Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Screening of Maternal Serum for Fetal Down's Syndrome in the First Trimester

Objective Maternal serum biochemical markers were used to screen for fetal down's syndrome DS in first trimester. Methods Time-resolved immunofluorometric assay TrIFMA was used for the concentration of PAPP-A and free-β-HCG in maternal serum at 7-13 gestational week internal in order to determine the high risk persons. The risk rate was calculated with T1-risk statistical software. 1∶ 250 was regarded as the cut-off value of high risk. The fetal karotype was identified by CVS. Results In 359 pregnant women 40 samples were screened of high risk. And one was identified as DS fetus. The positive rate was 11.14%. The Medians concentration of PAPP-A and free-β-HCG at 7-13 gestational week internal was also calculated. Conclusion Screening for Down's syndrome in the first trimester is feasible and the screening time would be earlier than before.
The Relationship Between the Market Indices Fluctuations and Fluctuations of the Economic Situation in Poland

The paper examines the relationship between the stock market situation, represented by the rates of returns of the main market indices on Warsaw Stock Exchange, and the economic situation in Poland, measured by dynamics of GDP. The aim of the study is to answer the question if fluctuations of stock market indices precede GDP fluctuations. The analysis is based on the quarterly dynamics of change in the period of 2003–2014. The research shows that the correlation between dynamics of the main market indices on WSE and the GDP dynamics in Poland is positive, but moderate. Generally, the market indices fluctuations precede GDP fluctuations. However, the analysis of high rates of GDP changes proves their stronger correlation with simultaneous fluctuations of indices. In addition, it has been noticed that the analysed correlation in Poland systematically declines.
Remittances and financial development in Bangladesh: substitutes or complements?

ABSTRACT Using the ARDL model and recently developed financial development index, we test whether there is a non-linear relationship between financial development and remittances over the period 1980–2015 in Bangladesh. The results suggest that there is a non-linear U-shaped relationship between financial development and remittances, supporting the complementarity hypothesis both in the long and short run. The evidence provided is robust to alternative variables that potentially influence financial development. Given the complementarity relationship between the two variables, policymakers in Bangladesh should pursue policies and reforms aimed at promoting the inflow of remittances to Bangladesh.
Exploring competitive hotel selection attributes among guests: An importance-performance analysis

ABSTRACT This study aimed to explore the hotel selection attributes among local guests in the competitive hotel industry in Korea and to test the role of these explored attributes in building behavioral intentions. A total of seven dimensions, which involved 17 intangible and 16 tangible attributes, were identified. The findings indicated that intangible attributes are relatively more important but offer less satisfaction, whereas tangible attributes provide a higher level of satisfaction than perceived importance. Moreover, the importance-performance analysis grid visually depicted the importance and satisfaction ratings of each attribute demonstrating its strengths and weaknesses. All intangible attributes were significantly associated with intentions.
Educational outcomes: A literature review of policy drivers from a macroeconomic perspective

This paper reviews recent empirical literature on policy drivers of two educational outcomes - years of schooling and rates of return - that form the OECD’s aggregate measure of human capital. The paper sets the literature findings into the context of current educational polices in place in OECD countries. While much of the empirical results are mixed, depend on country and time coverage as well as estimation methods, the review identifies the following policies most likely to promote better educational outcomes: quality pre-primary education, quality teaching, accountability and autonomy of teaching institutions, comprehensive lower secondary education and availability of individual financing for the pursuit of higher education.
Déléguer l'allaitement des veaux laitiers aux vaches ? Résultats d'enquêtes auprès des éleveurs

La separation precoce mere-veau est une pratique courante dans la plupart des elevages laitiers, mais est sujette a de nombreuses interrogations tant chez les eleveurs (couts engendres, travail) que dans la societe (bien-etre animal). Des pratiques alternatives mises en place par certains eleveurs permettent aux veaux d'etre allaites par leur mere ou une autre vache, appelee « nourrice ». Quoiqu’anciennes, ces pratiques demeurent peu connues et leur integration aux conditions d’elevages modernes questionne. Des enquetes ont ainsi ete realisees en 2018 pour connaitre la motivation des eleveurs, la diversite et les consequences de ces pratiques sur les resultats techniques. Cent deux elevages, identifies par des reseaux divers (conseil en elevage, chambres d’agriculture, cooperatives…), ont ete enquetes dans le Grand Ouest (n = 50), le Grand Est (n = 41) et le Massif central (n = 11), par telephone (n = 56) ou sur place (n = 46). La taille mediane des troupeaux est de 60 vaches laitieres (8 a 210), principalement constitues de vaches de race Montbeliarde et Holstein. Les elevages sont pour moitie en agriculture biologique (56%), avec une grande diversite de systemes de traite et de logement (salle de traite en epi, robot, stabulation entravee, libre a logettes…). Trois grandes conduites d'allaitement des veaux, de la naissance a la vente ou au sevrage, ont ete identifiees : 1/ les veaux sont allaites exclusivement par leur mere ; 2/ les veaux sont eleves par leur mere puis recoivent une alimentation lactee artificielle (poudre ou lait entier) ; 3/ les veaux sont eleves par leur mere puis sous une vache nourrice. Elles different souvent au sein d’un meme elevage (n = 62) entre les veaux destines a la vente (mâles ou femelles) et les velles de renouvellement. La diversite des systemes d'allaitement se retrouve dans tous les types d'elevages, quelle que soit leur taille ou leur localisation geographique. L'amelioration de la sante des animaux (n = 52), la diminution du temps de travail (n = 47) et des couts d’elevage (n = 32) sont les principales motivations des eleveurs a mettre en place ces pratiques. Pour 80% d’entre eux, ces pratiques alternatives ont entraine une diminution de la frequence des diarrhees des veaux et une amelioration de leur croissance. La separation tardive vache-veau demeure le point negatif de ces pratiques, avec des periodes de meuglements de 2,4 jours en moyenne. Certains eleveurs, ayant utilise puis abandonne ces pratiques, pointent aussi d’autres limites (problemes sanitaires, bâtiments inadaptes). Cette enquete, qui a permis de mieux connaitre les pratiques d'allaitement des veaux laitiers par leur mere et sous nourrice, va etre completee par des enquetes similaires et des experimentations en fermes, au niveau europeen, afin d’avoir une vision plus large de ces pratiques et de leurs impacts.
Medical Management of Hyperglycemia in Type 2 Diabetes: A Consensus Algorithm for the Initiation and Adjustment of Therapy: A Consensus Statement of the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes

The consensus algorithm for the medical management of type 2 diabetes was published in August 2006 with the expectation that it would be updated, based on the availability of new interventions and new evidence to establish their clinical role. The authors continue to endorse the principles used to develop the algorithm and its major features. We are sensitive to the risks of changing the algorithm cavalierly or too frequently, without compelling new information. An update to the consensus algorithm published in January 2008 specifically addressed safety issues surrounding the thiazolidinediones. In this revision, we focus on the new classes of medications that now have more clinical data and experience. Diabetes Care 32:193–203, 2009 The epidemic of type 2 diabetes and the recognition that achieving specific glycemic goals can substantially reduce morbidity have made the effective treatment of hyperglycemia a top priority.1–3 While the management of hyperglycemia, the hallmark metabolic abnormality associated with type 2 diabetes, has historically taken center stage in the treatment of diabetes, therapies directed at other coincident features, such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, hypercoagulability, obesity, and insulin resistance, have also been a major focus of research and therapy. Maintaining glycemic levels as close to the nondiabetic range as possible has been demonstrated to have a powerful beneficial effect on diabetes-specific microvascular complications, including retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy, in the setting of type 1 diabetes;4,5 in type 2 diabetes, more intensive treatment strategies have likewise been demonstrated to reduce microvascular complications.6–8 Intensive glycemic management resulting in lower A1C levels has also been shown to have a beneficial effect on cardiovascular disease (CVD) complications in type 1 diabetes;9,10 however, current studies have failed to demonstrate a beneficial effect of intensive diabetes therapy on CVD in type 2 diabetes. …
Impact of Land Use/Land Cover Change on Hydrological Components in Chongwe River Catchment

Chongwe River Catchment, a sub-catchment of the Zambezi River Basin, has been experiencing changes in land use/land cover (LULC) and in its hydrology. This study aims to assess the impact of LULC changes on the catchment’s hydrological components such as streamflow, evapotranspiration and water abstractions. LULC change data, detected from the 1984, 1994, 2014 and 2017 USGS Landsat imagery using a maximum likelihood supervised classifier, were integrated into the WEAP Model along with soil, slope and hydro–climate data. The results showed that between 1984 and 2017 built-up area increased by 382.77% at 6.97 km2/year, irrigated agriculture increased by 745.62% at 1.70 km2/year, rainfed farms/ranch/grassland increased by 14.67% at 14.53 km2/year, forest land decreased by 41.11% at 22.33 km2/year and waterbodies decreased by 73.95% at 0.87 km2/year. Streamflow increased at a rate of 0.13 Mm3 per annum in the wet seasons and showed a high variation with flow volume of 79.68 Mm3 in February and 1.01 Mm3 in September. Annual actual evapotranspiration decreased from 840.6 mm to 796.3 mm while annual water abstraction increased from 8.94 mm to 23.2 mm from the year 1984 to 2017. The pattern of LULC change between 1984 and 2017 has negatively impacted the hydrology of the Chongwe River Catchment. From these findings, an integrated catchment management and protection approach is proposed to mitigate the negative impacts of LULC dynamics on hydrological components in the Chongwe River Catchment.
Quantifying the trade effects of NTMs

In recent years, the imposition of Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs) has increased rapidly both in quantity and importance. This development, with its considerable economic impact, particularly within the area of global trade, has prompted numerous scholars to explore the direction and magnitude of the trade effects of NTMs. Moreover, increased efforts are being placed on further exploring the determinants behind the use of NTMs, as well as their policy implications. The current paper aims to survey the empirical trade literature, in order to uncover the available responses to major questions regarding the trade effects of NTMs, principally of TBT and SPS measures. Among these questions posed are: (1) How do specific types of NTMs affect imports and exports? (2) Are developing countries more sensitive to NTMs? (3) Are small-medium sized firms more adversely affected by NTMs? (4) How are particular sectors/products affected by NTMs? And (5) Do Harmonization and Mutual Recognition necessarily impact trade positively?
Managing change and mitigating reform cynicism

ABSTRACT This paper contributes to the literature on resistance to change in public organizations by studying how management mitigates employee cynicism toward reforms. Focusing on performance management reforms in German local government, the authors found that low levels of cynicism were associated with reform-specific support resources (rather than resources generally), political commitment (rather than peer support for the reform), and reform knowledge (rather than learning forums).
Career values and proactive career behaviour among contemporary higher education students

ABSTRACT The paper draws on evidence from a survey of Australian and UK students (N = 433) on students’ career values and their relationship to their proactivity in career self-management. Much of the dominant approaches to careers have focused on career competencies and adaptability in the context of increased movement from traditional to more self-managed career trajectories. Limited attention has been given to the role of career values in shaping individuals’ approaches to career management, particularly among higher education students. This study reveals data on a range of career values among students on a continuum between intrinsic and extrinsic careers. It revealed a preponderance of intrinsic career values and a clear relationship emerged on the strength of career values and levels of proactivity towards career management. Further, higher levels of intrinsic and extrinsic career values were reported for certain student groups. The article discusses the implications of these data for enhancing students’ career planning and engagement.
Lessons learned from implementing the KiVa antibullying programme in UK primary schools

The history of bullying research is summarised and the KiVa bullying prevention programme described. KiVa is a whole-school programme with universal and indicated actions for children aged 7 to 15 years in the Finnish comprehensive school system. It was developed at Turku University, Finland, by social psychologist Christina Salmivalli and colleagues. It has demonstrated significant benefits in a large-scale randomised controlled trial and a subsequent roll-out of the programme to 90 per cent of schools in the Finnish comprehensive system (www.kivakoulu.fi/). KiVa is based on research showing the important role played by bystanders in the bullying process. The universal and indicated actions within the programme are described. The universal actions consist of class lessons, whole school actions and a parent website. Evidence from the Finnish trials is summarised. The paper describes the introduction of the programme to the UK in 2012 and the results from the first, psychologist led, UK pilot trial of the programme are reported. Seventeen schools participated in the trial of Unit 2, at the time the only material available in English (for children aged 9 to 11 years) and delivered KiVa lessons to year 5 and/or year 6 pupils. Children completed the online KiVa survey prior to programme commencement and at the end of the school year. Significant reductions were reported in selfreported bullying and victimisation. Teachers reported high levels of pupil acceptance and engagement with lessons. The paper concludes with reflections on the role that educational and other applied psychologists can play in further disseminating this programme.
Passive Blockholders, Informational Efficiency of Prices, and Firm Value

This paper analyzes the role of passive blockholders in corporate governance using data on Schedule 13G filings. We show that firm value increases with the number and aggregate ownership of passive blockholders after controlling for other possible determinants of firm value. More importantly, we show that the informational efficiency of prices (IEP) increases with the number and aggregate ownership of passive blockholders, and IEP is a channel through which passive blockholders affect firm value. Overall, our results suggest that managers perform better when stock prices reflect the economic consequences of their actions promptly and accurately through information-based trading of blockholders.
Willingness to Pay for Energy Efficient Appliances: The Case of Lebanese Consumers

A contingent valuation study was conducted to elicit the willingness to pay (WTP) of Lebanese citizens for five types of energy-efficient home appliances: washing machines, air conditioners, televisions, light bulbs, and refrigerators. A face-to-face survey is designed to this end, with data collection achieving a sample of 605 households geographically representative of the Lebanese population. A multivariate Tobit model was used to gauge the effects of socio-demographic characteristics, attitudes, perceptions, behavior, and experience on the WTP across all these appliances, while accounting for potential correlations between these WTP values. Findings provide evidence of the importance of several socio–demographics in determining WTP for more energy efficient appliances, such as income, education, and age, and the importance of perceptions and experience covariates, not least the implementation of energy labelling and the cost of electricity. In terms of policy implications, this study highlights the need to legally enforce a shift in payment mode from renting per capacity (kW) to purchasing per power (kWh) consumed for electricity in the back-up power sector, and the immediate introduction of a local labelling scheme for home appliances.
Determinants of IFRS Compliance in Africa: Analysis of Stakeholder Attributes

Purpose This paper aims to examine the drivers of companies’ compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) using the stakeholder salience theory. Design/methodology/approach The authors have used panel data from 205 companies to examine the IFRS compliance level across 13 African countries. This study has also established the relationship between stakeholders’ attributes and firms’ compliance with IFRS. Findings On IFRS compliance, the authors found that the average compliance score among the companies over the period was 73.09 per cent, with a minimum score of 62.86 per cent and a maximum of 85.61 per cent. The authors found a significant positive association between audit committee competence and compliance, as well as among chartered accountants on board. There is less compliance with the latest standards, such as IFRS 3, 7 and 13. Also, IAS 17, 19, 36 and 37 are problematic across the sample. The authors also found that compliance has been increasing over the years. Practical implications For companies, this study provides empirical evidence on the importance of having chartered accountants’ corporate boards, as well as competent audit committees involved in ensuring high compliance with IFRS. The findings also provide valuable information for professional accounting organizations on the role of their members (chartered accountants) in the effectiveness of IFRS compliance. Originality/value This study complements and updates prior studies on IFRS compliance with findings from Africa, a region that has been neglected in the literature. It provides empirical evidence on the importance of chartered accountants sitting on corporate boards in ensuring high compliance with IFRS.
Aligning Universities Requirements of Indigenous Academics with the Tools used to Evaluate Scholarly Performance and Grant Tenure and Promotion

The aim of this paper is to challenge the discrepancy between candidate requirements in job postings for Indigenous scholars and their recognition in the tenure-track stream. For the purposes of this article, I conducted a scan of 11 academic positions for Indigenous scholars advertised in Canada from 2017 to 2019. One-hundred percent of the postings included an expectation for the candidate to hold Indigenous Knowledges and connections to Indigenous communities. Through the examination of seminal Indigenous scholars I unearth the capacities required to hold, maintain, and renew Indigenous Knowledges and connections to community, while simultaneously showing that none of these capacities are recognized within funding allowances, workload allotments, or tenure and promotion committees. Finally, practical recommendations are offered to post-secondary institutions to provide a supportive environment for Indigenous scholars to enjoy success while holding Indigenous Knowledges and community connections in a good way. Keywords: Indigenous education; decolonizing post-secondary education; anti-oppressive education
Betting on Temperature: Psychological Bias in Insurance Purchases

We examine effects of psychological bias on insurance purchases. In 2014, a Chinese insurance company provided high&#8208;temperature insurance, compensating the insured if days with temperature &#8805;37&#176;C beat the deductible threshold. Although the possibility of a claim is nearly zero and perfectly predicted by the historical temperatures, individual decisions are over&#8208;influenced by the current temperature. A 1 percent increase in hourly temperature is associated with a 3.1 percent increase in hourly sales. The bias is more pronounced with extremely high temperature periods, for young people, and for individuals with a preference for gambling and with easy access to the Internet. We present the importance of psychological bias in understanding individual decisions.
Educational Media and Academic Attainment: Moving Toward a Suggested Vision for Saudi Arabia in Light of International Expertise

The goal of this article is to follow through global expertise in employing media as an instructional modality and to examine its relation to both academic attainment and quality of education in an attempt to develop a suggested future vision for educational media. The study adopted a descriptive, analytical approach to investigate the phenomenon. Data collection was carried out by means of a questionnaire that was administered to 380 participants. The results revealed that educational media can be used not only as an educational means but also as a way for students to acquire personal and academic skills, change behavioral patterns, and become inculcated with the values of teamwork and acceptance of the other. The study concluded by putting forth a set of recommendations for a suggested proposal for using educational media activities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
A Closer Look at the Disposition Effect in U.S. Equity Option Markets

Abstract The authors explore whether the disposition effect occurs in U.S. equity option markets. The disposition effect implies past winning securities will be undervalued and past losing securities will be overvalued. By adapting Grinblatt and Han’s unrealized capital gains proxy to the option markets, the authors document a significant relationship between option capital gains overhang and option returns. They also find open interest decreases as option capital gains overhang increases, consistent with a disposition effect in U.S. equity options. This evidence contributes to the emerging literature on behavioral finance in derivative securities.
Understanding and Confronting Barriers to Youth Voting in America

We review the literature on youth voting, paying particular attention to how electoral institutions influence participation. We find that barriers to registration have a disproportionate effect on young people but that their removal alone will not be sufficient to produce large-scale shifts in turnout. Though there are theoretical, empirical, and normative reasons to make voting easier, we argue that electoral reforms designed to promote registration and turnout are best viewed as vehicles to facilitate other efforts aimed at increasing individuals’ capacity for and interest in participating. Advocacy groups and scholars alike should devote more attention to identifying ways to engage young people. We recognize the task is a challenging one but we are cautiously optimistic that substantial change is possible.