Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Winning the Australasian Reporting Awards: An analysis of accounting and economic outcomes

Despite the intuition that winning reporting awards should be primarily based on reporting quality, we find no evidence that Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)-listed firms winning the Australasian Reporting Awards (ARA) over the period 2003–2016 exhibit higher financial reporting quality. However, we find that winning reporting awards is associated with higher annual report readability. Next, firms winning the ARA neither show superior future accounting performance nor higher market valuation. We also find that investors are not compensated with higher stock returns. Taken together, our findings suggest that the criteria applied to decide the ARA winners capture higher levels of readability but do not correlate with common academic signals of financial reporting quality. Users of the ARA outcomes should also be cautious with the immediate interpretation that the ARA are reliable signals of superior corporate performance. JEL Classification: D82, L15, M41
Analisis Kemandirian Belajar dan Kecemasan Belajar Matematika Ditinjau Dari Gender Sisiwa

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan kemandirian belajar da kecemasan belajar matematika yang ditinjau dari gender siswa dan untuk mengetahui tingkat kemandirian belajar dan kecemasan belajar matematika siswa. Pendekatan dalam penelitian yang digunakan adalah kualitatif dengan metode deskriptif. Subyek dalam penelitian ini adalah siswa kelas X MIPA 1 di SMA Negeri 5 Medan. Pengambilan data dalam penelitian ini diperoleh melalui pemberian angket dan wawancara agar dapat mengetahui interpretasi kemandirian belajar dan kecemasan belajar matematika yang dialami siswa. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan rata-rata kemandirian belajar matematika siswa laki-laki adalah 67,1 dan rata-rata kemandirian belajar matematika siswa perempuan adalah 57. Sedangkan rata-rata kecemasan belajar matematika siswa laki-laki adalah 67,9 dan rata-rata kecemasan belajar matematika siswa perempuan adalah 70,1. Hal ini menunjukkan siswa laki-laki memiliki kemandirian belajar yang lebih tinggi dan mempunyai kecemasan belajar matematika yang lebih rendah daripada siswa perempuan.
Energy‐aware mobility for aerial networks: A reinforcement learning approach

With recent advancements in aerial networks, aerial base stations (ABSs) have become a promising mobile network technology to enhance the coverage and capacity of the cellular networks. ABS deployment can assist cellular networks to support network infrastructure or minimize the disruptions caused by unexpected and temporary situations. However, with 3D ABS placement, the continuity of the service has increased the challenge of providing satisfactory Quality of Service (QoS). The limited battery capacity of ABSs and continuous movement of users result in frequent interruptions. Although aerial networks provide quick and effective coverage, ABS deployment is challenging due to the user mobility, increased interference, handover delay, and handover failure. In addition, once an ABS is deployed, an intelligent management must be applied. In this paper, we model user mobility pattern and formulate energy‐aware ABS deployment problem with a goal of minimizing energy consumption and handover delay. To this end, the contributions of this paper are threefold: (i) analysis of reinforcement learning (RL)‐based state action reward state action (SARSA) algorithm to deploy ABSs with an energy consumption model, (ii) predicting the user next‐place with a hidden Markov model (HMM), and (iii) managing the dynamic movement of ABSs with a handover procedure. Our model is validated by comprehensive simulation, and the results indicate superiority of the proposed model on deploying multiple ABSs to provide the communication coverage.
Cost Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for the Treatment of Subjective Tinnitus in Australia

Objectives: The aim of this study was to conduct an economic evaluation for the treatment of subjective tinnitus using different modalities of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in Australia. Design: A decision tree model was used to conduct a cost-utility analysis for CBT to determine the cost effectiveness for tinnitus treatments, in terms of cost per responder and cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY), from a health system perspective using a 2-year time horizon. Meta-analysis was used to differentiate the levels of effectiveness between three delivery methods for CBT: individual face-to-face care (fCBT), group sessions (gCBT), and a supported internet program (iCBT). One-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) explored the uncertainty surrounding model inputs and outcomes. Results were presented as incremental cost-effectiveness ratios compared with no treatment, and as net monetary benefit at a $50,000 willingness-to-pay threshold. Results: Compared with no treatment, the incremental cost per responder was $700 for gCBT, $871 for iCBT, and $1380 for fCBT. The base case incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was $35,363 per QALY for fCBT, $17,935 per QALY for gCBT, and $22,321 per QALY for iCBT compared with no treatment, although there was substantial uncertainty around the QALY gain for responders. Net monetary benefit was $356 (fCBT), $555 (gCBT), and $487 (iCBT), indicating the treatments were cost effective compared with no treatment. One-way sensitivity analysis revealed the results were most sensitive to the probability of a positive response to treatment and treatment length. The PSA found the probability of being cost effective compared with no treatment for gCBT was 99.8%, iCBT 98.4%, and fCBT 71.5% at a willingness-to-pay of $50,000 per QALY, although QALY gain remained at a fixed value in the PSA. Conclusions: CBT for tinnitus was likely to be cost effective compared with no treatment regardless of treatment modality, assuming they are not mutually exclusive. Of the interventions, gCBT was the lowest cost per responder and lowest cost per QALY. Internet CBT obtained comparable economic outcomes due to similar treatment effectiveness and cost. Group CBT and iCBT warrant greater adoption in clinical practice for the treatment of subjective tinnitus. Further research on preference-based utility measures for varying levels of tinnitus severity and the durability of treatment effect is required to enhance the quality of economic evaluation in this field.
English and International Students’ Adjustment in Indonesian Higher Education: A Teacher’s Perspective

International students at higher education in Indonesia encounter an extent of situations amid their adaptations in academic life. These experiences contribute to their satisfaction. As handful of studies within Indonesian context were conducted to identify the international students’ difficulties in adapting to academic life, teacher’s point of view toward the issue is barely available. This study centers at a teacher’s experience in dealing with the international students. Highlight is given to language barrier, not only encountered by the international students but also the teacher. A narrative inquiry was employed involving an academic leader who is also a teacher knowledgeable in internationalization agenda in higher education in Indonesia. Results of the study reveals that the academic adaptation of international students, with the focus of language barrier, was compounded by the absence of roadmap of internationalization policy in national and organizational levels, less-ideal classroom setting, and not effective interaction within classroom with the diversity of people involved. It is suggested that the policy on the proficiency of English language should be regulated to be mastered by students and teachers in international program. HIGHLIGHTS: The lack of policy regulating standard of English proficiency level as entry requirement for international students becomes one of the causes of the language barrier problem that might hurdle the academic adaptation of international students. The composition of domestic and international students in a class as well as the lack of English proficiency of both the teacher and the students has contributed to the difficulties in academic adjustment.
The innovator’s dilemma: the performance consequences of sequential or flexible exploration and exploitation patterns in turbulent environments

ABSTRACT We investigate the relationship between firm performance and patterns of exploration and exploitation dynamics under conditions of environmental turbulence. Adopting a contingency perspective, we develop arguments on how environmental turbulence moderates the effects of the simultaneous or sequential engagement in exploration and exploitation. Based on a longitudinal sample of 140 pharmaceutical firms, we find that the effectiveness of sequential or flexible simultaneous engagement in ambidexterity varies depending on the environmental contingency, namely level of technological change, that a company faces.
The relationship between the chronotypes and personality traits of adolescent males and females in Slovakia

ABSTRACT The main aim of this piece of research was to evaluate the relationship between chronotypes and the ‘big five‘ personality traits of adolescent males and females in Slovakia. The cross-sectional study reported on below employed standardized self-reported tools (Composite Scale of Mornings (CSM) and NEO Five-Factor Inventory) to evaluate the chronotype and personality traits of n = 466 Slovaks (male = 168, age = 17.1 ± 1.2 years and female = 298, age = 17.1 ± 1.3 years). The chronotypes of adolescent male and female Slovaks were primarily I-type, followed in frequency by M-type and E-type. The reported chronotype in males show no significant differences with regard to personality traits, whereas the characteristics of neuroticism, agreeableness and conscientiousness show significant differences in the Chronotype of females. Furthermore, neuroticism is correlated with CSM scores in both males and females, though the size of correlation coefficients was not large. Extraversion correlated significantly with CSM scores only in females, but not in males.
A prospective study of 100 cases of day care surgery in inguinal hernia

Background: Day care or ambulatory surgery is a concept familiar to surgeons since time immemorial more so now as world over it has been re-evolved into a specialty in the modern medical care scenario. The patients and the procedures are selected in such a way so as to cause minimal harm or disturbance to the patient and his life.Methods: Present prospective study was conducted on 100 patients at the department of surgery, PDU medical college, Rajkot, Gujarat for the duration of one and half years. Patient's history had been taken regarding duration of illness, complain, and physical examination was done. With local examination of each specific cases done and then post-operative follow up was taken.Results: None of the patients had major immediate complications out of 100 patients, 18% of patients had minor immediate post op. 2 out of 100 patients had stay for more than 23 hours, due to immediate post-operative complications and 4 patients had to be re admitted post discharge. 96% of inguinal hernia patients are satisfied with the concept of day care surgery that proves acceptance for day care surgery.Conclusions: Day care surgery is suitable for patients of all age groups as seen in our study for inguinal hernia management. Looking at the advantages of reduction of hospital stay, less post-operative pain and greater satisfaction, day care hernia should be promoted.
Air pollution and the pandemic: Long‐term PM2.5 exposure and disease severity in COVID‐19 patients

Ecological studies have suggested an association between exposure to particulate matter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) severity. However, these findings are yet to be validated in individual‐level studies. We aimed to determine the association of long‐term PM2.5 exposure with hospitalization among individual patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2).
Distributed Kalman filtering for sensor networks with random sensor activation, delays, and packet dropouts

ABSTRACT This paper studies a distributed Kalman filtering problem for sensor networks, where sensor nodes may suffer from measuring the target state with a random activation nature and random delayed and lost state estimates of neighbour nodes due to unreliability of communication links. A distributed Kalman filter (DKF) is proposed, where predictor compensations for delayed and lost estimates of neighbour nodes and different consensus filter gains for state estimates of different neighbour nodes are used to improve estimation accuracy. Optimal filter gains with optimal parameters are designed to obtain a local minimum upper bound of filtering error covariance matrix, where optimal filter gains include an optimal Kalman filter gain for each sensor node and optimal multi-consensus filter gains for state estimates of its neighbour nodes. Our proposed DKF has a low computational cost because the calculation of cross-covariance matrices between estimates of sensor nodes is avoided. Besides, the boundedness of the proposed DKF is analysed. Finally, an example of a target tracking system in sensor networks demonstrates effectiveness of the proposed DKF.
The influence of leadership commitment to service quality on hotel employees’ brand citizenship behavior: a mediation and moderation analysis

ABSTRACT Hospitality management research on the linkage between leadership commitment to service quality and employees’ brand citizenship behavior (BCB), especially that examining the moderation effect of cultural orientation, is still limited. Anchored in role modeling and social exchange theory, this paper investigates a model explaining the impact of leadership commitment to service quality on hotel employee BCB. Using a sample data of hotel employees in Vietnam, structural equation modeling reveals an indirect effect of leadership commitment to service quality on hotel employee BCB through two mediators of employee perceived internal customer support and employee perceived training support. Further, the influence of committed leadership to service quality on these two mediators is negatively moderated by employees’ power distance orientation. This paper extends extant literature by explicating the mechanisms through which leadership commitment to service quality affects employee BCB and offers important implications for hotel managers in promoting employee BCB.
Conservatism and infrequent mask usage: A study of US counties during the novel coronavirus (COVID‐19) pandemic

Abstract Objective Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eventually recommended wearing masks in public to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the practice has been unevenly distributed in the United States. Methods In this article, we model county‐level infrequent mask usage as a function of three pillars of conservatism: (1) Republican political leadership (percentage of votes for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election), (2) conservative Protestantism (percentage evangelical Christian), and (3) right‐wing media consumption (Google searches for Fox News). Results Our analyses indicate that mask usage tends to be lower in counties with greater support for President Trump (in majority Trump counties), counties with more evangelical Christians, and areas with greater interest in Fox News. Conclusion Given the effectiveness of masks in limiting the transmission of respiratory droplets, conservative ideological resistance to public health and recommended pandemic lifestyles may indirectly support the spread of the coronavirus.
Microbiological diagnosis of endophthalmitis using nanopore targeted sequencing

Microorganism identification is critical for the early diagnosis and management of infectious endophthalmitis, but traditional culture can yield false‐negative results. Nanopore targeted sequencing (NTS) is a third‐generation sequencing technique with multiple advantages. This study aimed to test aqueous humour or vitreous fluid samples from presumed cases of infectious endophthalmitis using NTS to evaluate the feasibility of NTS in diagnosing endophthalmitis, especially for culture‐negative cases.
Simulation-based learning for Rabbi-teachers dealing with conflicts in education

ABSTRACT School rabbi-teachers are responsible for both the religious education and the daily classroom routines of their pupils. There are many conflicts that arise from the tension between these dual roles and although rabbi-teachers face such conflicts in school daily, they are not adequately trained to deal with them. The aim of the present study was to examine the contribution of a new simulation-based learning professional development methodology towards improving rabbi-teachers’ perceived ability and skills for conflict management. Using an experimental research design, 68 school rabbis were divided into an experimental group (N = 31), which participated in the simulation workshop, and a control group (N = 37). The findings indicated that the rabbis who participated in the workshop reported an improved perception of the conflict resolution skills and tools at their disposal while showing no improvement in their perception of their general ability to deal with conflict. The unique role of school rabbi-teachers and the need for specific training in conflict management are discussed.
A Retrospective Observational Study of the Association Between Plasma Levels of Interleukin 8 in 42 Patients with Sepsis-Induced Myocardial Dysfunction at a Single Center Between 2017 and 2020

Background This retrospective, observational study from a single center aimed to evaluate the association between complement (C)3 and C4, lymphocytes markers CD4 and CD8, and the interleukins IL-1β, IL-2R, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-8 in patients with sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction (SIMD) and a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of < 50%. Material/Methods Patients with sepsis from July 2017 to December 2020 were divided into a SIMD group (42 patients) and NO-SIMD group (214 patients). Diagnostic criteria of sepsis were based on SEPSIS 3.0 guidelines. SIMD was defined as LVEF <50% by echocardiography and global ejection fraction <25% by transpulmonary thermodilution during hospitalization. The lymphocyte markers and interleukins were detected by flow fluorescence immunomicrobead assay, and C3 and C4 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results Plasma levels of IL-8 in the SIMD group were significantly higher than those in the NO-SIMD group, 133.90 (80.20, 402.79) vs 46.35 (16.80, 125.00) pg/mL (P<0.001). Logistic regression showed that N terminal pro B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP; 95%CI 1.000–1.000, P<0.001) and IL-8 (95%CI 1.000–1.002, P=0.019) were independent risk factors for SIMD. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed NT-proBNP, IL-8, and cardiac troponin T (cTnT) had different predictive values for SIMD: AUCNT-proBNP (0.810) >AUCIL-8 (0.748) >AUCcTnT (0.710). The cut-off value of IL-8 was 67.55 pg/mL; using this cut-off value, IL-8 predicted SIMD in sepsis with a sensitivity of 83.3% and specificity of 59.3%. Conclusions Increased plasma levels of IL-8 were significantly associated with cardiac dysfunction in patients with SIMD.
Analysis of Embankment Supported by Rigid Inclusions Using Plaxis 3D

: A rigid inclusion-supported embankment is used to overcome the problems of soft soils. This system is considered complex due to the various interactions between its elements, namely the embankment body, load transfer platform, geogrid layers, piles, and soft soils. The load transfer mechanism is based on the phenomenon of soil arching, the tension in the geogrid layers, support of the soft soils, and friction between piles and soft soil. In this paper, the first part highlights the behaviour of a rigid inclusion-supported embankment validated by field measurements, and the contribution of rigid inclusions technology to the reduction of settlement and creep settlement. In addition, the effect of geogrid in improving the load efficiency and reducing the settlements is presented. In the second part, a comparison is made between many analytical design methods and a three-dimensional finite element analysis method. The results show the inconsistencies between the analytical methods in calculating the load efficiency and the tension in the geogrid. with piles, and one layer of geogrid, and embankment supported with piles and two layers of geogrid). A comparison between the three improvement methods shows that the placement of one layer of geogrid reduces the settlements by 23% compared to embankments supported only with piles, while the placement of two layers reduces the settlements by 20%.
The Effect of Resource-Based Instructions on Pre-service Biology Teachers’ Attitudes towards Learning Biology

A positive attitude correlates to successful learning; while a negative attitude leads to poor learning. The present study aimed to compare the pre-service biology teachers’ attitudes towards learning biology and assessing their attitudinal change before and after being taught by resource-based instructions (RBI) in Rwanda. A survey-research design was used, in combination with a quasi-experimental control group, and the equivalent time-series designs. Pre-service biology teachers were taught at a public university in three separate groups, with one control group and two experimental groups. Each group received a pre-attitude and a post-attitude assessment. In contrast, at a private university, they were taught as a single group, in a series of instructions, starting with the lecture method, followed by animation-based instruction and small- group laboratory activities, in which at each stage, the pre-service biology teachers received the same assessment. The biology Attitudinal Scale showed a Cronbach alpha reliability of 0.625 before its use. The data were analyzed quantitatively; and the results revealed no statistically significant difference between the public and the private pre-service teachers’ attitudes before learning microbiology. After the teaching interventions, the results revealed that both the traditional and the resource-based instructions improved the pre-service biology teachers’ attitudes towards learning biology, as a result of their improved maturity and their anticipated future teaching career.