Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Research on financial and non-financial incentives

Introduction A wide range of factors impact the behaviour of individual people and organisations ('actors') within the NHS, and in turn this behaviour affects patient outcomes. These factors can take the form of incentives that promote or discourage certain activities. Payment is one of them, but many other factors can impact or interact with payment incentives to enhance or diminish their effect. Therefore, in considering payment reform for NHS services, it is vital to recognise that the ability for the payment system to enable desired outcomes can be impacted by other types of incentives within the system, and payment incentives need to be developed within the broader context of other types of incentives. As part of Monitor and NHS England's development work on reforming the payment system for NHS services, Monitor was keen to develop a better understanding of what mix of financial and non-financial incentives may drive the best outcomes for patients and enable a more sustainable and responsive NHS. As part of this work we looked at international examples, journal publications and sought input from NHS stakeholders (including a crowdsourcing exercise). Department of Social Policy at the London School of Economics). It explores four different types of incentive that sit along a scale from the purely reputational to the purely financial: 1. Pure financial incentives for predefined improvements against specific quality criteria. 2. Public ranking of performance and modest financial incentives for good relative performance. 3. Public ranking of performance with apportioned blame for poor relative performance. 4. Public reporting of general performance without financial
Using microkernel based virtualization for Byzantine fault tolerance

A Byzantine fault is a failure that cannot be identified by observing the output of a component; the component produces a wrong result as opposed to not producing a result at all or producing a result that can be identified as wrong. Such faults may be caused by a number of causes including software bugs and malicious attacks. Tolerating such faults is essential for a critical system. Isolated replication and majority voting is a well established technique to tolerate Byzantine faults. Current implementations of such systems either uses replicated hardware or software virtualization — using virtual machine monitors — to get the illusion of hardware replication to tolerate Byzantine faults. In this paper, we investigate the possibility of using microkernel technology to achieve the isolated replication and discuss the features of a microkernel API suitable for such a deployment. The advantage of our approach is that it reduces the cost of additional hardware or avoid the complexity of virtualization required to mimic hardware replication. We used a single machine, running the L4 microkernel to provide the isolation required for the replicas. All replicas run in parallel and majority voting is performed to obtain the correct result in the presence of Byzantine faults. We selected the AES encryption algorithms for our case study and faults were deliberately injected to replicas to mimic Byzantine behavior. Our experiments show that it is feasible to use microkernels technology for this purpose.
FAST FIR ALGORITHM BASED AREA-EFFICIENT PARALLEL FIR DIGITAL FILTER STRUCTURES

In digital systems, the filters occupy a major role. This work describes the design of parallel FIR filter structures using poly-phase decomposition technique that requires minimum number of multipliers and low power adders. Normally multipliers consume more power and large area than the adders. For reducing the area, this filter structure uses adders instead of multipliers since the adder requires low power and less area than the multipliers. Moreover, number of adders does not increase along with the length of parallel FIR filter. Finally the proposed parallel FIR filter structures are beneficial in terms of hardware cost and power when compared to the existing parallel FIR filter structure.
Representation of Videokeratoscopic Height Data Using a Set of Discrete Tchebichef Orthogonal Polynomials

The continuous orthogonal polynomials, such as Zernike and pseudo-Zernike, are often used as an expansion of corneal height data. However, the use of continuous polynomials has some limitations due to the discretization. It is because that the integrals are usually approximated by discrete summations, and this process not only leads to numerical errors, but also severely affects some analytical properties such as rotation invariance, orthogonality, etc. To overcome these drawbacks, this paper presents a methodology for decomposing corneal height data into discrete orthogonal Tchebichef polynomials. Tchebichef polynomials, which are a product of angular functions and radial Tchebichef polynomials, are orthogonal in the discrete coordinate. Therefore, the approximation error caused by discretization can be avoided, and the analytical property can be well preserved. Examples of modeling corneal elevation are provided for simulation corneas, real normal corneas, and real abnormal corneas. The experimental results show that the proposed discrete Tchebichef polynomials have better surface representation capability than Zernike polynomials or pseudo-Zernike polynomials, and have more robust fitting for the level of noise found in current videokeratoscopes, so that they can be used as an alternative to fit the corneal surface.
Discourse functions of phatic interjections in the English, Russian and Japanese languages : with special focus on English

The dissertation presents a contrastive analysis of discourse functions performed by some phatic interjections in the English, Russian and Japanese languages. Although the word class of interjections has recently gained interest of linguists both in Japan and abroad, there has been neither contrastive analysis of the three languages nor a comprehensive description of conditions defining the discourse functions of the interjections within one language. The goals of this paper are (i) to identify conditions distinguishing between the discourse–marker and speech–act functions of the interjections; (ii) to examine types of discourse markers and speech acts the interjections can constitute and (iii) to investigate differences and commonalities displayed by the interjections with respect to positions (i) and (ii) both within a particular language and cross–linguistically. The study claims that the condition distinguishing between the two discourse functions of the interjections is the same in the three languages. It is the place of the interjections with respect to a communication scenario evoked. When the interjections are used outside the communication scenario, they serve the phatic function of language as discourse markers. When the interjections occupy some position within the structure of the communication scenario, they serve the informative function of language as speech acts. Contrastive analysis of the discourse marker and speech act types allowed me to identify which of the interjections constitute functional equivalents in the three languages.
Public DisPLAY: social games on interactive public screens

In this paper we introduce, examine, and reflect on player and spectator interaction, socialization, and engagement with two gesture-based multiplayer games deployed on two sensor-enabled and networked semi-public campus displays. One within a transitory corridor, the other in an open plan combined study area and student services space. Our results show that sensor placement and installation contexts of the display, as well as how players are introduced to the interaction techniques of the game, affect the screens' capacity to support social play. We subsequently offer concrete recommendations on how public display games can be built to encourage social play between two to four participants, limit social embarrassment, and encourage spectators to become active players. In doing so, we extend prior work that has primarily focused on single-user or crowd-based interaction.
The political economy of democratic decentralization

Nearly all countries worldwide are now experimenting with decentralization. Their motivation are diverse. Many countries are decentralizing because they believe this can help stimulate economic growth or reduce rural poverty, goals central government interventions have failed to achieve. Some countries see it as a way to strengthen civil society and deepen democracy. Some perceive it as a way to off-load expensive responsibilities onto lower level governments. Thus, decentralization is seen as a solution to many different kinds of problems. This report examines the origins and implications decentralization from a political economy perspective, with a focus on its promise anlimitations. It explores why countries have often chosen not to decentralize, even when evidence suggests that doing so would be in the interests of the government. It seeks to explain why since The early 1980s many countries have undertaken some form of decentralization. This report also evaluates the evidence to understand where decentralization has considerable promise and where it does not. It identifies conditions needed for decentralization to succeed. It identifies the ways in which decentralization can promote rural development. And it names the goals which decentralization will probably not help achieve.
New hybrid of PTS-CAPPR methods using GA for PAPR reduction in OFDM systems

In this paper, we propose a new PAPR reduction by using the hybrid of partial transmit sequences (PTS) and cascade adaptive peak power reduction (CAPPR) methods with coded side information (SI) technique design by genetic algorithm(GA). These methods are used in an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) system. The OFDM employs orthogonal sub-carriers for data modulation. These sub-carriers unexpectedly present a large peak to average power ratio (PAPR) in some cases. A proposed reduction method consists of these two methods and realizes both advantages at the same time. In order to obtain the optimum condition on PTS for PAPR reduction, a quite large calculation cost must be demanded and thus it is impossible to obtain the optimum PTS. In the proposed method, by using the pseudo-optimum condition with a coded SI technique designed by GA, the total calculation cost becomes drastically reduced. In simulation results, the proposed method shows the improvement on PAPR and also reveals the high performance on bit error rate (BER) of an OFDM system.
Complexity of ascent finding problem

An edge-ordering of a graph G = (V, E) is a one-to-one function f from E to a subset of the set of positive integers. A path P in G is called an f-ascent if f increases along the edge sequence of P . The height h(f) of f is the maximum length of an f -ascent in G. This problem was studied rather extensively from graph theoretical point of view in connection with graph invariant known as altitude of graph. In this paper, we prove that for a given edge-ordering f of a graph G the problem of determining the value of h(f) is NP-hard. In particular, the problem of deciding, whether there is an f -ascent containing all the vertices of G is NP-complete. For that reason we present an algorithm for solving this problem with average time complexity O(n2), where n is the number of vertices of G.
Demanding good governance : a stocktaking of social accountability initiatives by civil society in anglophone Africa

This report synthesizes a stocktaking of civil society-initiated social accountability practices in the public budgetary process in 10 Anglophone African countries-Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Three clear mechanisms for social accountability in the cycle of public expenditure are included as initiatives in the study: independent budget analysis and advocacy (IBA); participatory public expenditure tracking (PPET); and participatory performance monitoring (PPM). Independent Budget Analysis (IBA) refers to the research, advocacy and dissemination of information on issues related to official budgets by civil society and other actors independent of the government. Participatory public expenditure tracking (PPET) involves the use of civil society to track how the public sector spends the money that was allocated to it. Participatory Performance Monitoring (PPM) consists of citizen and community scorecards that solicit user feedback on the performance of public services. Citizen Report Cards (CRCs) are used in situations where demand side data, such as user perceptions on quality and satisfaction with public services, is absent.
Electronic Communications of the EASST Volume 57 ( 2013 ) Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Bidirectional Transformations ( BX 2013 ) Delta lenses and opfibrations

We compare the delta lenses, also known as d-lenses, of Diskin et al. with the c-lenses, known to be equivalent to opfibrations, already studied by the authors. Contrary to expectation a c-lens is a d-lens but not conversely. This result is surprising because d-lenses appear to provide the same information as c-lenses, and some more besides, suggesting that the implication would be the reverse – a d-lens would appear to be a special kind of c-lens. The source of the surprise can be traced to the way the two concepts deal differently with morphisms in a certain base comma category (G,1V). Both c-lenses and d-lenses are important because they extend the notion of lens to take account of the information available in known transitions between states and this has important implications in practice.
Propositionalization Through Relational Association Rules Mining

In this paper we propose a novel (multi-)relational classification framework based on propositionalization. Propositionalization makes use of discovered relational association rules and permits to significantly reduce feature space through a feature reduction algorithm. The method is implemented in a Data Mining system tightly integrated with a relational database. It performs the classification at different granularity levels and takes advantage from domain specific knowledge in form of rules that support qualitative reasoning. An application of classification in real-world georeferenced census data analysis is reported.
Covert Communications through Hiding FM Waveforms in an Image

— In this paper, we propose information encryption using two-dimensional (2-D) frequency modulated (FM) signals. The hidden information is embedded into a picture using the phase information of a 2-D FM prototype. The parameters of the 2-D FM prototype are optimized in order to achieve no or low bit error rate (BER) in detection. The cover image is partitioned into several blocks. In each block, one or several 2-D FM covert waveforms are embedded. The hidden information can be eﬃciently detected using matched ﬁltering. We apply blind detection, assuming that the original cover image is not available at the receiver. The eﬀect of image compression is also considered in this paper.
Autonomic Management Using Self-Stabilization for Hierarchical and Distributed Middleware

Dynamic nature of distributed architecture is a major challenge to avail the benefits of distributed computing. An effective solution to deal with this dynamic nature is to implement a self-adaptive mechanism to sustain the distributed architecture. Self-adaptive systems can autonomously modify their behavior at run-time in response to changes in their environment. This capability may be included in the software systems at design time or later by external mechanisms. Our paper describes the self-adaptive algorithm that we developed for an existing middleware. Once the middleware is deployed, it can detect a set of events which indicate an unstable deployment state. When an event is detected, some instructions are executed to handle the event. We have designed a simulator to have a deeper insights of our proposed self-adaptive algorithm. Results of our simulated experiments validate the safe convergence of the algorithm.
The ageing workforce: Ethical implications for HRM practitioners

This paper adds a new dimension to the implications of Australia's ageing workforce -- the impact upon human resource practitioners (HRPs) in terms of the likely increasing ethical dilemmas they will face. Predictions of a labour shortfall of skilled workers means that organisations will need to employ more older workers than previously. However, the empirical research reported in this paper on ethical decisions made by human resource management practitioners (HRPs) in key HRM areas suggests they are faced with increasing ethical dilemmas (in terms of both frequency and complexity). Literatures from both the human resource management and organisational ethics fields are presented, arguing that the future will be difficult for HRPs as the workforce continues to age. The ethical dilemmas involved in such decisions and practices will place HRPs in an ever more difficult and complex situation. This has implications for the successful management of internal workforces for organisations, and for HRM in general.
An Integrated Planning and Learning Framework for Human-Robot Interaction

Assistive robot systems require a robot to interact closely with people and to perform joint human-robot tasks. Interaction with humans comes with additional challenges to those in other real-world scenarios. Robot plans must be especially flexible and take into account human abilities and preferences. For providing this level of flexibility, we propose a framework for trans-formational reactive planning that includes the capability to learn models of the human during plan execution. We show how this framework can be extended to the special requirements of human-robot interaction.
An epigenetic road map for histone lysine methylation

Histone N-termini (tails) undergo diverse post-translational modifications, including acetylation, phosphorylation, methylation, ubiquitination and ADP-ribosylation ([van Holde, 1988][1]; [Wolffe, 1998][2]). The discoveries of enzymes that perform these modifications and of chromatin-associated
Arabidopsis WPP-Domain Proteins Are Developmentally Associated with the Nuclear Envelope and Promote Cell Divisionw⃞

The nuclear envelope (NE) acts as a selective barrier to macromolecule trafficking between the nucleus and the cytoplasm and undergoes a complex reorganization during mitosis. Different eukaryotic kingdoms show specializations in NE function and composition. In contrast with vertebrates, the protein composition of the NE and the function of NE proteins are barely understood in plants. MFP1 attachment factor 1 (MAF1) is a plant-specific NE-associated protein first identified in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). Here, we demonstrate that two Arabidopsis thaliana MAF1 homologs, WPP1 and WPP2, are associated with the NE specifically in undifferentiated cells of the root tip. Reentry into cell cycle after callus induction from differentiated root segments reprograms their NE association. Based on green fluorescent protein fusions and immunogold labeling data, the proteins are associated with the outer NE and the nuclear pores in interphase cells and with the immature cell plate during cytokinesis. RNA interference–based suppression of the Arabidopsis WPP family causes shorter primary roots, a reduced number of lateral roots, and reduced mitotic activity of the root meristem. Together, these data demonstrate the existence of regulated NE targeting in plants and identify a class of plant-specific NE proteins involved in mitotic activity.
Uniform convergence of hypergeometric series

The considered problem is uniform convergence of sequences of hypergeometric series. We give necessary and sufficient conditions for uniformly dominated convergence of infinite sums of proper bivariate hypergeometric terms. These conditions can be checked algorithmically. Hence the results can be applied in Zeilberger type algorithms for nonterminating hypergeometric series.
TIGIT Marks Exhausted T Cells, Correlates with Disease Progression, and Serves as a Target for Immune Restoration in HIV and SIV Infection

HIV infection induces phenotypic and functional changes to CD8+ T cells defined by the coordinated upregulation of a series of negative checkpoint receptors that eventually result in T cell exhaustion and failure to control viral replication. We report that effector CD8+ T cells during HIV infection in blood and SIV infection in lymphoid tissue exhibit higher levels of the negative checkpoint receptor TIGIT. Increased frequencies of TIGIT+ and TIGIT+ PD-1+ CD8+ T cells correlated with parameters of HIV and SIV disease progression. TIGIT remained elevated despite viral suppression in those with either pharmacological antiretroviral control or immunologically in elite controllers. HIV and SIV-specific CD8+ T cells were dysfunctional and expressed high levels of TIGIT and PD-1. Ex-vivo single or combinational antibody blockade of TIGIT and/or PD-L1 restored viral-specific CD8+ T cell effector responses. The frequency of TIGIT+ CD4+ T cells correlated with the CD4+ T cell total HIV DNA. These findings identify TIGIT as a novel marker of dysfunctional HIV-specific T cells and suggest TIGIT along with other checkpoint receptors may be novel curative HIV targets to reverse T cell exhaustion.