Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trends in the Cross-Section of Expected Stock Returns

We examine whether the recent regime of increased liquidity and trading volume is associated with attenuation of equity return anomalies. The profitabilities of several anomaly-based trading strategies have attenuated significantly over time, particularly in liquid NYSE/AMEX stocks, and virtually none have significantly accentuated. The profits from a composite strategy based on all of the anomalies show a strong downward trend. Hedge fund assets under management, short interest, and the post-decimalization decline in trading costs, are associated with declines in anomaly-based trading strategy profits in recent years, indicating that increased arbitrage activity may have led to this decline in anomaly-based trading strategy profits.
The Efficacy of Anti-Retroviral Therapy on HIV Patients with and Without Tuberculosis: A Comparative Study in a State Hospital Bida Niger State Nigeria

There is a general broad knowledge surrounding the possible complications and opportunistic infections that patients with HIV can be exposed to, one of which is Tuberculosis, a popular co-morbid disease in HIV patients. Several studies have unraveled the efficacy of ARVs on the CD4 counts in HIV patients, but there exists knowledge gap in establishing the efficacy of ARV therapy among HIV patients with Tuberculosis (TB). The main objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of antiretroviral therapy on HIV positive patients with and without tuberculosis. A quasi-experimental design was employed in this study. Eighty (80) patients were recruited in total from the ARV-TB clinic of general hospital Bida. Forty (40) HIV patients without TB, and HIV patients with TB were recruited consecutively into group A and B respectively. Each group participants’ baseline CD4 counts were estimated and recorded, after which both groups were subjected to a six weeks ARV therapy. Data were collected weekly (for six weeks) by conducting laboratory test of CD4 counts for both groups’ patients. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 software. Descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation and percentages were used to summarize the data, while inferential statistics of t-test, ANOVA, ANCOVA and Bonferoni pairwise comparison were used to test the significant differences as appropriate. Alpha level was set at 0.05. The study revealed that the CD4 count of HIV patients without TB (group A) at baseline was found to be statistically significantly higher than those with TB (group B), and also revealed a statistical significant difference in the CD 4 count across the seven-time-point period of the study (baseline and the six weeks of ARV therapy) in the two groups (P<0.05). The study also revealed that there was no statistically significant difference in the CD4 count of groups A and B comparatively after six weeks of ARV therapy. Recommendations among others include; extension of the study tentacle to increased number of health facilities and longer study period, conducting studies on the impact of the dual therapy (ARV and anti-TB) on the co-infected patients, and the need for all stakeholders involved in the treatment of HIV patients to continuously update their knowledge base on the management of the HIV patients with and without TB, for a more productive and goal-oriented treatment outcome, void of sentiments and discrimination.
Insights into planet formation from debris disks II. Giant impacts in extrasolar planetary systems

Giant impacts refer to collisions between two objects each of which is massive enough to be considered at least a planetary embryo. The putative collision suffered by the proto-Earth that created the Moon is a prime example, though most Solar System bodies bear signatures of such collisions. Current planet formation models predict that an epoch of giant impacts may be inevitable, and observations of debris around other stars are providing mounting evidence that giant impacts feature in the evolution of many planetary systems. This chapter reviews giant impacts, focussing on what we can learn about planet formation by studying debris around other stars. Giant impact debris evolves through mutual collisions and dynamical interactions with planets. General aspects of this evolution are outlined, noting the importance of the collision-point geometry. The detectability of the debris is discussed using the example of the Moon-forming impact. Such debris could be detectable around another star up to 10 Myr post-impact, but model uncertainties could reduce detectability to a few 100 yr window. Nevertheless the 3% of young stars with debris at levels expected during terrestrial planet formation provide valuable constraints on formation models; implications for super-Earth formation are also discussed. Variability recently observed in some bright disks promises to illuminate the evolution during the earliest phases when vapour condensates may be optically thick and acutely affected by the collision-point geometry. The outer reaches of planetary systems may also exhibit signatures of giant impacts, such as the clumpy debris structures seen around some stars. M. C. Wyatt Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK Tel. : +44 1223 337 517, Fax: +44 1223 337 523 E-mail: wyatt@ast.cam. ac.uk A. P. Jackson School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA 2 Mark C. Wyatt, Alan P. Jackson
AMENITIES AND COUNTY-LEVEL MIGRATION : DOES DIVERSITY MATTER ?

This paper examines inter-county migration within metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) with a special focus on the role of amenities and racial diversity. Household migration patterns are analyzed using allocation rates and the spatial equilibrium approach. Contiguous counties within Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama MSAs are examined. The parameters of an inter-county allocation model are estimated with 1995-2000 migration data from the 2000 Census of Population and Housing and a spatial equilibrium amenity index. The results indicate that the residual-based amenity measure explains county-to-county migration within MSAs and that racial diversity may be viewed as an amenity for this region. JEL Classification: R13, R23, I31
DOSE OPTIMIZATION AND PHARMACOKINETIC / PHARMACODYNAMIC INTEGRATION OF AMOXICILLIN IN LOHI SHEEP ( Ovis aries ) AND BEETAL GOATS ( Capra hircus )

The present study aimed to investigate the interspecies variations in relation to pharmacokinetic profile and optimal dosage regimen of amoxicillin in Lohi sheep and Beetal goats. For this purpose, 16 healthy, adult animals, 8 from each species of Lohi sheep were selected. The animals were 1-2 years of age and 35-45 kg body weight. Amoxicillin was injected as a single intramuscular dose of 15 mg/kg body weight to each animal. Blood samples were collected at specific time intervals over 24 hrs. Plasma drug concentrations and time data was calculated by WinNonlin® for the estimation of pharmacokinetic parameters. Optimal dosage of amoxicillin was also calculated in both species. The elimination half-life and mean residence time were higher (P < 0.05) in Beetal goats than Lohi sheep indicating the slow elimination of the drug in Beetal goats. A priming dose of amoxicillin of 21.6 ± 24.4 mg/kg body weight was suggested with a maintenance dose of 15.7 ± 18.9 mg/kg likely to be repeated every 24 hours in order to provide successful treatment against bacteria with susceptibility of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC < 1.6 μg/mL) in Lohi sheep and Beetal goats respectively.
Staggered Boards and Private Benefits of Control

This paper provides evidence that staggered boards are associated with higher private benefits of control. We proxy for private benefits using the value of voting rights (i.e., control premium) estimated from option prices. We find that companies with staggered boards have higher control premiums, and de-staggering their boards decreases the control premiums. Exploiting plausibly exogenous court rulings, we confirm that weakening the effectiveness of staggered boards decreases the control premiums. Moreover, changes in control premiums around the court rulings are negatively related to the corresponding stock market reactions. Overall, our findings are consistent with the entrenchment view on staggered boards. JEL classification: G13, G30, G34, K22
Wolthoff Applications and Interviews : Firms ' Recruiting Decisions in a Frictional Labor Market

I develop a directed search model of the labor market in which firms choose a recruiting intensity, determining the number of applicants they will interview. Interviewing applicants is costly but reveals their productivity, allowing the firm to hire better workers. I characterize the equilibrium and find that the uniqueness and cyclicality of recruiting intensity crucially depend on parameter values. Calibration of the model to the US labor market indicates a multiplicity of the equilibrium. An increase in aggregate productivity— given selection of a particular equilibrium—causes recruiting intensity to move counter to unemployment, while a shock to the equilibrium selection rule predicts the opposite pattern. ∗A previous version of this paper circulated under the title “Applications and Interviews: A Structural Analysis of Two-Sided Simultaneous Search. ” I am very grateful to Philipp Kircher for feedback at various stages of this project. I also thank Jim Albrecht, Martin Burda, Gabriele Camera, Jason Faberman, Giuseppe Ferrero, Manolis Galenianos, Pieter Gautier, Veronica Guerrieri, Ali Hortacsu, Andrey Launov, Ben Lester, Guido Menzio, Dale Mortensen, Jean-Marc Robin, Richard Rogerson, Shouyong Shi, Robert Shimer, and numerous seminar and conference participants for valuable comments. Finally, I would like to thank the FEEM Award Commission for its recognition of this paper at the EEA Annual Congress 2011. †E-mail: ronald.p.wolthoff@gmail.com
The Limits of Accounting-Based Accountability in Education (and Far Beyond): Why More Accounting Will Rarely Solve Accountability Problems

Accountability is rightly at the center of the conversation regarding how to improve governance systems, particularly health and education systems. But efforts to address accountability deficits often focus primarily on improving what can be counted and verified—what we term “accountingbased accountability. ” We argue that introducing greater accounting-based accountability will only very rarely be the appropriate solution for addressing accountability problems. We illustrate this by exploring the role of Accountability ICT in (not) improving education system performance. Strengthening “real” accountability is not the same as improving data systems for observation and verification, and often attempts at the latter undermine the former. The development discourse’s frequent semantic misunderstanding of the term “accountability” has pernicious effects on system reform efforts and ultimately global welfare. www.cgdev. org Dan Honig and Lant Pritchett
Asymmetries in speech articulation as reflected on palatograms: a meta-study

This paper presents the results from an investigation of asymmetries in speech articulation on the basis of 1,502 previously published palatograms of a wide variety of speech sounds in a range of languages. For each palatogram, the direction and degree of tongue-palate contact was quantified by means of an index capturing the degree of lateral asymmetry. The results of this investigation show that lingual asymmetry in the articulation of speech sounds is substantial: 83% of the palatograms are asymmetrical. With respect to the direction of the asymmetry it is found that the asymmetry is more often towards the left side of the palate (45%) than to the right side (38%). Further analysis reveals that there are significant differences in both the direction and the degree of the asymmetry as a function of manner and place of articulation.
WSR-88 D OBSERVATIONS OF MESOSCALE PRECIPITATION BANDS OVER PENNSYLVANIA

Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) located in central Pennsylvania detected a large area of snow, mixed precipitation, and rain over the central part of the state on 30-31 October 1993. It also detected an area of locally heavy rain over southeastern Pennsylvania on 4-S December 1993. In both cases, distinct bands of enhanced precipitation were embedded within broader areas of precipitation. The bands were oriented along the 1000to SOO-mb thermal wind vector and were nearly parallel to the 8S0-mb isotherms. For both cases, the WSR88D velocity azimuth display (VAD) wind profile (VWP) indicated a low-level northeasterly flow, which veered with height and became southwesterly aloft. Base velocity data from the O.S degree elevation scan revealed the classic warm advection "S"~shaped_ pattern over central Pennsylvania. The base reflectivity data showed several bands of precipitation, which were later determined to have formed in a conditionally stable to conditionally neutral atmosphere. For the October case, the rain / snow line remained near or just east of the Radar Data Acquisition (RDA) site during the event, which resulted in bright band contamination of the base reflectivity data in the band near the RDA. In both cases, the precipitation bands formed in a jet entrance circulation with low-level northerly ageostrophic winds that reinforced the cold air. For the October case, the surface low and warm front remained well south of the area. Soundings from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Dulles, Virginia, showed near neutral static stability and strong vertical wind shear. These two conditions are necessary for the development of Conditional Symmetric Instability (CS1) precipitation bands. Cross sections of equivalent potential temperature and geostrophic angular momentum (M) surfaces from both rawinsonde and model gridded data revealed that areas susceptible to CSI were present over central Pennsylvania for both cases. Low-level frontogenesis was also present for both cases and contributed to the formation of the banded precipitation over Pennsylvania in conjunction with the CSI present.
Dividend Changes and Future Profitability : The role of earnings volatility

We investigate whether dividend changes signal changes in a firm’s future profitability by also considering the firm’s earnings volatility. In general, we find a positive relation between dividend increases and future earnings, so dividend increases tend to signal positive changes in future earnings. However, this positive relation is strongly affected by the firm’s earnings volatility, such that higher earnings volatility reduces the positive effect of dividend increases on future earnings. Specifically, for firms with high earnings volatility, dividend increases signal a reduction in future earnings volatility instead of an increase in future earnings. On the other hand, we do not find corresponding results for dividend decreases. Our findings have three main implications: 1) The traditional dividend signaling theory is valid. 2) The effect of signaling depends on a firm’s earnings volatility. 3) For high-volatility firms, positive dividend changes signal earnings volatility reductions rather than earnings increases. JEL Classification: G17, G30, G35
An Extended Systematic Literature Review on Classification , Structuring and Assessment of Evidence for Safety Compliance

Context: Critical systems as found in domains such as avionics, railways, and automotive are often subject to a formal process of safety assessment or certification. The goal of this process is to ensure that these systems will operate safely without posing undue risks to the user, the public, or the environment. Safety is usually assured by compliance with safety standards, which involves providing evidence to show that the safety criteria of the standards are met. Oftentimes, standards are ambiguous and extremely time consuming to understand, due to its sheer size and the fact that textual standards are prone to subjective interpretation. Objective: As a prerequisite to comply with standards, safety professionals need knowledge of how to classify different types of evidence, how to structure the evidence, and how to assess them. This paper is aimed towards developing such a body of knowledge. Method: This paper reports a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of 216 papers published between 1990-2012, obtained after a multi-stage selection process. The SLR identifies and classifies the information and artefacts considered as evidence for safety, analyses the existing techniques for evidence structuring and assessment. Results: The results of the review were used to build an evidence taxonomy which will be particularly relevant to practitioners seeking a better understand about evidence requirements as well as to researchers conducting research in this area. The taxonomy has 49 different evidence types that were collected from the 216 papers. The paper also reports on most identified techniques for evidence structuring and assessment. In addition, the SLR summarizes the challenges noted in the literature in relation to provision of safety evidence and analyses commonalities between different application domains. The paper further discusses the implications of the results of the literature review for future research in the application domains identified in the review. Conclusion: The paper, to our knowledge, is the first systematic review concerning evidence for safety. The results provide useful insights for both research and practice. Particularly, the evidence classification developed provides a concrete basis for learning about and tailoring the various types of evidence that practitioners need to provide in support of safety. As a major finding in the review, the results suggest that there is a strong need for more practice-oriented and industry-driven empirical studies in this area.
Experience and Career Path Association : A National Survey of Recent

Objective. To determine whether the research rotation experience affects the career path of otolaryngology residents. Study Design/Setting. Two web-based surveys were disseminated by the AAO-HNS; one to current and former resident trainees and the other to current residency program directors. Subjects and Methods. A web-based survey was disseminated to all AAO-HNS members classified as otolaryngology residents or residency graduates within the last 6 years, regarding their research rotation and its potential influence on their career path. A second web-based survey was delivered simultaneously to program directors to evaluate their perception of the need for research in a training program and their role in the rotation. Chi-square tests for independence as well as multivariate analyses were conducted to determine whether aspects of the resident research rotation related to career path. Results. The resident survey was completed by 350 respondents (25% response rate), and 39 program directors completed the second survey (37% response rate). Multiple factors were examined, including federal funding of faculty, mentorship, publications prior to residency, success of research project measured by publication or grant submission, and type of research. Multivariate analyses revealed that factors most predictive of academic career path were intellectual satisfaction and presence of a T32 training grant within the program (P \.05). Conclusion. The composition and quality of the residency research rotation vary across institutions. Factors that enhance stronger intellectual satisfaction and the presence of T32 grant, which demonstrates an institution’s commitment to research training, may promote pursuit of a career in academia versus private practice.
Using Mobile Phones in Learning English : The Case of Jordan Sana ’ Ababneh

This study investigates Jordanian EFL students' attitudes towards the use of their mobile phones in learning English as a foreign language. The aim of the study is to gain insight into the awareness of Jordanian EFL students to the importance of implementing technology appropriately (mobile phones) in learning English. Moreover, it also aims to examine the effect of their gender and academic major (English Translation), on their attitudes towards using mobile phones in learning English as a foreign language. The study sample consisted of 101 students enrolled in English (417) a course in semantics taught at English Department, Yarmouk University, Jordan. A questionnaire was used to investigate the subjects' attitudes and use of their mobile phones. The findings reveal that the subjects' mean score of using their mobile phones was 3.85 out of 4, a result that displays a high usage of mobile phones in learning English. The subjects also have positive attitudes towards using their mobile phones in learning English. The data also show that neither the subjects' gender nor their academic major has any significant effect on their use or attitudes.
Are Important Attitudes More Stable? No, Not Really

In research on attitudes, strong attitudes are typically thought to be more persistent (i.e., stable over time) than weaker attitudes. Indeed strong attitudes are often deﬁned as those that are stable. Surprisingly, this assumed strength–stability linkage has faced little empirical scrutiny and been taken for given in much published research. Are attitudes felt to be stronger, as measured by subjective attitude importance, more stable over time? Through six studies, this paper uses two- and ﬁve-wave panel survey data to show that while attitude importance may inﬂuence over-time attitude dynamics, personally important and personally unimportant attitudes are similarly stable over time. The results have important implications for attitudes research and call into question the very deﬁnition of attitude strength.
W HICH PHONETIC FEATURES SHOULD PRONUNCIATION I NSTRUCTIONS FOCUS ON ? A N EVALUATION ON THE ACCENTEDNESS OF SEGMENTAL / SYLLABLE ERRORS IN L 2 SPEECH Z

Many English language instructors are reluctant to incorporate pronunciation instruction into their teaching curriculum (Thomson 2014). One reason for such reluctance is that L2 pronunciation errors are numerous, and there is not enough time for teachers to address all of them (Munro and Derwing 2006; Thomson 2014). The current study aims to help language teachers set priorities for their instruction by identifying the segmental and structural aspects of pronunciation that are most foreign-accented to native speakers of American English. The current study employed a perception experiment. 100 speech samples selected from the Speech Accent Archive (Weinberger 2016) were presented to 110 native American English listeners who listened to and rated the foreign accentedness of each sample on a 9-point rating scale. 20 of these samples portray no segmental or syllable structure L2 errors. The other 80 samples contain a single consonant, vowel, or syllable structure L2 error. The backgrounds of the speakers of these samples came from 52 different native languages. Global prosody of each sample was controlled for by comparing its F0 contour and duration to a native English sample using the Dynamic Time Warping method (Giorgino 2009). The results show that 1) L2 consonant errors in general are judged to be more accented than vowel or syllable structure errors; 2) phonological environment affects accent perception, 3) occurrences of non-English consonants always lead to higher accentedness ratings; 4) among L2 syllable errors, vowel epenthesis is judged to be as accented as consonant substitutions, while deletion is judged to be less accented or not accented at all. The current study, therefore, recommends that language instructors attend to consonant errors in L2 speech while taking into consideration their respective phonological