Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The relationship between ownership structure, board characteristics and organization innovation: Evidence from Taiwan listed and over-the-counter firms

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether a firm’s ownership structure and board characteristics influence its capacity for innovation and organizational performance, based upon the available data for listed and over-the-counter (OTC) firms in Taiwan. This paper uses two basic methods for data collection: data regarding ownership structures and board characteristics were collected from the Taiwan Economic Journal (TEJ), and data regarding organizational innovation and performance were collected through a questionnaire. By employing a hierarchical regression methodology, the study developed the following findings. First, ownership structure has a significant relationship with production, process, management, and marketing innovations, respectively, the primary effects of which are as a consequence of the positive effect of institutional ownership, while the secondary effects result from the negative effect of insider ownership. Second, board characteristics have a significant relationship with production, process, and marketing innovations, respectively. The outcome can be attributed primarily to the positive effect of the proportion of outside directors and supervisors. Finally, this study finds that organizational innovation is the mediator between the corporate governance mechanism and organizational performance. In addition, the implications for future research and practice are discussed. Key words: Ownership structure, board characteristics, organizational innovation, organizational performance, hierarchical regression, mediating effect.
Breaking the curse of dimensionality in conditional moment inequalities for discrete choice models

This paper studies inference of preference parameters in semiparametric discrete choice models when these parameters are not point-identi? ed and the identi? ed set is characterized by a class of conditional moment inequalities. Exploring the semiparametric modeling restrictions, we show that the identi? ed set can be equivalently formulated by moment inequalities conditional on only two continuous indexing variables. Such formulation holds regardless of the covariate dimension, thereby breaking the curse of dimensionality for nonparametric inference based on the underlying conditional moment inequalities. We also extend this dimension reducing characterization result to a variety of semi-parametric models under which the sign of conditional expectation of a certain transformation of the outcome is the same as that of the indexing variable.
The dynamics of classroom small talk

This paper illustrates how classroom small talk between a teacher and students constitutes a distinct interaction pattern which varies significantly from pedagogical discourse of an institutional nature such as the initiation/response/feedback (IRF) pattern described in previous literature (Mehan, 1979; Sinclair & Coulthard, 1975). By presenting a piece of extended small talk in an ESL secondary classroom in Hong Kong and contrasting it with a piece of typical teacher-orchestrated institutional classroom talk, I show how the teacher and students demonstrate more dynamic and less asymmetrical roles during small talk with clear evidence of active contributions to the exchange by the students in terms of topic setting, turn initiation, turn development, and negotiation of meaning. Features of the small talk resemble everyday social discourse. Implications of this kind of classroom talk on the learners’ L2 language development are explored.
Evolution and perspective of the temperate fruit crops in São Paulo state, Brazil

This work was carried out to show the current situation of the temperate fruit crops in Sao Paulo state, Brazil, with an emphasis on grapes, peaches, apples, plums, nectarines and pears crops. Current economic data of crops, major growing regions, main cultivars produced, as well as the new technologies generated by research are presented. Regarding the grape crop, a decrease in the national production as well as in the major growing states was observed. The main grapes growing centers in Sao Paulo state are presented, highlighting its peculiarities regarding cultivars, cultural crop management and current researches. A trend has been observed toward increasing Niagara Rosada grape growing area rather than the fine table grape cultivars. It was also observed the adoption of cultural practices, aiming to increase productivity, to improve the fruits quality and to reduce manpower necessity. In terms of stone fruits, peaches are the most widely cultivated in Sao Paulo state, followed by plums and nectarines. Both for stone fruits crop and for apples and pears crops, statistics and comments are presented on the crops evolution as well as the current researches results and the requirements of these fruit crops in Sao Paulo state, Brazil.
Family Ownership and Firm Performance in Indonesia

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of family ownership on the financial performance of firms listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange from 2008 to 2012. The methodology used is multiple linear regression. The financial performance is measured with return on assets (ROA). The research shows that family ownership does not significantly influence firm performance. This paper is particularly important to the policymakers and shareholders of firms in Indonesia and other developing economies since it provides a comprehensive insight into the family ownership – firm performance relationship and therefore it helps them to formulate the best policies.
MAPPING THE NUCLEAR OUTFLOW OF THE MILKY WAY: STUDYING THE KINEMATICS AND SPATIAL EXTENT OF THE NORTHERN FERMI BUBBLE

We report new observations from a systematic, spectroscopic, ultraviolet absorption-line survey that maps the spatial and kinematic properties of the high velocity gas in the Galactic Center (GC) region. We examine the hypothesis that this gas traces the biconical nuclear outflow. We use an ultraviolet spectra of 47 background QSOs and halo stars projected inside and outside the northern Fermi Bubble from the Hubble Space Telescope to study the incidence of high velocity absorption around it. We use five lines of sight inside the northern Fermi Bubble to constrain the velocity and column densities of outflowing gas traced by O i, Al ii, C ii, C iv, Si ii, Si iii, Si iv, and other species. We find that all five lines of sight inside the northern Fermi Bubble exhibit blueshifted high velocity absorption components, whereas only 9 out of the 42 lines of sight outside the northern Fermi Bubble exhibit blueshifted high velocity absorption components. The observed outflow velocity profile decreases with Galactic latitude and radial distance (R) from the GC. The observed blueshifted velocities change from at R ≈ 2.3 kpc to at R ≈ 6.5 kpc. We derive the metallicity of the entrained gas along the 1H1613-097 sightline, one that passes through the center of the northern Fermi Bubble, finding [O/H] ≳ −0.54 ± 0.15. A simple kinematic model, tuned to match the observed absorption component velocities along the five lines of sight inside the Bubble, constrains the outflow velocities to ≈1000–1300 , and the age of the outflow to be ∼6–9 Myr. We estimate a minimum mass outflow rate for the nuclear outflow to be . Combining the age and mass outflow rates, we determine a minimum mass of total UV-absorbing cool gas entrained in the Fermi Bubbles to be .
MATURITY AND HEAT PRETREATMENT INFLUENCE ON STORAGE QUALITY AT LOW TEMPERATURE OF SOME LOCAL VARIETIES OF AVOCADO Persea americana Mill IN TAIWAN

The purpose of this research is to determine the quality changes of avocado fruits of local varieties during low temperature storage. Two local varieties with three maturity levels were selected to analyze the relation between maturity and storage quality under low temperature condition. Quality changes were studied by analyzing the skin colour, flesh colour, firmness, chilling injury, and rotting characteristics. Samples with high maturity showed better storage quality for both varieties. At 1°C, ‘zhangan’ avocado can be stored for 21 days and ‘qing jing er hao’ for 14 days with fruit retaining full ripening ability at room temperature. Pretreatments at 38°C in water for 5, 15, 30, and 60 minutes were conducted to decrease the low temperature injury of avocado during 1°C storage. Thirty-minute immersion resulted in better quality of avocado after 28 days of low temperature storage. Only pretreatment for 6 hours below 38°C warm air is recommended for reducing chilling injury of avocado during 1°C storage.
Financial Liberalization: The African Experience

Almost a decade after their initiation, financial reforms appear to have had little effect on the economies of Sub-Sahara Africa. Whether the blame is to fall on their initial design itself, or on the partial nature of their implementation, liberalization policies have not mobilized savings, deepened intermediation or raised investment. Yet, Africa needs properly functioning financial markets for a more efficient allocation of resources for growth and risk diversification. How can African governments “correct’ their approach towards financial policy reform? A first step towards refining future policy choices requires an assessment of the short African experience with financial reform. How has progress in institutional and policy reform affected the financial depth of these economies? How have the gains in financial depth, if any, affected saving, consumption and investment? How does the African reform experience compare with that of other developing countries? How do the countries that during the period of reforms experienced substantial increases in aggregate saving compare to those that experienced substantial declines? These are some of the key issues we address in this paper.
CONSTRAINING THE QUADRUPOLE MOMENT OF STELLAR-MASS BLACK HOLE CANDIDATES WITH THE CONTINUUM FITTING METHOD

Black holes in general relativity are known as Kerr black holes and are characterized solely by two parameters, the mass M and the spin J. All the higher multipole moments of the gravitational field are functions of these two parameters. For instance, the quadrupole moment is Q = −J2/M, which implies that a measurement of M, J, and Q for black hole candidates would allow one to test whether these objects are really black holes as described by general relativity. While future gravitational-wave experiments will be able to test the Kerr nature of these objects with very high accuracy, in this paper we show that it is possible to put constraints on the quadrupole moment of stellar-mass black hole candidates by using presently available X-ray data of the thermal spectrum of their accretion disk.
Does self-assessed health measure health?

Despite concerns about reporting biases and interpretation, self-assessed health (SAH) remains the measure of health most used by researchers, in part reflecting its ease of collection and in part the observed correlation between SAH and objective measures of health. Using a unique Australian data set, which consists of survey data linked to administrative individual medical records, we present empirical evidence demonstrating that SAH indeed predicts future health, as measured by hospitalizations, out-of-hospital medical services and prescription drugs. Our large sample size allows very disaggregate analysis and we find that SAH predicts more serious, chronic illnesses better than less serious illnesses. Finally, we compare the predictive power of SAH relative to administrative data and an extensive set of self-reported health measures; SAH does not add to the predictive power of future utilization when the administrative data is included and improves prediction only marginally when the extensive survey-based health measures are included. Clearly there is value in the more extensive survey and administrative health data as well as greater cost of collection.
Mobile Technologies: Tools for Organizational Learning and Management in Schools. iPrincipals: Analyzing the Use of iPads by School Administrators.

This paper reports findings from an evaluation of a district-wide initiative deploying iPads to school administrators (principals) to improve workflow efficiencies and promote technology leadership self-efficacy. The findings indicate that iPad utilization not only facilitated administrative tasks (memos, calendars, etc.), but also improved specific complex administrator responsibilities such as teacher evaluations. School administrators perceived that their use of iPads improved their professional image, augmented their ability to lead in a technologically advanced workplace, and generated a significant return on the district’s financial investment. Data, analysis, reflections, connections to teacher education, technology in schools, principal preparation and future research directions are presented.
Influence of precipitation seasonality on glacier mass balance and its sensitivity to climate change

Abstract Numerical calculations are described, aimed at evaluating the influence of precipitation seasonality (summer and winter) on glacier mass balance. First, equilibrium-line altitudes (ELAs) are modeled using idealized meteorological variables. Modeled climatic conditions (summer mean temperature and annual precipitation) at the ELA of glaciers located within a winter accumulation pattern confirm the observational results of earlier studies. However, the ELA of glaciers located within a summer accumulation climate pattern locates in a colder environment than that of glaciers located within a winter accumulation climate pattern. This difference is mainly due to the annual snow accumulation and the surface albedo. A warming test (+1K) reveals higher sensitivities for the glaciers located within a summer accumulation pattern than for the glaciers located within a winter accumulation pattern. In a humid environment, a significant decrease in snow accumulation on the glaciers located within a summer accumulation pattern directly causes higher sensitivities. In an arid environment, on the other hand, the decreased summer snow induces accelerated melting by lowering the surface albedo and thus increasing absorption of solar radiation on the glaciers located within a summer accumulation pattern. Both influences are due to significant differences in summer precipitation. This study shows the importance of precipitation seasonality on the climatic sensitivity of glacier mass balance, which in previous studies has been linked only with annual precipitation.
Triple Point Collision and Hot Spots in Detonations with Regular Structure

In the present work, the details of a regular structure detonation are studied using very high-resolution two-dimensional numerical simulations. It is found that more than 300 points per half reaction length are required to resolve properly the nature of the transverse waves and the structure configuration during the collision and reflection processes of a triple point and its associated transverse wave with the channel walls. The detonation structure is found to be a double-Mach configuration, while it changes to a single-Mach configuration shortly before collision of the triple points with the wall. During the reflection, the shear layer becomes detached from the front and recedes from it, producing a pocket of partly unburned gas. After reflection, the structure is a single-Mach configuration, while it changes to a double-Mach configuration after some time. Shortly before collision, a hot spot, containing partly burned gases, is formed behind the incident wave at the vicinity of the wall. This hot spot ultimately burns by mixing of burned and unburned gases due to the existence of small-scale vortices produced by Kelvin–Helmholtz instability along the detached shear layer.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND PRODUCTIVITY OF LIBRARIANS IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN NIGERIA: A CORRELATIONAL APPROACH

This study investigated emotional intelligence as correlates of productivity of librarians in Nigerian public universities. A correlational survey research design was adopted. The study population consisted of 1,254 librarians in public university libraries in Nigeria, from which 923 were selected using simple random sampling. The research instrument used was a self-developed questionnaire. The questionnaire validation was subjected to the scrutiny of the experts in the areas of the variables studied; it gave a reliability coefficient of 0.91 for Emotional Intelligence and 0.94 for Productivity. A response rate of 67.2% was achieved. Data were analysed using descriptive (percentage, mean, average mean and standard deviation) and inferential (Pearson Product Moment Correlation) statistics. The study revealed a significant relationship between emotional intelligence and productivity (r = 0.032, P < 0.05) of librarians in public university libraries in Nigeria. The study concluded that contrary to general belief, emotional intelligence and productivity levels of librarians in university libraries were high. It is recommended that university library management should continue to promote values that would improve emotional intelligence and productivity of its workforce. Article visualizations:
The early dynamical evolution of cool, clumpy star clusters

Observations and theory both suggest that star clusters form sub-virial (cool) with highly sub-structured distributions. We perform a large ensemble of N-body simulations of moderate-sized (N = 1000) cool, fractal clusters to investigate their early dynamical evolution. We find that cool, clumpy clusters dynamically mass segregate on a short timescale, that Trapezium-like massive higher-order multiples are commonly formed, and that massive stars are often ejected from clusters with velocities > 10 km s−1 (c.f. the average escape velocity of 2.5 km s−1 ). The properties of clusters also change rapidly on very short timescales. Young clusters may also undergo core collapse events, in which a dense core containing massive stars is hardened due to energy losses to a halo of lower-mass stars. Such events can blow young clusters apart with no need for gas expulsion. The warmer and less substructured a cluster is initially, the less extreme its evolution.
Evaluating degrees of isolation between tenants enabled by multitenancy patterns for cloud-hosted version control systems (VCS).

When implementing multitenancy for cloud-hosted applications, one of the main challenges to overcome is how to enable the required degree of isolation between tenants so that the required performance, resource utilization, and access privileges of one tenant does not affect other tenants. This paper applies COMITRE (COmponent-based approach to Multitenancy Isolation Through request RE-routing) to empirically evaluate the degree of isolation between tenants enabled by multitenancy patterns for cloud-hosted Version Control System (VCS). We implemented three multitenancy patterns (i.e., shared component, tenant-isolated component, and dedicated component) by developing a multitenant component using the FileSystem SCM plugin integrated within Hudson. The study confirmed that dedicated component provides the highest degree of isolation between tenants (compared to shared component and tenant-isolated component) in terms of error% (i.e., the percentage oferrors with unacceptably slow response times) and throughput. The system load of tenants showed no variability, and hence did not influence the degree of tenant isolation for all the three multitenancy patterns. We also provide a summary of recommended multitenancy patterns for optimizing performance and utilization of resources for cloud-hosted software services, as well as recommendations to guide an architect in implementing multitenancy isolation on similar VCS tools like Subversion and CVS.
The role of financial literacy on portfolio diversification in peer-to-peer lending

In general, individual households tend to under-diversify their portfolios, leading to high idiosyncratic risk. The market demands no compensation for this risk because it could be easily reduced by diversification, leading to sub optimal household portfolios. Combining a large survey data set and personal portfolio data from 5 participating intermediaries, I quantitatively provide insights in the Dutch peer-to-peer lending market. The results indicate that financial literacy of crowdfunding investors correlates similarly to characteristics of general investors in other relevant papers. I confirm that a substantial part of Dutch households hold highly under diversified crowdfunding portfolios and that financial literacy positively affects diversification. This effect is strong enough to show significant results after controlling for demographics and behavioral factors. Moreover, I find evidence for the familiarity bias, those who know the fund seeker invest on average more in one project and hold smaller portfolios. Additionally, the average of the approximated portfolio size to net worth (SNWR) is 0.19, almost twice as large as recommended by the regulatory agency. Especially the investor who is low diversified and has a high SNWR bears substantial risks for which the market does not compensate.
Developmental modules defining the shape of the forewing of Scotinophara coarctata

This study was conducted to determine the possible number of developmental modules defining the shape of the forewing of the rice black bug Scotinophara coarctata. The new method of geometric morphometrics (GM) was used and the shapes of the forewings were summarized via Procrustes analysis of a total of 120 landmarks. In this study, Modularity and Integration Analysis was used as a tool to test a priori models of variational modularity in multidimensional (mainly morphometric) data in order to analyze the number of developmental modules of the forewings of the insect. Twelve a priori models of variational modularity in the GM forewing data were tested using the γ* (Gamma*) test for goodness of fit (GoF) statistic by comparing the observed and expected covariance matrices. Jackknife support values for each model were also computed using γ* as the GoF statistic. The analysis was implemented based on a total of 1000 replicates, dropping 10% of the specimens per jackknife replicate, and computing 95% confidence intervals for the statistic. Results showed that the female RBB forewing is spatially organized into two modules, the partition of clavus and membrane and the corium as an independent structure whereas the male populations exhibit two possible developmental models. These modules are mutually integrated but statistically independent from each other.
In-Situ Thermal Resistance Evaluation of Walls Using an Iterative Dynamic Model

This paper proposes and validates, numerically and experimentally, an iterative model to evaluate the thermal resistance of multilayer walls in a dynamic state. The paper first presents the analytical solution for simulating heat conduction in the frequency domain. The model is then modified by assuming a single-layer wall with unknown thermal properties. A nonlinear system is obtained by imposing temperatures and fluxes on the external surfaces. This is solved using an iterative approach based on the Newton–Raphson method. Finally, the model is applied to evaluate the thermal resistance of a wall in real conditions.