Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
When Small Signs of Change Add Up: The Psychology of Tipping Points

Things change, but the exact point at which they do is often unknown. After how many loveless nights is a relationship “officially” in trouble? After how many happy days has one’s depression “officially” passed? When do recurring patterns in the climate or economy “officially” warrant a response? When is a person’s identity “officially” accepted? Everyday fluctuations in oneself and the social world create ambiguities about when people will diagnose lasting, qualitative change (and therefore act). Recent research documents these tipping points of change as a psychological process, shaped by individual and situational forces. People judge tipping points asymmetrically across valence and asymmetrically across time. Here, I review discoveries and outline future directions in tipping-points research.
Improving Undergraduate Students’ Positive affect through Mindful Art Therapy

With the increasing popularity of positive psychology, current studies are more concerned in promoting mental health rather than only focusing on pathological disorders. Hence, the term “subjective well-being” was introduced as a pertinent area of study where new research has emerged regarding its components: positive affect, negative affect and life satisfaction. The current study serves as a preliminary study within the Malaysian higher education context with the aim to examine the impact of a relatively new approach to mindful art therapy, Zentangle®, on improving the subjective well-being of first year teacher trainee students in a Malaysian public university in terms of positive affect. This study adopted the one-group pretest posttest design in which 44 students participated in the study. Participants were required to answer two sets of questionnaires before and after the Zentangle® intervention. Through descriptive and inferential analyses of data obtained, this study found that the level of positive affect was not significantly correlated with stress level. In addition, the most important finding in this study was level of subjective well-being in terms of positive affect significantly increased after participants’ experience with mindful art therapy. This study serves as the first, or one of the first to study on Zentangle® in the Malaysian context and aims to provide insights on mindful art therapy and positive affect, probing future studies looking into related topics.
The Blue Dyeing Poison-Dart Frog, Dendrobates tinctorius (Dendrobates azureus, Hoogmoed 1969): extant in Suriname based on a rapid survey

—The blue color morph of Dendrobates tinctorius, originally described as D. azureus, has only been reported from a few forest islands surrounded by the Sipaliwini savanna in Suriname, South America. The last published survey of these populations occurred in 1996. The threats of emergent diseases, illegal collecting, climate change, and habitat destruction through anthropogenic fires toward these populations are unknown. This report presents the results of a rapid survey of the three forest islands where D. tinctorius historically occurred to assess its current status. One 50 x 50 m survey plot was established in each of these three forest islands. A total of 23 frogs were recorded, with some individuals found in each of the forest island surveyed. These results indicate that D. tinctorius populations are still present at all three historical localities surveyed by previous researchers in 1968 and again in 1996, although the current surveys found fewer frogs. During the surveys there was no evidence of illegal collecting or habitat degradation. These observations provide baseline data that can be used for future monitoring and protection of one of the most geographically restricted and unique color morphs of D. tinctorius.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MOBILE MONEY TRANSFER AND BUSINESS PERFORMANCE: A CASE OF KENYA POWERS’ ADOPTION OF MPESA

Technological advancement has brought about the evolution of mobile money transfer, which has revolutionized the way businesses make payments or receive payments. For any firm to survive in today’s business environment and continue being competitive lies on its game strategy of adopting technology to increasing income, reducing cost reduction and gain a competitive advantage. The general objective of the study was to evaluate the relationship between mobile money transfer and performance of Kenya Power Company. The specific objectives of the study was to investigate level of adoption of mobile money transfer in Kenya Power, to establish impact of mobile money transfer in business performance of Kenya Power, and to establish the challenges face by Kenya Power as a result of adopting mobile money transfer. The study used descriptive analytical approach, which reflects the social phenomenon to be studied. The population of the study was employees of Kenya Power, head office. The study considered all the departments since MMT is used in all the departments. Stratified random sampling was used to select 115 respondents. This study was conducted using both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected through administration of questionnaires. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics with the help of SPSS version 21. The study concluded that at Kenya Power has implemented mobile money transfer technology. The company uses mobile money transfer to pay electricity bill, purchase token, makes payment to suppliers using MPESA, collect revenue from customers and to transact with business partners. The study also concluded that MMT has a positive impact on performance of Kenya Power. Mobile money transfer enable customers to buy token easily, ensures the timely provision of services to customers, and enables clients to get a mini-statement of their transactions with Kenya Power. It has led to economic growth and promoted empowerment of employees. Further, the study concluded that Kenya Power has faced challenges in MMT implementation which include lack of customer trust and limited ability to partner with large corporations. The organization also faces the following challenges ; stringent regulatory requirements with significant compliance burdens the organization, delays in transferring money, shortage of skilled manpower, cultural and psychological resistance from customers, lack of financial and technical capacity, and lack of skills required to make mobile money transfers by customers. From the findings of the study, the researcher recommends that Kenya Power should fully implement mobile money transfer in all the company operations to enhance service delivery and improve performance.
Chapter 2 Review of Literature 2 . 1 Predicting physicochemical Properties from structure at preclinical stage :

In modern drug discovery, the techniques like combinatorial chemistry and highthroughput screening (HTS) have resulted large amount of compounds being tested in a day. However, the number of new molecular entities (NME) approved annually has not changed significantly over the last two decades according to the Center for Drug and Evaluation and Research of U.S.Food and Drug Administration (FDA)[1]. Investigation of the reasons that cause reduction in the drug likeliness of candidates may help us to discover developable drug candidates prior to expensive clinical trials.
EFFECTS OF FINANCIAL CONTROL ON PROFITABILITY OF SAVINGS AND CREDIT COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN KERICHO COUNTY, KENYA

Profitability of Kenyan SACCOs sector constitutes a significant proportion of the country’s economic growth which improve livelihood of people. Every SACCO has one general objective to achieve that is to maximize profits and minimize loses so as to meet the requirements and needs of their stakeholders. Any drop in the profits is an indication of poor performance in SACCOs and is a major concern for SACCOs. The specific and main objective of this study was to assess the effects of financial controls on profitability of SACCOs in Kericho County case of Kericho Town. The study was supported by the following specific objectives, the study determined the effect of fixed assets control on profitability of SACCOs in Kericho, and evaluate the effect of account receivables control on profitability of SACCOs in Kericho. The theories that were employed in the study are Agency theory, Theory of financial control, Contingency theory and theory of firm. Descriptive survey research design will be applied. Yaro Yamane sampling technique was applied. The study used a target population 200 staff of 4 registered SACCOs in Kericho County and a sample size of 133 respondents from Kericho Town. The four registered SACCOs that were used in the study were Ndege Chai Sacco, Kenya Highlands Sacco, Imarisha Sacco and Simba Chai Sacco. The Data collection procedure that was employed in the study were questionnaires by use of drop and pick method and structured questionnaire based on 5 Point likert-scale. The University Supervisors, other researchers and experts were consulted to examine the validity of the instrument. Pilot study will be conducted through administering questionnaires to 13 respondents which is 10% of the sample size in Bomet County. Reliability of the study was determined by using Cronbach's alpha coefficient method. Data was analyzed using percentages mean, standard deviation correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. SPSS software was used to analyze data. Data was presented using tables and figures. The study found that the majority of the respondents agreed that with favorable credit period, a working credit department and timely approval of credits made the clients more optimistic and this led to SACCOs consistently increasing their wealth. The study concluded that there was a weak, positive but insignificant relationship between account receivables and profitability of SACCOs in Kericho County. The study recommended that SACCOs in Kericho County should take into consideration the staff welfare.
A broad spectrum antibiotic therapy as empirical treatment in Healthcare-Associated infections improves survival in cirrhotic patients: a randomized trial

Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of infections in cirrhosis are crucial due to their high morbidity and mortality. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections are on the increase in healthcare settings. Healthcare-associated (HCA) infections are still frequently treated as community-acquired with a detrimental effect on survival. We aimed to prospectively evaluate in a randomized trial the effectiveness of a Broad Spectrum antibiotic treatment in cirrhotic patients with HCA infections. Consecutive cirrhotic patients hospitalized with HCA infections were enrolled. After culture sampling, patients were promptly randomized to receive a Standard or a Broad Spectrum antibiotic treatment (NCT01820026). The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. Efficacy, side effects and the length of hospitalization were considered. Treatment failure was followed by a change in antibiotic therapy. Ninety-six patients were randomized and 94 were included. The two groups were similar for demographic, clinical and microbiological characteristics. The prevalence of MDR pathogens was 40% in the Standard vs 46% in the Broad Spectrum group. In-hospital mortality showed a substantial reduction in the Broad Spectrum vs Standard group (6 vs 25%, p=0.01). In a posthoc analysis the reduction of mortality was more evident in patients with sepsis. The Broad Spectrum showed a lower rate of treatment failure than the Standard therapy (18 vs 51%, p=0.001). The length of hospitalization was shorter in the Broad Spectrum (12.3 ± 7 days) vs Standard group (18 ± 15 days) (p= 0.03). Five patients in each group developed a second infection during hospitalization with a similar prevalence of MDR (50% Broad Spectrum vs 60% Standard). Conclusions: A Broad Spectrum antibiotic therapy as empirical treatment in HCA infections improves survival in cirrhosis. This treatment was significantly effective, safe and costsaving.
Atrial / ~ 2-Adrenoceptors in the Trout

The atrial adrenoceptors of the rainbow trout heart (Salmo gairdneri) were characterized in spontaneously beating preparations at 8 ~ The order of affinity for the inotropic and chronotropic responses was : Isoprenaline > adrenaline ~ salbutamol > phenylephrine ~ noradrenaline. Selective agonists and antagonists for mammal ian c~and /31adrenoceptors were without effect on the trout preparations. A potent neuronal uptake for adrenaline and noradrenaline could be demonstrated by means of cocaine blockade, consistent with considerable sympathetic innervation of the trout atrium. The results show that catecholamines increase the force and frequency of the atr ium via a single,/3g-type of adrenoceptor. It is suggested that there is no distinction between the " inne rva ted ' ' and the " h u m o r a l" /3-adrenoceptors in the myocardium of this species.
Project Portfolio Management Applications for Turkish Construction Industry in Istanbul Region

With an increasing number of international projects, traditional project management which focuses on single project in isolation by assuming limited interactions among projects is not appropriate for being successful in the market. Therefore, a new project management method, namely project portfolio management (PPM) is started to be applied in the market. According to this method, the projects should be coordinated as a whole by establishing synergies among the projects and allocation of existing resources among the projects. Consequently, it is observed that the companies can increase their performance by applying the PPM effectively. However, the number of companies applying PPM in the construction industry is very limited. The one of the main reasons is that the companies have limited knowledge about how to apply the project portfolio management appropriately as well as the challenges confronted during this procedure. The other important reason is that the application of project portfolio management requires extra effort and resources, however most of the benefits are not observed in the short term and the long term benefits are not understood properly. Therefore, since the companies cannot apply the PPM effectively and do not recognize the long term benefits, the companies give up on applying the PPM implementation, which in turn limit PPM implementation in the market. To provide a deeper insight into the major challenges and benefits of the implementation and practice of PPM in construction industry, this paper conducts a questionnaire survey study by targeting Turkish construction companies working in Istanbul region. Therefore, the companies can exploit the findings of this study to develop a road map for applying PPM. In addition, the findings about the benefits can also be useful for the companies to motivate them. The most effective challenges obtained at the end of this study are lack of functional communication, lack of commitment of stakeholders and lack of required education. On the other hand, the most important benefits are effective allocation of resources and decrease of risk.
Assessment of Health-promoting lifestyle behaviour (HPLB) of University workers in Nigeria

Objective: Lifestyle, high cost of medical care and limited resources in many national health systems should be an inducement for everyone to practice health-promoting lifestyle, knowing its benefits. This study examined the health-promoting lifestyle behaviour (HPLB) of university staff. Methodology : This is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among 280 university staff in Nigeria. Self-administered health-promoting lifestyle profile II questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics via IBM-SPSS version 25. Results: Self-actualization subscale had the highest mean score of 3.35±0.65; interpersonal relations (2.94±0.65); nutrition (2.81±0.48); stress management (2.72±0.62); physical activity (2.21±0.64); health responsibility (2.19±0.62) and Health-promoting lifestyle profile (HPLP) (2.74±0.46). Age; study location; religion and type of marriage had significant association with self-actualization lifestyle while gender and type of marriage had significant association with HPLP. Lastly, socio-economic factors had a statistically significant influence on HPLP of workers. Conclusion : The respondents practiced HPLB moderately. Strategies need to be put in place to motivate university staff to practice all the subscales of HPLP effectively. Keywords : Health-promoting lifestyle profile, Health-promoting lifestyle behaviour, health promotion model, university staff, Nigeria
The Judicial Judgement in China Today

Cognition is the most insurmountable obstacle of artificial intelligence system. In the field of justice, human language is complex, and the investigation of facts and the adoption of evidence require judges to use their experience in daily life, and many personal factors are often introduced into it. Therefore, the constructive understanding of human judges plays an important role in the process of trial. In addition, the professionalism of legal language and the political color of judicial judgment have also deeply hindered artificial intelligence system judge independently in trial. A fully autonomous judicial trial is beyond the reach of artificial intelligence systems. Artificial intelligence system reconstructs the roles of appraisers, expert assistants and other trial participants, and also changes the knowledge structure and number of members of trial teams. In addition, it will have a great impact on the supervision and assessment system of judges. However, if the artificial intelligence robot could replace the natural person judge completely and independently in the future, human beings should welcome rather than reject its application.
The role of topology and mechanics in uniaxially growing cell networks

In biological systems, the growth of cells, tissues and organs is influenced by mechanical cues. Locally, cell growth leads to a mechanically heterogeneous environment as cells pull and push their neighbours in a cell network. Despite this local heterogeneity, at the tissue level, the cell network is remarkably robust, as it is not easily perturbed by changes in the mechanical environment or the network connectivity. Through a network model, we relate global tissue structure (i.e. the cell network topology) and local growth mechanisms (growth laws) to the overall tissue response. Within this framework, we investigate the two main mechanical growth laws that have been proposed: stress-driven or strain-driven growth. We show that in order to create a robust and stable tissue environment, networks with predominantly series connections are naturally driven by stress-driven growth, whereas networks with predominantly parallel connections are associated with strain-driven growth.
Du Bois Wrapped Bar Chart: Visualizing Categorical Data with Disproportionate Values

We propose a visualization technique, Du Bois wrapped bar chart, inspired by work of W.E. B Du Bois. Du Bois wrapped bar charts enable better large-to-small bar comparison by wrapping large bars over a certain threshold. We first present two crowdsourcing experiments comparing wrapped and standard bar charts to evaluate (1) the benefit of wrapped bars in helping participants identify and compare values; (2) the characteristics of data most suitable for wrapped bars. In the first study (n=98) using real-world datasets, we find that wrapped bar charts lead to higher accuracy in identifying and estimating ratios between bars. In a follow-up study (n=190) with 13 simulated datasets, we find participants were consistently more accurate with wrapped bar charts when certain category values are disproportionate as measured by entropy and H-spread. Finally, in an in-lab study, we investigate participants' experience and strategies, leading to guidelines for when and how to use wrapped bar charts.
RMWPaxos: Fault-Tolerant In-Place Consensus Sequences

Building consensus sequences based on distributed, fault-tolerant consensus, as used for replicated state machines, typically requires a separate distributed state for every new consensus instance. Allocating and maintaining this state causes significant overhead. In particular, freeing the distributed, outdated states in a fault-tolerant way is not trivial and adds further complexity and cost to the system. In this article, we propose an extension to the single-decree Paxos protocol that can learn a sequence of consensus decisions ‘in-place’, i.e., with a single set of distributed states. Our protocol does not require dynamic log structures and hence has no need for distributed log pruning, snapshotting, compaction, or dynamic resource allocation. The protocol builds a fault-tolerant atomic register that supports arbitrary read-modify-write operations. We use the concept of consistent quorums to detect whether the previous consensus still needs to be consolidated or is already finished so that the next consensus value can be safely proposed. Reading a consolidated consensus is done without state modifications and is thereby free of concurrency control and demand for serialisation. A proposer that is not interrupted reaches agreement on consecutive consensus decisions within a single message round-trip per decision by preparing the acceptors eagerly with the previous request.
Measuring Similarity between Brands using Followers' Post in Social Media

In this paper, we propose a new measure to estimate the similarity between brands via posts of brands' followers on social network services (SNS). Our method was developed with the intention of exploring the brands that customers are likely to jointly purchase. Nowadays, brands use social media for targeted advertising because influencing users' preferences can greatly affect the trends in sales. We assume that data on SNS allows us to make quantitative comparisons between brands. Our proposed algorithm analyzes the daily photos and hashtags posted by each brand's followers. By clustering them and converting them to histograms, we can calculate the similarity between brands. We evaluated our proposed algorithm with purchase logs, credit card information, and answers to the questionnaires. The experimental results show that the purchase data maintained by a mall or a credit card company can predict the co-purchase very well, but not the customer's willingness to buy products of new brands. On the other hand, our method can predict the users' interest on brands with a correlation value over 0.53, which is pretty high considering that such interest to brands are high subjective and individual dependent.