Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect Of The German Minimum Wage on Immigrants Student

This paper investigates the effect of the German minimum wage on immigrants. The effect of the minimum wage on employment has been discussed in papers (articles by Caliendo et al. (2018) & Bruttel, Baumann, and Dütsch (2018)), however, the focus was on workers in Germany in general. The aim of this paper is discuss the effect of the minimum wage on employment and working choice of immigrant workers. Thus, the research question is How did the introduction of the minimum wage in Germany affect immigrant workers in the short run? Data from the German Socio-Economic Panel is analysed using a Difference-in-Difference framework, relying on the variation between states in how strongly the minimum wage affected the workers (measured by the proportion of workers earning lower than the minimum wage in the year before its introduction). Based on that, the conclusion is that the minimum wage did not reduce immigrant employment but increased unemployment, and it lead them to reduce their working hours. Immigrants were also found to not migrate from states where the minimum wage impacted the most to the states where it impacted the most.
Middle Miocene assemblage of insectivores from Bonanza site near Devínska Nová Ves ( Slovakia )

Eight taxa of insectivores (Lantanotherium aff. sansaniense, Erinaceidae gen. et spec. indet., Talpa minuta, Storchia meszaroshi sp. nov., Plesiodimylus chantrei, Dinosorex cf. zapfei, Soricidae gen. et spec. indet., and ? Lipotyphla gen. et spec. indet.) have been determined in the Middle Miocene micromammal assemblage from Devínska Nová Ves – Bonanza fossil site. This Late Badenian (MN6) insectivore assemblage comprises several new faunal elements including a new form of water-mole (Storchia meszaroshi sp. nov.). These animals inhabitated a forested coast of an insular region neighbouring with freshwater lagoon, marsh or delta. Most of them belong to juvenile specimens.
From performer to listener : an analysis of timbre variations

Comparisons of timbre variations among various clarinet pe rformances of excerpts from the Baroque and Classical repertoire are performed. The timbre variations display a high withinindividual consistency when the interpretation is the same . However, significant di fferences of Spectral Centroid, Odd /Even Ratio and Attack Time occur between “scholar” and expre ssive interpretations. The perceptual importance of tones’ brightness variations is further compared to that of rhythmic deviations and dynamics. An analys is-synthesis approach is used to modify recorded performances by reducing the expressive de iations of brightness, rhythm and acoustical energy. 20 skilled musicians selected in a pa ir-wise comparison task which synthesized performances they preferred. The performance s’ s ores show that the removal of tones’ Spectral Centroid variations induces the strongest los of musical expressiveness. These results show that the timbre variations are linked to the pro cess of interpretation, and that the corresponding changes of sound quality over time highly par ticipate to musical aesthetics.
HORIZONTAL RIDGE AUGMENTATION IN IMPLANT DENTISTRY

The amount of bone loss and factors associated with it was well described and studied by Kingsmill and Carlsson. Approximately 25% alveolar bone loss occurs after the first year post extraction, mainly during the first 3 months and 40-60% volume loss after the first 3 years. Largely, along the bucco-lingual dimension and mainly due to resorption of the buccal bone. Many factors may play a role in accelerating or decelerating the rate of bone loss. Functional factors that include presence or lack of mechanical stress, for example, absence or presence of dentures and the extent of applied force. Anatomical factors such as original size of the mandible, original depth of tooth sockets, local bone quality, proportion of extrinsic tooth fibers, age and availability of bone cells, quality of the soft tissues, local blood supply, and muscle attachments. Inflammatory factors include trauma inflicted at extraction, preexisting/residual infection, periodontal disease, mucosal inflammation, local inflammatory mediators, and denture hygiene. Systemic factors include age and gender, skeletal status, bone regulatory hormones, and dietary calcium. It is essential to preserve the original form of alveolar bone in order to achieve a good functional and esthetic result following implant placement in the edentulous jaw. (Figure 1)
Vehicle Controls and Petrol Demand in Hong Kong

The demand for automotive petrol in Hong Kong is derived entirely from the demand for personal vehicular transportation. Because the stock of vehicles adjusts over time slowly to changes in the cost of ownership and usage, the demand for petrol also adjusts gradually in response to changes in the cost of owning and operating a vehicle. This study estimates and simulates the demand for petrol in Hong Kong using an empirical model which explicitly accounts for adjustment in the stock of vehicles. The point estimates of short-run price and income elasticities of petrol demand are −0.25 and 0.23, respectively. The long-run price and income elasticities are estimated to be −1.17 and 1.71, respectively.
A Quantitative Methodology for Assessment of Wheelchair Controllability

Changes in wheeled mobility user demographics and technologies over the past 30 years show the need for design guidelines for accessibility to persons with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs. A key component is wheelchair maneuverability, which determines the clear space needed for travel in the environment. Previous studies have applied rating scales to assess the difficulty when wheelchair users maneuver in a built environment. These need to be complemented by direct maneuverability measurements. Having wheelchair users perform self-paced control tasks, for both lateral and longitudinal tasks is a potential method to meet the requirement. This study validated a methodology of measuring the steering controllability and start/stop controllability of wheelchairs so that further studies can apply this methodology to evaluate either environmental or wheelchair designs. The same speed/accuracy relationships were found for wheelchair users as had been found earlier for a variety of vehicles.
Contingencies: Learning Numerical and Emotional Associations in an Uncertain World

textabstractThe ability to learn about the relation or covariation between events happening in the world is probably the most critical aspect of human cognition. This dissertation examines how the human mind learns numerical and emotional relations and explores consequences for managerial and consumer decision making. First, we study how uncertainty in the environment affects covariation learning and explore the consequences for consumers’ price-quality inferences and product valuation. Second, we examine how different types of accountability (process versus outcome) and analytical intelligence affect learning and judgment. We highlight the implications for employee performance management. Third, building on associative models of memory, we show that bilingual consumers perceive advertising messages in their native language (L1) to be more emotionally intense than advertising messages in their second language (L2). Finally, we explore the consequences of a greater perceived emotionality in L1 for international marketing research. The practical implications of this dissertation are of interest for professionals working in the area of pricing, branding, marketing research, and human resources. From a theoretical point of view, this dissertation relates to the fields of judgment and decision making under uncertainty and cognitive psychology.
Formal Instruction in Second Language Teaching

In second language acquisition, the role of form has been a controversial topic for half decade. Among a variety of language teaching approaches, the two extreme options--traditional grammar-translation approach and communicative language teaching approach—treat language forms in different ways. The disadvantages of those approaches are analyzed. An alternative approach, Focus on form (FonF) was proposed in an attempt to capture the strengths of the meaning-focus communicative approach while dealing with its limitations. The present paper analyzed the features of FonF and its application in different stages of task-based language teaching with the aim to further enhance the teaching efficiency in second language classrooms.
Analyses of psychopathological symptoms in patients performing prostate biopsy

Patients performing prostate biopsy have been reported to suffer from high levels of psychopathological symptoms, while there are few significantly influencing factors have been found until now. This study constructed a psychosocial database of prostate biopsy subjects to investigate morbidity and risk factors of psychopathological symptoms. We distributed psychological questionnaires which were scheduled for a prostate cancer biopsy before biopsy and 3 days after biopsy. Psychological questionnaires including data of socioeconomic status, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), serum level of Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), and biopsy-related symptoms were also collected. 138 men returned all questionnaires. The scores of anxiety and depression post biopsy were significantly high compared with those before biopsy (P<0.05). The positive rate of anxiety post biopsy was also higher than those before biopsy (24.6% vs. 14.5%, P<0.05). Likewise, significant difference was detected between anxiety and no anxiety patients in age, serum level of PSA, family economic status, educational level, and having biopsyrelated symptoms (P<0.05). In the multivariate analysis, only young age (<60 y), poor family economic status, high level of PSA (>10 ng/ml), and problematic biopsy-related symptoms were risk factors of anxiety. Prostate biopsy can lead to increased psychopathological symptoms. But other factors, like cancer-related worry, might contribute more to anxiety.
Ruminal dry matter and fiber fraction degradability from two stylos cultivars

Ruminal degradability of dry matter, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber of cultivars Stylozanthes guianensis (Mineirão) and Stylozanthes spp. (Campo Grande) were evaluated. Two incubations in rumen-fistulated adult bovine females were undertaken. Each incubation comprised of 25 samples of 7.0 g of each cultivar and samples were collected at 0, 6, 9, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 96 hours after incubation. At a 5%/hour passage rate, Stylozanthes guianensis had 75.70, 59.01 and 76.81% effective degradability for dry matter, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber, respectively, whereas Stylozanthes spp. had 68.39, 51.93 and 58.89% for the same fractions. The lag time was different (P<0.05) only for acid detergent fiber. Stylozanthes guianensis presented higher ruminal degradability in dry matter and fiber fraction when compared to those by Stylozanthes spp. The decision to adopt one or another cultivar depends on studies that take into account the cost of deployment and maintenance of leguminous cultivar and its assets.
Chapter 3 Phytoplankton community structure in relation to vertical stratification along a north-south gradient in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean

1Department of Biological Oceanography, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, NL 1790 AB, Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands 2Department of Aquatic Microbiology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94248, 1090 GE, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 3Department of Ocean Ecosystems, Energy and Sustainability Research Institute Groningen, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands 4Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1087, 1091 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 5Institude for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht (IMAU), Department of Physics and Astronomy, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
Factors Driving Purchase Intention for Cruelty-free Cosmetics

Background: Ethical consumerism is no longer a niche market and consumers are increasingly aware of the power they have when purchasing ethical and believe they can make a change. Most corporations have realized the importance of being ethical and incorporate it into their business strategies. Therefore, it is important to study consumers’ ethical purchasing patterns and which factors affect their intentions to purchase. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis was to test which of the following factors: social media, attitude, altruism, environmental knowledge, and financial factors, has a positive influence on female millennials, in Jönköping, purchasing intention towards cruelty-free cosmetic products. Method: This study was based on a conceptual framework which intended to test the most relevant constructs influencing ethical purchase intention, as proposed by previous researchers and theory. Hence, this paper follows a deductive approach which used quantitative methods to fulfil the purpose of this explanatory research. The data was gathered through a survey answered by 108 female millennials regarding their purchasing of cosmetics. Conclusion: Both factors, attitude and environmental knowledge had a direct positive effect on consumers purchase intention towards cruelty-free cosmetics. The study provides empirical support for an indirect effect of altruism on purchase intention since the analysis showed that altruism had a direct effect on attitude. However, social media and financial constructs did not show any significant support for its positive effect on purchase intention in the empirical findings in this study.
Green growth – A synthesis of scienti fi c fi ndings

Governments in countries across the world increasingly adopt the “green growth” discourse to underline their ambition for the greening of their economies. The central tenet of this narrative is the economic opportunities rather than challenges arising from the pursuit of environmental sustainability. Our paper synthesises insights from 113 recent scientific articles, dealing with both environmental issues and economic growth, as well as innovation. Our ambition is exploratory in attempting to take stock of heterogeneous contributions across the spectrum of social science. The articles have been reviewed with a focus on six themes, derived from current discussions in economic geography and transition studies: skills, technology, physical resources, markets, institutions and policies. Four major implications emerge from the review. First, green growth requires competences that allow for handling complex, non-routine situations – in both the private and the public sector. Second, technological progress should be directed towards greener technologies, to avoid investments funds being channelled to brown technologies for short-term returns. Third, our knowledge of the opportunities for achieving green growth must base upon a joint assessment of market failures, structural system failures and transformational system failures. Finally, greater attention should be devoted to the geography of green growth processes at different scales.
Impairment in MUltiple Sclerosis ) study sclerosis receiving subcutaneous interferon beta-1 a : 3-year results from the COGIMUS ( COGnitive remitting multiple − Quality of life , depression and fatigue in mildly disabled patients with relapsing

Background: The precise relationships among quality of life, depression, fatigue and cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) are complex and poorly understood. Objective: To assess the effects of subcutaneous interferon beta-1a on quality of life, depression and fatigue over 3 years in the COGIMUS study, and to examine the relationship between these outcomes and baseline cognitive status. Methods: COGIMUS was an observational 3-year trial assessing cognitive function in 459 patients with relapsing– remitting MS treated with subcutaneous interferon beta-1a. Results: In total, 331 patients completed the study (168 received interferon beta-1a, 44 mg subcutaneously three times weekly, and 163 received interferon beta-1a, 22 mg subcutaneously three times weekly). Mean MS Quality of Life-54 (MSQoL-54) composite scores did not change over time. There were no significant differences between groups in MSQoL-54 composite scores when patients were grouped by treatment dose and baseline cognitive status. Mean (standard deviation) Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score decreased from 6.8 (4.9) at baseline to 5.8 (5.9) at year 3. Mean total Fatigue Impact Scale scores were low (<30) at all time points. Conclusion: Quality of life, depression and fatigue remained largely stable over 3 years; no effects of treatment dose or baseline cognitive status were found.
0 Different Versions of the Easterlin Paradox : New Evidence for European Countries *

Richer people are happier than poorer people, but when a country becomes richer over time, its people do not become happier. This seemingly contradictory pair of findings of Richard Easterlin has become famous as the Easterlin Paradox. However, it was met with counterevidence. To shed more light on this controversy, we distinguish between five different versions of the paradox. These versions apply to either groups of countries or individual countries, and to either the long or the medium term. We argue that the long term is most appropriate for testing the paradox, and that tests of the paradox should always control for an autonomous time trend. Unfortunately, this requirement renders the long-term version of the paradox for individual countries untestable. We test all other versions of the paradox with Eurobarometer data from 27 European countries. We do so by estimating country-panel equations for mean life satisfaction that include trend and cyclical components of per capita GDP as regressors. When testing variants of the paradox that apply to groups of countries, we find a clear and robust confirmation of the longand medium-term versions of the paradox for a group of nine Western and Northern European countries. Moreover, we obtain a non-robust rejection of the medium-term variant of the paradox for a set of eleven Eastern European countries. On the level of individual countries, the medium-term variant of the paradox clearly holds for the nine Western and Northern European countries, but is consistently rejected for Greece, Ireland, Italy, and Spain. In the case of the Eastern European countries, the medium-term version of the paradox is rejected for Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Poland. As the Western and Northern European countries have a high per capita GDP as compared to that of Southern and Eastern European countries, our results are in line with the finding of Proto and Rustichini (2013), who find a non-monotonic relation between per capita GDP and life satisfaction over time which is positive for poorer countries, but flat (or negative) for richer countries. JEL codes: I31, I32, O11
Measuring customer satisfaction with the controllable elements of the in-store shopping experience

Evidence from various sources suggests that satisfaction with the individual components of an in-store shopping experience will result in customer satisfaction which will lead to customer retention and loyalty over the long term. It is argued that the in-store shopping experience (ISE) at store level consists of a variety of different dimensions that can be controlled by the retailer. This study reports on two phases of a long-term study on the controllable elements of the in-store shopping experience. Closely following the guidelines for multi-item scale development suggested by Churchill (1979) and based on the results of two empirical surveys, it is concluded that there are five dimensions of importance to consumers when assessing their satisfaction with an in-store shopping experience. These dimensions are merchandise value, personal interaction, merchandise variety, internal store environment and complaint handling. The proposed instrument in its current form demonstrates high levels of reliability, discriminant validity, convergent validity and construct validity.
CHANGES IN NON-ENZYMATIC ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY AND LIPID PEROXIDATION DURING GERMINATION OF WHITE , YELLOW AND PURPLE MAIZE SEEDS

In this study, the changes in non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity and lipid peroxidation during the germination process of purple, yellow and white maize seeds were compared, under favorable conditions. Results showed that germination can increase non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity (evaluated with ferric reducing power and 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazylhydrate radical scavenging capacity) and lipid peroxidation levels for all these seeds. In addition, non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity observed in the germinating seeds were in the order of purple > yellow > white. However, the highest and lowest levels of lipid peroxidation could be seen during the germination processes of the white and purple seeds, respectively. In addition, the germination rates of the seeds followed the order of white > yellow > purple. Further studies showed that H2O2 treatment can significantly promote seed germination, especially for purple seeds. In addition, DMTU (dimethylthiourea), a specific scavenger for H2O2, could slightly but significantly arrest dormancy release. Data analysis showed that a high negative correlation (R = -0.955) existed between non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity and germination rates. However, a high positive correlation (R = 0.860) could be detected between lipid peroxidation and germination rates. Finally, lipid peroxidation as a possible novel signaling mechanism for seed germination has been discussed under stress-free conditions.
A qualitative study of job satisfaction among lawyer assistants in Zhongyan law firm, Guangdong, China

This research project firstly aims to find out the key elements that measure the job satisfaction of the lawyer assistants in Zhongyuan Law Firm, China, and then it explores, by using these key elements, to what extent the lawyer assistants feel satisfied with their job. The qualitative research method was used in this work, and the qualitative data analysis was used to give an elaboration on the participants‘ job satisfaction. Ten open-ended questions were designed for the interviews. There were 23 lawyer assistants who have been interviewed. The interview outcome was compared with the job satisfaction theory. In the end, based on the research results, recommendations are given as for what kind of work redesign could be done if the management wants to retain their potential staff and to decrease the turnover rate by enhancing the lawyer assistants‘ sense of job satisfaction.
Chat Language Normalisation using Machine Learning Methods

This paper reports on the development of a chat language normalisation module for the Latvian language. The model is trained using a random forest classifier algorithm that learns to rate normalisation candidates for every word. Candidates are generated using pre-trained word embeddings, N-gram lists, a spelling checker module and some other modules. The use of different means in generation of the normalisation candidates allows covering a wide spectre of errors. We are planning to use this normalisation module in the development of intelligent virtual assistants. We have performed tests to detect if the results of the intent detection module improve when text is pre-processed with the normalisation module.