Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Financial Decision Making and Cognition in a Family Context

In this paper, we studied the association of cognitive traits and in particular numeracy of both spouses on financial outcomes of the family. We found significant effects, particularly for numeracy for financial and non-financial respondents alike, but much larger effects for the financial decision maker in the family. We also examined who makes these financial decisions in the family and why. Once again, cognitive traits such as numeracy were an important component of that decision with larger effects of numeracy for husbands compared to wives.
Denied inclusion of migration-related multilingualism: an ethnographic approach to a preparatory class for newly arrived children in Germany

Abstract This article reports on the initial findings from an ethnographic study conducted in a preparatory class for young refugees in Cologne, Germany. Focusing on the current language policy which aims to integrate newly arrived children into the German society through language assimilation in schools, this study examines how such policies (re)produce the monoglossic hegemony. We hold that language policies at both macro and micro levels are key to creating opportunities for multilingual education. We provide a brief sociopolitical discussion on Germany and Europe to contextualize the language policy engagement in schools. Through ethnographic observations, we present how teachers act as policy actors and policy makers to re(produce) a ‘German only’ policy in the school context. Our analysis reveals that teachers’ appropriation of the government policy to integrate refugee children into the mainstream classroom not only enforces a monolingual ‘German only’ assimilation policy, it also denies children the right to use their home and other languages in learning the German language. Our findings suggest that pre- and in-service teacher training programs are much needed to change the deeply rooted deficit perception of minority language students in German schools and to transform the monolingually oriented pedagogical approaches to the teaching of refugee children.
SUSY normal scalar mass hierarchy reconciles (g-2)(mu), b ---> s gamma an

Recent experimental and theoretical determinations of (g−2)μ , Ω CDM h 2 and BF(b→sγ) place exceedingly tight constraints on the minimal supergravity (mSUGRA) model. We advocate relaxing the generational universality of mSUGRA, so that GUT scale third generation scalar masses are greater than the (degenerate) first and second generation scalar masses (a normal scalar mass hierarchy (NMH)). The non-degeneracy allows for a reconciliation of all the above constraints, and also respects FCNC limits from B d − d mixing and b→sγ. The NMH SUGRA model leads to the prediction of relatively light first and second generation sleptons. This yields large rates for multilepton collider signatures at the CERN LHC and also possibly at the Fermilab Tevatron. The spectrum of light sleptons should be accessible to a (s)1/2 = 0.5−1 TeV linear e + e − collider.
An Online Radio Map Update Scheme for WiFi Fingerprint-Based Localization

Fingerprint-based localization relies on an accurate and up-to-date radio map, which is however cumbersome to obtain. In this paper, a novel scheme is proposed to online adapt radio maps to environmental dynamics by using low-cost crowdsourced received signal strength (RSS) measurements. To be specific, a coarse-grained radio map is initially established in the offline phase utilizing the standard Gaussian process regression (GPR) given a limited number of fingerprints (i.e., RSS measurements with location labels), and further can be recursively refined in the online phase given crowdsourced RSS measurements with their noisy location labels obtained through the existing radio map. Differently from existing GPR-based approaches, the proposed scheme adopts extended GPR to alleviate the model inaccuracy induced by such noisy location labels, and then presents a marginalized particle extended Gaussian process (MPEG) to recursively filter the radio map. In addition, pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) is leveraged to calibrate such noisy location labels. Extensive experiments are carried out in a real scenario with area of nearly 1000 m2 during a five-month period of time, and a thorough comparison with several existing approaches indicates that the proposed scheme gradually improves the localization accuracy on average by as much as 31.2%, while the counterparts result in fluctuant localization performance and improve the localization accuracy on average by 13.3%.
On the verification of business processes by model checking techniques

The correctness of a workflow specification is critical for the automation of business processes. For this reason, errors in the specification should be detected and corrected as early as possible - at specification time. In this paper, we present a verification method for workflow specifications using model checking techniques. We propose an approach for verifying correctness properties of workflow processes using SPIN model checker. First, a formalized workflow specification is translated into a Promela description. Second, the desired property is translated to an LTL formula. Finally, the SPIN model checker is run to check if the correctness properties hold for the model, and, if not, to provide a counterexample.
APPROACHES FOR RECOGNITION OF WOOD QUALITY OF STANDING TREES BASED ON TERRESTRIAL LASERSCANNER DATA

In this project the applications of terrestrial laserscanner for recording characteristics of quality of standing trees are examined. Furthermore it is investigated to what extent inhomogeneous bark structures, for example, branch scar, blind conk etc. can be recognized and so indicate the inner wood quality of a tree. The effects of the outward wood defects are explained by means of stems which were finished to sliced veneer. The interesting parameters are, for example, the expected block-, or rather, the loglength, the ovality in different heights, the volume of the log as well brachiness, numbers and shape of the branch scars. This method of measurement hopes to contribute to the sustainability in value and enable approximate through-cut calculations of standing trees. This problem was exemplarily investigated by analyzing seven logs of the tree species European beech (Fagus sylvatica), oak (Quercus spec.) and wild cherry (Prunus avium). To detect the outward wood defects on the scanned trees the laserscans were unwound and analyzed. Firstly the trees were identified in the laserscanner data, and for every trunk, the diameters were calculated of the log ends. These diameters were averaged and yielded the diameter of the reference cylinder, which constitutes an ideal trunk. The scan coordinates were converted into picture coordinates by means of different transformation matrices. The result of this cylindrical unwinding is a 2D-picture for every scanned tree. These pictures were applied to another analysis software, which enabled an semiautomatic wood defect detection and classification. The software works with different image algorithms as well as with a neural network, so that the recognition rate of the software can be improved by reading of training data records, and furthermore, learn from each additional picture analysis. The result of the analysis was the corresponding classification of every wood defect as well as its location and expansion on the tree stems. Through the combination of the results a “decision tree” is created, which later should support the cut calculation. For example, it is possible, that in the “ decision tree” define how many branch scars of a specific diameter inside a specific log can be found for a defined quality, and that the result of the cut calculation’s software provides the corresponding dimension and the expected log volume.
3-5 μm Spectroscopy of Obscured AGNs in ULIRGs

We present the results of infrared L-band (3-4 μm) and M-band (4-5 μm) Very Large Telescope (VLT) ISAAC spectroscopy of five bright ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) hosting an AGN. From our analysis we distinguish two types of sources: ULIRGs in which the AGN is unobscured (with a flat continuum and no absorption features at 3.4 and 4.6 μm), and those with highly obscured AGNs (with a steep, reddened continuum and absorption features due to hydrocarbons and CO). Starburst activity is also present in all of the sources, as inferred from the 3.3 μm PAH emission line. A strong correlation is found between continuum slope and CO optical depth, which suggests that deep carbon monoxide absorption is a common feature of highly obscured ULIRG AGNs. Finally, we show that the AGN dominates the 3-4 μm emission, even if its contribution to the bolometric luminosity is small.
Self-reconfiguration planning for a class of modular robots

Modular self-reconfigurable robots consist of large numbers of identical modules that possess the ability to reconfigure into different shapes as required by the task at hand. For example, such a robot could start out as a snake to traverse a narrow pipe, then re-assemble itself into a six-legged spider to move over uneven terrain, growing a pair of arms to pick up and manipulate an object at the same time. This paper examines the self-reconfigurable problem and present a divide-and-conquer strategy to solve reconfiguration for a class of problems referred to as closed-chain reconfiguration. This class includes reconfigurable robots whose topologies are described by 1D combinatorial topology. A robot topology is first decomposed into a hierarchy of small 'substrates' belonging to a finite set. Basic reconfiguration operations between the substructures in the set are precomputed, optimized and stored in a lookup table. The entire reconfiguration then consists of an ordered series of simple, precomputed sub-reconfigurations happening locally among the substructures.
The Pedagogy of English as an International Language : Indonesian Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs

This study was designed to examine how pre-service teachers’ beliefs on the teaching of English as an international language in Indonesia were constructed. Fifty participants were recruited by means of convenience sampling. They were asked to fill out a questionnaire and five of them were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Many of the participants viewed English instrumentally for securing job positions imposed by globalization. This reflected on their passive tenets of studying English. In terms of NESTs, they preferred native speakers to teach speaking and pronunciation. Another finding was that L1 use was perceived as a tool for checking students’ understanding, explaining new words, and giving instructions. When asked about teaching materials, respondents preferred using materials from the inner circle countries. Most of them also agreed to including Western cultures in teaching English. These findings call for the attention of both curriculum designers and future researchers.
Political Connections and Insider Trading

This paper investigates whether political connections affect individuals’ propensity to engage in illegal activities in financial markets. We use the 2007 French presidential election as marker of change in the value of political connections, in a difference-in-differences research design. We examine the behavior of directors of publicly listed companies who are connected to the future president through campaign donations or direct friendships, relative to that of other non-connected directors, before and after the election. We uncover indirect evidence that connected directors do more illegal insider trading after the election. More precisely, we find that purchases by connected directors trigger larger abnormal returns, and that connected directors are more likely not to comply with trading disclosure requirements and to trade closer to major corporate events.
The polite wiggle-room effect in charity donation decisions

We extend research on charity donations by exploring an everyday tactic for increasing compliance: asking politely. We consider three possible effects of politeness on charity donations: a positive effect, a negative effect, and a wiggle room effect where the perception of the request is adjusted to decline donating without feeling selfish. Results from six experiments systematically supported the polite wiggle room effect. In hypothetical donations contexts, indirect requests were judged more polite. In real donation contexts, though, indirect requests were not judged as more polite and had no consistent effect on donation decision. Rather, the decision to donate predicted the perceived politeness of the request, independently of its phrasing. Experiment 4 provided causal evidence that participants justified their donation decisions by adjusting their perception of the request. The polite wiggle-room effect has important implications for organizations that seek to increase compliance while maintaining a positive image.
A Kind of Nonlinear and Non-convex Optimization Problems under Mixed Fuzzy Relational Equations Constraints with Max-min and Max-average Composition

In this paper, a kind of nonlinear and non-convex optimization problems under the constraints expressed by a system of mixed fuzzy relation equations with max-min and max-average composition is investigated. First, some properties of this kind of optimization problem are obtained. Then, a polynomial-time algorithm for this optimization problem is given based on these properties. Furthermore, we show that this algorithm is optimal for the considered optimization problem. Finally, numerical examples are provided to illustrate our algorithms.
Asynchronous stochastic gradient descent for DNN training

It is well known that state-of-the-art speech recognition systems using deep neural network (DNN) can greatly improve the system performance compared with conventional GMM-HMM. However, what we have to pay correspondingly is the immense training cost due to the enormous parameters of DNN. Unfortunately, it is difficult to achieve parallelization of the minibatch-based back-propagation (BP) algorithm used in DNN training because of the frequent model updates. In this paper we describe an effective approach to achieve an approximation of BP - asynchronous stochastic gradient descent (ASGD), which is used to parallelize computing on multi-GPU. This approach manages multiple GPUs to work asynchronously to calculate gradients and update the global model parameters. Experimental results show that it achieves a 3.2 times speed-up on 4 GPUs than the single one, without any recognition performance loss.
Prevalence and Predictors of Polypharmacy among Korean Elderly

Objective Polypharmacy is widespread in the elderly because of their multiple chronic health problems. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and predictors associated with polypharmacy in a nationally representative sample of Korean elderly individuals. Methods We used the Korea Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service – National Patient Sample (HIRA-NPS) data from 2010 and 2011. We used information on 319,185 elderly patients (aged 65 years or older) between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2011 from the HIRA-NPS database. We defined ‘polypharmacy’ as the concurrent use of 6 medications or more per person, ‘major polypharmacy’ as 11 medications or more, and ‘excessive polypharmacy’ as 21 medications or more. The frequency and proportion (%) and their 95% confidence intervals were presented according to the polypharmacy definition. Polypharmacy was visualized by the Quantum Geographic Information Systems (QGIS) program to describe regional differences in patterns of drug use. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression was performed to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) to investigate the risk factors for polypharmacy. Results Of the Korean elderly studied, 86.4% had polypharmacy, 44.9% had major polypharmacy and 3.0% had excessive polypharmacy. Polypharmacy was found to be primarily concentrated in the Southwest region of the country. Significant associations between polypharmacy and the lower-income Medical Aid population (OR = 1.52, 95% CI 1.47, 1.56) compared with National Health Insurance patients was observed. Conclusions Nationwide efforts are needed for managing polypharmacy among Korean elderly patients. In particular, a national campaign and education to promote appropriate use of medicines for the Medical Aid population is needed.
AdS4/CFT3 squashed, stretched and warped

We use group theoretic methods to calculate the spectrum of short multiplets around the extremum of = 8 gauged supergravity potential which possesses = 2 supersymmetry and SU(3) global symmetry. Upon uplifting to M-theory, it describes a warped product of AdS4 and a certain squashed and stretched 7-sphere. We find quantum numbers in agreement with those of the gauge invariant operators in the = 2 superconformal Chern-Simons theory recently proposed to be the dual of this M-theory background. This theory is obtained from the U(N) × U(N) theory through deforming the superpotential by a term quadratic in one of the superfields. To construct this model explicitly, one needs to employ monopole operators whose complete understanding is still lacking. However, for the U(2) × U(2) gauge theory we make a proposal for the form of the monopole operators which has a number of desired properties. In particular, this proposal implies enhanced symmetry of the U(2) × U(2) ABJM theory for k = 1,2; it makes its similarity to and subtle difference from the BLG theory quite explicit.
The effect of motivation on the choice of chemistry in secondary schools: adaptation and validation of the Science Motivation Questionnaire II to Spanish students

The present study aims to analyse the effect of motivational variables and previous academic achievement on students’ future choice of chemistry once this subject becomes optional in the educational system. Toward this goal, the translation and adaptation of the Science Motivation Questionnaire II (SMQII) has been undertaken in our investigation to measure students’ motivation towards physics and chemistry. The sample comprised 1060 secondary school Spanish students divided into two groups: 695 students who chose the subject when it became optional for the first time and 365 who decided to leave it. Factor analysis confirmed the original structure of latent variables in our sample, providing validity for this adaptation to a new language and context. A segmentation analysis confirmed that career motivation was the best predictor of students’ retention in physics and chemistry before previous academic achievement and the rest of the motivational variables. Although significant gender differences were found in self-efficacy and self-determination, these seem not to be relevant in students’ choice.
Disruption of BRD4 at H3K27Ac-enriched enhancer region correlates with decreased c-Myc expression in Merkel cell carcinoma

Pathologic c-Myc expression is frequently detected in human cancers, including Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), an aggressive skin cancer with no cure for metastatic disease. Bromodomain protein 4 (BRD4) regulates gene transcription by binding to acetylated histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27Ac) on the chromatin. Super-enhancers of transcription are identified by enrichment of H3K27Ac. BET inhibitor JQ1 disrupts BRD4 association with super-enhancers, downregulates proto-oncogenes, such as c-Myc, and displays antitumor activity in preclinical animal models of human cancers. Here we show that an enhancer proximal to the c-Myc promoter is enriched in H3K27Ac and associated with high occupancy of BRD4, and coincides with a putative c-Myc super-enhancer in MCC cells. This observation is mirrored in tumors from MCC patients. Importantly, depleted BRD4 occupancy at the putative c-Myc super-enhancer region by JQ1 correlates with decreased c-Myc expression. Thus, our study provides initial evidence that super-enhancers regulate c-Myc expression in MCC.
Physiology and anatomy of neurons in the medial superior olive of the mouse

The medial superior olive (MSO) is an important brain center that computes sound location by comparing small differences in arrival time at the two ears. The MSO is investigated for its specializations for processing with extreme temporal precision. In mice, the MSO is small and difficult to study; thus utilization of genetic methods in MSO studies has been lacking. We present the first comprehensive study of the murine MSO and show that most features are consistent with more heavily investigated species.
On Local Convergence of Alternating Schemes for Optimization of Convex Problems in the Tensor Train Format

Alternating linear schemes (ALS), with the alternating least squares algorithm a notable special case, provide one of the simplest and most popular choices for the treatment of optimization tasks by tensor methods. An according adaptation of ALS for the recent TT (= tensor train) format [I. V. Oseledets, SIAM J. Sci. Comput. , 33 (2011), pp. 2295--2317], known in quantum computations as matrix product states, has recently been investigated in [S. Holtz, T. Rohwedder, and R. Schneider, SIAM J. Sci. Comput. , 34 (2012), pp. A683--A713]. With the present work, the positive practical experience with TT-ALS is backed up with an according local linear convergence theory for the optimization of convex functionals $J$. The main assumption entering the proof is that the redundancy introduced by the TT parametrization $\tau$ matches the null space of the Hessian of the induced functional $j = J \circ \tau$, and we give conditions under which this assumption can be expected to hold. In particular, this is the case if .
An embodied model of action selection mechanisms in the vertebrate brain

In previous research we have demonstrated a computational model of the intrinsic circuitry of the vertebrate basal ganglia based on the proposal that these central brain structures play an important role in action selection. The current work embeds this model within the control architecture of a Khepera mobile robot allowing action selection between multiple behaviors styled on some of the home cage activities of a laboratory rat. Our results demonstrate appropriate and clean switching by the embodied basal ganglia model between wall-following, search, 'food'-pickup, corner-finding, and ‘food’-deposit behaviors. The robot can be seen to select appropriate actions for different circumstances and to generate integrated sequences of behavior. The normal function of the basal ganglia is sensitive to fluctuations in the level of the neurotransmitter dopamine. The effects on the robot model of varying the simulated dopamine level show interesting similarities to those observed in animals. This research demonstrates that the proposed functional model of the basal ganglia is sufficient for effective action selection within a fully specified behavioral control architecture.
Slanted images: Measuring nonverbal media bias

I build a dataset of over one million images used on the front page of websites around the 2016 election period. I then use machine-learning tools to detect the faces of politicians across the images and measure the nonverbal emotional content expressed by each politician. Combining this with data on the partisan composition of each website’s users, I show that websites portray politicians that align with the partisan preferences of their users with more positive emotions. I also find that nonverbal coverage by Republican-leaning websites was not consistent over the 2016 election, but became more favorable towards Donald Trump after he clinched the Republican nomination.