Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Portrait of Low-Income Migrants in Contemporary Qatar

Though transnational labor migration in the Gulf States has increasingly been of scholarly interest, that scholarship has to date relied largely on qualitative ethnographic methodologies or small non-representative sampling strategies. This paper presents the findings of a large representative sample of low-income migrant laborers in Qatar. The data describe the basic characteristics of the low-income migrant population in Qatar, the process by which migrants obtain employment, the frequency with which this population of migrants encounters the problems and challenges described by previous ethnographic work, and the role played by nationality, ethnicity, and religion in patterning that experience. While the findings generally affirm many of the claims made in earlier ethnographic studies, they provide a means by which the extent of these problems and challenges can be ascertained more directly.
Difference in Budd-Chiari Syndrome Between the West and China

not (54.4%). Furthermore, the mean percentage of hepatology questions answered correctly on the In-Training Examination by the resident cohort of this study was 71% in PGY-1, which downtrended to 63% in PGY-3. A similar trend was observed nationally as well. These data strikingly demonstrate that many graduating PGY-3 residents do not have a strong understanding of CLD and that postgraduate hepatology-focused educational interventions are needed. Furthermore, despite overwhelming agreement that the gastroenterology and hepatology services are integral components of IM, many have never rotated on either. This suggests that the traditional learner-centric system, which allows trainees to electively choose specialty rotations, may be contributing to inadequate education in specialty topics, including hepatology. In response to these data, our IM Residency Program has established a nonelective liver rotation that 26 categorical residents will rotate on each year. The educational strategies employed on this service, including mandated modules in the ACT-First Hepatitis B and C curriculums in LiverLearning of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, are now being studied to assess for improved understanding of CLD among residents.
Pricing, Advertising, and Market Structure with Frictions

This paper develops a model of pricing and advertising in a matching environment with capacity constrained sellers and uncoordinated buyers. Sellers’ search intensity attracts buyers only probabilistically through costly informative advertisement. Equilibrium prices and profit maximizing advertising levels are derived and their properties analyzed. The model generates an inverted U-shape relationship between individual advertisement and market tightness which is robust to alternative advertising technologies. The well known empirical fact in the IO literature reflects the trade-off between price and market tightness matching effects. Finally, in this environment we can alleviate the discontinuity problem, allowing for unique symmetric equilibrium price to be derived.
Spatial Segregation of Spawning Habitat Limits Hybridization between Sympatric Native Steelhead and Coastal Cutthroat Trout

Abstract Native Coastal Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii and Coastal Steelhead O. mykiss irideus hybridize naturally in watersheds of the Pacific Northwest yet maintain species integrity. Partial reproductive isolation due to differences in spawning habitat may limit hybridization between these species, but this process is poorly understood. We used a riverscape approach to determine the spatial distribution of spawning habitats used by native Coastal Cutthroat Trout and Steelhead as evidenced by the distribution of recently emerged fry. Molecular genetic markers were used to classify individuals as pure species or hybrids, and individuals were assigned to age-classes based on length. Fish and physical habitat data were collected in a spatially continuous framework to assess the relationship between habitat and watershed features and the spatial distribution of parental species and hybrids. Sampling occurred in 35 reaches from tidewaters to headwaters in a small (20 km2) coastal watershed in W.
Multiresolution Interpolation and Detiding of the ADCP Data

Abstract To account for the uneven sampling of current measurements collected by acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs), a robust, three-dimensional interpolation scheme based on the multiresolution representation of the regional mean and tidal current fields is proposed. Instead of reconstructing the tidal field by getting bin-averaged time series that rely on heavy sampling or invoking radial basis function expansions, such as using the biharmonic splines with subjectively selected knots, the resolving capability of the proposed scheme relies fundamentally on the scale hierarchy of the resolvable local information constrained by the data. It is demonstrated that the proposed scheme flexibly incorporates the merits of the two conventional techniques. It enforces the resolution of model information while accommodating the local sampling density. Since it is based on a knots network defined by regular grids, attempts at experimentally and subjectively constructing the proper number and locations of con.
Exploring Lean Principles in Automotive Aftermarket for Spare Parts Distribution - A Case Study at Volvo Parts

Aftermarket, as one of the main profit generators for the companies, has gained increasing attention recently. Therefore, companies are always seeking for new methods and solutions enabling them to provide the best possible service to the customers through the most efficient ways. In this trend, companies operating in the automotive industry are no exceptions. Looking through the long history of lean in automotive industry and its proven success in different contexts remains no surprise to see companies using lean principles in the aftermarket. This fact perfectly motivates the endeavors of Volvo Group, a world leading automotive company, to achieve the best position in the aftermarket. The purpose of this thesis, hence, is to investigate the challenges and opportunities of Volvo Parts, a business unit within Volvo Group managing the aftermarket, in applying lean principles. The thesis has been conducted through a qualitative study including literature study as well as investigation in different Volvo Parts areas, namely, sourcing of parts, warehousing and distribution. The main framework for the study consists of investigations in aftermarket industry and its characteristic, lean principles and its application in the aftermarket and Volvo Parts’ specific situation in the aftermarket. The analysis concludes that improvements within Volvo Parts should be focused on all three main areas; managerial, tactical and operational. The main recommendations for Volvo Parts to ensure the improvements include: establishing metrics which are in line with the overall goal of the company, i.e. availability at the customers, preventing sub-optimizations in the departments by moving towards more process-oriented organization, standardizing the activities through stabilizing the lead-time, providing proactive approach to the problems and motivating this culture in the organization, looking upon the inventory as a necessary part of the supply chain to satisfy end-customers and establishing incentives to support the availability of parts where they are needed.
Challenges with Sentiment Analysis of On-line Micro-texts

With the evolution of World Wide Web (WWW) 2.0 and the emergence of many micro-blogging and social networking sites like Twitter, the internet has become a massive source of short textual messages called on-line micro-texts, which are limited to a few number of characters (e.g. 140 characters on Twitter). These on-line micro-texts are considered as real-time text streams. Online micro-texts are extremely subjective; they contain opinions about various events, social issues, personalities, and products. However, despite being so voluminous in quantity, the qualitative nature of these micro-texts is very inconsistent. These qualitative inconsistencies of raw on-line micro-texts impose many challenges in sentiment analysis of on-line micro-texts by using the established methods of sentiment analysis of unstructured reviews. This paper presents many challenges and issues observed during sentiment analysis of On-line Microtexts.
What It Means to Be an Adolescent Teacher-and-Peer-Independent Motivation Type.

In order to enhance our understanding of interindividual differences in academic motivation, the present study examined the interplay of personality, psychosocial adjustment and socio-academic factors in a subsample of adolescent students identified as teacher-and-peer-independent motivation type (MT) (N = 295; MAge = 13.71) in Brandenburg, Germany. A latent structural equation model was run in order to test whether psychosocial adjustment mediates the association between personality and socio-academic factors. The results revealed that psychosocial adjustment fully mediates the associations between personality and socio-academic factors. Additionally, results showed that neuroticism is a strong predictor of socio-academic difficulties. The findings could be integral of supporting students on a more individualized level.
Modeling of Initial Detonation-mode Acceleration in Pulsed Plasma and Magnetoplasmadynamic Thrusters

Gas-fed electromagnetic pulsed plasma accelerators operate by discharging electrical energy into a gas, subsequently ionizing and electromagnetically accelerating propellant. Many efforts to model pulsed accelerators have assumed that the discharge is either short and completely transient, accelerating the gas like a shock by entraining it in a moving current sheet, or that the discharge is relatively long, establishing a stable quasi-steady current distribution through which plasma ﬂows and is accelerated. This idealization encounters problems when thrusters possess some qualities associated with both short and long-pulse-length thrusters. To capture all possible scenarios, a model is presented based upon the idea that all pulsed plasma accelerators ﬁrst form an accelerating current sheet (detonation mode accelerator) and then, depending upon the pulse length and the manner in which the plasma reaches the thruster exit, it can transition to the quasi-steady acceleration conﬁguration (deﬂagration mode accelerator). In the present work the detonation mode is investigated, varying controllable parameters to determine their effects on the plasma acceleration process. The primary driver affecting current sheet acceleration is the amount of gas that the the plasma encounters and entrains as it moves towards the thruster exit. The amount of neutral gas the plasma entrains affects the time it takes the plasma to reach the end of the accelerator and changes the corresponding electrical discharge parameters at the end of detonation mode acceleration.
Morpho-physiological Modulations in Rice (Oryza sativa) by Foliar Application of Phospholipase-C Inhibitor Neomycine under Saline Conditions

The present study was conducted to assess modulation in morpho-physiological attributes of rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars (Bas-385, Bas-2000, Bas-370 and Shaheen) at vegetative stage by phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor neomycine (control and 100 μM) under salt stress (control, 50, 100 and 150 mM NaCl). Salt stress significantly reduced shoot fresh and dry weights, shoot length, water potential, osmotic potential, net CO2 assimilation rate (A), transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance (gs), non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), coefficient of non-photochemical quenching (qN) and photochemical quenching (qP) while increased efficiency of photosystem-II (Fv/Fm), leaf free proline, shoot and root Na, K and Ca level. Foliar application of neomycine increased shoot length, chlorophyll b, A, E, electron transport ratio (ETR), leaf free proline and shoot K. Neomycine remarkably reduced water potential, Fv/Fm, root K and shoot Ca. Of all rice cultivars, cv. Bas-2000 performed better in growth, water relation and photosynthetic attributes under saline and non-saline conditions. © 2016 Friends Science Publishers
Free at Last? Judicial Discretion and Racial Disparities in Federal Sentencing

The federal sentencing guidelines were created to reduce unwarranted sentencing disparities among similar defendants. This paper explores the impact of increased judicial discretion on racial disparities in sentencing after the guidelines were struck down in United States v. Booker (543 U.S. 220 [2005]). Using data on the universe of federal defendants, I find that black defendants received 2 months more in prison compared with their white counterparts after Booker, a 4 percent increase in average sentence length. To identify the sources of racial disparities, I construct a data set linking judges to defendants. Exploiting the random assignment of cases to judges, I find that racial disparities after Booker were greater among judges appointed after Booker, which suggests acculturation to the guidelines by judges with experience sentencing under a mandatory-guidelines regime. Prosecutors also responded to increased judicial discretion after Booker by charging black defendants with binding mandatory minimum sentences.
Analysis of Reflexive Eye Movements for Fast Replay-Resistant Biometric Authentication

Eye tracking devices have recently become increasingly popular as an interface between people and cons-umer-grade electronic devices. Due to the fact that human eyes are fast, responsive, and carry information unique to an individual, analyzing person’s gaze is particularly attractive for rapid biometric authentication. Unfortunately, previous proposals for gaze-based authentication systems either suffer from high error rates or requires long authentication times. We build on the fact that some eye movements can be reflexively and predictably triggered and develop an interactive visual stimulus for elicitation of reflexive eye movements that support the extraction of reliable biometric features in a matter of seconds, without requiring any memorization or cognitive effort on the part of the user. As an important benefit, our stimulus can be made unique for every authentication attempt and thus incorporated in a challenge-response biometric authentication system. This allows us to prevent replay attacks, which are possibly the most applicable attack vectors against biometric authentication. Using a gaze tracking device, we build a prototype of our system and perform a series of systematic user experiments with 30 participants from the general public. We thoroughly analyze various system parameters and evaluate the performance and security guarantees under several different attack scenarios. The results show that our system matches or surpasses existing gaze-based authentication methods in achieved equal error rates (6.3%) while achieving significantly lower authentication times (5s).
How beneficial to health do children and adolescents with early-onset type 1 diabetes eat after 10 years of diabetes ? A comparison with their peers in the general population

The average consumption of different food types by both study populations was determined by means of a standardized questionnaire on frequency of consumption and average portion size (Food Frequency Questionnaire [FFQ]). These study populations comprised 629 children and adolescents with early-onset type 1 diabetes of long duration and 6,813 participants of the same age in the representative KiGGS study (comparison group). Analysis of the data showed that, in spite of their unfavorable HbA1c levels, children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes had a better dietary pattern than their peers in the general population. They consumed more fruit and vegetables and fewer sugary drinks.
Microbial Implications in Vended Street Foods in Kumasi, Ghana

Street foods are foods and beverages that are ready to be eaten and usually sold on the streets. This practice is common in the heart of cities in Ghana providing valuable services by supplying easy access of food to the public at a low cost. However, the safety of these foods is not assessed, in particular, the evaluation of the handling that can result in a contamination. In this study, we assessed the microbial contamination due to the handler involved in the processing of the ready-toeat-foods (RTE) and with the use of a survey researchers highlighted the critical points in order to assess the hygiene practices observed. The study recruited 45 vendors using the random sampling method. Water samples were collected aseptically from the container where the food handlers use in washing their hands during the production of RTE. A structured questionnaire and an observational checklist were used to gather environmental and personal hygiene data from the vendors. Samples were analysed for the detection of different microbiological parameters including food-borne pathogens and 16 resulted positive (37.21%) for Escherichia coli, 12 (27.91%) for Salmonella spp. , 8 (18.60%) for Staphylococcus aureus and 7 (16.28%) for Klebsiella spp. These Original Research Article Abubakari and Gyekye; MRJI, 25(5): 1-9, 2018; Article no.MRJI. 44068 2 results highlighted the importance of different management of the critical points in the RTE production, including guidelines for vendors, in order to guarantee the safety of handled foods that must be taken in consideration will from policy makers in order to guarantee the hygiene practices of these businesses.
A quantitative analysis of Ethiopia’s road expansion program

I study the effects of Ethiopia’s 1996-2014 road expansion program on aggregate and local agricultural productivity and development outcomes. I combine a quantitative spatial framework with a novel district-level panel data set on agricultural production and transport costs. I estimate transport costs between district centers and domestic crop markets accounting for the volume and quality of the road network, and the topography of the terrain. The model features multiple rural locations, where delivering crops to market, as well as accessing intermediate inputs is subject to location-good-specific transport costs. The spatial heterogeneity of transport costs affects the distribution of production and mobile inputs across locations, and the allocation of land across crops within locations. I calibrate the model to the 1996 spatial agricultural production structure of Ethiopia, and then change transport costs to their 2014 levels. The model implies a substantial increase of 13.6% in the aggregate real yield, which rises by 20% with the direct resource savings from lower transport costs. These gains account for about 10% of the overall yield gain in the data over 1996-2014. The model also delivers a U-shaped pattern of yield gains across districts with respect to transport costs, similar to the one observed in the data. †I gratefully acknowledge financial support from the IGC. I am grateful to Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse and the Central Statistical Agency for sharing the data from the Agricultural Sample Surveys. The GIS consultant Mohammed Nuru, and Stein Monteiro provided superb research assistance. I thank Andrew Dickens, Doug Gollin, Pramilla Krishnan, and Theodore Papageorgiou for helpful comments. All errors are my own. Contact: Tasso Adamopoulos, aadamo@yorku.ca.
A Narrative Approach to Delivering Bad News in Organizations: Effective or Not

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present empirical evidence for the use of narrative to deliver bad news within an organization, specifically bad news about layoffs. The attempt is to extend previous empirical work, using narrative by senior leadership to convey corporate strategy, to a different leadership challenge and further explicate a model for understanding the effectiveness of narrative as a leadership communication tool. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents further original research on the effectiveness of narrative as a leadership tool. And theoretical implications for leaders seeking effective communication tools are explored. Findings – Data presented to substantiate that narrative use, as opposed to a PowerPoint style, bulleted list approach, for delivering bad news, an impending layoff, is not effective at producing a clear understanding of the reasons for the layoff, confidence in subjects understanding of these reasons, or the belief in the honesty and integrity of the.
The implicit reaction function of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey

Reviewing the implicit reaction function estimation under different specifications, it appears that the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) responds to the lagged inflation rate rather than the forward one, M2Y growth is targeted on an annual basis and a serious output targeting policy was implemented while neither real nor nominal depreciation of the foreign currency basket was taken into consideration during the period 1989:07–1997:03. Also, we conclude that the CBRT does not target currency issued, M2, net domestic assets or net foreign assets nor does it take any of the budget deficit measures into account while determining its monetary policy.
The impact of service quality , price and perceived risk on perceived value and behavioral intentions

The purpose of the medical tourism is to offer a treatment which has a better quality or a better quality/price ratio then what exists in the consumer’s country. Perceived value and quality are powerful predictor of actual and intentional reactions (Garrouch et al, 2012; Babin and Attaway, 2000; Dodds et al., 1991; Zeithaml, 1988), and this is something that patients care for in the medical tourism experience (Hallem and Barth, 2011). The impact of quality, perceived value, perceived risk and price on behavioral intentions pertaining to medical tourism have been studied by Choi et al (2004). The purpose is to verify a comprehensive model integrating these variables, in the context of medical tourism in Tunisia and integrating price perceptions, service quality, value and satisfaction as predictors of attitudinal loyalty. A survey has been distributed to 206 foreign patients, with the help of their doctor or the hospital employees after the medical treatment. Structural Equation modeling has been used to verify the conceptual model. Results show that Perceived value is influenced only by the quality related to physician’s concern and perceived price. Perceived value of medical services seems to be a well established antecedent of satisfaction, which has a significant impact on behavioral intentions.
The Cocoon Shocks of Cygnus A: Pressures and Their Implications for the Jets and Lobes

We use 2.0 Msec of Chandra observations to investigate the cocoon shocks of Cygnus A and some implications for its lobes and jet. Measured shock Mach numbers vary in the range 1.18–1.66 around the cocoon. We estimate a total outburst energy of , with an age of . The average postshock pressure is found to be , which agrees with the average pressure of the thin rim of compressed gas between the radio lobes and shocks, as determined from X-ray spectra. However, average rim pressures are found to be lower in the western lobe than in the eastern lobe by ≃20%. Pressure estimates for hotspots A and D from synchrotron self-Compton models imply that each jet exerts a ram pressure ≳3 times its static pressure, consistent with the positions of the hotspots moving about on the cocoon shock over time. A steady, one-dimensional flow model is used to estimate jet properties, finding mildly relativistic flow speeds within the allowed parameter range. Models in which the jet carries a negligible flux of rest mass are consistent with the observed properties of the jets and hotspots. This favors the jets being light, implying that the kinetic power and momentum flux are carried primarily by the internal energy of the jet plasma rather than by its rest mass.