Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Overcoming Challenges Using the CIM as a Semantic Model for Energy Applications

CIM is the key to smart grid interoperability. This being the case, we are experimenting with different approaches to utilizing the CIM as a semantic model for Energy applications. In this paper we identify some of the challenges we have encountered applying an OWL representation of the CIM to a common industry application for network model validation. Some challenges have to do with differences between UML, the language in which the CIM is maintained, and RDF/OWL, the semantic representation we have chosen for our experiment. We highlight some of differences between UML and OWL and discuss what they might mean in a smart grid context and the advantages and disadvantages of using each representation in Energy applications. Still other problems have to do with the processes around translating the CIM models from UML to OWL and managing model changes. Finally we propose some necessary conditions for addressing these challenges.
Dutch and Polish perceptions of leadership and culture

In this paper the objectives of a new international research project that focuses on the perception of leadership across cultures will be presented. The definition of leadership will be discussed in relation to cross-cultural leadership research. The ideas and theory on which the project is based will be introduced along with several of the hypotheses the project is designed to test. Besides testing the general hypotheses, results obtained in the GLOBE study can also be used for a more focused comparison between two countries. In this paper, differences in preferred leadership attributes and national culture dimensions in The Netherlands and Poland are presented. A total of 287 Dutch managers from six organizations and 277 Polish managers from six organizations filled out questionnaires. The results indicate that Dutch and Polish cultures differ strongly on power distance, uncertainty avoidance and future orientation. Regarding preferred attributes for outstanding leadership, Polish respondents score especially high on administrative skills, vision, and diplomacy, whereas Dutch managers emphasize integrity, inspirational behavior and vision. Polish respondents are also less negative about autocratic leadership.
Magnetic deposition of Ni/Au coated polymer core particles for flip-chip interconnection

With the increasing demand for high-density interconnections, flip-chip packaging has become increasingly used in the electronics industry. Traditional solder bump based interconnects are however unable to meet the challenge of ultra-fine pitch and very high I/O count integration. Consequently, alternative interconnection methods are being investigated for such applications. This paper presents a novel process for flip-chip interconnection through the use of Ni/Au coated polymer microparticles, similar to those already widely used in anisotropic conductive adhesives, but selectively deposited into the required locations under the control of a magnetic field. The particles used in this work consisted of a 9.8 μm diameter polymer core coated with layers of Nickel and Gold with thicknesses of 100 nm and 50nm respectively. Nickel is one of the few metals which demonstrate ferromagnetism and is also often used as the bump material on the bond pads of integrated circuits to allow flip chip bonding. In the work presented in this paper, the particles were suspended in an organic solvent, and placed together with a nickel bumped test chip within a uniform magnetic field created by two solenoid electromagnets. The results showed that the Ni/Au particles moved gradually toward the nickel bumped pads under the controlled magnetic gradient, and selectively deposited onto the bumps, providing a promising method to achieve fine or ultra-fine pitch integration.
Communication on the Paragon

In this note the authors describe the results of some tests of the message-passing performance of the Intel Paragon. These tests have been carried out under both the Intel-supplied OSF/1 operating system with an NX library, and also under an operating system called SUNMOS (Sandia UNM Operating System). For comparison with the previous generation of Intel machines, they have also included the results on the Intel Touchstone Delta. The source code used for these tests is identical for all systems. As a result of these tests, the authors can conclude that SUNMOS demonstrates that the Intel Paragon hardware is capable of very high bandwidth communication, and that the message coprocessor on Paragon nodes can be used to give quite respectable latencies. Further tuning can be expected to yield even better performance.
Victims’ perceptions of the police response as a predictor of victim cooperation in the Netherlands: a prospective analysis

ABSTRACT The current study prospectively explores whether crime victims’ willingness to cooperate with the police is predicted by victims’ perceptions of police officers’ behaviour with regard to their case through their perceptions of police legitimacy. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the interrelationships between the study variables while controlling for baseline values among a sample of 201 crime victims in the Netherlands. Results indicate that victims’ perceptions of procedural justice and police performance were predictive of both indicators of perceived police legitimacy (i.e. obligation to obey the law and trust in the police). Moreover, victims’ willingness to cooperate with the police was indirectly predicted by victims’ perceptions of procedural justice and police performance, through their perceptions of obligation to obey the law. These findings suggest that police officers may play an important role in stimulating victims’ willingness to cooperate with the police by treating victims fairly and by taking investigative actions to solve the crime.
Measuring the Utility Cost of Temporary Employment Contracts Before Adaptation: A Conjoint Analysis Approach

This study attempts to estimate the ‘utility cost’ of temporary employment contracts purged of the psychological effects of adaptation. A conjoint analysis experiment is used that examines the ex-ante contract preferences of a unique sample of low-skilled employees from 7 European countries. It is shown that permanent contract holders request a significant wage premium to move to a temporary job. In contrast, temporary workers are indifferent between permanent and temporary contracts, ceteris paribus. The evidence suggests that individuals have a psychological immune system which neutralises events that challenge their sense of well-being, such as job insecurity. The methodology developed in this paper can provide policymakers with an alternative and relatively inexpensive method of quantifying the transitional loss (or gain) in welfare that individuals might experience in response to changing labour market policies.
Identification of Susceptibility Loci for Skin Disease in a Murine Psoriasis Model1

Psoriasis is a frequently occurring inflammatory skin disease characterized by thickened erythematous skin that is covered with silvery scales. It is a complex genetic disease with both heritable and environmental factors contributing to onset and severity. The CD18 hypomorphic PL/J mouse reveals reduced expression of the common chain of β2 integrins (CD11/CD18) and spontaneously develops a skin disease that closely resembles human psoriasis. In contrast, CD18 hypomorphic C57BL/6J mice do not demonstrate this phenotype. In this study, we have performed a genome-wide scan to identify loci involved in psoriasiform dermatitis under the condition of low CD18 expression. Backcross analysis of a segregating cross between susceptible CD18 hypomorphic PL/J mice and the resistant CD18 hypomorphic C57BL/6J strain was performed. A genome-wide linkage analysis of 94 phenotypically extreme mice of the backcross was undertaken. Thereafter, a complementary analysis of the regions of interest from the genome-wide screen was done using higher marker density and further mice. We found two loci on chromosome 10 that were significantly linked to the disease and interacted in an additive fashion in its development. In addition, a locus on chromosome 6 that promoted earlier onset of the disease was identified in the most severely affected mice. For the first time, we have identified genetic regions associated with psoriasis in a mouse model resembling human psoriasis. The identification of gene regions associated with psoriasis in this mouse model might contribute to the understanding of genetic causes of psoriasis in patients and pathological mechanisms involved in development of disease.
Research and Development , Innovation , Training , Quality and Profitability : Econometric Evidence from France 1

This paper studies, simultaneously, the relationships between R&D investments, innovation, training investments, quality and firm performance at the firm level. It offers some empirical evidence on how innovation, training, quality affect firm profitability. The new feature we introduce is the link between training and quality. We build a five equations model including censored, dichotomous and linear variables with a specific circular scheme. To estimate this system, we adopt the asymptotic least square method as our framework. The empirical analysis is based on the French innovation survey combined with firm level register data. We use neglected variables on training and quality. Controlling for the traditional determinants, the results show the existence of a virtuous circle. Moreover, we find consistent results with many stylized facts.
Surgical Outcomes of Anterior Cervical Fusion Using Deminaralized Bone Matrix as Stand-Alone Graft Material: Single Arm, Pilot Study

Objective To investigate the safety and efficacy of demineralized bone matrix (DBM) as a bone graft substitute for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery. Methods Twenty consecutive patients treated with ACDF using stand-alone polyestheretherketone (PEEK) cages (Zero-P) with DBM(CGDBM100) were prospectively evaluated with a minimum of 6 months of follow-up. Radiologic efficacy was evaluated with a 6-point scoring method for osseous fusion using plain radiograph and computed tomogrpahy scans. Clinical efficacy was evaluated using the visual analogue scale (VAS), Owestry disability index (ODI), and short-form health questionnaire-36. The safety of the bone graft substitute was assessed with vital sign monitoring and a survey measuring complications at each follow-up visit. Results There were significant improvements in VAS and ODI scores at a mean 6-month follow-up. Six months after surgery, solid fusion was achieved in all patients. Mean score on the 6-point scoring system was 5.1, and bony formation was found to score at least 4 points in all patients. There was no case with implant-related complications such as cage failure or migration, and no complications associated with the use of CGDBM100. Conclusion ACDF using CGDBM100 demonstrated good clinical and radiologic outcomes. The fusion rate was comparable with the published results of traditional ACDF. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that the use of a PEEK cage packed with DBM for ACDF is a safe and effective alternative to the gold standard of autologous iliac bone graft.
Automated lumped-element simulation framework for modelling of transient effects in superconducting magnets

The paper describes a flexible, extensible, and user-friendly framework to model electrothermal transients occurring in superconducting magnets. Simulations are a fundamental tool for assessing the performance of a magnet and its protection system against the effects of a sudden transition from the superconducting to the normal state (also known as a quench). The application has a scalable and modular architecture based on the object-oriented programming paradigm, which opens an easy way for future extensions. Models are composed of thousands of lumped-element blocks automatically created in MATLAB&Simulink. Additionally, it is possible to run sets of simulations with varying parameters and model structure. Due to its flexibility the framework has been used to simulate various protection and magnet configurations. The experimental results were in a very good agreement with simulations.
Research in International Business and Finance Investor Sentiment and Calendar Anomaly Effects: a Case Study of the Impact of Ramadan on Islamic Middle Eastern Markets

The holy month of Ramadan is usually a time of celebration and renewal in Muslim countries. This paper examines whether or not this is reflected in positive calendar anomalies effects in Islamic Middle Eastern stock markets during the period 1992–2007. Strong evidence is found of significant and positive calendar effects in respect to the whole period of Ramadan in most countries and it is argued that this can be attributed to the generally positive investor mood, or sentiment. Although Ramadan is a time of celebration for Muslims it also can be a time of uncertainty and this appears to result in the impact of the festival not being uniformly positive throughout Ramadan. It is found that market returns in the first and last days of Ramadan show high levels of statistically significant year-on-year variation. It is argued that this can possibly be attributed to synchronization-related herding effects amplifying the impact of the mood swings associated with this period. The paper also finds that although the overall Ramadan effect is both positive and statistically significant for most countries, the associated gains were only large enough to outweigh transactions costs and provide the basis of a profitable trading strategy in one market.
Generalised Entropy of Curves for the Analysis and Classification of Dynamical Systems

This paper provides a new approach for the analysis and eventually the classification of dynamical systems. The objective is pursued by extending the concept of the entropy of plane curves, first introduced within the theory of the thermodynamics of plane curves, to Rn space. Such a generalised entropy of a curve is used to evaluate curves that are obtained by connecting several points in the phase space. As the points change their coordinates according to the equations of a dynamical system, the entropy of the curve connecting them is used to infer the behaviour of the underlying dynamics. According to the proposed method all linear dynamical systems evolve at constant zero entropy, while higher asymptotic values characterise nonlinear systems. The approach proves to be particularly efficient when applied to chaotic systems, in which case it has common features with other classic approaches. Performances of the proposed method are tested over several benchmark problems.
Ecophysiology of horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum L.) in degraded and restored urban sites

We explored changes in growth, phenology, net CO2 assimilation rate, water use efficiency, secondary defense compounds, substrate and foliage nutrient concentration of a degraded urban horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum L.) site restored for three years using mulching (tree branches including foliage) and fertilization (primarily nitrogen addition). Prior to restoration, this site was characterized by high pH (ca. 8), low foliage and substrate N, and high Na and Cl concentration. Our data indicated that in untreated plots NaCl used for road deicing is the decisive factors that may be responsible for the decrease of foliar N concentration (via a reduction in NO3 uptake), for the decrease in photosynthesis (through high concentrations of Na and Cl in the leaves) and for increased senescence of the leaves. After three years of treatment, total nitrogen concentration in substrate increased by 3to 4-fold and calcium concentration decreased by more than 50% in relation to pretreatment levels. Treatment significantly increased seed production (from less than 12 to more than 100 seeds per tree), individual leaf mass (from 1.8 to 3.3 g/leaf), CO2 assimilation rate (by 21 to 30 %), improved leaf C:N ratio, and increased foliage life span by as much as six weeks. The beginning of leaf fall in untreated control trees started in midJuly and those of mulched and fertilized trees in late October. Applied treatment also eliminated visible symptoms of leaf damage due to high sodium and chlorine levels, indicating the possible role of other factors in the development of necroses. After three years of treatment, pH of most degraded plots declined from 8.2 to 7.8. That decline was accompanied by an increase in foliar Zn, Cu, and Pb concentration in the mulched and fertilized plants. In addition, treatment lowered foliage phenolics making these plants potentially more vulnerable to insect herbivory. Our study indicates that stable carbon isotope discrimination is of little value as an indicator of cumulative salinity and urban environment stress in A. hippocastanum due to pronounced differences in leaf phenology and ontogeny. The results of our study show that street tree recovery can take as little as two to three years after application of fertilization and mulching.
Investigating the Effect of Analogical Processing on Mental Representations

My thesis focuses broadly on how memory may be influenced by performing analogical comparisons. I am interested in understanding how mapping objects between two domains based on a shared relational structure may influence how we encode and retrieve that information. When we use analogies to gain knowledge in our everyday thinking, we often make comparisons between two domains that highlights shared, relational roles, potentially at the expense of other information. Research on memory has indicated that how we encode information depends on the knowledge structures we have about a given scenario, such that events and objects that are relevant to our pre-existing knowledge representations are likely to be easily integrated, potentially at the cost of losing exact features of that information. Other research has shown that items in memory that compete during retrieval may influence each other's memory strength through an inhibitory mechanism. Across the two studies described here, I examined whether these memory phenomena are triggered by analogical mapping. I found that analogical mapping influenced memory, specific to those items that fit into a common relational category. I also discovered that memories for items sharing a relational structure could inhibit information that did not fit into that relational structure, suggesting that how we reason can influence how we recall and represent information.
Neuroplasticity in the processing of pitch dimensions: a multidimensional scaling analysis of the mismatch negativity.

PURPOSE An auditory electrophysiological study was conducted to explore the influence of language experience on the saliency of dimensions underlying cortical pitch processing. METHODS Mismatch negativity (MMN) responses to Mandarin tones were recorded in Chinese and English participants (n=10 per group) using a passive oddball paradigm. Stimuli consisted of three tones (T1: high level; T2: high rising; T3: low falling-rising). There were three oddball conditions (standard/deviant): T1/T2, T1/T3, T2/T3. In the T1/T2 and T1/T3 conditions, each tonal pair represented a contrast between a level and a contour tone; the T2/T3 condition, a contrast between two contour tones. Twenty dissimilarity matrices were created using the MMN mean amplitude measured from the Fz location for each condition per participant, and analyzed by an individual differences multidimensional scaling model. RESULTS Two pitch dimensions were revealed, interpretively labeled as 'height' and 'contour'. The latter was found to be more important for Chinese than English subjects. Using individual weights on the contour dimension, a discriminant function showed that 17 out of 20 participants were correctly classified into their respective language groups. CONCLUSIONS The MMN can serve as an index of pitch features that are differentially weighted depending on a listener's experience with lexical tones and their acoustic correlates within a particular tone space.
The Dopamine Hypothesis of Drug Addiction and Its Potential Therapeutic Value

Dopamine (DA) transmission is deeply affected by drugs of abuse, and alterations in DA function are involved in the various phases of drug addiction and potentially exploitable therapeutically. In particular, basic studies have documented a reduction in the electrophysiological activity of DA neurons in alcohol, opiate, cannabinoid, and other drug-dependent rats. Further, DA release in the Nucleus accumbens (Nacc) is decreased in virtually all drug-dependent rodents. In parallel, these studies are supported by increments in intracranial self stimulation (ICSS) thresholds during withdrawal from alcohol, nicotine, opiates, and other drugs of abuse, thereby suggesting a hypofunction of the neural substrate of ICSS. Accordingly, morphological evaluations fed into realistic computational analysis of the medium spiny neuron of the Nacc, post-synaptic counterpart of DA terminals, show profound changes in structure and function of the entire mesolimbic system. In line with these findings, human imaging studies have shown a reduction of dopamine receptors accompanied by a lesser release of endogenous DA in the ventral striatum of cocaine, heroin, and alcohol-dependent subjects, thereby offering visual proof of the “dopamine-impoverished” addicted human brain. The lasting reduction in physiological activity of the DA system leads to the idea that an increment in its activity, to restore pre-drug levels, may yield significant clinical improvements (reduction of craving, relapse, and drug-seeking/taking). In theory, it may be achieved pharmacologically and/or with novel interventions such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Its anatomo-physiological rationale as a possible therapeutic aid in alcoholics and other addicts will be described and proposed as a theoretical framework to be subjected to experimental testing in human addicts.
Catastrophic Forgetting in Connectionist Networks: Causes, Consequences and Solutions

All natural cognitive systems, and, in particular, our own, gradually forget previously learned information. Consequently, plausible models of human cognition should exhibit similar patterns of gradual forgetting old information as new information is acquired. Only rarely (see Box 3) does new learning in natural cognitive systems completely disrupt or erase previously learned information. In other words, natural cognitive systems do not, in general, forget catastrophically. Unfortunately, however, this is precisely what occurs under certain circumstances in distributed connectionist networks. It turns out that the very features that give these networks their much-touted abilities to generalize, to function in the presence of degraded input, etc., are the root cause of catastrophic forgetting. The challenge is how to keep the advantages of distributed connectionist networks while avoiding the problem of catastrophic forgetting. In this article, we examine the causes, consequences and numerous solutions to the problem of catastrophic forgetting in neural networks. We consider how the brain might have overcome this problem and explore the consequences of this solution.