Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Social Impacts of the Public Welfare Lottery: An Empirical Study in Taiwan

In Taiwan, the legalised gambling sponsored by the government—the Public Welfare Lottery—was re-introduced on January 2002. Since then, the unprecedented lottery fever has become a social phenomenon that deserves our attention. This research focuses on the ‘public welfare’ effects as the name of the lottery was billed. The study consists of qualitative and quantitative analyses, which has served effectively to assess the advocacy of the ‘social ill’ for the ‘social good’. By conducting a web survey on the Internet, the empirical study enables us to examine the statistical significance of socio-economic and demographic variables on the behavioural tendency of purchasing the lottery. The results of the logistic regression model reveals that those who are younger, have-nots and with experiences on any previous lottery games are more likely to wager on the Public Welfare Lottery. Other major findings include two distinctive perspectives perceived by those who purchase the lottery and those who do not, i.e. lottery buyers tend to legitimise their action into socially justifiable causes, and those who do not purchase the lottery, by contrast, believe that the lottery has negative impacts on society. The paper concludes by discussing its methodological limitations and opportunities for future research.
Multi-residence in France and Australia: Why count them? What is at stake? Double counting and actual family situations

With the increasing diversity of family situations, growing numbers of people, including children, have more than one home. In France, nearly 4% of inhabitants are likely to be counted twice in surveys; while in Australia, the proportion is less than 2%. Taking into account the possibility that a single individual could have multiple residences is necessary not only to avoid double counting, but also to accurately describe the family situations of adults and children. In this paper, we first estimate the proportion of people living in two dwellings and then describe the consequences of these two-home situations for basic estimates of family situations. Our analysis is based on two large-scale surveys: the 2004 EU-SILC in France and the 2001 HILDA in Australia. A striking result is that, in France, half of all children who are counted as living with their fathers are in fact dividing their time between the homes of separated parents.
Are Judgments of the Positional Frequencies of Letters Systematically Biased Due to Availability ?

How do people estimate whether a particular letter is more frequent in the 1st versus in a later position? The authors tested 2 precise versions of the availability hypothesis, a hypothesis that assumes that frequency processing occurs on the level of the phonological classes of vowels and consonants, and the regressed-frequencies hypothesis, which assumes monitoring of individual letters. Across 3 studies, it was found that (a) judgments of whether a letter is more frequent in the 1st or the 2rid position generally followed the actual proportions and (b) the estimated relative frequencies in the 1st versus the 2rid position closely agreed with the actual rank ordering, except for an overestimation of low and underestimation of high values. These results favor the regressed-frequencies hypothesis and challenge the conclusions about frequency judgments in the heuristics and biases literature.
Exploring leadership practices of principals of Government Elementary Colleges of Education in Pakistan

This article shares the findings from a case study conducted to explore the leadership practices of Principals of the Government Elementary Colleges of Education across Pakistan. The study focused on how these Principals understood their roles and responsibilities in the context of the changing role of teacher education in Pakistan and in the globalizing world context. An exploratory case study research methodology was adopted; using semi-structured interviews as the main source for data collection. The primary findings of the study indicate that the Principals’ perceptions of their roles and responsibilities rotated mostly around the axis of ‘control’ of their organizations and its smooth functioning. Hence, they perceived looking after the teaching and learning processes, being good role models and meeting the requirements of their institutions as their prime responsibilities. Considering the trying circumstances under which many of these Principals worked where often even their lives were under threat, they worked quite hard to achieve the desired results.
Visitor-Employed Photography: An Urban Visit Assessment

Photographs are an under-used but powerful qualitative research tool. In the project described, visitors to the city of Toronto were provided with a camera and asked to document those aspects of the visit they found most enjoyable or most distressing. The photographs formed the basis of an intensive interview session in which visitors discussed and evaluated various aspects of their visit.
Governing Space: Planning Reform and the Politics of Sustainability

The authors explore the relationship between land-use, or spatial, planning and the environmental sustainability of major areas of public policy. First, the planning–public policy relationship is conceptualised within a framework that challenges narrowly instrumental accounts of the role of planning in the promotion of environmental sustainability, emphasising instead how the exploitation of opportunity structures in planning has impinged over time on dominant sectoral objectives. This framework is then used to analyse reformist pressures on planning, with particular reference to England's ‘modernising planning’ agenda. The argument is developed through a critical analysis of how, in the light of key components of this agenda—rescaling, streamlining, and the introduction of a statutory purpose—planning, public policy, and environmental sustainability might be expected to interact in future. Early signs suggest that the initial reform proposals—to accelerate the delivery of development by restructuring opportunities for participation—were diluted (but not displaced) by strong opposition. Tracing the long-term impacts of the reforms will require research into the relations between the reconstituted tiers of planning and the ability of interest groups to use the new opportunity structures effectively—tasks that should interest analysts of the greening of the state as much as planning researchers.
The role of the pineal in the control of the daily patterns of neurohypophysial hormone secretion

Abstract: Plasma concentrations of neurohypophysial hormones show clear rhythms over 24 hr which can be suppressed by exposure to constant light, an observation consistent with pineal involvement. A study has therefore been performed on the changes in the hormone levels in the hypothalamus, posterior pituitary, and plasma over 24 hr in control, pinealectomised, and sham pinealectomised animals to determine if the pineal could play a role. Water intake, urine excretion, packed cell volume, plasma osmolality, and electrolytes were also monitored. Pinealectomy had little effect on fluid balance, but after 8 weeks for oxytocin and 2 weeks for vasopressin the morning values (0700–0800) for the circulating concentrations of the hormones were significantly higher in the pinealectomized group compared with the combined sham operated and unoperated groups (pineal intact). By contrast, the pituitary vasopressin was significantly lower in the pinealectomised group. The increase in plasma oxytocin and vasopressin seen over the hours of daylight and accompanying fall in plasma osmolality seen in the pineal intact group were absent in the pinealectomised group. Similarly, the evening fall in pituitary hormone concentrations and increase in hypothalamic hormone content were absent in the pinealectomised animals. After 10 days of exposure to constant light, the fall in plasma osmolality in the pineal‐intact animals over the day was no longer significant; instead a significant increase in plasma osmolality and sodium was seen in the pinealectomised group. Exposure to constant light, while altering the patterns of neurohypophysial activity in the pineal intact group, had little effect on the pinealectomised animals.
Detection by classification of buildings in multispectral satellite imagery

We present an approach for the detection of buildings in multispectral satellite images. Unlike 3-channel RGB images, satellite imagery contains additional channels corresponding to different wavelengths. Approaches that do not use all channels are unable to fully exploit these images for optimal performance. Furthermore, care must be taken due to the large bias in classes, e.g., most of the Earth is covered in water and thus it will be dominant in the images. Our approach consists of training a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) from scratch to classify multispectral image patches taken by satellites as whether or not they belong to a class of buildings. We then adapt the classification network to detection by converting the fully-connected layers of the network to convolutional layers, which allows the network to process images of any resolution. The dataset bias is compensated by subsampling negatives and tuning the detection threshold for optimal performance. We have constructed a new dataset using images from the Landsat 8 satellite for detecting solar power plants and show our approach is able to significantly outperform the state-of-the-art. Furthermore, we provide an indepth evaluation of the seven different spectral bands provided by the satellite images and show it is critical to combine them to obtain good results.
The Sink-Specific Plastidic Phosphate Transporter PHT4;2 Influences Starch Accumulation and Leaf Size in Arabidopsis1[W][OA]

Nonphotosynthetic plastids are important sites for the biosynthesis of starch, fatty acids, and amino acids. The uptake and subsequent use of cytosolic ATP to fuel these and other anabolic processes would lead to the accumulation of inorganic phosphate (Pi) if not balanced by a Pi export activity. However, the identity of the transporter(s) responsible for Pi export is unclear. The plastid-localized Pi transporter PHT4;2 of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) is expressed in multiple sink organs but is nearly restricted to roots during vegetative growth. We identified and used pht4;2 null mutants to confirm that PHT4;2 contributes to Pi transport in isolated root plastids. Starch accumulation was limited in pht4;2 roots, which is consistent with the inhibition of starch synthesis by excess Pi as a result of a defect in Pi export. Reduced starch accumulation in leaves and altered expression patterns for starch synthesis genes and other plastid transporter genes suggest metabolic adaptation to the defect in roots. Moreover, pht4;2 rosettes, but not roots, were significantly larger than those of the wild type, with 40% greater leaf area and twice the biomass when plants were grown with a short (8-h) photoperiod. Increased cell proliferation accounted for the larger leaf size and biomass, as no changes were detected in mature cell size, specific leaf area, or relative photosynthetic electron transport activity. These data suggest novel signaling between roots and leaves that contributes to the regulation of leaf size.
Consumers' perceptions of individual and combined sustainable food labels: a UK pilot investigation

Consumers are faced with an increasing number of sustainable food labels. These different labels may be complementary or add to the increasing competition of product information in consumers' minds. We investigate: (1) the perceptions that consumers in the UK have about sustainable labels vs. other labels, such as origin or nutrition labels; and (2) consumers' reactions to combinations of different sustainable labels. Overall, the findings from two focus groups conducted in the UK indicate that consumers have positive perceptions of organic and fair trade labels but tend to be sceptical about unfamiliar labels and general claims such as 'climate friendly'. The results also indicate the importance of familiarity, trust and fit between combinations of labels as well as between associating a label with a brand. While the combination of certain labels can enhance the value of a food product, this study also indicates that other label combinations (e.g. private and sustainable label) can detract from a label's value. Implications and recommendations are suggested for managers to counter the image of greenwashing, and for policy makers to facilitate sustainable food choices.
The prognostic value of Ki67 in systemically untreated patients with node-negative breast cancer

Aim To evaluate the utility of Ki67 as a prognostic marker in a series of patients with node-negative breast cancer untreated with adjuvant systemic therapy. Methods The cohort consisted of 203 cases treated with breast conserving surgery and radiation only; median follow-up was 183 months (range 156–277 months). An immunohistochemical panel of oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), cytokeratin (CK)5/6 and Ki67 and human epidermal growth factor 2 in situ hybridization (HER2-ISH) was performed on the tumour samples. Ki67 scores were evaluable in 193/203 patients (95.1%). The primary outcome was breast cancer specific survival (BCSS). Results Of the cohort, 29 (14.2%) died of breast cancer. A cut off of 10% separated tumours into a ‘Ki67-low’ (n=70) or ‘Ki67-high’ group (n=123). The breast cancer specific survival was 97.1% and 77.6% for Ki67-low and Ki67-high groups, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that in this lymph node-negative cohort, the predictors for BCSS were tumour size, Ki67, LVI, age and histological grade 3. Multivariable analysis showed that Ki67 index and lymphovascular space invasion were independent predictors of breast cancer death. To examine the utility of Ki67 in assignment of immunohistochemically molecular subtypes, cases were assigned into Luminal A (ER-positive, HER2-negative, Ki67 ≤14%), Luminal B (ER-positive, HER2-negative, Ki67 >14%) and triple negative (ER/PR-negative and HER2-negative, any Ki67). The 15-year breast cancer specific survival was 91.7%, 79.4% and 75.8%, respectively. Conclusions A statistically significant difference in breast cancer specific survival is seen in groups defined using Ki67 and receptor status, whereas histological grading was not a significant predictor of survival. Ki67 immunostaining provides prognostic information beyond traditionally assessed clinicopathological variables.
Economic & tourism aspects of the Olympic Games.

In this article the development of the Olympic Games (the biggest mega sport event ever) will be described as an interesting case in the sport‐tourism relationship. The Olympics are indeed the biggest show on earth … the most participants in history, … spectators on site and the greatest television audience ever. This marriage of convenience between sport and tourism will be explored and examplified, first in general and second by means of on historical overview (of the Summer and Winter Games) and the economic impact of the Olympic Games.
A Social Network Approach to Peer Assessment: Improving Predictive Validity

Our premise is that the simple measure used in peer assessment (i.e., number of peer nominations) does not capture the complexity of social information processing and therefore has limited predictive validity. Based on indicators derived from social network analysis and social information processing theories, we suggest new measures (nominations-by-nominees and nominations-not-returned) to enhance the predictive validity of peer assessment. We then compare the validity of existing measures with ours, using a longitudinal sample of 249 soldiers, divided into 18 groups. The soldiers first assessed each other on friendly behavior and instrumental contribution to the team. More than six months later, the commanders of the 132 soldiers in the unit under review provided evaluations of their performance in regard to stress, engagement, and leadership. We found that our new, complex measures predicted performance above and beyond the traditional measure. Theoretical and applied implications are discussed.
Unemployment in the Greek regions of Attica and Central Macedonia: comparative econometric analysis between the 2nd and the 3rd CSFs

The basic aim of this paper is to investigate the unemployment risk and job prospects of individuals in the two most populated Greek regions, Attica and Central Macedonia, during the implementation of the second (1994 to 1999) and the third (2000 to 2006) community support frameworks (CSFs). More specifically, we research what are the social and demographic characteristics that increase the chances of someone in the examined population finding a job, exploring individuals according to gender, age, marital status, residence location, level of education, immigrant status, registered in the manpower employment organisation (OAED) and participation in training courses. Also, we try to investigate whether university graduates face greater difficulties in finding a job than non-university graduates, as a series of studies or aggregate statistics for Greece conclude. We use individual anonymised records (micro-data) of the labour force survey (LFS) for both employed and unemployed at for nomenclature of territorial units statistics (NUTS)-2 level. The findings of the logit model are mixed for all the variables used, apart from those of gender, marital status, participation in training programmes and registered in OAED for which the results have no differences among regions and years. The paper does offer evidence that could be useful for comparative research among European regions.
Information Content of Changes in Pension Plan Funding Status and Long-Term Debt

This study investigates whether investors efficiently incorporate changes in defined benefit pension plan information in stock prices. The sample is comprised of public US companies with available data from 1980 to 2005. Fama and French three factor (1993) and four factor models results reveal that the market inefficiently incorporates changes in defined benefit pension plan information. The results suggest that investors are not paying enough attention to the implications of the changes in funding status for future earnings and cash flows. Investors’ reactions to changes in defined benefit pension plan information were compared to reactions to changes in long-term debt account ratios. The results reveal that the market is also inefficient incorporating changes in long-term debt information. Hedge-portfolio tests are performed to verify if there is an opportunity to outperform the market by identifying market inefficiencies. The hedge-portfolio results support the notion that the market overprices firms that have the most negative changes in funding ratio and increases in long-term debt ratio.
Multinational Knowledge Strategies, Policy and the Upgrading Process of Regions: Revisiting the Automotive Industry in Ostrava and Shanghai

This paper revisits how and why new multinational knowledge-based strategies and multi-level governmental policies influence the upgrading process of regions in developing economies. Automotive multinationals traditionally exploited local asset conditions, but it is shown that they have also been contributing to knowledge-generation systems via investments in R&D centres and cooperation with regional knowledge producers. We discern three elements of the upgrading process of regions—upgrading of domestic firms, subsidiary evolution and establishment of strategic relations with local knowledge institutes—to analyse two case studies: Ostrava (Czech Republic) and Shanghai (China). The cases show that all types of upgrading—product, process, chain and functional—have taken place in the last years, and that follow sourcing may have a positive impact on regional upgrading. These observations provide lessons for governments in developing economies which aim to strengthen innovation-based regional development.
Robust Structure Without Predictability: The "Compass Rose" Pattern of the Stock Market

Plotting daily stock returns against themselves with one day's lag reveals a striking pattern. Evenly spaced lines radiate from the origin; the thickest lines point in the major directions of the compass. This 'compass rose' pattern appears in every stock. It is caused by discreteness. However, counterexamples demonstrate that the existence of exchange-imposed tick sizes (e.g., eighths) is neither necessary nor sufficient for the compass rose. The compass rose cannot be used to make abnormal profits: it is structure without predictability. Among other consequences, the compass rose may bias estimation of ARCH models and tests for chaos. Copyright 1996 by American Finance Association.
Optimal power control for cognitive radio in spectrum distribution using ANFIS

Cognitive radio is an intelligent software-defined radio that solves the matter of spectrum shortage. In case of spectrum sharing network, one of the targets is to obtain balance between two contradictory goals that are to progress the performance of the secondary user and to decrease the interference to the primary users. In our paper we consider a primary and a secondary or cognitive link in a fading channel of with path loss propagation environment in a wireless network. To progress the performance of the secondary user by sustaining the good Quality of Service (QoS) to the primary user, we decide to vary the transmit power of the secondary user. For this we plan opportunistic power control strategy based on ANFIS model with primary user's SNR and relative distance between primary and secondary user as inputs. By using fuzzy inference system, QoS of primary user is maintained. The improved performance is achieved from simulation results.
Assessing the perceptions of the quality of reported earnings in Egypt

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to assess respondents' perceptions of the quality of reported earnings in Egypt. To this end, three main issues are investigated: first, the potential incentives for engagement in earnings manipulation; second, the techniques most frequently used in manipulating earnings; and finally, the actions required to improve the quality of accounting information, including the reported earnings. Design/methodology/approach - A total of 16 semi-structured interviews are conducted in order to uncover any undisclosed issues and to supplement the results provided by a questionnaire survey distributed among three groups of respondents, namely, accounting academics, external auditors, and financial managers. Findings - The results indicate that the main incentives for manipulating earnings in Egypt are to enhance the chances of obtaining a bank loan; to sustain last year's profit performance; to report profits and to avoid reporting losses; and to achieve high-share valuation. The results also demonstrate that making inadequate provisions; capitalising rather than expensing expenditures; and overestimating the inventory value are the most frequently used techniques in earnings manipulation. Practical implications - The results could be of assistance to Egyptian external auditors and regulators in their attempt to limit the incidence of earnings manipulation. Originality/value - With a few exceptions, most of the literature on earnings management has been based on the US data. Therefore, research undertaken in a country such as Egypt, where the environment in many respects is different, may reveal a different perception of the quality of reported earnings and help determine how preparers in Egypt can further improve the quality of reported earnings.