Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding Persuasion Cascades in Online Product Rating Systems

Online product rating systems have become an indispensable component for numerous web services such as Amazon, eBay, Google play store and TripAdvisor. One functionality of such systems is to uncover the product quality via product ratings (or reviews) contributed by consumers. However, a well-known psychological phenomenon called “messagebased persuasion” lead to “biased” product ratings in a cascading manner (we call this the persuasion cascade). This paper investigates: (1) How does the persuasion cascade influence the product quality estimation accuracy? (2) Given a real-world product rating dataset, how to infer the persuasion cascade and analyze it to draw practical insights? We first develop a mathematical model to capture key factors of a persuasion cascade. We formulate a high-order Markov chain to characterize the opinion dynamics of a persuasion cascade and prove the convergence of opinions. We further bound the product quality estimation error for a class of rating aggregation rules including the averaging scoring rule, via the matrix perturbation theory and the Chernoff bound. We also design a maximum likelihood algorithm to infer parameters of the persuasion cascade. We conduct experiments on the data from Amazon and TripAdvisor, and show that persuasion cascades notably exist, but the average scoring rule has a small product quality estimation error under practical scenarios.
Association of high outdoor temperature and Full-term Birth Weight in Georgia, USA, 2000–2006

This paper investigated the gestational and trimester-specific associations of high outdoor temperature with birth weight and risk of low birth weight (LBW; < 2,500 grams) among 753,890 full-term singleton live births in Georgia, USA, from 2000 to 2006. This analysis adjusted for child's sex, gestational length, prenatal care, parity, and mother's demographic, socioeconomic, medical, and behavioral characteristics. Our study found that lower birth weights were weakly associated with higher mean daily maximum apparent temperature (AT) or longer hot day exposure (daily maximum AT >= 80°F, 90°F, or >= 103°F) during the full gestation or the second trimester. No adverse effects of high outdoor temperature were found on LBW risk except for the number of hot days (>=103°F) in the second trimester. Based on our findings, we suggested that high outdoor temperature may not be a major threat to LBW in Georgia with current people's adaptive behaviors.Este artículo investigó las asociaciones gestacionales y de trimestre específico depeso al nacer y riesgo de bajo peso al nacer (BPN <2.500 gramos) entre753.890 nacidos vivos solteros a término en Georgia, EE.UU. , entre 2000 y 2006. Este análisis fue ajustado por el sexo del niño, la longitud gestacional, la atención prenatal, la paridad y la demo-grafía de la madre, socioeconómicas, médicas y de comportamiento. Nuestro estudio encontró que el menor peso al nacer se asociaron débilmente con una mayor temperatura media diaria máxima (AT) o mayor exposición al día caluroso (máximo diario> 80°F, 90°F, o> = 103°F) durante la gestación completa o el segundo trimestre. No se encontraron efectos adversos de alta temperatura al aire libre en el riesgo de BPN excepto el número de días calurosos (> = 103°F) en el segundo trimestre. Basados en nuestros hallazgos, sugiere que la elevada temperatura exterior puede no constituir una amenaza importante para el BPN en los comportamientos adaptativos de la gente actual.
Institute of Economic Research Working Paper Series Enterprise Resource Planning Systems : Strategic and Organisational Processes 2002 / 3

This paper describes the processes that firms and managers go through in their quests to create and sustain 2competitive advantages based on so-called Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. It is based on Resource-based theory, combined with the Strategy process perspective and with existing literature on information technology and ERP. The theoretic framework is extended through a detailed case study of a specific in-house ERP venture in a European multinational manufacturing company in the paper packaging industry. The emergent resource management framework describes cognitive and cultural factors that support or hamper progress, including uncertainty, knowledge gaps, knowledge transfer issues and the problems of ensuring that ERP usage is converted into competitive advantage. The framework also addresses managerial implications and potential solutions to such obstacles, throughout the process.
UNESCO INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN EDUCATION

The main goal of the expert meeting was to provide a contemporary vision of the problems of evaluation of ICT usage in education within the framework of the IITE project ICTs in Education: State-of-the-Art, Needs and Perspectives. This would help to promote the activity of UNESCO Member States in integrated evaluation of national action plans and policy documents on information technologies in education. To attain this goal, it is important to collect the information on ICT usage in education on a basis of balanced and standardized indicator system.
Bias and Productivity in Humans and Algorithms: Theory and Evidence from Résumé Screening

Where should better learning technology improve decisions? I develop a formal model of decision-making in which better learning technology is complementary with experimentation. Noisy, inconsistent decision-making by humans introduces quasi-experimental variation into training datasets, which complements learning. The model makes heterogeneous predictions about when machine learning algorithms can improve human biases. These algorithms will can remove human biases exhibited in historical training data, but only if the human training decisions are sufficiently noisy; otherwise the algorithms will codify or exacerbate existing biases. I then test these predictions in a field experiment hiring workers for white-collar jobs. The introduction of machine learning technology yields candidates that are a) +14% more likely to pass interviews and receive a job offer, b) +18% more likely to accept job offers when extended, and c) 0. 2σ-0. 4σ more productive once hired as employees. They are also 12% less likely to show evidence of competing job offers during salary negotiations. These results were driven by candidates who were evaluated in a noisy, biased way in historical data used for training. These candidates are broadly non-traditional, particularly candidates who graduated from non-elite colleges, who lack job referrals, who lack prior experience, whose credentials are atypical and who have strong non-cognitive soft-skills.
Understanding the Efficiency of Ray Traversal on GPUs - Kepler and Fermi Addendum

This technical report is an addendum to the HPG2009 paper "Understanding the Efficiency of Ray Traversal on GPUs", and provides citable performance results for Kepler and Fermi architectures. We explain how to optimize the traversal and intersection kernels for these newer platforms, and what the important architectural limiters are. We plot the relative ray tracing performance between architecture generations against the available memory bandwidth and peak FLOPS, and demonstrate that ray tracing is still, even with incoherent rays and more complex scenes, almost entirely limited by the available FLOPS. We will also discuss two esoteric instructions, present in both Fermi and Kepler, and show that they can be safely used for faster acceleration structure traversal.
Predicting the Phase Noise and Jitter of PLL-Based Frequency Synthesizers

Version 4i, 23 October 2015 Two methodologies are presented for predicting the phase noise and jitter of a PLLbased frequency synthesizer using simulation that are both accurate and efficient. The methodologies begin by characterizing the noise behavior of the blocks that make up the PLL using transistor-level RF simulation. For each block, the phase noise or jitter is extracted and applied to a model for the entire PLL.
Research Online Research Online Authorized equality test on identity-based ciphertexts for secret Authorized equality test on identity-based ciphertexts for secret data sharing via cloud storage data sharing via cloud storage

Abstract With the higher rate of using cloud storage, protecting data privacy becomes an important issue. The most effective solution is to encrypt data before uploading to the cloud. However, how to efficiently search over data encrypted with different keys is still an open problem. To address this problem, we introduce a new notion of the identity-based encryption with equality test supporting flexible authorization (IBEET-FA). It supports the test of whether two ciphertexts encrypted under the different keys encapsulate the same message, and in the meanwhile supports fine-grained authorization of the test. Based on the equality test on ciphertexts, there is a direct way to support an authorized user to search over ciphertexts of different users, which accelerates secret data sharing among a group of users. Besides, IBEET-FA does not suffer from the complex key management problem of its counterpart in the traditional public key infrastructure. We propose a concrete construction of IBEET-FA and prove it to be securely based on simple mathematical assumptions. The experimental results show that our IBEET-FA scheme is efficient and can satisfy various types of search over encrypted data. Authorized equality test on identity-based ciphertexts ABSTRACT With the higher rate of using cloud storage, protecting data privacy becomes an important issue. The most effective solution is to encrypt data before uploading to the cloud. However, how to efﬁciently search over data encrypted with different keys is still an open problem. To address this problem, we introduce a new notion of the identity-based encryption with equality test supporting ﬂexible authorization (IBEET-FA). It supports the test of whether two ciphertexts encrypted under the different keys encapsulate the same message, and in the meanwhile supports ﬁne-grained authorization of the test. Based on the equality test on ciphertexts, there is a direct way to support an authorized user to search over ciphertexts of different users, which accelerates secret data sharing among a group of users. Besides, IBEET-FA does not suffer from the complex key management problem of its counterpart in the traditional public key infrastructure. We propose a concrete construction of IBEET-FA and prove it to be securely based on simple mathematical assumptions. The experimental results show that our IBEET-FA scheme is efﬁcient and can satisfy various types of search over encrypted data.
Natural radiological studies of Kelantan and Terengganu States, Malaysia

Natural environmental radioactivity arises mainly from primordial radionuclides such as 40K and also from 238U and 232Th decay series and have always been present in a variety of concentrations in every part of the earth’s mantle and in the tissue of every living being. Natural radioactivity can be found almost everywhere; in soil, public water supplies, oil and atmosphere. It poses a measurable exposure to human beings. The present study was aimed of providing the base line data of Terrestrial Gamma Radiation Dose rates (TGRD), natural radioactivity concentrations and the corresponding radiological health hazards in the environments of Kelantan and Terengganu states. TGRD were measured using a micro roentgen survey meter model 19 manufactured by Ludlum, from 150 and 145 locations at Kelantan and Terengganu states, respectively. A total of sixty (60) soil samples and ten (10) water samples from major rivers were collected with thirty six (36) soil and five (5) water samples collected from Kelantan and twenty four (24) soil and five (5) water samples collected from Terengganu, respectively. The soil samples were analyzed using a high purity germanium detector (HPGe) and Genie 2000 software, while the water samples were analyzed at Malaysian Nuclear Agency using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) for 40K and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) for U and Th concentrations. The measured TGRD mean values of 209 nGy h-1 and 150 nGy h-1 which are about three times the world and two times Malaysian averages of 59 nGy h-1 and 92 nGy h-1 respectively. The mean activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in the soil samples were found to be 82 Bq kg-1, 123 Bq kg-1 and 643 Bq kg-1 for Kelantan, and 79 Bq kg-1, 84 Bq kg-1, and 545 Bq kg-1 for Terengganu. 226Ra and 232Th in Kelantan are three times and in Terengganu twice the world average values of 32 Bq kg-1 and 45 Bq kg-1, while 40K is slightly higher than the world average value of 420 Bq kg-1. For water samples, the mean concentrations of U and Th and activity concentration of 40K was found to be 13 mBq L-1, 4 mBq L-1 and 1119 mBq L-1 for Kelantan and 0.71 mBq L-1, 0.23 mBq L-1 and 56 mBq L-1 for Terengganu, respectively. The health hazard impact of radium equivalent (Raeq), annual effective dose (AED), and external radiation hazard index (Hex) which are indicators of radiological health hazards were computed as 307 Bq kg-1, 1.28 mSv y-1 and 0.83 for Kelantan and 242 Bq kg-1, 0.92 mSv y-1 and 0.65 for Terengganu, respectively. Statistical relationships between TGRD with underlying geological formations and soil types were obtained. Isodose contour maps which shows the distribution pattern of TGRD for both states were produced. Radiological health due to TGRD and natural radioactivity are on the average higher than both the world average and Malaysian average but were still within the recommended values of 370 Bq kg-1, 0.48 mSv y-1 and unity, thus should not pose any significant danger to the populations.
CUNY Academic Works

Background: Recent technology advances have enabled sequencing of individual genomes, promising to revolutionize biomedical research. However, deep sequencing remains more expensive than microarrays for performing whole-genome SNP genotyping. Results: In this paper we introduce a new multi-locus statistical model and computationally efficient genotype calling algorithms that integrate shotgun sequencing data with linkage disequilibrium (LD) information extracted from reference population panels such as Hapmap or the 1000 genomes project. Experiments on publicly available 454, Illumina, and ABI SOLiD sequencing datasets suggest that integration of LD information results in genotype calling accuracy comparable to that of microarray platforms from sequencing data of low-coverage. A software package implementing our algorithm, released under the GNU General Public License, is available at http://dna. engr.uconn. edu/software/GeneSeq/. Conclusions: Integration of LD information leads to significant improvements in genotype calling accuracy compared to prior LD-oblivious methods, rendering low-coverage sequencing as a viable alternative to microarrays for conducting large-scale genome-wide association studies.
A new algorithm for minimizing convex functions over convex sets (extended abstract)

We describe a new algorithm for minimizing a convex function over a convex set. The notion of a volumetric center of a polytope and a related ellipsoid of maximum volume inscrib- able in the polytope are central to the algorithm. The algorithm has a much better rate of global convergence than the ellipsoid
Quality Assessment of Shallow Groundwater in Some Selected Agrarian Communities in Patigi Local Government Area, Nigeria

A study was conducted to determine the biologic al, hemical and physical drinking water quality from shallow wells in agrarian communities. An insitu membrane filtration test kit was used to deter mine the microbiological quality of water and a photometer was used for the chemical an lyses. Water samples were collected from protected shallow wells during wet a nd dry seasons of the year 2012 to determine the change in quality with different s easons. The results of the analysis show that Gapkan had the least value of pH of 6.7 while Lade had the highest value of 8.4. ANOVA (P<0.05) showed pH to b e statistically higher during the wet season than in the dry season. The conducti vity during the wet season was observed to range between 1210 μS/cm and 1678 μS/cm for Kpada and Gakpan communities respectively. Turbidity values during the wet season ranged betwe n 4 and 7 NTU while dry season analysis ranged between 2 and 3 NTU. Sulphate concentration was the lowest at 431 mg/L in Fey and highest of 532 mg/L at Duro and Rifun Woro during the wet season. Chloride cont ent within the wet season varied between 260 and 269 mg/L while that of the d ry season varied between 124 and 130 mg/L. Highest and lowest concentrations of nitrate recorded during wet season was 0.42 and 0.23 mg/L for Kusogi and Fey re spectively. The colour observed during the wet season ranged between 17 TC U and 19TCU while that of the dry season ranged between 10 and 13 TCU. C urrent status of the water in the study areas are fit as source of drinking water for the community, though plans should be put in place for mini treatment plants th at can serve these communities to enhance good drinking water delivery.
Assessment of Drought Tolerance in Spring Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.) At Different Growth Stages under the Rainfed Conditions of Rawalakot Azad Kashmir Pakistan

Twenty wheat genotypes were sown in field conditions to assess the variability for drought tolerance at various growth stages under the rainfed conditions of Rawalakot Azad Kashmir Pakistan. A multivariate approach including correlation, factor, cluster and principle component analysis was used to quantify the amount of variability among the genotypes. Correlation analysis showed that grain yield was positively correlated with plant height. Days to 50% heading showed positive correlation with drought traits like residual transpiration and relative water content. Principle component analysis showed that seven factors contributed 82.66% of the total variability with the Eigen value greater than 1. Cluster analysis grouped 20 genotypes into six clusters. Cluster 1,4 and 5 consist of 3 genotypes, cluster 2 contained 7 while cluster 3 and 6 had 2 genotypes. Cluster 1 genotype showed highest value of grain yield while cluster 4 genotype showed drought tolerant trait like high relative water content. Less residual transpiration was shown in cluster 2 genotype. Cluster 4 and cluster 2 genotypes will be used for further breeding programs.
Petrology and isotopic evolution of granulites from central Madurai Block (southern India): reference to Ediacaran crustal evolution

ABSTRACT The Madurai Block, constituting part of the southern granulite terrain in southern India, has contributed significantly towards understanding the UHT (ultrahigh-temperature) granulites that serve as a window into the mid-lower continental crust. The dominant rock types are charnockites, sapphirine-bearing granulites, garnet cordierite gneisses, and quartzites. Significant textural relations reveal multiphase reactions responsible for the formation of diverse mineral parageneses during prolonged metamorphic history of the area. Prograde reaction is evident from the textural relationship where biotite/sillimanite relics are seen as inclusion in garnet/orthopyroxene, suggesting dehydration reactions. The symplectitic assemblages that formed during isothermal decompression involve a series of cordierite-forming reactions, followed by retrogression and cooling. Variety of mineral assemblages present in the rocks of this area offer a wide spectrum of P–T sensors that provide details on the physical conditions of metamorphism. For the rigorous interpretation of the P–T path in the Perumalmalai area, quantitative phase diagrams (P–T pseudosections) have been constructed and contoured for the compositional as well as modal isopleths of involved mineral phases. The rocks of Perumalmalai area document a clockwise decompression P–T trajectory, consistent with crustal thickening followed by extensional collapse. SHRIMP U–Pb ages from zircon associated with sapphirine-bearing granulite facies rocks of Perumalmalai area suggest a widespread Ediacaran tectonothermal event. The occurrence of Ediacaran UHT metamorphism followed by isothermal decompression in the Madurai Block is consistent with the timing and physical conditions associated with the formation of East African Orogen during the amalgamation of Gondwana.
Testing the Box-Cox Parameter for an Integrated Process

This paper analyses the constant elasticity of volatility (CEV) model suggested by Chan et al. (1992). The CEV model without mean reversion is shown to be the inverse Box-Cox transformation of integrated processes asymptotically. It is demonstrated that the maximum likelihood estimator of the power parameter has a nonstandard asymptotic distribution, which is expressed as an integral of Brownian motions, when the data generating process is not mean reverting. However, it is shown that the t-ratio follows a standard normal distribution asymptotically, so that the use of the conventional t-test in analyzing the power parameter of the CEV model is justified even if there is no mean reversion, as is often the case in empirical research. The model may applied to ultra high frequency data
The effect of cluster thinning, cluster tipping, cluster shredding and defoliation at the flowering on the vegetative and generative vine performance from Kékfrankos Cv.

In the scientific literature we can read about several new methods of „green harvest”. Among them, the most familiar is maybe the cluster tipping. It is known, that with the cutting the end part of the clusters, the yield can be improved. This often used method can be applied not only in case of table grape production, but in case of vine production (Lôrincz & Barócsi, eds. 2010). During the splitting – dependent from the expected yield – the 30 or 50 percent of the clusters will be thrown away. Due to the cut, the clusters will be bigger and looser. (Schultz, 2003; Fader et al., 2004; Huber & Bleyer, 2004; Huber, 2005; Kührer, 2007). The cluster tipping may have a positive effect not only in case of varieties with compact clusters, but also in case of varieties with looser clusters and bigger berries (Hafner, 2002). In the foreign praxis, mostly the bigger clusters or their basal cluster wings are cut (Fox, 2000). The optimal period for the work begins 2 or 3 weeks after bloom, and ends at the time of berry touch. In case of varieties with longer bunch stem, the end of the clusters can be nipped easy with hands (Petgen, 2005/A). It has to considered, that in case of cluster tipping bigger berries will develop during the first part of the fruit development (Fox, 2005; Kührer, 2007). With the cluster tipping, not only the bunch rot and the acetification (Hafner, 2001) but also the bunch stem necrosis and the bunch parching can be overtaken effectively (Petgen & Götz, 2004, Petgen, 2005/B; Raifer, 2010; Zanathy, 2011). In case of splitting every cluster, the treatment needs 75-110 hours manual work pro ha (Fader et al., 2004; Petgen, 2005/B). The necessary time for the work depends on the development stage of the clusters: in case of pea sized berries 50–70, in case of berry touch 70–90 working hours/ha, respectively. In case of thick clusters, the splitting can be done with difficulty; it needs 100 or 180 working hours/ha (Schumacher & Hess, 2007). It is worth to note, that in case of cluster tipping, there isn’t any time saving by the harvest, in contrast to forming one cluster shoots. The cluster shredding bears a resemblance to berry thinning, which is one of the special summer pruning techniques. Berry thinning is made instead of scissors, with hands (with our thumb and forefinger), by rubbing off one part of the berries. Primarily, the first berries of the clusters can be rubbed off. The more berries are picked off, the more