Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Digital labour platforms and the future of work

The emergence of online digital labour platforms has been one of the major transformations in the world of work over the past decade. This report provides one of the first comparative studies of working conditions on five major micro-task platforms that operate globally. It is based on an ILO survey covering 3,500 workers in 75 countries around the world and other qualitative surveys. The report analyses the working conditions on these micro-task platforms, including pay rates, work availability and intensity, social protection coverage and work–life balance. The report recommends 18 principles for ensuring decent work on digital labour platforms.
Modeling Dynamics of Workforce Absenteeism and Effectiveness of Mitigation Actions During Pandemics

A pandemic is likely to occur in the near future, and it could cause significant disruptions in society creating deaths, despair, fear, and monetary cost, among other losses. Firms would also be negatively affected by a pandemic through loss of revenue, profit, employees, and even through a reduction in the value of the business itself. Especially for service-intensive businesses, employee absenteeism is a key factor that impacts firms when a pandemic occurs, hampering various business operations. In this paper, we describe a system dynamics model that describes dynamics of workforce absenteeism resulting from a pandemic, and also effectiveness of corporate mitigation actions.
Evidence for a shift in the Th-1 to Th-2 cytokine response associated with chronic stress and aging.

BACKGROUND A number of studies have shown that the chronic stress of caring for persons with dementia can have significant immunological consequences as demonstrated by the down-regulation/dysregulation of the cellular immune response. METHODS Utilizing flow cytometry to measure the percentages and absolute numbers of CD-4(+) and CD-8(+) T lymphocytes producing the cytokines indicative of Th-1, Tc1 and Th-2, and Tc2 cells, we compared spousal caregivers and control subjects. The expression of interleukin-2 (IL-2), interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the cytoplasm of CD-4(+) and CD-8(+) lymphocytes was assessed. RESULTS Neither stress nor age was significantly related to the percentage or number of IFNgamma(+)/CD-8(+), IL-2(+)/CD-8(+) cells, or IFNgamma(+), IL-2(+), CD-4(+) cells. However, the percentage of IL-10(+) cells was higher in lymphocytes obtained from caregivers than control subjects. In addition, the significant interaction between stress and aging for IL-10(+)/CD-4(+) and IL-10(+)/CD-8(+) cells demonstrated that the difference between caregivers and control subjects was age dependent; the difference between caregivers and control subjects was substantially larger in younger individuals than in older individuals. CONCLUSIONS The data are consistent with previous reports on acute stress and suggest that there may also be a shift from a Th-1 to a Th-2 response associated with a chronic stressor such as caregiving. This shift could have implications for an individual's responses to pathogens.
Microsystème à ailes vibrantes: utilisation des technologies MEMS pour la réalisation d'un microdrone bioinspiré

Ce travail de these s'inscrit dans une thematique pluridisciplinaire qui regroupe des domaines comme la dynamique des structures, le biomimetisme, les technologies de realisation de microsysteme et l'aerodynamique. Le but de ce travail est de progresser dans la conception et la realisation d'un microsysteme a ailes resonantes a l'echelle de l'insecte en utilisant des technologies issues des microsystemes. Des concepts sont developpes dans cette these. En particulier, l'obtention d'un battement de grande amplitude par l'utilisation de la resonance de l'aile et la rotation de l'aile de facon passive. Des prototypes ont ete realises en utilisant le polymere SU-8 dont les caracteristiques mecaniques sont proches de celles d'une aile d'insecte. Cette structure a ete mise en vibration afin de generer de la portance mais n'a pour l'instant pas ete capable de se propulser dans les airs. Les concepts d'aile resonante et de torsion passive ont toutefois pu etre valides. Une etude plus specifique de simulation de vibration en grands deplacements a ete menee et un premier modele element fini est propose. Les questions d'amortissement des ailes dans l'air sont egalement traitees en vu de pouvoir poursuivre l'etude et differencier les efforts aerodynamiques de l'amortissement propre a la structure. Nous disposons d'un outil experimental pour etudier a l'echelle de l'insecte la cinematique des ailes et les effets aerodynamiques.
A randomized trial of treatment for multisystem Langerhans' cell histiocytosis.

OBJECTIVE To compare 2 active agents, vinblastine and etoposide, in the treatment of multisystem Langerhans' cell histiocytosis (LCH) in an international randomized study. STUDY DESIGN One hundred forty-three untreated patients were randomly assigned to receive 24 weeks of vinblastine (6 mg/m(2), given intravenously every week) or etoposide (150 mg/m(2)/d, given intravenously for 3 days every 3 weeks), and a single initial dose of corticosteroids. RESULTS Vinblastine and etoposide were equivalent (P > or = .2) in all respects: response at week 6 (57% and 49%); response at the last evaluation (58% and 69%); toxicity (47% and 58%); and probability of survival (76% and 83%) [corrected], of disease reactivation (61% and 55%), and of developing permanent consequences (39% and 51%) including diabetes insipidus (22% and 23%). LCH reactivations were usually mild, as was toxicity. All children > or = 2 years old without risk organ involvement (liver, lungs, hematopoietic system, or spleen) survived. With such involvement, lack of rapid (within 6 weeks) response was identified as a new prognostic indicator, predicting a high (66%) mortality rate. CONCLUSIONS Vinblastine and etoposide, with one dose of corticosteroids, are equally effective treatments for multisystem LCH, but patients who do not respond within 6 weeks are at increased risk for treatment failure and may require different therapy.
A simulation of PbSe quantum dot-doped fiber laser

A novel fiber laser, doped with PbSe quantum dots but not usual ytterbium ions, is presented in this paper. The laser power is numerically simulated. Compared with the usual ytterbium-doped fiber laser, the simulated quantum-doped fiber laser has a larger laser power, a shorter saturated fiber length and a higher gain.
Independence results on the global structure of the Turing degrees

From CON(ZFC) we obtain: 1. CON(ZFC + 2" is arbitrarily large + there is a locally finite upper semilattice of size W2 which cannot be embedded into the Turing degrees as an upper semilattice). 2. CON(ZFC + 2" is arbitrarily large + there is a maximal independent set of Turing degrees of size Xl). Introduction. Let 6D denote the set of Turing degrees ordered under the usual Turing reducibility, viewed as a partial order K 6D, -) or an upper semilattice K 6D, , V) depending on context. A partial order K A, ? ) [upper semilattice KA, , V)] is embeddable into 6D (denoted A -* 6D) if there is an embedding f: A -* 6D so that a ? b if and only iff(a) < f(b) [andf(a) V f(b) = f(a V b)]. The structure of 6D was first investigted in the germinal paper of Kleene and Post [2] where A -* 6D for any countable partial order A was shown. Sacks [9] proved that A -* 6D for any partial order A which is locally finite (any point of A has only finitely many predecessors) and of size at most 2w, or locally countable and of size at most (01. Say X C 6D is an independent set of Turing degrees if, whenever x0, x,. . ,Xn X and x0 < xi V x2 V Vxn, there is an i between l and n so that x0 = xi; X is maximal if no proper extension of X is independent. Sacks showed (also in [9]) that no countable set of Turing degrees is maximal independent and that there is an independent set of Turing degrees of size continuum. Sacks conjectured that in fact any maximal independent set of Turing degrees must have size continuum. In [11], S. Simpson pointed out that MA(K) implies that every maximal independent set has size greater than K, but suggested that the existence of a maximal independent set of size less than continuum might be independent of ZFC. Theorem 2 confirms Simpson's conjecture. Received by the editors March 30, 1982. 1980 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 03D30.
Immune system inflammation in cocaine dependent individuals: implications for medications development

Cocaine dependence is a chronic stress state. Furthermore, both stress and substance abuse have robust and reciprocal effects on immune system cytokines, which are known to be powerful modulators of mood. We therefore examine basal and provoked changes in peripheral cytokines in cocaine dependent individuals to better understand their role in the negative reinforcing effects of cocaine.
Factors Influencing Coffee Farmers’ Decisions to Join Cooperatives

The role of cooperatives in buffering the effects of imperfect markets on smallholder agriculture especially in developing countries has been widely atoned. However, and in spite of eminent advantages, not all smallholder farmers join cooperatives. We use empirical data from coffee farmers in Northwestern Cameroon to identify key factors driving coffee farmers’ decisions to join or not to join a cooperative. Using a standardized questionnaire, data was collected from 140 randomly selected farmers (members and non-members) in contact with North West Cooperative Association Limited (NWCA). Data collection took place in January 2018, with 2017 as the reference period. We use the data to characterize the coffee sector in the region, and to identify key drivers for cooperative membership. 41.4% and 58.6% were NWCA members and nonmembers respectively. The area of land under coffee cultivation, dominant income source, household size, experience in coffee farming, and timely payment of farmers’ dues by the cooperative were the key factors influencing coffee farmers’ decision to join the cooperative or not (P=0.05). Identifying such drivers from farmers’ perspectives and informing policy decisions can increase competitive advantage of smallholder farmers and reduce the effects of market imperfection, as embedded in cooperative concept. This should render the concept once more attractive and portray it as a rational option to many smallholder farmers.
The ‘ghosts’ that pester studies on learning in mosquitoes: guidelines to chase them off

Abstract The identification of memory and learning in medically important mosquito species has been of epidemiological interest mainly because of the implications of learning on the pattern of contact between vectors and hosts. Empirical results either showing or suggesting the existence of cognitive abilities in mosquitoes have been reported in a number of experimental studies, mainly based on the observation of individual fidelity towards subsets of specific resources, such as hosts, resting sites or breeding sites. A closer inspection of the design of these experiments shows that, with the exception of recent studies providing stronger evidence of learning in the genus Culex (Diptera: Culicidae), methodological shortcomings still hinder the possibility of eliminating alternative interpretations for these findings, in some cases because the experiments were not specifically designed to identify the phenomenon, but mostly because of a lack of appropriate controls or replication. By highlighting these limitations, while acknowledging the practical difficulties that are inherent to the field, we aim to help expel from future research the ‘ghosts’ that still preclude the achievement of more definite conclusions about the prevalence of memory and learning in this group of insects.
A combinatorial method for connecting BHV spaces representing different numbers of taxa

The phylogenetic tree space introduced by Billera, Holmes, and Vogtmann (BHV tree space) is a CAT(0) continuous space that represents trees with edge weights with an intrinsic geodesic distance measure. The geodesic distance measure unique to BHV tree space is well known to be computable in polynomial time, which makes it a potentially powerful tool for optimization problems in phylogenetics and phylogenomics. Specifically, there is significant interest in comparing and combining phylogenetic trees. For example, BHV tree space has been shown to be potentially useful in tree summary and consensus methods, which require combining trees with different number of leaves. Yet an open problem is to transition between BHV tree spaces of different maximal dimension, where each maximal dimension corresponds to the complete set of edge-weighted trees with a fixed number of leaves. We show a combinatorial method to transition between copies of BHV tree spaces in which trees with different numbers of taxa can be studied, derived from its topological structure and geometric properties. This method removes obstacles for embedding problems such as supertree and consensus methods in the BHV treespace framework.
Amharic document image retrieval using morphological coding

This paper presents a novel approach to Amharic document image retrieval by taking the morphology of the language into account. In addition to the general problems and issues concerning document image retrieval systems, Amharic poses further difficulties in modeling retrieval systems due to its complex morphology. We encode the morphological characteristics of the language to improve query formulation and image database indexing. In this work, morphological generator is used to automatically synthesize surface words from a lexicon containing Amharic root forms resulting in surface word image features coded with their respective root forms. Using this morphological coding, document word images and query terms are processed to be represented by their root forms. In the process of indexing and query formulation, cosine similarity is used for comparing word image features extracted from vertical projection, upper bound profile and lower bound profile. The proposed system is tested by using real-life Amharic documents collected from various sources and experimental results are reported.
Optical MMSE gear-shifting algorithm for the fast synchronization of DPLL

Since most digital phase-locked loops (DPLLs) used in digital data transmission receivers require fast acquisition of input frequency and phase in the beginning and substantial jitter reduction in the steady-state, the DPLL loop bandwidth should be adjusted accordingly. An optimal gear-shifting algorithm which allows very fast acquisition time is presented. This algorithm suggests a sequence of control parameters which achieves the fastest initial acquisition time by trying to minimize the jitter variance (minimum mean squared error: MMSE) in any given time instance. The algorithm can be used for carrier recovery or clock recovery in data modems, local area networks and disk drives that require a very short initial preamble period. <<ETX>>
Quantification of Free and Bound Phenolics in Bio-Waste Pomegranate Peel and Formulation of Punicalagin Rich Rice Extruded Snacks

Free and bound phenolics were studied in pomegranate peel and incorporation of punicalagin in rice extruder snacks. Total phenolic content was calculated higher in pomegranate phenolic incorporated rice extruded snacks in free or soluble form as 97.62 mg GAE/g and in residual bound form as 92.56 mg GAE/g. It seems to be higher because of the total of phenolics of rice and pomegranate peel. Similarly, higher value of total flavonoids content also seen in its rice extruder snacks. In DPPH test, the IC50 value of free and bound phenolics of fresh pomegranate peel were 7.05 and 4.95 μg/ mL, respectively. HPLC analysis showed the presence of punicalagin in pomegranate peel extract and was also present in extruded snacks in its free (0.01 mg/g) and bound (0.09 mg/g) forms. Other phenolics like p-coumaric acid (1.28 mg/g), gallic acid (0.08 mg/g), cinnamic acid (0.48 mg/g) and quercetin (0.06 mg/g) present in bound extracts of extruders product. The higher values explicit the utilization of pomegranate peels as a source of antioxidants in food. *Corresponding author: Robin Joshi, Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur 176061, India; E-mail: robinjoshi@ihbt.res.in; Mahesh Gupta, Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur 176061, India; E-mail: mgupta@ihbt.res.in Received Date: January 25, 2017 Accepted Date: December 12, 2017 Published Date: December 16, 2017
STUDY ON ULTRASONIC EXTRACTION OF KEROGEN FROM HUADIAN OIL SHALE BY SOLVENTS

Ultrasonic extraction of kerogen derived by acid treatment of Huadian oil shale is performed using an organic solvent. The most effective solvent is the 60:40 (wt%) mixture of chloroform and carbon disulfide, and the suitable mass ratio of the demineralized oil shale to solvent is 1:20. The oil yield by ultrasonic extraction can reach 15.6% based on the demineralized oil shale, compared with a Fischer Assay oil content of 18.9%. The optimum operating parameters as determined by the orthogonal test are: 60 kHz ultrasonic frequency, 200 W ultrasonic power, 30 min extraction time, and 313 K extraction temperature. Through the gas chromatographic- mass spectrometric analysis, the most plentiful compounds in the extracts are low molecular weight alicyclic hydrocarbons, accounting for about 68.3% of total species. The physicochemical properties of the extracts indicated that these can act as an important complementary resource for the production of diesel after appropriate processing.
Healthcare Facilities in Nigeria: Redefining Standards and Developing Performance Benchmarks for the Professionalisation of FM Practices, Professionalism and ethics in construction: Improving the global industry

Healthcare in Nigeria is delivered by three tiers of government: the federal, state, and local government. Public hospital buildings suffer as facilities management (FM) functions are often neglected with significant effect on the operation of public hospitals in Nigeria. Most government hospitals have no tools for measuring FM performance. The aim of the study is to propose a performance measurement framework by redefining standards and developing performance benchmarks to improve current practices and to professionalise FM. The research adopted mixed qualitative and quantitative approaches to explore key issues and barriers to FM practices with stakeholders responsible for the management of hospital assets. The findings provided pointers on how to develop performance measurement in FM. Adoption of the FM performance measurement framework will assist policy makers in public hospitals in Nigeria to drive key organisational changes in the way assets are managed to support healthcare delivery and the professionalisation of FM.
Financial Condition, Growth, Audit Quality and Going Concern Opinion: Study on Manufacturing Companies Listed on Indonesia Stock Exchange

Going concern audit opinion is accepted by the company represents the presence of conditions within the auditor doubts of the company’s going concern. Going concern audit opinion can be used for the users of the financial statements in making investment decisions in a company. This study examines the effect of the company's financial condition, company’s growth, and audit quality on acceptance of going concern audit opinion. This research uses 252 sample of manufacturing companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in 2010-2012. The hypotheses in this research investigated using logistic regression. The hypothesis testing showed that company’s financial condition influence the acceptance of the going concern audit opinion, while company’s growth and audit quality do not influence the acceptance of going concern audit opinion. So the limitation of this research is this research only on manufacturing company the writer hope in the next research could do a research in a different sector for showing a consistency research result.
Ultra-Low Power, Secure IoT Platform for Predicting Cardiovascular Diseases

Internet of Things (IoT) promises to revolutionize the health-care sector through remote, continuous, and non-invasive monitoring of patients. However, there are two main challenges faced by the IoT-enabled medical devices: energy-efficiency and security/privacy concerns. Researchers have independently attempted to develop solutions, such as low-power ECG-processors and security protocols, that address these challenges on an individual basis. However, it is imperative to investigate holistic solutions that integrate in a synergistic manner, delivering an overall secure and energy-efficient product. In this paper, we develop an ultra-low power and secure IoT sensing/pre-processing platform for prediction of ventricular arrhythmia using ECG signals. Our proposed solution is able to predict the on-set of the critical cardiovascular events upto 3 h in advance with 86% accuracy. Moreover, the proposed architecture is designed using an Application Specific Integrated Circuits design flow in 65-nm Low Power Enhanced technology; the power it consumes is 62.2% less than that of the state-of-the-art approaches, while occupying 16.0% smaller area. The proposed processor makes use of ECG signals to extract a chip-specific ECG key that enables protection of communication channel. By integrating the ECG key with an existing design-for-trust solution, the proposed platform offers protection also at the hardware level, thwarting hardware security threats, such as reverse engineering and counterfeiting. Through efficient sharing of on-chip resources, the overhead of the multi-layered security infrastructure is kept at 9.5% for area and 0.7% for power with no impact on the speed of the design.
Cytogenetic Alteration Induced by Nickel and Chromium in Human Blood Cultures and its Amelioration by Curcumin

Abstract Tanners, welders and workers in various industries are exposed to acute and chronic toxicity of these heavy metals world wide. The present work is undertaken to evaluate the genotoxic effects of Ni and Cr at two different exposure intervals with a single dose and the amelioration of this toxicity using curcumin. Ni in form of nickel chloride (4.216 X 10-5M) and Cr as potassium dichromate (1.36 X 10-6M) were exposed for 24 and 69 hours to human blood lymphocyte cultures. The genotoxicity was measured by changes in acrocentric and telomeric association and C-anaphase. Results revealed a significant positive correlation between DNA damage and exposure time in Ni and Cr added cultures alone. Likewise it was also observed in cultures with combination of both prooxidants. Groups supplemented with curcumin (3.87 X 10-7M) showed insignificant cytogenetic damage indicating its protective role which was calculated as percentage amelioration. Thus these data proved curcumin as a protective agent against Ni and Cr induced genotoxicity.