Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How Many Complaints Against Police Officers Can Be Abated by Incapacitating A Few 'Bad Apples?'

Research Summary: The notion that the unjustified use of force by police officers is concentrated amongst a few “bad apples” is a popular descriptor which has gained traction in scholarly research and achieved considerable influence among policymakers. But is removing the bad apples likely to have an appreciable effect on police misconduct? Leveraging a simple policy simulation and data from the Chicago Police Department, we estimate that removing the top 10 percent of officers identified based on ex ante risk and replacing them with officers drawn from the middle of the risk distribution would have led to only a 6 percent reduction in use of force incidents in Chicago over a ten-year period.
Firm Attributes and Corporate Environmental Performance: Evidence from Quoted Industrial Firms on Nigerian Stock Exchange

DOI: 10.21276/sjebm.2018. 5.9. 6 Abstract: This study examined the effect of firm characteristics on corporate environmental performance of quoted industrial goods firms in Nigeria. Specifically, the study examined the effect of firm size, profitability and firm age on waste management cost of the industrial goods firms. The study adopted the ex-post facto research design. Population and sample size of the study is made up of eleven industrial goods firms quoted on the Nigerian stock exchange as at the year, 2017. This study utilized secondary data sourced from annual reports and accounts of the sampled firms for the study period, 2008-2017. Data analysis was done using Pearson correlation coefficient and Multivariate regression analysis. Findings of the study revealed that firm attributes (firm size, profitability and firm age) have a significant and positive effect on environmental performance (measured by waste management cost) at 5% significant level. Based on this, it was recommended that considering the need to gain competitive advantage and boost firm value, industrial goods firms should address issues partaking to environmental management by developing business models and strategies that will ensure environmental sustainability.
Tools for the Automatic Tuning of Parameterized Algorithms

Algorithms for solving hard optimization problems typically have several parameters that need to be set appropriately such that some aspect of performance is optimized. In this thesis, we review F-Race, a racing algorithm for the task of automatic algorithm configuration. F-Race is based on a statistical approach for selecting the best configuration out of a set of candidate configurations under stochastic evaluations. We review the ideas underlying this technique and discuss an extension of the initial F-Race algorithm, which leads to a family of algorithms that we call iterated F-Race. Experimental results comparing one specific implementation of iterated F-Race to the original F-Race algorithm confirm the potential of this family of algorithms. The hybrid of F-Race with two other continuous optimization algorithm also enriches the family of iterated F-Race.
Preemptive competition between two firms with different discount rates

This paper studies a real options duopoly game between two firms with different time discount rates. I derive the order of investments, investment thresholds, and firm values in equilibrium. With no cost disadvantage, the patient firm enters the market earlier and gains more value than does the impatient opponent. When the patient firm has a cost disadvantage, the order of market entry can depend on the market characteristics. With a weaker first-mover advantage, higher market volatility, and lower market growth rate, the impatient firm is more likely to be the first mover. Notably, the patient firm can earn more than the impatient firm, even though the patient firm enters the market later. These results are consistent with empirical findings on market entry timing. JEL Classifications Code: C73; G31; L13.
Clinical and Biochemical Predictors of Fatality in Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury is a global health problem, it is a major cause of devastating neurological sequelae and significant mortality. The underlying physiological events in traumatic brain injury are responsible for the poor clinical outcomes seen in patients. Inflammatory and oxidative stress changes in traumatic brain injury result in the release of inflammatory biomarkers, a reduction in the endogenous anti-oxidants and dysfunction of the blood brain barrier. An understanding of the natural history of oxidative stress and inflammatory changes in traumatic brain injury can help design appropriate management protocols to reduce mortality and morbidity in these patients. Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to identify potential biomarkers that are predictive of fatality in patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. Methods: This was a prospective study of patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury managed at the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital during the period March 2014 - March 2016. Following admission and management, the patient demographics (sex, age) and admission Glasgow Coma Score were recorded. Oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers in blood and cerebrospinal fluid where sampled on day 1 to 7. On day 14 only blood was sampled for the same biomarkers. The primary outcome was the Glasgow Outcome score assessed on day 90. Due to its simplicity the Glasgow Outcome scale was used to assess clinical outcomes at day 90. Because of difficulty in regular follow up due to the vastness of our region, difficult terrain and long travel distances a 3 month follow up period was used to avoid default. Results: Of the 64-patient’s, fatality was noted in 12.5% of them. There was a significant association between fatality and the; ages of the patients, anti-oxidant levels, proinflammatory biomarkers and admission Glasgow Coma Score. Conclusion: The admission Glasgow Coma Score, low anti-oxidant levels and elevated serum interleukin-1β levels were associated with fatal outcomes.
The Influence of Transformational Leadership Style, Work Discipline and Compensation on Teacher Performance SMK Global Mulia Bekasi

DOI: 10.21276/sjebm.2018. 5.6. 6 Abstract: The research aimed to determine how much influence of Transformasional Leadership Style, Works Discipline and Compensation on teacher performance at SMK Global Mulia Bekasi partially and simultaneously. The sample of this Research was conducted by using saturated sampling technique. The sample used was 30 respondents from the population of 30 teachers. The data were collected by using questionnaires. The method used in this research is quantitative method. The data analysis technique used is multiple linear regression analysis by SPSS program version 24. The results explained that the three independent variables of transformational leadership style, work discipline and Compensation partially or simultaneously have a positive and significant effect on Teacher Performance. Compensation is the biggest significant variabel in influencing the performance of SMK Global Mulia's Bekasi Teachers.
Microbial Loop Populations: Their Abundances and Trophodynamics in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea

Population densities of filter feeding ciliates in the water of the three marine protectorates of Ras Mohammed, Nabq and Abu Galoum in the Gulf of Aqaba at the northern Red Sea, were estimated during the period from November 2006 to November 2007. Also, autotrophic nanoflagellates, heterotrophic nanoflagellates and heterotrophic bacteria were characterised in order to gain some indication of the food resources for ciliates. The abundance of ciliates in the waters of the three protectorates were found to vary according to an annual cycle, with the highest ciliate numbers of 2.5x104 cells L-1 occurring in the spring and the lowest numbers of 0.2x104 cells L-1 occurring in the summer. Abundances were at times eightfold higher than those found in comparable studies of nutrient-poor pelagic systems and approached those observed in coastal waters and in more productive open ocean systems. Nanoflagellates that could provide a food supply for the filter feeding ciliates were especially numerous during spring, and it is confirmed that the production of bacteria is an important component at the base of this food chain in the waters of the three marine protectorates. The study explored these food chain relationships by calculating the potential rate of capture of prey and the clearance rate of heterotrophic nanoflagellates and filter feeding ciliates. The study also compared the filtration rates of heterotrophic flagellates and of filter feeding ciliates.
Development and performance evaluation of an improved electric baking oven

The development of an improved electric baking oven was carried out and its performance was evaluated to determine its effectiveness and functionality. A thermostat and interlock switch were incorporated to improve on the already existing oven. Compared with the existing ones, the improved electric baking oven is efficient, faster, and thus baked effectively. The performance evaluation test revealed the moisture content of 67.7%. The power of the electric heating element is greater than or equal to 0.3745 kW. The improved electric baking oven operates on the principle of electric resistance and the resistance of the heating element was obtained to be 0.64 Ω. The heating element could supply a minimum of 1,797.6 KJ of heat energy to the oven chamber in 80 minutes. By this, the standard temperature in drying could be determined, an electrically operated oven with monitored heat supply could be produced and a method of producing dry materials in large quantities and at a reduced cost can be proposed.
Bariatric endoscopy: current primary therapies and endoscopic management of complications and other related conditions

The steady increase in bariatric surgery has led to room for innovation. Endoscopy has become an important tool for evaluation, diagnosis, management of complications, and even for primary bariatric interventions. Leaks are the most feared complication and new endoscopic therapies have been developed such as septotomy, double-pigtail stents, and endoscopic vacuum therapy. Additionally, primary bariatric endoscopic procedures are gaining popularity and the new procedures include intragastric balloons, stoma reduction, aspiration therapy, among others. The altered anatomy and reoperation increase the risk of complications after bariatric surgery, especially when managing conditions like achalasia, gastroparesis, and cholelithiasis. Per-oral endoscopic myotomy, per-oral pyloromyotomy, and endoscopic ultrasound-guided transgastric endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography provide a less invasive approach to address these conditions. This narrative review article intends to expose current endoscopic therapies for the management of primary bariatric procedures, complications and related conditions.
Effect of Different Zn-Enriched Organics on Yields and Micronutrient uptake under Wheat-Maize (Fodder) Cropping Sequence in Semi-Arid Region of Gujarat

Relative efficiency of different Zn-enriched organics in improving yields of wheat and maize as well as increase in fertilizer use efficiency was studied. The inorganic form of zinc was added @ 2.5 and 5.0 kg ha−1 through 500 kg of enriched organics viz., farmyard manure (FYM), poultry manure (PM), sewage sludge (SS) and biogas slurry (BGS). The Zn-enriched treatments of organics were evaluated as against straight Zn application @ 2.5 kg and 5.0 kg Zn ha−1 besides control. The application of Zn-enriched PM and BGS to wheat in rabi was found beneficial in increasing the yields of wheat as well as maize (fodder) in summer. The Zn-enriched PM and BGS improved average wheat grain yield by about 68 and 49 per cent respectively over control (1815 kg ha−1) whereas same was higher by 33 and 18 per cent over straight Zn application, respectively. The overall maximum improvement in maize dry matter due to residual effect of Zn-enriched PM and BGS was higher by about 19 and 9 per cent over straight Zn application. The Zn application in enriched form enhanced utilization of micronutrients (Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu) by wheat due to direct effect and by maize as residual effect of the treatments. The availability of micronutrients was also increased due to application of different enriched organics. The overall results of the study suggested that the Zn application through enriched organics could be a better way for management of micronutrient stress to increase crop yields as well as to reduce chemical load thereby helping in improving soil quality.
Spaces not distinguishing pointwise and I-quasinormal convergence

In this paper we extend the notion of quasinormal convergence via ideals and consider the notion of I-quasinormal convergence. We then introduce the notion of IQN (IwQN) space as a topological space in which every sequence of continuous real valued functions pointwise converging to 0, is also I-quasinormally convergent to 0 (has a subsequence which is I-quasinormally convergent to 0) and make certain observations on those spaces.
Monitoring and Tax Planning – Evidence from State-Owned Enterprises

In this paper, we provide new evidence on the association of state ownership and tax planning and show that shareholders’ monitoring incentives affect a firm’s tax planning. Using the unique setting of the German corporate tax system, we distinguish between state owners that directly benefit from state-owned enterprises’ (SOEs’) income tax payments and those that do not. Our results indicate that the negative association between state ownership and tax planning is concentrated in SOEs where the state owner directly benefits from the tax payments. These results are robust to various specifications and suggest that shareholders’ monitoring incentives are a determinant of firms’ tax planning activities.
Big data, price discrimination, and collusion∗

Big data allows firms to learn more accurately about various consumer characteristics. In this paper, we analyze the scope for tacit collusion in a setting in which predictive power matters for pricing: Horizontally differentiated firms can price-discriminate based on private but imperfect signals of consumers’ preferences. We find that there is a non-monotone relationship between predictive power of signals and sustainability of collusion. Starting from a low level, an increase in predictive power first facilitates collusion. However, there is a turning point from which any additional predictive power makes collusion harder to sustain. Our analysis provides important insights for competition policy. In particular, a ban on price discrimination can help to prevent collusive behavior as long as predictions are sufficiently noisy. JEL classification: L13, D43, L41. ∗Florian Peiseler and Shiva Shekhar gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Graduate Programme Competition Economics (GRK 1974) of the German Science Foundation (DFG). †Corresponding author. Email: peiseler@dice.hhu. de. Address: Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE), University of Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany. Phone: +49 211 81 10279.
Fuel price pass-through in Cyprus

We analyse the pass-through of international oil price fluctuations to wholesale and retail fuel prices in Cyprus and test for the possibility of asymmetric pass-through (the “rockets and feathers” phenomenon). We analyse both the total adjustment of the general price level (from the international price to the average local retail price) and the intermediate stages: from the international price to the wholesale price and from the wholesale price to the retail price. We find no evidence of asymmetric price adjustment in the former channel, but we do find limited evidence of asymmetric adjustment in the latter channel.
Housing, Leverage, and Global Liquidity NOT FOR CIRCULATION PLEASE DO NOT SHARE WITHOUT THE AUTHORS’ PERMISSION

Exchange rates and house prices can potentially amplify international financial shocks. We first document that during a capital flow boom real exchange rates and house prices appreciate, the current account deteriorates, consumption and GDP grow, and equity prices increase, while in a bust these dynamics reverse sharply. We document similar empirical findings in response to an identified change to the international supply of cross-border credit in a Panel VAR for 56 advanced and emerging countries. However, consumption and current account responses to such a shock are much larger in countries in which there is high level of foreign currency exposure, while this is not the case when we split the sample based on homeownership or mortgage debt to GDP. This suggests that the exchange rate is a potentially more important transmission mechanism. We then set up an open-economy model of housing consumption with international financial intermediation to interpret this evidence.
Unilateral Pedicular Screws and Interbody Lumbar Spine Fusion in Unilateral Degenerative Pathology (Technique and Outcome)

Introduction: Lumbar degenerative diseases (LDD) is considered a common disease. Lumbar pedicular screw fixation and interbody fusion is one of the com¬monly used and effective surgical method in management of single-level lumbar degenerative diseases. Although bilateral pedicular screw (PS) fixation after lumbar interbody fusion is accepted as a standard surgical procedure providing rigid fixation with a great biomechanical stability and clinical benefits, the rigidity of bilateral (PS) fixation can cause device-related osteoporosis of the vertebrae which makes the adjacent segment prone to load and motion-induced degeneration. Therefore, the concept of using less rigid systems of fixation has been advocated. Aim of study: To evaluate effectiveness of unilateral pedicular screws fixation and interbody fusion in unilateral degenerative spine pathology. Patients and methods: This study included 34 patients with single level degenerative lumbar spine disease who were subjected to transforaminal interbody lumbar fusion (TILF) and unilateral transpedicular screws fixation between July 2017 and March 2019 in Ain Shams University hospitals. Results: The study was conducted on 34 patients with age ranging between 32-56 years (mean 45.12±7.80 years). There were 17 male and 17 female in this study. When comparing VAS back pain preoperatively and at postoperative intervals of 1,6 and 12 months, it showed highly significant improvement (P-value 0.000). Also when comparing VAS of leg pain preoperatively and at postoperative intervals of 1,6 and 12 months duration, it showed highly significant improvement (P-value 0.000). ODI preoperatively and at postoperative intervals of 1,6 and 12 months showed also highly significant improvement (P-value 0.000). Regarding the fusion rate, at 6 months postoperative 61.8% (21) of the patients had fusion grade 1,26.5% (9) of the patients had fusion grade 2 and 11.8% (4) of the patients had fusion grade 3. While at 12 months postoperative the percent of grade 1 fusion increased to become 85.3% (29 patients) and the rest were grade 2 fusions (14.7%) with no patients with grade 3 fusion. Conclusion: Unilateral pedicular screws and interbody fusion is a good modality of treatment for unilateral degenerative spine pathology.
CENTRAL BANK OF CYPRUS

Using the shock persistence methodology of Lee, Pesaran and Pierse (1992), we examine whether monetary policy has persistent effects on bank lending behaviour, both directly through the credit channel and indirectly through the risk-taking and liquidity channels. The findings suggest that policy actions aimed at affecting credit risk and bank lending will not have any persistent effects if only the interest rate is employed. Macro-prudential policy should focus on other factors which affect lending decisions, notably the liquidity channel which appears to be an important determinant of the level of lending.
Iterative algorithms for split variational Inequalities and generalized split feasibility problems with applications

In this paper, we present extragradient and modified extragradient iterative algorithms for solving a common solution of a finite family of split variational inequalities and generalized split feasibility problems. Applications of our main results to equilibrium and optimization problems are provided. A numerical experiment is provided to illustrate the convergence of the sequences generated in our proposed algorithms.
What is the Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning of Undergraduate Saudi Nursing Students who have Completed or Currently in Their Internship Experience with High-Fidelity Simulation Labs?

Purpose: This study aims at assessing the impact of Saudi Arabia nursing students in their internship experience with HighFidelity Simulation Labs. Focus is primarily on the satisfaction and self-confidence of the students in learning and also the ability of the program in preparing the students for the actual practice. Design: The study used a descriptive quantitative data collection method. Specifically, an online survey method via Survey Monkey was adopted and focused on collecting data that was related to learning tools in satisfaction and self-efficacy. Thirteen questions (items) were designed, five of which were about satisfaction, whereas eight addressed self-confidence. The theoretical framework chosen was from Bandura's social learning theory, which postulates that people learn from one another through observation, imitation, and modeling. Moreover, according to the theory, there are five basic human cognitive human capabilities, which are the ability to use symbols, learning through observation, forethought, self-regulation, and selfreflection. The study used descriptive data analysis, specifically the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25, to analyze the data collected. Participants: Nursing students from a private college in Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission (SACM) in the USA. Findings: The key findings from the research is that students increased their satisfaction and self-confidence while learning with (HFS). In this case, the students were satisfied with the materials, methods of learning, and activities involved when learning with HFS since this demonstrated their knowledge and experience in a clinical setting. Conclusion: High-Frequency Simulation offers a great opportunity for the students to have a near firsthand experience of how to take care of the patients without putting the actual patient’s health at risk. The significance of the study is that it can be instrumental in aiding educators in Saudi to improve and support the nursing students by utilizing HFS.