Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Under construction

Although compelled by both political and trade necessities, negotiations for the Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area (EMFTA) have been problematic and lengthy. This free trade area is to encompass the countries around the Mediterranean, including non-EU member countries, and it was foreseen in the 1995 Barcelona Declaration as one of the key elements of the Euro Mediterranean Partnership (EMP). After over fifteen years of negotiations and the creation of closer commercial relations between EU Member States and the states of the southern side of the Mediterranean through the conclusion of several Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreements (AAs) and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements (DCFTAs) between 1998 and 2012‏, there is a lot at stake for the EU and the MPCs in the results of these deliberations. This work aims to examine these issues, with particular reference to the most recent progress, if any, made in the decade long negotiation process of EMFTA, and seeks to identify the best way forward.
Fingerprint Liveness Detection using Convolutional Networks

1 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 Abstract
Relative Abundance, Habitat Use, and Long-term Population Changes of Wintering and Resident Landbirds on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Abstract St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, is one of the most forested islands in the West Indies and provides an opportunity to conserve both resident birds and wintering neotropical migrants. We conducted double-observer point counts of landbirds in December 2005 and 2006 in Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plots and National Park Service (NPS) trails in Virgin Islands National Park (VINP) to assess population trends of birds in subtropical dry and moist forests. We recorded 2,270 individual birds representing 35 species at 150 point count stations in 2005, and 3,092 individuals of 32 species at 143 of these stations in 2006. The increase in birds per point from 2005 (15.1) to 2006 (21.6) was due to resident species, 17 of which were recorded more frequently in 2006. The 17 species of neotropical migrants composed 11.8% of all registrations in 2005 and 2006. Subtropical moist and dry forest habitats differed strongly in vegetation characteristics and plant species, but no species of birds exhibited a strong affiliation with either habitat type on FIA plots. Data from NPS trails showed that most migrant species were detected more often in moist, mature forest. The resident Bridled Quail-Dove (Geotrygon mystacea) also was correlated with mature forest. Plant and bird species co-occurrence with positive correlations that may carry a signal of preferred frugivory included Guettarda odorata (Rubiaceae) with Bridled Quail-Dove, and Myrciaria floribunda (Myrtaceae) with Pearly-eyed Thrasher (Margarops fuscatus). Migrant species did not exhibit strong long-term changes in relative abundance since founding of VINP in 1957, but four open-country resident species declined significantly between 1957 and 2006 as the forest matured. Forest maturation should continue on St. John, yielding a bright future for most of its landbirds barring catastrophic hurricanes, pathogens, or invasive plants.
The role of questions in teaching thinking and learning

The thing I hate most about my job is the word ‘coverage’. Assessors are obsessed with coverage. If material has been covered, it can be tested. If it can be tested, it will be tested and assessors rest easy in the knowledge that they have done their job well. This naturally leads to an over emphasis on coverage at the expense of engaged thinking, based on the assumption that ‘answers’ can be taught separately from ‘questions’. Assessors are not entirely to blame for this state of affairs. Indeed, the position that formal assessment has been allowed to take in language instruction is merely a symptom of what we are presented with in published course materials. Consider this: every declarative statement in the course books we use is an answer to a question. The teaching world in which we live frequently sees this relationship between the statement and its accompanying question. One seemingly cannot exist without the other. This is a crying shame, as it does nothing to promote thinking of any kind, never mind critical thinking.
Parental education, gender preferences and child nutritional status: Evidence from four developing countries

This paper examines whether the distribution of bargaining power between parents affects permanent and transitory nutritional indicators in the early stages of boysâ€™ and girlsâ€™ life. I use the Young Lives sample, which is a survey of young children living in poor households in Ethiopia, India (Andhra Pradesh state), Peru and Vietnam. By adopting a methodology to disentangle gender differences produced by technology and preferences, I find evidence that the allocation of household resources varies with the gender of the child and the gender of the parents. After accounting for the potential endogeneity of the indicator of power distribution within the household, related to assortative mating in the marriage market, I find that maternal power has larger effects on girlsâ€™ health than on boysâ€™ health in Peru and Vietnam. In contrast, in India, maternal bargaining power has a negative effect on girlsâ€™ health, whereas in Ethiopia no differential effect is found. Further analysis confirms that differences in parental behaviour drive the estimated effects and that these are robust to the inclusion of genetic information.
Discrete Painlev\'e equations for recurrence coefficients of orthogonal polynomials

We give four examples of families of orthogonal polynomials for which the coefficients in the recurrence relation satisfy a discrete Painlev\'e equation. The first example deals with Freud weights $|x|^\rho \exp(-|x|^m)$ on the real line, and we repeat Freud's derivation and analysis for the cases $m=2,4,6$. The Freud equations for the recurrence coefficients when $m=4$ corresponds to the discrete Painlev\'e I equation. The second example deals with orthogonal polynomials on the unit circle for the weight $\exp(\lambda \cos \theta)$. These orthogonal polynomials are important in the theory of random unitary matrices. Periwal and Shevitz have shown that the recurrence coefficients satisfy the discrete Painlev\'e II equation. The third example deals with discrete orthogonal polynomials on the positive integers. We show that the recurrence coefficients of generalized Charlier polynomials can be obtained from a solution of the discrete Painlev\'e II equation. The fourth example deals with orthogonal polynomials on $\pm q^n$. We consider the discrete $q$-Hermite I polynomials and some discrete $q$-Freud polynomials for which the recurrence ceofficients satisfy a $q$-deformation of discrete Painlev\'e I.
Co-sputtered MoRe thin films for carbon nanotube growth-compatible superconducting coplanar resonators

Molybdenum rhenium alloy thin films can exhibit superconductivity up to critical temperatures of T c = 15 K ? > . At the same time, the films are highly stable in the high-temperature methane/hydrogen atmosphere typically required to grow single wall carbon nanotubes. We characterize molybdenum rhenium alloy films deposited via simultaneous sputtering from two sources, with respect to their composition as function of sputter parameters and their electronic dc as well as GHz properties at low temperature. Specific emphasis is placed on the effect of the carbon nanotube growth conditions on the film. Superconducting coplanar waveguide resonators are defined lithographically; we demonstrate that the resonators remain functional when undergoing nanotube growth conditions, and characterize their properties as function of temperature. This paves the way for ultra-clean nanotube devices grown in situ onto superconducting coplanar waveguide circuit elements.
Applications of graph theory to landscape genetics

We investigated the relationships among landscape quality, gene flow, and population genetic structure of fishers (Martes pennanti) in ON, Canada. We used graph theory as an analytical framework considering each landscape as a network node. The 34 nodes were connected by 93 edges. Network structure was characterized by a higher level of clustering than expected by chance, a short mean path length connecting all pairs of nodes, and a resiliency to the loss of highly connected nodes. This suggests that alleles can be efficiently spread through the system and that extirpations and conservative harvest are not likely to affect their spread. Two measures of node centrality were negatively related to both the proportion of immigrants in a node and node snow depth. This suggests that central nodes are producers of emigrants, contain high‐quality habitat (i.e., deep snow can make locomotion energetically costly) and that fishers were migrating from high to low quality habitat. A method of community detection on networks delineated five genetic clusters of nodes suggesting cryptic population structure. Our analyses showed that network models can provide system‐level insight into the process of gene flow with implications for understanding how landscape alterations might affect population fitness and evolutionary potential.
On the Economics and Biology of Trust

In recent years, many social scientists have claimed that trust plays an important role in economic and social transactions. Despite its proposed importance, the measurement and the definition of trust seem to be not fully settled, and the identification of the exact role of trust in economic interactions has proven to be elusive. It is still not clear whether trust is just an epiphenomenon of good institutions or whether it plays an independent causal role capable of shaping important aggregate economic outcomes. In this paper, I rely on a behavioral definition of trust that enables us to relate it to economic primitives such as preferences and beliefs. I review strong biological and behavioral evidence indicating that trusting is not just a special case of risk-taking, but based on important forms of social preferences such as betrayal aversion. Behaviorally defined trust also opens the door for understanding national and ethnic trust differences in terms of differences in preferences and beliefs, and it suggests ways to examine and interpret a causal role of trust.
A brain-controlled switch for asynchronous control applications

Asynchronous control applications are an important class of application that has not received much attention from the brain-computer interface (BCI) community. This work provides a design for an asynchronous BCI switch and performs the first extensive evaluation of an asynchronous device in attentive, spontaneous electroencephalographic (EEG). The switch design [named the low-frequency asynchronous switch design (LF-ASD)] is based on a new feature set related to imaginary movements in the 1-4 Hz frequency range. This new feature set was identified from a unique analysis of EEG using a bi-scale wavelet. Offline evaluations of a prototype switch demonstrated hit (true positive) rates in the range of 38%-81% with corresponding false positive rates in the range of 0.3%-11.6%. The performance of the LF-ASD was contrasted with two other ASDs: one based on mu-power features and another based on the outlier processing method (OPM) algorithm. The minimum mean error rates for the LF-ASD were shown to be significantly lower than either of these other two switch designs.
Positive relationship between duration of action video game play and visuospatial executive function in children

The average child in the developed world now spends more than 2 hours per day playing video games. The present study asks: (i) whether children who play video games exhibit enhancement of performance across a broad range of executive functions; (ii) whether there are gender differences; (iii) if there is a relationship between the amount of time a child reports playing video games and their performance on tests of executive function.
Pulsed-IV Pulsed-RF Cold-FET Parasitic Extraction of Biased AlGaN/GaN HEMTs Using Large Signal Network Analyzer

A new pulsed-IV pulsed-RF cold field-effect transistor (cold-FET) technique is presented to extract the parasitics of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs under various quiescent dc-biasing points. The measurement system implemented with a large signal network analyzer applies the technique of multiple recording to acquire pulsed-RF small-signal S-parameters with no loss of dynamic range as the pulse duty cycle decreases. These cold-FET measurements are performed on unpassivated and silicon nitride (SiN) passivated devices by turning the device off for 1 ? s with a 1% duty cycle to analyze the impact of slow thermal and trapping effects on the device parasitics. The parasitic fringe capacitances extracted are found to be bias independent, except for the gate to drain capacitance in devices without SiN passivation. In unpassivated devices, the drain parasitic resistance is found to rapidly increase with increasing drain bias at negative gate to source voltages. On the contrary, in devices with SiN passivation, the dependence of the resistance with the drain bias voltage is much less significant. A simple physical model is used to fit the functional dependence of the 2-D electron gas (2DEG) concentration upon the gate-to-source and gate-to-drain voltages, which is then proposed for fitting the measured data. The analysis indicates that the variation of the resistance with bias voltage in the device studied with SiN passivation and also for the unpassivated device at V GS=0 V is well accounted for by the reduction of the mobility with increased temperature due to self-heating, whereas for the device studied without SiN passivation, the increase of the drain resistance with drain voltages at negative gate bias principally arises from the decrease of the 2DEG population in a narrow region near the gate contact. An equivalent circuit is also introduced to explain the decrease of the source and drain parasitic inductances with increasing drain voltages at large negative gate bias, which is observed in unpassivated devices.
Increased Automaticity and Altered Temporal Preparation Following Sleep Deprivation.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Temporal expectation enables us to focus limited processing resources, thereby optimizing perceptual and motor processing for critical upcoming events. We investigated the effects of total sleep deprivation (TSD) on temporal expectation by evaluating the foreperiod and sequential effects during a psychomotor vigilance task (PVT). We also examined how these two measures were modulated by vulnerability to TSD. DESIGN Three 10-min visual PVT sessions using uniformly distributed foreperiods were conducted in the wake-maintenance zone the evening before sleep deprivation (ESD) and three more in the morning following approximately 22 h of TSD. TSD vulnerable and nonvulnerable groups were determined by a tertile split of participants based on the change in the number of behavioral lapses recorded during ESD and TSD. A subset of participants performed six additional 10-min modified auditory PVTs with exponentially distributed foreperiods during rested wakefulness (RW) and TSD to test the effect of temporal distribution on foreperiod and sequential effects. SETTING Sleep laboratory. PARTICIPANTS There were 172 young healthy participants (90 males) with regular sleep patterns. Nineteen of these participants performed the modified auditory PVT. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Despite behavioral lapses and slower response times, sleep deprived participants could still perceive the conditional probability of temporal events and modify their level of preparation accordingly. Both foreperiod and sequential effects were magnified following sleep deprivation in vulnerable individuals. Only the foreperiod effect increased in nonvulnerable individuals. CONCLUSIONS The preservation of foreperiod and sequential effects suggests that implicit time perception and temporal preparedness are intact during total sleep deprivation. Individuals appear to reallocate their depleted preparatory resources to more probable event timings in ongoing trials, whereas vulnerable participants also rely more on automatic processes.
Correlation between personality or emotional status, and quality of life in Hong Kong teachers

Teachers are frequently cited as a high-risk group for voice problem which adversely affects quality of life (Yiu & Ma, 2002). Therefore, the multiple contributing factors of the teachers’ voice problem and poorer quality of life should be identified to help developing an appropriate education preventive program that could effectively reduce the impact. Physical, vocal loading and environmental factors are the well-known contributing factors to voice problems in teachers (Ferrerira et al., 2010), but psychological factor remains unclear (Meulenbroek, Thomas, Kooijman, & de Jong, 2010). The present study investigated the relationship between personality, emotional status and quality of life related to voice condition in teachers. The perception of quality of life, personality and emotional status, were investigated in 60 teachers and 30 non-teachers. Findings showed that teachers in general were significantly more anxious and depressed than non-teachers. However, no relationship was found between personality, emotional status and quality of life. As anxiety and depression highly correlate with stress (Mundia, 2010), which relates to voice problem (Kooijman et al., 2006), the higher anxiety and depression level in teachers may relate to voice production. It was suggested that psychological counseling, focusing on anxiety and depression, should be involved in the education preventive program for teachers.
Systematics and evolution of Arctic-Alpine Arabis alpina (Brassicaceae) and its closest relatives in the eastern Mediterranean.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY The high mountains in southern Anatolia and the eastern Mediterranean are assumed to play a major role as a primary center of genetic diversity and species richness in Eurasia. We tested this hypothesis by focusing on the widespread perennial arctic-alpine Arabis alpina and its sympatrically distributed closest relatives in the eastern Mediterranean. METHODS Plastid (trnL intron, trnL-F intergenic spacer) and nuclear (ITS) DNA sequence analysis was used for phylogenetic reconstruction. Broad-scale plastid haplotype analyses were conducted to infer ancestral biogeographic patterns. KEY RESULTS Five Arabis species, identified from the eastern Mediterranean (Turkey mainland and Cyprus), evolved directly and independently from A. alpina, leaving Arabis alpina as a paraphyletic taxon. These species are not affected by hybridization or introgression, and species divergence took place at the diploid level during the Pleistocene. CONCLUSIONS Pleistocene climate fluctuations produced local altitudinal range-shifts among mountain glacial survival areas, resulting not only in the accumulation of intraspecific genotype diversity but also in the formation of five local species. We also show that the closest sister group of Arabis alpina consists exclusively of annuals/winter annuals and diverged prior to Pleistocene climatic fluctuations during the colonization of the lowland Mediterranean landscape. These findings highlight that Anatolia is not only a center of species richness but also a center for life-history diversification.
Global output feedback control for multiple robotic manipulators

This paper investigates the global output feedback tracking control problem for multiple robotic manipulators. Firstly, the global nonsingular coordinate transformation to obtain a partially linear system is provided based on the solution of a set of partial differential equations. Then, a new class of velocity observers is designed to estimate the unmeasurable velocities for each system. By employing the estimators, we propose distributed control laws such that the UGAS (uniform global asymptotic stability) is achieved. The theoretical results are further validated by numerical simulations.
A comparison of wireless geolocation algorithms in the indoor environment

This paper presents a quantitative comparison of various geolocation algorithms for the indoor wireless environment. Using models recently developed for time-of-arrival (TOA) distance measurement errors in the indoor environment, we characterize the performance of standard least-square (LS), closest-neighbor (CN), and the residual weighting (RWGH) algorithms in line-of-sight (LOS), obstructed LOS (OLOS), and mixed LOS/OLOS channel conditions. We also evaluate the performance of these algorithms in relation to the size of the indoor area over which a user is to be located.
VISCERAL FAT CONTRIBUTION OF INSULIN RESISTANCE IN ELDERLY PEOPLE

Federation (IDF) definition for a Europid population. Analysis of covariance with age-adjusted means was used to evaluate the association between MS component factors and the level of physical activity in both sexes. Logistic regression using a model adjusted for age and sex was used to calculate the odds ratio for MS diagnosis in each physical activity stratum. Mean age standard deviation was 68 5. According to the IDF definition, 64% of the women and 44% of the men had MS. Mean weekly metabolic energy expenditure was not different in the groups with and without MS for either sex. Table 1 shows the results for the logistic regression of MS on physical activity levels adjusted for age and sex. The odds ratio of having MS was the same for all three physical activity categories, even when the data were separated into predefined age bands. In this senior population, irrespective of sex, individuals with MS presented the same level of physical activity as those without MS. Previous studies have suggested that a higher number of insufficiently active individuals should be expected in people with MS. It is reasonable to believe that individuals with unfavorable clinical conditions such as those associated with MS may have recently begun to engage in physical activity because of the increasing amount of information currently available on the importance of exercising. Each physical activity category contained approximately one-third of the participants, and the odds associated with having MS was the same in the three categories, which is at variance with a previously published report that showed that the chance of having MS decreased as the level of physical activity increased. Although the consensus in the published literature is that lifestyle is an important factor in the genesis and treatment of several of the alterations that constitute MS, data are still scarce regarding the evaluation of the level of physical activity in individuals of aged 60 and older with MS. The hypothesis of this study was that individuals in the sample were aware of the importance of physical activity, with the result that the level of physical activity was equal in people with and without MS because of information and advice regarding the importance of physical activity. Randomized, longitudinal studies of people aged 60 and older are needed to make conclusions on causality.
Pleiotropic Effects of GacA on Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1 In Vitro and in Soil

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas species can exhibit phenotypic variation resulting from gacS or gacA mutation. P. fluorescens Pf0-1 is a gacA mutant and exhibits pleiotropic changes following the introduction of a functional allele. GacA enhances biofilm development while reducing dissemination in soil, suggesting that alternative Gac phenotypes enable Pseudomonas sp. to exploit varied environments.