Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of physical‐activity‐related anti‐weight stigma materials on implicit and explicit evaluations

Although there exist videos and images created by Obesity Canada and similar organizations (e.g., the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity), it is not known if the materials have the desired effect of reducing stigma against people with obesity and might have the opposite effect of increasing stigma. Therefore, two studies used implicit and explicit evaluations to examine the effectiveness of images and videos intended to reduce weight stigma.
Attitudes towards climate change aid and climate refugees in New Zealand: an exploration of policy support and ideological barriers

ABSTRACT Some individuals may be internationally displaced by climate change. We surveyed two independent samples of New Zealanders to understand attitudes towards climate aid. Participants were relatively less supportive of financial aid policies, though the majority supported climate refugee policy. We assessed whether those ideological barriers commonly used to predict prejudice and policy support related to this acceptance in meaningful ways. Interestingly, we show that approval or rejection of climate refugee policy was largely predicated on views regarding how hierarchically society ought to be ordered. Our research suggests that those opposing climate refugee policy are motivated by anti-egalitarianism and concerns about their own economic welfare to a greater extent than concerns about differences in culture, values, and norms.
Patterns and determinants of elephant attacks on humans in Nepal

Abstract Attacks on humans by Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is an extreme form of human–elephant conflict. It is a serious issue in southern lowland Nepal where elephant‐related human fatalities are higher than other wildlife. Detailed understanding of elephant attacks on humans in Nepal is still lacking, hindering to devising appropriate strategies for human–elephant conflict mitigation. This study documented spatiotemporal pattern of elephant attacks on humans, factors associated with the attacks, and human/elephant behavior contributing to deaths of victims when attacked. We compiled all the documented incidences of elephant attacks on humans in Nepal for last 20 years across Terai and Chure region of Nepal. We also visited and interviewed 412 victim families (274 fatalities and 138 injuries) on elephant attacks. Majority of the victims were males (87.86%) and had low level of education. One fourth of the elephant attacks occurred while chasing the elephants. Solitary bulls or group of subadult males were involved in most of the attack. We found higher number of attacks outside the protected area. People who were drunk and chasing elephants using firecrackers were more vulnerable to the fatalities. In contrast, chasing elephants using fire was negatively associated with the fatalities. Elephant attacks were concentrated in proximity of forests primarily affecting the socioeconomically marginalized communities. Integrated settlement, safe housing for marginalized community, and community grain house in the settlement should be promoted to reduce the confrontation between elephants and humans in entire landscape for their long‐term survival.
Bayes Factors Based on p-Values and Sets of Priors With Restricted Strength

Abstract This article focuses on the minimum Bayes factor compatible with a p-value, considering a set of priors with restricted strength. The resulting minimum Bayes factor depends on both the strength of the set of priors and the sample size. The results can be used to interpret the evidence for/against the hypothesis provided by a p-value in a way that accounts for the strength of the priors and the sample size. In particular, the results suggest further lowering the p-value cutoff for “statistical significance. ”
Plastic Pollution in the Ocean: The Impacts of Visual Information and Text on Beliefs, Attitudes, and Expected Behaviours

An experiment is conducted using an internet-based survey about the problem of plastic pollution in oceans. Treatment groups consist of respondents viewing an underwater photograph illustrating plastic pollution in oceans and/or reading a one-sentence description of the magnitude of the problem. Treatment effects are estimated for a variety of attitude and belief measures as well as for respondents’ expectations about how their own and others’ behaviours will be affected. Results support the external validity of previous estimates as well as providing new insights. For the sample as a whole, estimated effects on expected behaviours are more significant than estimated effects on underlying beliefs and attitudes. Though there are few statistically significant effects on belief and attitude measures, each treatment does result in some statistically significant effects, however. Estimated effects on beliefs and attitudes for those who didn’t hold strong pre-existing pro-environmental attitudes and beliefs were large, suggesting that visual and/or textual information can have large impacts on that group. There are almost no differences across treatments, whether for the sample as a whole or for the subsamples. A large majority of respondents reported that the experimental treatment made them want to learn more about this important environmental problem.
Towards Monolithic Indium Phosphide (InP)-Based Electronic Photonic Technologies for beyond 5G Communication Systems

This review paper reports the prerequisites of a monolithic integrated terahertz (THz) technology capable of meeting the network capacity requirements of beyond-5G wireless communications system (WCS). Keeping in mind that the terahertz signal generation for the beyond-5G networks relies on the technology power loss management, we propose a single computationally efficient software design tool featuring cutting-edge optical devices and high speed III–V electronics for the design of optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEICs) monolithically integrated on a single Indium-Phosphide (InP) die. Through the implementation of accurate and SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis)-compatible compact models of uni-traveling carrier photodiodes (UTC-PDs) and InP double heterojunction bipolar transistors (DHBTs), we demonstrated that the next generation of THz technologies for beyond-5G networks requires (i) a multi-physical understanding of their operation described through electrical, photonic and thermal equations, (ii) dedicated test structures for characterization in the frequency range higher than 110 GHz, (iii) a dedicated parameter extraction procedure, along with (iv) a circuit reliability assessment methodology. Developed on the research and development activities achieved in the past two decades, we detailed each part of the multiphysics design optimization approach while ensuring technology power loss management through a holistic procedure compatible with existing software tools and design flow for the timely and cost-effective achievement of THz OEICs.
A Common Human Problem Has a Name: Misokinesia

Misokinesia –– or the ‘hatred of movements’ –– is a psychological phenomenon that is defined as a strong negative affective or emotional response to the sight of someone else’s small and repetitive movements, such as seeing someone mindlessly fidgeting with a hand or foot. Among those who regularly experience misokinesia, there is a growing recognition of the challenges that it presents, as evidenced by blossoming on-line support groups. Yet surprisingly, scientific research on the topic is lacking. This article is novel in systematically examining whether misokinesia exists in the non-clinical population and if there are observable individual variability in the intensity or extent of reported misokinesia sensitivity in the general population. Across three studies that included 4100 participants, we confirmed the existence of misokinesia as a phenomenon in a non-clinical population, with approximately one-third of our participants self-reporting some degree of misokinesia sensitivity to the repetitive, fidgeting behaviors of others as encountered in their daily lives. Moreover, variability in the range of misokinesia sensitivities showed that the negative social-affective impacts that one experiences may grow with age. This study shows that a large population of the public may be suffering from something that has received little formal recognition.
Modelling and predicting landslide displacements and uncertainties by multiple machine-learning algorithms: application to Baishuihe landslide in Three Gorges Reservoir, China

Abstract Time series landslide displacement is the most critical data set to understand landslide characteristics and infer its future development. To predict landslide displacements and their quantitative uncertainties, a mathematical description of the landslide evolution should be established. This paper proposes a novel hybrid machine-learning model to predict landslide displacements and quantify their uncertainties using prediction intervals (PIs). First, wavelet de-noising and Hodrick-Prescott (HP) filters are applied to decompose the original landslide displacement into periodic, trend, and noise components. Second, a module built on the framework of bootstrap and extreme learning machine (ELM) with a hybrid grey wolf optimizer (HGWO) is used to derive a formula for modelling the periodic component of the landslide motion. Another formula for predicting the trend component of the displacement is derived by double exponential smoothing (DES). Grey relational analysis and kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) are used to select the main factors controlling the landslide motions. Finally, the two constructed formulas are used to generate the predictions of landslide displacements and the PIs. Validation and comparison experiments have been carried out on the Baishuihe landslide in the Three Gorge Reservoir of China. Results demonstrate the proposed method can achieve better performance with higher-quality PIs than other state-of-the-art methods.
Scaffolding worksheets as a medium of student learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in constructing proof of group problems

Students have many difficulties in constructing proof of the statement, plus the Covid-19 pandemic conditions, students study at home. For that, we need media that help the student’s difficulties in constructing proof while studying at home. This study aims to describe the ability of students during the Covid-19 pandemic in constructing proof of group problems, after being given the media scaffolding worksheets. The trial was conducted online, after learning the exercises were given evidentiary problems through scaffolding worksheets with the topic Group. To find out the ability to construct a proof, test, and interview are given based on the student’s proof answers. Interview guidelines are prepared to refer to indicators of construction proof. For this reason, this research is qualitative descriptive research. The research subjects were students of Unirow Tuban Mathematics education who took the Algebra Structure course. The design of scaffolding worksheets refers to the mapping of construction evidence indicators, and the level of scaffolding developed by [32]. The results showed that the ability of students in the initial steps of proof, proof of flow, using related concepts, the argument of proof, and the language of proof had very good improvement. So the ability of students to prove group problems after using scaffolding worksheets increased.
Support in response to a spouse’s distress: Comparing women and men in same-sex and different-sex marriages

Support for a spouse with psychological distress can be expressed in many different ways. Previous research indicates that support expression is shaped by gender, but we do not know much about how support within marriage is provided in response to a spouse’s distress outside of a different-sex couple context. In this study, we analyze dyadic data from 378 midlife married couples (35–65 years; N = 756 individuals) within the U.S. to examine how men and women in same- and different-sex relationships provide support when they perceive that their spouse is experiencing distress. We find women in different-sex couples are less likely to report taking care of their distressed spouse’s tasks or giving their distressed spouse more personal time and space compared to women in same-sex couples and men. We also find that men in different-sex couples are less likely to report encouraging their spouse to talk compared to men in same-sex couples and women. Being personally stressed by a spouse’s distress is positively associated with providing support to that spouse, whereas feeling that a spouse’s distress is stressful for the marriage is negatively associated with providing support. This study advances understanding of gendered provisions of support in response to psychological distress in marriage, moving beyond a framing of women as fundamentally more supportive than men to a consideration of how these dynamics may be different or similar in same- and different-sex marital contexts.
Framing the Actors though Thematic Structures: The Case of the Malaysian Orang Asli

The current study deals with the analysis of thematic structures in news articles published regarding the Orang Asli community in The Star. The study aims to investigate the major themes associated with the community when they are presented in media. An analysis was conducted on 158 news articles through the utilisation of van Dijk’s “Theory of Semantic Macrostructures” (1980). Findings revealed that the community has been stereotypically represented as the most marginalised ethnic group in Malaysia with the highest poverty rates, experiencing poor health conditions, confronted horrendously with limited amenities, and facing limited access to political power. The findings provide a novel insight into the ways the Orang Asli community are represented in media and serves as a wake-up call for a more neutral representation of the community in media. Received: 15 September 2020 / Accepted: 4 February 2021 / Published: 5 March 2021
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) – An Under-Utilized and Under-Organized Way of Developing New Staff, Management and Organizational Culture

We evaluated impact of employees’ participation in an employee resource group (ERG) on their soft skills learning and development and proposed a tool for assessing competence development that is often difficult to quantify. ERG has a positive effect on soft skills development, however certain soft skills do not develop in the interaction between management and new employees. Some soft skills require focused and organized learning. The role of ERG stretches beyond integration of new employees only. We propose a multidimensional paradigm where the management and organizational culture are considered as the object of development and new employees facilitate this process.
Cobot User Frame Calibration: Evaluation and Comparison between Positioning Repeatability Performances Achieved by Traditional and Vision-Based Methods

Since cobots are designed to be flexible, they are frequently repositioned to change the production line according to the needs; hence, their working area (user frame) needs to be often calibrated. Therefore, it is important to adopt a fast and intuitive user frame calibration method that allows even non-expert users to perform the procedure effectively, reducing the possible mistakes that may arise in such contexts. The aim of this work was to quantitatively assess the performance of different user frame calibration procedures in terms of accuracy, complexity, and calibration time, to allow a reliable choice of which calibration method to adopt and the number of calibration points to use, given the requirements of the specific application. This has been done by first analyzing the performances of a Rethink Robotics Sawyer robot built-in user frame calibration method (Robot Positioning System, RPS) based on the analysis of a fiducial marker distortion obtained from the image acquired by the wrist camera. This resulted in a quantitative analysis of the limitations of this approach that only computes local calibration planes, highlighting the reduction of performances observed. Hence, the analysis focused on the comparison between two traditional calibration methods involving rigid markers to determine the best number of calibration points to adopt to achieve good repeatability performances. The analysis shows that, among the three methods, the RPS one resulted in very poor repeatability performances (1.42 mm), while the three and five points calibration methods achieve lower values (0.33 mm and 0.12 mm, respectively) which are closer to the reference repeatability (0.08 mm). Moreover, comparing the overall calibration times achieved by the three methods, it is shown that, incrementing the number of calibration points to more than five, it is not suggested since it could lead to a plateau in the performances, while increasing the overall calibration time.
The Influence of Safety-Specific Transformational Leadership and Safety Management Practices on Mindful Safety Practices through Safety Motivation: A Study in the Chinese Petroleum Industry

Abstract Petroleum Industry belongs to the high-risk industry, where potential hazards related to safety, health and environment exist. Therefore, the employees’ safety behavior plays an extraordinary role for workplace safety maintenance and excellent safety records achievement. Compared with common safety behavior that includes safety compliance and safety participation, limited researchers focused on the special component of safety behavior-mindful safety practices in the high-risk industry. In this study, safety-specific transformational leadership and six dimensions of safety management practices are identified as the independent variables to predict the adoption of mindful safety practices by the first-line workers in the Chinese Petroleum Industry mediated by safety motivation.
Disciplinary power in corporate governance: A Foucauldian analysis of the emergence and development of proxy advisors

Prior research in corporate governance has extensively investigated the mechanisms through which a variety of actors (financial analysts, investment managers, shareholder activists) monitor and discipline corporate executives. However, one recently emerged actor has received little attention so far: the proxy advisory firm. Mobilising Foucault’s concept of disciplinary power, this study uses historical analysis to examine the role of proxy advisors in corporate governance. This article shows that proxy advisors actively contributed to developing and implementing disciplinary mechanisms. This involves (1) hierarchical observations of corporations and their executives on a global scale. These observations are made available to institutional investors on proxy advisors’ voting platforms which have Panopticon-like features; (2) normalisation of judgements through the provision of generic voting policies, generic voting recommendations and corporate governance ratings prepared by proxy advisors and delivered to many institutional investors; (3) ritualised examination of the performance of corporations and of their executives during the annual general meeting, including record-keeping of all past voting results.
THE ROLE OF MOTIVATION AS MEDIATION IN IMPROVING EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IN THE GOVERNMENT OF SURABAYA CITY, EAST JAVA

This paper discusses the causal relationship between servant leadership, professionality, work culture, motivation, and the performance of Surabaya City government employees. One model is proposed to examine the role of motivation as a mediating variable in the indirect relationship of servant leadership, professionality, work culture and performance. The population is the government employees of Surabaya City. Analysis by SEM, on 290 respondents, using the convenience sampling method. The results show that the model is accepted, and also show that servant leadership, professional, and work culture has an effect on motivation. Servant leadership, work culture and motivation have an effect on employee performance. Motivation is a positive mediating variable in the relationship between servant leadership, professional, and work culture with performance.
On a conjecture by Mbekhta about best approximation by polar factors

The polar factor of a bounded operator acting on a Hilbert space is the unique partial isometry arising in the polar decomposition. It is well known that the polar factor might not be a best approximant to its associated operator in the set of all partial isometries, when the distance is measured in the operator norm. We show that the polar factor of an arbitrary operator T is a best approximant to T in the set of all partial isometries X such that dim(ker(X)∩ker(T )) ≤ dim(ker(X)∩ker(T )). We also provide a characterization of best approximations. This work is motivated by a recent conjecture by M. Mbekhta, which can be answered using our results. 2010 MSC: 47A05, 47A46, 47A53
Evidence on the Non-linear Effect of Large Ownership on the Enterprise Value of Indian Manufacturing Firms

The study advances the existing literature on corporate finance and governance by establishing a non-linear effect of large ownership on the enterprise value of Indian manufacturing firms. The study employs both static and dynamic panel models on a set of panel data consisting of 112 Indian manufacturing firms. The study establishes a U-shaped relationship between large ownership and enterprise value of the sampled firms. Large promoters until 34% of ownership are found to exert a negative effect on enterprise value which signifies expropriation effect along with poor alignment of interest with the firms. However, for ownership concentration by promoters after the said threshold, the effect is found to be positive signifying improved alignment of interests, efficient monitoring and disciplining of managerial opportunistic behaviour. Based on the findings, the study suggests the Indian manufacturing firms not to entirely rely on the role of large owners and to opt for improved external regulatory and institutional establishment for the protection of minority shareholders’ interest and ensuring stringent corporate governance.
Exploring Employed Women’s Perceptions of Leadership in the Light of a Leadership Program in Saudi Arabia

The present research paper aims at exploring the expectations and perceptions of leadership among Saudi employed women who accomplished a leadership development program “Qiyadat” offered by MiSK Foundation. The author designed a questionnaire of eight domains to examine the participants’ perceptions of the leadership program content, required leadership competencies, leadership challenges, support, program success requirement, as well as understanding and implementing the Saudi Vision 2030. The sample consisted of 60 employed women who have attended a leadership development program offered by Misk Foundation in the academic year 2019/2020. Following a descriptive-analytical research design, the author administered the instrument to collect data and discuss the results. The results showed that the participants have high perceptions of leadership due to the leadership development program offered by Misk Foundation. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between the participants’ perceptions of leadership and the seven variables of the questionnaire (i.e., the leadership program content, leadership competencies, leadership challenges, sources of support, program success requirements, understanding Saudi Vision 2030, and execution of Saudi Vision 2030). There were no statistically significant differences between the participants in their perceptions of leadership in the light of the women’s leadership program offered by Misk Foundation according to the years of experience. Thus, it is highly recommended that public and private sectors support women in the development of leadership, address their needs, and overcome challenges facing their empowerment and gender equity. Received: 16 December 2020 / Accepted: 8 February 2021 / Published: 5 March 2021