Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Leaderboard Design Principles Influencing User Engagement in an Online Discussion

Along with the popularity of gamification, there has been increased interest in using leaderboards to promote engagement with online learning systems. The existing literature suggests that when leaderboards are designed well they have the potential to improve learning, but qualitative investigations are required in order to reveal design principles that will improve engagement. In order to address this gap, this qualitative study aims to explore students' overall perceptions of popular leaderboard designs in a gamified, online discussion. Using two leaderboards reflecting performance in an online discussion, this study evaluated multiple leaderboard designs from student interviews and other data sources regarding the potential of each leaderboard to improve user engagement. Analysis of the leaderboard designs was conducted using a single case study. The data was collected from semi-structured interviews, transcripts from the discussion data, and surveys. Interview data was analyzed using Corbin & Strauss’ (2014) open coding method. The result of the data collection was 221 minutes of recorded conversation which converted to 135 pages of transcribed text. The transcribed data was tagged with open codes, sorted, and grouped into related conceptual clusters resulting in 68 individual codes. These codes were then grouped into 16 concepts as part of the axial coding phase. The next phase of coding was theoretical or selective coding. In this phase, concepts were abstracted to eight broader categories or, in this project’s case, design principles that formed the essence of the emergent theory. The eight categories that emerged from the data formed the essence of a theoretical model for system engagement using global, relative, and team leaderboards. The model communicates that factors which lead to positive system engagement include clear instructions, challenge/skill balance, and timely feedback. Within each of these areas are elements of the eight design principles that act as positive or negative system engagement factors. Three significant findings were identified in the study in relation to factors influencing engagement in settings where leaderboards are used as the primary game element. First, clear instructions must include both clear goals but also a clear understanding of the system in which the leaderboard game element is employed. Second, team leaderboards must foster team accountability through the design of the leaderboard and through social influences. Data in this
Structural and policy determinants of export diversification in Africa: A bilateral panel approach using Bayesian Model Averaging

Economic diversification plays a crucial role in fostering economic growth. Export diversification policies attempt to defy an existing comparative advantage in low valueadded goods to promote transformation. Many structural, general policy, and traderelated determinants of export diversification have been identified as important in the literature. This paper provides a literature review on the determinants of export diversification, and applies Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) to tackle model uncertainty stemming from the vast number of possible determinants. The paper assesses the relevance and impact of up to 46 factors for export diversification of up to 47 African countries and 123 trading partners from 1995 to 2018. It finds that exporter, importer and bilateral characteristics are important determinants. Notably, African countries' structural features and trade policies significantly determine diversification. The analysis shows further that the trading partner’s characteristics also can impact diversification patterns. The findings highlight the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to foster export diversification. Additionally, the findings suggest that the goal to diversify exports at the extensive and intensive margins might not be achievable via the same policy options, or might even be competing policy goals in the short run. Lastly, education, the quality of institutions, and a better-developed service sector as non-trade policy variables are important for diversification. Background paper commissioned by the UNCTAD secretariat for the 2022 edition of the Economic Development in Africa Report The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the UNCTAD secretariat or its member States. The designations employed and the presentation of material do not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. This paper has not been formally edited.
NEXUS FINANCIAL INNOVATION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THAILAND

It is notable that technological changes are essential for financial innovation when reflecting on economic growth. Directions of the relationships at the nexus of financial innovation and economic growth are still hazy, especially in developing countries. This study therefore focusses on analyzing the relationship between financial innovation and economic growth in Thailand, based on quarterly data from 2010 – 2020, using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) and Granger causality test. The cointegration result was in the same direction and financial innovation was found to be the cause of change in economic growth in Thailand. Hence, by increasing the efficiency of financial intermediaries, financial innovation is the driving force for long-term growth in the Thai economy. Accordingly, policymakers should encourage the development of financial innovation as well as promote access to financial services for sustainable growth of the Thai economy.
Edinburgh Research Explorer Friend or foe?

This article looks at Bernard Williams’s relevance to particular debates in constitutional theory about the legitimacy of two competing models of institutional design: political constitutionalism which endorses giving the final say on the meaning of constitutional rights to legislatures; and legal constitutionalism which endorses giving the final say on the meaning of rights to courts. Recent defences of political constitutionalism have made claims about the realism of their accounts when compared with legal constitutionalism and have co-opted Bernard Williams’s realism to support their case. This article examines these claims, concluding that these accounts of political constitutionalism rely on a distinctly non-Williamsian form of political moralism in that they assume a legitimacy for political constitutionalism which is prior to politics and political disagreement. It offers an alternative defence of political constitutionalism, a partial defence, which, it argues, is closer to the realism of Bernard Williams than these accounts.
Proxy response bias in agricultural statistics

Nonrandom measurement error biases descriptive statistics and increases internal validity concerns in the estimation of causal relationships. We investigate the relative effects of self-reporting and proxy response in a randomized control trial in Burkina Faso. Survey design treatments vary who reports for the household in an agricultural survey. Three alternative respondents including a self-report, the household head and a randomly chosen adult proxy are designated in the three treatment groups to report agricultural information. We find no effects of respondent type on total landholdings reported for the household, but statistically significant effects of area cultivated by random proxy reports relative to self-reported land data (11% of the standard deviation). Effect sizes are much larger on land reported by household heads and random proxies relative to self-reports for field crops and pasture land. We do not find that biases in land reported influences estimates of the inverse land size relationship. Household heads also overreport production of cereals, cash crops and computed crop diversity scores relative to self-reports. Household heads (+ 18% of a standard deviation) and random proxies (37% of a standard deviation) also provide different biases relative to self-reported agricultural labor. Female proxies report lower levels of fertilizer for the household and higher frequencies of crops such as legumes and vegetables that women traditionally produce in Burkina Faso. Acknowledgements: Funding for this project was provided by the IMMANA project under grant 1.169. Dillon gratefully acknowledges USDA-NIFA support. The IPA-Burkina Faso team provided excellent research support through data collection and project implementation. Jerome Some provided research support and field work monitoring. The data collection activities were reviewed by the University of Michigan Health Sciences and Behavioral Sciences Institutional Review Board (IRB #HUM00105379).
Are business angel-backed companies truly different? a comparative analysis of the financial structure

This paper investigates the impact of Business Angels on the financial structure of backed firms using several matching methods applied to a unique individual dataset of French companies over the 2010-2015 period. It shows that the signal effect of Business angel investment, improving access to external finance by the reduction of information asymmetry from another investor is limited. This paper contributes to the corporate finance literature by investigating the validity of corporate finance theories. It also brings an insight into the understanding of value added of BAN on backed firms bu focusing on certification effect of angels.
ElevatedCardiacTroponinI followingAsymptomatic Intradialytic Hypotension: A Pilot Study with a 2-Year Follow-Up

Background. Intradialytic hypotension (IDH) has been recognized as a serious and frequent complication during hemodialysis (HD) of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, but the effect of asymptomatic IDH on cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels is not definitively elucidated. Methods. 70 asymptomatic HD patients with negative predialysis cTnI were included. (ey were on maintenance HD thrice weekly. All patients were monitored during the HD session for hemodynamic changes and symptoms related to IDH. Patients were followed for two years, and their outcomes are noted as an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), cardiac death, no ACS, noncardiac death, and kidney transplant. Results. Compared with the baseline blood pressure values, there was a drop in systolic blood pressure for all subjects, but according to the 2007 European Best Practice Guidelines on hemodynamic instability, asymptomatic IDH was defined in 27 (38.6%) patients. (e results demonstrated a significant correlation (r� 0.492) (p< 0.05) between asymptomatic IDH and elevated postdialysis levels of cTnI. In 2-year follow-up of patients, ACS and cardiac death happened more in patients with elevated cTnI. Conclusion. (e results of our study suggest that asymptomatic IDH affects cTnI levels. Given that cTnI is a marker of myocardial damage and a predictor of cardiovascular mortality in ESRD patients, these findings recommend that considering the asymptomatic decrease in blood pressure levels during HD is very important and critical.
Technological change and labour market trends in Latin America and the Caribbean: a task content approach

The aim of this paper is to analyse employment profile trends in the Latin American and Caribbean countries according to the task content of workers’ jobs. This analysis seeks to approximate the impact of technological change on the labour market. The paper uses the definitions of an indicator that captures the relative importance of four types of tasks, namely cognitive versus manual and routine versus non-routine tasks, based on information from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) and household surveys. The analysis finds that there has been growing demand for workers over the last two decades in occupations which are intensive in cognitive abilities, with higher remuneration than for occupations which are intensive in manual tasks. Cognitive skills are therefore a key variable for improving participation in current and future labour markets. Technological change and labour market trends in Latin America and the Caribbean: a task content approach
Physical seed quality in 24 improved wheat varieties released in Mexico

Seed quality is an agronomic concept that considers physical, physiological, genetic and sanitary attributes, which allow an adequate establishment of the crop to achieve good optimal productivity. About 95% of the wheat grown by humanity is bread wheat, a product obtained by genetic improvement programs around the world. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical quality characteristics of 24 wheat varieties from the collection of the National Institute of Forestry, Agricultural and Livestock Research. The seed of the varieties for the quality analysis was increased under field conditions over two cycles. The experimental design used was randomized complete blocks with four repetitions. In the evaluation, the varieties were grouped into eight decades according to the year of release and the data were analyzed in two ways, by varieties and years and by decades. Three variables were evaluated, and the results indicate that, for the weight of a thousand seeds, their value was increased by up to 30% in modern varieties; while for volumetric weight, it was 7%, for percentage of moisture, no difference was detected between the varieties generated in the different decades. The 24 varieties evaluated had an acceptable behavior under the standards that the seed industry demands. It is concluded that the genetic improvement of wheat in Mexico has positively and significantly influenced the weight of a thousand seeds.
Determinants of Intermittent Preventive Malaria Therapy Among Pregnant Women in A Nigerian Teaching Hospital

Background: Intermittent Preventive Treatment of malaria in Pregnancy (IPTp) is mostly issued in most antenatal clinics across the country but there have been reports of poor utilization of this prophylaxis. Objective: This study assessed the determinants of IPTp among pregnant women attending a tertiary hospital in southeast Nigeria. Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study in which a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 250 pregnant women receiving antenatal care in the study hospital. The data collected were analyzed with the aid of SPSS, using descriptive and inferential statistics. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: A majority of the participants responded positively to most of the factors assessed, however, none was statistically significant. Conclusion: Based on these findings, pregnant women at a tertiary hospital in southeast Nigeria are aware of IPTp, nevertheless, most fail to commence the medication at the correct time.
Working Paper 215 Can the agroprocessing sector create jobs in Africa? Evidence from Ethiopia, Ghana and Tunisia

This paper analyzes the potential of the agroprocessing sector to create jobs in Africa, based on the evidence from Ethiopia, Ghana and Tunisia. The analysis uses both primary qualitative data and secondary quantitative data on formal firms and workers in the agroprocessing sector and shows how responsive the sector is to the growing consumer demand and how it translates into employment generation. Agroprocessing sectors in Ethiopia, Ghana and Tunisia differ greatly in terms of the size and structure, and, accordingly, the stages of industry lifecycle, from nascent industry in Ethiopia to a relatively mature sector in Tunisia. Also, the type of jobs and their quality differ between the three countries even though they are generally considered to be good jobs compared to other jobs available to the same workers. So far, the potential of the agroprocessing sector remains largely untapped. Formal sector employs between 60 and 80 thousand people in each of the study countries, and the figure is around five times higher if employment in the informal sector is included. As of now, employment in agroprocessing activities accounts for only around 5% of total employment in the food economy. However, over the last two decades, it has grown rapidly. In Ethiopia, Ghana and Tunisia, the agroprocessing sector exhibits high employment elasticities of output, from 0.55 in Ghana and 0.66 in Tunisia to 0.85 in Ethiopia. This suggests that the agroprocessing sector is labor-intensive and presents high employment generation potential, both in absolute terms and compared to other sectors of manufacturing. On the other hand, if agroprocessing firms shift toward more capital-intensive production structures and use more mechanization and automation, the expected employment effects remain ambiguous.
Health Consequences of University Employees Post-COVID-19 Vaccination at Palestinian Universities

Introduction The control of vaccine hesitancy comes with key protective measures against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and excellent efficacy in clinical trials and effectiveness in real-world data. However, some people believe that vaccination is ineffective and it causes health problems. This study aimed to assess the health consequences of university employees’ post-COVID-19 vaccination at Palestinian universities. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted between February and June 2021. A total of 310 university employees participated from six universities in Palestine. A self-reported questionnaire was used for data collection and included the following: personal characteristics of university employees, knowledge about COVID-19 vaccination, medical background of the participant, and their perception regarding receiving the COVID-19 vaccination. Results The results revealed that 32.6% and 43.2%of the participants had fever post the first and second doses, respectively. Also, 49.0% and 39.4% of them complained of exhaustion or fatigue and headache post the first dose and 58.1% and 46.1% had exhaustion or fatigue and pain in their muscles post the second dose, respectively. In addition, 29.2% and 16.7% of them had respiratory and digestive problems post the first dose and 38.9% and 19.0% had problems in respiratory and digestive respectively post the second dose. Furthermore, the analysis revealed that fever, symptoms at (the injection site), and exposure to physical symptoms have significant differences between the first dose and second doses of the vaccine (p < .001). Conclusion This study confirmed that the respiratory and digestive problems are the main problems post-COVID-19 vaccination. Also, this study confirmed that fever, symptoms at (the injection site), and exposure to physical symptoms have significant differences between the first dose and second dose of the vaccine.
Temporal and spatial pattern of endophytic fungi diversity of Camellia Sinensis (cv. Shu Cha Zao) CURRENT

Background: The experimental materials were a 60-year-old tea tree (cv. Shu Cha Zao; SCZ) (the mother plant), and 1-year-old and 20-year old plants of SCZ that originated as cuttings from the mother plant. The aim of this study was to explore the spatial and dynamic distribution of endophytic fungi in different leaf niches (upper leaves, middle leaves, lower leaves) and rhizosphere soil on tea plants ( Camellia sinensis ) which with different ages in the same garden by high-throughput sequencing. Results: In this study, Ascomycota (83.77%), Basidiomycota (11.71%), and Zygomycota (3.45%) were the three dominant fungal phyla in all samples. Cladosporium (12.73%), Zymoseptoria (9.18%), and Strelitziana (13.11%) were the dominant genera in the leaf. Alpha diversity analysis revealed that endophytic communities in leaves differed from those in rhizosphere soil and different leaf niches had similar fungal diversity. Shannon’s indices and NMDS analysis indicated significant differences in fungal diversity and composition among the SCZ trees of different ages ( p ≤0.01). The abundance of Cladosporium and Zymoseptoria decreased with increasing SCZ age, whereas the abundance of Strelitziana increased. Conclusions: Our results illustrate the variation in endophytic fungi among different niches on tea plants of different ages. The distribution of endophytic fungi in leaves of C. Sinensis (cv. Shu Cha Zao) has a certain spatiotemporal variation. leaf-lower leaf landscape and among trees of different ages. These findings provide information about the composition and diversity of endophytic fungi communities in tea plants of different ages, and lay the foundation for further research on the co-evolution and adaptation of endophytic fungi and tea trees. The data in this study also provide a reference for research on endophytic microbes in other plants. indice to characterize sequencing depth. Beta diversity analysis is used to evaluate differences in species diversity among samples. Beta diversity values (weighted and unweighted unifrac) were calculated using QIIME (Version 1.9.1). A non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis was conducted using the vegan software package in R software (Version 2.15.3). The paired t-test was used for statistical comparisons between groups. Differences were considered significant at p ≤ 0.01. cDNA: PCR: ITS: Internal OUTs:
Comparing the Performance of String Operations Across Programming Languages

In this thesis, the performance of string operations are compared across programming languages. Handling strings effectively is important especially when performance is a crucial factor and large string sizes may emerge. Common examples where large string sizes emerge are during digitalization of a product, reading string data from a database, reading and handling large CSV-files and Excel-files, converting file format to another file format (e.g. CSV to Excel and vice versa), and reading and handling a DOM-tree of a website. There has been a lot of corresponding research where programming languages are benchmarked, but none of them focus directly on string operations. The main goal of this thesis is to fill this gap in literature and try to find out which programming languages have the best results on string operations in terms of execution time and memory (maximum RSS) usage. The test environment was formed by creating randomly generated string files with sizes varying from ten thousand characters to 100 million characters. The generated characters were ‘a’, ‘b’, and ‘ ‘ (whitespace character). The programming languages selected for this thesis were Python, C, C++, Java, Perl, Ruby, Go, and Swift. Go seemed to be the most effective language in execution times, although it was not the fastest in many operations. C used very little memory, but only five operations were implemented in it. Every operation was implemented in Python, and it used additional memory to loading the string file in only one operation, which was sorting a string. Swift had quite bad results, and this could be caused by the Linux version of Swift that was used. In regular expressions, Perl and C++ were overwhelmingly effective. Java used the most memory in every operation.
Antioxidant activity of proteins of Antioxidant activity of peptides obtained from reserve proteins of Salvia hispanica L

and flourobtaiamounts of fractions of 2-picrylhidazil (DPPH) acid) (ABTS). ABTS inhibifrom them by enzymatic hydrolysis Abstract The objective of the present study was to evaluate the ptides obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis from the reserve ds. The contents of the protein fractions of albumins, globulins, prolamins and glutelinsin the seeds were 3.1, 3.2, 2 flour respectively. Treatment with the Eap1 protease made it pos obtain peptides from 1.4 mg/g of chia flour. The fraction amounts of released peptides were globulin, prolam fractions of protein and peptideswere inhibitedby two picrylhidazil (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline acid) (ABTS). The glutelin and prolamin peptides ABTS radicals at 59 and 4%. Chia seeds contain reserve inhibited by the DPPH and ABTS radicals, as were the from them by enzymatic hydrolysis. Therefore, th plications in the food, pharmaceutical and cosme