Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of the KiVa Antibullying Program: Grades 1-3 and 7-9

[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 105(2) of Journal of Educational Psychology (see record 2012-35221-001). The article “Effectiveness of the KiVa Antibullying Program: Grades 1–3 and 7–9,” by Antti Karna, Marinus Voeten, Todd D. Little, Erkki Alanen, Elisa Poskiparta, and Christina Salmivalli (Journal of Educational Psychology, Advance online publication. October 22, 2012. doi: 10.1037/a0030417) omitted some wording in the text. The sentence in the first paragraph below Table 5 beginning with, “More specifically, the model . ” should have read “More specifically, the model was defined as follows: Ŷtijk is the predicted value, t is used to indicate time points, i is used for individual students, j is used to denote classrooms, and k to denote schools:”] This study investigated the effectiveness of the KiVa Antibullying Program in two samples of students, one from Grades 1–3 (7–9 years old, N = 6,927) and the other from Grades 7–9 (13–15 years old, N = 16, 503). The Grades 1–3 students were located in 74 schools and Grades 7–9 students in 73 schools that were randomly assigned to intervention and control conditions. Multilevel regression analyses revealed that after 9 months of implementation, the intervention had beneficial effects in Grades 1–3 on self-reported victimization and bullying (odds ratios ≈ 1.5), with some differential effects by gender. In Grades 7–9, statistically significant positive results were obtained on 5 of 7 criterion variables, but results often depended on gender and sometimes age. The effects were largest for boys' peer reports: bullying, assisting the bully, and reinforcing the bully (Cohen's ds 0.11–0.19). Overall, the findings from the present study and from a previous study for Grades 4–6 (Karna, Voeten, Little, Poskiparta, Kaljonen, et al., 2011) indicate that the KiVa program is effective in reducing bullying and victimization in Grades 1–6, but the results are more mixed in Grades 7–9.
Free Bessel Laws

Abstract We introduce and study a remarkable family of real probability measures ${{\pi }_{st}}$ that we call free Bessel laws. These are related to the free Poisson law $\pi $ via the formulae ${{\text{ }\! \! \pi\! \! \text{ }}_{s1}}={{\text{ }\! \! \pi\! \! \text{ }}^{\boxtimes s}}$ and $\text{ }\pi {{\text{ }}_{1t}}=\text{ }\pi {{\text{ }}^{\boxtimes }}^{t}$ . Our study includes definition and basic properties, analytic aspects (supports, atoms, densities), combinatorial aspects (functional transforms, moments, partitions), and a discussion of the relation with random matrices and quantum groups.
Data Mining Methods for Knowledge Discovery

Foreword. Preface. 1. Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery. 2. Rough Sets. 3. Fuzzy Sets. 4. Bayesian Methods. 5. Evolutionary Computing. 6. Machine Learning. 7. Neural Networks. 8. Clustering. 9. Preprocessing. Index.
Big Data Security and Privacy Issues in Healthcare

With the ever-increasing cost for healthcare and increased health insurance premiums, there is a need for proactive healthcare and wellness. In addition, the new wave of digitizing medical records has seen a paradigm shift in the healthcare industry. As a result, the healthcare industry is witnessing an increase in sheer volume of data in terms of complexity, diversity and timeliness. As healthcare experts look for every possible way to lower costs while improving care process, delivery and management, big data emerges as a plausible solution with the promise to transform the healthcare industry. This paradigm shift from reactive to proactive healthcare can result in an overall decrease in healthcare costs and eventually lead to economic growth. While the healthcare industry harnesses the power of big data, security and privacy issues are at the focal point as emerging threats and vulnerabilities continue to grow. In this paper, we present the state-of-the-art security and privacy issues in big data as applied to healthcare industry.
Investigation of the chiral anomaly gamma -->3 pi in pion pair production by pion in the nuclear Coulomb field.

The vertex . gamma -->. 3.pi. has been investigated in the reaction of pion pair production by pions in the nuclear Coulomb field, . pi. /sup -/+(Z,A). --> pi. /sup -/+. pi. /sup 0/+(Z,A), in the region of low-invariant-mass . pi. /sup -/. pi. /sup 0/ pairs. The experiment has been carried out in the 40-GeV pion beam of the IHEP accelerator (Serpukhov) with the SIGMA spectrometer. We have measured for the first time the cross section of the reaction in the region of momentum transfer squared q/sup 2/ . 3.pi. coupling constant F/sup 3//sup . pi. / = 12.9 +- 0.9 +- 0.5 GeV/sup -3/, where the first (second) error is statistical (systematic). The obtained result agrees with the calculations based on the Wess-Zumino-Witten effective Lagrangian. The hypothesis of chiral anomalies and the color-SU(3) quark symmetry are confirmed.
Use of Simulated Patients to Evaluate Combined Oral Contraceptive Dispensing Practices of Community Pharmacists

Background Combined oral contraceptive (COC) use is the most commonly used reversible method of birth control. The incorrect use of COCs is frequent and one of the most common causes of unintended pregnancies. Community pharmacists (CPs) are in a strategic position to improve COC use because they are the last health professional to interact with patients before drug use. Objective To evaluate the COC dispensing practices of CPs in a developing country. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted in community pharmacies of Assis and Ourinhos microregions, Brazil, between June 1, 2012, and October 30, 2012. Four simulated patients (SPs) (with counseled audio recording) visited community pharmacies with a prescription for Ciclo 21® (a COC containing ethinyl estradiol 30 mcg + levonorgestrel 15 mcg). The audio recording of every SP visit was listened to independently by 3 researchers to evaluate the COC dispensing practice. The percentage of CPs who performed a screening for safe use of COCs (i.e., taking of patients’ medical and family history, and measuring of blood pressure) and provided counseling, as well as the quality of the screening and counseling, were evaluated. Results Of the 185 CPs contacted, 41 (22.2%) agreed to participate in the study and finished the study protocol. Only 3 CPs asked the SP a question (1 question asked by each professional), and all of the questions were closed-ended, viz., “do you smoke? ” (n = 2) and “what is your age? ” (n = 1). None of the CPs measured the patient’s blood pressure. Six CPs provided counseling when dispensing COCs (drug dosing, 5 CPs; possible adverse effects, 2 CPs), and one CP provided counseling regarding both aspects. Conclusion The CPs evaluated did not dispense COC appropriately and could influence in the occurrence of negatives therapeutic outcomes such as adverse effects and treatment failure.
Directed network design with orientation constraints

We study directed network design problems with orientation constraints. An orien- tation constraint on a pair of nodes u and v states that a feasible solution may include at most one of the arcs (u, v) and (v, u). Such constraints arise naturally in many network design problems, since link or edge resources such as fiber can be used to support traffic in one of two possible directions only. Our first result is that the directed network design problem with orientation constraints can be solved in polynomial time in the case where the requirement function f is positively intersect- ing supermodular. (The case where there are no orientation constraints follows from the work of Frank (Acta Sci. Math. (Szeged), 41 (1979), pp. 63-76). ) The second main result of the paper is a 4-approximation algorithm for the minimum cost strongly edge-connected subgraph problem with orientation constraints. Our algorithm shows that the problem of enforcing orientation constraints can be reduced to the minimum cost 2-edge-connected subgraph problem on undirected graphs. Finally, we study the problem for general crossing supermodular functions and show the following bicriteria approximation result. Let k denote the maximum requirement of any set under the given requirement function f . We give a2 k-approximation algorithm to construct a solution that satisfies a slightly weaker requirement function, namely, f � (S) = max{f (S) − 1, 0}.
A European Code of Good Practice on Age and Employment (for Older Workers)

This article presents the results of European-level research to develop a common European Code of Good Practice to promote the retention of older workers in the labour force and the recognition of their value as employees. This was designed as a voluntary initiative, which would run alongside binding measures at national or European level in the future. It has generated interest among employers and policy-makers at national and European Union level. First, then, we examine why this topic is of interest in Europe. Across Europe, policy-makers are increasingly concerned about the economic and social impacts of falling labour market participation rates among older workers, in the context of Europe's ageing population. The demographic ageing of (especially) Europe's population has led, on the one hand, to increasing burdens on pensions and social security schemes, and, on the other, to increasing numbers of older people of working age. The numbers of people in Europe aged 50±59 will increase by 5.5 million (12 per cent) in the next ten years, with those aged 60±64 increasing by 1 million, while the numbers of younger people aged 20±29 will fall by 9 million (ÿ17 per cent). Yet despite the increasing numbers of potential older workers, in practice, employers have continued the established trend for older workers to leave the labour market before pensionable age, which has put further cost burdens onto the state: in some countries it has produced spiralling costs of early retirement schemes, and where workers are not covered by early retirement, invalidity or other schemes, there has been increased and mainly long-term unemployment among the 55±64 age range. National governments therefore have clear economic incentives, from both the ageing of the workforce and the rising costs of pensions, to reduce early-retirement schemes and to encourage an extension of the working life. In recent years several European governments, including Austria, Finland, France and Germany, have reduced their support for earlyretirement schemes, in recognition of the economic impact of this situation, while others, such as Germany and Italy, have implemented pension reforms designed to encourage longer working lives. However, most employers across Europe do not, yet, share these economic pressures. They continue to target older workers, who often have higher labour costs, for redundancies, while many consider workers aged over 45, or even over 40, too old to employ due to various age-discriminatory practices in the workforce or to expectations of lower retirement ages.
Legal Institutions, Board Diligence, and Top Executive Pay

Reducing managerial agency cost is commonly viewed as a desirable policy goal. We advocate the view that specific legal institutions that strengthen procedural rights of shareholders' voting on directors and the overall quality of the legal system help to achieve this goal. Director liability rules, however, appear to be ineffective for this purpose.Our results suggest that there exists an agency conflict between shareholders and outside directors reflected in the degree to which directors act diligently when negotiating the pay contract with the CEO. However, this conflict may be alleviated by specific legal rules making boards more accountable to shareholders. Private measures of shareholder protection do not seem entirely capable of substituting for legal institutions. Controlling for a number of legal and economic determinants, we find that independent of managerial risk-aversion, CEO pay is always less generous under stricter anti-director rules and a stronger rule of law. Director liability rules are associated with more generous pay schemes. The results persist once we control for the presence of institutional investors and cross-listing in the US. We examine whether anti-director laws and legal director liability rules affect the diligence of directors in setting the compensation of CEOs. The study uses a world-wide data set covering 27 countries for the period 1995 to 2005.
Reported causes of accidents among pre-school children in Westlands division of Nairobi province, Kenya.

Accidents affect children's total health negatively and therefore have led to the declaration of safety as a basic right to children worldwide. In Britain however, studies on school accidents show that approximately 700 children of mixed ages died yearly due to causes such as falls and cuts from various objects. In U.S.A. about 4.5 million school children aged 10 to 17 years, sustained such injuries as cuts, swellings and fractures in 1988 while in Egypt, 72.6% were injured in school and 27.4% elsewhere. The above global studies show a high occurrence of accidents to children in school but are not in the Kenyan context. In Kenya, information on children's accidents was available but systematic studies on school injuries let alone their causes were scanty and the available ones mainly on home accidents and fire related cases in some boarding secondary schools. In a bid to minimize accidents to children in school, the Kenyan government has stipulated safety guidelines for observation in all schools, but despite the efforts, accidents to pre-schoolers continue to persist as was noted in some local hospitals. A systematic study on causes of accidents among children in pre-schools was therefore necessary. The purpose of the study was to establish the causes of accidents among young children in Kenyan schools and particularly pre-schools in Westlands Division, of Nairobi Province. The division was selected randomly after Nairobi province had been purposively selected. The study was based on the Domino theory of industrial accident prevention adapted to snit school context using ex-post facto research design. Random selection of 56 (30%) schools from 187 was initially done then 131 (30%) teachers from 437 as well as 351parents from 3011. The 131 teachers and 351 parents were evenly distributed among the 56 pre-schools giving 112 teachers and 336 parents from whom two teachers and six parents per pre-school were randomly selected
Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Bisphosphate Alters the Number of Attachment Sites between Ezrin and Actin Filaments

Background: Ezrin can establish a dynamic linkage between plasma membrane and cytoskeleton. Results: The individual bond strength between ezrin and F-actin is small, but the number of attachment sites is significantly altered by phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2). Conclusion: PIP2 activates ezrin to establish multiple weak ezrin/F-actin interactions. Significance: Plasma membrane tension is maintained by ezrin/F-actin interactions. Direct linkage between the plasma membrane and the actin cytoskeleton is controlled by the protein ezrin, a member of the ezrin-radixin-moesin protein family. To function as a membrane-cytoskeleton linker, ezrin needs to be activated in a process that involves binding of ezrin to phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) and phosphorylation of a conserved threonine residue. Here, we used colloidal probe microscopy to quantitatively analyze the interaction between ezrin and F-actin as a function of these activating factors. We show that the measured individual unbinding forces between ezrin and F-actin are independent of the activating parameters, in the range of approximately 50 piconewtons. However, the cumulative adhesion energy greatly increases in the presence of PIP2 demonstrating that a larger number of bonds between ezrin and F-actin has formed. In contrast, the phosphorylation state, represented by phosphor-mimetic mutants of ezrin, only plays a minor role in the activation process. These results are in line with in vivo experiments demonstrating that an increase in PIP2 concentration recruits more ezrin to the apical plasma membrane of polarized cells and significantly increases the membrane tension serving as a measure of the adhesion sites between the plasma membrane and the F-actin network.
Interventions in practice: re-framing policy approaches to consumer behaviour

This report introduces a novel approach to sustainability policy— a practice perspective. We argue that social practices are a better target of intervention for sustainability policy than ‘behaviour’, ‘choice’ or technical innovation alone. Understanding the dynamics of practices offers us a window into transitions towards sustainability. We consume resources as part of the practices that make up everyday life—showering, doing the laundry, cooking or driving—what we might call inconspicuous or ordinary consumption. While we may have degrees of choice in how we perform these practices, access to resources (economic, social, cultural), norms of social interaction, as well as infrastructures and institutional organisation constrain our autonomy. Practices are social phenomena—their performance entails the reproduction of cultural meanings, socially learnt skills and common tools, technologies and products. This shift of perspective places practices, not individuals or infrastructures, at the centre stage of analysis. Taking practices as the unit of analysis moves policy beyond false alternatives—beyond individual or social, behaviour or infrastructure. A practice perspective re-frames the question from “How do we change individuals’ behaviours to be more sustainable? ” to “How do we shift everyday practices to be more sustainable? ” After all, ‘behaviours’ are largely individuals’ performances of social practices.
Estimating road transport fuel demand elasticities in the UK : an empirical investigation of response heterogeneity

The main aim of this dissertation is to estimate fuel demand elasticities for the UK road transport sector. Despite being extensively studied, there is a renewed need for the estimation of fuel demand elasticities so that they might be more reflective of recent trends and changes in consumption patterns. At present, understanding the fuel demand sensitivities is especially important for policy making purposes. A review of the empirical literature on fuel demand revealed three important areas of concern. First, fuel demand estimates tend to vary greatly in magnitude. The effectsize differences observed are probably related to the diversity of study-characteristics and data factors. Second, the reliability of past estimates may be questionable due to shortcomings in the modelling methodology employed. Obtaining reliable estimates does not only require the use of recent data but, beyond that, it is also important for the model to be based on sound methodological and theoretical foundations. Third, studies have often relied on the elasticity of petrol to define road transport fuel demand, assuming the absence of fuel type heterogeneity among road transport fuels. This is severely restrictive, however, since demand sensitivities are likely to vary between the respective fuels. This thesis undertakes a series of empirical analyses aimed at improving the current understanding of fuel demand for the UK road transport sector. Through metaregression analysis, this research examines the underlying factors that can help explain the between-study variations found in the literature. The research then examines the sensitivity of fuel demand through the use of both time series and panel data econometric models. Special attention has been given to methodological issues and the use of recent econometric techniques to ensure the reliability of the estimates. In addition, this thesis does not assume that demand elasticity is homogenous for each respective transport fuels. To that end, fuel demand elasticities are estimated separately for each fuel type.
Uncertainty-aware Energy Harvest Prediction and Management for IoT Devices

Internet of things (IoT) devices are popular in several high-impact applications such as mobile healthcare and digital agriculture. However, IoT devices have limited operating lifetime due to their small form factor. Harvesting energy from ambient sources is an effective method to supplement the battery. Energy harvesting necessitates development of energy management policies to manage the harvested energy. Designing optimal policies for energy management is challenging for two key reasons: (1) ambient energy sources are highly stochastic; therefore, energy management policies must consider the associated uncertainty; (2) energy management policies must consider future energy availability while making decisions to ensure that sufficient energy is available when there is no ambient energy. Prior approaches typically consider energy in the immediate future (e.g., 1 hour) and do not account for the uncertainty in future energy harvest. This article proposes novel machine learning and dynamic optimization-based approaches to handle the two challenges. Specifically, we first develop a novel set of features and use it in a low-power neural network architecture to predict future energy availability and uncertainty. The energy predictions and uncertainty are used in a dynamic optimization algorithm to optimally allocate the harvested energy. Experiments on solar energy data over 5 years from Golden, Colorado, show that the proposed energy prediction model achieves 3.4 J mean absolute error while having a coverage of 80%. Moreover, our energy management algorithm provides energy allocations that are within 2.5 J of an optimal Oracle with 2.65 mJ to 36.54 mJ of energy overhead.
Drones Practicing Mechanics

Mechanics of materials is a traditional engineering course that exposes undergraduate students in a variety of engineering fields to the principles of strain and stress analysis. However, material deformation and strain have been evaluated theoretically, numerically, and empirically tested using expensive machinery and instruments. This paper describes a novel method for analyzing strain and deformation using quadrotors. We propose to treat quadrotors as a finite number of particles of a deformable body and apply the principles of continuum mechanics to illustrate the concept of axial and shear deformation in 2-D and 3-D motion spaces. The outcome from this work has the potential to significantly impact undergraduate education by bridging the gap between classroom instruction and hardware implementation and experiments using quadrotors. Therefore, we introduce a new role for quadrotors as "teachers," which provides an excellent opportunity to practice theoretical concepts of mechanics in a productive way.
Statistical analogies between earthquakes, micro-quakes in metals and avalanches in the 1D Burridge-Knopoff model

Universalities and intriguing analogies in the statistics of avalanches are revealed for three physical systems defined on largely different length and energy scales. Earthquakes induced by tectonic scale dynamics, micro-scale level quakes observed from slipping crystallographic planes in metals and a one-dimensional, room-scale spring-block type Burridge-Knopoff model is studied from similar statistical viewpoints. The validity of the Gutenberg-Richter law for the probability density of the energies dissipated in the avalanches is proven for all three systems. By analysing data for three different seismic zones and performing acoustic detection for different Zn samples under deformation, universality for the involved scaling exponent is revealed. With proper parameter choices the 1D Burridge-Knopoff model is able to reproduce the same scaling law. The recurrence times of earthquakes and micro-quakes with magnitudes above a given threshold present again similar distributions and striking quantitative similarities. However, the 1D Burridge-Knopoff model cannot account for the correlations observed in such statistics.