Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantifying the Distorting Effect of Rapid Guessing on Estimates of Coefficient Αlpha

An underlying threat to the validity of reliability measures is the introduction of systematic variance in examinee scores from unintended constructs that differ from those assessed. One construct-irrelevant behavior that has gained increased attention in the literature is rapid guessing (RG), which occurs when examinees answer quickly with intentional disregard for item content. To examine the degree of distortion in coefficient alpha due to RG, this study compared alpha estimates between conditions in which simulees engaged in full solution (i.e., do not engage in RG) versus partial RG behavior. This was done by conducting a simulation study in which the percentage and ability characteristics of rapid responders as well as the percentage and pattern of RG were manipulated. After controlling for test length and difficulty, the average degree of distortion in estimates of coefficient alpha due to RG ranged from −. 04 to . 02 across 144 conditions. Although slight differences were noted between conditions differing in RG pattern and RG responder ability, the findings from this study suggest that estimates of coefficient alpha are largely robust to the presence of RG due to cognitive fatigue and a low perceived probability of success.
The ultimate six sigma : beyond quality excellence to total business excellence

"Part I 1. What Is Six Sigma? 2. The Need, Objective and Benefits of the Ultimate Six Sigma 3. The Origin, Development, and Renewal of Motorola's Six Sigma 4. The 'Hyped Six Sigma': From the Pure Six Sigma to the Sick Sigma Part II 5. Scope, Structure and Methodology of the Ultimate Six Sigma 6. Customers--From Mere Customer Satisfaction to Customer Loyalty 7. Leadership--From Stifling Micro-Management to Inspiring Leadership 8. Organization--From Taylorism to Freeing the Human Spirit 9. Employees--From Passivity and Boredom to Industrial Democracy 10. Measurement--From Traditional Indicators to Robust Metrics 11. Tools--From Obsolete Tools of the 20th Century to the Powerful Tools of the 21st Century 12. Design--From Historic Levels to Designs in Half the Time, Half the Defects, Half the Costs and Half the Manpower 13. From a Customer-Supplier Win-Lose contest to a Win-Win Partnership for the Entire Supplier Chain 14. Manufacturing--From Second Class Citizen to a Major Contributor to Business Excellence 15. Field--From an Appendage to Maximum Service to Down-Stream Stakeholders 16. Services--From a Black Hole of Little Accountability to a Productive Contributor 17. Results--From Mediocrity to World Class"
Indirect-To-Direct Band Gap Transition of One-Dimensional V2Se9: Theoretical Study with Dispersion Energy Correction

Recently, we synthesized a one-dimensional (1D) structure of V2Se9. The 1D V2Se9 resembles another 1D material, Nb2Se9, which is expected to have a direct band gap. To determine the potential applications of this material, we calculated the band structures of 1D and bulk V2Se9 using density functional theory by varying the number of chains and comparing their band structures and electronic properties with those of Nb2Se9. The results showed that a small number of V2Se9 chains have a direct band gap, whereas bulk V2Se9 possesses an indirect band gap, like Nb2Se9. We expect that V2Se9 nanowires with diameters less than ∼20 Å would have direct band gaps. This indirect-to-direct band gap transition could lead to potential optoelectronic applications for this 1D material because materials with direct band gaps can absorb photons without being disturbed by phonons.
Digital Money: Private versus Public

The financial system is undergoing fundamental change. Fintechs and bigtechs push the technological frontier, redefine business models and force banks to adapt. In parallel, new forms of money and alternative payment systems emerge. Alipay, Apple Pay, Bitcoin and new types of digital central bank money compete with traditional bank deposits. What are the macroeconomic consequences of these new means of payment? We address five key concerns that are frequently put forward:
Improved retention analysis in freemium role‐playing games by jointly modelling players’ motivation, progression and churn

We consider user retention analytics for online freemium role‐playing games (RPGs). RPGs constitute a very popular genre of computer‐based games that, along with a player's gaming actions, focus on the development of the player's in‐game virtual character through a persistent exploration of the gaming environment. Most RPGs follow the freemium business model in which the gamers can play for free but they are charged for premium add‐on amenities. As with other freemium products, RPGs suffer from the curse of high dropout rates. This makes retention analysis extremely important for successful operation and survival of their gaming portals. Here, we develop a disciplined statistical framework for retention analysis by modelling multiple in‐game player characteristics along with the dropout probabilities. We capture players’ motivations through engagement times, collaboration and achievement score at each level of the game, and jointly model them using a generalized linear mixed model (glmm) framework that further includes a time‐to‐event variable corresponding to churn. We capture the interdependencies in a player's level‐wise engagement, collaboration, achievement with dropout through a shared parameter model. We illustrate interesting changes in player behaviours as the gaming level progresses. The parameters in our joint model were estimated by a Hamiltonian Monte Carlo algorithm which incorporated a divide‐and‐recombine approach for increased scalability in glmm estimation that was needed to accommodate our large longitudinal gaming data‐set. By incorporating the level‐wise changes in a player's motivations and using them for dropout rate prediction, our method greatly improves on state‐of‐the‐art retention models. Based on data from a popular action based RPG, we demonstrate the competitive optimality of our proposed joint modelling approach by exhibiting its improved predictive performance over competitors. In particular, we outperform aggregate statistics based methods that ignore level‐wise progressions as well as progression tracking non‐joint model such as the Cox proportional hazards model. We also display improved predictions of popular marketing retention statistics and discuss how they can be used in managerial decision making.
Discerning Effects of Climate Variability, Local Land Degradation and Tree Species Diversity on Remote Sensing Derived Resilience and Resistance of Dry Afromontane Forest 

Introduction: Anthropogenic disturbances are increasingly affecting the vitality of tropical dry forests. The future condition of this important biome will depend on its capability to resist, and recover from these disturbances. So far, the temporal stability of dryland forests is rarely studied, but could serve as a basis for forest management and restoration. Methodology: In a degraded dry Afromontane forest in northern Ethiopia, we explored remote sensing derived indicators of forest stability, using MODIS satellite derived NDVI time series from 2001 to 2018. Resilience, resistance and variability were measured using the anomalies (remainders) after time series decomposition into seasonality, trend and remainder components. Growth stability was calculated using the integral of the undecomposed NDVI data. These NDVI derived stability indicators were then related to environmental factors of climate, topography, soil, tree species diversity, and disturbance, obtained from a systematic grid of field inventory plots, using boosted regression trees in R. Resilience and resistance were adequately predicted by these factors with an R2 of 0.67 and 0.48, respectively, but the models for variability and growth stability were weaker. Precipitation of the wettest month, distance from settlements and slope were the most important factors associated with resilience, explaining 51% of the effect. Altitude, temperature seasonality and humus accumulation were the significant factors associated with the resistance of the forest, explaining 61% of the overall effect. A positive effect of tree diversity on resilience was also significant, except that the impact of species evenness declined above a threshold value of 0.70, indicating that perfect evenness reduced the resilience of the forest. Conclusion: A combination of climate, topographic variables and disturbance indicators controlled the stability of the dry forest. Tree diversity is an important component that should be considered in the management and restoration programs of such degraded forests. If local disturbances are alleviated the recovery time of dryland forests could be shortened, which is vital to maintain the ecosystem services these forests provide to local communities and global climate change.
Aligning Requirements with Business Objectives : A Framework for Requirements Engineering Decisions

As software development continues to increase in complexity, involving far-reaching consequences, there is a need for decision support to improve the decision making process in requirements engineering (RE) activities. This research begins with a detailed investigation of the complexity of decision making during RE activities on organizational, product and project levels. Secondly, it presents a conceptual model which describes the RE decision making environment in terms of stakeholders, information requirements, decision types and business objectives. The purpose of this model is to facilitate the development of decision support systems in RE and to help further structure and analyse the decision making process in RE.
Understanding Behavioural Patterns of Interlocked Offenders to Inform the Efficient and Effective Implementation of Interlock Programs: How Offenders on an Interlock Learn to Comply

In a growing number of jurisdictions around the world an increased demand for the use of alcohol interlocks is evident. In order to inform decision-making regarding the use of interlocks in programs it is crucial that program administrators and practitioners understand behavioural patterns of offenders on an interlock. Insight into compliance rates of interlocked offenders throughout their time on the interlock can guide administrators with regard to program development and implementation, particularly in relation to logistical aspects of programs and the requisite resources to support it. The objectives of this study are to shed light on the behavioural patterns of offenders on an interlock, specifically with respect to their compliance with device requirements and program rules and to illustrate how such knowledge can be used to inform the implementation and delivery of interlock programs. This study was conducted for the Dutch Ministry of Transport to provide empirical information needed to inform the implementation of the Dutch interlock program. The sample used in this study consists of 7,743 interlocked offenders who were randomly drawn from a population of 30,000 offenders who had an interlock installed during a time period of up to three years, more precisely at some point between 2006 and 2008. her research are formulated.
Stay at Home: Malaysian Youth Perception towards Online Shopping as The New Norms

The main purpose of this study is to examine Malaysian Youth online shopping perception towards their intention to purchase during this trying time of Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia. We assess four independent variables which are perception of web design, perception of reliability, perception of privacy and perception of customer service and four hypotheses were postulated in this study. To analyze the findings, the researcher applies Partial Least Square (PLS) approach and cross-sectional study were conducted to 198 respondents using judgmental purposive sampling among Malaysian youth. Results showed that all the variables have positive relationship with the Malaysia youths’ purchase intention.
Stratigraphic record of continental breakup, offshore NW Australia

Continental breakup involves a transition from rapid, fault‐controlled syn‐rift subsidence to relatively slow, post‐breakup subsidence induced by lithospheric cooling. Yet the stratigraphic record of many rifted margins contain syn‐breakup unconformities, indicating that episodes of uplift and erosion interrupt this transition. This uplift has been linked to mantle upwelling, depth‐dependent extension and/or isostatic rebound. Deciphering the breakup processes recorded by these unconformities and their related rock record is challenging because uplift‐associated erosion commonly removes the strata that help constrain the onset and duration of uplift. We examine three major breakup‐related unconformities and the intervening rock record in the Lower Cretaceous succession of the Gascoyne and Cuvier margins, offshore NW Australia, using seismic reflection and borehole data. These data show the breakup unconformities are disconformable (non‐erosive) in places and angular (erosive) in others. Our recalibration of palynomorph ages from rocks underlying and overlying the unconformities shows: (i) the lowermost unconformity developed between 134.98–133.74 Ma (Intra‐Valanginian), probably during the localisation of magma intrusion within continental crust and consequent formation of continent–ocean transition zones (COTZ); (ii) the middle unconformity formed between ca. 134 and 133 Ma (Top Valanginian), possibly coincident with breakup of continental crust and generation of new magmatic (but not oceanic) crust within the COTZs; and (iii) the uppermost unconformity likely developed between ca. 132.5 and 131 Ma (i.e. Intra‐Hauterivian), coincident with full continental lithospheric breakup and the onset of seafloor spreading. During unconformity development, uplift was focussed along the continental rift flanks, likely reflecting flexural bending of the crust and landward flow of lower crust and/or lithospheric mantle from beneath areas of localised extension towards the continent (i.e. depth‐dependent extension). Our work supports the growing consensus that the ‘breakup unconformity’ is not always a single stratigraphic surface marking the onset of seafloor spreading; multiple unconformities may form and reflect a complex history of uplift and subsidence during continent–ocean transition.
Effectiveness of Family-Engaged Multidimensional Team Planning and Management for Recovery in Patients With Severe Stroke and Low Functional Status

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of family-engaged multidimensional team planning and management for patients with severe stroke and low functional status and to identify factors predictive of improved outcome at 1 month after admission. Methods We retrospectively evaluated 50 patients who underwent family-engaged multidimensional rehabilitation for recovery from severe stroke due to primary unilateral cerebral lesions. The rehabilitation consisted of three phases: comprehensive multidimensional assessment, intensive rehabilitation, and evaluation. Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores were calculated and used to predict the patients’ status at discharge. Results Although all FIM scores significantly improved after 1 month of rehabilitation, the motor FIM (mFIM) score improved the most (from 20.5±1.0 to 32.6±2.0). The total FIM (tFIM) and mFIM scores continued to improve from the first month to discharge (mean mFIM efficiency, 0.33). The high-efficiency patient group (mFIM efficiency ≥0.19) had a significantly higher discharge-to-home rate (44% vs. 13%), lower frequency of hemispatial neglect, and more severe finger numbness than the low-efficiency patient group (mFIM efficiency <0.19). The regression analyses revealed that besides lower mFIM and cognitive FIM scores at admission, unilateral spatial neglect, systemic comorbidities, and age were predictive of worse 1-month outcomes and tFIM scores (conformity, R2=0.78; predictive power, Akaike information criterion value=202). Conclusion Family-engaged multidimensional team planning and management are useful for patients with severe stroke and low functional status. Furthermore, FIM scores at admission, age, unilateral spatial neglect, and systemic comorbidities should be considered by rehabilitation teams when advising caregivers on the probability of favorable outcomes after rehabilitation.
Predictions

: In this paper predictions from a 3-D ‘image-based’ ray tracing model for microcellular environments are compared with three sets of narrowband measurements performed in a typical urban area. The comparisons illustrate that good agreement can be obtained, with RMS errors less than 3.7dB, even for deep shadow areas. In order to analyse the inherent discrepancies that result from the limited averaging of the measurements along the route, predictions were also obtained by producing slow fading envelopes similar to those measured.
College student's acceptance of tablet personal computers: a modification of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model

Information technology can enhance the learning process for post secondary students. Many universities have implemented ubiquitous or required notebook or tablet personal computing for their students but have not studied the acceptance of the technology by their student populations. This research examines student acceptance of mobile computing devices using a modification of the "Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT)" recently developed by leading researchers in the technology acceptance field. The objective of the study is to evaluate students' acceptance of Tablet PC (TPC) as a mean to forecast, explain, and improve usage patterns of UTAUT in alternate contexts. The research contributes to UTAUT's theoretical validity and empirical applicability and to the management of information technology (IT) based initiatives in education.
A further study of inconsistencies between autoignition and knock intensity in the CFR octane rating engine

Careful consideration of the development and operation of the ASTM knock detection system on the Cooperative Fuels Research (CFR) octane rating engine has shown that the pressure fluctuations, brought about by autoignition of the end-gas, do not contribute to measurement of knock intensity. The analyses of a variety of fuels at standard knock intensity revealed that knock intensity measured on the CFR engine is related to the rate of change of pressure prior to knocking and is consistent with the description and operation of, not only the original bouncing pin, but also the modern day electronic CFR knock measurement system. It was concluded that the use of octane number data to directly infer information about the autoignition behaviour of fuels should be done with caution.
Probiotic Characteristics of Ligilactobacillus salivarius AS22 Isolated from Sheep Dung and Its Application in Corn-Fox Tail Millet Silage

The forage crops corn (Zea mays) and foxtail millet (Panicum italicum L.) are widely used as animal feed because of their high nutritive values. The ensiling of corn and foxtail millet is often associated with the growth of undesirable microbes, which cause severe loss of dry matter content during the storage periods. The selection of suitable Ligilactobacillus species for corn-fox tail millet silage production can improve the quality. In this study, we aimed to select potent lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from sheep dung and analyses their biological application such as probiotic features, antimicrobial activities and fermentation capability of silage. A total of nine Lactobacillus strains were inoculated in MRS medium to evaluate lactic acid concentration. The isolated strain, Ligilactobacillus salivarius AS22, produced a higher lactic acid level (40.2 ± 2.2 µg/mL) with high growth rates (2.24 ± 0.12 OD at 600 nm) compared to other strains. The silage treated with inoculant (L. salivarius AS22) decreased the pH value (p < 0.05) and enhanced lactic acid production (p < 0.05) than the control at ensiled silages. LAB inoculated silage had reduced numbers of fungal colonies than control (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the addition of L. salivarius AS22 improved the quality of whole corn and foxtail millet silages with significant probiotic potential.
SAFETY OF OLDER DRIVERS: STRATEGY FOR FUTURE RESEARCH AND ACTION INITIATIVES

A literature review was undertaken to identify what are the key older driver issues, what is currently known and unknown about older driver safety, and areas requiring further research. This was done to help government agencies and other organisations adopt a strategic approach to older road user safety. The review identified a number of key health, licensing and mobility issues relevant to older drivers and a number of research and management topics requiring further consideration. Research issues of high priority included monitoring of crashes involving older drivers; the ability of older people to self-regulate their driving behaviour; the development of adequate screening tests for older drivers; the role of highway design for older drivers; older drivers as a cause of crashes; and the collection of comprehensive exposure data on older drivers' road usage. Management priorities included improved guidelines for licence referral; establishment of a pilot re-licensing program similar to that proposed by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration in the USA; a handbook that provides advice and recommendations on retiring from driving; provision of a manual on highway design for older drivers; an older driver handbook; and improvement in labelling medicine for older people that adversely affects driving ability. (a)
Analysis of Risk as a Function of Driving-Hour: Assessment of Driving-Hours 1 Through 11

Crashes involving large trucks constitute a significant risk to the driving public and an occupational risk to truck drivers. In 2005, some 442,000 large trucks (weighing over 10,000 lbs each) were involved in vehicle crashes; 4,951 of these large-truck crashes resulted in fatalities. Driver impairment due to drowsiness is a known contributing factor in many crashes involving commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers (Maycock, 1997). The Large Truck Crash Causation Studies found that 13 percent of truck drivers were coded as having been fatigued at the time of the crash (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), 2006). On April 28, 2003, FMCSA published a revised set of regulations concerning the Hours-of- Service (HOS) of CMV drivers. These published regulations were amended on September 30, 2003 and implemented on January 4, 2004. One central component of the revisions was a two hour extension of off-duty time from eight to 10 hours. One rationale given in an FMCSA posting in the Federal Register (2005) was that the additional two hours of off-duty time would provide drivers with substantially more opportunity to obtain restorative sleep (p. 3342). The results from Hanowski, Dingus, Sudweeks, Olson, and Fumero (2005) indicated that this indeed may be the case; their research found that drivers may be getting more sleep under the revised 2003 HOS regulation (6.28 h per day) as compared to the old regulations (5.18 h per day; Mitler et al., 1997).