Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Market for Green Buildings in Sub-Saharan Africa: Experts Perspective on the Economic Benefits in Ghana

Part of the ideals of promoting sustainability is the green building (GB) concept. Nevertheless, the uptake and use of GBs amongst most stakeholders in Africa are still on the low. Despite the plethora of studies on the economic benefits of green building, there is a dearth in studying the benefits in Africa. Within these economies, the presence of market restrictions, socio-cultural and political factors may mitigate against these benefits. This study seeks to unearth the economic benefits of GBs within the context of a sub-Saharan African country, Ghana. By adopting a quantitative research approach, a comprehensive literature review was first conducted. This was followed by the use of a questionnaire survey. A structured questionnaire was issued to building consultants in Ghana to elicit their perspectives on the economic gains of GBs. Mean scores, Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Kruskal-Wallis H test were respectively used to rank and assess the level of agreements amongst the various consultants on the economic benefits. Five economic benefits were identified from the study. This includes savings in energy, lower lifetime cost, lower operational cost, increased work productivity and "transforms the construction industry". The findings show that most of the economic benefits identified from literature cannot be realised in the study region, including "high return on investment" and "increase in building value". Consequently, building energy cost seems to play a crucial role in pushing the demand for the GB within the study milieu. The study provides a contextual understanding of economic benefits, useful to construction clients, property owners, real estate investors, consultants and the research environment. The findings are useful in providing market enablers to enhance a large-scale uptake of green construction. It is recommended that the provision of GBs should not be limited to only its impact on the environment and sustainability but also affordability concerns. This study provides a unique contextual perspective on the economic benefit of GB in a sub-Saharan African country.
Perspectives on an Internet‐Based Synchronous Distance Learning Experience

This paper examines the distance learning process by providing an informed student's perspective as well as the instructor's perspective on an Internet‐based synchronous distance learning experience. Throughout the semester, the student maintained a class‐by‐class journal on his experiences and reactions to the Internet‐based course. This journal served as a crucial resource in the subsequent evaluation of the virtual classroom experience. The analysis provided in this paper, informed by current research on traditional and distance education, suggests that community, interaction, pedagogy, attention, and feedback play important roles in the success of an Internet‐based learning experience. Specific comments by the course instructor, as well as survey results from both students and other instructors for a number of synchronous Internet‐based courses, are also presented. This data further illuminates the student synchronous distance education experience and contributes additional insight into the delivery method and its ongoing evolution. The unique observations and conclusions provided here are useful for both instructors and students interested in participating in synchronous as well as asynchronous computermediated education.
A New Dataset on Mincerian Returns

What is the economic value of an additional year of schooling? How and why does it vary across countries? These questions are at the core of the field of labor economics, and have received enormous attention in the last few decades. The implications of the answers are obviously far reaching, from the design of educational policy to the evaluation of the importance of human capital as a source of differences in standards of living across countries. The workhorse empirical model to estimate the returns to education is the human capital earning function introduced by Mincer (1974), where the logarithm of earnings is regressed on years of schooling and a quadratic function of years of experience. This specification has strong theoretical foundations, being the outcome of a standard BenPorath (1967) model of human capital accumulation, and, given its simplicity, has been shown to fit the data remarkably well. In the last few decades, George Psacharopoulos and his co-authors have provided a great service to the profession by compiling extensive collections of estimates of the returns to education for a wide range of countries (Psacharopoulos, 1981, 1985, 1994; Psacharopoulos et al., 2004). These estimates have been extensively used to analyze cross country patterns and evaluate the contribution of human capital to economic growth. See Card (1999), Heckman et al. (2003), Lemieux (2006) and Polachek (2008) for extensive reviews.
A Study of High School Students’ Well-Being during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, educational practices have been disrupted in a variety of ways affecting both students and teachers. Ample evidence among many others is the fact that students are required to switch their platforms of learning, from on-site to online learning. Research conveys that this alteration has significantly affected students in various aspects such as places to study, time management, and their health. This study therefore aims to identify problems that come from online learning encountered by students themselves through the means of survey. Thus, we had collected data from 171 high school students and school leavers, in 4 categories: 1) the level of stress, 2) the level of loneliness, 3) the level of motivation, 4) the average sleep hour during the online learning period, using an online survey. The results show that there are correlations as follows, 1) positive correlation between stress and loneliness, 2) negative correlation between stress and sleep hour, and 3) negative correlation between motivation and loneliness. Screen time affects stress levels which in turn increase the loneliness of students and decrease sleep hours. This study raises concerns to educators, teachers, and parents that their children need to be understood, and appropriate support can help them overcome challenges during this difficult time.
Veteran Critical Theory as a Lens to Understand Veterans' Needs and Support on Social Media

Veterans are a unique marginalized group facing multiple vulnerabilities. Current assessments of veteran needs and support largely come from first-person accounts guided by researchers' prompts. Social media platforms not only enable veterans to connect with each other, but also to self-disclose experiences and seek support. This paper addresses the gap in our understanding of veteran needs and their own support dynamics by examining self-initiated and ecologically-valid self-expressions. In particular, we adopt the Veteran Critical Theory (VCT) to conduct a computational study on the Reddit community of veterans. Using topic modeling, we find veteran-friendly gestures with good intentions might not be appreciated in the subreddit. By employing transfer learning methodologies, we find this community has more informational and emotional support behaviors than general online communities and a higher prevalence of informational support than emotional support. Lastly, an examination of support dynamics reveals some contrasts to previous scholarship in military culture and social media. We discover that positive language and author platform tenure have negative relations with posts receiving replies and replies getting votes, and that replies reflecting personal disclosures tend to get more votes. Through the lens of VCT, we discuss how online communities can help uncover veterans' needs and provide more effective social support.
The Future Air Transport System: Looking for Generic Metrics of Complexity for Terminal Airspace

This paper develops generic metrics for measuring the expected complexity of a given terminal airspace. The metrics include static (infrastructure) and dynamic (traffic on the given infrastructure) complexity, both consisting of the complexity component for arriving and departing traffic. The main objective of the developed metric is as follows: estimation of concepts of airspace organization/design (particular alternative solutions) and related air traffic complexity under given circumstances, which could be used for planning purposes at different time horizons (strategic and tactical). The main inputs influencing complexity are (both for arriving and departing): traffic demand, runway system capacity, aircraft fleet mix, spatial distribution of traffic, air traffic control (ATC) separation rules, number and length of trajectories. Unlike most other approaches, the one presented in this paper excludes the ATC controller from explicit consideration. The outputs consist of complexity values dependent on traffic demand, aircraft fleet mix and the spatial distribution of traffic. The complexity metric has been illustrated on operations at London Heathrow airport (UK).
The Social Consequences of Political Anger

A functioning democracy relies on social interactions between people who disagree—including listening to others’ viewpoints, having political discussions, and finding political compromise. Yet social life in the contemporary United States is characterized by a relative lack of interaction between Democrats and Republicans (or, social polarization). We argue that political anger contributes to social polarization by causing Americans to cut off ties with opposing partisans. We first draw on data from the American National Election Studies and the Wesleyan Media Project to show that the mass public is increasingly angry and that politicians often seek to elicit anger. We then present results from a survey experiment on nearly 3,500 Americans, finding that the exogenous introduction of anger leads partisans to socially polarize across a range of settings. Our findings suggest that increasing levels of political anger paralyze politics and harm democracy by influencing Americans’ social interactions and relationships.
Determinants of Successful Completion of Construction Craft Apprenticeship in Lagos State Nigeria: A Qualitative Study

Apprenticeships provide young people with training and improve the supply of workers to the construction sector. In Nigeria, there is a large influx of craftspeople from neighbouring countries. This situation has led to an increase in the rate of youth employment. The current study seeks to address the following questions: (i) what are the factors responsible for the noncompletion of construction crafts apprenticeship? And (ii) what are the determinants of successful completion of construction crafts apprenticeship? Forty-six (46) semi-structured interviews were conducted with relevant stakeholders involved in apprenticeship in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study reveals that "lack of information on the content of training programme," "financial difficulties," "bullying," "lack of interest," and "work-life balance" as factors responsible for non-completion. In contrast, it was found that "personal interest and motivation," "parental and family support," "personality of the trainer," and "potential to earn income" are determinants of successful completion of construction crafts apprenticeship. This finding can be used to develop strategies for improving outcomes of construction craftspeople apprenticeships. The study contributes to the knowledge on apprenticeships in the field of construction and vocational education.
Influence of a nisin-biogel on virulence factors expression by Sta hylococcus aureus isolates from Diabetic Foot Infections

[Habilitações Académicas] Influence of a nisin-biogel on virulence factors expression by Sta hylococcus aureus isolates from Diabetic Foot Infections [Título da Tese] Dissertation to obtain Master’s Degree in Molecular Genetics and Biomedicine Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em [Engenharia Informática] Supervisor: Maria Manuela Castilho Monteiro de Oliveira, Associate Professor, FMV-ULisboa Co-supervisor: Rita Gonçalves Sobral, Assistant Professor, FCT/UNL
Combating the Cognitive Trap of Mirror- Imaging: Pitfalls and Possibilities for the Intelligence Of cer

Intelligence has always been a crucial factor in the military, from decision-making to execution. As such, the intelligence of cer or analyst constantly faces the challenge of ltering out ambiguous and incomplete information while making sense out of it within a limited timeframe. Under these circumstances, mental strategies such as mirror-imaging are used to accurately understand and predict the adversary’s intent and possible courses of action. This essay addresses how mirror-imaging functions as a mental heuristic and discusses how it can lead to both success and failure of handling intelligence. The essay also provides examples of intelligence failures due to mirror-imaging and suggests adopting the Analysis of Competing Hypotheses (ACH) approach which will mitigate the disadvantage of mirror-imaging.
Wear behavior of ceramic powder cladded on carbon steel surface by gas tungsten arc welding

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test the wear behavior of a carbon steel surface after cladding by gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) method to enhance wear resistance.Design/methodology/approach – The microstructures, chemical compositions, and wear characteristics of cladded surfaces were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX). A rotating‐type tribometer was used to evaluate the wear characteristics of cladded specimens under dry sliding conditions at room temperature. The dry sliding wear resistance of the coatings was tested as a function of applied load and sliding time, and wear mechanisms were elucidated by analyzing wear surfaces.Findings – The experimental results revealed an excellent metallurgical bond between the composite coating and substrate. The coating was uniform, continuous, and almost defect‐free, and particles were evenly distributed throughout the cladding layer. Hardness was increased from 200 HV in the substrate to 650‐.
THE IMPACT OF IFRS ADOPTION: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Globalization of capital markets has increased the need for harmonized accounting standards all over the world. Regulators believe that International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) developed by International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) provide harmonized financial statements. Although, a large number of empirical studies examined the aftermath of IFRS adoption, these studies were limited in scope. This paper reviews the extant literature, which deals with harmonization of accounting standards and presents the overall consequences of IFRS adoption. The paper then provides some future research options. INTRODUCTION As the world is moving towards globalization, capital markets are becoming more and more homogeneous. Roussey (1992), Wyatt and Yospe (1993), and Nobes and Parker (1995) suggest that capital market globalization has increased the foreign investors’ need for information as well as their desire for harmonized financial reporting standards. In order to invest in foreign markets, investors need reliable and comparable information. Globalization has increased the demand for universal financial reporting standards among investors. Aitken and Wise (1984), Collins (1989), Moulin and Solomon (1989), and Radebaugh and Gray (1993) suggest that harmonization facilitates the development of world trade and international capital markets which in turn promotes the economic growth of countries. Regulators believe that International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) developed by International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) provide harmonization of accounting standards across countries. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) has emerged as the dominant reference for financial reporting in most countries around the world, perhaps due to the influence of investors’ demand, cost minimization in financial reporting, security listing requirements, foreign investments, free trade, and global competition (Nulla, 2014). The underlying benefit of harmonization is to provide comparable and reliable statements to decision makers and investors all over the world. Since financial markets are moving towards
Nilufer Yildirim

Objective: Ventilation/perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (V/Q SPECT) is recommended as a reference radionuclide method in pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) diagnosis. However, there is some logistic, economic, and infectious concern about the study's ventilation part. This study aimed to evaluate the e ectiveness of hybrid perfusion SPECT with a low dose CT method in the diagnostic strategy of PTE. Materials and Methods: Two physicians reviewed 305 patients' data for this retrospective study. All patients had Q SPECT/CT data as initial imaging, and Ventilation SPECT was added to the selected patients' algorithm. The diagnostic performance and inter-observer agreement were determined for both Q SPECT and Q SPECT/CT methods. The nal diagnosis was made by clinical decision with all tests and follow-up for at least 6-month. Results: The majority (92%) of our study group were correctly diagnosed with the Q SPECT/CT method with excellent inter-observer agreements ( =0.914). The sensitivity, speci city, and accuracy of methods were as follows; 92.2%, 76.3%, and 80.3% for Q SPECT; 96.1%, 94.5%, and 98.8% for Q SPECT/CT (P<0.001). The ventilation scan was applied to 29% (n=88) of the study group. It is prominent in 21/88 patients whose Q SPECT/CT result was non-diagnostic or discordant with clinical probability. Conclusion: Q SPECT/CT recommended as the initial radionuclide imaging in PTE diagnosis, with high diagnostic accuracy and inter-observer agreement. Ventilation scans can be optimized according to Q SPECT/CT results avoiding unnecessary irradiation and other potential adverse e ects, including infectious risk in the current pandemic context. Hell J Nucl Med 2020; 23(3): 304-311 Epub ahead of print: 14 December 2020 Published online: 28 December 2020
Strategic Asset Mobility: How Foreign Firms Use Asset Mobility to Manage Political Risk

In this paper, I show that foreign firms can strategically alter their asset mobility in response to different levels of political risk. I argue that asset mobility is determined by industry characteristics and firms’ political concerns. In countries with high political risk, to obtain government support foreign investors may prefer low asset mobility over high asset mobility. I substantiate my theory using firm-level data from 47 countries and a survey fielded among foreign firms’ managers in China. The findings from firm-level data confirm that foreign firms with lower mobility receive better government treatment in countries with high political risk. Then, using the survey data from China, I show how foreign firms strategically choose asset mobility levels. My theory and findings make important contributions to our knowledge of the challenges to the current world order, as I shed light on how countries with inadequate property rights protection can still attract long-term investment from foreign investors. *Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Politics, Princeton University, hge@princeton.edu
A Semi-Analytical Approach on the Turbulence Interaction Noise of A Low-Speed Axial Fan Including Broadband Scattering

This paper deals with the analytical and experimental modeling of the broadband noise generated by a low Mach number axial fan and scattered by an obstacle. The model proposed is a semi-analytical solution to predict the acoustic field of an industrial fan including installation effects. The model is based on Amiet’s theory on the turbulenceinteraction noise, which uses far and free-field assumptions, and is derived for uniform incoming flow properties impinging the leading edge of the blade. However, for most of the industrial applications and in the present case these assumptions become invalid. Therefore the theory has been extended in order to predict the acoustic response of the fan in the geometrical near-field. Segmentation has been applied to take the spanwise varying incoming flow conditions into account. This improved model has been combined with a Boundary Element Method (BEM) for acoustic scattering. The validation of the broadband scattering techniques has been performed through comparisons of results obtained by a semi-analytical model, the BEM model with a scattering screen, and the analytical model which contains the acoustic scattering from an infinite flat plate. The model is also applied to an industrial low-speed axial fan operating next to a flat scattering plate and the results are compared with the measurements performed in the anechoic chamber in both free and scattered-fields.
Influence of New Urbanist Design Features on Sense of Community: The Case of Cherry Hill Village in Canton, Michigan

Abstract This study explored the influence of new urbanist design features on sense of community (SOC) in a new urbanist community in Michigan as a case study. Using a quantitative survey method, online surveys were utilized to procure data. A total of 136 surveys were collected and analyzed using multiple regression, one-way ANOVA and independent-sample t-test analyses. The variables investigated within this study were derived from the theoretical foundations and previous empirical studies of New Urbanism and SOC, include architectural and community design features, walkability, and socio-demographic variables. Utilizing Skjaeveland, Garling, and Maeland’s (1996) 14-item “Multidimensional Measure of Neighboring” to conceptualize SOC, the findings indicated that specific design features, as well as walkability and some socio-demographic characteristics, had a significant effect on SOC. In light of the increasing popularity of new urbanist developments, this study suggests the importance of physical design features in promoting SOC and gives guidelines for future residential and neighborhood design that enforce a SOC.
STUDY OF SELF-ESTEEM AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN RELATION TO HOME ENVIRONMENT AMONG ADOLESCENTS

Self-esteem plays an important role in disorders related to human’s psychology. Self-esteem is a basic need of human as it is pre-requisite for motivation. It boosts up the morale of human being as it builds up positive self-image and positive attitude. A good education system provides student basic knowledge and learning skills to all the students regardless of their age, sex, class, caste, religion or region. It helps us to know the student’s performance and the challenges which he is facing during his educational course. It focuses on academic and co-curricular activities in an educational environment. Further, home environment has a huge influence on the development of adolescent. If a sense of security is infused, it will lead to his overall wellbeing. It is a system in which the behaviour and relationships of all the family members are dependent upon each other. A home environment which stimulates the adolescent from time to time helps him to be a better person. The sample of a present study consisted of 200 adolescents. Random sampling technique was adopted while collecting the sample. Home environment is independent variable and self-esteem and academic achievement are dependent variable. The Pearson product‐moment correlation coefficient was used to analyse the data. Findings revealed that if the home environment of the adolescent is favourable than his self-esteem is better and he will be confident enough to solve the problems and to face the hardships and challenges of life in an easy go.