Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Disclosure Antecedents in an Online Service Context

The authors propose and find that the mixed results of prior research regarding disclosure antecedents are due in part to a failure to account for information sensitivity. Using prospect theory to examine willingness to disclose in an online service context, the authors propose and find that greater sensitivity of information requested produces weaker effects of customization benefits but stronger effects of information control and online privacy concern. The authors also find that customization benefits can overcome the negative effects of sensitive information requests when concern is lower or control is higher, and that perceived risk and firm trust are mechanisms through which disclosure antecedents operate. For theory, this research suggests that online disclosure models need to include sensitivity of information as a moderator. Moreover, the privacy paradox (consumers voice concerns but still disclose) may result from a failure to account for information sensitivity, since the authors find no effect of privacy concern on overall disclosure but find the predicted negative effect for higher sensitive information. For practice, our research suggests actionable strategies to aid online marketers in matching information requests with the needs and concerns of consumers by providing greater control and customization, enhancing firm trust, and adapting information requests to the situation.
Survey of Dermal Protection in Washington State Collision Repair Industry

Substantial exposure to isocyanates may occur during spray painting in autobody shops, yet information is lacking on the efficacy of the protective clothing used during spray painting. We investigated the personal and workplace factors associated with painters’ dermal protection use during a large-scale exposure assessment study. Survey data indicated that 69% of painters always used gloves, with latex gloves (47%) and nitrile gloves (34%) used most frequently. Among latex glove users, 53% used thin latex (0.05–0.13 mm), 6% used medium latex (0.15–0.20 mm), and 12% used thick latex (> 0.20 mm). Among nitrile glove users, 27% used thin nitrile and 45% used medium nitrile. Sixty-three percent of painters always used coveralls, 44% preferring one particular brand. Although overspray presents an opportunity for dermal exposure to the neck and face, only 19% of painters protected these areas with personal protective equipment. Painters who always used coveralls were more likely to use gloves (odds ratio = 7.9, p = 0.061). Painters who reported ever having smoked cigarettes used gloves (p = 0.05) and coveralls (p = 0.04) more frequently. Painters who sprayed more than 34 clear coat jobs per month used coveralls most frequently (p = 0.038). Exact logistic regressions along with random sample calculations indicated that the survey results were independent of the shops. Because of the small sample size in this study, future research is warranted to corroborate these results. Studying the effectiveness of gloves and coveralls against polyurethane paints and understanding the underlying motivators and preferences for painters and business owners is needed for the development of best practices for the selection and use of dermal protection.
MRG: Building planers for real-world complex applications

We are interested in the development of planners that work in real-world and large-scale applications. Most of these applications require systems that perform and combine the usual planning tasks, for example, plan formation, plan execution, monitoring, and recovering from failure, in a problem-dependent way. Furthermore, in most cases, these systems must integrate I the various planning techniques proposed in the literature, such as planning ahead and deferred and reactive planning. In this paper we present a system (called MRG) that eases all these difficulties by representing explicitly all the planning tasks and combining them by using a small set of powerful control structures. At the moment, we are experimenting with MRG in a complex large-scale application that is briefly described in this paper.
Analysis of the potential impact of the current WTO agricultural negotiations on government strategies in the SADC region

This study aims to help identify how the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) could potentially constrain government action to achieve food security in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The paper considers the proposed tariff and subsidy reduction modalities of the current round of WTO negotiations. The main focus is on the potential direct effects of the AoA, in terms of proposed reductions to domestic subsidies and tariffs, on food security policy in SADC countries. The study examines the argument that subsidy reductions and further liberalizing market access may pose constraints on the food security policy options of governments within the region.
Corporate credit risk and economic performance

This thesis is based on three essays in corporate credit risk and economic performance analysis. Corporate bankruptcy prediction using past financial information is well established in the literature. Early studies of corporate bankruptcy prediction mainly applied statistical techniques such as discriminant analysis, logit and probit. Although, some of these models such as logit is still widely popular amongst the academics and practitioners due to its simplicity, the shortcomings of such models for bankruptcy prediction have been notified and criticised in the literature. One of the main shortcomings is that these models as linear classification approach can not explain the possible non-linear relationship between some accounting ratios and the probability of default (PD). This issue has been addressed in the literature by introducing non-linear statistical techniques such as support vector machines (SVM). The first essay of this thesis, presented in Chapter 2, investigates the performance of SVM in corporate bankruptcy prediction and compares its performance with that of logit. This essay analyses bankruptcy risk for firms in the Asian and Pacific region using a list of financial ratios which covers different aspects of a firm’s performance. The financial and credit event information for this analysis is provided by the Risk Management Institute of National University of Singapore (RMI NUS). With respect to forecasting accuracy, the findings of this analysis reveal that on average the SVM displays a higher forecasting accuracy and a more robust performance than the logit. Among several financial ratios suggested as predictors of default, leverage ratios and firm size display a higher discriminating power compared to others. Additionally, an analysis of the relationship between
Effect of resveratrol administration on metabolic syndrome, insulin sensitivity, and insulin secretion.

AIM This study evaluated the effect of resveratrol administration on metabolic syndrome, insulin sensitivity, and insulin secretion. METHODS A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was carried out in 24 patients with diagnosis of metabolic syndrome in accordance with the International Diabetes Federation criteria. Glucose and insulin levels were measured after a 75-gram dextrose load. Triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations at baseline were also evaluated. Twelve patients received trans-resveratrol (500 mg) three times per day before meals for 90 days. The remaining 12 patients received placebo at the same dose. The area under the curve (AUC) values of glucose and insulin, total insulin secretion, first-phase of insulin secretion, and insulin sensitivity were calculated. RESULTS After resveratrol administration, there were significant differences in total weight (94.4±13.2 vs. 90.5±12.3 kg, P=0.007), body mass index (BMI) (35.6±3.2 vs. 34.3±3.0 kg/m(2), P=0.006), fat mass (41.2±7.9 vs. 38.8±6.0 kg, P=0.001), and waist circumference (WC) (109±9 vs. 105±10 cm, P=0.004). There were also significant differences in AUC of insulin (48,418±22,707 vs. 26,473±8,273 pmol/L, P=0.003) and insulinogenic index (0.48±0.22 vs. 0.28±0.08, P=0.004). CONCLUSIONS Administration of resveratrol significantly decreases weight, BMI, fat mass, WC, AUC of insulin, and total insulin secretion.
A comparison of the use of third‐party logistics services by Australian firms between 1995 and 1999

Examines the use of third‐party logistics services by Australian firms over the period 1995 to 1999. It is based on a questionnaire survey that was initially conducted in 1995 and repeated in late 1999. The questionnaire addressed: the extent to which the firms use the services of contract logistics companies; the specific contract logistics services used; the benefits which have emerged for the user firms; the obstacles encountered in implementing contract logistics relationships; the impact of the use of contract logistics services on costs, customer satisfaction and employees of the user firm; and the future plans of current users of such services. Notable differences showed between the results from 1995 and those obtained in 1999. Of particular interest is the apparent centralisation of the decision making in regard to employing such services and the involvement of managers outside the logistics area. Also, more firms are utilising third‐party contract logistics companies for international purposes, and are signing longer contracts with their providers. The study identifies a number of concerns for providers that need to be addressed.
Sustainable festivals: on becoming an institution.

This article conceptually addresses the sustainability of festivals from the perspective of the organizations providing them, specifically in the context of how event organizations can become permanent institutions. Festivals and other recurring events are often viewed as tourist attractions, and are commonly used in place marketing and destination image-making strategies. Little attention has been paid, however, to their individual or collective viability and long-term sustainability. Supportive data are provided from a survey of 14 live-music festivals in Sweden in which responding festival managers confirmed the importance of attaining "institutional status," occupying a unique "niche" in the community, sustaining committed stakeholders, and practicing constant innovation. Theoretical conclusions are drawn on the institutionalization process for festivals, including a set of propositions that can be used both as indicators of institutional status, and as hypotheses for future research
The transmission-line paradigm for metamaterials: Fundamentals & applications

This paper summarizes some of the recent advances in planar transmission-line metamaterials. First the issue of spatial harmonics excited in negative-refractive-index transmission-line (NRI-TL) is examined. It is shown that the fundamental backward-wave harmonic becomes dominant under the long wavelength regime. Subsequently the issue of the independent excitation of complex modes in a microstrip / NRI-TL coupler is examined. Finally it is explained how to synthesize suitable anisotropic transmission-line metamaterials for ‘transformation optics’ applications such as cloaking.
Homogenized Non-Newtonian Viscoelastic Rheology of a Suspension of Interacting Particles in a Viscous Newtonian Fluid

Our study is motivated by an attempt to develop a rigorous mathematical model of a suspension highly filled with a large number of small solid particles, which interact due to surface forces. We use asymptotic analysis in the small parameter $\epsilon$ and consider irregular (nonperiodic) geometries for which the sizes of particles and the distances between them are of order $\epsilon$. We present conditions under which the homogenization of a Newtonian fluid with interacting particles leads to a single medium which is an anisotropic, non-Newtonian viscoelastic fluid with memory described by a relaxation term. We derive formulas for the calculation of the effective viscosity tensor and the relaxation integral kernel. For periodic arrays of particles we show how this tensor can be explicitly computed and compute the distribution of the relaxation times, which is the main quantity of interest in the rheological studies. We also show how the particles' shapes affect this distribution.
Responsible and irresponsible use of very-low-calorie diets in the treatment of obesity.

AMERICA'S most celebrated weight loss was announced on November 15,1988, when Oprah Winfrey disclosed to her 18 million television viewers that she had lost 30.5 kg (67 lb) in 4 months by consuming a medically supervised very-low-calorie diet ( New York Times . November 24,1988:B17). Ms Winfrey's announcement sparked a frenzy of interest among the nation's dieters, reminiscent of that which greeted the appearance of the liquid protein diets in 1976 and 1977 1 and the Cambridge Diet in the early 1980s. 2 Sadly, consumption of these diets was inadequately supervised; at least 58 deaths were reported among users of liquid protein products 1,3 and 6 deaths in persons who consumed the Cambridge Diet. 2 Current very-low-calorie diets that provide essential nutrients and high-quality proteins are unquestionably safer than their liquid protein predecessors, as noted in a timely report prepared by the American Medical Association's Council on Scientific Affairs. 4 But the
Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT)

Legendar ist der erste Internet-Wurm, der im November 1988 mehr als 2.000 uber das Arpanet (den Vorganger des Internet) verbundene Unix-Rechner befiel und dort einen mehrtagigen Totalausfall verursachte. Er nutzte schon langer bekannte Fehler in alteren Versionen der Unix-Programme sendmail und finger, um sich zu verbreiten. Die durch diesen Wurm verursachten Schaden hatten vermieden werden konnen, wenn in allen betroffenen Rechenzentren die Information uber die sicherheitsrelevanten Fehler in sendmail und finger bekannt gewesen und fruhzeitig durch fehlerfreie Versionen korrigiert worden waren. Diese Erkenntnis fuhrte Ende 1988 zur Grundung des ersten „Computer Emergency Response Teams“ (CERT) an der Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Diesem Vorbild folgten weitere amerikanische Rechenzentren und grundeten ahnliche Computer-Notfall-Teams, die sich zur Koordination und engeren Zusammenarbeit zum „Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams“ (FIRST) mit heute mehr als 100 Mitgliedern (darunter viele aus Europa) zusammenschlossen. Eine der Hauptaufgaben von CERTs ist, durch moglichst fruhzeitige Benachrichtigung von IT-Verantwortlichen Bedrohungen durch gezieltes Hacking unter Ausnutzung von Fehlern in Protokollen oder Betriebssystemimplementierungen abzuwenden. Dazu analysieren sie Sicherheitsvorfalle, die ihnen gemeldet werden, und tauschen gewonnene Erkenntnisse untereinander aus. Uber Informations-Bulletins zu ausgewahlten Themen, Sicherheits-Bulletins und Alarmierungen („Advisories“) werden die
The Performance Evaluation of Machine Learning Classifiers on Financial Microblogging Platforms

As technological advancements facilitate democratization of knowledge, Microblogging platforms are vying to become the premier source of knowledge and are competing with news outlets. A huge number of messages is generated on different microblogging platforms. In financial markets, microblogging websites, such as StockTwits, have become a rich source for amateur investors, which make them ideal sources for market sentiment analysis. Indeed, StockTwit has been widely used by researchers for sentiment analytics and market predictions. However, the quality of the sentiment analysis is highly dependent on the machine learning classifiers used as well as the preprocessing of data. In this study, we compare the performance efficiency of different machine learning classifiers on the user-generated content on StockTwits. We find that Logistic Regression Classifier performs best in a 2-way classification of StockTwits data. Our results report better classification accuracy than a similar research using data from Twitter. We have discussed managerial implications of our results.
THREE DIMENSIONAL IMAGING: AN IMPACT IN ORTHODONTICS - A REVIEW

This article reviews the various methods of three-dimensional (3D) imaging in orthodontics including the origin and history. Various technologies of 3D imaging applicable to the field of orthodontics such as Structured light ,Stereophotogrammetry, 3D Facial Morphometry, Dynamic stereometry, Laser scanning,Magnetic resonance imaging, Computed tomograghy, Cone beam computerized tomography.Present and future perspectives of 3D imaging in orthodontics
High rate of transmission among contacts in large London outbreak of isoniazid mono-resistant tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND For a continuing London outbreak of isoniazid mono-resistant tuberculosis (TB), we aimed to determine transmission rates and risk factors for contacts of early cases, in order to inform future guidance on contact tracing. METHODS Paper-based proformas were completed by TB nurses, and then analysed using EpiInfo/SAS statistical software. RESULTS Forty community contacts (11%) became cases, 45 (13%) were recommended chemoprophylaxis and 270 (76%) were discharged clear of infection. The highest transmission rate was among contacts exposed to two or more cases (29% became cases) and close contacts of sputum smear-positive cases (22%). Other risk factors were being male and exposure to drug-using cases or cases with prison links. The number needed to be screened (NNS) to detect one case was lowest [5 (95% CI: 4-8)] for contacts of sputum smear-positive pulmonary cases, although the NNS was still only 20 (95% CI:8-72) for casual contacts of smear-positive cases. CONCLUSIONS Transmission of disease to contacts was high (11%) compared with other documented outbreaks (0.7-2%). The results support recommended guidelines for contact tracing but also provide grounds to recommend, for outbreak cases, screening of casual contacts of smear-positive cases and contacts exposed to more than one case, drug users or prisoners.
Evaluation of relationship between the intellectual capital and earning quality indexes in emerging economics: Case study of Iran's financial market

Organizations are increasingly entering knowledge-based economy in which knowledge and intangible assets are among the firms most important sources of competitive advantages. One of the intangible asset components is intellectual capital; nowadays, the role and importance of intellectual capital output used in the firm's stable and continuous profitability are more than financial capital output. For this reason, the present research aims at evaluating the relationship between the intellectual capitals and earning quality indexes among companies accepted in Tehran Exchange Market. In the research, VAIC (Value Added Intellectual Capital) as a model developed by Pulic is employed for the measurement of intellectual capital. At first, the intellectual capital value of companies accepted in Tehran Exchange Market during a five-year period from 2004 to 2009 has been calculated based on VAIC model and then the relationship between the intellectual capital and firm's earning quality indexes has been evaluated. The earning quality is measured as a dependent variable according to earning stability, earning predictability, linkage of earning and share value and linkage of operational cash flow and the measured earning. In the present research, the simple regression and correlation coefficients are statistical methods utilized in data analysis. The results of statistical tests show that there is a meaningful relationship between the intellectual capital and earning quality indexes (earning stability and earning predictability). Regarding these results, the increasing importance of intellectual capital in the excellence process of firms is revealed and so it makes it necessary to identify and recognize knowledge, information and framework development for knowledge management in the organizations. Key words: Intellectual capital, earning quality, simple regression, emerging economics.
Views of a good life and allostatic load: Physiological correlates of theories of a good life depend on the socioeconomic context

Abstract This research examines the relationship between one’s theory of a good life and allostatic load, a marker of cumulative biological risk, and how this relationship differs by socioeconomic status. Among adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher, those who saw individual characteristics (e.g. personal happiness, effort) as part of a good life had lower levels of allostatic load than those who did not. In contrast, among adults with less than a bachelor’s degree, those who saw supportive relationships as part of a good life had lower levels of allostatic load than those who did not. These findings extend past research on socioeconomic differences in the emphasis on individual or relational factors and suggest that one’s theory of a good life has health implications.
Sound Analysis and Processing with AudioSculpt 2

AudioSculpt is an application for the musical analysis and processing of sound files. The program allows very detailed study of a sound's spectrum, waveform, fundamental frequency and partial contents. Multiple algorithms provide automatic segmentation of sounds. All analyses can be edited, stored and used to guide processing within the application, such as spectral filtering, time-stretching and noise removal, or serve as input for compositional environments. The current version is a complete revision, introducing many new features, new analysis, processing and segmentation algorithms plus a significantly enhanced user interface. The introduction of SDIF as data format for analysis data and the ability to use long and multichannel sound files, take the application to a new level of usability.
Presence and Sources of Contrarian and Momentum Profits in Bangladesh Stock Market

Purpose –Two most well-known return regularities are contrarian and momentum profits. This paper, using weekly data for the period 2002 through 2013, investigates the presence of both contrarian and momentum profits and their sources in the Bangladeshi stock market.Design/methodology/approach – The paper follows the methodology of Lo and MacKinlay (1990) to form portfolios with a weighted relative strength scheme. Methodology of Jegadeesh and Titman (1995) is used to decompose the contrarian/momentum profits into three elements: compensation for cross-sectional risk, lead-lag effect in time series with respect to the common factor, and time series pattern of stock returns. Robustness of results is checked by considering market risk factors.Findings – Results provide the evidence of significant contrarian profits for the holding period of one through eight weeks. There is stronger presence of contrarian profits during 2002-08. Time series pattern is found to be the main source of contrarian profits, suggesting that idiosyncratic (firm-specific) information is the main contributor to contrarian profits. Interestingly, the influence of idiosyncratic information on such profits has gradually decreased since 2008. Contrarian profits are robust to market sentiment and other systematic risk factors.Originality/value – This is the first detailed study on the presence of contrarian and momentum profits and their sources in the Bangladesh stock market. More specifically, no previous study has focused on sources of such profits, although it is an important issue as far as market efficiency is concerned.