Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Theory and Evidence in Internal Labor Markets (CRI 2009-013)

A number of branches of the literature on internal labor markets have matured to the point that there is now a healthy two-way interaction between theory and empirical work. In this survey I consider two of these branches: i) wage and promotion dynamics; and ii) human-resource practices. For each case I describe the empirical and theoretical literatures and also discuss what we can learn by paying careful attention to how theoretical and empirical findings are related. In addition to surveying the literatures on these two topics, my goal is to show how a deeper understanding of internal-labor-market phenomena can be derived from a close partnering of empirical and theoretical research.
AN ANALYSIS OF STOCHASTIC MAIZE PRODUCTION FUNCTIONS IN KENYA

In Kenya, agriculture governs the country‟s fiscal economy, and this reliance on agriculture can cause both economic and hunger problems, a result of the country‟s dependence upon rainfall for agricultural production. Kenyans must find ways to combat severe drought conditions; this can be accomplished through the adoption of inputs that decrease the probability of crop failure. The objective of this research is to determine whether variability exists in Kenyan maize yields, and whether or not specific inputs, specifically hybrid varieties, are either variance/skewness increasing or decreasing. The data used for this study was collected from a survey, designed by Egerton University‟s Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development and Michigan State University, and administered in Kenya in the following years: 1997, 2000, 2004, and 2007. The survey identified factors of crop and field level production, such as inputs, crop mix, marketing data, and demographic information. This research makes use of only the 2007 data, comprising 1,397 households in total. The objectives of this thesis aim to go beyond the scope of typical production function regressions where yield is a function of a set of inputs, by examining further moments of yield, variance, and skewness to determine whether variability exists in Kenyan maize yields. Results indicate that variability does exist within Kenyan maize yields, often a result of differing input levels among households. In terms of overall impact of each variable on mean, variance, and skewness of maize yields, seed quantity, nitrogen use, and hybrid seed contribute the most to influencing these factors. In contrast, years of experience with hybrid maize, land tenure, terraced land and labor have the least influence on mean, variance and skewness within this research. Results also bring to light the popular debate against hybrid varieties versus open pollinated (OPV) or traditional varieties, and identify hybrid varieties as a source of variability in mean, variance and skewness of yields. Hybrid varieties should be paired with the knowledge of how to maximize yield in conjunction with other inputs, to give Kenya the opportunity to see substantial productivity gains throughout the country, especially in arid and semi-arid regions.
According to Agency Theory and Neoclassical Theory; New Ownership and Diversity of Public Sector Companies in Corporate Life Cycle

The purpose of this study is investigating and determining rate of seizing assets and acquisition other companies by public sector companies. We estimate this rate at various stages of the life cycle of the company. Therefore, according to their size and age, the companies have been divided into small, large, young, and mature groups, and for this purpose, we have collected data from a sample of 45 companies of the public sector from three Iranian provinces. We have tested our analyses from the viewpoints of agency and neoclassical theories and discussed the results of the independent t tests. The results showed that with increase in age and size, public sector companies are more likely to seize the fixed assets of other companies to restructure and achieve improved operations. However, in the case of assuming ownership of other companies done through buying the companies, most public sector companies do this in the middle of their lifetime and in the course of their growth.
Determinants of Contraceptive Use among Women of Reproductive Age Group in Surma Woreda, Southwestern Ethiopia: Cross Sectional Community Based Study

Back ground: Modern contraceptive plays a vital role in the reduction of maternal and child morbidities and mortalities; prevention of pregnancy is an effective form of primary prevention. The link between fertility and the consequences of population growth can be stabilized by giving more emphasis on contraceptive methods at community level. In remote southern communities of Ethiopia, the contraceptive utilization is still low when compared to other districts in the region. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess determinants of contraceptive use among reproductive aged women in Surma woreda . Methods: A cross-sectional community based study triangulated with qualitative study was conducted from April to May 2015. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select a total of 584 women participants for the quantitative study, whereas purposive sampling was employed for the qualitative study. Key-informant interview guide and pre-tested questionnaire were used for data collection. Data were entered into Epi-Info version 3.5. 3 and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to see the effect of predictors on the dependent variable. Results: The current modern contraceptive prevalence rate is found to be 3.3%. Among the variables partner approval was significantly associated with modern contraceptive use (AOR=6.006; 95%CI= (1.804, 19.994). The Suri have long-standing tradition of fertility regulation i.e. the rhythm method and a culture that support child spacing. Conclusion: There is low prevalence of modern contraceptive use while traditional contraceptive methods are widely practiced. Partner approval as well as the culture and lifestyle of the community are believed to have influenced modern contraceptive use. Hence, continuous health education on modern contraceptives, male involvement and adequate number of community based agents should be trained to reach the community. Keywords: Contraceptive, Prevalence, determinants, Surma, Ethiopia
Nitrogen leaching from paddy field under different fertilization rates.

cm soil layers. Results showed that during the paddy growth, NH4 + -N was the main form of nitrogen with a high environment risk. The range of NH4 + -N /TN 4 + days after three fertilizer application rates; the highest NH4 + -N concentrations were about 38.38 mg L-1 -1 or N4 were observed in the two layers between the other four fertilizer application rates.
Imaging and Documenting Gammarideans

We give an overview of available techniques for imaging and documenting applied to gammarideans and discuss their advantages and disadvantages. Although recent techniques, such as confocal laser scanning microscopy (cLSM), focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB SEM), or computed microtomography (μCT), provide new possibilities to detect and document structures, these high-tech devices are expensive, and access to them is often limited. Alternatively, there are many possibilities to enhance the capabilities of established techniques such as macrophotography and light microscopy. We discuss improvements of the illumination with polarized light and the possibilities of utilizing the autofluorescence of animals such as the gammarideans. In addition, we present software-based enhancing tools such as image fusion and image stitching.
Efficacy of Geotextile Jute Mulches on Yield, Soil Nutrient Dynamics and Weed Suppression in French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)–Capsicum (Capsicum annum L.) Cropping System

Field experiments conducted on french bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) during rabi season (December to March) of 2013 revealed that a significant increase in pod yield, available soil nutrients were resulted from the application of biodegradable geotextile jute mulches of varying thickness (250, 300, 350, 400 and 500 gsm sheets). Highest pod yield of french bean was recorded in the thicker mulched plots i.e. in 500 gsm and 400 gsm jute mulches. Weed population was also successfully controlled by these jute mulches as these mulches were initially very hard to penetrate. In overall performance, higher weed control efficiency and lower weed index were resulted from mulched plots of varying thickness than bare soil. Regarding nutrient dynamics; soil organic matter pool, available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content were found to be significantly higher than normal non-mulched plot. The residual effect on capsicum during 2014 revealed overall increment of soil organic stocks and others nutrient pool. Yield of residual crop chilli was higher in the plots which were previously mulched. From nutrient status to weed control efficiency point of view 500 and 400 gsm mulch were found to be superior then jute mulches of other thickness.Geotextile mulch could be a viable ecofriendly technology which has enormous potential to play a key role in increasing the carbon stocks and increasing the crop yield due to suppression of weeds, and improvement of soil health particularly in dry-land agriculture.
Comparison of two training methods applied to apple trees trained to slender spindle during the first years after planting.

MÉSZÁROS MARTIN, LAŇAR LUDĚK, SUS JOSEF, NÁMĚSTEK JAN. 2017. Comparison of Two Training Methods Applied to Apple Trees Trained to Slender Spindle During the First Years After Planting. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 65(4): 1241–1245. The research was focused on the comparison of two pruning methods (winter pruning and winter + summer pruning) applied to apple trees trained to a standard and a modified slender spindle. The orchard of ‘Topaz’ trees, grafted on rootstock M 9, was planted in spring 2011. In the years 2013 – 2016, trunk cross sectional area (TCSA), crown volume, cumulative yields, yield efficiency, relative proportion of fruit size classes, number of cuts and dry matter of pruned wood were analyzed. The total growth intensity of the trees, measured by TCSA, was similar among the treatments. The trees of modified slender spindle had lower mean crown volume (2.751 – 2.765 m3) comparing to slender spindle with additional summer pruning (3.355 m3) and proved to better control the tree size. The modified slender spindle brought similar or slightly lower cumulative yields, but significantly higher proportion of good sized fruits (in categories above ø 70 mm) comparing to slender spindle. The pruning of modified spindle brings generally higher number of cuts removing a higher amount of woody biomass in comparison to slender spindle, regardless if combined with summer pruning. The additional summer pruning brought no beneficial effect in reduction of growth, fruit production and fruit size of the modified slender spindle.
Investigation on Irreversible Expansion of 1,3,5-Triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene Cylinder

In this study, the irreversible expansion of TATB cylinder is investigated. No evident variation of the lattice parameters is observed on TATB crystal. The density of TATB powder decreases by only about 0.02% after it suffered from thermal cycling process at the range from -54 °C to 74 °C, while the density of TATB cylinder decreases by about 1.0%. It is suggested that the density variation of TATB powder has little contribution to the density decrease of TATB cylinder. Therefore, the increasing interstices between TATB powder originated from the thermal cycling should be responsible to the irreversible expansion of TATB cylinder.
Structural and Adsorption Characteristics of Carbon Adsorbent Synthesized from Polyfurfuryl Alcohol with Kaolinite Template

The main aim of this study is to synthesize porous carbon adsorbent from chemical precursor in order to prevent metal impurities that are commonly associated with porous carbon adsorbents derived from agricultural residues. Deferrated kaolinite was used as a template material for the synthesis of porous carbon adsorbent from polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA). The structural and adsorption characteristics of the adsorbent were investigated using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and methylene blue adsorption. FT-IR spectra showed that calcination of the kaolinite impregnated with polyfurfuryl alcohol, at 500°C ensured carbonization of the polymer (between kaolinite layers) but did not collapse the mineral layer structure which is required for the creation of pores in the templated carbon. Results from the adsorption studies showed that for all the different initial concentrations of the methylene blue, the templated carbon had higher adsorptive capacity than non templated carbon from carbonized free polyfurfuryl alcohol.
Cebuano and English Oral Reading Fluency Among Beginning Readers

This paper presents the oral reading performance among selected Grade 1 pupils in Cebu City South District. There were two hundred eight pupils in five (5) Elementary public schools that participated through purposive-convenience sampling. Students were asked to do an oral reading of a Cebuano folktale in two languages, Cebuano and English. As they read, the difficulties they encountered and the errors they committed were determined and analyzed using the framework of McGinnis & Smith (1982). After the results were identified, implications on MTBMLE materials preparation and development were formulated. The pupils’ oral reading in both their L1 (Cebuano) and their L2 (English) served as basis for the evaluation of the reading abilities among beginning readers and provided teaching implications in relation to the implementation of the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education Policy in the country.
Laser ablation initiated fast discharge for spectrochemical applications

The results of an experimental study of the optical emission enhancement possibilities during the single pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy of the aluminum alloy are presented. This study is performed in air, argon and helium at different pressures with and without the additional fast electric discharge. The discharge was initiated by plasma plume created by laser ablation of target. The influences of various capacitors and discharge voltages on enhancement of the studied spectral line intensities were also studied. The application of the fast discharge through optical emission enhancement enables lowering of detection limits thus making this spectrochemical method comparable with the other analytical techniques. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 171014]
The Output and Profit Contribution of Information Technology and Advertising Investments in Banks

This paper examines the contribution of investments in Information Technology (IT) and in advertising to the output and profits of Spanish banks, in the period 1983-2003. We find that the growth in the stock of IT capital explains one third of output growth of banks, and that an additional investment in IT of one million euros may be substituted for twenty-five workers. The paper also finds that advertising investments increase the demand for bank services with an elasticity of 0.22 for deposits and 0.11 for loans. For all the assets considered, the null hypothesis that banks use the profit-maximizing amount of services per period cannot be rejected with the data.
Almost optimal sequential tests of discrete composite hypotheses

We consider the problem of sequentially testing a simple null hypothesis versus a composite alternative hypothesis that consists of a finite set of densities. We study sequential tests that are based on thresholding of mixture-based likelihood ratio statistics and weighted generalized likelihood ratio statistics. It is shown that both sequential tests have several asymptotic optimality properties as error probabilities go to zero. First, for any weights, they minimize the expected sample size within a constant term under every scenario in the alternative hypothesis and at least to first order under the null hypothesis. Second, for appropriate weights that are specified up to a prior distribution, they minimize within an asymptotically negligible term a weighted expected sample size in the alternative hypothesis. Third, for a particular prior distribution, they are almost minimax with respect to the expected Kullback-Leibler divergence until stopping. Furthermore, based on high-order asymptotic expansions for the operating characteristics, we propose prior distributions that lead to a robust behavior. Finally, based on asymptotic analysis as well as on simulation experiments, we argue that both tests have the same performance when they are designed with the same weights.
Screening for Psychopathology in Individuals with Autism using the Vineland - II

Research has consistently shown that individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in combination with an intellectual disability are at greater risk for developing psychopathology than are typically developing individuals. Individuals with ASD and intellectual disability are also at increased risk of psychopathology compared to those who have an intellectual disability alone. Given this risk, accurate monitoring and screening of psychopathology in this population is critical. However, there are few well validated measures of psychopathology designed specifically for this population. The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales – Second Edition (Vineland – II; Sparrow, Cicchetti, & Balla, 2005) is a commonly used measure of adaptive skills, and includes an optional Maladaptive Behavior Domain. The Maladaptive Behavior Domain consists of four sections, Internalizing, Externalizing, Other, and Critical Items. The Vineland-II has been used extensively with individuals who have an intellectual disability as well as with individuals who have ASD. However, the Maladaptive Behavior Domain has been overlooked in the literature and little information on its reliability, validity, or clinical utility exists. The utility of the Maladaptive Behavior Domain as a screening tool for psychopathology in individuals with ASD and intellectual disability was examined. The Vineland-II was administered to the parents/caregivers of 231 individuals between the ages of 3 and 41 years (M = 10 years 4 months) with ASD and intellectual disability. A factor analysis of the items within the maladaptive domain revealed a solution composed of six factors, which were labelled Acting Out, Social Regulation, ASD, Emotion Regulation, Socially Inappropriate, and Self-Regulation. Five of the six new factors are substantially different from the original sections. The Externalizing scale was the only
On the Number of Bidders and Auction Performance: When More Means Less

We first show in the context of sequential multi-unit auctions under complete information that a seller’s revenue may increase or decrease as the number of buyers increases, even when the additional bidders win an object. We use data from the Quebec daily hog auction to empirically analyze the effect of invitations extended to bidders from Ontario. Our estimation accounts for the endogenous timing of these rare invitations, but we nevertheless uncover a negative “invitation” effect. We attribute this anti-competitive effect to the fact that the addition of bidders increases competition in late rounds, but not necessarily in early ones.
A Comparables Approach to Measuring Cashflow-at-Risk for Non-Financial Firms

Cashflow‐at‐Risk (C‐FaR) is an attempt to create an analogue to Value at Risk (VaR) that can be used by non‐financial firms to quantify various kinds of risk exposures, including interest rate, exchange rate, and commodity price risks. There are two basic ways to attack this problem. One is from the “bottom up,” which involves building a detailed model of all of a company's specific exposures. The C‐Far approach presented here is a “top‐down” method of comparables that looks directly at the ultimate item of interest—the companies' cashflows. The fundamental challenge facing the top‐down strategy is that, for any one company, there is not enough data on its own cashflows to make precise statements about the likelihood of rare events. To get around this problem, the authors match a target company with a large set of comparable companies that are expected to have similar cashflow volatility. The comparables are chosen to be close to the target company on four dimensions: (1) market cap; (2) profitability; (3) industry risk; and (4) stock price volatility. C‐FaR can be useful to managers addressing a variety of corporate finance decisions. For example, by providing estimates of the probability of financial distress, the C‐FaR method can be used in conjunction with capital structure data to help formulate debt‐equity tradeoffs in a more precise, quantifiable fashion. It can also be used to evaluate a firm's overall risk management strategy, including the expected benefits of using derivatives to hedge commodity‐price exposures or the purchase of insurance policies. Moreover, C‐FaR may even have a use in investor relations: by disclosing the results of a comparables‐based C‐FaR analysis ahead of time, a company may be able to cushion earnings shocks by furnishing investors or analysts with credible, objective estimates of what is likely to happen to their cash flows under different economic scenarios.
An Empirical Analysis Of Impulsive Buying Behavior In Pakistan

The purpose of this research was to identify the variables related to impulsive buying, identify the relationships of these variables, ascertain their validity in Pakistan and empirically test the derived hypotheses. The dependent and independent variables of this study are impulsive buying behavior, individualism, collectivism, moods and proximity. Based on the above variables a close ended questionnaire was developed containing two to three sub-variables. The questionnaire was administered to the pre-selected affluent areas of Karachi which were Defence, Clifton, PECHS, North Nazimabad, Bhadrabad and Bath Island. The sample size for this study was 180. Quota sampling was used for drawing the samples. The developed hypotheses were tested through techniques such as regression, Z-test two sample, F-test two samples, and t-test two samples, of which three were accepted and two were rejected. Keywords: Impulsive buying, individualism, collectivism, mood, proximity, gender, age group, marital status.
Numerical study on the influence of particle inertia in turbidity currents

The inﬂuence of particle inertia in turbidity currents is studied by 2D simulations with a Lagrangian-Eulerian description in the lock-exchange conﬁguration. Besides the equations solved, also the analog Eulerian-Eulerian, the equilibrium Eulerian and the vorticity equations are presented. The typical scales of turbidity currents in laboratory experiments and in nature are illustrated by examples, together with implications for settling enhancement. Simulations are performed for ﬁve diﬀerent Stokes numbers. For the higher Stokes numbers preferential accumulation is observed at the top of the current and dilution is observed inside the vortical structures above the body of the current. Further, it is observed that less vorticity is created at the initial vertical suspension/clear-ﬂuid interface. This leads to weaker start-up vortices, which in return results in a smaller front velocity overshoot and a higher settling rate at the beginning of the inertial phase. The start-up vortices are identiﬁed as the cause for the distinct head of gravity currents in the lock-exchange conﬁguration in contrast to other conﬁgurations such as the continuous ﬂow setup. Additionally, the mass-loading parameter is shown to be the governing parameter for the front acceleration.