Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intelligence, Personality, or Work Ethic? The Labour Market Returns to Cognitive and Noncognitive Skills in Latin America∗

This paper estimates the returns to cognitive and noncognitive skills across 10 Latin American countries. Results from an exploratory factor analysis reveal that a range of noncognitive skill measures can be explained by two underlying latent factors, which I interpret as “work ethic” and “strength of personality”. I estimate standard Mincerian earnings regressions, which provide strong evidence that both cognitive and noncognitive skills are important determinants of hourly earnings. A one standard deviation increase in cognitive skills is associated with a 9.6% increase in hourly earnings, whereas an increase in the two latent noncognitive skills is associated with a 6.8% and 5.5% return respectively. Specifically, antagonism (the reverse of agreeableness) is important only for women, whereas neuroticsm is important only for men. Noncognitive skills also predict significant increases in labour force participation. One of the distinguishing features of the labour market in developing countries is the size of the informal sector. I show that there is significant self selection of individuals with high cognitive skills away from the informal sector and into the formal sector. However there is no strong evidence of a difference in returns between sectors. This finding runs contrary to theories of a segmented labour market. ∗I would like to thank Orazio Attanasio, Sarah Cattan, Pramila Krishnan, and seminar participants at the IFS and CSAE, Oxford for helpful comments. I would also like to thank Pablo Sanguinetti and the development bank of Latin America for kindly sharing their data. A version of this paper was submitted as an extended essay for the MSc in Economics for Development at Oxford university. †Institute for Fiscal Studies, 7 Ridgmount Street, London WC1E 7AE. Email: peter leighton@ifs.org. uk
Increasing customer loyalty through customer engagement in the retail banking industry

Purpose This study aims to determine the main antecedents of customer engagement (market orientation, satisfaction, emotions and self-brand connection) and the relationship between customer engagement and customer loyalty in the retail-banking context. Design/methodology/approach A theoretical model of effects is tested using dyadic methodology, based on 225 dyads (bank branch manager–average of five branch customers). The authors use structural equation modelling (EQS 6.1) to test the relationships. Findings The results reveal a strong relationship between customer engagement and customer loyalty. Satisfaction is the main antecedent of customer engagement. Self-brand connection and emotions during the service also have a significant influence. Finally, branch market orientation has a positive influence on satisfaction and emotions. Research limitations/implications The first concerns the transversal data used. Geographical context is the second limitation. Third, the study sample only included customers with experience of the financial services of a specific bank (online customers are not included). Finally, the dyads are based on the opinion of the branch manager, on one hand, and an average of five customers per branch, on the other. Practical implications The combination of the branding strategy at the corporate level and the relationship marketing strategy at branch office level creates a situation in which customer engagement and customer loyalty can thrive. The communication campaigns designed to promote the brand image and associate brand values with the personality of the banks’ current and potential customers help to create an emotional bond that represents a switching cost for the customer. The moments of truth in branch offices are crucial aspects in the retail bank strategy. Originality/value First, from the conceptual perspective, it establishes a direct relationship between customer engagement and customer loyalty. Second, it empirically tested Pansari and Kumar’s (2017) customer engagement framework, which establishes customer satisfaction and customer emotions as the antecedents of customer engagement. Third, the study took an innovative step in establishing two levels of customer emotions in the retail bank context: emotions generated by corporate branding and emotions that arise during the experience of purchase and consuming. Fourth, the study shows that the market orientation adopted not at the macro corporate level but at the individual branch level is crucial to the generation of positive relational outcomes in the service the customer receives. The fifth contribution is related to the fact that the research streams associated with market orientation and relationship quality have traditionally been studied in isolation.
Factors for Intimate Partner Violence in Tanzania: a Qualitative Experience of Women Living in Informal Settlements in Iringa Tanzania

Intimate partner violence continues to be a global epidemic that physically, emotionally, sexually and economically affects women and girls worldwide. This study sought to examine the factors associated with intimate partner violence among women living in informal settlement of Iringa Tanzania. Methods: This was cross sectional study. In depth interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect data from married/cohabiting women and men aged 18-49 years who were residents of the study community for at least 12 months prior the study. Four focus groups discussions were conducted – two among males and two among females. Additionally, eight in depth interviews were conducted four among females and four among males. The in-depth interviews and focus groups discussions were audio recorded, transcribed and then translated into English. Transcribed data was read several times and then was manually analyzed thematically. The themes were derived by focusing on the meaningful units, from codes that were developed as well as sub-categories and categories. Through constant comparison of information at various stages we derived themes as presented in results section. Results: The findings show that there is a presence of IPV which is caused by several factors including polygamy and extra marital affairs, alcohol abuse, patriarchal system and social cultural factors. In addition the culture of silence, victims not knowing their rights, lack of respect to men, women doing/starting up a business/employment, presence of diseases, wives behaviour of not respecting their husbands, learning IPV from peers were reported to trigger IPV. Conclusion: The study revealed that there is presence of IPV in the informal settlement of Iringa, Tanzania which is caused by various factors. There is need to commit to long-term strategies at local, national, and global levels that will help to understand and successfully deal with cultural and societal norms reinforcing IPV. Therefore it is importance to establish programs that support long-term, changes in gender norms and emphasize on gender equality and respect. Long-term sustainable strategy that includes a variety of approaches and involving men can successfully promote and support such changes in the society.
If Not in My Backyard, Where? The Distributional Effects of Restricting Interjurisdictional Waste Flows∗

Several state and local governments have attempted to legalize interjurisdictional waste flow controls in several Congress sessions after their ordinances were overturned by Supreme Court. Using data on intercounty waste flows in California and a random utility model of haulers’ decisions about where to deposit waste from each county, this paper studies the effects of not-in-my-backyard policies and fuel taxes on the spatial and demographic distribution of solid waste. I find that waste is currently more likely to be hauled to disposal facilities in communities with higher percentages of blacks and Hispanics, even after controlling for income, disposal fees, and transport distances. Counterfactual policy experiments show that policies that seek to limit waste flows would reduce intercounty waste transport. However, these policies tend to lead to substitution of waste away from facilities near white residents and toward facilities near Hispanic residents, potentially exacerbating distributional concerns.
The effectiveness of the Incredible YearsTM Parents and Babies Program as a universal prevention intervention for parents of infants in Denmark: study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial

Background: Infancy is an important period in a child’s life, with rapid growth and development. Early experiences shape the developing brain, and adverse experiences can have both an immediate and lifelong impact on health and wellbeing. Parenting interventions offered to parents of newborns can support parents in providing sensitive and responsive care, and reinforce healthy development for their infants. This study aims to evaluate the impact of the Incredible YearsTM Parents and Babies Program in a universal setting for parents with infants. Methods/Design: This is a pragmatic, two-arm, parallel, pilot, randomized controlled trial (RCT) where 128 families with newborn infants up to four-months-old are recruited in two municipalities in Denmark. Families are randomized to the Incredible Years Parents and Babies Program or usual care with a 2:1 allocation ratio. The primary outcome is parenting confidence measured after 20 weeks by the Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale and Parental Stress Scale. Secondary outcomes include measures of parent health, reflective functioning, relationship with the infant, and infant development. Interviewers and data analysts are blind to allocation status. Discussion: This is the first RCT of the Incredible Years Parents and Babies Program, and one of the first rigorous evaluations of a universally offered preventive intervention for parents with infants. The trial will provide important information on the effectiveness of a relatively brief, universally offered parenting intervention for parents of infants, and will also provide information on infant measures, parent recruitment and participation, and implementation of the program, which could inform future trials. Trial registration: This trial was registered with Clinicaltrials.gov (identifier: NCT01931917) on 27 August 2013.
Facile Synthesis of Water-Soluble, Highly-Fluorescent Graphene Quantum Dots from Graphene Oxide Reduction for Efficient Cell Labelling

In this work, we report a simple, one-step, green procedure to fabricate strong blue and yellow photoluminescent graphene quantum dots (GQDs) as by-product of the synthesis of mesoporous graphene hydrogel (GHs). The graphene hydrogel was obtained by chemical reduction of graphene oxide using ascorbic acid at mild temperature. As a consequence of the network formation, small fluorescent GQDs can be isolated from the residual solvent, purified from the by-products and finally concentrated to produce GQDs. The GQDs chemistry and morphology were characterized by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The GQDs mean diameter was about 5–10 nm and they exhibited an intense luminescence in the visible range with an excitation wavelength-dependent fluorescence. Our experiments showed that GQDs were easily internalized in living cells and furthermore, such internalization did not adversely affect cell viability.
The Role of Chronological Age, Health, and Basic Psychological Needs for Older Adults’ Travel Intention

This study examined how demographic information, chronological age, older adults’ physical and mental health, and basic psychological needs affected travel intention. The survey samples were collected from 577 adults, all over 60 years of age. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to test the proposed hypotheses. First, demographic information with chronological age was used for primary analysis. The outcome indicated that chronological age was negatively associated with travel intention while all other demographic variables were not. Secondly, when physical and mental health condition variables were added, physical health positively affected travel intention while chronological age still negatively affected travel intention. Thirdly, psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness) for travel were included in the final analysis. The outcome showed that all psychological needs variables had a significant impact on travel intention for those with a physical health condition. However, chronological age was not a significant factor in travel intention during this analysis. This study shows that chronological age is not always an important factor that affects older adults’ travel intention when other health and psychological variables are considered. This study provides some practical implications and tips for travel industry managers who are targeting the aging population.
Coral Rehabilitation Using Steel Slag as a Substrate

Many researches studied the corals rehabilitation using different techniques all over the world and recorded accepted results. The present experiment presents a new technique and methodology (according to the International Patent) for coral reef transplantation and rehabilitation using Electric Arc Furnace-slag as a substrate for the transplanted corals. Slag is composed mainly of iron oxides (38.07-54.73%), calcium oxides (24.49-34.58%) and silicon oxides (10.23-14.71%) as major constituents, which are chemically stable under the oceanographic conditions throughout the experiment time. In addition, a thin calcium carbonate layer was precipitated on the slag surface from the water column. Three sites were selected to evaluate the steel slag efficiency for coral transplantation. 550 branches and fragments of live coralsAcropora, Stylophora, Favia, Favites, Goniastera and Turbinaria were fixed on the slag by epoxy materials to transplant. After 22 months, about 70.18% of the transplanted corals survived. That the percentage was suddenly dropped and decreased to 49.27% after 24 months may be due to the effect of flood, high turbidity, and the raised water temperature. Finally, the study recommended by using steel slag as a suitable substrate for coral transplantation and larval settlements of the different coral types. KeywordsCoral Reefs; Restoration Technique; EAF Slag; Red Sea
Empirical Bayes Meta-Learning with Synthetic Gradients

We revisit the hierarchical Bayes and empirical Bayes formulations for multi-task learning, which can naturally be applied to meta-learning. The evidence lower bound of the marginal log-likelihood of empirical Bayes decomposes as a sum of local KL divergences between the variational posterior and the true posterior of each task. We derive an amortized variational inference that couples all the variational posteriors into a meta-model, which consists of a synthetic gradient network and an initialization network. Our empirical results on the mini-ImageNet benchmark for episodic few-shot classification significantly outperform previous state-of-the-art methods. 1 Meta-learning with transductive inference The goal of meta-learning is to train a meta-model on a collection of tasks, such that it works well on another disjoint collection of tasks. Suppose that we are given a collection of N tasks for training. The associated data is denoted by D := {dt = (xt, yt)}t=1. In the case of few-shot learning, we are given in addition a support set dt for each task. In this section, we revisit the classical empirical Bayes model for meta-learning. Then, we propose to use a transductive scheme in the variational inference by constructing the variational posterior as a function of xt. 1.1 Empirical Bayes model Due to the hierarchical structure among data, it is natural to consider a hierarchical Bayes model for the marginal likelihood
The Effect of Human Resource Management Practices on Organizational Performance Moderated by Religiosity

Indonesia is a country with the largest Muslim population with 87.2% of the total population. There is a possibility that Islamic values can affect the work environment. This study examined whether human resource management practices consist of selection, training, evaluation, employee participation and compensation affect organizational performance.The role religiosity in moderating the relationship is also examined. Using five non-profit Islamic institutions as the sample, this study shows that the practice of human resource management influences organizational performance, while religiosity is not proven to moderate the relationship It tells that organizational performance is still driven by the selection process, training, evaluation, employee participation and compensation to achieve good organizational performance and that the employees are more motivated by the human resources management process. it implies that employees do not really influence by their religion understanding and do not integrate their religion into their workplace.
Character Eyes: Seeing Language through Character-Level Taggers

Character-level models have been used extensively in recent years in NLP tasks as both supplements and replacements for closed-vocabulary token-level word representations. In one popular architecture, character-level LSTMs are used to feed token representations into a sequence tagger predicting token-level annotations such as part-of-speech (POS) tags. In this work, we examine the behavior of POS taggers across languages from the perspective of individual hidden units within the character LSTM. We aggregate the behavior of these units into language-level metrics which quantify the challenges that taggers face on languages with different morphological properties, and identify links between synthesis and affixation preference and emergent behavior of the hidden tagger layer. In a comparative experiment, we show how modifying the balance between forward and backward hidden units affects model arrangement and performance in these types of languages.
CHAPTER 5 NDR OBSERVANCE in POLYMERIC HETEROSTRUCTURES

In this chapter, we are going to discuss a thin film heterojunction device of conducting polymers with concentration of 10 mg/ml. I-V characteristics of the device demonstrate the negative differential resistance (NDR) behaviour. NDR is a key feature for applications such as novel memories, multi-valued logic, inductor free oscillators and feedback circuits. NDR devices have strong potential for low power applications such as memory and logic. A flexible low power memory would advance the smartcard technology for banking and medical information [1].
Public Diplomacy: A Review of the Implications of Muslim Friendly Korea Campaign for Indonesia

: As a new step in diversifying the market, South Korea makes Muslim-friendly tourism policy as a form of public diplomacy that is implemented to attract Muslim tourists in the world. Indonesia which has the majority of the Muslim societyis a potential market for Muslim-friendly tourism. By the Strategic Communication South Korean Government is trying to provide facilities for Muslim tourists to visit South Korea through Muslim Friendly Korea campaign. This study aims to explain public diplomacy between South Korea and Indonesia through the Muslim Friendly Korea campaign and the implications of Muslim Friendly Korea campaign as a form of South Korean Public Diplomacy, as well as the people to people relationships that are built between the South Korea and Indonesia Society. This study uses a case study method with a qualitative approach, the results of this study are people to people relationship that was built between the South Korea and Indonesia Society goes well and the Muslim Friendly Korea Campaign is being a challenge that must be faced by Indonesia in creating new innovations to attract more foreign tourists especially South Korea to come and enjoy the beauty of Indonesia.
Eteplirsen Treatment Attenuates Respiratory Decline in Ambulatory and Non-Ambulatory Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Background: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients experience skeletal muscle degeneration, including respiratory muscles. Respiratory decline in glucocorticoid-treated DMD patients, measured by percent predicted forced vital capacity (FVC% p), is typically 5% annually in patients aged 10 to 18 years. Objective: Evaluate the effects of eteplirsen on FVC% p annual change in 3 trials versus matched Cooperative International Neuromuscular Research Group Duchenne Natural History Study (CINRG DNHS) controls. Methods: Eteplirsen studies 201/202 evaluated eligible ambulatory DMD patients for at least 4 years, study 204 evaluated primarily non-ambulatory DMD patients for 2 years, and ongoing study 301 is evaluating ambulatory DMD patients for 2 years (interim analysis is included). Eteplirsen-treated patients (n = 74) were amenable to exon 51 skipping and were receiving glucocorticoids. Three CINRG DNHS cohorts included: glucocorticoid-treated patients amenable to exon 51 skipping (Exon 51 CINRG DNHS; n = 20), all glucocorticoid-treated CINRG patients (All CINRG DNHS; n = 172), and all glucocorticoid-treated genotyped CINRG DNHS patients (Genotyped CINRG DNHS; n = 148). FVC% p assessments between ages 10 and <18 years were included for all patients; mixed-model analyses characterized FVC% p annual change. Results: FVC% p annual change was greater for CINRG DNHS Exon 51 controls (– 6.00) versus patients in studies 201/202, study 204, and study 301 (– 2.19, P < 0.001; – 3.66, P 0.004; and – 3.79, P 0.017, respectively). FVC% p annual change in all eteplirsen studies suggested treatment benefit compared with the Genotyped CINRG DNHS (– 5.67) and All CINRG DNHS (– 5.56) cohorts (P < 0.05, all comparisons). Conclusions: Significant, clinically meaningful attenuation of FVC%p decline was observed in eteplirsen-treated patients versus CINRG DNHS controls.
Communication-efficient distributed SGD with Sketching

Large-scale distributed training of neural networks is often limited by network bandwidth, wherein the communication time overwhelms the local computation time. Motivated by the success of sketching methods in sub-linear/streaming algorithms, we introduce Sketched SGD, an algorithm for carrying out distributed SGD by communicating sketches instead of full gradients. We show that Sketched SGD has favorable convergence rates on several classes of functions. When considering all communication -- both of gradients and of updated model weights -- Sketched SGD reduces the amount of communication required compared to other gradient compression methods from $\mathcal{O}(d)$ or $\mathcal{O}(W)$ to $\mathcal{O}(\log d)$, where $d$ is the number of model parameters and $W$ is the number of workers participating in training. We run experiments on a transformer model, an LSTM, and a residual network, demonstrating up to a 40x reduction in total communication cost with no loss in final model performance. We also show experimentally that Sketched SGD scales to at least 256 workers without increasing communication cost or degrading model performance.
Effect of Surface Chemistry on Protein interaction with Hydrogel Contact Lenses

Protein is one of major classes of contaminations for hydrophilic contact lenses. The absorption of individual proteins from single protein solutions in vitro on different lens materials has been measured . The effect of water content and surface chemistry of the lens in terms of ionic characteristics on the interaction of different proteins have also been studied. A series of contact lenses with different surface and structural propenles have been used to study the effect of hydrogel material on the quantity of charged or uncharged protein absorbed . The early stages of interaction and the leaching of protein from the contact lens into storage solution have been studied for proteins deposited In vitro and in vivo.