Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vision based cross sectional area estimator for industrial rubber profile extrusion process controlling

This paper presents a vision based cross sectional area measurement system suitable for in-process quality controlling of rubber profile extrusions via cross section measurements. The system is basically developed for solid trapezoidal shaped rubber profiles commonly used in the rubber tack manufacturing industry. Since the extrusion continuously comes out the extruder, it is impossible to view the cross section directly. So in the proposed system, a laser projected at an angle on to the profile is used which is finally observed by a camera. Laser projections seen in each camera image is processed in a general purpose note book computer by the use of a vision software to estimate the cross section area of the actual profile. The paper contains the development approach of the method, experimental results and further improvement tips. Several test results are also presented in order to give an idea of the system accuracy and repeatability. The technology with further developments can be used as closed loop feedbacks for efficient process controlling of rubber profile extruders.
Simulating the spectral properties of iron-bearing regions of Mars using the SPLITS model

The mineralogy and environmental history of Mars are been extensively investigated through remote sensing observations paired with laboratory and in situ experiments. A significant portion of these experiments is being devoted to the identification and quantification of different iron oxides present in the Martian terrains. Although such experiments can provide valuable information regarding the presence of these minerals, the scope of the resulting observations may be hindered by logistics and cost-related constraints. We believe that predictive computer simulations can be employed to mitigate some of these constraints and contribute to the generation and validation of hypotheses in this area. Accordingly, we propose the use of SPLITS (Spectral Light Transport Model for Sand) in investigations involving the spectral signatures of iron-rich sand-textured soils found on Mars, and demonstrate its predictive capabilities in this context through comparisons of modeled results with actual measured data.
Novel IPCA-Based Classifiers and Their Application to Spam Filtering

This paper proposes a novel two-class classifier, called IPCAC, based on the Isotropic Principal Component Analysis technique; it allows to deal with training data drawn from Mixture of Gaussian distributions, by projecting the data on the Fisher subspace that separates the two classes. The obtained results demonstrate that IPCAC is a promising technique; furthermore, to cope with training datasets being dynamically supplied, and to work with non-linearly separable classes, two improvements of this classifier are defined: a model merging algorithm, and a kernel version of IPCAC. The effectiveness of the proposed methods is shown by their application to the spam classification problem, and by the comparison of the achieved results with those obtained by Support Vector Machines SVM, and K-Nearest Neighbors KNN.
DOOM'd to Switch: Superior Cognitive Flexibility in Players of First Person Shooter Games

The interest in the influence of videogame experience on our daily life is constantly growing. “First Person Shooter” (FPS) games require players to develop a flexible mindset to rapidly react to fast moving visual and auditory stimuli, and to switch back and forth between different subtasks. This study investigated whether and to which degree experience with such videogames generalizes to other cognitive-control tasks. Video-game players (VGPs) and individuals with little to no videogame experience (NVGPs) performed on a task switching paradigm that provides a relatively well-established diagnostic measure of cognitive flexibility. As predicted, VGPs showed smaller switching costs (i.e., greater cognitive flexibility) than NVGPs. Our findings support the idea that playing FPS games promotes cognitive flexibility.
THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF FACTOR ANALYSIS ON ERROR REDUCTION

This study demonstrates that a commonly used type of factor analysis, principle components analysis, contributes to the amount of error in statistical analysis. In the study, which concerns email use, factor analyses were performed using several different factor analysis methods. The results show that using factors derived via principle components analysis as dependent variables substantially increased the amount of error in regression analyses, and in several cases reduced the amount of explained variance.
Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 - insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 cascade regulates stress-induced senescence

Cellular senescence is widely believed to play a key role in tumor suppression, but the molecular pathways that regulate senescence are only incompletely understood. By using a secretome proteomics approach, we identified insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) as a secreted mediator of breast cancer senescence upon chemotherapeutic drug treatment. The senescence-inducing activity of IGFBP3 is inhibited by tissue-type plasminogen activator-mediated proteolysis, which is counteracted by plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), another secreted mediator of senescence. We demonstrate that IGFBP3 is a critical downstream target of PAI-1-induced senescence. These results suggest a role for an extracellular cascade of secreted proteins in the regulation of cellular senescence.
Factorization Machines

In this paper, we introduce Factorization Machines (FM) which are a new model class that combines the advantages of Support Vector Machines (SVM) with factorization models. Like SVMs, FMs are a general predictor working with any real valued feature vector. In contrast to SVMs, FMs model all interactions between variables using factorized parameters. Thus they are able to estimate interactions even in problems with huge sparsity (like recommender systems) where SVMs fail. We show that the model equation of FMs can be calculated in linear time and thus FMs can be optimized directly. So unlike nonlinear SVMs, a transformation in the dual form is not necessary and the model parameters can be estimated directly without the need of any support vector in the solution. We show the relationship to SVMs and the advantages of FMs for parameter estimation in sparse settings. On the other hand there are many different factorization models like matrix factorization, parallel factor analysis or specialized models like SVD++, PITF or FPMC. The drawback of these models is that they are not applicable for general prediction tasks but work only with special input data. Furthermore their model equations and optimization algorithms are derived individually for each task. We show that FMs can mimic these models just by specifying the input data (i.e. the feature vectors). This makes FMs easily applicable even for users without expert knowledge in factorization models.
Leveraging Global Resources: A Process Maturity Framework for Managing Distributed Software Product Development

Distributed software development is pervasive in the software industry as companies vie to leverage global resources. However popular quality and process frameworks do not specifically address the key processes needed for managing distributed software development. We develop an evolutionary process maturity framework for globally distributed software development that incorporates 24 new key process areas essential for managing distributed software product development We test the validity of our process framework using data collected from more than sixty large, distributed enterprise product development projects. We believe we have laid new ground for software process research by extending generic quality process frameworks to address the distributed development scenario.
Molecular Epidemiology of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Zürich, Switzerland (2003): Prevalence of Type IV SCCmec and a New SCCmec Element Associated with Isolates from Intravenous Drug Users

ABSTRACT The majority of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates, recovered in 2003 at the Department of Medical Microbiology in Zürich, Switzerland, belonged to major clones that are circulating worldwide. Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec type IV (SCCmec-IV), harbored by half of the isolates, was found in sequence type 217 (ST217), which is an allelic variant of epidemic MRSA-15 (designated EMRSA-15), in a new local ST617 descending from clonal complex CC8 and in low-level oxacillin-resistant strains of multiple genetic lineages characteristic of community-onset MRSA. SCCmec-I, SCCmec-II, and SCCmec-III were in the minority, and four MRSA isolates had complex, rearranged SCCmec elements. A novel SCCmec-N1 of approximately 30 kb, associated with a dfrA gene and a ccr4-related recombinase complex, was identified in a large number of low-level oxacillin-resistant isolates, which descended from the successful clonal complex CC45 and are spreading among intraveneous drug users. In contrast, the SCCmec types of oxacillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCNS) were of completely different composition. SCCmec type I (SCCmec-I) and SCCmec-II were more frequent than in the MRSA, while fewer contained SCCmec-IV. The other MRCNS displayed 11 different, complex patterns, suggesting frequent recombination between different SCCmec elements. With one ccr-negative exception, these strains amplified between one and three different ccr products, indicating either new varied complexes or multiple ccr loci. This suggests the presence of novel SCCmec types in MRCNS and no extensive interspecies SCCmec transfer between MRSA and MRCNS.
A Massive Neutron Star in the Globular Cluster M5

We report the results of 19 years of Arecibo timing for two pulsars in the globular cluster NGC 5904 (M5), PSR B1516+02A (M5A) and PSR B1516+02B (M5B). This has resulted in the measurement of the proper motions of these pulsars and, by extension, that of the cluster itself. M5B is a 7.95 ms pulsar in a binary system with a >0.13 M☉ companion and an orbital period of 6.86 days. In deep HST images, no optical counterpart is detected within ~2.5 σ of the position of the pulsar, implying that the companion is either a white dwarf or a low-mass main-sequence star. The eccentricity of the orbit (e = 0.14) has allowed a measurement of the rate of advance of periastron: ω̇ = 0.0142° ± 0.0007° yr −1. We argue that it is very likely that this periastron advance is due to the effects of general relativity, the total mass of the binary system then being 2.29 ± 0.17 M☉. The small measured mass function implies, in a statistical sense, that a very large fraction of this total mass is contained in the pulsar: Mp = 2.08 ± 0.19 M☉ (1 σ); there is a 5% probability that the mass of this object is <1.72 M☉ and a 0.77% probability that 1.2 M☉ ⩽ Mp ⩽ 1.44 M☉. Confirmation of the median mass for this neutron star would exclude most “soft” equations of state for dense neutron matter. Millisecond pulsars (MSPs) appear to have a much wider mass distribution than is found in double neutron star systems; about half of these objects are significantly more massive than 1.44 M☉. A possible cause is the much longer episode of mass accretion necessary to recycle a MSP, which in some cases corresponds to a much larger mass transfer.
Workplace Performance, Worker Commitment and Loyalty

Using matched employer-employee level data drawn from the 2004 UK Workplace and Employee Relations Survey, we explore the determinants of a measure of worker commitment and loyalty (CLI) and whether CLI influences workplace performance. Factors influencing employee commitment and loyalty include age and gender, whilst workplace level characteristics of importance include human resource practices. With respect to the effects of employee commitment and loyalty upon the workplace, higher CLI is associated with enhanced workplace performance. Our findings that workplace human resources influence CLI suggest that employers may be able to exert some influence over the commitment and loyalty of its workforce, which, in turn, may affect workplace performance.
Forms of aggression, peer relationships, and relational victimization among Chinese adolescent girls and boys: roles of prosocial behavior

Through a sample of 686 Chinese adolescents (mean age = 13.73 years; 50% girls), we examined the compensatory and moderating effects of prosocial behavior on the direct and indirect associations between forms of aggression and relational victimization mediated by peer relationships among adolescent girls and boys. The results indicated that only adolescent girls’ relationally aggressive behaviors could be directly linked with their experiences of relational victimization, and both relationally and overtly aggressive adolescent boys and girls might be more often rejected by their peers, which, in turn, could make them targets of relational aggression. Next, we found that prosocial behavior indirectly counteracts the effects of aggression on relational victimization through reducing adolescents’ peer rejection and promoting adolescents’ peer attachment. In addition, relationally aggressive girls with high levels of prosocial behavior might be less rejected by peers; however, they might also have lower levels of peer attachment and be more likely to experience relational victimization. Last, adolescent boys scored higher on risks, but lower on the protective factors of relational victimization than girls, which, to some degree, might explain the gender difference in relational victimization. Finally, we discussed the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.
What if we could Imagine an Ideal University? Narratives by Students with Disabilities

Abstract This article presents the results of a project entitled, ‘Analysis of University Barriers and Aids Identified by Students with Disabilities’, carried out in a Spanish University. The study used the biographical–narrative methodology, which emphasises the importance of people talking about themselves without silencing their subjectivity. Different types of data collection instruments, such as biographic interview, timelines and photography, were employed to acquire this information. The Results section presents proposals made by students with disabilities which could contribute to developing a more inclusive university. Some of their suggestions were that students with disabilities should be better informed and oriented, academic staff should be better trained to favour their educational inclusion, the settings and infrastructures should be accessible, and universities should be prepared to deal with people with disabilities. The conclusions discuss the main findings of the analysis, comparing them with other previous studies, and making some proposals that help universities progress towards inclusive education.
Lithium hydride in the early Universe and in protogalactic clouds

We examine the processes of formation and destruction of LiH molecules in the primordial gas at temperatures T \leq 5000 K in the framework of standard Friedmann cosmological models and we compute the optical depth of the Universe due to Thomson scattering of cosmic background photons on LiH. With the help of a simple model of evolution of a spherical density perturbation we follow the linear growth and the subsequent collapse of protogalactic clouds of various masses, evaluating consistently their physical characteristics and chemical composition. We determine the expected level of anisotropy of the cosmic background radiation due to the presence of LiH molecules in high-redshift protogalactic clouds. We conclude that LiH spectral features generated in the primordial gas are hardly detectable with current techniques and instrumentation.
Chemical abundances for Hf 2-2, a planetary nebula with the strongest-known heavy-element recombination lines

We present high-quality optical spectroscopic observations of the planetary nebula (PN) Hf 2-2. The spectrum exhibits many prominent optical recombination lines (ORLs) from heavy-element ions. Analysis of the H i and He i recombination spectrum yields an electron temperature of ∼900 K, a factor of 10 lower than given by the collisionally excited [O iii] forbidden lines. The ionic abundances of heavy elements relative to hydrogen derived from ORLs are about a factor of 70 higher than those deduced from collisionally excited lines (CELs) from the same ions, the largest abundance discrepancy factor (adf) ever measured for a PN. By comparing the observed O iiλ4089/λ4649 ORL ratio to theoretical value as a function of electron temperature, we show that the O ii ORLs arise from ionized regions with an electron temperature of only ∼630 K. The current observations thus provide the strongest evidence that the nebula contains another previously unknown component of cold, high-metallicity gas, which is too cool to excite any significant optical or ultraviolet CELs and is thus invisible via such lines. The existence of such a plasma component in PNe provides a natural solution to the long-standing dichotomy between nebular plasma diagnostics and abundance determinations using CELs on the one hand and ORLs on the other. © 2006 RAS.
Learning styles of entrepreneurs in knowledge-intensive industries

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore whether there is a prevalent entrepreneurial learning style trait associated with successful knowledge industry entrepreneurial practice. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews prior entrepreneurship studies utilizing experiential learning theory and examines the learning style preferences of 168 knowledge industry entrepreneurs to deduce a hypothesized entrepreneurial learning style. The entrepreneur participants’ Kolb Learning Style Inventory scores are modeled to explore causal links to individual and firm level entrepreneurial success. Findings Preference for the Kolb Active Experimentation (AE) learning mode over Reflective Observation (RO) predicts adoption of a key entrepreneurial innovation behavior and significant entrepreneurial performance benefits. In contrast to published theories, the RO learning mode exhibits surprising negative effects on entrepreneurial performance. Data analysis also reveals that 90 percent of sampled co-founder/partners had at least one partner with the hypothesized entrepreneurial style. Research limitations/implications The study fills a major research gap in entrepreneurial learning literature by identifying learning style traits associated with entrepreneurial success. The study findings can also be used by educators, practitioners and investors to help identify, appraise and develop entrepreneurial talent. Originality/value The study provides novel insights into the learning styles of practicing technology entrepreneurs by establishing a significant preference within this community for the AE and Concrete Experience learning modes. The study illustrates the negative effects of the RO learning mode which has previously linked to successful entrepreneurial practice.
Examining music teachers self-confidence levels in using information and communication technologies for education based on measurable variables

Rapid developments and innovations in technology have impact on individuals. The use of technology for one’s daily life has become a necessity; therefore, the development and popularization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) is use as a tool for solving educational problems. Because educational technologies play a major role both in learning and teaching, it is undoubtedly required that music teachers have the knowledge and skills of using these technologies. Teachers should use technologies that are appropriate to the course objective, and they should be used to make students understand the course material better, and form permanent knowledge. For that reason, this study aims to determine music teachers' self-confidence levels in the use of information and communication technologies in education based on variables analyzed with a descriptive screening model. For data collection, a 5-point Likert-type scale was used. In conclusion, this study did not find a significant difference in terms of gender and age variables. However, professional seniority, having a personal computer or not, and having access to internet at home or not, all had a significant effect on self-confidence.
Analysis on Asymmetrical Fluctuation of Stock Returns on Historical Information in China

This paper tests the existence of asymmetrical volatility clustering in Chinese emerging stock market and it is found that when innovation is negative, the fluctuation equation is significantly different from the model when innovation is positive. This paper discusses the volatility's asymmetrical reaction to autocorrelation of stock return and estimates the threshold value of ACF (autocorrelation function). Finally, it is proved by the empirical results that the difference of effect of innovation to fluctuation is significant between positive ACF that is more than some threshold value and negative ACF that is less than other threshold value.
Immunosuppressive Therapy in Patients with Aplastic Anemia: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Background Aplastic anemia (AA) is a rare disease in which hematopoietic stem cells are severely diminished resulting in hypocellular bone marrow and pancytopenia. Etiology of AA includes auto immunity, toxins, infection, ionizing radiation, drugs and rare genetic disorders, but in the majority of cases no cause can be identified. In the present study we assessed response rate, survival, relapse and clonal evolution in patients with AA treated with immunosuppressive therapy. Methods Patients with AA who received immunosuppressive therapy between May 1998 and September 2013 were included in this study. Patients with non-severe AA (NSAA) were treated with cyclosporine (CsA) and danazol while patients with severe AA (SAA) as well as patients with NSAA who progressed to SAA after beginning of the treatment, were candidates for receiving antithymocyte globulin in addition to CsA and danazol. Results Among the 63 studied patients, 29 (46%) had NSAA and 34 (54%) had SAA. Three months after treatment, overall response was 58.6% in NSAA and 12.9% in patients with SAA. Survival of all patients at 5, 10 and 15 years were 73%, 55% and 49%, respectively. Survival rates were significantly higher in patients with NSAA compared to patients with SAA as well as in patients who responded at 6 months compared to non-responders. The relapse risk was 39.7% at 10 years. Relapse occurred in patients who discontinued the therapy more than those who continued taking CsA (p value<0.01). The risk of clonal evolution was 9.9% at 10 years and 22.8% at 15 years after treatment. Conclusion This long-term retrospective study indicated that immunosuppressive therapy should be recommended to patients with AA. Also, our experience indicated that immunosuppressive therapy should not be discontinued after response to therapy in patients with both NSAA and SAA due to high risk of relapse. Low dose of CsA should be continued indefinitely.