Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vitamin D Deficiency as a Risk Factor in Non-Squamous Lung Cancer Subgroups - A Preliminary Study

Background: It has been known that smoking is the primary causative factor of lung cancer, but other factors also play roles. Epidemiological studies demonstrate an increase of cancer in people lower exposure to sunlight and which has an impact in the synthesis of active 25(OH)D. The aim of study was to determinate the potential role of 25(OH)D etiologic factor in subtypes of lung cancer. Methods: There were 140 participants of which 100 were men (71.4%) and 40 (28.6%) were women. The study group was 60 lung cancer before any treatment participants (48 male, 12 female) and control group was 80 (52 male, 28 female). The study group was divided into three histologic subtypes; small cell lung cancer (SCLC) (13 pts, 21.7%), squamous cell lung cancer (SqCC) (18 pts, 30%) and non-squamous (23 adenocarcinoma, 6 others; total 29 pts, 48.3%). Results: There was significant difference between smoking and histologic subgroups (p<0.001). While the SCLC (p=0.002) and the SqCC (p<0.001) group had a significantly more pack/year smoking; no difference in non-squamous subgroup (p=0.114). 25(OH)D levels was significantly less in non-squamous cell subgroups (p<0.001). Smoking group has less 25(OH)D levels than non-smoker group significantly (p=0.006). Conclusion: Meanwhile smoking is a risk factor for SCLC and SqCC; in non-squamous subtype 25(OH)D deficiency could be a causative factor. Our findings may be supported with further studies including larger patient populations.
Markov switching quantile autoregression

This paper considers the location‐scale quantile autoregression in which the location and scale parameters are subject to regime shifts. The regime changes in lower and upper tails are determined by the outcome of a latent, discrete‐state Markov process. The new method provides direct inference and estimate for different parts of a non‐stationary time series distribution. Bayesian inference for switching regimes within a quantile, via a three‐parameter asymmetric Laplace distribution, is adapted and designed for parameter estimation. Using the Bayesian output, the marginal likelihood is readily available for testing the presence and the number of regimes. The simulation study shows that the predictability of regimes and conditional quantiles by using asymmetric Laplace distribution as the likelihood is fairly comparable with the true model distributions. However, ignoring that autoregressive coefficients might be quantile dependent leads to substantial bias in both regime inference and quantile prediction. The potential of this new approach is illustrated in the empirical applications to the US inflation and real exchange rates for asymmetric dynamics and the S&P 500 index returns of different frequencies for financial market risk assessment.
Businessman or host? Individual differences between entrepreneurs and small business owners in the hospitality industry

Prior research has identified individual characteristics that distinguish business owners from non-business owners. The researchers tested their contention that not every successful business owner can be characterized by such typical ‘entrepreneurial’ characteristics. Multiple analysis of variance on a unique data set of 194 business owners in the hospitality industry revealed that several individual characteristics discriminated between entrepreneurs and small business owners. Entrepreneurs possessed higher levels of independence, tolerance of ambiguity, risk-taking propensity, innovativeness, and leadership qualities, but not of market orientation and self-efficacy. It is concluded that ‘entrepreneurial’ characteristics identified in the literature may be useful predicting a specific type of business ownership. However, other criteria need to be developed in order to describe other groups of business owners operating in the service industries.
Turning A Blind Eye to Policy Prescriptions: Exploring the Sources of Procyclical Fiscal Behavior at the Subnational Level

This paper analyses the fiscal behavior of subnational districts in Argentina over the business cycle. I address two questions. Is the fiscal policy of Argentine districts procyclical? If so, what is the theory that best explains procyclicality? the answers come from the estimation of an error correction model of a panel that spans 23 years and 24 districts. I found that all categories of public expenditures, except for capital expenditures, were procyclical. the main sources of procyclicality are the political networks, changes in the amount of oil, gas and mining grants, federal interventions, and discretionary intergovernmental transfers.
Joseph Ideals and Harmonic Analysis for

The Joseph ideal in the universal enveloping algebra U(so(m)) is the annihilator ideal of the so(m)-representation on the harmonic functions on R^{m-2}. The Joseph ideal for sp(2n) is the annihilator ideal of the Segal-Shale-Weil (metaplectic) representation. Both ideals can be constructed in a unified way from a quadratic relation in the tensor algebra of g for g equal to so(m) or sp(2n). In this paper we construct two analogous ideals in the tensor algebra of g and U(g) for g the orthosymplectic Lie superalgebra osp(m|2n)=spo(2n|m) and prove that they have unique characterizations that naturally extend the classical case. Then we show that these two ideals are the annihilator ideals of respectively the osp(m|2n)-representation on the spherical harmonics on R^{m-2|2n} and a generalization of the metaplectic representation to spo(2n|m). This proves that these ideals are reasonable candidates to establish the theory of Joseph-like ideals for Lie superalgebras. We also discuss the relation between the Joseph ideal of osp(m|2n) and the algebra of symmetries of the super conformal Laplace operator, regarded as an intertwining operator between principal series representations for osp(m|2n).
Post-capitalism, post-growth, post-consumerism? Eco-political hopes beyond sustainability

ABSTRACTAs a road map for a structural transformation of socially and ecologically self-destructive consumer societies, the paradigm of sustainability is increasingly regarded as a spent force. Yet, its exhaustion seems to coincide with the rebirth of several ideas reminiscent of earlier, more radical currents of eco-political thought: liberation from capitalism, consumerism and the logic of growth. May the exhaustion of the sustainability paradigm finally re-open the intellectual and political space for the big push beyond the established socio-economic order? Looking from the perspective of social and eco-political theory, this article argues that the new narratives (and social practices) of post-capitalism, degrowth and post-consumerism cannot plausibly be read as signalling a new eco-political departure. It suggests that beyond the exhaustion of the sustainability paradigm, we are witnessing, more than anything, the further advancement of the politics of unsustainability – and that in this politics th.
"Taste heterogeneity, labor mobility and economic geography" - A critical reconsideration and correction

This article reconsiders the linear new economic geography model under heterogeneous agents developed by Tabuchi and Thisse (2002) by applying an analytical technique introduced by Ludema and Wooton (1999). Two problematic aspects are identified: first, the divergence pattern for countries which differ in amenities is incorrect. I show that the degree of agglomeration is highest when trade costs are high. Besides this minor problem, the second critical issue concerns the welfare analysis. It is shown in this paper that this model exhibits a latent tendency for overagglomeration when trade costs are high and underagglomeration when trade costs are low, bringing it in line with other welfare analyses of new economic geography models.
Language assessment through Bloom’s Taxonomy

The significance of Bloom's taxonomy is ingrained in developing assessments that measure higher and lower level cognitive skills. Since it is important to assess how well students master the information within the levels of the taxonomy, in this study, the higher and lower levels of Bloom's taxonomy are presented and whether the exam questions of General English courses are based on both higher and lower order thinking levels is detected. This study was carried out through both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. The findings of the study suggested that the analyzed exam papers lacked the higher level cognitive skills contained in Bloom’s Taxonomy. Through the findings, some assumptions have been made with the aim of suggesting how the exam papers which are being written or will be written should refer to Bloom’s taxonomy.
SURFACE INVESTIGATION ON PROTOTYPE CAVITIES FOR THE EUROPEAN XFEL

Accelerating gradient Eacc of XFEL prototype cavities manufactured at the industry and treated at DESY demonstrates wide-range scattering from 15 to 41 MV/m. Most cavities satisfy the XFEL specification. Few cavities with low performance (15-17 MV/m) are limited by thermal breakdown without field emission. The T-map analysis detected quench areas mainly close to the equator. Optical control by high resolution camera has been applied and allowed to monitor the defects in some cases with good correlation to T-map observation. In order to understand the cause of reduced performance and get more detailed information of the origin of defects, some samples have been extracted from two cavities and investigated by light microscope, 3Dmicroscope, SEM, EDX and Auger spectroscopy. Several surface flaws with sizes from a few μm to hundreds of μm detected by microscopy. The defects can be separated into two categories. The first category of defects consists of foreign elements (often an increased content of carbon). Inclusions with increased content of carbon adhere on the surface and presumably have a hydrocarbon nature. Deviation from a smooth surface profile characterizes the second type of defects (holes, bumps and pits).
A Study of the Delivery Ratio Characteristics of Crankcase-Scavenged Two-Stroke Cycle Engines

THE OUTPUT CHARACTERISTICS of two-stroke cycle engines are determined mainly by the charging efficiency which is a product of the delivery ratio and the trapping efficiency. With the same scavenging system, there i s l i t t le difference in trapping efficiency at a specified delivery rat io . (1)" Therefore, the output characteristics of crankcase -scavenged two -stroke cycle engines with the same scavenging system depend chiefly on the delivery ratio. When these engines are used as prime movers of motorscooters or auromobiles, it is usually not required to have the tuning effects from the inlet and/or exhaust pipe sysrems because of their vehicle characteristics. Under these
Effect of Strategic Leadership on the Performance of Devolved Government System in Kakamega County, Kenya

Whereas most devolved government systems in Kenya have strategic plans showing their vision, mission and objectives set to be achieved, their service delivery fall below customers’ expectations. Good strategic plans put in place require good implementation which is steered by strategic leadership thus the need for this study. It is on this background that this study was designed to investigate the effect of strategic leadership on the performance of devolved government systems in Kakamega County. The study was guided by the following specific objective: to establish the effect of strategic leadership on the performance of devolved government systems which was latter formulated into null hypothesis. The study contributes to the body of knowledge to both academicians and practitioners. The study adopted a descriptive correlation survey research design and the study was carried out in Kakamega County. There are six devolved government systems in Kakamega County and both the primary and secondary data was collected. Primary data was collected by use of key informant method. This being a census study, all the administrative and the public relations officers for every devolved government system was selected to take part in the study as they are perceived to be knowledgeable on the issues under study and for which they are either responsible for their execution or they personally execute them. Validity of the research instruments was attained by administering the instruments to pilot respondents who were not included in the main study and also use of feedback to improve the questionnaire. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to measure the reliability of the scale, which is also used to assess the interval consistency among the research instrument items. The data collection instruments were administered to all the six devolved government systems. After the data had been collected, the researcher edited them to ensure that they are complete, Coding, classification then entered and analyzed using statistical package for social sciences computer software version 12.0 to generate cumulative frequencies and percentages. The study found out that strategic leadership significantly and positively affect performance with 52.6 percent of the performance (R squared = 0.526) being explained by strategic leadership. There is need for the devolved government systems to employ strategic leadership in their operations as this improves their level of performance. This is mainly because the study found out that performance of devolved systems was dependent to the strategic leadership. Keywords: Strategic leadership, Performance, Devolved Government System, Kakamega and Kenya
Variance component estimation with longitudinal data: a simulation study with alternative methods.

A pedigree structure distributed in three different places was generated. For each offspring, phenotypic information was generated for five different ages (12, 30, 48, 66 and 84 months). The data file was simulated allowing some information to be lost (10, 20, 30 and 40%) by a random process and by selecting the ones with lower phenotypic values, representing the selection effect. Three alternative analysis were used, the repeatability model, random regression model and multiple-trait model. Random regression showed to be more adequate to continually describe the covariance structure of growth over time than single-trait and repeatability models, when the assumption of a correlation between successive measurements in the same individual was different from one another. Without selection, random regression and multiple-trait models were very similar.
The Neuropsychology of Religion

Consider religion to be a community's (1) costly and hard-to-fake commitment (2) to a counterfactual world of supernatural agents (3) who master people's existential anxieties, such as death and deception. This intellectual framework guides a research program that aims to foster scientific dialogue between cultural anthropology, cognitive psychology and evolutionary biology regarding a set of phenomena vital to most human life and all societies (Atran 2002). The present chapter mainly concerns the third criterion of religion (3), and its implications for neuropsychology. Previous neurobiological studies of religion have focused on tracking participant's neurophysiological responses during episodes of religious experience and recording individual patterns of trance, vision, revelation and the like. This has favored comparison of religious experience with temporal-lobe brain-wave patterns during epileptic seizures and acute schizophrenic episodes. Cognitive structures of the human mind/brain in general, and cognitions of agency in particular, are usually represented in these studies in simple-minded terms (e.g., binary oppositions, holistic vs. analytical tensions, hierarchical organization, etc.) that have little input from, or pertinence to, recent findings of cognitive and developmental psychology. Perhaps more telling is recent work on the role of the prefrontal cortices in processing concepts of agency and self and in cognitive mediation of relevant emotions originating in (what was once called) “the limbic system. ” Still, for those religious believers who never have an emotionally intense encounter with the Divine – including the overwhelming majority of persons in our society – the neurophysiological bases of faith remain a complete mystery.
Impact of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on Economic Growth in WAEMU from 1990 to 2012

In recent years, the effect of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on economic growth has been increasing, in developing countries, particularly in Africa. In their attempt to attract FDI, most African countries such as WAEMU (West African Economy Monetary Union) countries have liberalized trade and attempted to create an enabling environment. The purpose of our study is to investigate the impact of FDI on economic growth for WAEMU countries. We developed a theoretical model of investment that included an FDI variable and tested it with panel data from 1990 to 2012. The model is run for seven (7) developing countries in Africa. The estimation results show that FDI has a positive impact on economic growth. We found that FDI in WAEMU is going to facilitate the trade, FDI liberalization, economic cooperation, improve the business environment and increase the labour cost. FDI will allow WAEMU countries to attract more foreign capital for the creation of jobs and wealth. Based upon these results, the ultimate objective of our paper concludes that the Impact of FDI on economic growth is beneficial for host country’s trade and investment. The increasing of investment in WAEMU countries could generate important gains for most of African economies.
CANADIAN EARLY ADOLESCENTS’ SELF-DISCLOSURE TO SIBLINGS AND BEST FRIENDS

This study addressed children's reports of self-disclosures to their siblings and best friends in early adolescence. Twenty-four boys and 22 girls in Grade 4 ( M age = 9.48, SD = .59) and 19 boys and 28 girls in Grade 6 ( M age = 11.15 years, SD = .55) were interviewed regarding disclosures to siblings and friends. They also completed the Sibling Relationship Questionaire (Furman & Buhrmester, 1985b) and the Friendship Activity Questionaire (Bukowski, Hoza, & Boivin, 1994) to rate the quality of each relationship. Participants were more likely to disclose peer, academic, and shared interest issues to friends than siblings. Boys reported discussing shared interests more frequently with both siblings and friends. Respondents who disclosed to their siblings also reported higher warmth, rivalry, and greater conflict in their sibling relationship. Early adolescents who did not disclose to their friends reported greater friendship conflict. Findingds are discussed in light of recent theory and empirical literature.
The non-stationary influence of geography on the spatial agglomeration of production in the EU

In this paper, we investigate the relative importance of geographic features on the location of production in the EU. Specifically, we want to quantify how much of the spatial pattern of GDP can be attributed to only exogenous first nature elements (physical and political geography) and how much can be derived from endogenous second nature factors (man-made agglomeration economies). In order to disentangle both effects empirically, and to learn how they are interrelated, we control for second nature. We use a methodology based on an analysis of variance (ANOVA), which is applied to a panel of 1,171 European NUT-3 in 2006. We demonstrate that -due to a high degree of spatial non-stationarity present in the data- results can be biased if spatial autocorrelation and spatial heterogeneity, as well as multicollinearity and endogeneity, are not properly taken into account.
The Effectiveness of Corpus- Based Approach to Language Description in Creating Corpus-Based Exercises to Teach Writing Personal Statements

Using corpora in language teaching has revolutionized language research with its ‘authentic’ appeal. Corpus tools have enabled linguistic researchers and teachers to investigate actual usages and the characteristics of certain genres in order to improve syllabus design and infer more effective classroom exercises. From this perspective, this paper attempts to use corpus tools to investigate the characteristics of one of the most important requirements of university programs admissions which is the personal statement. Despite the immense importance of writing a personal statement in the lives of students wanting to enroll in universities, little research has been conducted on its instructions. More importantly, teaching its features to university students has been neglected although personal statements are an essential genre that should be emphasized in academic writing classes or university preparation courses. The paper aims to investigate if compiling a corpus of personal statements can lead to creating an effective corpus-based activities to be taught in teaching writing a personal statement. Then the paper attempts to evaluate the pedagogical implications of using corpus-based activities and criticized the weaknesses and strengths of corpora as a resource in language teaching. This paper chose to focus on personal statements collected from law students due to the high demand on law colleges in Saudi Arabia and the difficulty of admission requirements. This study used Sketch Engine® to complie a corpus of sixty-seven personal statement with a total word count of 50, 691, then analysed the lexio-grammatical features. The results were used to create corpus-based excersises to be taught in writing courses teaching personal statements.
Prediction of Heart Disease Using Machine Learning Algorithms

The successful experiment of data mining in highly visible fields like marketing, e-business, and retail has led to its application in other sectors and industries. Healthcare is being discovered among these areas. There is an opulence of data available within the healthcare systems. However, there is a scarcity of useful analysis tool to find hidden relationships in data. This research intends to provide a detailed description of Naive Bayes and decision tree classifier that are applied in our research particularly in the prediction of Heart Disease. Some experiment has been conducted to compare the execution of predictive data mining technique on the same dataset, and the consequence reveals that Decision Tree outperforms over Bayesian classification.
Regulative feedback mechanisms in cyanobacteria-driven systems: a model study

While we have some understanding about the influence of physical processes on biolog- ical variables, our knowledge about biological-physical feedback loops in marine ecosystems is scarce. In this model study the impact of cyanobacteria on their environment and life cycle stages is assessed by a coupled biological-physical model. Several positive and negative feedback loops are identified including a short temperature-cyanobacteria-temperature loop which is embedded into longer ones running on the seasonal time scale. The short positive feedback loop leads to an increase of cyanobacteria and a simultaneous decrease of eukaryotic phytoplankton biomass in summer. How- ever, the induced changes in the nutrient and temperature field result in enhanced eukaryotic phyto- plankton growth in autumn, which degrades winter light conditions for resting spores of cyanobacte- ria. Nevertheless, positive feedback prevails and overall, cyanobacteria gain from their own presence. This study emphasizes the importance of considering species and life cycle characteristics in studies dealing with feedback mechanisms.