Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Developments in Anti-Trafficking Efforts: 2008–2011

Human trafficking has drawn increasing public attention since the early 2000s, accompanied by significant developments in anti-trafficking efforts (ATEs) around the world. Focusing on ATE developments since 2008, this article provides statistical data on 586 governmental, intergovernmental, and nongovernmental agencies and organizations engaged in ATE, including their geographical bases and areas of operation, and the types of trafficking and victims on which these actors’ ATEs are focused. Second, this article analyzes changes between 2008 and 2011 in the prevalence and robustness of eight types of ATEs: (a) research; (b) policy advocacy; (c) awareness-raising; (d) prevention; (e) intervention; (f) law enforcement; (g) restoration; and (h) equipping. Data for this developmental analysis were gathered through an 85-measure structured content analysis of the Web sites from a panel of approximately 150 geographically diverse agencies and organizations, sampled purposively from a pool of over 586 actors. Findings evidence large increases in the prevalence and robustness of reported ATEs in research, awareness-raising, prevention, and restoration and moderate increases in intervention, enforcement, equipping, and advocacy. Findings are also reported by geographical region, pointing to substantial increases in restoration and enforcement in South America, equipping in the Caribbean, and enforcement in Southeast Asia.
N-ImageNet: Towards Robust, Fine-Grained Object Recognition with Event Cameras

We introduce N-ImageNet, a large-scale dataset targeted for robust, fine-grained object recognition with event cameras. The dataset is collected using programmable hardware in which an event camera consistently moves around a monitor displaying images from ImageNet. N-ImageNet serves as a challenging benchmark for event-based object recognition, due to its large number of classes and samples. We empirically show that pretraining on N-ImageNet improves the performance of event-based classifiers and helps them learn with few labeled data. In addition, we present several variants of N-ImageNet to test the robustness of event-based classifiers under diverse camera trajectories and severe lighting conditions, and propose a novel event representation to alleviate the performance degradation. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to quantitatively investigate the consequences caused by various environmental conditions on event-based object recognition algorithms. N-ImageNet and its variants are expected to guide practical implementations for deploying event-based object recognition algorithms in the real world.
A Computer Model to Select Optimum Size of Farm Power and Machinery for Paddy-Wheat Crop Rotation in Northern India

Selection of proper size of farm power and machinery is the most important component of any farm enterprise. Among the various inputs to the crop production system, power and machinery jointly represent the largest single item of expenditure constituting about 60% of the total investment on a farm. The decision on optimum size of machinery is quite critical not only because of the high proportion of total cost attributed to machinery but also due to the infrequency and irrevocability of such decisions. Computer based least cost models were developed in C programming language for the selection of optimum size power and machinery system for paddy-wheat cropping system with the input like area under the crop, soil type, number of operations for each crop, crop rotation and time available for each operation etc. The model selected the optimum tractor size from amongst the available sizes and its matching implements keeping in view the capacity of machinery to complete the operation in scheduled time for the given farm. The model also computes the working hours and energy requirement for different field operations along with various cost components. The model output was found to be sensitive to various input parameters like farm size, tillage intensity and crop rotation. Chi-square test revealed that there was no significant difference between the actual size of farm power owned by the farmers of the study area and the prediction of the model. Thus, the model predictions are good for paddy-wheat crop rotation of the study area and can be used successfully for selection of optimal power and machinery.
The impact of medium energy electrons on mesospheric chemistry and dynamics

The energy transfer from the solar wind to the Earth’s magnetosphere fuels the Energetic Particle Precipitation (EPP). EPP refers to highly energetic electrons and protons that are accelerated into the atmosphere, mainly in the polar regions. These energetic particles ionize the Earth’s atmosphere throughout the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT), which leads to production nitric oxides (NOx) and hydrogen oxides (HOx) which both are associated with an ozone (O3) loss. Auroral electrons (<30 keV) can penetrate to altitudes around the mesopause, while the medium energy electrons (MEE) (30 keV–1000 keV) can reach the lower mesosphere. During polar winter, NOx is quite long-lived, and it can be transported deeper into the atmosphere, all the way to the stratosphere. In theory, EPP induced change in stratospheric O3 has the potential to modulate the strength of the stratospheric polar vortex and the polar regional surface temperatures. The dynamical impact of the mesospheric O3 reduction is, however, unclear and unresolved in the current hypothesis. To fill this knowledge gap, the chemistry-climate model WACCM (Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model) version 6 in the specified dynamics mode for the year 2010 is run with and without MEE ionization rates. How well WACCM reproduces the transport of EPP produced NOx and the impact of MEE on the mesospheric dynamics in WACCM are the two aspects of the EPP impact addressed in this thesis. In comparison to observations from SOFIE (Solar Occultation For Ice Experiment) on board the AIM (Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere) satellite, the production and transport of NOx in WACCM6 is studied. The comparison show that WACCM overestimates NOx during quiet geomagnetic times, while the response to geomagnetic activity is underestimated. Nevertheless, the speed of the estimated transport correspond well with observations. The second aspect of this study, demonstrate, however, that the MEE ionization rates themselves has the potential of modulating the residual circulation and NOx transport. During the Northern Hemispheric winter, even weak ionization rates is able to modulate the mesospheric signal of a sudden stratospheric warming event. The MEE modulation is found in both the NOx volume mixing ratio (VMR), temperatures and zonal winds. Furthermore, the induced changes manifest themselves also in the Southern Hemispheric summer, whereas a potential interhemispheric coupling link is discussed.
Aided by Extant Data: The Effect of Peer Mentoring on Achievement for College Students with Disabilities

While peer mentor programs for students with disabilities in higher education are increasing in prevalence, the research examining the effectiveness of these programs remains limited. In this study, the effect of one college peer mentoring program on academic performance at a small, private four-year university was examined. The sample was drawn from all students registered with the Office of Disability Services (n = 287), some of whom participated in a peer mentoring intervention as well as a comparison group comprised of non-participants. In light of the observational nature of the data, propensity score weighting and matching were used to adjust for possible confounding variables and to explore robustness to different methodological approaches. Logistic and linear regression methods were used to examine the effect of peer mentoring on academic probation status and grade point average (GPA), respectively, while incorporating propensity score-based adjustments. There were no significant differences between the intervention and comparison groups for either outcome; however, intervention group students had a statistically significantly higher number of accommodations available to them. The study illustrates that extant data, when used in conjunction with appropriate statistical adjustments, is a viable alternative to randomized studies. Implications for higher education researchers and practitioners are discussed, including suggestions to collect various types of non-academic data (e.g., satisfaction, well-being, self-determination surveys) as well as examine structural factors of the program (e.g., mentor-mentee relationships, mentor training) in order to better understand the possible benefits of peer mentor programs and the need for collaborative partnerships between disability services, student affairs, researchers, and institutional research staff.
GENEALOGICAL PARTICLE ANALYSIS OF RARE EVENTS BY PIERRE DEL MORAL

In this paper an original interacting particle system approach is developed for studying Markov chains in rare event regimes. The proposed particle system is theoretically studied through a genealogical tree interpretation of Feynman–Kac path measures. The algorithmic implementation of the particle system is presented. An estimator for the probability of occurrence of a rare event is proposed and its variance is computed, which allows to compare and to optimize different versions of the algorithm. Applications and numerical implementations are discussed. First, we apply the particle system technique to a toy model (a Gaussian random walk), which permits to illustrate the theoretical predictions. Second, we address a physically relevant problem consisting in the estimation of the outage probability due to polarization-mode dispersion in optical fibers.
Green lean and the need for Six Sigma

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to critically review the green lean approach and highlight its limitations; examine the compatibility of the green, lean and Six Sigma concepts; and propose Six Sigma, and specially its problem-solving methodology DMAIC, as an approach to help enhancing the effectiveness of green lean initiatives. Historically, profitability and efficiency, and more recently customer satisfaction, quality and responsiveness objectives have been the prevailing interest for organisations. However, the move towards greener operations and products has forced companies to seek alternatives to combine these with green objectives and initiatives. Green lean is the result of this combination. Thus, the paper conceptually proposes Green Lean Six Sigma. Design/methodology/approach – To do this, a systematic literature review (SLR) of the subjects under investigation was conducted. Findings – The SLR indicated that the green lean integration may have inherited the same limitations as the indivi.
Sažetci predavanja | Lecture abstracts

Napredak temeljnih znanosti u posljednjim desetljećima, osobito u području molekularne biologije, patofiziologije i kliničke medicine doveo je do razvoja novih spoznaja o biološkim značajkama tumora i do uvođenja brojnih novih terapijskih postupaka, koji se često zajednički nazivaju personalizirana onkologija. Danas je poznato da je rak uglavnom genetska bolest koja uključuje genetske i epigenetske promjene ili mutacije koje reguliraju staničnu diobu i invazivnost i koje dovode do pretvorbe normalne stanice u zloćudne. Personalizirana onkologija uključuje primjenu rezultata novih metoda, poput genomike, transkriptomike, metabolomike ili proteomike. Novi postupci analize kao sekvenciranje slijedeće generacije (NGS) sve više zamjenjuje konvencionalne tehnike poput testiranja samo jednog gena, i omogućuju analiziranje stotina gena ili cijelog genoma pomoću malih količina tkiva prikupljenih biopsijom, te cirkulirajuće tumorske DNA dobivene iz krvi (ctDNA), cirkulirajućih tumorskih stanica (CTC) ili egzosoma. Genetsko profiliranje tumora može poboljšati klasifikaciju tumorskih podtipova, identificirati one bolesnike koji će imati najveću korist od sustavnih terapija i analizirati varijante zametne linije koje utječu na nasljedni rizik od raka. Za mnoge vrste tumora, odabir probira, dijagnostičkog testiranja i terapije uključuje genomske podatke o tumoru (somatske promjene), promjene zametne linije u naslijeđenim genima raka (npr. BRCA1 i BRCA2) kao i genetske promjene promjene zametnih linija. Ciljani genski paneli pokazali su značajnu korisnost u mnogim vrstama tumora, posebno u onih za koje bi moglo biti odgovorno više od jedne genetske promjene. Testiranje na tumorske specifične stečene (somatske) genetske promjene danas je praktički postao standard u skrbi za mnoge vrste tumora. Somatske mutacije mogu se podijeliti na one koje su onkogene (eng. drivers), te na one koje su biološki inertne (eng. passengers). Među tzv. pokretačkim mutacijama postoji podskupina prediktivnih biomarkera za vjerojatni terapijski učinak, takozvane mutacije u kojih očekujemo klinički terapijski odgovor. Većina mutacija koje ukazuju na klinički učinak terapije ciljevi su djelovanja inhibitora kinaza malih molekula ili protutitijela. Danas su određeni i genetski polimorfizmi za mnoge enzime koji metaboliziraju lijekove i njihove ciljeve (primjerice receptore) i oni vjerojatno doprinose varijabilnosti terapijskog odgovora u bolesnika. S većim napretkom u poznavanju biomarkera i personalizirane medicine razvijena su klinička ispitivanja temeljena na genomici. Mnoge od ovih kliničkih studija uključene su u podskupinu tzv. “basket” (košara) ili “umbrella” (kišobran) kliničkih studija u okviru glavnih protokola koji se temelje na genomici, odnosno tehnikama kao što je NSG. Postoji mnogo primjera takvih randomiziranih kliničkih studija koje su do sada provedene ili su u tijeku, primjerice francuska klinička studija Shiva, studija MOSCATO 01, studija MyPathway, studija TAPUR i neke novo osmišljene studije poput studije WINTHER, I-PREDICT i mnoge druge.
EFFECT OF MULTIMEDIA INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY ON ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH IN RELATION TO COMPUTER ANXIETY AND SELF-CONCEPT

The present study investigates the effect of multimedia instructional strategy on achievement in English in relation to computer anxiety and self-concept. The sample was drawn of IX class students from schools of Amritsar District affiliated to CBSE. Instructional material based on multimedia instructional strategy was prepared and implemented to the experimental group after pre-testing and gain scores were computed after post-test for all the students. The computer anxiety scale and self-concept questionnaire were also administered. A two way analysis of variance (2×2×3) was used to arrive at the following conclusions: (i) The performance of group taught through computer based multimedia instructional strategy was found to attain significantly higher as compared to control group. (ii) The performance of students with low computer anxiety was found better than that of high computer anxiety group. (iii) The performance of students with average self-concept was found better thanthat of high and low self-concept group. (iv)There was no significant interaction effect of instructional strategies and computer anxiety. (v) There was significant interaction effect of instructional strategies and self-concept. (vi) There was no significant interaction effect of computer anxiety and self-concept. (vii) There was no significant interaction effect among instructional strategies, computer anxiety and self-concept .
New Understanding of the Barriers to Foreign Students Adaptation in the Changing Educational Landscape: A Narrative Analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed nowadays life in every aspect so irreversibly that there is no doubt that the educational landscape must be continuously re-evaluated and revised. In this regard, particular emphasis is given to the issues of academic mobility and adaptation of foreign students. The aim of the study is to clarify a new understanding of the issues traditionally faced by foreign students in universities in the host country and to analyze new barriers that have arisen as a result of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper reports on a narrative research study exploring the experiences and perceptions of 42 first-year bachelor and master foreign students having come to Russia for the first time. Taking into account that human behaiviour can be predicted through language patterns, we analysed language features to compare the participants’ rational and emotional perception of the barriers to adaptation highlighted from their narratives. The findings suggest that almost all issues traditionally faced by foreign students have received a new understanding or have changed their hierarchy in their perception. Contemporary challenges have also created new barriers to adaptation. Temporalities and restrictions in physical movement received special emphasis as an obstacle to adaptation of foreign students. In the context of the total transformation that awaits higher education after the end of the pandemic and its transition to a hybrid format, the results of this study can be used by academic developers to establish a system of foreign students’ psychological adaptation.
A Style and Semantic Memory Mechanism for Domain Generalization*

Mainstream state-of-the-art domain generalization algorithms tend to prioritize the assumption on semantic in-variance across domains. Meanwhile, the inherent intra-domain style invariance is usually underappreciated and put on the shelf. In this paper, we reveal that leveraging intra-domain style invariance is also of pivotal importance in improving the efficiency of domain generalization. We verify that it is critical for the network to be informative on what domain features are invariant and shared among in-stances, so that the network sharpens its understanding and improves its semantic discriminative ability. Correspondingly, we also propose a novel “jury” mechanism, which is particularly effective in learning useful semantic feature commonalities among domains. Our complete model called STEAM can be interpreted as a novel probabilistic graphical model, for which the implementation requires convenient constructions of two kinds of memory banks: semantic feature bank and style feature bank. Empirical results show that our proposed framework surpasses the state-of-the-art methods by clear margins.
Quantitative analysis of compatibility and correlation of the current SPA/SPI models

It is a fundamental requirement to quantitatively analyze the compatibility and correlation between the current models for software process assessment (SPA) and improvement (SPI). The compatibility and correlation of SPA/SPI models (e.g., SPICE, CMM, ISO 9000, BOOTSTRAP and SPRM) are formally and quantitatively analyzed and contrasted in this paper. First, formal definitions of the compatibility and correlation between the models are introduced. Then the relational properties are mutually analyzed from every view point of each of the five models to the others. The objective analysis results provided are useful not only for theoretical research in software engineering, but also for practitioners in the software industry.
Implementation of unassisted and community-based HIV Self-Testing (HIVST) during the COVID-19 pandemic among Men-who-have-sex-with-Men (MSM) and Transgender Women (TGW): A demonstration study in Metro Manila, Philippines

Objective: The study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of an unassisted and community-based HIV self-testing (HIVST) distribution model and to evaluate its acceptability among men-having-sex-with-men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW). Methods: Our observational study focused on implementing the HIVST service in Metro Manila, Philippines. Convenience sampling was done with the following inclusion criteria: MSM or TGW, at least 18 years old, and had no previous HIV diagnosis. Individuals taking HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), or female sex at birth were excluded. The implementation of the study was online using a virtual assistant and delivery system via courier due to COVID-19-related lockdowns. Feasibility was measured by the number of HIVST kits successfully delivered and utilized and the HIV point prevalence rate. Moreover, acceptability was evaluated by a 10-item system usability scale (SUS). HIV prevalence was estimated with linkage to care prioritized for reactive participants. Results: Out of 1,690 kits distributed, only 953 (56.4%) participants reported their results. Overall HIV point prevalence was 9.8%, with 56 (60.2%) reactive participants linked to further testing. Furthermore, 27.4% of respondents self-reported, and 13.4% of the reactive participants were first-time testers. The HIVST service had an overall mean +/- standard deviation SUS score of 81.0 +/- 13.0, rendering the HIVST kits very acceptable. Conclusions: HIVST is acceptable and feasible to MSM and TGW. Online platforms are an innovative and effective way to deliver HIVST service during a pandemic. However, messaging to entice people to use the kit must be differentiated based on their age, gender identity and expression, and previous HIVST experience to offer the service efficiently to the target populations.
Exogenous Application of Biostimulants and Synthetic Growth Promoters Improved the Productivity and Grain Quality of Quinoa Linked with Enhanced Photosynthetic Pigments and Metabolomics

Modern agriculture is mainly concerned with maximum resource use efficiency linked with greater productivity to feed the growing global population. The exogenous application of biostimulants is considered a sustainable approach to improve the growth and productivity of field crops. The present study was carried out to explore the comparative impact of biostimulants and synthetic compounds on quinoa crop (cultivar UAF-Q7), as it has gained significant popularity among agricultural scientists and farmers throughout the world, due to its high nutritional profile. A two-year field experiment was carried out at the Research Area of Directorate of Farms, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Application of moringa leaf extract (MLE) produced the maximum total chlorophyll (5.11 mg g−1) and carotenoids (1.2 mg g−1), compared with the control. Antioxidants’ activities and gas exchange attributes were also recorded as the highest following MLE application. Mineral elements in root and in shoot were found highest in response to MLE application. Similarly, application of MLE significantly improved the growth and yield attributes of quinoa. Mineral elements of grain (Mg, Zn and Fe) were also significantly enhanced. MLE was found to be more responsive in improving the growth and quality compared with synthetic compounds.
A quantitative study of voiced velar nasalization in Japanese∗

This paper presents a corpus-based analysis of voiced velar nasalization (VVN) in the standard (Yamanote) dialect of Japanese, in which a voiced velar plosive /g/ becomes nasalized in prosodicword-medial position. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first quantitative study of the phenomenon, and confirms the impressionistic observation reported in the previous literature; at the same time, our study finds that these generalizations are stochastic. Lookingmore closely at the determinants of this variation reveals intriguing ways in which phonological grammar and lexicon interact, as well as the role of frequency in shaping phonological variation. Outside of frequency, we also examine factors such as prosodic length, and the effects of the segmental context on VVN.