Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Helping users learn about social processes while learning from users : developing a positive feedback in social computing

HELPING USERS LEARN ABOUT SOCIAL PROCESSES WHILE LEARNING FROM USERS: DEVELOPING A POSITIVE FEEDBACK IN SOCIAL COMPUTING Venkata Sai Sriram Pillutla, M.S. Department of Computer Science Northern Illinois University, 2017 Philippe J. Giabbanelli, Director Social computing is concerned with the interaction of social behavior and computational systems. From its early days, social computing has had two foci. One was the development of technology and interfaces to support online communities. The other was to use computational techniques to study society and assess the expected impact of policies. This thesis seeks to develop systems for social computing, both in the context of online communities and the study of societal processes, that allow users to learn while in turn learning from users. Communities are approached through the problem of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), via a complementary use of network analysis and text mining. In particular, we show that an efficient system can be designed such that instructors do not need to categorize the interactions of all students to assess their learning experience. This thesis explores the study of societal processes by showing how Text Analytics, Visual Analytics, and Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) can collectively help an analyst to understand complex scenarios such as obesity. Overall, this work had two key limitations. One was in the dataset we used, as it was small and didn’t show all possible interactions, and the other is in the scalability of our systems. Future work can include the use of non n-gram features to improve our MOOC system, and the use of graph layouts for our visualization system. NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY DE KALB, ILLINOIS
A fuzzy dissolved gas analysis method for the diagnosis of multiple incipient faults in a transformer

Dissolved gas analysis (DGA) of transformer oil has been one of the most useful techniques to detect the incipient faults. Various methods, such as the IEC codes, have been developed to interpret DGA results directly obtained from a chromatographer. Although these methods are widely used in the world, they sometimes fail to diagnose, especially when more than one fault exists in a transformer. This paper presents a fuzzy logic technique which can diagnose multiple faults in a transformer and quantitatively indicates the likelihood/severity of each fault. Insulation deterioration at each fault location can then be monitored closely according to its trend, which is important for a transformer in critical situation. Tests using this technique on a number of transformers have given promising results.
Automation of POST Cases via External Optimizer and “Artificial p2” Calculation

During conceptual design speed and accuracy are often at odds. Specifically in the realm of launch vehicles, optimizing the ascent trajectory requires a larger pool of analytical power and expertise. Experienced analysts working on familiar vehicles can produce optimal trajectories in a short time frame, however whenever either “experienced” or “familiar” is not applicable the optimization process can become quite lengthy. In order to construct a vehicle agnostic method an established global optimization algorithm is needed. In this work the authors develop an “artificial” error term to map arbitrary control vectors to non-zero error by which a global method can operate. Two global methods are compared alongside Design of Experiments and random sampling and are shown to produce comparable results to analysis done by a human expert.
An Exploratory Study in the Relationship between Outpatient Satisfaction with Service Attitudes and Health Care Providers’ Job Satisfaction in Taipei Public Hospitals

This study investigated the relationships among health care providers’ perceptions toward their jobs and outpatient satisfaction. This quantitative project was conducted in 10 Taipei public hospitals in Taipei, Taiwan, including 312 patient and 2507 health care providers. The correlation and ordinal logistic regression analyses showed that if outpatients were more satisfied with the service attitudes of nurses, pharmacists and medical technicians, they were also more satisfied with a hospital’s overall service attitudes. If outpatients were more satisfied with providers’ (except medical technicians) service attitudes, and physicians were more satisfied with their jobs overall, patients reported that they would be more willing to use Taipei public hospitals again personally. If outpatients were more satisfied with nurses’ service attitudes, they also reported being more willing to recommend Taipei public hospitals to friends/family members. Results partially confirmed the hypothetical relationships among professional health care providers’ perceptions toward their jobs and outpatient satisfaction.
PERBANDINGAN EFEKTIFITAS METODE FORWARD CHAINING DAN DEMPSTER SHAFER MENDIAGNOSA PENYAKIT TANAMAN KELAPA SAWIT

Tujuan dalam penulisan ini adalah untuk melakukan analisis tentang metode manakah yang lebih efektif antara metode forward chaining dan dem ps ter shafer untuk diterapkan dalam mendiagnosa penyakit tanaman kelapa sawit. Pengujian yang dilakukan menggunakan 4 jenis penyakit tanaman kelapa sawit informasi diperoleh dari dinas perkebunan dan kehutanan prov.NAD kabupaten Bireuen dan wawancara dengan petan i. Sistem ini dikembangkan dengan pemrograman PHP dan MySQL. Hasil analisis yang dicapai diharapkan dapat mengetahui metode mana yang lebih efektif dalam mendiagnosa penyakit tanaman kelapa sawit dan bisa dijadikan bahan acuan bagi petani dan masyarakat untuk me ngatasi penyakit tanaman kelapa sawit. Hasil daripada penelitian ini adalah a. Sistem ini dapat menganalisis jenis penyakit yang menyerang kelapa sawit berdasarkan gejala-gejala yang dimasukkan oleh user. b. Sistem ini mampu menyimpan representasi pengetahuan pakar berdasarkan nilai kepercayaan (demspter shafer) dan penelusuran (forward chaining) . c. Aplikasi sistem pakar diagnosa penyakit kelapa sawit ini, dapat melakukan diagnosa awal terhadap suatu penyakit serta memberikan informasi mengenai penyebab serta pencegahannya, sehingga dapat membantu parapetani dan masyarakat dalam mengenali gejala serta jenis-jenis penyakit yang menyerang terhadap kelapa sawit. d. Dengan menggunakan sistem ini dapat dijadikan solusi alternatif dan acuan bagi para petani dan masyarakat untuk melakukan diagnosa terhadap gejala-gejala penyakit kelapa sawit sebelum melakukan konsultasi langsung kepada pakar dalam hal ini dinas perkebunan Kata kunci : Forward chaining, Dempstershafer, Diagnosa penyakit tanaman kelapa sawit, PHP MySQL.
Inquiry-Based Learning as a Strategy to Support Student Success

In this paper, I look at inquiry-based learning within mathematics and science in the Ontario educational system while making connections to Ontario’s 21 Century Competencies foundation document. Further to this, I researched whether it might be beneficial for English Language Learners to integrate language and content through inquiry, and also review recommendations on how to best implement this approach. I endeavored to uncover what the current research says about how this pedagogical strategy might be used to support all learners in mathematics and science, and also the associated challenges with implementation of an inquiry approach. This was done through the lens of constructivist theory, with connections made to Ontario educational documents. INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING v
Unique characterization of Langerhans cells in the spleen of the African catfish ( Clarias gariepinus ).

The African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) has increasingly become an economically important food source especially in Africa, Asia and Europe, with exports extending to countries throughout the world. In the last 25 years, aquaculture of this species has been particularly effective with large increases in production and this is in part due to the catfish being highly resistant to disease. In order to further understand the immune system of the catfish, the spleen was investigated using a number of staining, immunohistochemical, light and transmission electron microscope techniques in order to verify the histological features of this organ. The gross histological features of the spleen confirmed the presence of a capsule containing numerous collagen fibers surrounded the spleen of the African catfish. Melanomacrophage centers, lymphocytes and surrounding arterial vessels were the main components of the white pulp whilst the red pulp contained sinusoids, capillaries and splenic cords of erythrocytes, macrophages and lymphocytes. Transmission electron microscopy identified Langerhans-like cells which were irregular to ovoid in shape with an electron lucent cytoplasm. The cells were characterized by the presence of numerous Birbeck-like granules, varying in shape from oval, round, rod to racket shaped granules. In total, three types of Birbeck-like granules were identified. The first type had heterogenic content, the second type were cored granules and the third type were racket shaped granules. Some of the racket shaped granules were enlarged and contained granular content. The Langerhans-like cells were further identified and characterised by showing a positive reaction with antibodies to S100 and CD1a. The existence of Langerhans-like cells within the spleen helps to identify the components of the immune system within the African catfish.
ANALISIS PENGARUH MANAJEMEN LABA TERHADAP NILAI PERUSAHAAN SEBELUM DAN SAAT IMPLEMENTASI IFRS

Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui secara empiris manajemen laba terhadap nilai perusahaan sebelum dan saat implementasi IFRS serta memahami peranan manajemen laba yang dilakukan oleh perusahaan dalam upaya meningkatkan nilai perusahaan. Manajemen laba diproksikan dengan Discretionary Accruals, dengan model yang dikembangkan oleh Kothari dan nilai perusahaan yang diproksikan dengan TobinsQ. Metode analisis yang digunakan adalah regresi berganda dengan menggunakan data sekunder. Sampel penelitian terdiri atas 55 perusahaan manufaktur yang terdaftar di BEI tahun 2010-2013. Hasil membuktikan bahwa manajemen laba tidak berpengaruh secara signifikan terhadap nilai perusahaan sebelum dan saat implementasi IFRS. Manajemen laba bukan menjadi strategi perusahaan untuk meningkatkan nilai perusahaan.
Brewing the Recipe for Beer Brand Equity

This research study aims to analyze the sources and consequences of beveragesâ€™ Brand Equity, and more specifically, the beer Brand Equity in a Sothern European mature market. For this purpose, based on the customer-based Aakerâ€™s Brand Equity model, we developed an empirical study, using structural equation modeling (SEM) in order to assess how beer Brand Equity stems from in the brewery industry and to analyze its consequences in consumer behavior. Our findings suggest that the beer brand image is the most important dimension for beer Brand Equity. Moreover, a significant positive influence was found for all the dimensions analyzed, namely brand awareness, perceived quality and loyalty; while we found empirical support for the influence of beer Brand Equity on purchase intention and the consumer willingness to pay a premium price. This research brings relevant implications for brewery marketing managers, who should strengthen their beer brand image, and further consider beer Brand Equity as a key variable in consumer behaviour.
University Student Use of Twitter and Facebook: A Study of Posting in Three Countries

Technical and professional communication instruction is well suited to helping students develop digital literacy but must be informed by research regarding how students are using specific social media platforms, particularly the propensity to post content that could damage their career capital. This study examined this question for students in Austria, Australia, and the United States. In Austria and Australia, this behavior was found to be no greater for Twitter than it was for Facebook. Conversely, for the United States, the behavior was found to be more pronounced. These and additional results regarding attitudes toward information privacy are reported.
Optimum tilt and azimuth for solar collectors in South Africa using measured data

The solar resource in South Africa is among the best in the world. South Africa has seen an increase in local and international investment in solar power. The optimum angles at which a solar collector should be mounted are often debated. Similar publications on this topic often rely on mathematical models of solar resource rather than measured data. Measured data is preferred since the effects of pollution and weather are included. In this work, recently measured data from nine measuring stations in the Southern African Universities Radiometric Network (SAURAN) equipped with pyranometers and pyrheliometers are considered. The data is used to calculate the annual solar insolation on fixed collectors at all possible installation angles. SolTrace, a ray-tracing software, is used for validation. Relative to a horizontally-fixed collector, the annual solar insolation is 10% more for optimally-fixed collectors and 45% more for solar-tracking collectors. The effects of tilt and azimuth angles are presented on contour plots, which are convenient for cost analysis and the determination of the annual insolation on building surfaces. The optimum azimuth angle is a function of the longitude angle minus the absolute latitude angle, which suggests that frontal and convective precipitation effects influence the optimum azimuth angle.
Influence of viscoelastic properties of cold recycled asphalt mixtures on pavement response by means of temperature instrumentation

Cold recycled asphalt mixtures (CRAMs) have been widely used in pavement construction and rehabilitation of base courses. Some studies describe it as granular materials, without stiffness dependency regarding temperature or frequency variation, while other researches state that it resembles a viscoelastic material. This indicates that the CRAMs mechanical behaviour is not fully understood. In the present study, dynamic modulus tests were conducted with CRAMs samples and the master curves suggested a viscoelastic behaviour for this type of mixture. The dynamic modulus results were used as input data in 3D-Move Analysis software and the pavement structure was simulated at different temperature conditions based on temperature instrumentation data collected from the field. It was found that the temperature dependency of CRAMs’ stiffness influences pavement mechanical behaviour. Besides, the relative stiffness between CRAMs and AC layers plays a major role in pavement response for varying temperatures. Therefore, CRAM's viscoelastic properties cannot be neglected.
Testing the Transparency Benefits of Inflation Targeting: Evidence from Private Sector Forecasts

Using inflation forecast data for 11 IT adoption countries, IT adoption is found to promote convergence in forecast errors, suggesting that it enhances transparency. This result, which is subjected to several robustness checks and found to be robust, supports Morris and Shin's (2002) contention that better public information is most beneficial for forecasters with bad private information. However, it does not support their hypothesis that better public information could make private forecasts less accurate.
Board independence, Ownership and CSR of Malaysian large firms

The purpose of this study is to determine whether board independence and ownership have any influence on the decision on CSR disclosure. This study uses the proportion of pages in an annual report and a CSR disclosure checklist to measure the extent and quality of a firm’s CSR disclosure. Multiple regression and logistic regression analysis are employed to test the hypotheses. The paper finds that boards of family owned firms are negatively associated with the level and the quality of CSR disclosure. The fact that board independence is not significant on CSR disclosure could be due to the fact that CSR initiatives are strategic in nature. Finally, firm’s size, performance and leverage are found to have significant effects on CSR. This study was conducted among Malaysian top 100. The generalizability of the findings of this study is, thus, limited to Malaysian large firms. One of the major findings of this study is the ineffectiveness of the board of directors in ensuring firms discharge its social responsibility. Relevant authorities may need to come up with measures to ensure independent directors are effective. The study adds to the understanding of how ownership structure plays an influential role as oppose to independent board of directors on CSR disclosure in Malaysia.
Estimating Spatial Consumer Price Indices Through Engel Curve Analysis

In this paper we propose a method of estimating spatial multilateral price index numbers from cross-section consumer expenditure data on different items using Engel curve analysis. The novelty of the procedure is that it overcomes the problem of data inadequacy, a problem that is shared by most of the developing countries. The procedure does not require item-specific price/unit value data and price index numbers can be calculated from consumer expenditure data grouped by per capita income/total consumer expenditure class in a situation where unit level data are not available. To illustrate the method, we use published state-specific data of the 50th round (1993-94) and 55th round (1999-2000) consumer expenditure surveys of India's National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) and calculate the spatial consumer price index numbers for 15 major states of India, with All-India taken as base, separately for the rural and the urban sector for each round.
Associations between school-related factors and depressive symptoms among children: A comparative study, Finland and Norway

This study compares school-related associations in depressive symptoms among children aged between 9–13 years from four schools in Finland and Norway. A total of 523 pupils participated in the cross-sectional survey. The connections between depressive symptoms and school factors were analysed using hierarchical regression analyses. School variables were self-perceived peer victimization, teacher and peer social support, school performance, and teachers’ reports on competence in core subjects; these variables explain 30% of the variance of the children’s depressive symptoms in Norway and 26% in Finland beyond that afforded by differences in the background characteristics and protective factors in the family. A trend was found in the Norwegian data which showed that poor relationships at school are connected more strongly with depressive symptoms than poor school performance, but the Finnish data did not confirm this. The results support the importance of taking various school factors into account with children suffering depressive symptoms, and not merely a dysfunctional domestic situation. The implications for school psychology practice are also discussed.
Pengaruh Kualitas Pelayanan, Sanksi Pajak, Biaya Kepatuhan Pajak, dan E-filling Pada Kepatuhan WPOP Non PNS

Kepatuhan wajib pajak adalah perilaku dari seorang wajib pajak dalam melakukan semua kewajiban perpajakan dan menggunakan hak perpajakannya dengan tetap berpatokan kepada peraturan perundang-undangan perpajakan. Isu mengenai kepatuhan perpajakan yang terjadi beberapa tahun terakhir ini adalah ketidakpatuhan perpajakan. Ketidakpatuhan ini akan menimbulkan penghindaran dan penggelapan pajak yang menyebabkan berkurangnya penerimaan pajak ke kas negara. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh kualitas pelayanan, sanksi pajak, biaya kepatuhan pajak, dan penerapan e-filling pada kepatuhan pelaporan Wajib Pajak Orang Pribadi (WPOP). Penelitian ini dilakukan di KPP Pratama Denpasar Timur. sampel yang diambil sebanyak 100 WPOP non PNS, dengan metode nonprobability sampling dengan teknik purposive sampling. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui wawancara, observasi dan kuesioner. Teknik analisis yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah regresi linier berganda.Berdasarkan hasil analisis diperoleh kualitas pelayanan, sanksi perpajakan, dan penerapan e-filling berpengaruh positif pada kepatuhan WPOP, sedangkan biaya kepatuhan pajak berpengaruh negatif pada kepatuhan WPOP. Kata kunci: kualitas pelayanan, sanksi pajak, biaya kepatuhan pajak, dan e-filling
Community Self-Organizing and the Urban Food Commons in Berlin and New York

Food sharing and food commons have both been raised as possible solutions to unsustainable and unjust urban food systems. This paper draws upon ethnographic research conducted in Berlin and New York to examine self-organizing in community food initiatives that are to varying degrees creating urban food commons by opening up urban space and its fruits to community use, sharing, and governance. In New York, the organization 596 Acres has developed an interactive map of vacant land to help community members self-organize to gain access to, steward, and protect the “lots in their life” for urban growing. In Berlin, the organization foodsharing.de has developed an interactive web platform to decentralize and democratize the logistics of food rescue and redistribution through peer-to-peer gifting and community fridges. The paper examines the possibilities and limitations of socio-technical innovations as “tools for commoning,” for self-organizing imagination, access, care, and governance in urban food commons. The paper contributes to debates on the role of socio-technical innovation in urban food sharing and practices of self-organizing in urban food commons.
Developing Undergraduates’ Multicultural Skills for Career Success and National Integration

Retaining employees has become an important issue for the companies, especially retaining knowledge and skilled workers. Knowledgeable and skilled workers, such as engineers have received great demands due to advanced technology used in industrial sector. Battling competition among companies in getting skilled engineers may disrupt the process of retaining skilled engineer. Thus, this study intends to identify factors used to increase employees’ retention. Specifically, this study examines the plausible mediation effect of work engagement on the relationship between person-job (PJ) fit and employees' retention. The study was conducted among 268 engineers in semiconductor companies in Northern Region of Malaysia. A quantitative method was employed and data was collected through questionnaires among engineers. Data was further analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The study reported that PJ fit directly impacted employees’ retention and work engagement. Findings also confirmed the effect of work engagement as a mediating variable in the relationship between PJ fit and employees’ retention. This study provided support on the individual factors, specifically PJ fit and work engagement as important factors in retaining employees, particularly engineers. Keywords: Person-Job Fit, Work Engagement, Employees’ Retention JEL Classifications: J23, L2
Dynamic Scoring and Monetary Policy

I discuss the joint effects of government-taxes and interest-rates. A fiscal authority performs `exogenous' and `endogenous' changes to the income-tax rate and a monetary authority sets the nominal-interest. A wedge between rates of self-financing of tax cuts and the income-tax Laffer curve arrives from the monetary system. I find a new- regime that differs from conventional monetary-fiscal policy interactions. Dynamic scoring exercises show that in the new-regime monetary-policy markedly mitigates negative output effects caused by `exogenous tax actions' designed to reduce public-debt, altogether inducing signi.cant welfare gains. In contrast, where public-debt is at high levels, `exogenous tax cuts' induce welfare losses.