Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A NEW PARADIGM FOR ROBUST COMBINATORIAL OPTIMIZATION: USING PERSISTENCE AS A THEORY OF EVIDENCE

Robust optimization is a name given to a collection of mathematical programming techniques for proactively addressing uncertainties in mathematical optimization problems. This dissertation adds to this collection a new paradigm for combinatorial optimization by which the persistence of decisions is treated as evidence of robustness. We begin by introducing necessary terminology and developing the conceptual foundations for our notion of persistence. We then review the necessary elements of Dempster-Shafer Theory before presenting the main thesis: by treating persistence as evidence, we can select solutions based on their evidential robustness. Finally, we demonstrate the potential of this new approach with a discussion of some applications. Central to this paradigm is the notion that by looking at how individual decisions (selections and rejections) persist across a given set of “acceptable” solutions, we can find solutions that are more robust to uncertainties in the underlying model. This set of solutions may come from any of a number of sources, such as expert opinion or historical decisions, or may be generated by algorithmic means. We develop one such algorithmic approach that produces a
Forces on Dust Grains Exposed to Anisotropic Interstellar Radiation Fields

Grains exposed to anisotropic radiation fields are subjected to forces due to the asymmetric photon-stimulated ejection of particles. These forces act in addition to the "radiation pressure" due to absorption and scattering. Here we model the forces due to photoelectron emission and the photodesorption of adatoms. The "photoelectric" force depends on the ambient conditions relevant to grain charging. We find it is comparable to the radiation pressure when the grain potential is relatively low and the radiation spectrum is relatively hard. The calculation of the "photodesorption" force is highly uncertain since the surface physics and chemistry of grain materials are poorly understood at present. For our simple yet plausible model, the photodesorption force dominates the radiation pressure for grains larger than ~0.1 μm exposed to starlight from OB stars. We find that the anisotropy of the interstellar radiation field is ~10% in the visible and ultraviolet. We estimate size-dependent drift speeds for grains in the cold and warm neutral media and find that micron-sized grains could potentially be moved across a diffuse cloud during its lifetime.
Can Consumers Calculate Best Buys

W ithin the cognitive development literature, a sizeable body of evidence has accumulated indicating that logical reasoning ability undergoes developmental transformations, and, furthermore, that not all individuals develop to the most advanced level. As a result, there is considerable variation in level of logical reasoning within an adult population (Neimark 1975; Papalia and DelVento Bielby 1974). It is likely that an individual's level of logical reasoning ability significantly affects his/her functioning as a consumer, but such effects remain largely unstudied, inasmuch as assessment of logical reasoning ability typically has taken place only in formal psychological test situations (Kuhn 1979a), The present study investigates one such possible effect.
Transnationality, Hope and ‘Recombinant Locality’: Knowledge as Capital and Resource

This article searches for sustainable methods of handling the stresses of globalising existence and contrasts two strategies of using knowledge as a form of capital or resource in different forms of ‘packaging from above’ and ‘packaging from below’. Taking the examples of appropriation of Vastuvidya in Europe and of Hindu worship of the Hawaiian Healing Stones, it is argued that such methods of re-packaging and the concept of ‘recombinant locality’ are strategically useful tools and devices to understand better how people may preserve glocalised spaces while opposing uniformising globalisation and capitalist domination. The article suggests that, in this way, structurally disadvantaged but hopeful and enterprising transnational individuals and groups may empower themselves to improve their ‘lifeworld’ in diaspora.
Is Beauty Beastly

While attractiveness has many positive effects in everyday life, it has been shown to negatively affect selection of female leaders, the so-called “beauty is beastly” effect. Yet, an impact on more profound variables, such as followers’ trust in and loyalty toward female leaders, remains unclear, as does its interaction with different leadership styles: transformational (characterized by charismatic behavior aimed at inspiring and motivating followers) versus transactional (characterized by a strong focus on task completion and respective rewards or punishments). We have therefore made the first empirical attempt to test the interaction effects of leader gender, leader attractiveness, and leadership style on followers’ trust and loyalty. Results from a laboratory experiment provide clear empirical support for the negative effects of attractiveness for female (but not male) leaders with a transformational leadership style. Attractiveness did not influence trust and loyalty toward male and female leaders wi.
Simulation of place fields in the computational model of rodent spatial learning

Blecent work (Balakrishnan, Bousquet, & Honavar 1997; Balakrishnan, Bhatt, & Honavar 1998) has ex­ plored a Kalman filter model of animal spatial learning the presence uncertainty in sensory as well as dead­ reckoning estimates. This model was able to success­ fully account for several of the behavioral experiments reported in the animal navigation literature (Morris 1981; Collett, Cartwright, & Smith 1986). This paper extends this model in some important directions. It ac­ counts for the observed firing patterns of hippocampal neurons (Sharp, Kubie, & Muller 1990) in visually sym­ metric environments that offer multiple sensory cues. It incorporates mechanisms that allow for differential contribution from proximal as opposed to distal land­ marks during localization . It also supports learning of associations between rewards and places to guide goal­ directed navigation.
Dynamics of Attention in Depth: Evidence from Multi-Element Tracking

We examined the allocation of attention in depth using a multi-element tracking paradigm. Observers were required to track a predefined subset of from two to eight elements in displays containing up to sixteen identical moving elements. We first show that depth cues, such as binocular disparity and occlusion through T-junctions, improve performance in a multi-element tracking task in the case where element boundaries are allowed to intersect in the depiction of motion in a single frontoparallel plane. We also show that the allocation of attention across two perceptually distinguishable planar surfaces, either frontoparallel or receding at a slanting angle and defined by coplanar elements, is easier than allocation of attention within a single surface. The same result was not found when attention was required to be deployed across items of two-color populations rather than across items of a single color. Our results suggest that, when surface information does not suffice to distinguish between targets and distractors that are embedded in these surfaces, division of attention across two surfaces aids in tracking moving targets. A final experiment with populations of elements moving within distinct volumes produced similar results, suggesting that spatial separation in three dimensions, rather than confinement to surfaces as such, may explain the improved performance for the two-surface case.
Differential effects of male and female managers' non‐verbal emotional skills on employees' ratings

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to examine whether employees are more satisfied with female, as compared to male, managers who accurately perceive non‐verbal emotion expressions, and how male and female managers' non‐verbal emotional skill differentially affects their employees' ratings.Design/methodology/approach – Students, nearly all of whom had work experience, were randomly assigned a vignette and asked to respond to the situation in the role of the employee. The situation described male or female managers either perceiving or not attending to the employees' emotional expression, and using or not using emotional information to be supportive or persuasive. Differences between the various situations were examined.Findings – Participants indicated that they were more satisfied with female, but not male, managers, who accurately perceived their emotion. Similarly, failing to attend to emotion resulted in lower satisfaction ratings for female, but not male, managers. In ways consistent with gende.
Models and strategies in research on attainment and opportunity

Two recent books on the relation between social origin, education, and occupational attainment have attracted considerable attention for their pessimistic conclusions regarding the possibility of reducing inequality and inequality of opportunity using educational policies. They are Inequality : A reassessment of the effect offamily and schooling in Ainerica by Christoffer Jencks and associates, from 1972, and Education, opportunity and social inequality by Raymond Boudon, which appeared in an English translation in 19741. The two books are likely to be cited together for their similar conclusions. They do, however, differin important respects. The structure of the arguments differs : Jencks’s argu ment represents an interpretation of existing research findings while Boudon, in contrast, presents the implications of a set of assumptions concerning mechanisms of the educational and occupational attainment process. With respect to substantive emphasis, both are concerned with inequality of educational opportunity, but Jencks et al. are primarily concerned with the impact of schools on inequality of opportunity, while Boudon is primarily concerned with the impact of changes in the distribution of education. An
Blood pressure and blood lead concentration in bus drivers.

San Francisco bus drivers have an increased prevalence of hypertension. This study examined relationships between blood lead concentration and blood pressure in 342 drivers. The analysis reported in this study was limited to subjects not on treatment for hypertension (n = 288). Systolic and diastolic pressures varied from 102 to 173 mm Hg and from 61 to 105 mm Hg, respectively. The blood lead concentration varied from 2 to 15 micrograms/dL. The relationship between blood pressure and the logarithm of blood lead concentration was examined using multiple regression analysis. Covariates included age, body mass index, sex, race, and caffeine intake. The largest regression coefficient relating systolic blood pressure and blood lead concentration was 1.8 mm Hg/ln (micrograms/dL) [90% C. I. , -1.6, 5.3]. The coefficient for diastolic blood pressure was 2.5 mm Hg/ln (micrograms/dL) [90% C. I. , 0.1, 4.9]. These findings suggest effects of lead exposure at lower blood lead concentrations than those concentrations that have previously been linked with increases in blood pressure.
e-WOM Scale: Word-of-Mouth Measurement Scale for e-Services Context*

In this article, using data from a survey of 218 consumers across two samples, we propose a measurement scale for word of mouth (e-WOM scale) in the context of electronic service. A battery of statistical tests reveals that the WOM construct encompasses four dimensions: WOM intensity, positive valence WOM, negative valence WOM, and WOM content. Our proposed e-WOM scale can be used as a strategic tool for business managers aiming to improve their word-of-mouth marketing strategies. Copyright © 2010 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. JEL Classifi cations: M31, L81, C3
Engendering an Empathy for Software Engineering

Students have little empathy for the fundamentals of Software Engineering practice when it is first introduced. The current method of teaching this topic involves the presentation of curriculum material through lectures. Whilst being an effective method of teaching this information, it does not provide students with enough opportunity to develop an interest in, and an understanding of, the subject.To engage students in this area and to provide them with a deeper understanding of the issues involved in software development, an interactive, web-based, graphical simulation game of the software development process was created. This simulator allows students to take the role of the project manager developing a hypothetical software product in an environment that is both graphical and entertaining.
The Politics Measurement Makes: Performance Management in the Obama Era

President Obama assumed leadership of the state in an era of governance by performance management. While sometimes dismissed as a technocratic tool, performance management has profound implications for how the state is governed, impacting the distribution of administrative power, the capacity to exert control and accountability, and the means by which citizens experience their government. This article examines the transition of performance systems between the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama, a transition marked by a mixture of continuity and change. Both presidents identified performance as the central organizing theme for their management initiatives. The enthusiastic adoption of performance techniques by any government results in a variety of responses, ranging through passive, political, perverse, and purposeful. Understanding why and when such responses occur, and their implications for politics and governance, should be a central aspect of the study of the permanent government.
Inside the Letterbox: How Literacy Transforms the Human Brain

Editor’s note: Few issues are as important to the future of humanity as acquiring literacy. Brain-scanning technology and cognitive tests on a variety of subjects by one of the world’s foremost cognitive neuroscientists has led to a better understanding of how a region of the brain responds to visual stimuli. The results could profoundly affect learning and help individuals with reading disabilities.
Pretesting effects in retrospective pretest posttest designs.

Two studies evaluated communication skills training by using a pretest-posttest design, including retrospective pretest ratings, to control for response shift bias. A response shift is a change in a subject's internal standard for determining his or her level of functioning on a given dimension. In Exp 1, Ss were 37 hospital employees. Data indicated that the self-report pretest exerted a clear effect on subsequent self-report posttest and retrospective pretest ratings. Training was ineffective and a response shift did not occur. Experimental Ss could not remember and control Ss could remember their pretreatment ratings to a reasonable extent. In Exp 2, Ss were 58 3rd-year dental students. Results show that the training was effective. A behavioral pretest administered prior to the self-report pretest prevented a response shift from occurring. This finding gives empirical support to the contention that Ss' lack of sufficient information about their level of functioning at pretest may be a causal determinant of the response shift. Data also indicate that the retrospective pretest is robust for procedural differences in administering this instrument.
An Analysis of Power Consumption Logs from a Monitored Grid Site

This paper analyses information on the electricity consumed by a site of an experimental Grid infrastructure and its correlations with users' resource reservation requests. The power consumption of all servers of this site was monitored for a period of six months, the data was gathered to enable studies on approaches for reducing the energy footprint of Grids and Clouds.
Volunteering in the aftermath of disasters: Psychopathology and volunteer management

The numbers of disasters in the world have multiplied in recent years. The same goes for community volunteers that respond to these events. In developing countries community volunteers are often the largest resource available in the first 48 hours until a more skilled team of rescuers arrives. Volunteers, mostly working for humanitarian organizations like the Red Cross have been understudied and thus very little is known about the mental health effects of the tasks they take on. They step into the shoes of skilled and trained professionals by rescuing civilians as well as recovering those who have lost their lives. This dissertations shows that about 20% of these volunteers may suffer from post-traumatic stress in the aftermath of their work and that there are various factors, both interpersonal and organizational that are related to the complaints. Recommendations for volunteer management are provided.
Education, Religiosity and Moral Attitudes: Explaining Cross-National Effect Differences

The aim of the present study is to answer three research questions on moral attitudes (i.e., attitudes concerning abortion, premarital and extramarital relations, and homosexual relations). Which parental and individual characteristics affect moral attitudes? Do the effects of parental and individual characteristics vary across countries? And, if so, can these effect differences on moral issues be explained by national characteristics? To answer these questions, we use the 1991 ISSP database containing relevant data of 16,604 inhabitants of 15 countries. Hypotheses are tested using multi-level analyses. We find that parental and individual religiosity, as well as individual educational attainment, have strong effects on moral attitudes. However, we observe considerable effect differences across countries, which is a rather new finding. Effects of individual religiosity on moral attitudes appear to be stronger in more religious countries and weaker in more secularized countries. Effects of individual education are stronger in more religiously heterogeneous countries and weaker in more religiously homogeneous countries. Finally, effects of individual education on moral attitudes are weaker in short-standing democracies than in long- standing ones.
Metoprolol Tartrate-Ethylcellulose Tabletted Microparticles: Development of a Validated Invitro In-vivo Correlation

Abstract — This study describes the methodology for the development of a validated in-vitro in-vivo correlation (IVIVC) for metoprolol tartrate modified release dosage forms with distinctive release rate characteristics. Modified release dosage forms were formulated by microencapsulation of metoprolol tartrate into different amounts of ethylcellulose by non-solvent addition technique. Then in-vitro and in-vivo studies were conducted to develop and validate level A IVIVC for metoprolol tartrate. The values of regression co-efficient (R 2 -values) for IVIVC of T2 and T3 formulations were not significantly (p<0.05) different from 1 while the values of R 2 for IVIVC of T1 and Mepressor ® were significantly (p<0.05) different from 1. Internal prediction errors of IVIVC, calculated from observed Area under Curve (AUC) and predicted AUC, were less than 10%. This study successfully presents a valid level A IVIVC for metoprolol tartrate modified dosage forms. Keywords — Metoprolol tartrate, Dissolution, Bioavailability, Validated in-vitro in-vivo correlation.I.
Two Perspectives on Learning the Organizational Ombudsman Role

This article explores the challenges in learning the role of the organizational ombudsman from the perspectives of two practitioners — one an experienced workplace mediator, the other a student of conflict resolution. The discussion of the shift in thinking, as well as skills needed to transition into the various facets of organizational ombudsman work, combines concepts from ombudsman theory with insights on enhancing ombudsman practice. The authors provide observations and recommendations based on their own experiences assuming the roles of a new ombudsman, including reflective practice and partnering, coaching with employees, and expanding systemic engagements with and cultural knowledge of organizations.
What Trust Matters When

While trusting coworker relationships are conducive to knowledge transfer, distinct types of trust and the contextual conditions under which they are most effective have received limited empirical attention. In this article, we distinguish between professional and personal trust, and hypothesize that their relative knowledge transfer advantage may vary as a function of the duration of the receiver-source relationship. Using survey data from 135 knowledge receivers reporting on their relationships with their knowledge sources, we find that both professional and personal trust interact with relationship duration, albeit in opposite directions. We also find a synergistic effect of the two types of trust on knowledge transfer but only in long duration relationships. The implications of distinguishing professional and personal trust within the overall nomological network of trust are discussed in terms of theory and practice development.
Investigating Airplane Safety and Security Against Insider Threats Using Logical Modeling

In this paper we consider the limits of formal modeling of infrastructures and the application of social explanation for the analysis of insider threats in security and safety critical areas. As an area of study for the analysis we take examples from aviation, firstly since incidents are typically well-documented and secondly since it is an important area per se. In March 2015, a Germanwings flight crashed in the French Alps in what is quite firmly believed to have been intentionally caused by the copilot who locked the pilot out of the cockpit and programmed the autopilot on constant descent. We investigate the security controls and policies in airplanes against insider threats using logical modeling in Isabelle.
Adding Form to Real-Time System Specification and Simulation

Specification and validation of a real-time system are often based on making simplistic predictions and assumptions about relevant behavior of the external environment and the controlled device interacting with it. However, in many cases, real-time systems physically interact with other external objects in a complex manner in a dynamically changing world and thus, their form (e.g. physical properties such as shape, mass, material, and configuration) can play a critical role in producing a correct specification and obtaining realistic simulation output. We present ASADAL/PROTO, a specification and simulation tool for real-time systems, that takes form into account in addition to the function and behavior handled by ASADAL/SIM, its predecessor. Simulation of the control system specification runs in conjunction with the environmental simulation, and the resulting interactive behavior of the controlled system is observed visually for analysis. Our vision is to incrementally model, simulate and analyze all three views (behavior, function, and form) of real-time system specification for its increased level of confidence at early prototyping stage.
Enriching conflict resolution environments with the provision of context information

It is a common affair to settle disputes out of courts nowadays, through negotiation, mediation or any other mean. This has also been implemented over telecommunication means under the so‐called Online Dispute Resolution methods. However, this new technology‐supported approach is impersonal and cold, leaving aside important issues such as the disputants' body language, stress level or emotional response while being based on forms, e‐mails or chat rooms. To overcome this shortcoming, in this paper, it is proposed the creation of intelligent environments for conflict resolution that can complement the existing tools with important knowledge about the context of interaction. This will allow decision‐makers to take better framed decisions based not only on figures but also on important contextual information, similar to what happens when parties communicate in the physical presence of each other.