Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Children’s Conceptions of the Moral Standing of a Humanoid Robot of the Here and Now

Children’s Conceptions of the Moral Standing of a Humanoid Robot of the Here and Now Solace Shen Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Peter H. Kahn, Jr. Department of Psychology Sophisticated humanoid robots have recently moved from the laboratory and research settings to the home environment. Some models are now marketed to families with children, and are designed to engage children in increasingly social and potentially moral interactions. The purpose of this study is to investigate—when children interact with a commercially available humanoid robot and witness a human causing a harm to the robot—whether children conceptualize the robot as being an entity that deserves moral consideration: what is referred to in this study as having moral standing. Participants included 120 children in 2 age groups (8-9 and 14-15). To assess the effects of the robot’s physical embodiment on participants’ conceptions of the robot’s moral standing, 30 participants from each age group (gender balanced) were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 conditions and interacted with either a humanoid robot or an analogous virtual agent. In each condition, the interaction culminated in a confederate hitting the robot/virtual agent with a book. Each participant was then engaged in a semi-structured interview that ascertained their judgments and reasoning regarding the robot/virtual agent and three comparison entities. Results show that the majority of the participants judged the confederate hitting the robot as a violation of moral obligation, and many brought the concept of artificial emotion to bear in their reasoning. Participants were significantly more likely to judge it a violation of moral obligation to hit the robot than the virtual agent. Moreover, the 8to 9year-olds were significantly more likely than the 14to 15-year-olds to judge it a violation of moral obligation to hit either the robot or the virtual agent. Finally, participants’ conceptions of the robot’s moral standing largely showed a unique composition of moral features when compared to those of the comparison entities. Discussion addresses the broader implications of these findings and future directions for research are offered.
Debt Structure , Agency Costs and Firm ’ s Size : An Empirical Investigation 1

This paper shows that corporate debt type, maturity and priority structures and their determinants are not homogeneous across firms of different size. Small firms use leasing and bank loans and overdraft while large companies rely on loan capital, convertible and subordinated loans. Small companies depend more on secured debt while large companies’ debt is unsecured and subordinated. The results show that 70 per cent of small companies’ debt is short-term, while 64 per cent of the larger companies’ debt is long-term. The regression results suggest that debt structure of large companies is significantly affected by agency cost measures while that of small companies is driven by profitability. JEL classification: G32
The impact of perceptual fluency manipulations on processing speed and ratings of relatedness for gender role schemas using the IAT

The purpose of the current study was to combine research on schema violations and perceptual fluency to determine the impact of perceptual fluency manipulations on ratings of relatedness for gender role schemas through the use of an Implicit Association Test (IAT). The goal of this study was to gain a better understanding of the cognitive impact of processing manipulations. It was hypothesized that congruent blocks would have faster response times than incongruent blocks in the IAT. It was also hypothesized that perceptual fluency could be strategically manipulated to counteract the slowdown effect associated with schema-incongruent information. In addition, it was predicted that ratings of relatedness would be correlated with response times in that perceptually fluent blocks would be rated as more related than perceptually disfluent blocks. The results showed a main effect of congruency on response times and ratings of relatedness. It was found that the slowdown effect could successfully be eliminated through the use of perceptual fluency manipulations. However, perceptual fluency manipulations did not have a significant impact on ratings of relatedness. Future studies should utilize other methods to manipulate perceptual fluency, as well as investigate how changes in response times can influence different types of attribute ratings.
A Generative Model for Recognizing Mixed Group Activities in Still Images

Recognizing multiple mixed group activities from one still image is not a hard problem for humans but remains highly challenging for computer recognition systems. When modelling interactions among multiple units (i.e., more than two groups or persons), the existing approaches tend to divide them into interactions between pairwise units. However, no mathematical evidence supports this transformation. Therefore, these approaches' performance is limited on images containing multiple activities. In this paper, we propose a generative model to provide a more reasonable interpretation for the mixed group activities contained in one image. We design a four level structure and convert the original intra-level interactions into inter-level interactions, in order to implement both interactions among multiple groups and interactions among multiple persons within a group. The proposed four-level structure makes our model more robust against the occlusion and overlap of the visible poses in images. Experimental results demonstrate that our model makes good interpretations for mixed group activities and outperforms the state-of-the-art methods on the Collective Activity Classification dataset.
Functional links between motor and language systems

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied to motor areas in the left language‐dominant hemisphere while right‐handed human subjects made lexical decisions on words related to actions. Response times to words referring to leg actions (e.g. kick) were compared with those to words referring to movements involving the arms and hands (e.g. pick). TMS of hand and leg areas influenced the processing of arm and leg words differentially, as documented by a significant interaction of the factors Stimulation site and Word category. Arm area TMS led to faster arm than leg word responses and the reverse effect, faster lexical decisions on leg than arm words, was present when TMS was applied to leg areas. TMS‐related differences between word categories were not seen in control conditions, when TMS was applied to hand and leg areas in the right hemisphere and during sham stimulation. Our results show that the left hemispheric cortical systems for language and action are linked to each other in a category‐specific manner and that activation in motor and premotor areas can influence the processing of specific kinds of words semantically related to arm or leg actions. By demonstrating specific functional links between action and language systems during lexical processing, these results call into question modular theories of language and motor functions and provide evidence that the two systems interact in the processing of meaningful information about language and action.
Snap-Together Visualization: Evaluating Coordination Usage and Construction

Multiple coordinated visualizations enable users to rapidly explore complex information. However, users often need unforeseen combinations of coordinated visualizations. Snap-Together Visualization is a conceptual model, based on the relational model, and system to enable users to quickly coordinate otherwise-independent visualization tools. Users construct customized browsing environments with coordinations for selecting, navigating, and loading data, without programming. Evaluation revealed benefits, cognitive issues, and usability concerns with coordination concepts and the Snap system. Two user studies explore the value of coordination usage and the learnability of coordination construction. The overview and detail-view coordination improved user performance by 30-80%, depending on task. Data savvy users were very capable and thrilled to rapidly construct powerful coordinated visualizations.
Researches on the technology of high performance microprogrammed control

A new technology of high performance microprogrammed control is proposed: the executing speed of instruction is improved by using the technique of multiple-control-field, and the word length of microinstruction is reduced by using the technique of set-direct-control. The technique of multiple-control-field is to merge N microinstructions for interpreting a machine instruction into one microinstruction containing N control fields. The functions of original N microinstructions with single control field are implemented by accessing control memory only once. So the executing time of microinstruction is no longer depended on the time of accessing control memory. With set-direct-control, all microinstructions are divided into sets, the control field of microinstruction is divided into a set-selecting field and a microcommand field. Each bit in the microcommand field of microinstruction uniquely represents one microoperation in one set of microinstruction, but may represent other microoperation if it is in a different set. It is determined by set-selecting-bit that what microoperations are given in a microinstruction. Reducing word length of microinstruction by multiplex bit among different sets of microinstruction.
A Generic Security Proof for Quantum Key Distribution

Quantum key distribution allows two parties, traditionally known as Alice and Bob, to establish a secure random cryptographic key if, firstly, they have access to a quantum communication channel, and secondly, they can exchange classical public messages which can be monitored but not altered by an eavesdropper, Eve. Quantum key distribution provides perfect security because, unlike its classical counterpart, it relies on the laws of physics rather than on ensuring that successful eavesdropping would require excessive computational effort. However, security proofs of quantum key distribution are not trivial and are usually restricted in their applicability to specific protocols. In contrast, we present a general and conceptually simple proof which can be applied to a number of different protocols. It relies on the fact that a cryptographic procedure called privacy amplification is equally secure when an adversary’s memory for data storage is quantum rather than classical [1].
A Probabilistic Load Flow with Consideration of Network Topology Uncertainties

Our past research proposed to apply Comulants and Gram-Charlier expansion method to perform probabilistic load flow studies with consideration of generation and load uncertainties. This paper proposed a new method to improve the previous PLF computation method in order to model the network topology uncertainties. This innovative method uses distribution factor concept to model the impact of network uncertainties as a linear function of power injections. Maintaining the linear relationship between line flows and power injections enables applying Cumulants and Gram-Charlier expansion method to compute probabilistic distribution functions of transmission line flows. The proposed method is examined using IEEE 30-bus test system. Numerical comparison with Monte Carlo simulation method is also presented in this paper. Study results indicate that the proposed method has significantly reduced the computational efforts while maintaining a high degree of accuracy.
Extracellular signal‐dependent nuclear import of Stat1 is mediated by nuclear pore‐targeting complex formation with NPI‐1, but not Rch1

In response to interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ), Stat1 is tyrosine phosphorylated and translocates to the nucleus where it activates transcription. In this study, we identified factors which mediate the nuclear import of Stat1. Tyrosine‐phosphorylated Stat1 associated with the β subunit (a 97 kDa component) of the nuclear pore‐targeting complex via the NPI‐1 family, but not the Rch1 family, of α subunit (a 58 kDa component) as a result of IFN‐γ stimulation. Antibodies against NPI‐1 or β subunit consistently inhibited the IFN‐γ‐dependent nuclear import of Stat1 in living cells, although antibodies reactive to Rch1 had no effect. Solution binding assays with deletion mutants of NPI‐1 showed that the Stat1‐binding domain of NPI‐1 was located in the carboxy‐terminal region, which is clearly distinct from the SV40 large T antigen nuclear localization signal (NLS)‐binding region. These results indicate that the extracellular signal‐dependent nuclear transport of Stat1 is mediated by NPI‐1, but not Rch1, in conjunction with β subunit, and that these factors participate in, not only constitutive, but also the conditional nuclear import of proteins.
Effects of Repeatedly Heated Palm Oil on Serum Lipid Profile, Lipid Peroxidation and Homocysteine Levels in a Post-Menopausal Rat Model

Oxidized unsaturated fatty acids may contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In the present study, we examined the effects of heated palm oil mixed with 2% cholesterol diet on serum lipid profile, homocysteine and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels in estrogen-deficient rats. Twenty-four female Sprague Dawley rats were ovariectomized and then were divided equally into four groups. The control group was given 2% cholesterol diet only throughout the study period. The three treatment groups received 2% cholesterol diet fortified with fresh, once-heated or five-times-heated palm oil, respectively. Serum TBARS, lipid profile and homocysteine levels were measured prior to ovariectomy and at the end of four months of the study. Five-times-heated palm oil caused a significant increase in TBARS and total cholesterol (TC) compared to control (F = 22.529, p < 0.05). There was a significant increase in serum homocysteine in the control as well as five-times heated palm oil group compared to fresh and once-heated palm oil groups (F = 4.432, p < 0.05). The findings suggest that repeatedly heated palm oil increase lipid peroxidation and TC. Ovariectomy increases the development of atherosclerosis as seen in this study. Feeding with fresh and once-heated palm oil does not cause any deleterious effect but repeatedly heated oil may be harmful because it causes oxidative damage thereby predisposing to atherosclerosis.
The liquid woman: A discourse analysis concerning women’s sexual (in)abilities in women’s lifestyle magazines

Research on sexuality in women’s magazines has identified dominant ideologies that promote sexual role stereotypes. Five women’s lifestyle magazines were analysed to identify ways in which women’s sexuality was represented. Using a Discourse Analysis four different interpretive repertoires were identified: the intimate entrepreneurship repertoire; men-ology; transforming the self (Gill, 2009) and dressed-down libido. A critical feminist analysis of the selected articles regarding how ‘great’ sex could be achieved suggested that far from promoting women’s sexual pleasure and empowerment, men’s sexuality was privileged. Although many discourses represent women as having sexual agency, it can be argued that women’s sexuality has not been ‘liberated’.
Capacity modeling for admission control in WiMAX networks

WiMAX networks support QoS reservation of resources by allowing a new flow to apply for admittance in the system. Thus, there is a need for an accurate estimation of the available capacity to be shared by incoming connections. Admission control algorithm must ensure that, when a new QoS resource reservation is accepted, reservations already present in the system continue having their QoS guarantees honored. Its efficiency is then expressed in terms of accuracy and computational complexity which is the focus of the work in this thesis. Different approaches are presented to compute the aggregated allocated capacity in WiMAX networks and, based on their limitations, the E-Diophantine solution has been proposed. The mathematical foundations for the designed approach are provided along with the performance improvements to be expected, both in accuracy and computational terms, as compared to three alternatives of increasing complexity. The different solutions considered are validated and evaluated with OPNET’s WiMAX simulator in a realistic scenario. Finally, the multi-hop relay case is analyzed: a capacity model description is provided together with a conjectured reuse of the admission control algorithm designed.
Does repeat tibial tubercle osteotomy or intramedullary extension affect the union rate in revision total knee arthroplasty?

Background and purpose Tibial tubercle osteotomy (TTO) is an established surgical technique for exposing the stiff knee in revision total knee arthroplasty (RTKA). The osteotomy is usually performed through the anterior metaphyseal cancellous bone of the tibia but it can be extended into the intramedullary canal if tibial stem and cement removal are necessary. Furthermore, repeat osteotomy may be required in another RTKA. We assessed whether intramedullary extension of TTO or repeat osteotomy affected the healing rate in RTKA. Methods We retrospectively evaluated 74 consecutive patients (39 women) with an average age of 60 (29–89) years who underwent 87 TTOs during RTKA. 1 patient had bilateral TTO. 10 patients had repeat TTO and 1 patient received 3 TTOs in the same knee. The osteotomy was extramedullary in 57 knees and intramedullary in 30 knees. Osteotomy repair was performed with bicortical screws and/or wires. Results Bone healing occurred in all the cases. The median time to union was 15 (6–47) weeks. The median healing time for the extramedullary osteotomy group was 12 weeks and for the intramedullary osteotomy group it was 21 weeks (p = 0.002). Repeat osteotomy was not associated with delayed union. Neither intramedullary nor repeat osteotomy was found to increase the complication rate of the procedure. Interpretation Reliable bone healing can be expected with intramedullary extension or repeat TTO in RTKA. However, intramedullary extension of the osteotomy prolongs the union time of the tibial tubercle.
Perceived Multicultural Counseling Competence of Malaysian Counselors: An Exploratory Study

This study investigated the nature and extent of perceived multicultural counseling competence (MCC) of 508 professional counselors in Malaysia using a national survey approach. Differences in counselors' perceived MCC pertaining to gender, ethnicity, highest education, and multicultural training were examined. Results revealed 5 factors as constituents of MCC and significant differences in perceived MCCs due to ethnicity, highest education, and participation in multicultural training. Implications for future research, counselor education, and counseling practice are discussed. Este estudio investigo la naturaleza y la extension de la competencia en consejeria multicultural (MCC, por sus siglas en ingles) percibida de 508 consejeros profesionales en Malasia usando un enfoque de encuesta nacional. Se examinaron las diferencias en la MCC percibida de los consejeros respecto a sexo, etnicidad, nivel maximo de educacion y capacitacion multicultural. Los resultados revelaron 5 factores constituyentes de MCC y diferencias significativas en las MCC debido a etnicidad, nivel maximo de educacion y participacion en capacitacion multicultural. Se discuten las implicaciones para investigaciones futuras, educacion de consejeros y practica de la consejeria.
Chemical composition and insecticide activity of lemon verbena essential oil

Essential oil extracted from the leaves of Lemon verbena, Lippia citriodora Kunth (Verbenaceae) was tested for fumigant toxicity in the laboratory against two stored-product insects Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val and Callosobruchus maculatus (F.). The chemical composition of the isolated oil was examined by GC-MS. The major compounds were citral (11.3%), limonene (10.6%), neral (7.9%), 4-phenyl undecan-4-ol (7.7%), α- curcumene (6.5%), α-cedrol (4.5%) and caryophyllene oxide (4.5%). Furthermore, lesser amounts of the other components include carveol (3.7%), linalool (3.5%), α-pinene (3.2%), caryophyllene (2.8%) and geranyl acetat (1.8%) were existed in the essential oil. In the fumigant toxicity set at 27 ± 1 °C and 65 ± 5% R. H. , darkness condition and 24 h exposure time, considerable differences in mortality of insect to essential oil vapor were observed. C. maculatus (LC 50 = 10.2 µl/l air) was significantly more susceptible than T. confusum (LC50 = 497.8 µl/l air). These results suggested that essential oil of L. citriodora could be used as a potential control agent against stored-product insects.
The Roles of Corporate Governance in Bank Failures during the Recent Financial Crisis

This paper analyzes the roles of corporate governance in bank defaults during the recent financial crisis. We investigate the impacts of bank ownership and management structures on the probability of default of US commercial banks. Our results suggest that defaults are strongly influenced by a bank’s ownership structure: high shareholdings of lower-level management, such as vice presidents, increase default risk significantly. In contrast, shareholdings of outside directors and chief officers (managers with a “chief officer” position, such as the CEO, CFO, etc.) do not have a direct impact on the probability of failure. These findings suggest that high stakes in the bank induce lower-level management to take high risks due to moral hazard incentives, which may eventually result in bank default. Our results further show that the probability of default specifically increases when incentives of chief officers and lower-level management are aligned. Accounting variables, such as capital, earnings, and non-performing loans, also help predict bank default. However, other potential stability indicators, such as the management structure of the bank, appear to be less important.
A Profilometric Study to Assess the Role of Toothbrush and Toothpaste in Abrasion Process

Statement of the Problem Despite of many studies conducted on toothbrushes and toothpaste to find out the culprit for abrasion, there is no clear cut evidence to pin point the real cause for abrasion. Purpose An in vitro assessment of the role of different types of toothbrushes (soft/ medium/hard) in abrasion process when used in conjunction with and without a dentifrice. Materials and Method Forty five freshly extracted, sound, human incisor teeth were collected for this study. Enamel specimens of approximately 9 mm2 were prepared by gross trimming of extracted teeth using a lathe machine (Baldor 340 Dental lathe; Ohio, USA). They were mounted on separate acrylic bases. The specimens were divided into three groups, each group containing 15 mounted specimens. Group 1 specimens were brushed with soft toothbrush; Group 2 brushed with medium toothbrush and Group 3 with hard toothbrush. Initially, all the mounted specimens in each group were brushed using dentifrice and then the same procedure was repeated with water as control. Profilometric readings were recorded pre and post to tooth brushing and the differences in readings served as proxy measure to assess surface abrasion. These values were then compared to each other. Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney U test were performed. Results The results showed that brushing, with water alone, caused less abrasion than when toothpaste was added (p< 0.008). When brushed with water, the harder toothbrush caused more abrasion (higher Ra-value), but when toothpaste was added, the softer toothbrush caused more abrasion (p< 0.001). Conclusion Besides supporting the fact that toothpaste is needed to create a significant abrasion, this study also showed that a softer toothbrush can cause more abrasion than harder ones. The flexibility of bristles is only secondary to abrasion process and abrasivity of dentifrice has an important role in abrasion process.