Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Harming the Best: How Schools Affect the Black-White Achievement Gap

Sizeable achievement differences by race appear in early grades, but substantial uncertainty exists about the impact of school quality on the black-white achievement gap and particularly about its evolution across different parts of the achievement distribution. Texas administrative data show that the overall growth in the achievement gap between third and eighth grade is higher for students with higher initial achievement and that specific teacher and peer characteristics including teacher experience and peer racial composition explain a substantial share of the widening. The adverse effect of attending school with a high black enrollment share appears to be an important contributor to the larger growth in the achievement differential in the upper part of the test score distribution. This evidence reaffirms the major role played by peers and school quality, but also presents a policy dilemma. Teacher labor market complications, current housing patterns, legal limits in segregation efforts, and uncertainty about the overall effects of specific desegregation programs indicate that effective policy responses will almost certainly involve a set of school improvements beyond simple changes in peer racial composition and the teacher experience distribution.
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ENABLED ORGANIZATIONAL TRANSFORMATION?

The term of “IT enabled organizational transformaion (ITOT)” is much used in the practice and literature of information systems. Thus, we treat this variety of usage as interesting and potentially significant, but IS cholars have used ITOT construct in diverse and often contradictory ways. To discusses the meaning of ITOT, this article present a conceptual review of the ITOT literature, highlighting important concepts and theories relating to ITOT over time. We first presents the current definitions of OT in general, and then trace the evolution of the ITOT construct in the broader organizational change literature. On the basis of critical analysis and synthesis of available literature the draft of a new matrix for explaning the concept of ITOT will be proposed.
Working Papers in Economics : 1864 DEBT SUSTAINABILITY AND THE TERMS OF OFFICIAL SUPPORT

We study theoretically and quantitatively how official lending regimes affect a government’s decision to raise saving as opposed to defaulting, and its implication for sovereign bond pricing by investors. We reconsider debt sustainability in the face of both output and rollover risk under two types of institutional bailouts: one based on long-maturity, low-spread loans similar to the ones offered by the euro area official lenders; the other, on shorter maturity and high-spread loans, close to the International Monetary Fund standards. We show that official lending regimes raise the stock of safe debt and facilitate consumption smoothing through debt reduction. However, to the extent that bailouts translates into higher future debt stocks and countercyclical deficits in persistent recessions, they also have countervailing effects on sustainability. Quantitatively, the model is able to replicate Portuguese debt and spread dynamics in the years of the bailout after 2011. We show that, depending on the composition of debt by maturity and official lending, sustainable debt levels can vary between 50% of GDP and 180% of GDP depending on the state of the economy and the conditions for market access. Longer maturities have a stronger effect on sustainability than lower
Maicol Gómez Zegarra Support for Parallel Scan in OpenMP Suporte de Parallel Scan em OpenMP

Prefix Scan (or simply scan) is an operator that computes all the partial sums of a vector. A scan operation results in a vector where each element is the sum of the preceding elements in the original vector up to the corresponding position. Scan is a key operation in many relevant problems like sorting, lexical analysis, string comparison, image filtering among others. Although there are libraries that provide hand-parallelized implementations of the scan in CUDA and OpenCL, no automatic parallelization solution exists for this operator in OpenMP. This work proposes a new clause to OpenMP which enables the automatic synthesis of the parallel scan. By using the proposed clause a programmer can considerably reduce the complexity of designing scan based algorithms, thus allowing he/she to focus the attention on the problem and not on learning new parallel programming models or languages. Scan was designed in AClang (www.aclang.org), an open-source LLVM/Clang compiler framework that implements the recently released OpenMP 4.X Accelerator Programming Model. AClang automatically converts OpenMP 4.X annotated program regions to OpenCL. Experiments running a set of typical scan based algorithms on NVIDIA, Intel, and ARM GPUs reveal that the performance of the proposed OpenMP clause is equivalent to that achieved when using OpenCL library calls, with the advantage of a simpler programming complexity.
CCN closure study: Effects of aerosol chemical composition and mixing state

This study presents a detailed cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) closure study that investigates the effects of chemical composition (bulk and size resolved) and mixing state (internal and external) on CCN activity of aerosols. Measurements of the chemical composition, aerosol size distribution, total number concentration, and CCN concentration at supersaturation (SS = 0.2–1.0%) were performed during the winter season in Kanpur, India. Among the two cases considered here, better closure results are obtained for case 1 (low total aerosol loading, 49.54 ± 26.42 μg m−3, and high O:C ratio, 0.61 ±0.07) compared to case 2 (high total aerosol loading, 101.05 ± 18.73 μg m−3, and low O:C ratio, 0.42 ±0.06), with a maximum reduction of 3–81% in CCN overprediction for all depleted SS values (0.18–0.60%). Including the assumption that less volatile oxidized organic aerosols represent the soluble organic fraction reduced the overprediction to at most 40% and 129% in the internal and external mixing scenarios, respectively. At higher depleted SS values (0.34–0.60%), size‐resolved chemical composition with an internal mixing state performed well in CCN closure among all organic solubility scenarios. However, at a lower depleted SS value (0.18%), closure is found to be more sensitive to both the chemical composition and mixing state of aerosols. At higher SS values, information on the solubility of organics and size‐resolved chemical composition is required for accurate CCN predictions, whereas at lower SS values, information on the mixing state in addition to the solubility of organics and size‐resolved chemical composition is required. Overall, κtotal values are observed to be independent of the O:C ratio [κtotal= (0.36 ±0.01) × O:C − (0.03 ± 0.01)] in the range of 0.2
Treatment of Antibiotics in Wastewater Using Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs)

Antibiotics are nonbiodegradable, can survive at aquatic environments for long periods and they have a big potential bio-accumulation in the environment. They are extensively metabolized by humans, animals and plants. After metabolization, antibiotics or their metabolites are excreted into the aquatic environment. Removal of these compounds from the aquatic environment is feasible by different processes. But antibiotics are not treated in conventional wastewater treatment plants efficiently. During the last years studies with advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for removal of these pharmaceuticals from waters has shown that they can be useful for removing them fully. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) can work as alternatives or complementary method in traditional wastewater treatment, and highly reactive free radicals, especially hydroxyl radicals (OH) generated via chemical (O3/H2O2, O3/OH ), photochemical (UV/O3, O3/H2O2) reactions, serve as the main oxidant. This study presents an overview of the literature on antibiotics and their removal from water by advanced oxidation processes. It includes almost all types of antibiotics which are consumed by human and veterinary processes. It was found that most of the investigated advanced oxidation treatment processes for the oxidation of antibiotics in water are direct and indirect photolysis with the combinations of H2O2, TiO2, ozone and Fenton’s reagent.
A Test for Comparing Multiple Misspecified Conditional Distributions

This paper introduces a conditional Kolmogorov test, in the spirit of Andrews (1997), that allows for comparison of multiple misspecifed conditional distribution models, for the case of dependent observations. A conditional confidence interval version of the test is also discussed. Model accuracy is measured using a distributional analog of mean square error, in which the squared (approximation) error associated with a given model, say model i; is measured in terms of the average over U of E((Fi(u|Zt,Theta-t-plus)-Fo(u|Zt,Theta-o)))^2; where U is a possibly unbounded set on the real line, Zt is the conditioning information set, Fi is the distribution function of a particular candidate model, and F0 is the true (unkown) distribution function. When comparing more than two models, a “benchmark” model is specified, and the test is constructed along the lines of the “reality check” of White (2000). Valid asymptotic critical values are obtained via a version of the block bootstrap which properly captures the e®ect of parameter estimation error. The results of a small Monte Carlo experiment indicate that the conditional confidence interval version of the test has reasonable finite sample properties even for samples with as few as 60 observations.
The learning and memory enhancing properties of Bacopa monnieri plant leaves protein : A systematic study in Wister Albino rats model system

Man and other animals have shown characteristic features towards learning and memory. Disorders of the central nervous system will have a significant bearing on the healthcare concerns of the human population worldwide associated with loss of memory, cognitive deficits, impaired mental function, back in learning etc. Traditional knowledge says that Bacopa monnieri has memory enhancing property. The current systematic study aimed to examine the scientific evidence as to whether Bacopa monnieri plant leaves proteins can enhance learning memory in Wistar albino rats. Rats were given 200mg/kg dose of Bacopa monnieri plant leaves proteins orally along with scopolamine (i.p) for 14 days. Rats were subjected to elevate plus maze and passive avoidance testing on 14 day to evaluate learning. Same models were repeated on 15 day to evaluate retention (memory). The results were compared with the results of negative control group treated only with scopolamine and positive control group treated with scopolamine and piracetam for 14 days. Significant learning and memory enhancement was seen with Bacopa monnieri plant leaves proteins as compared to negative and positive control group with p value < 0.05. This result that treatment with Bacopa monnieri plant leaves proteins is beneficial in Alzheimer’s disease and has potential disease modifying effect.
Factors Influencing Survival of White-tailed Deer Fawns in Coastal South

The social and environmental pressures exerted on white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus in the southeastern United States are dynamic. Understanding factors that contribute to neonatal white-tailed deer mortality is vital to population management. To determine survival rates and causes of mortality, we captured and radio-monitored neonate whitetailed deer in the coastal plain of South Carolina. Using date of birth, mass, sex, age, and year as predictor variables, we created a candidate set of survival models to evaluate which factors influenced daily survival rates. We captured and monitored 210 fawns and recorded 68 total mortalities (32.3%). We recorded few mortalities in 2006 (n = 5; 12.8%) and 2007 (n = 5; 12.5%), but we observed a significant increase in mortality in 2008 (n = 18; 37.5%), 2009 (n = 28; 53.8%), and 2010 (n = 12; 38.7%). Predation accounted for the majority of mortalities (n = 29; 42.6%). We found that male fawns were more than twice as likely to survive as females, and older fawns were more likely to succumb to predation than younger fawns. Overall survival in our study was higher than estimates recently reported in the southeastern United States. Recent increases in coyote predation have been cause for concern in some parts of the Southeast, but our results indicate that although it appeared coyote predation increased over the course of our study, predation did not reach levels that have been reported elsewhere, possibly due to predator-control activities on our study site. Close monitoring of the deer population at Brosnan Forest allowed managers to adequately adjust harvest prescriptions to maintain deer populations at the desired level despite an apparent decline in fawn survival.
Towards Real-time Streaming Analytics based on Cloud Computing

Nowadays, streaming data overflows from a diversity of sources and technologies, making traditional data analytics technologies unsuitable to handle the latency of data processing relative to the growing demand for high processing speed and algorithmically scalability. Real-time streaming data analytics is needed to allow applications to analyze streaming data effectively and efficiently. The open source software Apache Storm, which is a distributed computation system for processing streaming data in real-time, has been widely used for building applications to analyze streaming data in real-time because it is fast, scalable, fault tolerant and reliable. This paper proposes a cloud-based architecture based on Apache Storm for supporting an entire streaming data analytics workflow, which consists of data ingestion, data processing, data visualization and data storing. The application on the proposed system is available at http://206.167. 181.16:8000/map4.html.
Prospective Teachers’ Difficulties in Interpreting Elementary Phenomena of Electrostatic Interactions: Indicators of the status of their intuitive ideas

Student teachers were tested before and after a teaching unit on electrostatic interactions in an attempt to consider their intuitive ideas and concept development. A study was made of students’ explanations of basic interactions: those between two charged bodies, and those between a charged body and a neutral body. Two indicators of the cognitive status of the explanations were investigated: “context dependence” and “certainty or confidence index”. This allowed cognitive comparisons to be established between the explanations of different electrostatic interactions, and between the degrees of difficulty they represent for satisfactory conceptual evolution. The greatest difficulties were found with explanations of the phenomena of electrostatic induction. The sample consisted of 52 students in primary school teacher education who participated in a teaching unit designed to overcome these obstacles.
Mixotrophic and heterotrophic nanoflagellate grazing in the convergence zone east of New Zealand

Nanoflagellate grazing was investigated in the subtropical convergence region off the east coast of the South Island, New Zealand, in the summer of 1995. Clearance rates were estimated using 0.5 pm fluorescently labelled beads and fluorescently labelled bacteria to represent bacterial populations and 1.0 pm fluorescently labelled beads representing picophytoplankton populations. Nanoflagellate grazing by mixotrophs was on average lower than heterotrophic nanoflagellate clearance rates per individual for all prey types, and both heterotrophic and mixotrophic nanoflagellates showed a preference for picophytoplankton-sized particles over bacteria-sized particles when grazing on artificial prey. Despite lower clearance rates per individual, higher numbers of rnixotrophic nanoflagellates meant that they contributed 57 % of measured grazing impact on picophytoplankton-sized particles, 40% of grazing on bacteria-sized particles and 55% of grazing on stained bacteria per day. In addition to assessing grazing rates, by identifying the major genera involved we were able to distinguish the predominate grazers in 3 water masses and investigate how changes in species composition may be linked to grazing in this region.
A Comprehensive Study on Recent Botnet

: Most of the email spams, DDos attacks and click frauds are caused by compromised machines which form botnets Botnets are also used for information thefts, either personal or cooperative. Mordern Botnets such as Mirai primarily targets online consumer devices such as remote cameras and home routers. Network formed by infected machines under the control of controller or Botmaster is called Botnet. It has been a serious threat to The Internet community since the advent of EggDrop during the year 1993 which is considered as the first recognized IRC bots. These types of networks were created to implement illegal activities, disturbing the normal activities of legitimate users. Though research on this topic is of great importance and has been going on for years, the researchers often face difficulty due to privacy issues for examination of packets and legal issues. This paper reviews and discusses the working of modern botnets (2010 onwards) like TDL4, Zues, Kelihos, Ramnit, Chameleon and Mirai and methods to detect and prevent them based on previously published studies. This paper also discusses the notable and insistent problems that researchers are facing.
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF ORGANIC SOLIDS. II: EFFECTS OF ADDED ELECTRON ACCEPTOR ON METAL-FREE PHTHALOCYANINE

The addition of ortho‐chloranil to the surface of films of metal‐free phthalocyanine has been found (a) to increase the dark conductivity of such films by as much as 107, (b) to increase the steady‐state photoconductivity by as much as 105, and (c) to result in the formation of unpaired electrons whose concentration decreases reversibly as a result of illumination. These systems exhibit a light‐induced polarization, the phthalocyanine layer becoming more positive with respect to the ortho‐chloranil layer. Kinetic studies demonstrate that, upon illumination, a single process (time constant=60 sec) results in the increase in conductivity, the decrease in unpaired spins and the increase in polarization. The results are consistent with the following scheme. An electron transfer from phthalocyanine to ortho‐chloranil occurs in the dark at room temperature producing holes in the phthalocyanine layer and ortho‐chloranil negative ion radicals (high conductivity, ESR signal). Illumination results in the transfer o.
Morphological Variation of Siscowet Lake Trout in Lake Superior

Abstract Historically, Lake Superior has contained many morphologically distinct forms of the lake trout Salvelinus namaycush that have occupied specific depths and locations and spawned at specific times of the year. Today, as was probably the case historically, the siscowet morphotype is the most abundant. Recent interest in harvesting siscowets to extract oil containing omega-3 fatty acids will require additional knowledge of the biology and stock structure of these lightly exploited populations. The objective of this study was to determine whether shape differences exist among siscowet populations across Lake Superior and whether these shape differences can be used to infer stock structure. Morphometric analysis (truss protocol) was used to differentiate among siscowets sampled from 23 locations in Lake Superior. We analyzed 31 distance measurements among 14 anatomical landmarks taken from digital images of fish recorded in the field. Cluster analysis of size-corrected data separated fish into three g.
Tropical sea surface temperatures for the past four centuries reconstructed from coral archives

Most annually resolved climate reconstructions of the Common Era are based on terrestrial data, making it a challenge to independently assess how recent climate changes have affected the oceans. Here as part of the Past Global Changes Ocean2K project, we present four regionally calibrated and validated reconstructions of sea surface temperatures in the tropics, based on 57 published and publicly archived marine paleoclimate data sets derived exclusively from tropical coral archives. Validation exercises suggest that our reconstructions are interpretable for much of the past 400 years, depending on the availability of paleoclimate data within, and the reconstruction validation statistics for, each target region. Analysis of the trends in the data suggests that the Indian, western Pacific, and western Atlantic Ocean regions were cooling until modern warming began around the 1830s. The early 1800s were an exceptionally cool period in the Indo-Pacific region, likely due to multiple large tropical volcanic eruptions occurring in the early nineteenth century. Decadal-scale variability is a quasi-persistent feature of all basins. Twentieth century warming associated with greenhouse gas emissions is apparent in the Indian, West Pacific, and western Atlantic Oceans, but we find no evidence that either natural or anthropogenic forcings have altered El Nino–Southern Oscillation-related variance in tropical sea surface temperatures. Our marine-based regional paleoclimate reconstructions serve as benchmarks against which terrestrial reconstructions as well as climate model simulations can be compared and as a basis for studying the processes by which the tropical oceans mediate climate variability and change.
Task Scheduling using Amalgamation of Metaheuristics Swarm Optimization Algorithm and Cuckoo Search in Cloud Computing Environment

Cloud Computing is the latest networking technology and also popular archetype for hosting the application and delivering of services over the network. The foremost technology of the cloud computing is virtualization which enables of building the applications, dynamically sharing of resources and providing diverse services to the cloud users. With virtualization, a service provider can guarantee Quality of Service to the user at the same time as achieving higher server consumption and energy competence. One of the most important challenges in the cloud computing environment is the VM placemnt and task scheduling problem. This paper focus on Metaheuristic Swarm Optimisation Algorithms(MSOA) deals with the problem of VM placement and Task scheduling in cloud environment. The MSOA is a simple parallel algorithm that can be applied in different ways to resolve the task scheduling problems. The proposed algorithm is considered an amalgamation of the SO algorithm and the Cuckoo search (CS) algorithm; called MSOACS. The proposed algorithm is evaluated using Cloudsim Simulator. The results proves the reduction of the makespan and increase the utilization ratio of the proposed MSOACS algorithm compared with SOA algorithms and Randomised Allocation Allocation (RA).