Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating Critical Success Factors of E-Learning: Different Stakeholders’ Perspectives

The educational process has been hindered worldwide due to Covide-19 pandemic. Yet, the Egyptian government adopted E-learning to maintain the designed educational agenda. Consequently, recognizing E-learning benefits is imperative to link the E-learning system with its success drivers. Therefore, the aim of this study is detecting the main critical success factors that affect E-learning in Egypt. The study employed multiple information system success models as a basis for identifying aspects of E-learning success measured by net benefits, namely; technological factors, E-learning quality, user attitude, intention to use and user satisfaction. Online questionnaires were directed to two stakeholder groups of tertiary education, namely; learners and instructors. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling technique, the two models were statistically confirmed. The results indicate that the E-learning success models adequately demonstrate and predict the interdependency of the selected constructs. Moreover, the importance-performance map analysis was implemented to
Non-asymptotic near optimal algorithms for two sided matchings

A two-sided matching system is considered, where servers are assumed to arrive at a fixed rate, while the arrival rate of customers is modulated via a price-control mechanism. We analyse a loss model, wherein customers who are not served immediately upon arrival get blocked, as well as a queueing model, wherein customers wait in a queue until they receive service. The objective is to maximize the platform profit generated from matching servers and customers, subject to quality of service constraints, such as the expected wait time of servers in the loss system model, and the stability of the customer queue in the queuing model. For the loss system, subject to a certain relaxation, we show that the optimal policy has a bang-bang structure. We also derive approximation guarantees for simple pricing policies. For the queueing system, we propose a simple bimodal matching strategy and show that it achieves near optimal profit.
Community capacity for creativity based rural development in a developing country. Case studies from Indonesia.

This paper aims to investigate the extent to which a rural community develops a capacity to support the establishment of a local creative economy despite various limitations. This study employs qualitative research methods in examining two villages in Indonesia, namely Kasongan and Krebet. Our findings show that the community capacity and actor networks potentially spark the development of rural economies. Local communities in both cases have utilized cultures and traditions as creative capitals, which were commercialized through communal entrepreneurship and mobilized by an organized network of creative actors. Social values, namely a strong sense of belonging, high shared values and strong emotional connections, are found to be the key factors that foster creative potentials, entrepreneurial capacity, and capacity for mobilization of local resources within the rural communities
Polygyny and the Economic Determinants of Family Formation Outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa

This paper studies how short term changes in aggregate economic conditions influence family formation outcomes in presence of polygyny. It develops a simple marriage market framework with overlapping generations in which polygyny is modeled as a sequential one-to-one matching and bride price acts as an important source of consumption smoothing. During drought years, the demand for second spouses from old men is more sensitive to the income and price drop compared to the demand for first/unique spouses that comes from younger men. This leads to an increase in the market share of young men and a much smaller rise in the equilibrium quantity of female child marriage compared to the one observed in monogamous markets. This attenuation effect is such that there is no detectable impact of droughts on the timing of marriage and fertility onset in high polygyny areas. Evidence from global crop price shocks confirms these patterns and shows that higher food prices affect marital outcomes in opposite directions in crop-producing and crop-consuming areas.
Analysis of Household Consumer Preferences Based on Horse Meat Attributes in Determining Purchases at Traditional Markets in Jeneponto Regency

Jeneponto Regency is one of the largest horse sales centers in South Sulawesi. Horse has considerable potential as a source of meat for food. Horse meat can be obtained from traders in traditional markets at a price of around IDR 150.000/kg. The preference of horse meat consumers is a person's choice of likes or dislikes towards the choice of horse meat products consumed. Consumers pay attention on various kinds of attributes attached to horse meat that are used as considerations in making purchasing decision. This study aimed to analyze consumer preferences for horse meat and the effect of consumer preferences for horse meat at Traditional Markets in Jeneponto Regency on consumer decisions. This research was carried out at traditional markets in Jeneponto Regency, namely Tolo Market and Karisa Market in December 2021. The method used in this research is a quantitative approach. The focus of this study was to reveal household consumer preferences based on horse meat attributes with a sample of 168 household consumer respondents, consisting of 100 respondents analyzed by using Cochran Q-Test analysis and 68 respondents analyzed by using regression analysis. The results indicated that there were five attributes that were most preferred by consumers, namely X1 (red liver, high fat content, lower part, cheap), X2 (brownish red, low fat content, upper part, standard), X3 (brownish red, high fat content, upper part, cheap), X4 (brownish red, no fat, lower part, standard), and X5 (liver red, no fat, lower part, standard) and the influence of consumer preferences in this case the 5 attributes that have been combined on the purchasing decisions had a significant and positive effect of 73.8%, the value of Sig. F is 0.000 so that it is less than alpha 0.05, and the t-count value of X1 (8.446), X2 (4.865), X3 (5.468), X4 (7.774), X5 (8.741) is greater than the t table value of 1.667. Keywords: Horse meat, consumer preferences, attributes.
Working and Blood: The Unintended Consequences of Market Regulation on Local Violence

How can a small change in ﬁscal accountability boost violent disputes for valuable natural resources? In this paper, we investigate a regulatory change in Brazil that greatly reduced governmental monitoring capacity against gold laundering and we show how this affected violence in illegal gold-mining sites. Because the new regulation introduced in 2013 made it harder for authorities to ﬁnd illegal gold transactions between miners and ﬁrst-buyers, demand for it increased and boosted competition for illegal mining sites, leading to more violence. To verify this, we devise a theoretical model and test its implications using a unique database combining gold deposits, Indigenous Territories, Natural Conservation Areas, environmental crimes, deforestation, and homicide rates. With a difference-in-differences design, we ﬁnd that municipalities more exposed to illegal mining experienced extra 8 homicides per 100,000 people - or an increase of roughly 20% - after the regulation was passed. We also ﬁnd that, as the model predicts, this large effect is likely coming from increasing illegal activity, which we measure with data on both deforestation and environmental crime reports.
A Proposed Framework for a Systems Engineering

The paper discusses the rationale for, and describes a proposed framework for systems engineering in the context of a discipline. This framework, the Hitchins-Kasser-Massie (HKM) framework has already facilitated postgraduate teaching of systems engineering and has provided reasons why systems engineers have a plurality of views concerning the scope and nature of systems engineering. The contribution of this paper is to place the HKM framework in the context of Kline‟s definition of a discipline.
Don’t Forget About Pronouns: Removing Gender Bias in Language Models Without Losing Factual Gender Information

The representations in large language models contain multiple types of gender information. We focus on two types of such signals in English texts: factual gender information, which is a grammatical or semantic property, and gender bias, which is the correlation between a word and specific gender. We can disentangle the model’s embeddings and identify components encoding both types of information with probing. We aim to diminish the stereotypical bias in the representations while preserving the factual gender signal. Our filtering method shows that it is possible to decrease the bias of gender-neutral profession names without significant deterioration of language modeling capabilities. The findings can be applied to language generation to mitigate reliance on stereotypes while preserving gender agreement in coreferences.
Effect of Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Harboring CTNNB1 Mutation in Early Clinical Experience

Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (ATZ/BV) treatment is a combined immunotherapy consisting of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor monoclonal antibody, which has brought a major paradigm shift in the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Gain-of-function mutation of CTNNB1 contributes to resistance of ICI monotherapy through the framework of non-T-cell-inflamed tumor microenvironment. However, whether CTNNB1 mutation renders resistance to ATZ/BV similar to ICI monotherapy remains to be elucidated. In this study, a liquid biopsy sample in plasma of 33 patients with HCC treated with ATZ/BV was subjected to droplet digital PCR for detecting hotspot mutations at the exon 3 of CTNNB1 locus. A total of eight patients (24.2%) exhibited at least one CTNNB1 mutation. The objective response rate (ORR) in patients with wild-type (WT) and mutant (MT) CTNNB1 was 8.0% and 12.5%, respectively, and the disease control rate (DCR) was 68.0% and 87.5%, respectively. No significant difference in both ORR and DCR has been observed between the two groups. The median progression-free survival in patients with WT and MT CTNNB1 was 6.6 and 7.6 months, respectively (not statistically significant). Similarly, no significant difference in overall survival has been observed between patients with WT and MT CTNNB1 (13.6 vs. 12.3 months). In conclusion, the treatment effect of ATZ/BV in patients with HCC with MT CTNNB1 was comparable to those patients with WT CTNNB1. These results implicate that BV added to ATZ might improve immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment caused by CTNNB1 mutation.
Characterizing Physical-Layer Transmission Errors in Cable Broadband Networks

Packet loss rate in a broadband network is an important quality of service metric. Previous work that characterizes broadband performance does not separate packet loss caused by physical layer transmission errors from that caused by congestion. In this work, we investigate the physical layer transmission errors using data provided by a regional cable ISP. The data were collected from 77K+ devices that spread across 394 hybrid-ﬁber-coaxial (HFC) network segments during a 16-month period. We present a number of ﬁndings that are relevant to network operations and network research. We estimate that physical-layer errors can contribute to 12% to 25% of packet loss in the cable ISPs measured by the FCC’s Measuring Broadband America project. The average error loss rates of different HFC network segments vary by more than six orders of magnitude, from O ( 10 − 6 % ) to O ( 1% ) . Users in persistently high-error-rate networks do not report more trouble tickets than other users.
Energy and Misallocation: Evidence from Brazil

The paper explores detailed ﬁrm-level data from 2007 to 2015 to analyze energy eﬃciency and its relation to productivity in the Brazilian Industry. We describe the relationship between energy misallocation and resource misallocation and quantify the extent to which distortions aﬀecting energy use result in output losses at the aggregate level. Data are taken from the Annual Survey of Industry and the ﬁnal database is composed of about 30,000 ﬁrms per year covering 106 sectors. We show that misallocation increased from 2007 to 2015, and was the main reason preventing aggregate productivity and energy eﬃciency growth. During this period, more productive and energy eﬃcient ﬁrms lost market shares. Resources were reallocated from the most eﬃcient ﬁrms, in terms of productivity and energy use, towards ﬁrms with lower eﬃciency levels. We also ﬁnd that energy and resource misallocation are positively related across industries, which suggests that there is no trade-oﬀ between productivity and environmental gains. Finally, we use the model developed by Hsieh & Klenow (2009) to quantify potential aggregate productivity gains taking into consideration the existence of energy distortions. We ﬁnd that reallocating resources between ﬁrms would result in substantial aggregate output gains. However, capital distortions are relatively more important than energy distortions in generating resource misallocation and productivity losses. The combination of these ﬁndings suggests that industrial initiatives are more eﬀective than ﬁrm-level ones to improve energy eﬃciency in the Brazilian industry. Moreover, it is important that policymakers design broader industrial policies to tackle distortions that are more binding than energy distortions. This, in turn, would make room for programs that target industrial energy eﬃciency. The existence of an energy misallocation implies that potential gains from improving the allocation of resources in the economy would not only increase aggregate productivity but also raise well-being by reducing emissions and energy use.
CAMBRIDGE WORKING PAPERS IN ECONOMICS Third-Party Sale of Information

We study design and pricing of information by a monopoly information provider for a buyer in a trading relationship with a seller. The profit-maximizing information structure has a binary threshold character. This structure is inefficient when seller production cost is low. Compared with a situation of no information, the information provider increases welfare if cost is high but reduces it if cost is low. A monopoly provider creates higher welfare than a competitive market in information if the prior distribution of buyer valuations is not too concentrated. Giving the seller a veto over the information contract generates full efficiency. Abstract. We study design and pricing of information by a monopoly information provider for a buyer in a trading relationship with a seller. The proﬁt-maximizing information structure has a binary threshold character. This structure is ineﬃcient when seller production cost is low. Compared with a situation of no information, the information provider increases welfare if cost is high but reduces it if cost is low. A monopoly provider creates higher welfare than a competitive market in information if the prior distribution of buyer valuations is not too concentrated. Giving the seller a veto over the information contract generates full eﬃciency. ( JEL Codes: D61, D82, D83, L12, L15)
Nutritional Support in Cancer patients: update of the Italian Intersociety Working Group practical recommendations

Malnutrition is a frequent problem in cancer patients, which leads to prolonged and repeated hospitalizations, increased treatment-related toxicity, reduced response to cancer treatment, impaired quality of life, a worse overall prognosis and the avoidable waste of health care resources. Despite being perceived as a limiting factor in oncologic treatments by both oncologists and patients, there is still a considerable gap between need and actual delivery of nutrition care, and attitudes still vary considerably among health care professionals. In the last 5 years, the Italian Intersociety Working Group for Nutritional Support in Cancer Patients (WG), has repeatedly revisited this issue and has concluded that some improvement in nutritional care in Italy has occurred, at least with regard to awareness and institutional activities. In the same period, new international guidelines for the management of malnutrition and cachexia have been released. Despite these valuable initiatives, effective structural strategies and concrete actions aimed at facing the challenging issues of nutritional care in oncology are still needed, requiring the active participation of scientific societies and health authorities. As a continuation of the WG's work, we have reviewed available data present in the literature from January 2016 to September 2021, together with the most recent guidelines issued by scientific societies and health authorities, thus providing an update of the 2016 WG practical recommendations, with suggestions for new areas/issues for possible improvement and implementation.
A REVIEW OF WIND-ASSISTED SHIP PROPULSION FOR SUSTAINABLE
COMMERCIAL SHIPPING: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS AND FUTURE STAKES

With the current global warming crisis and contemporary concerns for sustainability, the transport industry is developing and implementing novel solutions to reduce greenhouse gases. With close to 90% of the world’s goods relying on maritime transportation, responsible for 3% of global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2019, there is a vital emphasis on reducing emissions. The latest legislation from the International Maritime Organisation has imposed even tougher sulphur oxide targets. On the other hand, emission intensity for CO2 will need to be decreased by 70% in 2050, compared to 2008 figures. While operating measures and fuel alternatives are suitable in the short-term to meet these novel regulatory constraints, as the use of fossil fuels tapers off, the long-terms solution appears to reside in wind-assisted ships. Consequently, this study aims to identify viable solutions that could reduce emissions, focussing on three prominent technologies, namely sails, rotors and kites. Furthermore, this review provides guidance on the benefits and risks associated with each technology and recommends guidelines for performance prediction and associated constraints. Ultimately, future stakes in wind-assisted propulsion are highlighted, including the need for full-scale validation, the challenge in assessing environmental and economic impact, and the structural issues associated with wind-assisted propulsion systems.
A numerical study of drag reduction by mini-belts in a smooth wall turbulent boundary layer

A numerical study of drag reduction by mini-belts in a smooth wall turbulent boundary layer is carried using a second-moment closure turbulence model. The main objective of this exploratory work is to investigate the possibility of using mini-belts, driven by frictional drag only, to reduce the drag of a smooth wall. The results clearly show that such technique can be an effective and cheap means for achieving drag reduction. Furthermore, it is observed that, in contrast to riblets, the use of mini-belts does not suffer from geometrical or size constraints in the context of drag reduction. Also mini-belts will always reduce the skin friction regardless of the flow regime (laminar, transitional and turbulent). These advantages may quite well balance the major difficulty related to their mounting in practical situations
A mesoscale agent based modeling framework for flow-mediated infection transmission in indoor occupied spaces

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and its associated public health and socioeconomic burden, has reaffirmed the necessity for a comprehensive understanding of flow-mediated infection transmission in occupied indoor spaces. This is an inherently multiscale problem, and suitable investigation approaches that can enable evidence-based decision-making for infection control strategies, interventions, and policies; will need to account for flow physics, and occupant behavior. Here, we present a mesoscale infection transmission model for human occupied indoor spaces, by integrating an agent-based human interaction model with a flow physics model for respiratory droplet dynamics and transport. We outline the mathematical and algorithmic details of the modeling framework, and demonstrate its validity using two simple simulation scenarios that verify each of the major sub-models. We then present a detailed case-study of infection transmission in a model indoor space with 60 human occupants; using a systematic set of simulations representing various flow scenarios. Data from the simulations illustrate the utility and efficacy of the devised mesoscale model in resolving flow-mediated infection transmission; and elucidate key trends in infection transmission dynamics amongst the human occupants.
National PReCePT Programme: a quasi-experimental before-and-after evaluation of the implementation of a national quality improvement programme to increase the uptake of magnesium sulphate in pre-term deliveries

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the National PreCePT Programme (NPP) in increasing magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) in pre-term births. Design: A quasi-experimental before-and-after design Setting: Maternity units within NHS England and the AHSN network in 2018. Participants: Maternity units in England (n=137) who participated in the NPP. Interventions: NPP support which included the PReCePT QI toolkit and materials (pre-term labour proforma, staff training presentations, parent leaflet, posters for the unit, learning log), regional AHSN level support, and up to 90 hours funded backfill for a midwife champion to lead implementation. Main outcome measures: MgSO4 post-implementation uptake compared to pre-implementation uptake. Implementation and lifetime costs were estimated. Results: Compared to pre-implementation estimates, the average MgSO4 uptake in 137 maternity units in England increased by 6.3 percentage points (95% CI 2.6 to 10.0 percentage points) to 83.1% post-implementation, accounting for unit size, maternal, baby, and maternity unit factors, time trends, and AHSN. Further adjustment for early or late initiation of NPP activities increased the estimate to 9.5 percentage points (95% CI 4.3 to 14.7 percentage points). From a societal and lifetime perspective, the health gains and cost-savings associated with the NPP effectiveness generated a net monetary benefit of 866 GBP per preterm baby and the probability of the NPP being cost-effective was greater than 95%. Conclusion: This national QI programme was effective and cost-effective. National programmes delivered via coordinated regional clinical networks can accelerate uptake of evidence-based therapies in perinatal care.