Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cost-Sensitive BERT for Generalisable Sentence Classification on Imbalanced Data

The automatic identification of propaganda has gained significance in recent years due to technological and social changes in the way news is generated and consumed. That this task can be addressed effectively using BERT, a powerful new architecture which can be fine-tuned for text classification tasks, is not surprising. However, propaganda detection, like other tasks that deal with news documents and other forms of decontextualized social communication (e.g. sentiment analysis), inherently deals with data whose categories are simultaneously imbalanced and dissimilar. We show that BERT, while capable of handling imbalanced classes with no additional data augmentation, does not generalise well when the training and test data are sufficiently dissimilar (as is often the case with news sources, whose topics evolve over time). We show how to address this problem by providing a statistical measure of similarity between datasets and a method of incorporating cost-weighting into BERT when the training and test sets are dissimilar. We test these methods on the Propaganda Techniques Corpus (PTC) and achieve the second highest score on sentence-level propaganda classification.
PERSPECTIVES STIMULATING THE DEMAND FOR INSURANCE

This article acts as a review and also a guide to policymakers who are interested in understanding the determinants of insurance demand and how it affects general economic development. By providing a synopsis and evaluation of existing empirical research on the development of insurance markets, this article provides a discussion of the factors that promote insurance market development. This article then highlights certain issues that both insurance companies and policymakers can utilize further in their own markets to design future policies that can be geared to promote insurance market development.
Parylene C Aging Studies

Parylene C is used in a device because of its conformable deposition and other advantages. Techniques to study Parylene C aging were developed, and %22lessons learned%22 that could be utilized for future studies are the result of this initial study. Differential Scanning Calorimetry yielded temperature ranges for Parylene C aging as well as post-deposition treatment. Post-deposition techniques are suggested to improve Parylene C performance. Sample preparation was critical to aging regimen. Short-term (~40 days) aging experiments with free standing and ceramic-supported Parylene C films highlighted %22lessons learned%22 which stressed further investigations in order to refine sample preparation (film thickness, single sided uniform coating, machine versus laser cutting, annealing time, temperature) and testing issues (%22necking%22) for robust accelerated aging of Parylene C.
The Impact of CRM Strategy on Customer Loyalty in SMEs

The beauty service industry is one of the most flourishing industries in contemporary Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, as versatile demands from men and women have catered to this uplifting growth. A national scandal, however, lead to the suspension of several beauty centers, and conveyed a challenge for competitive small-medium enterprises (SME) to sustain relationships with customers over the long-run. The aim of this study was to understand the impact of customer relationship management (CRM) strategy on customer loyalty using the case of beauty centers in Beirut, Lebanon. The study employed a quantitative approach where data was collected by means of a questionnaire, from a sample of 103 customers. Four variables, as components of CRM, were measured in this study. Results of the statistical analysis verified that customer experience, employee behaviour, and value proposition have a positive impact on customer loyalty. This research provides recommendations for strategically improving relationship-oriented practices in Lebanese SMEs, particularly in the beauty sector.
In Vitro Evaluation of Fungicides and Plant Extract against Alternaria solani (Ellis) Causing Early Blight in Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.)

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is one of the most remunerative and widely grown vegetables in the world. It is a small annual or short lived perennial herb belonging to the family Solanaceae, probably native of „Peru-Equador‟. It is a regular kitchen component of Indian diet which is used as raw fruit and also as cooked processed products like soup, ketchup, sauce, pickle, pastes and powder. The pulp and juice of tomato is very digestible, promoter of gastric secretion and blood purifier, additionally it nutrients and metabolites (Folate, potassium, and vitamins A and C) that are important for human health. Tomato is being extensively grown as an annual plant all over the world. Tomato has ranks second next to potato in world acreage but it has rank first among processing crops. It is cultivated in an area of 4.73 million hectares all over the world with production of 163.96 million tones and an average yield of 34.66 tones ha -1 . In India, it is grown in a wide range of climate across states of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka, International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 9 (2017) pp. 820-827 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology Of Breast Lumps With Histopathological Correlation: A Four Year And Eight Months Study From Rural India.

Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology is known to be quick, simple and effective way of diagnosing Breast Lumps since long. It is also a very good financial alternative to the surgical biopsy. This study was undertaken with the aim to calculate sensitivity and specificity of fine needle aspiration cytology as diagnostic method by correlating it with histopathological findings. This was a retrospective study done in department of pathology, Maharaja Agrasen Medical College from Sept. 2007 to April 2012. Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology was performed on 454 cases of Breast lumps and out of these, 56 cases were received in the department for histopathological examination. We categorized the lesions as Inflammatory, Benign, Atypical, Suspicious and Malignant on Fine Needle Aspiration and compared the result with the histological findings. We found that sensitivity and specificity of Fine Needle Aspiration were 96.42% and 100% respectively in identifying Benign and Malignant Breast Lumps. In conclusion, we found that Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology is very efficacious, simple, easy and cost effective method in diagnosing breast lumps.
Population characteristics of Suncus murinus in rural commensal habitats of Pothwar, Pakistan

The present study was aimed to determine the population characteristics of the House shrew, Suncus murinus, in rural commensal habitats of Pothwar, Pakistan. The trapping campaign was conducted in four village sites of Pothwar on a seasonal basis from March 2012 through February 2014. In each village, snap traps were set in three types of structures (including, village households, shops and farm houses). The results showed that the shrew population in the rural human habitations had an unbiased sex ratio. Reproductively active individuals were present throughout the year. Reproductively active females outnumbered the inactive individuals. The species was predominantly eating animal food (mainly insects) in its diet along with the sufficient amount of plant matter. Overall, these results indicated that in commensal conditions shrew populations had diversity in their diet with the relatively continuous reproductive activity.
Stochastic Analysis of Vehicle Models for Sensitivity Analysis and Optimization

Within the 6th Framework Programme EU project APROSYS, the Sub-project 7 is fully devoted to virtual testing. The aim is to improve the quality of the crash simulation in order to be able to come to rating and qualification by virtual analysis. One of the main issues lies in the evaluation of scatter sources and the consequences of scatter on the results of the analysis. Therefore, great effort was devoted in the project to identify and quantify sources of dispersions, and to assess their relevance. To evaluate the influence of scatter on crash responses a series of stochastic models has been developed. Within the APROSYS project a series of generic car models was developed to perform this task. Generic car models are virtual vehicles, derived from the geometry, layout, and characteristics of the best-in-class models currently available on the market according to EuroNCAP ratings, generated to have commonly shared models to work out towards improvement in crash simulations. In this work a stochastic analysis developed by using one of these generic car model, called GCM4, a multi-purpose vehicle, will be reported. The stochastic model was generated by considering the stochastic variation of some parameters. In particular, the steel sheet properties were used as stochastic variables (input). Moreover, to evaluate the structure influence on the passenger behavior, a simpler stochastic passenger compartment model was developed. The simulation runs were managed by a specific tool, called ADVISER, developed within the APROSYS project and its antecedent ADVANCE. The results were analyzed by means of the postprocessor included in the same ADVISER tool. The results give further insight in the problem of the improvement of simulations for passive safety applications.
ON THE NEXUS BETWEEN RISK TAKING AND PROFITABILITY : EVIDENCES FROM INDONESIA

This paper test interrelationship between risk taking and profitability (ROAA) using two stage regression. We study 150 bank sample for 2008-2014 from Indonesia. Instrumented variable is total risk taking (RT) and the instruments are asset size, equity to total asset, loan asset ratio, loan loss reserve, efficiency, liquidity. For macroeconomic variables, we use economic growth, Central bank -rate (CBDR) and inflation rate (CPI). We find a positive relationship between risk taking (RT) and bank profitability (ROAA). Further, the relationship between risk taking (RT) and profitability (ROAA) is endogenous. The result confirms that bank's motivation to take more risk is to earn higher profit. In addition, capital ratio is negative to risk taking (RT) and profitability (ROAA). Interestingly, credit risk taking is negative due to the high correlation with a problem loan (LLRGL). The cost inefficiency is negative to bank’s profitability. Finally, for improving profitability, bank’s manager should manage the operation better such as reducing problem loan and improving cost efficiency as these actions are more effective than taking more risk taking (RT).
Examination of Blepharis aspera as a possible Cu-Ni indicator plant

BLEPHARIS ASPERA WAS COLLECTED FROM A copper-nickel mineralized area in Botswana and examined as a possible Cu-Ni indicator plant for biogeochemical prospecting. Different plant parts and the host soils were analysed using ultrasonic slurry sampling electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. All plant parts accumulated Cu and Ni in above-normal amounts, although not in hyperaccumulator concentrations. The leaf to soil concentration ratio varied little with metal concentration in the soil. We propose Blepharis aspera as a Cu indicator plant. The accumulation behaviour of Blepharis aspera is compared with another previously studied metallophyte, Helichrysum candolleanum, that is growing in the same area.
The role of parents' and teachers' child-related competence beliefs in the development of students' self-concept of ability

Pesu, Laura Annukka The role of parents’ and teachers’ child-related competence beliefs in the development of students’ self-concept of ability Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2017, 48 p. (Jyväskylä Studies in Education, Psychology and Social Research ISSN 0075-4625; 579) ISBN 978-951-39-6974-5 (nid.) ISBN 978-951-39-6975-2 (PDF) Individuals’ perceptions about their abilities, that is, self-concepts of abilities, are crucial determinants of academic achievement and education-related choices. The aims of this research were to examine the role of parents’ and teachers’ beliefs about children’s abilities in students’ self-concept of ability in the domains of literacy and mathematics, and whether the role of parents and teachers is different among boys and girls, and among lowand high-performing students. These questions were examined using three different data sets: the LIGHT study, the Jyväskylä Entrance into Primary School (JEPS) study and the STAIRWAY study. In all three studies, the participants were Finnish. In the Light study, the participants were first-grade students, in the JEPS study lower secondary school students and the STAIRWAY study sixthand seventh-grade students. Among the first-graders, the results showed that the beliefs of teachers’, in particular, predicted the development of students’ self-concept of ability in both literacy and mathematics, but only among high-performing students: the higher a teacher’s beliefs about a high-performing student’s abilities at the beginning of the first grade, the better that student’s self-concept of ability at the end of the first grade. Among the lower secondary school students, both mothers’ and fathers’ beliefs positively predicted students’ subsequent self-concept of mathematics ability, although the impact of mothers’ beliefs was stronger among high-performing than low-performing students. Among students transiting from primary to lower secondary school, mothers’ beliefs about their children’s abilities positively predicted the development of students’ self-concept of ability in mathematics, although the impact was stronger among high-performing than low-performing students. Gender did not moderate the associations between parents’ and teachers’ beliefs and students’ self-concept of ability in any of the three studies. Overall, the results suggest that teachers and parents play an important role in the development of students’ self-concepts of abilities. It would be important to take these findings into account when planning how best to support students and their developing selfconcepts.
A Multiwavelength Study of CC Eridani

Abstract Radio and optical observations from December 2001 and January 2002 of the active RS CVn-like binary CC Eri are presented. The star was monitored at 4.80 and 8.64 GHz over 3 × 12 h allocations with the Australia Telescope Compact Array on 28 to 30 December 2001. The Anglo-Australian Telescope was used for simultaneous optical spectropolarimetry during a 0.5 h period on 30 December. Data from four nights of broadband photometry gathered around the same period are also included in this present multiwavelength study. The low levels of radio emission were circularly polarised at ∼20% with slightly positive spectral indices of ∼0.26. Two flare-like increases were observed on successive nights with steep positive spectral indices and no detectable polarisation. Cross-correlation analysis of the 4.80 and 8.64 GHz intensities over the stronger flare showed that the higher frequency emission preceded that at the lower frequency by ∼5 min, a result consistent with the propagation of a hydromagnetic disturbance outwards through the corona. On the same night, a significant cross-correlation in the ‘quiescent’ emission indicates the presence of micro-flaring, although its low intensity does not permit the evaluation of a time delay. The emission parameters on the three nights are compatible with a gyrosyncrotron mechanism, in which the radio source becomes optically thick during strong flaring. We develop a simple model, which is based on assuming that the number of radiating electrons is a given function of the magnetic field in the source region, and derive feasible values for the field, source radius, and number of emitting electrons, which are not strongly dependent on the field modelling function or the aspect ratio of the source. Spectropolarimetry demonstrates the presence of a strong surface magnetic field. Optical photometry, covering a sufficient amount of the orbit, indicates a maculation region of significant size (∼14° radius). The results help develop a three-dimensional picture of a large stellar magnetically active region and encourage more detailed follow-up multiwavelength studies of this and similar stars.
Teachers’ Education and Outcomes: Mapping the Research Terrain

Background/Context Questions about teacher quality, including how teachers ought to be educated and licensed, rank near the top of the educational agenda in the United States. These controversies persist because of lack of consensus about what “teacher quality” means, conflicting claims about the empirical evidence, and public skepticism about the need for formal teacher preparation. Because there has been relatively little research on the outcomes of preparation programs and pathways and because researchers work from diverging paradigms, there are few clear conclusions in this area. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study The purpose of this article is to offer a conceptual analysis of empirical research on teachers’ education and outcomes that is linked to the political controversies and policy debates that shape it. Using the concept of research “genres,” the article addresses two questions: (1) How have researchers conceptualized and studied the connections between teachers’ education and its outcomes, consequences, or results? (2) What are the policy controversies and larger social and political factors that have shaped these genres? Research Design This review focuses on research conducted in the United States since 1998 and published by peer-reviewed journals or centers with peer review procedures. The review includes only empirical research that explicitly examines connections between particular aspects of teachers’ education (e.g., certification status, academic background, pathways into teaching, program mission/curriculum, transitions to teaching, life experiences) and specific posteducation outcomes (e.g., teacher preparedness, beliefs, practice, retention, student achievement). Findings/Results The review reveals that there are six distinguishable genres that examine connections between teachers’ education and posteducation outcomes: teacher certification and its correlates, teachers’ educational backgrounds and the teacher workforce, entry pathways into teaching and their consequences, teacher preparation programs and their graduates, teacher preparation and learning to teach in the early career years, and teachers’ life experiences and beliefs/practices. The article analyzes and critiques each genre, including its contributions/limitations and the controversies it addresses. Conclusions/Recommendations The review concludes that there continue to be relatively few studies that connect aspects of teachers’ education to outcomes; some genres focus primarily on outcomes related to student achievement, whereas others focus primarily on outcomes related to teacher learning. These genres have grown up relatively separately from one another. The review recommends that all six research genres ought to be taken into account by policymakers, researchers, and practitioners in order to have a rich understandings of teachers’ education and outcomes.
Population dynamics and life cycle of Hyale barbicornis (Amphipoda, Crustacea) in a blue mussel zone

Population dynamics and life cycle of Hyale barbicomis Hiwatari & Kajihara from a blue mussel zone were studied in Tokyo Harbor, Japan. Abundance attained a maximum of 3688 individuals 100"~ cm in summer and fell to a minimum of 134 indiv. 1002 cm in winter. Temperature is an important factor in regulating abundance. Death rate exceeded birth rate during April and May even though birth rate of overwintering females indicated a high value. This was probably due to newborn juveniles being exposed to low temperature. A high birth rate maintained during summer resulted in a peak in abundance. Females reached maturity at a small size (5 mm) in summer when temperatures were high. On the basis of an in situ growth experiment and size distribution data, the summer population is estimated to live less than 2 mo. Some juveniles born in autumn overwintered as immature females of large size (7 mm). The overwintering population lived about 8 to 9 mo. Brooding females were present throughout the year, with an abundance peak in spring and a high abundance during summer to early autumn. The life cycle probably consisted of at least 3 overlapping generations. Fecundity varied seasonally.
Urban Metrics for Urban Logistics: Building an Atlas for Urban Freight Policy Makers

Recognizing the scant coordination frequently observed between city planning and logistics, this paper introduces a set of metrics and tools for informing city planners about drivers of urban freight efficiency that could be used to design better urban freight policies. We propose a web-based urban logistics atlas to assist the decision making processes regarding urban freight. The pilot of the atlas included an extensive data collection effort in selected one square-kilometer areas in eight metropolises around the world. This paper will review the motivations to create the atlas, the proposed set of urban logistics metrics to characterize each city, the development of the tool and some initial findings that illustrate the value of extending this effort. ______________________________________________________ D. Merchan (Corresponding author) • E. Blanco • A. Bateman Center for Transportation and Logistics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, US Email: dmerchan@mit.edu E. Blanco Email: eblanco@mit.edu A. Bateman Email: hickmana@mit.edu CUPUM 2015 140-Paper
Impact of Personal factors on Entrepreneurial Intention: A study among University Students

As is synonymous with self-employed entrepreneurship is believed to be an effective strategy in handling the issue of employability, particularly among the youths. Understanding of the factors.it is crucial to understand factors that predict entrepreneurial intention as scholars from overseashas been widely studied, and still it remains question in local setting, particularly in our country like continues to be unclear. By extending Ajzen's (1991) theory of planned behavior (TPB) to study entrepreneurial intention among university studentsspecifically to identify and measure personal factors, acts as independent variables; meanwhile, attitude, social norm, perceived behavioral control act as the mediating variables. Design/methodology/approach: In this study both primary and secondary data are used to achieve the research objectives. Primary data is collected from 224 students of different faculties from Islamic university of science and technology (IUST) by administering the research instrument i.e. questionnaire while secondary data is examined to develop more insights into the research problem and research instrument. The data analysis methods employed descriptive statistics, ANOVA correlation and regression model. Findings: The paper findings revealed that there are several personal factors that impact entrepreneurialintention to university students from opening new businesses, which aresocial networking, lack of skills, family background, education level, previous work experience and fear of unemployment. Whereas self-confidence does not have significant impact on the same.