Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Peer assessment of assignment

We have appraised the effectiveness of peer assessment of assignments in aiding student learning at the University of Southern Queensland. Each student was randomly allocated two peers' assignments for double-blind assessment. A marking rubric was provided. More than 95% of the class participated in the process. Students' peer-assessment work was evaluated by the instructor. Over 80% of the students assessed their peers satisfactorily. Students' learning experiences, attitudes and behavior towards the peer assessment system was surveyed. More than 60% of the students considered peer assessment a useful learning tool. However 25% remained unconvinced. Most of these students either fully or partially subscribed to William Perry's position of 'dualism'. About 55% found the feedback from their peer's useful. Surprisingly, >69% of the students believed that the peer assessment had nothing to contribute towards a students' community of practice.
Enforcement Styles, Organizational Commitment, and Enforcement Effectiveness: An Empirical Study of Local Environmental Protection Officials in Urban China

The authors investigated the relationship between enforcement styles and perceptions of enforcement effectiveness in China by surveying three groups of environmental protection bureau officials from the major cities of Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Dalian. In general, it was found that organizational commitment partially mediates the relationship between the enforcement style of prioritization and perceptions of effectiveness. In this case, mediation and direct effects work together such that prioritization has by far the greatest positive total effect. In contrast, a coercive enforcement style is more completely mediated by organizational commitment, but this relationship is negative (that is, a coercive style appears to reduce organizational commitment, leading to lower perceptions of enforcement effectiveness). Although some differences are noted among the three samples, the overall pattern suggests that other enforcement styles (formalism, education, and external influence) appear to be much less influential in shaping perceptions of enforcement effectiveness.
Bidirectional linkage between inflation and inflation uncertainty – the case of Eastern European countries

This paper explores bidirectional linkage between inflation and its uncertainty by observing monthly data of 11 Eastern European countries. The methodological approach comprises two steps. First, inflation uncertainty series have been created by choosing an optimal Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity- (GARCH) type model. Subsequently, inflation and inflation uncertainty have been observed together by two models examining whether Friedman's and Cukierman–Meltzer's hypotheses hold for selected Eastern Europe Countries (EEC). Due to the heterogeneous behaviour of some series of inflation and inflation uncertainty, the unconditional quantile regression estimation technique has been applied because of its robustness to the particular non-normal characteristics and outliers’ presence in the empirical data. According to the findings, both Friedman's and Cukierman–Meltzer's hypotheses have been confirmed primarily for the largest EEC with flexible exchange rate. In contrast, these theories are refuted in smaller, open economies with firm exchange rate regime.
An efficient local receptive field feature extractor for handwriting recognition

The performance of a simple yet efficient local receptive field feature extractor is evaluated on state of the art handwritten databases showing that after the proper optimization of its parameters, very good accuracy performances can be obtained using a shallow classifier (e.g. the support vector machine), close to the ones achieved using more sophisticated techniques such as deep-learning classifiers. Particularly useful is the computing speed acceleration of more than one order of magnitude in both training and prediction modes, as a result of reducing the effective size of the feature vector to an order of tens inputs instead hundreds as in the case of applying the input samples directly. Consequently such feature extraction techniques can be conveniently embedded into smart sensing units with various applications from intelligent sensors to portable biometric authentication systems.
Letter Grading Government Efficiency

We mailed letters to non-existent business addresses in 159 countries (10 per country), and measured whether they come back to the return address in the United States and how long it takes. About 60% of the letters were returned, taking over six months, on average. The results provide new objective indicators of government efficiency across countries, based on a simple and universal service, and allow us to shed light on its determinants. The evidence suggests that both technology and management quality influence government efficiency, just as they do that of the private sector.
Institutional Change and Discontinuities in Farmers' Use of Hybrid Maize Seed and Fertilizer in Malawi: Findings from the 1996-97 CIMMYT/ MoALD Survey

This study records the use of hybrid maize seed and fertilizer by small-scale farmers in Malawi, as well as their opinions about these inputs, from 1989-90 through 1996-97. Its main purpose is to determine whether the principal constraint to smallholders' use of maize hybrids is the acceptability of the hybrid maize germplasm or the institutional reforms and policies affecting its use. The study also provides information about a practice that has implications for the impact of seed technologies and seed industries - the recycling of nonconventional hybrids (i.e., saving seed of an F1 hybrid to plant in subsequent seasons). Findings of the most recent farmer survey in 1996-97 demonstrate that the grain quality or yield characteristics of maize hybrids no longer constrain smallholders' use of F1 hybrid seed. Farmers stated almost unanimously that they wanted to grow F1 hybrid seed, but most could not purchase as much seed as they wished. A large number of farmers recycle hybrid seed, which is not surprising, given the early stages of diffusion of hybrid maize in Malawi, the start-stop nature of policies affecting input use, and free seed distributed by the government and NGOs. It may be worthwhile for researchers to investigate prospects for producing hybrids whose characteristics resist deterioration from recycling. Aside from this plant breeding issue, pressing concerns of national maize production, food security, and the welfare of smallholders remain to be addressed. Farmers with the resources to use credit, purchase inputs, grow cash crops, or produce maize surpluses represent a smaller and smaller percentage of farmers. It is doubtful whether complete reliance on private initiatives can transform the smallholder maize sector in a country that relies on agriculture as much as Malawi, but where infrastructure is inadequate, nonfarm employment opportunities are few, and incentives are insufficient to mobilize trade and generate cash in rural areas.
Pattern Generation for Walking on Slippery Terrains

In this paper, we extend state of the art Model Predictive Control (MPC) approaches to generate safe bipedal walking on slippery surfaces. In this setting, we formulate walking as a trade off between realizing a desired walking velocity and preserving robust foot-ground contact. Exploiting this formulation inside MPC, we show that safe walking on various flat terrains can be achieved by compromising three main attributes, i. e. walking velocity tracking, the Zero Moment Point (ZMP) modulation, and the Required Coefficient of Friction (RCoF) regulation. Simulation results show that increasing the walking velocity increases the possibility of slippage, while reducing the slippage possibility conflicts with reducing the tip-over possibility of the contact and vice versa.
Cognitive assessment of executive functions using brain computer interface and eye-tracking

New technologies to enable augmentative and alternative communication in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) have been recently used in several studies. However, a comprehensive battery for cognitive assessment has not been implemented yet. Brain computer interfaces are innovative systems able to generate a control signal from brain responses conveying messages directly to a computer. Another available technology for communication purposes is the Eye-tracker system, that conveys messages from eye-movement to a computer. In this study we explored the use of these two technologies for the cognitive assessment of executive functions in a healthy population and in a ALS patient, also verifying usability, pleasantness, fatigue, and emotional aspects related to the setting. Our preliminary results may have interesting implications for both clinical practice (the availability of an effective tool for neuropsychological evaluation of ALS patients) and ethical issues.
Relation between sex hormone concentrations, peripheral arterial disease, and change in ankle-brachial index: findings from the Framingham Heart Study.

OBJECTIVE Our objective was to investigate cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of sex hormone concentrations with ankle-brachial index (ABI) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD). METHODS AND RESULTS We used data from 3034 (1612 women) participants of the Framingham Heart Study. ABI was measured and PAD defined as ABI below 0.90, intermittent claudication, or lower extremity revascularization. Sex hormone concentrations were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry [total testosterone (T), total estradiol, and estrone], immunofluorometric assay (SHBG), or calculated (free T). Sex-specific multivariable linear and logistic regression models were conducted for each sex hormone separately. Cross-sectional multivariable analyses revealed that men with lower free T and higher estrone (E1) concentrations had a significantly lower ABI [for free T, lowest vs. higher quartiles, β = -0.02, with 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.04 to -0.001; and for E1, highest vs. lower quartiles, β = -0.02, with 95% CI = -0.04 to -0.002, respectively). Lower total T and SHBG concentrations were also associated with prevalent PAD in age-adjusted [odds ratio (OR) = 2.24, 95% CI = 1.17-4.32; and OR = 2.06; 95% CI = 1.07-3.96, lowest vs. highest quartile, respectively), but not in multivariable logistic regression models. Longitudinal multivariable analyses showed an association of lower SHBG with ABI change (decline ≥ 0.15; n = 69) in men [OR for SHBG quartiles 1, 2, and 3 as compared with quartile 4 were 2.56 (95% CI = 1.01-6.45), 2.28 (95% CI = 0.98-5.32), and 2.93 (95% CI = 1.31-6.52), respectively]. In women, none of the investigated associations yielded statistically significant estimates. CONCLUSION Our investigation of a middle-aged community-based sample suggests that sex hormone concentrations in men but not in women may be associated with PAD and ABI change.
Validation of presence of supermarkets and fast-food outlets in Copenhagen: case study comparison of multiple sources of secondary data

Abstract Objective We examined the quality of food outlet addresses provided by secondary sources and determined whether they could be physically located in the field. Design Addresses of food outlets in fourteen school districts in the northern part of Copenhagen were obtained from multiple business locators. We geocoded 202 addresses using a geographic information system and cross-referenced the sources against each other using a validation grid. Physical presence was determined via street survey. We applied gamma statistics and calculated positive predictive value, sensitivity and percentage agreement to assess the overall correspondence between our test of physical presence and each source of secondary information. Setting The study took place within city boundaries of Copenhagen, Denmark. Subjects Food outlets within fourteen school districts within Copenhagen. Results Positive predictive value between field results and secondary sources indicated good to excellent correspondence (range: 0·81–0·98), comparable with other studies. Gamma coefficients indicated low to high positive correspondence (range: 0·23–0·98). Conclusions Despite moderately high correspondence between secondary sources of address information and field observation, the findings illustrate that the use of combined sources is recommended.
The Development of a Pay-for-Performance Appraisal System for Municipal Agencies: A Case Study

Well-designed employee performance appraisal instruments assume great importance by providing agencies with information that can guide administrative and developmental decision-making about their most important asset—their human resources. Administratively, performance appraisals serve as the formal evaluation tool used by managers when making decisions about the distribution of pay increases and the promotion and demotion of an employee. Developmentally, performance appraisals assist agencies in identifying issues such as employee training needs and cross training opportunities. Despite its importance, both employees and management often view the performance appraisal process as frustrating and unfair. These frustrations are largely attributed to a reliance on performance appraisal instruments that: are not job related; have confusing or unclear rating levels, and; are viewed as subjective and biased by staff. This study was undertaken to identify steps for creating a more effective pay-for-performance system for public agencies. Specifically, this case study: (1) identified a systematic procedure for creating performance appraisal instruments; (2) described the appropriate training for those conducting an appraisal interview; (3) implemented performance reviews using the developed instruments and appraisal interview/review training, and; (4) evaluated employee attitudes toward the newly developed system. Survey results identified significant mean differences between employee attitude toward the original pay-for-performance instrument and appraisal interview process and the newly developed system. Results of the case study are analyzed and discussed.
1980–2008: The Illusion of the Perpetual Money Machine and What It Bodes for the Future

We argue that the present crisis and stalling economy that have been ongoing since 2007 are rooted in the delusionary belief in policies based on a “perpetual money machine” type of thinking. We document strong evidence that, since the early 1980s, consumption has been increasingly funded by smaller savings, booming financial profits, wealth extracted from house price appreciation and explosive debt. This is in stark contrast with the productivity-fueled growth that was seen in the 1950s and 1960s. We describe the transition, in gestation in the 1970s, towards the regime of the “illusion of the perpetual money machine”, which started at full speed in the early 1980s and developed until 2008. This regime was further supported by a climate of deregulation and a massive growth in financial derivatives designed to spread and diversify the risks globally. The result has been a succession of bubbles and crashes, including the worldwide stock market bubble and great crash of October 1987, the savings and loans crisis of the 1980s, the burst in 1991 of the enormous Japanese real estate and stock market bubbles, the emerging markets bubbles and crashes in 1994 and 1997, the Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM) crisis of 1998, the dotcom bubble bursting in 2000, the recent house price bubbles, the financialization bubble via special investment vehicles, the stock market bubble, the commodity and oil bubbles and the current debt bubble, all developing jointly and feeding on each other until 2008. This situation may be further aggravated in the next decade by an increase in financialization, through exchange-traded-funds (ETFs), speed and automation, through algorithmic trading and public debt, and through growing unfunded liabilities. We conclude that, to get out of this catch 22 situation, we should better manage and understand the incentive structures in our society, we need to focus our efforts on our real economy and we have to respect and master the art of planning and prediction. Only gradual change, with a clear long term planning, can steer our financial and economic system from the turbulence associated with the perpetual money machine to calmer and more sustainable waters.
Oxygenation and response to irradiation of organotypic multicellular spheroids of human glioma.

PURPOSE Investigation of the oxygenation status of organotypic multicellular spheroids (OMS) and their response to irradiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS Tumour specimens of glioblastoma multiforme patients (n = 16) were initiated as OMS. Following 20 Gy gamma-irradiation, the cell migratory capacity was evaluated. Spheroid oxygenation was determined by micro-electrode pO2 measurements and pimonidazole immunostaining. Spheroids prepared from established human glioma cell lines were used as a reference. RESULTS Irradiation inhibited spheroid outgrowth by 12 to 88% relative to the non-irradiated controls. A large interpatient variation was noticed. Oxygen measurements revealed a gradual decrease in pO2 level from the periphery to the core of the spheroids, but the pO2 values remained within an oxygenated range. However, in the cell line spheroids an intermediate layer of hypoxia surrounding the central core was observed. CONCLUSION Cell line spheroids with a hypoxic cell fraction and well-oxygenated OMS both show high resistance to irradiation, indicating that hypoxia may not be the biological factor determining the radioresistance of glioma spheroids in vitro.
Do investments in human capital lead to employee share ownership? Evidence from French establishments

Investments in human capital can create a hold-up problem whereby both employers and employees exploit the bargaining weaknesses of the other. Employee share ownership (ESO) can mitigate this hold-up problem because it can align interests, develop loyalty, signal good-will and lock in employees. Previous studies have shown positive relationships between company investments in human capital and the use of ESO consistent with this argument but have been unable to identify the direction of causality. Using panel data from the French REPONSE survey, the findings indicate that significant and continuous investments in human capital take place prior to the implementation of ESO.
Peritonitis caused by Blastomyces dermatitidis in a kidney transplant recipient: case report and literature review

Blastomyces dermatitidis is a dimorphic fungus endemic to the midwestern, south‐central, and southeastern United States known to cause disseminated infection in immunocompromised individuals. We report a case of B. dermatitidis peritonitis in a renal allograft recipient with new‐onset ascites and cytomegalovirus encephalitis. Peritoneal blastomycosis is a rare clinical entity and, to our knowledge, this patient represents the first known case of peritoneal blastomycosis in a solid organ transplant recipient. We review the clinical characteristics of B. dermatitidis peritonitis as well as the literature on fungal peritonitis with emphasis on dimorphic fungal pathogens. Clinical features suggestive of fungal peritonitis include new‐onset ascites, abdominal pain, and fevers, especially with antecedent or concomitant pneumonia. A high index of clinical suspicion, along with the use of culture and non‐culture diagnostics, is needed for early diagnosis and prompt initiation of therapy.
Association of Polymorphisms in the Collagen Region of Human SP-A1 and SP-A2 Genes with Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Indian Population

Abstract Surfactant protein A (SP-A) binds to and modulates phagocytosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by macrophages. We investigated the relationship between polymorphisms in the collagen regions of SP-A1 and SP-A2 genes and pulmonary tuberculosis. In the present study, seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (4 exonic and 3 intronic) have been identified in the collagen regions of SP-A1 and SP-A2 genes in Indian population. Two intronic polymorphisms, SP-A1C1416T ((p = 0.0000, odds ratio (OR) = 20.767, 95% CI: 8.315<OR<51.870) and SP-A2C1382G (p = 0.0054; OR = 3.675, 95% CI: 1.400< OR<9.644), showed significant association with pulmonary tuberculosis (number of patients = 10, number of controls = 7). A redundant SNPA1660G of SP-A2 gene showed significant association with pulmonary tuberculosis (number of patients = 17, number of controls = 19, p = 0.0000, OR = 8.94, 95% CI: 3.31<OR<24.126). This polymorphism, when existing along with a non-redundant polymorphism, SP-A2G1649C (Ala91Pro) resulted in a stronger association with pulmonary tuberculosis (number of patients = 17, number of controls = 19, p = 0.000, OR = 16.3, 95% CI: 7.8644<OR<33.9244). The results indicated that these SNPs in the collagen region of SP-A2 may be one of the contributing factors to the genetic predisposition to pulmonary tuberculosis.
Iot based autonomous demand side management of a micro-grid using arduino and multi agent system

This paper aims to establish an Arduino and IOT based Multi Agent System (MAS) for progressive demand side response of a solar micro-grid. High penetration of renewable energy resources needs new coordination and control approaches to meet the stochastic nature of the environment and dynamic loadings. Here, a Multi Agent System is used for an improvised and strengthened, distributed, self-governing energy management of the micro-grid to dynamically and flexibly adapt to the changes in the environment. Our micro-grid contains two solar Photo Voltaic (PV) system, local consumer, and a battery. A simulation model is developed in Java Agent Development Environment (JADE) for dynamic and effective energy administration, which takes an informed decision and chooses the most feasible action to stabilize, sustain and enhance the solar micro-grid. Moreover, environment variables are sensed through Arduino microcon­troller and given to agents of MAS in an IOT environment. The resulting actions are reflected in the LED out puts which can be readily deployed in the actual field. This work basically presents an approach that makes it possible to integrate IoT devices to a MAS environment, for an upsurge in the level of integration and interoperability of a smart micro grid.