Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CLOUD COMPUTING TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT THE KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PROCESS ( A CASE STUDY APPROACH )

This paper discussed the implementation of cloud computing as a part from technology infrastructure. Technology infrastructure well known as a key ingredient of successful knowledge management process in a company and also a strong support to improve the company’s competitive advantage. Technology is rapidly changing, a lot of data from external source will give impact to the company. That’s why with the right technology infrastructure will easy to manage, record, transfer the data become information and knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to know the reason behind, why the company implemented the cloud computing model as a part of technology infrastructure to support knowledge management process in the company.
Do Foreign Asset Holdings Affect Household Consumption

Scant attention has been paid in the literature concerning 'consumption wealth effects' to asset heterogeneity in terms of foreign and domestic asset holdings. Through extending the approach of Lettau and Ludvigson (2004). and Nitschka (2007), this study uncovers that whilst households tend to view innovations to domestic asset holdings as part of their permanent income, changes in the value of foreign equity holdings are largely characterised as temporary in nature and unrelated to household consumption decisions. This evidence complements existing work concerning 'valuation effects' by highlighting at a disaggregated level an important mechanism by which this phenomenon affects a fundamental macroeconomic aggregate, and also draws implications for trade balance outcomesKeywords: Valuation Effects, Household Consumption, Cointegration
Tom Lane March 2015 Discrimination in the laboratory : a meta-analysis of economics experiments CeDEx Discussion

Discrimination in the laboratory: a meta-analysis of economics experiments The focus for the Centre is research into individual and strategic decision-making using a combination of theoretical and experimental methods. On the theory side, members of the Centre investigate individual choice under uncertainty, cooperative and non-cooperative game theory, as well as theories of psychology, bounded rationality and evolutionary game theory. Members of the Centre have applied experimental methods in the fields of public economics, individual choice under risk and uncertainty, strategic interaction, and the performance of auctions, markets and other economic institutions. Much of the Centre's research involves collaborative projects with researchers from other departments in the UK and overseas. Abstract Economists are increasingly using experiments to study and measure discrimination between groups. In a meta-analysis containing 447 results from 77 studies, we find groups significantly discriminate against each other in roughly a third of cases. Discrimination varies depending upon the type of group identity being studied: it is stronger when identity is artificially induced in the laboratory than when the subject pool is divided by ethnicity or nationality, and higher still when participants are split into socially or geographically distinct groups. In gender discrimination experiments, there is significant favouritism towards the opposite gender. There is evidence for both taste-based and statistical discrimination; tastes seem to drive the relatively strong discrimination with artificial identity, while statistical motivations moderate it. Relative to all other decision-making contexts, discrimination is much stronger when participants are asked to allocate payoffs between passive in-group and out-group members. Students and non-students appear to discriminate equally. We discuss possible interpretations and implications of our findings.
Gradient descent methods in learning classifier systems: improving XCS performance in multistep problems

The accuracy-based XCS classifier system has been shown to solve typical data mining problems in a machine-learning competitive way. However, successful applications in multistep problems, modeled by a Markov decision process, were restricted to very small problems. Until now, the temporal difference learning technique in XCS was based on deterministic updates. However, since a prediction is actually generated by a set of rules in XCS and Learning Classifier Systems in general, gradient-based update methods are applicable. The extension of XCS to gradient-based update methods results in a classifier system that is more robust and more parameter independent, solving large and difficult maze problems reliably. Additionally, the extension to gradient methods highlights the relation of XCS to other function approximation methods in reinforcement learning.
Life history change in response to fishing and an introduced predator in the East African cyprinid Rastrineobola argentea

Fishing and introduced species are among the most important stressors affecting freshwaters and can also be strong selective agents. We examined the combined effects of commercial fishing and an introduced predator (Nile perch, Lates niloticus) on life history traits in an African cyprinid fish (Rastrineobola argentea) native to the Lake Victoria basin in East Africa. To understand whether these two stressors have driven shifts in life history traits of R. argentea, we tested for associations between life history phenotypes and the presence/absence of stressors both spatially (across 10 Ugandan lakes) and temporally (over four decades in Lake Victoria). Overall, introduced Nile perch and fishing tended to be associated with a suite of life history responses in R. argentea, including: decreased body size, maturation at smaller sizes, and increased reproductive effort (larger eggs; and higher relative fecundity, clutch volume, and ovary weight). This is one of the first well‐documented examples of fisheries‐induced phenotypic change in a tropical, freshwater stock; the magnitude of which raises some concerns for the long‐term sustainability of this fishery, now the most important (by mass) in Lake Victoria.
Processing Temporal Constraints: An ERP Study.

This article investigates how linguistic expressions of time-in particular, temporal adverbs and verb tense morphemes-are used to establish temporal reference at the level of brain physiology. First, a formal semantic analysis of tense and temporal adverbs is outlined. It is argued that computing temporal reference amounts to solving a constraint satisfaction problem. Next, the results of an event-related potential (ERP) study are presented, which suggest that violations of verb tense ("Last Sunday Vincent paints the window frames of his country house.") evoke larger left-anterior negativities (LANs) compared to sentences in which verb tense is correct. The semantic analysis is finally combined with a computational, unification-based model of parsing to provide a functional account of the ERP data.
The Australian higher education quality assurance framework

The Australian government initiated a review of higher education in 2008. One of the outcomes of the review was the formation of a national regulator, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), with responsibilities to: register all higher education providers, accredit the courses of the non self-accrediting providers, assure quality against externally set standards and reduce risk by monitoring institutional performance on various measures. One of the key changes in Australian higher education quality assurance is the shift from a ‘fitness-for-purpose’ approach to quality assurance to a compliance-driven approach using an externally developed set of standards monitored by the national regulator, which has legislated powers to place sanctions on universities and other providers for non-compliance. This article outlines the new framework introduced by the government and analyses its limitations in assuring and improving quality in core and support areas. It cautions universities against being dominated by TEQSA's compliance agenda. Rather, it encourages the development and maintenance of shared governance principles and strong internal quality improvement processes along with the establishment of an outcomes focus, which will stand the test of external compliance auditing while allowing the institution to pursue its own educational objectives. The article is based on the authors’ experience and reflection on external, improvement-led quality audits in Australia over the past decade compared with the present compliance-oriented audits now required for institutional registration and ongoing accreditation.
On the Regulation of Populations of Mammals, Birds, Fish, and Insects

A key unresolved question in population ecology concerns the relationship between a population's size and its growth rate. We estimated this relationship for 1780 time series of mammals, birds, fish, and insects. We found that rates of population growth are high at low population densities but, contrary to previous predictions, decline rapidly with increasing population size and then flatten out, for all four taxa. This produces a strongly concave relationship between a population's growth rate and its size. These findings have fundamental implications for our understanding of animals' lives, suggesting in particular that many animals in these taxa will be found living at densities above the carrying capacity of their environments.
On the use of a multilingual neural network front-end

This paper presents a front-end consisting of an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) architecture trained with multilingual corpora. The idea is to train an ANN front-end able to integrate the acoustic variations included in databases collected for different languages, through different channels, or even for specific tasks. This ANN front-end produces discriminant features that can be used as observation vectors for language or task dependent recognizers. The approach has been evaluated on three difficult tasks: recognition of non-native speaker sentences, training of a new language with a limited amount of speech data, and training of a model for car environment using a clean microphone corpus of the target language and data collected in car environment in another language.
Feminisation of poverty in 12 welfare states: Consolidating cross‐regime variations?

Kim JW, Choi YJ. Feminisation of poverty in 12 welfare states: consolidating cross-regime variations? According to some theorists, the feminisation of poverty has become a common feature in the majority of advanced welfare states, but there have been very few attempts to provide a detailed picture from a comparative perspective. Considering this background, the aim of present study was to illuminate the feminisation of poverty in 12 welfare states between the 1980s and the 2000s and to analyse whether there has been any convergence or divergence between these welfare states. The scope and depth of the feminisation of poverty and the changing role of welfare states were assessed via an analysis of the antipoverty role of public transfers in each country. Using the Luxembourg Income Study dataset, this article argues that while the feminisation of poverty has been slowed down and even reversed in certain cases, cross-regime differences have become increasingly visible.
Perceived roughness of a grating: correlation with responses of mechanoreceptive afferents innervating the monkey's fingerpad

Human subjects scaled gratings of alternating grooves and ridges for perceived roughness. Roughness increased with an increase in groove width and decreased with an increase in ridge width, but the effect of groove width was much greater than the effect of ridge width. In corresponding neurophysiological experiments, the gratings were moved sinusoidally across the receptive fields of single mechano-receptive afferents innervating the fingerpads of anesthetized monkeys. The measure of response used was the mean cyclic discharge rate (averaged over one cycle of the sinusoid). Slowly adapting afferents (SAs), rapidly adapting afferents (RAs), and Pacinian afferents (PCs) all showed a marked increase in response when groove width increased. An increase in ridge width had no consistent effect on the responses of SAs or RAs but resulted in a small decrease in the response of PCs. The response to a smooth surface differed significantly from the responses to the finer gratings only for the RAs. An alternative measure of response (the number of impulses elicited by each spatial cycle of the grating) increased with an increase in ridge width for all 3 fiber types. Thus, the large effect of groove width on perceived roughness can be accounted for by the mean cyclic discharge rate in the active afferent fibers. The smaller effect of ridge width can be accounted for by the number of impulses per spatial cycle of the grating.
Mortality in COPD patients with community-acquired pneumonia: who is the third partner?

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is one of the most frequent medical causes of hospital admission and still carries a high morbidity and mortality. Recent data from the European Respiratory Society 1 have estimated that the cost of the in-patient care for CAP in Europe is \#8364;5.7 billion. The mortality of hospitalised patients with CAP is still very high, ranging 5–15%, despite the availability of good and potent antibiotics and very effective supportive measures. In order to adequately fight against the mortality of CAP, it is important to know the factors associated with death. Several studies have addressed this issue and we now have in our hands scores that predict mortality very well and are, in fact, used to select patients with a higher or lower probability of death 2, 3. By contrast, there is not much information about interventions or host particularities that may be protective against death or complications. Importantly, interventions related to better outcome 4 are adequate and is early antibiotic therapy 5, as well as adherence to CAP guidelines. In a recent study on a large series of nonresponding CAP patients, Menendez et al. 6 found that influenza vaccination, the administration of antibiotics and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were protective factors for nonresponse to initial antibiotics. The finding that COPD was protective for nonresponse was very intriguing and difficult to interpret. COPD and chronic bronchitis …
Realistic speech animation of synthetic faces

We combined physically based modeling and parameterization to generate realistic speech animation on synthetic faces. We used physically based modeling for muscles. Muscles are modeled as forces deforming the mesh of polygons. A parameterization technique is used for generating mouth shapes for speech animation. Each meaningful part of a text, which is a letter in our case, corresponds to a specific mouth shape and the mouth shape is generated by setting a set of parameters used for representing the muscles and jaw rotation. We also developed a mechanism to generate and synchronize facial expressions while speaking. Some tags specifying the facial expressions are inserted into the input text together with the degree of the expression. In this way, the facial expression with the specified degree is generated and synchronized with speech animation.
Are Workers Permanently Scarred by Job Displacements

This paper investigates whether workers suffer lasting "scars" following job displacements. Using David T. Ellwood's (1982) terminology, "scars" represent persistent effects, whereas "blemishes" are transitory adjustments which dissipate over time. More precisely, dislocated individuals are defined as scarred if they continue to earn less or to be unemployed more than their nondisplaced counterparts, even after the conclusion of a several-year adjustment period
How Students Choose a College: Understanding the Role of Internet Based Resources in the College Choice Process.

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of how current internet-based resources are affecting the college choice process. An explanatory mixed methods design was used, and the study involved collecting qualitative data after a quantitative phase to explain the quantitative data in greater depth. An additional study was completed two years later, which allowed for additional comparison between the two studies. Data were collected via surveys of students at the University of California, Irvine to identify the types of internet-based resources being used by students to investigate colleges and the impact of each on college choice. Frequency, t-test, and ANOVA tests revealed students used college search websites less in 2011 than in 2009 and use social media website more in 2011 than in 2009. The second, qualitative phase of the study was conducted with students selected because of their answers in the quantitative phase. In this explanatory follow-up, the qualitative data was sought to explain the quantitative data by providing additional detail about the student experience of choosing a college. The qualitative research showed students find strongest influence in their college choice through traditional resources and external factors rather than internet resources. The results of both the quantitative and qualitative phase were integrated and interpreted to complete the findings. Implications and future research possibilities are presented. Advisor: James V. Griesen
Robust stabilization for stochastic time-delay systems with polytopic uncertainties

This paper considers the problem of robust stabilization for stochastic time-delay systems with convex polytopic uncertainties. Sufficient conditions for the solvability of the problem are obtained by using parameter-independent and parameter-dependent Lyapunov functional, respectively. It is shown that the result derived by a parameter-dependent Lyapunov functional is less conservative. A desired state feedback controller can be designed by solving a set of linear matrix inequalities.
Parallel Structure from Motion from Local Increment to Global Averaging

In this paper, we tackle the accurate and consistent Structure from Motion (SfM) problem, in particular camera registration, far exceeding the memory of a single computer in parallel. Different from the previous methods which drastically simplify the parameters of SfM and sacrifice the accuracy of the final reconstruction, we try to preserve the connectivities among cameras by proposing a camera clustering algorithm to divide a large SfM problem into smaller sub-problems in terms of camera clusters with overlapping. We then exploit a hybrid formulation that applies the relative poses from local incremental SfM into a global motion averaging framework and produce accurate and consistent global camera poses. Our scalable formulation in terms of camera clusters is highly applicable to the whole SfM pipeline including track generation, local SfM, 3D point triangulation and bundle adjustment. We are even able to reconstruct the camera poses of a city-scale data-set containing more than one million high-resolution images with superior accuracy and robustness evaluated on benchmark, Internet, and sequential data-sets.
A Computational Cognitive Model of the Brain

Recent fruitful progresses on brain science have largely broadened our understanding of the cerebrum. These great works led us to propose a computational cognitive model based on a graphical model that we carried out before. The model possesses many attractive properties, including distinctive knowledge representation, the capability of knowledge accumulation, active (top-down) attention, subjective similarity measurement, and attention-guided disambiguation. It also has â€œconsciousnessâ€ and can even â€œthinkâ€ and â€œmake inference. â€ To some extent, it works just like the human brain does. The experimental evidence demonstrates that it can give reasonable computational explanation on the human phenomenon of forgetting. Although there are still some undetermined details and neurobiological mechanisms deserving consideration, our work presents a meaningful attempt to give further insights into the brainâ€™s functions.
FMR1 Genotype with Autoimmunity-Associated Polycystic Ovary-Like Phenotype and Decreased Pregnancy Chance

The FMR1 gene partially appears to control ovarian reserve, with a specific ovarian sub-genotype statistically associated with a polycystic ovary (PCO)- like phenotype. Some forms of PCO have been associated with autoimmunity. We, therefore, investigated in multiple regression analyses associations of ovary-specific FMR1 genotypes with autoimmunity and pregnancy chances (with in vitro fertilization, IVF) in 339 consecutive infertile women (455 IVF cycles), 75 with PCO-like phenotype, adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, medication dosage and number of oocytes retrieved. Patients included 183 (54.0%) with normal (norm) and 156 (46%) with heterozygous (het) FMR1 genotypes; 133 (39.2%) demonstrated laboratory evidence of autoimmunity: 51.1% of het-norm/low, 38.3% of norm and 24.2% het-norm/high genotype and sub-genotypes demonstrated autoimmunity (p = 0.003). Prevalence of autoimmunity increased further in PCO-like phenotype patients with het-norm/low genotype (83.3%), remained unchanged with norm (34.0%) and decreased in het-norm/high women (10.0%; P<0.0001). Pregnancy rates were significantly higher with norm (38.6%) than het-norm/low (22.2%, p = 0.001). FMR1 sub-genotype het-norm/low is strongly associated with autoimmunity and decreased pregnancy chances in IVF, reaffirming the importance of the distal long arm of the X chromosome (FMR1 maps at Xq27.3) for autoimmunity, ovarian function and, likely, pregnancy chance with IVF.
Investing in Life: Insurance in Antebellum America

Investing in Life considers the creation and expansion of the American life insurance industry from its early origins in the 1810s through the 1860s and examines how its growth paralleled and influenced the emergence of the middle class. Using the economic instability of the period as her backdrop, Sharon Ann Murphy also analyzes changing roles for women; the attempts to adapt slavery to an urban, industrialized setting; the rise of statistical thinking; and efforts to regulate the business environment. Her research directly challenges the conclusions of previous scholars who have dismissed the importance of the earliest industry innovators while exaggerating clerical opposition to life insurance. Murphy examines insurance as both a business and a social phenomenon. She looks at how insurance companies positioned themselves within the marketplace, calculated risks associated with disease, intemperance, occupational hazard, and war, and battled fraud, murder, and suicide. She also discusses the role of consumers-their reasons for purchasing life insurance, their perceptions of the industry, and how their desires and demands shaped the ultimate product.
Texture analysis by genetic programming

This work presents the use of genetic programming (GP) to a complex domain, texture analysis. Two major tasks of texture analysis, texture classification and texture segmentation, are studied. Bitmap textures are used in this investigation. In classification tasks, the results show that GP is able to evolve accurate classifiers based on texture features. Moreover by using the presented method, GP is able to evolve accurate classifiers without extracting texture features. In texture segmentation tasks, the investigation shows that a fast and accurate segmentation method can be developed based on GP generated texture classifiers. Our further investigation show that the accuracies are not achieved by chance. There are regularities been captured by GP-generated classifiers in performing texture discrimination.