climate, modeled isoprene fluxes increased by 1.1 % yr−1 on average in Europe over 1979–2014, with the strongest trends found over eastern Europe and European Russia, whereas accounting for the CO2 inhibition effect led to reduced emission trends (0.76 % yr−1). Comparisons with field campaign measurements at seven European sites suggest that the MEGAN–MOHYCAN model provides a reliable representation of the temporal variability of the isoprene fluxes over timescales between 1 h and several months. For the 1979–2014 period the model was driven by the ECMWF ERA-Interim reanalysis fields, whereas for the comparison of current with projected future emissions, we used meteorology simulated with the ALARO regional climate model. Depending on the representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios for greenhouse gas concentration trajectories driving the climate projections, isoprene emissions were found to increase by +7 % (RCP2.6), +33 % (RCP4.5), and +83 % (RCP8.5), compared to the control simulation, and even stronger increases were found when considering the potential impact of CO2 fertilization: +15 % (RCP2.6), +52 % (RCP4.5), and +141 % (RCP8.5). However, the inhibitory CO2 effect goes a long way towards canceling these increases. Based on two distinct parameterizations, representing strong or moderate inhibition, the projected emissions accounting for all effects were estimated to be 0–17 % (strong inhibition) and 11–65 % (moderate inhibition) higher than in the control simulation. The difference obtained using the two CO2 parameterizations underscores the large uncertainty associated to this effect.
Broadband Single-Fed Single-Patch Circularly Polarized Microstrip Antenna

The paper demonstrates a novel antenna which can achieve a broad impedance bandwidth and circularly polarized bandwidth with a suspended corner-truncated square patch and a new probe-fed rectangular strip. By incorporating a probe-fed rectangular strip inside a high substantial cavity (» 0:144‚0), a broad impedance bandwidth (VSWR < 2:0) of 770MHz (31.43%) is achieved. To obtain a good circularly polarized (CP) bandwidth matching with the impedance bandwidth, two stubs with optimized lengths are loaded at the non-radiating edges of the corner-truncated square patch symmetrically. Measured results show that the CP antenna features a wide operating bandwidth of 10% ranging from 2.41GHz to 2.66GHz (VSWR < 1:5 and axial ratio < 3dB) and that of 22.45% ranging from 2.31GHz to 2.86GHz (VSWR < 2 and axial ratio < 6dB) and good radiation patterns with cross-polarization level (LHCP) lower than the co-polarization level (RHCP) by more than 20dB at the broadside direction. The average gain of this antenna is recorded as about 8.16dBi across the operating bandwidth.
A Study of the Surface Morphology of Silicon: Effect of Parasitic Emitter Etching on the Rear Side Performance of Silicon Solar Cells

Silicon solar cells with dielectric passivation layers need enhanced rear surface treatment. In this work we will introduce a novel masking and etching procedure whereby the parasitic emitter etching, the increase of the rear reflectance and finally the improvement of the rear surface passivation will be merged in only one step. Using adapted acidic etching solutions we can show a higher etch rate at pyramid peaks of textured rear sides. This selectivity of the etch rate will allow significant change of the surface morphology without increased material loss. This fact makes the application of thin solar cells more attractive. This novel method is transferred not only to screenprinted solar cell concepts with full area Al-BSF, but also to solar cells with dielectrically passivated rear sides. The rounding effect of the rear side texture with minimized abrasion leads to high rear side reflectance and increased surface passivation of dielectrically passivated solar cells. A significant gain of 0.5 mA/cm2 of solar cells with an adapted rear side morphology confirms the mentioned advantages of this novel etching procedure with masking.
Panel Attrition

Attrition is the process of dropout from a panel study. Earlier studies into the determinants of attrition study respondents still in the survey and those who attrited at any given wave of data collection. In many panel surveys, the process of attrition is more subtle than being either in or out of the study. Respondents often miss out on one or more waves, but might return after that. They start off responding infrequently, but more often later in the course of the study. Using current analytical models, it is difficult to incorporate such response patterns in analyses of attrition. This article shows how to study attrition in a latent class framework. This allows the separation of different groups of respondents, that each follow a different and distinct process of attrition. Classifying attriting respondents enables us to formally test substantive theories of attrition and its effects on data accuracy more effectively.