Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electronic circuits modeling using artificial neural networks

In this paper artificial neural networks (ANN) are applied to modeling of electronic circuits. ANNs are used for application of the black-box modeling concept in the time domain. Modeling process is described, so the topology of the ANN, the testing signal used for excitation, together with the complexity of ANN are considered. The procedure is first exemplified in modeling of resistive circuits. MOS transistor, as a four-terminal device, is modeled. Then nonlinear negative resistive characteristic is modeled in order to be used as a piece-wise linear resistor in Chua's circuit. Examples of modeling nonlinear dynamic circuits are given encompassing a variety of modeling problems. A nonlinear circuit containing quartz oscillator is considered for modeling. Verification of the concept is performed by verifying the ability of the model to generalize i.e. to create acceptable responses to excitations not used during training. Implementation of these models within a behavioral simulator is exemplified. Every model is implemented in realistic surrounding in order to show its interaction, and of course, its usage and purpose.
Amazonia revealed: forest degradation and loss of ecosystem goods and services in the Amazon Basin

The Amazon Basin is one of the world's most important bioregions, harboring a rich array of plant and animal species and offering a wealth of goods and services to society. For years, ecological science has shown how large-scale forest clearings cause declines in biodiversity and the availability of forest products. Yet some important changes in the rainforests, and in the ecosystem services they provide, have been underappreciated until recently. Emerging research indicates that land use in the Amazon goes far beyond clearing large areas of forest; selective logging and other canopy damage is much more pervasive than once believed. Deforestation causes collateral damage to the surrounding forests – through enhanced drying of the forest floor, increased frequency of fires, and lowered productivity. The loss of healthy forests can degrade key ecosystem services, such as carbon storage in biomass and soils, the regulation of water balance and river flow, the modulation of regional climate patterns, and the .
Roots of group threat: anti-prejudice motivations and implicit bias in perceptions of immigrants as threats

ABSTRACT The perception of “group threat” is well known to predict opposition to immigration and negative attitudes toward ethnic minorities in Europe. However, the relationship between group threat and prejudice remains unclear, theoretically and empirically. We offer a new lens for viewing this relationship, using a dual process model of prejudice to help explain individual perceptions of threat as a function of both implicit prejudice and explicit motivation to control or avoid prejudice. Using original survey data from Britain and Germany, we employ measures of explicit motivation to control prejudice (MCP), and implicit intergroup attitudes (measured by the affect misattribution procedure) that are novel in this context. We find that perceived threat is independently associated with implicit attitudes and both internal and, in Britain, external MCP. We thereby connect group threat theory with an updated individual-level model of prejudice.
Emergent Processes in Group Behavior

Just as neurons interconnect in networks that create structured thoughts beyond the ken of any individual neuron, so people spontaneously organize themselves into groups to create emergent organizations that no individual may intend, comprehend, or even perceive. Recent technological advances have provided us with unprecedented opportunities for conducting controlled laboratory experiments on human collective behavior. We describe two experimental paradigms in which we attempt to build predictive bridges between the beliefs, goals, and cognitive capacities of individuals and patterns of behavior at the group level, showing how the members of a group dynamically allocate themselves to resources and how innovations diffuse through a social network. Agent-based computational models have provided useful explanatory and predictive accounts. Together, the models and experiments point to tradeoffs between exploration and exploitation—that is, compromises between individuals using their own innovations and using innovations obtained from their peers—and the emergence of group-level organizations such as population waves, bandwagon effects, and spontaneous specialization.
Assessment of GPS/MEMS-IMU Integration Performance in Ski Racing

This paper describes an experiment involving a professional downhill skier equipped with GPS and MEMS-IMU, as well as a triad of magnetometers and a tactical-grade inertial unit. The experiment illustrates the navigation performance of GPS/MEMS integration compared to high-quality GPS/INS integration challenged by the environmental conditions and dynamics of ski-racing. The MEMs sensors'output is directly compared to the reference signals. This information is used to validate the error models of the inertial and magnetic measurements and to select the appropriate integration algorithms.
Explore what-if scenarios with SONG: Social Network Write Generator

Online Social Networks (OSNs) have witnessed a tremendous growth the last few years, becoming a platform for online users to communicate, exchange content and even find employment. The emergence of OSNs has attracted researchers and analysts and much data-driven research has been conducted. However, collecting data-sets is non-trivial and sometimes it is difficult for data-sets to be shared between researchers. The main contribution of this paper is a framework called SONG (Social Network Write Generator) to generate synthetic traces of write activity on OSNs. We build our framework based on a characterization study of a large Twitter data-set and identifying the important factors that need to be accounted for. We show how one can generate traces with SONG and validate it by comparing against real data. We discuss how one can extend and use SONG to explore different `what-if' scenarios. We build a Twitter clone using 16 machines and Cassandra. We then show by example the usefulness of SONG by stress-testing our implementation. We hope that SONG is used by researchers and analysts for their own work that involves write activity.
Plasma concentrations of LH, prolactin, oestradiol and progesterone in female red deer (Cervus elaphus) during pregnancy.

Peripheral blood samples were collected throughout pregnancy from 11 red deer hinds. During the same period, 6 other hinds which mated but failed to produce calves were also sampled. Pretreatment of some of these hinds included synchronization of oestrus alone (N = 3) or with injection of 1000 i.u. PMSG (N = 9). During early and mid-pregnancy, LH and prolactin were frequently undetectable. Prolactin concentrations in pregnant and non-pregnant hinds were high (greater than 250 ng/ml) in December-January. The results of the hormone analyses suggested that the amount of progesterone in plasma correlates with the number of corpora lutea (CL) present. The concentrations of oestradiol and progesterone were low from mid-winter onwards in the non-pregnant hinds, suggesting a reduction in ovarian activity at this time. In pregnant animals, progesterone concentrations were high for the first 200 days of gestation. Oestradiol rose to peak values concomitant with declining progesterone concentrations just before parturition.
Effect of Different Tumbling Marination Treatments on the Quality Characteristics of Prepared Pork Chops

The effect of different tumbling marination treatments (control group, CG; conventional static marination, SM; vacuum continuous tumbling marination, CT; vacuum intermittent tumbling marination, IT) on the quality characteristics of prepared pork chops was investigated under simulated commercial conditions. The CT treatment increased (p<0.05) the pH value, b* value, product yield, tenderness, overall flavor, sensory juiciness and overall acceptability in comparison to other treatments for prepared boneless pork chops. The CT treatment decreased (p<0.05) cooking loss, shear force value, hardness, gumminess and chewiness compared with other treatments. In addition, CT treatment effectively improved springiness and sensory color more than other treatments. However, IT treatment achieved the numerically highest (p<0.05) L* and a* values. These results suggested that CT treatment obtained the best quality characteristics of prepared pork chops and should be adopted as the optimal commercial processing method for this prepared boneless pork chops.
Reluctant pioneers in the European periphery? Environmental activism, food consumption and “growing your own”

ABSTRACT East European food self-provisioning (FSP) has fascinated scholars of post-socialism ever since the early 1990s. In keeping with its predominantly economic and cultural conceptualisations, much of this research has been concerned with FSP’s role in household economy and with the social profile of its practitioners. In contrast to western conceptualisations of FSP as an opportunity to expand food activism and foster social justice and environmental sustainability, post-socialist FSP has rarely been considered as such. In Czechia, FSP is practised by 43% of citizens and many of them do so in a relatively environmentally friendly way. Yet, most food-related campaigns run by environmental NGOs (ENGOs) pay little attention to FSP and focus on market-based ethical consumerism and alternative food networks instead. Using insights from actor-network theory, this paper discusses how Czech ENGO activists engage with FSP through discourse and in practice. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with leading activists, we show that FSP does figure in non-food-related campaigns and that the FSP practised by activists themselves or the FSP carried out by relatives and relatives’ friends are not the same as the FSP on which they are reluctant to campaign. These differences, which include controllability and the time-consuming nature of practising FSP according to some of the activists’ ideals, help this paper to come to an initial understanding of why Czech ENGOs do not run campaigns explicitly focused on FSP at the moment and shed some light on how this could change in the future.
Multiple model Rao-Blackwellized particle filter

In this paper, we proposed a new multiple model Rao-Blackwellized particle filter (MMRBPF) based algorithm for maneuvering target tracking. The advantage of the proposed approach is that the Rao-Blackwellization allows the algorithm to be partitioned into target tracking and model selection sub-problems, where the target tracking can be solved by the probabilistic data association filter, and the model selection by sequential importance sampling. The analytical relationship between target state and model is exploited to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed algorithm. Finally, the experiment results show that the proposed algorithm results in more accurate tracking than the existing one.
Alphabet Soup

Confusion over the reporting and interpretation of results of commonly employed classical statistical tests is recorded in a sample of 1,645 papers from 12 psychology journals for the period 1990 through 2002. The confusion arises because researchers mistakenly believe that their interpretation is guided by a single unified theory of statistical inference. But this is not so: classical statistical testing is a nameless amalgamation of the rival and often contradictory approaches developed by Ronald Fisher, on the one hand, and Jerzy Neyman and Egon Pearson, on the other. In particular, there is extensive failure to acknowledge the incompatibility of Fisher’s evidential pvalue with the Type I error rate, •, of Neyman–Pearson statistical orthodoxy. The distinction between evidence (p’s) and errors (•’s) is not trivial. Rather, it reveals the basic differences underlying Fisher’s ideas on significance testing and inductive inference, and Neyman–Pearson views on hypothesis testing and inductive behavior. So complete is this misunderstanding over measures of evidence versus error that it is not viewed as even being a problem among the vast majority of researchers and other relevant parties. These include the APA Task Force on Statistical Inference, and those writing the guidelines concerning statistical testing mandated in APA Publication Manuals. The result is that, despite supplanting Fisher’s significance-testing paradigm some fifty years or so ago, recognizable applications of Neyman–Pearson theory are few and far between in psychology’s empirical literature. On the other hand, Fisher’s influence is ubiquitous.
Alcohol inhibition of neurogenesis: A mechanism of hippocampal neurodegeneration in an adolescent alcohol abuse model

Adolescents diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder show neurodegeneration in the hippocampus, a region important for learning, memory, and mood regulation. This study examines a potential mechanism by which excessive alcohol intake, characteristic of an alcohol use disorder, produces neurodegeneration. As hippocampal neural stem cells underlie ongoing neurogenesis, a phenomenon that contributes to hippocampal structure and function, we investigated aspects of cell death and cell birth in an adolescent rat model of an alcohol use disorder. Immunohistochemistry of various markers along with Bromo‐deoxy‐Uridine (BrdU) injections were used to examine different aspects of neurogenesis. After 4 days of binge alcohol exposure, neurogenesis was decreased by 33 and 28% at 0 and 2 days after the last dose according to doublecortin expression. To determine whether this decrease in neurogenesis was due to effects on neural stem cell proliferation, quantification of BrdU‐labeled cells revealed a 21% decrease in the dentate gyrus of alcohol‐exposed brains. Cell survival and phenotype of BrdU‐labeled cells were assessed 28 days after alcohol exposure and revealed a significant, 50% decrease in the number of surviving cells in the alcohol‐exposed group. Reduced survival was supported by significant increases in the number of pyknotic‐, FluoroJade B positive‐, and TUNEL‐positive cells. However, so few cells were TUNEL‐positive that cell death is likely necrotic in this model. Although alcohol decreased the number of newborn cells, it did not affect the percentage of cells that matured into neurons (differentiation). Thus, our data support that in a model of an adolescent alcohol use disorder, neurogenesis is impaired by two mechanisms: alcohol‐inhibition of neural stem cell proliferation and alcohol effects on new cell survival. Remarkably, alcohol inhibition of neurogenesis may outweigh the few dying cells per section, which implies that alcohol inhibition of neurogenesis contributes to hippocampal neurodegeneration in alcohol use disorders. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Crosslinguistic Influence of Loanwords on Japanese Particle Processing: Evidence from Japanese Language Learners

Author: Ryosuke, Yamamoto. MA Institution: Purdue University Degree Received: May 2018 Title: Cross-linguistic Influence of Loanwords on Japanese Particle Processing: Evidence from Japanese Language Learners Major Professor: Atsushi Fukada Studies have proposed that the spreading activation (SA) theory (Colins, & Loftus, 1975) can explain the nature of L1 and L2 predictive sentence processing (e.g., Kaan, 2014). Research on processing in L2 English has found that word information triggers learners’ semanticallydriven predictive sentence processing (e.g., Hopp, 2015); however, to the best of my knowledge, few studies have been conducted in L2 Japanese. Additionally, what triggers L2 predictive sentence processing is yet to be fully discovered. Research has demonstrated that L1 English learners of Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) show cognate-like effects when English-based loanwords are used as primes in a cross-linguistic priming experiment if these loanwords retain their original English phonology and semantics (e.g., Allen, & Conklin, 2013), which suggests the existence of inter-lingual SA effects when learners process these loanwords. The purpose of the present study is to investigate whether SA effects induced by a loanword in a sentence can also facilitate learners’ predictive sentence processing. The present study investigated whether a loanword embedded in a sentence facilitates JFL learners’ syntactic prediction. Twenty-six L1 English learners of JFL and eight native Japanese speakers participated in the study. In the experiment, they were presented with 20 fillers and 32 Japanese right-dislocated sentences ending with a noun followed by a postpositional particle. Among these 32 sentences, half of them had a loanword preceding a particle, whereas the other half had a non-loanword preceding a particle. At the end of each
Considering Indigenous Research Methodologies: Critical Reflections by an Indigenous Knower

Within the domain of academic inquiry by Indigenous scholars, it is increasingly common to encounter enthusiasm surrounding Indigenous Research Methodologies (IRMs). IRMs are designated approaches and procedures for conducting research that are said to reflect long-subjugated Indigenous epistemologies (or ways of knowing). A common claim within this nascent movement is that IRMs express logics that are unique and distinctive from academic knowledge production in “Western” university settings, and that IRMs can result in innovative contributions to knowledge if and when they are appreciated in their own right and on their own terms. The purpose of this article is to stimulate exchange and dialogue about the present and future prospects of IRMs relative to university-based academic knowledge production. To that end, I enter a critical voice to an ongoing conversation about these matters that is still taking shape within Indigenous studies circles.
Enhancing the Employee Engagement: The Mediating Role of Exchange Ideology

ABSTRACT This study analyses a model that links three predictors namely workplace spirituality, self-efficacy, and person-organization fit to employee engagement through the mediating role of exchange ideology. Drawing on social exchange theory, researchers expected that exchange ideology would mediate the relationship between the given antecedents and employee engagement. This study used quantitative method to collect data and WarpPLS5.0 to analyze the data. The results of a survey conducted among 100 employees of credit unions in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, indicated that employees with stronger spirituality, self-efficacy, and values compatibility engaged better at work. Researchers also found that exchange ideology did not mediate the relationship between workplace spirituality and employee engagement although the exchange ideology mediated the relationship between two predictors namely self-efficacy and person-organization fit to employee engagement. Keywords: Workplace spirituality; self-efficacy; person-organization fit; exchange ideology; employee engagement ABSTRAK Kajian ini mengkaji model yang menghubungkan tiga faktor penentu, iaitu kerohanian tempat kerja, keberkesanan kendiri, dan kesesuaian individu-organisasi untuk keterlibatan pekerja menerusi peranan perantaraan ideologi pertukaran. Menurut teori pertukaran sosial, peyelidik menjangkakan ideologi pertukaran menjadi pengantara dalam hubungan antara antesedan yang diberi dan keterlibatan pekerja. Kajian ini menggunakan kaedah kuantitatif untuk mengutip data dan perisian WarpPLS5.0 digunakan untuk menganalisis data. Hasil kaji selidik yang dilakukan ke atas 100 orang pekerja syarikat kredit di Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia, menunjukkan bahawa pekerja yang mempunyai kerohanian yang lebih kuat, keberkesanan kendiri, dan keserasian nilai akan bekerja dengan lebih baik di tempat kerja. Para penyelidik juga menemukan bahawa ideologi pertukaran tidak memainkan peranan pengantara bagi hubungan antara kerohanian tempat kerja dengan keterlibatan pekerja meskipun ideologi pertukaran menjadi pengantara hubungan antara dua faktor penentu, iaitu keberkesanan kendiri dan kesesuaian nilai individu dengan nilai organisasi untuk keterlibatan pekerja. Kata kunci: Kerohanian tempat kerja; keberkesanan kendiri; kesesuaian nilai individu dengan nilai organisasi; ideologi pertukaran; keterlibatan pekerja
An ion-sense engine fine-tuner

The paper presents a real-time closed loop demonstration of spark advance control by interpretation of ionization current signals. Such control is shown to be able to handle variations in air humidity, which is a major factor influencing burn rates, and consequently pressure buildup and useful work transferred via piston to drive shaft. This leads to a clear improvement in engine efficiency compared to traditional systems using only engine speed and load. Inspired by the type of challenges and potential usefulness in interpretation of ionization current signals, the paper focuses on closed loop ignition control by ionization current interpretation. The topics discussed include: the basics of ionization currents; spark advance control, especially principles relating pressure information to efficiency; and the structure of the ion-sense spark advance controller. The experimental demonstrations and some conclusions are presented.
Dyslexia-specific brain activation profile becomes normal following successful remedial training

Objectives To examine changes in the spatiotemporal brain activation profiles associated with successful completion of an intensive intervention program in individual dyslexic children. Methods The authors obtained magnetic source imaging scans during a pseudoword reading task from eight children (7 to 17 years old) before and after 80 hours of intensive remedial instruction. All children were initially diagnosed with dyslexia, marked by severe difficulties in word recognition and phonologic processing. Eight children who never experienced reading problems were also tested on two occasions separated by a 2-month interval. Results Before intervention, all children with dyslexia showed distinctly aberrant activation profiles featuring little or no activation of the posterior portion of the superior temporal gyrus (STGp), an area normally involved in phonologic processing, and increased activation of the corresponding right hemisphere area. After intervention that produced significant improvement in reading skills, activity in the left STGp increased by several orders of magnitude in every participant. No systematic changes were obtained in the activation profiles of the children without dyslexia as a function of time. Conclusions These findings suggest that the deficit in functional brain organization underlying dyslexia can be reversed after sufficiently intense intervention lasting as little as 2 months, and are consistent with current proposals that reading difficulties in many children represent a variation of normal development that can be altered by intensive intervention.
Evaluation of tradeoffs in resource management techniques for multimedia storage servers

Many modern applications can benefit from sharing of resources such as network bandwidth, disk bandwidth, and so on. In addition, information systems would like to store data that can be of use to many different classes of applications, e.g., digital library type systems. Part of the difficulty in efficient resource management of such systems can then occur when these applications have vastly different performance and quality-of-service (QoS) requirements as well as resource demand characteristics. We study the performance of multimedia storage systems which serve a mixture of real-time and non-real-time workloads, by allowing sharing of resources among these different workloads while satisfying their performance requirements and QoS constraints. The broad aim of this work is to examine the issues and tradeoffs associated with mixing multiple workloads on the same server to explore the possibility of maintaining reasonable performance and QoS requirements without having to partition the resources.