Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Framework for Ensemble Predictive Modeling

Ensemble systems have been successfully applied in many fields, such as finance, bioinformatics, medicine, cheminformatics, manufacturing, geography, information security, information retrieval, image retrieval, and recommender systems. The ultimate objective of an ensemble system is to produce better predictions by combining the approximations of different classifiers/models. However, the ensemble performance depends on three main design features. Firstly, the diversity/independence of the base models/classifiers. If all models/classifiers produce similar/correlated predictions, then combining those predictions will not provide any improvement. Diversity is considered to be a key design feature of any successful ensemble system. Secondly, the fusion topology, namely, the selection of a representative topology. Thirdly, the fusion function, namely, the selection of a suitable function. Accordingly, building an effective ensemble system is a complex and challenging process, which requires intuition and deep knowledge of the problem context, and a well-defined predictive modeling process. Although several taxonomies have been reported in the literature, which aim to categorize ensemble systems from the system’s designer point of view, there are still important research gaps need to be addressed. First, a comprehensive framework for developing ensemble systems is not yet available. Second, several strategies have been proposed to inject model diversity in the ensemble; however, there is a shortage of empirical studies that compare the effectiveness of these strategies. Third, most of the ensemble systems research has concentrated on simple problems, and relatively small/low-dimensional data sets. Further experimental research is required to investigate the application of ensemble systems to large and/or high-dimensional data sets, with a variety of data types. This research attempts to fill these gaps. First, the thesis proposes a framework for ensemble predictive modeling. It coins the term “ensemble predictive modeling” to refer to the process of developing ensemble systems. Second, the thesis empirically compares several diversity injection strategies. Third, the thesis validates the proposed framework using two real-world, large/high-dimensional, regression and classification case studies. The empirical results indicate the effectiveness of the proposed framework.
End-User Emissions Trading: What, Why, How and When?

End-User Emissions Trading (EET) refers to an emissions trading scheme for individuals, for instance on an EU-wide scale. Such a personal carbon trading scheme is targeted towards (a) reducing the release of greenhouse gases from energy and fuel consumption and (b) towards incentivizing climate-friendly choices related to consumption, production and utilization of resources. The central question in this paper is three-fold: Why would such an emissions trading scheme for individuals be desirable, how could such a scheme be designed and under what conditions could it be acceptable?
Quality managers: Beyond 2000?

A review on current quality management literature discloses a conglomeration of sentiments amongst quality managers with regards to the future of their quality profession. These sentiments can primarily be grouped into two categories: (1) that quality managers will no longer play a role in functional management, as quality will become an integral part of the organization; and (2) alternatively, they will play a significantly different role, leading to a specialized job design (Stratton, 1996, Quality Progress, 29, pp. 73-74). Despite the fact that many have voiced their concerns regarding the future of the quality profession, little formal research has been conducted to address this issue. Thus, the significance of undertaking this research is to aim to verify and substantiate their sentiments. Findings of the research may also contribute as a signal to quality managers with regards to their future roles and may inspire them to prepare themselves better for meeting future qualityrelated endeavours. It is important not to prophesy the precise future role of quality managers, as no one outside the psychic industry will claim to be capable of it. Rather, the research endeavours to predict the role of quality manager in the next decade by conducting interviews with various professionals in the quality-related fields, testing the significance of research questions generated from these interviews through surveys and reviewing current quality manager-related literature. Thus, synthesizing the results from the above-mentioned means to predict the role of quality managers in the years beyond 2000.
A Longitudinal Study of Bone Gain in Pubertal Girls: Anthropometric and Biochemical Correlates

The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate the factors associated with bone mineral acquisition in pubertal girls. Subjects were 37 healthy, Caucasian girls aged 12.1 years (SD 0.3). Measurements were made at 6‐month intervals over a period of 18 months and included total body bone mineral content (TBBMC), total body bone mineral density (TBBMD), lean mass, and fat mass by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry, anthropometry, lifestyle factors, four biochemical markers of bone turnover, hormonal status, and fractional calcium absorption. In multiple regression analysis, correlates of relative gain in TBBMC were gain in lean mass (p < 0.001) and estradiol (p = 0.008). For TBBMD, correlates were gain in lean (p < 0.001) and fat mass (p = 0.003), estradiol (p < 0.001), dietary energy intake (p = 0.003), and parathyroid hormone (p = 0.023). Statural growth and gain in bone mass were unrelated; both height velocity and bone turnover peaked ∼20 months prior to menarche, whereas gain in bone mass peaked at menarche. Bone turnover markers correlated with height velocity (0.40 < r < 0.62), but not with bone gain. Estradiol was independently and negatively associated with all markers of bone turnover (−0.67 < r < −0.80). We conclude that estradiol is an important determinant of bone mineral gain in pubertal girls and is probably responsible for the reduction in bone turnover in late puberty; lean mass was the body composition parameter most closely associated with bone gain; height gain and bone gain are dissociated during the period of rapid growth at puberty; and bone turnover markers are modestly related to height gain, but are not predictive of bone gain.
The Effect of Tax Heterogeneity on Prices and Volume around the Ex-Dividend Day: Evidence from the Milan Stock Exchange

To investigate the effect of taxation on stock price and trading volume around the ex-dividend day, we use the Italian stock market, where dividends on two classes of stock are taxed differently. We find that the weighted average of investors' tax rates is reflected in the ex-day prices and the variance of the relative tax rate across investors is reflected in the volume of trades. We also show that higher transaction costs result in higher ex-dividend day excess returns and lower abnormal volume. This finding is consistent with "profit elimination" activity by institutions and corporations. Article published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Financial Studies in its journal, The Review of Financial Studies.
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE STUDIES OF GUT FLORA IN STRIPED BASS FROM ESTUARINE AND COASTAL MARINE ENVIRONMENTS

Examination of the intestinal contents of 130 striped bass (Morone saxatilis) collected from the Hudson River and Long Island Sound during May to October 1981 showed that opportunistic fish pathogens—especially Aeromonas hydrophila—predominated in samples from both locations. Other isolates from both groups of striped bass included Vibrio, pseudomonads, flavobacteria, Alcaligenes, and enterics. Small numbers of Micrococcus, Bacillus, Corynebacterium, and Acinetobacter were also isolated. Total numbers of bacteria in the intestines were 100 to 1,000 times higher in striped bass from the Hudson River than in those from Long Island Sound.
The Health Impact of a Hearing Disability on Older People in Australia

Objectives: A series of studies has proposed that hearing loss has adverse effects for other aspects of health. This article examines the health effects associated with self-reported hearing disability on older people. Methods: The study utilized the 2003 Australian Survey of Disability, Ageing, and Carers (n = 43,233), a weighted population-based survey providing data on self-reported disability and quality of life, to examine hearing disability among older Australians (55 years plus). Results: Of the estimated 654,113 people reporting hearing disability, 71% experienced limited communication and 60% used hearing aids. Compared with population norms, hearing disability at all levels was associated with poorer physical and mental health scores on the SF-12 measure, especially for people with severe or profound hearing loss, thus suggesting a threshold effect at advanced levels of disability. Discussion: Data support emerging literature suggesting a causal relationship between hearing disability and quality of life. Prospective studies to further examine this relationship are indicated.
Quality-Impact Assessment of Software Systems

Runtime monitoring and assessment of software products, features, and requirements allow product managers and requirement engineers to verify the implemented features or requirements, and validate the user acceptance. Gaining insight into software quality and impact of the quality on user facilitates interpretation of quality against users' acceptance and vice versa. The insight also expedites root cause analysis and fast evolution in the case of threatening the health and sustainability of the software. Several studies have proposed automated monitoring solutions and assessment, however, none of the studies introduces a solution for a joint assessment of software quality and quality impact on users. In this research, we study the relation between software quality and the impact of quality on Quality of Experience (QoE) of users to support the assessment of software products, features, and requirements. We propose a Quality-Impact assessment method based on a joint analysis of software quality and user feedback. As an application of the proposed method in requirement engineering, the joint analysis guides verification and validation of functional and quality requirements as well as capturing new requirements. The study follows a design science approach to design Quality-Impact method artifact. The Quality-Impact method has been already designed and validated in the first design cycle. However, next design cycles will contribute to clarify problems of the initial design, refine and validate the proposed method. This paper presents the concluded results and explains future studies for the follow up of the Ph.D. research.
IT/IS investment justification: an interpretivist case study

The justification for information technology (IT) and information systems (IS) is inherently complex, since there are a large range of benefits that are intangible and non-fictional. However, it is not only the benefits of IT/IS that present this difficulty but also the range of indirect costs associated with an IT/IS deployment. Therefore, many justification processes are exclusively based on those financially tangible benefits and costs that can be accounted for within traditional appraisal techniques. This paper describes the evaluation of IT/IS in manufacturing, with a particular focus on manufacturing resource planning (MRP II). The case description presents a small/medium enterprise (SME) that was unable to "fully" justify its capital expenditures on MRP II whilst using traditional approaches to financial appraisal. As a result, the company adopted a simple cost/benefit analysis and invested as an "act of faith". The author describes the idiosyncrasies of the case study company and details the problems experienced during their attempts to evaluate, implement and realise the holistic implications of their MRP II investment.
Principal's Organizational Activities: An Analysis of the Differences between Actual and Ideal Time Expenditures as a Function of Career Stage.

This study investigated the gap between elementary school principals’ rankings on current and ideal allocations of time for staff, student, managerial, curriculum, strategic, fiscal, and community activities as a function of career stage. Most principals surveyed preferred to spend more time on curricular and strategic activities than they were currently spending, and less time on student and managerial activities. Chi-square tests of independence found that these preferences were not related to career stage, years as a principal, years as a professional educator, or gender. Parallels between work-related stages of development and Erickson’s adult developmental stages were drawn. Recommendations included finding a balance between internal and external demands and adapting professional development ideas from the psychology and sociology fields to fit the principal’s unique needs.
KRiskSM: A Computerized Decision Aid for Client Acceptance and Continuance Risk Assessments

This paper describes the development and implementation of KRisk, an innovative technology‐enabled auditor decision aid for making client acceptance and continuance risk assessments. KRisk, developed and designed by KPMG LLP, is part of the firm's audit quality control and risk management processes. In this paper, we discuss the environmental and technological forces that affect auditor business risk management. We also describe important aspects of the development, functionality, and implementation of KRisk. We discuss possible impediments to realizing the full potential of decision aids that have been reported in prior auditing research, and describe how KRisk and related audit quality control procedures implemented at KPMG were designed to overcome such impediments. Also, we present some ideas for scholarly research dealing with auditor business risk management issues, and issues related to the design and use of decision aids in general.
Detecting Rare Variant Effects Using Extreme Phenotype Sampling in Sequencing Association Studies

In the increasing number of sequencing studies aimed at identifying rare variants associated with complex traits, the power of the test can be improved by guided sampling procedures. We confirm both analytically and numerically that sampling individuals with extreme phenotypes can enrich the presence of causal rare variants and can therefore lead to an increase in power compared to random sampling. Although application of traditional rare variant association tests to these extreme phenotype samples requires dichotomizing the continuous phenotypes before analysis, the dichotomization procedure can decrease the power by reducing the information in the phenotypes. To avoid this, we propose a novel statistical method based on the optimal Sequence Kernel Association Test that allows us to test for rare variant effects using continuous phenotypes in the analysis of extreme phenotype samples. The increase in power of this method is demonstrated through simulation of a wide range of scenarios as well as in the triglyceride data of the Dallas Heart Study.
SCHEDULING FLEXIBILITY IN THE SERVICE SECTOR: A POSTAL CASE STUDY

This is a case study of workforce scheduling in the U.S. postal system. We use it to analyze the benefits of scheduling flexibility at postal distribution systems, which can come from several sources. We focus on the additional flexibility deriving from increasing the proportion of part‐time employees, as well as from increasing the cross‐training of part‐time employees. These two dimensions of scheduling flexibility are decision points of particular interest to the postal management. We used a large‐scale simulation model of the dynamic functioning of the postal distribution system in conjunction with a staff‐scheduling model to obtain insights into policy issues of interest. Our results show that the operating environment at a distribution station affects cost and customer service performance, and that gains from greater scheduling flexibility are situationally dependent. The benefit of cross‐training part‐time workers is modest over the range of levels considered realistic for distribution stations. Our overall recommendation is for postal managers to increase the proportion of part‐time employees, allowing more efficient matching of resources with the varying demands for mail delivery on different routes. For the range of conditions we modeled, cost reductions from more part‐time workers average over six percent when capacity utilization is low. Customer service improvements are even larger, and range between 20 and 43% when capacity utilization is high. Improvements at the upper end of the range are achieved when demand variability is also at its highest.
What explains firm transience in house‐building? A regional analysis of Ontario, Canada, 1991 and 1996

Buzzelli M. (2005) What explains firm transience in house‐building? A regional analysis of Ontario, Canada, 1991 and 1996, Regional Studies 39 , 699–712. This paper presents cross‐sectional analyses of firm exit (1991) and entry (1996) in house‐building using a geographic information system of firms in Ontario's 48 counties (regions). Ordinary least‐squares and logit regressions of entry and exit rates reveal several regional determinants, some specific to the housing market (prior construction) and others usually found in regional studies of firm dynamics (population density, market growth, incomes, immigration, unemployment and home ownership). The results suggest that housing policy may be best administered at the regional scale – the scale at which builders typically operate in North America.
Radiation-induced telomere length variations in normal and in Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome cells

Abstract Purpose: The meiotic recombination protein 11 (MRE11), radiation sensitive 50 (RAD50) and nibrin (NBN) are members of the MRE11/RAD50/NBN (MRN) complex which plays a fundamental role in the double-strand break damage response, including DNA damage sensing, signalling and repair after exposure to ionizing radiations. In addition the MRN complex is involved in the mechanisms regulating telomere length maintenance. Based on our previous results indicating that, in contrast to X-rays, high linear energy transfer (LET) radiations were able to elongate telomeres, we investigated the behavior of cells mutated in components of the MRN complex after exposure either to 62 MeV carbon-ions (50 keV/μm, at cell surface) or X-rays. Materials and methods: Epstein Barr Virus (EBV)-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) established from normal, heterozygous for the NBN gene, homozygous for either mutant/deleted NBN, RAD50 or ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) genes were irradiated with 4 Gy, with telomere length being evaluated 24 h later or in time course-experiments up to 15 days later. The induction of telomeric sister chromatid exchanges (T-SCE) was measured as a hallmark of homologous directed recombinational repair. Results: NBN and RAD50 mutated cells failed to elongate telomeres that instead occurred in the remaining cell lines as a response only to high-LET irradiation. Also, a kinetic study with 0.5–4 Gy up to 15 days from irradiation confirmed that NBN gene was indispensable for telomere elongation. Furthermore, such an elongation, was accompanied by an increased frequency of sister chromatid exchanges at telomeres (T-SCE). In contrast, the induction of genomic sister chromatid exchanges (G-SCE) occurred for carbon-ions irrespective of NBN gene status. Conclusions: We speculate that the MRN is necessary to process a subclass of high-LET radiation-induced complex DNA damage through a recombinational-repair mediated mechanism which in turn is responsible for telomere elongation
Idiosyncratic Investments, Outside Opportunities and the Boundaries of the Firm

This paper adopts the incomplete contracting perspective to study a firm’s continuous choice between producing an essential input in-house (full integration), contracting part of the production out (tapered integration), and contracting all of the production out (non-integration), when (i) an idiosyncratic capacity investment is required to produce the essential input and (ii) under non-integration, outside opportunities are better. We show that the firm’s boundary choice depends crucially on its commitment power. If the firm can pre-commit to a particular provision mode, tapered integration will be chosen more frequently. Also, with commitment power the firm will never subcontract only a small portion of its input needs. In-house capacity is in general smaller and outside capacity larger if the firm can pre-commit. Total capacity is never larger in the commitment than the non-commitment case.
The efficiency of Islamic and conventional commercial banks in Malaysia

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to examine the relative efficiency of the Islamic commercial banks (ICBs) and conventional commercial banks (CCBs) in Malaysia. The study measures and compares the level of efficiency of both ICBs and CCBs from the year 2003 to 2007. Design/methodology/approach - There are ten local commercial banks selected in Malaysia, which comprise of eight CCBs and two ICBs. The study uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) to measure the relative efficiency of the selected banks in intermediating inputs into outputs. The study then analyses the difference in the average efficiency score of the ICBs and CCBs using the Mann-Whitney Findings - This study found that the CCBs outperformed ICBs in all efficiency measures. The finding indicates that the CCBs may be more efficient than the ICBs due to managerial efficiency and technological advancement. Research limitations/implications - This study may be extended in various ways. Since, this study only covers a sample period of five years, i.e. 2003 to 2007, future research might cover more sample periods. Further studies could also take a bigger sample size by including both the domestic and foreign commercial banks. Practical implications - The study indicates that the domestic commercial banks' management is well organised, reflecting the effective roles of a bank as the mediator between the savers and entrepreneurs. The technology used in the commercial banks may be up-to-date and fully utilised in the bank's operation. However, the commercial banks in Malaysia are facing the scale inefficiency. This means that the banks are unable to fully utilise their capabilities and capacities in generating the outputs from their resources. The findings also indicate that the scale inefficiency is the main factor that leads to the low technical efficiency in the ICBs as their size is relatively smaller than the CCBs. Originality/value - This study identified the most and least efficient domestic banks and the finding could be useful to the regulators and the banks to identify the bank's ranking within the industry. Thus, it is hoped that the regulators are able to address the gap between the best and worst-practices. The study may also improve the awareness among the least efficient banks to initiate the proactive measures in order to be sustainable in the industry.