Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance Measurement Usage in Developing Countries: The Case of Banking Sector in Sudan

The role of appropriate measures could not be underestimated and measurement has been regarded as the key for controlling, managing and improving organizational performance. Banking is considered as one of the main gears of a financial system, since it has a broad impact on the overall financial stability and strength of an economy. While developed economies have invested heavily in their performance measures tools, developing economies have done little to advance their performance measurement tools. This paper attempts to (a) explore performance measurement usage in developing countries, (b) understand the available tools the private banks use in measuring performance, and (c) identify the key factors affecting the performance measurement usage. This research deploys both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Future work is proposed and some conclusions are reached.
New key agreement techniques for sensor networks

We propose two computationally efficient key agreement algorithms. The schemes are ideally suited for computationally constrained environments such as sensor networks. The first proposed technique is general and uses matrix factorization. We provide constructive algorithms to implement the scheme. The second algorithm uses commutative property of matrices to distribute keys and provides two different keys per node pair. Both the algorithms are practical in terms of implementation, security provided and linear in computational complexity.
Estimation of Insulin Resistance in Mexican Adults by the [13C]Glucose Breath Test Corrected for Endogenous Total CO2 Production

Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of the [13C]glucose breath test for measuring insulin resistance in Mexican adults with different glycemic states. Research Design and Methods. Fifty-eight adults underwent a [13C]glucose breath test with simultaneous measurement of total CO2 production by indirect calorimetry, at baseline and 90 minutes after the ingestion of 15 g of dextrose and 25 mg of [13C]glucose. HOMA was used as a marker of insulin resistance. Results. We found an inverse correlation between HOMA and the breath test δ 13CO2 (‰), r = −0.41 (P = 0.001). After adjusting for total CO2 production, correlations between HOMA and fasting glucose were less strong but remained significant. An ROC curve was constructed using δ 13CO2 (‰) and HOMA values; the cut-off point was 9.99‰ δ 13CO2, corresponding to a sensitivity of 80.0 (95% CI: 51.9, 95.7) and a specificity of 67.4 (95% CI: 51.5, 80.9). Conclusions. The [13C]glucose breath test is a simple noninvasive procedure but was not sufficiently robust for an accurate diagnosis of insulin resistance. Our findings suggest that the test might be helpful in identifying individuals who are not IR, which in turn may contribute to improved diabetes prevention.
Optimal layout for fast Fourier transform in multilayer VLSI

Summary form only given. Fast Fourier transform (FFT) is among the most important problems in computer science and engineering, with a variety of important applications including multimedia processing, communications, and numerical computation. Previous butterfly-based FFT implementations are not optimal even if the layouts employed are optimal for butterfly networks. We propose the expanded indirect swap networks (EISN) that is particularly suitable for FFT operations and have efficient layouts. Based on EISN, we propose the first and only optimal VLSI layouts (within a factor of 1+o(1)) reported in the literature thus far for performing FFT under the Thompson model, the extended grid model, and the multilayer 2D grid model. We show that N-point FFT circuits with throughput 1 (i.e., time I after pipelining) can be laid out with area N/sup 2//4/spl lfloor/L/sup 2//2/spl rfloor/+o(N/sup 2//L/sup 2/) and volume LN/sup 2//4/spl lfloor/L/sup 2//2/spl rfloor/+o(N/sup 2//L), under the multilayer 2D grid model where only one active layer (for network nodes) is required and L layers of wires are available, 2 /spl les/ L /spl les/ o(/spl I.nroot/N). We use AT/sup 2/L/sup 2/ or 2AT/sup 2//spl lfloor/L/sup 2//2/spl rfloor/ as a new parameter for characterizing the area-time complexity for multilayer VLSI, and show that AT/sup 2/L/sup 2/ /spl ap/ N/sup 2//2for N-point Fourier transform.
Special Issue: Trust in an Organizational Context: Contextual Confidence and Active Trust Development in the Chinese Business Environment

This paper contributes to the conceptual and empirical understanding of organizational trust. It confirms the importance of "contextual confidence" in institutions for building trust. Moreover, it extends models of trust production to include the effects of purposive action by the truster over and above the contextual prediction of trust emphasized in previous research. Accordingly, "active trust development" is conceptualized as a strategy to strengthen the basis for trust. Empirical evidence is drawn from a survey of 615 Hong Kong firms that manage operations in mainland China.Confidence in China's institutional context was found to have a strong positive association with trust in the local staff working within that context. Active trust development was validated as a means of enhancing trust, though its effect on trust was not as strong as that of perceived institutional effectiveness.Active trust development initiatives are particularly valuable in an environment such as contemporary China, where the institutional foundations for trust remain underdeveloped. The positive correlation of trust with organizational performance provides an incentive for managers to explore these initiatives. At the same time, government and other bodies in China and elsewhere, which are in a position to create and promote effective institutions, are encouraged to intensify their efforts in that direction.
USM Sharpening Detection Based on Sparse Coding

USM sharpening is one of the most widely used sharpening methods. The detection of USM sharpening has attracted much concern in image forensics. Previous research has demonstrated that USM sharpening will cause overshoot artifacts along image edges. In order to detect such artifacts accurately and comprehensively, a sparse-coding based local feature representation is proposed in this paper. The K-SVD algorithm is adopted to build an over-complete dictionary characterizing the local textures along image edges. Then the sparse code for each local patch is calculated by the Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP) algorithm and the overall feature for the image is constructed by max-pooling over local features. Experimental results have demonstrated the superior performance of the proposed approach compared with some state-of-the-art methods investigated.
News Use as Amplification: Norwegian National, Regional, and Hyperpartisan Media on Facebook

This study details the influence of hyperpartisan media actors in comparison to regional and national news media competitors by gauging audience engagement in relation to news on Facebook in Norway. Adopting the perspective of news use as a way of understanding such engagement, the study finds that followers of hyperpartisan Facebook Pages are more active than those following mainstream media Pages. The study also looks closer into what kinds of news are engaged with to higher degrees than others, building on these results in suggesting opportunities for future research into news production and consumption on Facebook.
Comparative stability of cloned and non-cloned code: an empirical study

Code cloning is a controversial software engineering practice due to contradictory claims regarding its effect on software maintenance. Code stability is a recently introduced measurement technique that has been used to determine the impact of code cloning by quantifying the changeability of a code region. Although most of the existing stability analysis studies agree that cloned code is more stable than non-cloned code, the studies have two major flaws: (i) each study only considered a single stability measurement (e.g., lines of code changed, frequency of change, age of change); and, (ii) only a small number of subject systems were analyzed and these were of limited variety. In this paper, we present a comprehensive empirical study on code stability using three different stability measuring methods. We use a recently introduced hybrid clone detection tool, NiCAD, to detect the clones and analyze their stability in four dimensions: by clone type, by measuring method, by programming language, and by system size and age. Our four-dimensional investigation on 12 diverse subject systems written in three programming languages considering three clone types reveals that: (i) Type-1 and Type-2 clones are unstable, but Type-3 clones are not; (ii) clones in Java and C systems are not as stable as clones in C# systems; (iii) a system's development strategy might play a key role in defining its comparative code stability scenario; and, (iv) cloned and non-cloned regions of a subject system do not follow a consistent change pattern.
Prediction of corporate financial distress: an application of the composite rule induction system

The economic consequence of corporate failure is enormous, especially for the stakeholders of public-held companies. Prior to a corporate failure, the firm's financial status is frequently in distress. Consequently, finding a method to identify corporate financial distress as early as possible is clearly a matter of considerable interest to investors, creditors, auditors and other stakeholders. This paper uses a composite rule induction system (CRIS; Liang 1992) to derive rules for predicting corporate financial distress in Taiwan. In addition, this paper compares the prediction performance of cris, neural computing and the logit model. The empirical results indicate that both CRIS and neural computing outperform the logit model in predicting financial distress. Although both CRIS and neural computing perform rather well, CRIS has the advantage that the derived rules are easier to understand and interpret.
NUTRIENT FLUXES IN BEECH-PODOCARP-HARDWOOD FORESTS MANAGEMENT IMPACTS ON NUTRIENT FLUXES IN BEECH-PODOCARP-HARDWOOD FORESTS

Clearfelling and downhill, skyline-hauler extraction of pulpwood and sawlogs in beech-podocarp-hardwood (PB5) forest, followed by slash-burning, produced increased streamflow yields of N, P arid dissolved cations. Nutrient outputs in the first four months after treatment were from 1 to' 1.5 times the normal annual output. Yields of Na, Mg, Ca, and K were from 1 to 6 times the normal output; K output showed the largest increase. Nutrient! and cation concentrations in streamflow remained within drinking water quality limits except for 12 hours following burning, when ammonium-N was greater than 0.5 mg/1. Losses of K from this treatment appear greater than any reported in the literature and constitute 5% of the readily-available K, but less than 0.1% of the total K capital in thei forest and soil. N and P losses are in the low to middle range of results reported from elsewhere. The high K losses are related to: (1) the combination of steep terrain, complete preextraction felling, and the logging method, which concentrated crown material near the stream; (2) the greater fire intensity near the stream which, because of the fuel concentrations and an up-valley wind, converted; much of the slash to K-rich ash; and (3) two small storms which occurred shortly after burning and removed most of the ash from the catchment.
A behavioral simulation model for metropolitan policy analysis and planning: residential location and housing market components of UrbanSim

The growing demand for better coordination of metropolitan land use and transportation planning has led to the need for new analytical tools to examine the potential impacts of land-use and transportation policies and investments. In this paper I report on the residential and market-clearing components of the recently developed UrbanSim land-use model, which is currently being implemented in Hawaii, Oregon, and Utah. The model is based on parcel-level land-use data and simulates the interaction between demand and supply of real estate by using a dynamic behavioral approach that operates on an annual time schedule. The model system is now operational, and in this paper the design and calibration results for the Eugene-Springfield, Oregon metropolitan area are described. DOI:10.1068/b2627
Simulations of the axisymmetric magnetospheres of neutron stars

In this paper we present the results of time-dependent simulations of the dipolar axisymmetric magnetospheres of neutron stars carried out within the frameworks of both relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and resistive force-free electrodynamics. The results of force-free simulations reveal the inability of our numerical method to accommodate the equatorial current sheets of pulsar magnetospheres, and raise a question mark about the robustness of this approach. On the other hand, the MHD approach allows us to make significant progress. We start with a non-rotating magnetically dominated dipolar magnetosphere and follow its evolution as the stellar rotation is switched on. We find that the time-dependent solution gradually approaches a steady state that is very close to the stationary solution of the pulsar equation found in 1999 by Contopoulos, Kazanas & Fendt. This result suggests that other stationary solutions that have the Y-point located well inside the light cylinder are unstable. The role of particle inertia and pressure on the structure and dynamics of MHD magnetospheres is studied in detail, as well as the potential implications of dissipative processes in the equatorial current sheet. We argue that pulsars may have differentially rotating magnetospheres which develop noticeable structural oscillations, and that this may help to explain the nature of the subpulse phenomena.
A Summary of the Evaluations of Six California Victim Offender Reconciliation Programs

JUDICIAL COUNCIL OF CALIFORNIA fix fix vii Preface This report to the California Legislature summarizes the results of six separate evaluations of Victim Offender Reconciliation Programs (VORPs) serving victims and their juvenile offenders in six California counties. The purpose of the report is to assess the efficacy of such programs. The study is a consequence of Governor Wilson's veto of Assembly Bill 320 (Goldsmith), introduced in the California Assembly in 1997. That bill would have established a pilot victim-offender reconciliation program in up to three counties selected by the Judicial Council of California. In his veto message, the governor directed the Department of Finance to include money in the 1998−1999 budget for the Judicial Council to conduct an independent study of existing victim-offender reconciliation programs and to report findings to the Legislature. The Judicial Council, through its Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), assigned this work to one of its units, the Center for Families, Children & the Courts. Six sites were selected to participate. Six separate evaluations were completed. This report summarizes and discusses the results. Background Through the victim offender reconciliation programs (VORPs), trained volunteer mediators bring together victims and juvenile offenders to discuss what happened during a law violation. Participation is voluntary. The programs allow victims to meet juvenile offenders face to face and show how the violation has affected the victims and the community. VORPs both augment and provide an alternative to traditional justice processing. Assembly Bill 320 (Goldsmith) was introduced in the California Assembly in 1997 and later vetoed by Governor Wilson. If enacted, it would have established VORP programs in up to three counties selected by the Judicial Council. In his veto message, Governor Wilson noted that VORPs are already permissible and have been established in many places in California. He concluded that the main thrust of AB 320 appeared to be the requirement that the Judicial Council sponsor a study to assess the efficacy of the program. He then directed the Department of Finance to include money in the 1998–1999 budget for the Judicial Council to conduct an independent study of existing victim offender reconciliation programs and to report its findings to the Legislature. The Judicial Council, through its Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), assigned responsibility for conducting this study to one of its units, the Center for Families, Children & the Courts, and selected the subjects. Six existing VORPs that operate …
Dynamic Length-Restricted Coding

Dynamic Length-Restricted Coding Travis Gagie Master of Science Graduate Department of Computer Science University of Toronto 2003 Suppose that S is a string of length m drawn from an alphabet of n characters, d of which occur in S. Let P be the relative frequency distribution of characters in S. We present a new algorithm for dynamic coding that uses at most ⌈lg n⌉ + 1 bits to encode each character in S; fewer than (H(P ) + 4.5)m + d lg n bits overall, where H is Shannon’s entropy function; and O ( (H(P ) + 1)m + d log n ) time to encode and decode. This algorithm does not require P to be known before it encodes S. We extend recent results by Evans and Kirkpatrick for restructuring binary trees. In particular, we present a new algorithm for constructing node-oriented alphabetic minimax trees. We also describe how to efficiently implement an abstract data type that stores a dynamic list of non-negative integers and supports an operation to determine whether there exists a binary tree on nodes of those depths.
Mobile Robot Self-Localization System Using Single Webcam Distance Measurement Technology in Indoor Environments

A single-webcam distance measurement technique for indoor robot localization is proposed in this paper. The proposed localization technique uses webcams that are available in an existing surveillance environment. The developed image-based distance measurement system (IBDMS) and parallel lines distance measurement system (PLDMS) have two merits. Firstly, only one webcam is required for estimating the distance. Secondly, the set-up of IBDMS and PLDMS is easy, which only one known-dimension rectangle pattern is needed, i.e., a ground tile. Some common and simple image processing techniques, i.e., background subtraction are used to capture the robot in real time. Thus, for the purposes of indoor robot localization, the proposed method does not need to use expensive high-resolution webcams and complicated pattern recognition methods but just few simple estimating formulas. From the experimental results, the proposed robot localization method is reliable and effective in an indoor environment.
Orthogonal Learning Particle Swarm Optimization

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) relies on its learning strategy to guide its search direction. Traditionally, each particle utilizes its historical best experience and its neighborhood's best experience through linear summation. Such a learning strategy is easy to use, but is inefficient when searching in complex problem spaces. Hence, designing learning strategies that can utilize previous search information (experience) more efficiently has become one of the most salient and active PSO research topics. In this paper, we proposes an orthogonal learning (OL) strategy for PSO to discover more useful information that lies in the above two experiences via orthogonal experimental design. We name this PSO as orthogonal learning particle swarm optimization (OLPSO). The OL strategy can guide particles to fly in better directions by constructing a much promising and efficient exemplar. The OL strategy can be applied to PSO with any topological structure. In this paper, it is applied to both global and local versions of PSO, yielding the OLPSO-G and OLPSO-L algorithms, respectively. This new learning strategy and the new algorithms are tested on a set of 16 benchmark functions, and are compared with other PSO algorithms and some state of the art evolutionary algorithms. The experimental results illustrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed learning strategy and algorithms. The comparisons show that OLPSO significantly improves the performance of PSO, offering faster global convergence, higher solution quality, and stronger robustness.
Quantifying error in OSCE standard setting for varying cohort sizes: A resampling approach to measuring assessment quality

Abstract Background: The use of the borderline regression method (BRM) is a widely accepted standard setting method for OSCEs. However, it is unclear whether this method is appropriate for use with small cohorts (e.g. specialist post-graduate examinations). Aims and methods: This work uses an innovative application of resampling methods applied to four pre-existing OSCE data sets (number of stations between 17 and 21) from two institutions to investigate how the robustness of the BRM changes as the cohort size varies. Using a variety of metrics, the ‘quality’ of an OSCE is evaluated for cohorts of approximately n = 300 down to n = 15. Estimates of the standard error in station-level and overall pass marks, R2 coefficient, and Cronbach’s alpha are all calculated as cohort size varies. Results and conclusion: For larger cohorts (n > 200), the standard error in the overall pass mark is small (less than 0.5%), and for individual stations is of the order of 1–2%. These errors grow as the sample size reduces, with cohorts of less than 50 candidates showing unacceptably large standard error. Alpha and R2 also become unstable for small cohorts. The resampling methodology is shown to be robust and has the potential to be more widely applied in standard setting and medical assessment quality assurance and research.
Irreducible representations of the CPT groups in QED

We construct the inequivalent irreducible representations (IIR's) of the CPT groups of the Dirac field operator \hat{\psi} and the electromagnetic quantum potential \hat{A}_\mu. The results are valid both for free and interacting (QED) fields. Also, and for the sake of completeness, we construct the IIR's of the CPT group of the Dirac equation.
Additionality effects of public R&D funding: ‘R’ versus ‘D’

Several studies have already addressed the question whether R&D subsidies lead to additionality effects or crowd out firms’ private investment. This paper provides insights into the impact of R&D grants on private R&D expenditure, distinguishing between research and development activities. We employ parametric treatment effects models and IV regression methods. The hypothesis that firms respond differently to R&D subsidies depending on the nature of the R&D activity is confirmed. R&D subsidies are found to mainly contribute to an increase in development expenditure. By contrast, crowding out effects for the research part cannot be rejected.
Imaging HIV-1 RNA dimerization in cells by multicolor super-resolution and fluctuation microscopies

Dimerization is a unique and vital characteristic of retroviral genomes. It is commonly accepted that genomic RNA (gRNA) must be dimeric at the plasma membrane of the infected cells to be packaged during virus assembly. However, where, when and how HIV-1 gRNA find each other and dimerize in the cell are long-standing questions that cannot be answered using conventional approaches. Here, we combine two state-of-the-art, multicolor RNA labeling strategies with two single-molecule microscopy technologies to address these questions. We used 3D-super-resolution structured illumination microscopy to analyze and quantify the spatial gRNA association throughout the cell and monitored the dynamics of RNA-RNA complexes in living-cells by cross-correlation fluctuation analysis. These sensitive and complementary approaches, combined with trans-complementation experiments, reveal for the first time the presence of interacting gRNA in the cytosol, a challenging observation due to the low frequency of these events and their dilution among the bulk of other RNAs, and allow the determination of the subcellular orchestration of the HIV-1 dimerization process.