Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
South African students call to decolonize science: Implications for international standards, curriculum development and Public Administration education

The decolonialisation of the higher education curriculum and free higher education were two of the burning issues during student protests that erupted across universities in South Africa at the end of 2015. Although the president announced free higher education in December 2017, the country can scarcely afford it, with many universities already feeling financial constraints. The call for decolonialisation of the curriculum by students (which was viewed negatively by the public) refers specifically to books, theories and learning content that still predominantly reflect the thoughts of Western colonial powers. Students required a bigger focus on indigenous (African) knowledge to be incorporated into the South African curriculum. This, however, is the opposite of current international trends, where curricula are developed to meet international or even global standards that are set by international accreditation agencies in Public Administration, such as the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration and the International Commission on Accreditation of Public Administration Education and Training Programs. Therefore, this article investigates not only the direction the discipline of Public Administration is taking with regard to international standards and the curricula, but also to specifics of governance in developing countries. Are there reasonable arguments to support the demand for changes to the content of this discipline and is there a need to adjust curricula to concede to the wishes of the protesting students for the decolonising of science? This article found that international scholarly requirements, specific national conditions for governance and the demands uttered by students in the development of curricula at South African universities are at odds, particularly in the study of Public Administration.
The use of image data in the assessment of equine conformation – limitations and solutions

In this small scale experiment we want to examine which strategies and procedures of image processing techniques in horses may lead to a successful interpretation of the traits. Moreover, we test the applicability and the possibilities of image analysis for the purpose of animal breeding where the body shape – here called conformation – is a central part of breeding and selection concepts. Based on 40 two-dimensional anatomical and somatometric landmarks digitized from standardized images, variation of shape within a set of Lipizzan horses should be analyzed using Generalized orthogonal leastsquares Procrustes (GPA) procedures and be correlated to the results from linear type trait classifications. The combination of “objective” measures from the horse shapes and the evaluations from the classifiers could be a tool for standardizing and fine calibrating selection procedures and breeding objectives. The objective of the “new phenotyping” is to increase the accuracy, objectivity and throughput of phenotypic estimation while reducing costs and minimizing labor through automation. Images and new statistical tools have the power to enhance experimental design and to extract biologically meaningful signals from environmental noise.
Efficient analysis in planet transit surveys

With the growing number of projects dedicated to the search for extrasolar planets via transits, there is a need to develop fast, automatic, robust methods with a statistical background in order to carry out the analysis efficiently. We propose a modified analysis of variance (AoV) test particularly suitable for the detection of planetary transits in stellar light curves. We show how labour savings of a factor of over 10 could be achieved by the careful organization of computations. Based on solid analytical statistical formulations, we discuss the performance of our and other methods for different signal-to-noise ratios and numbers of observations.
Wearable Flexible Lightweight Modular RFID Tag With Integrated Energy Harvester

A novel wearable radio frequency identification (RFID) tag with sensing, processing, and decision-taking capability is presented for operation in the 2.45-GHz RFID superhigh frequency (SHF) band. The tag is powered by an integrated light harvester, with a flexible battery serving as an energy buffer. The proposed active tag features excellent wearability, very high read range, enhanced functionality, flexible interfacing with diverse low-power sensors, and extended system autonomy through an innovative holistic microwave system design paradigm that takes antenna design into consideration from the very early stages. Specifically, a dedicated textile shorted circular patch antenna with monopolar radiation pattern is designed and optimized for highly efficient and stable operation within the frequency band of operation. In this process, the textile antenna's functionality is augmented by reusing its surface as an integration platform for light-energy-harvesting, sensing, processing, and transceiver hardware, without sacrificing antenna performance or the wearer's comfort. The RFID tag is validated by measuring its stand-alone and on-body characteristics in free-space conditions. Moreover, measurements in a real-world scenario demonstrate an indoor read range up to 23 m in nonline-of-sight indoor propagation conditions, enabling interrogation by a reader situated in another room. In addition, the RFID platform only consumes 168.3 μW, when sensing and processing are performed every 60 s.
The Diameter of a Cycle Plus a Random Matching

How small can the diameter be made by adding a matching to an n-cycle? In this paper this question is answered by showing that the graph consisting of an n-cycle and a random matching has diameter about $\log _2 n$, which is very close to the best possible value. It is also shown that by adding a random matching to graphs with certain expanding properties such as expanders or Ramanujan graphs, the resulting graphs have near optimum diameters.
0 Ju l 2 00 8 Serre ’ s Uniformity in the Split Cartan Case

We prove that there exists an integer p0 such that X split (p)(Q) is made of cusps and CM-points for any prime p > p0. Equivalently, for any non-CM elliptic curve E over Q and any prime p > p0 the image of the Galois representation ρE,p is not contained in the normalizer of a split Cartan subgroup. This gives a partial answer to an old question of Serre.
Test Generation Based on Abstraction and Test Purposes to Complement Structural Tests

This paper presents a computer aided model-based test generation method. We propose this approach as a complement to the LTG (Leirios Test Generator) method, which extracts functional tests out of a formal behavioral model M by means of static (or structural) selection criteria. Our method computes additional tests by applying dynamic (or behavioral) selection criteria (test purposes called TP). Applying TP directly to M is usually not possible for industrial applications due to the huge (possibly infinite) size of their state space. We compute an abstraction A of M by predicate abstraction. We propose a method to define a set of abstraction predicates from information of TP. We generate symbolic tests from A by using TP as a dynamic selection criterion. Then we instantiate them on M, which allows us play the tests on the implementation the same way as we play the functional ones. Our experimental results show that our tests are complementary to the structural ones.
Collect Earth: Land Use and Land Cover Assessment through Augmented Visual Interpretation

Collect Earth is a free and open source software for land monitoring developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Built on Google desktop and cloud computing technologies, Collect Earth facilitates access to multiple freely available archives of satellite imagery, including archives with very high spatial resolution imagery (Google Earth, Bing Maps) and those with very high temporal resolution imagery (e.g., Google Earth Engine, Google Earth Engine Code Editor). Collectively, these archives offer free access to an unparalleled amount of information on current and past land dynamics for any location in the world. Collect Earth draws upon these archives and the synergies of imagery of multiple resolutions to enable an innovative method for land monitoring that we present here: augmented visual interpretation. In this study, we provide a full overview of Collect Earth’s structure and functionality, and we present the methodology used to undertake land monitoring through augmented visual interpretation. To illustrate the application of the tool and its customization potential, an example of land monitoring in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is presented. The PNG example demonstrates that Collect Earth is a comprehensive and user-friendly tool for land monitoring and that it has the potential to be used to assess land use, land use change, natural disasters, sustainable management of scarce resources and ecosystem functioning. By enabling non-remote sensing experts to assess more than 100 sites per day, we believe that Collect Earth can be used to rapidly and sustainably build capacity for land monitoring and to substantively improve our collective understanding of the world’s land use and land cover.
Multi-view autostereoscopic 3D display

Autostereoscopic displays provide 3D perception without the need for special glasses or other head gear. Three basic technologies exist to make such displays: spatial multiplex, multi-projector and time-sequential. These can be used to make two types of useful device: two-view, head-tracked displays; and multi-view displays. The former tend to be single-viewer systems while the latter can support multiple viewers. However, the latter tend to require more processing power because they have more views than the former. Both types can be expected to find uses in their own niches. The Cambridge autostereo display is a CRT-based, time-sequential, multi-view device. Recent work has combined multi-projector technology with the basic system to produce both 25", 28 view and 50", 15 view autostereoscopic 3D displays. These are currently undergoing evaluation for entertainment and visualisation applications. INTRODUCTION An autostereoscopic display provides the viewer with a three-dimensional image without the need for special glasses. This paper briefly looks at conventional “3D with glasses” systems before introducing the concept of an autostereo display. It then discusses the types of autostereo display and the mechanisms by which an autostereo display can be implemented. It finally considers the Cambridge display: a multi–view autostereoscopic device.
An empirical analysis of alleged misunderstandings of coefficient alpha

ABSTRACT Cronbach’s alpha is the most frequently used measure to investigate the reliability of measurement instruments. Despite its frequent use, many warn for misinterpretations of alpha. These claims about regular misunderstandings, however, are not based on empirical data. To understand how common such beliefs are, we conducted a survey study to test researchers’ knowledge of and beliefs about alpha. For this survey, we selected authors from recent papers, in which alpha was used. The results provide empirical evidence for the claims that researchers have difficulty interpreting alpha in a proper way. At the same time, we expounded the claims, by showing that whereas some beliefs are fairly typical, others are not so often seen. This non-technical paper, aimed at both statisticians and substantive researchers, is concluded by providing a few suggestions that could be helpful to get us out of the current stalemate regarding the usability of alpha and its alternatives.
Examining the Relations Among Emerging Adult Coping, Executive Function, and Anxiety

Emerging adulthood is a developmental period marked by increased anxiety related to academic, social, and professional stressors. The ability to successfully cope with stress is strongly negatively related to mental health outcomes. Furthermore, recent studies indicate a connection between executive function impairment and anxiety. The current study examines executive function (EF), coping, and anxiety in a sample of 210 emerging adults (N Males = 131, M age = 19.14). The relation between EF and coping is examined as well as how coping may moderate the relation between EF and anxiety. The results demonstrate that EF impairment is related to greater disengagement and emotion-focused coping. Furthermore, both EF dysfunction and disengagement coping strategies were associated with increased anxiety. Emotion-focused coping and disengagement coping moderated the relation between EF impairment and anxiety.
Corporate Governance and Ownership: Measurement and Impact on Corporate Performance and Dividend Policies in Argentina

The goal of this paper is twofold. First, we assemble, for the first time, quantitative measures of the quality of the corporate governance and the ownership structure of 65 non-financial listed companies in Argentina with information for 2003-2004. A wide array of official and private sources was used for this purpose. In a nutshell, companies seem to be poorly governed vis-a-vis international practices. In turn, ownership appears to be quite concentrated at the level of the largest ultimate shareholder, but separation of control and cash flow rights prevails in less than half of the companies, with pyramiding being the main mechanism for creating such a wedge. Second, we test the predictions of recent theories linking those measures with corporate performance and dividend policy in 2000-2003. In regard to performance, the results point to a sizable and robust effect of our governance measure on both the return on assets and Tobin` q. Moreover, the separation of control and cash flow rights for the largest shareholder -an indicator of incentives to expropriate minority shareholders -hinders performance directly, and also attenuates the beneficial impact of good governance rules. When it comes to dividends, only our governance measure appears to exert a positive and marked effect on the cash dividend-to-cash flow ratio. However, the estimates prove to be fragile to the inclusion of some additional controls correlated to governance.
Ripple representation of vowels in AI 1 Note equations are incorrect , and figures are missing ! Spectral-ripple representation of steady-state vowels in primary auditory cortex

Responses to various steady-state vowels were recorded in single units i n the primary auditory cortex (AI) of the barbiturate-anaesthetized ferret. Six vow els erepresented (/a/, /e/, 2 different /i/’s, and 2 different /u/’s) in a natural vo iced and a synthetic unvoiced mode. In addition, the responses to broadband stimuli with a sinusoidally shaped spectral envelope (called ripple stimuli) were recorded in each cell, and th e response field (RF), which consists of both excitatory and inhibitory regions, was derived from the ripple transfer function. We examined whether the vowel respo n es could be predicted using a linear ripple analysis method (Shamma et al., 1995), i.e., by crosscorrelating the RF of the single unit, and the smoothed spectral envelop e of the vowel. We found that for most AI cells (71 %) the relative responses to natural v owels could be predicted on the basis of this method. Responses and prediction result s for nvoiced and voiced vowels were very similar, suggesting that the spectral fine stru cture may not play a significant role in the neuron’s response to the vowels. Predicti ons on the basis of the entire RF were significantly better than based solely on best frequenc y (BF) (or “place”). These findings confirm the ripple analysis method as a valid method to characterize AI responses to broadband sounds as we proposed in a previous pap er using synthesized spectra (Shamma and Versnel, 1995). PACS numbers: 43.64. Qh, 43.64. Sj Ripple representation of vowels in AI 2
Mindfulness Meditators Do Not Show Differences in Electrophysiological Measures of Error Processing

ObjectivesMindfulness meditation may improve attention and self-regulation. One component of attention and self-regulation that may allow these improvements is performance monitoring. Neural correlates of performance monitoring can be objectively measured with electroencephalogram (EEG) via the error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe). Previous research assessing the ERN and Pe in meditators has resulted in inconsistent findings; some have reported alteration in peak amplitudes from both very brief meditation practice and long-term meditation practice, while others have failed to provide evidence for differences in the ERN or Pe. However, recently developed EEG analysis techniques allow for more rigorous analyses than have been used in past investigations.MethodsThe current study measured the ERN and Pe, as well as post-error alpha suppression, during a Go/Nogo task, and emotional and colour Stroop tasks. The measures were compared between 22 experienced meditators (mean of 8 years of practice) and 20 healthy controls.ResultsThe results suggested no differences in the ERN, Pe, or post-error alpha suppression (all p > 0.05), even when varying multiple analysis parameters. The study showed equivalent statistical power to previous research, and > 85% power to detect medium effect sizes present in previous research. Bayes Factor analysis indicated the null hypotheses were > 3.5 more likely than any of the alternative hypotheses for the ERN or Pe.ConclusionsThese results suggest that meditation may not alter neural activity related to error processing, despite prior research suggesting that it does.
Spatial heterogeneity in the effects of climate change on the population dynamics of a Mediterranean tortoise

Climatic shifts may increase the extinction risk of populations, especially when they are already suffering from other anthropogenic impacts. Our ability to predict the consequences of climate change on endangered species is limited by our scarce knowledge of the effects of climate variability on the population dynamics of most organisms and by the uncertainty of climate projections, which depend strongly on the region of the earth being considered. In this study, we analysed a long‐term monitoring programme (1988–2009) of Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni) aimed at evaluating the consequences of the drastic changes in temperature and precipitation patterns predicted for the Mediterranean region on the demography of a long‐lived species with low dispersal capability and already suffering a large number of threats. Capture–recapture modelling of a population in the Ebro Delta (NE Spain) allowed us to assess the effect of climate variability on the survival of tortoises. Winter rainfall was found to be the major driver of juvenile and immature survival, whereas that of adults remained high and constant across the study. Furthermore, local climate series obtained ad hoc from regional climate simulations, for this and 10 additional Mediterranean locations where tortoises occurred, provided us with reliable future climate forecasts, which were used to simulate the fate of these populations under three precipitation scenarios (mean, wet and dry) using stochastic population modelling. We show that a shift to a more arid climate would have negative consequences for population persistence, enhancing juvenile mortality and increasing quasiextinction risk because of a decrease in recruitment. These processes varied depending on the population and the climate scenario we considered, but our results suggest that unless other human‐induced causes of mortality are suppressed (e.g. poaching, fire, habitat fragmentation), climate variability will increase extinction risk within most of the species’ current range.
The Production and Perception of Emotionally Expressive Walking Sounds: Similarities between Musical Performance and Everyday Motor Activity

Several studies have investigated the encoding and perception of emotional expressivity in music performance. A relevant question concerns how the ability to communicate emotions in music performance is acquired. In accordance with recent theories on the embodiment of emotion, we suggest here that both the expression and recognition of emotion in music might at least in part rely on knowledge about the sounds of expressive body movements. We test this hypothesis by drawing parallels between musical expression of emotions and expression of emotions in sounds associated with a non-musical motor activity: walking. In a combined production-perception design, two experiments were conducted, and expressive acoustical features were compared across modalities. An initial performance experiment tested for similar feature use in walking sounds and music performance, and revealed that strong similarities exist. Features related to sound intensity, tempo and tempo regularity were identified as been used similarly in both domains. Participants in a subsequent perception experiment were able to recognize both non-emotional and emotional properties of the sound-generating walkers. An analysis of the acoustical correlates of behavioral data revealed that variations in sound intensity, tempo, and tempo regularity were likely used to recognize expressed emotions. Taken together, these results lend support the motor origin hypothesis for the musical expression of emotions.
Hyperexpression of HOXC13, located in the 12q13 chromosomal region, in well-differentiated and dedifferentiated human liposarcomas

Liposarcoma (LPS) is the most common soft tissue neoplasm in adults and is characterized by neoplastic adipocyte proliferation. Some subtypes of LPSs show aberrations involving the chromosome 12. The most frequent are t(12;16) (q13;p11) present in more than 90% of myxoid LPSs and 12q13-15 amplification in well-differentiated and dedifferentiated LPSs. In this region, there are important oncogenes such as CHOP (DDIT3), GLI, MDM2, CDK4, SAS, HMGA2, but also the HOXC locus, involved in development and tumor progression. In this study, we evaluated the expression of HOXC13, included in this chromosomal region, in a series of adipocytic tumors. We included 18 well-differentiated, 4 dedifferentiated, 11 myxoid and 6 pleomorphic LPSs as well as 13 lipomas in a tissue microarray. We evaluated the HOXC13 protein and gene expression by immunohistochemistry and quantitative PCR. Amplification/translocation of the 12q13-15 region was verified by FISH. Immunohistochemical HOXC13 overexpression was observed in all well-differentiated and dedifferentiated LPSs, all characterized by the chromosome 12q13-15 amplification, and confirmed by quantitative PCR analysis. In conclusion, our data show a deregulation of the HOXC13 marker in well-differentiated and dedifferentiated LPSs, possibly related to 12q13-15 chromosomal amplification.