Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The evaluation of sources of knowledge underlying different conceptual categories

According to the “embodied cognition” theory and the “sensory-motor model of semantic knowledge”: (a) concepts are represented in the brain in the same format in which they are constructed by the sensory-motor system and (b) various conceptual categories differ according to the weight of different kinds of information in their representation. In this study, we tried to check the second assumption by asking normal elderly subjects to subjectively evaluate the role of various perceptual, motor and language-mediated sources of knowledge in the construction of different semantic categories. Our first aim was to rate the influence of different sources of knowledge in the representation of animals, plant life and artifact categories, rather than in living and non-living beings, as many previous studies on this subject have done. We also tried to check the influence of age and stimulus modality on these evaluations of the “sources of knowledge” underlying different conceptual categories. The influence of age was checked by comparing results obtained in our group of elderly subjects with those obtained in a previous study, conducted with a similar methodology on a sample of young students. And the influence of stimulus modality was assessed by presenting the stimuli in the verbal modality to 50 subjects and in the pictorial modality to 50 other subjects. The distinction between “animals” and “plant life” in the “living” categories was confirmed by analyzing their prevalent sources of knowledge and by a cluster analysis, which allowed us to distinguish “plant life” items from animals. Furthermore, results of the study showed: (a) that our subjects considered the visual modality as the main source of knowledge for all categories taken into account; and (b) that in biological categories the next most important source of information was represented by other perceptual modalities, whereas in artifacts it was represented by the actions performed with them. Finally, age and stimulus modality did not significantly influence judgment of relevance of the sources of knowledge involved in the construction of different conceptual categories.
A Natural Policy Gradient

We provide a natural gradient method that represents the steepest descent direction based on the underlying structure of the parameter space. Although gradient methods cannot make large changes in the values of the parameters, we show that the natural gradient is moving toward choosing a greedy optimal action rather than just a better action. These greedy optimal actions are those that would be chosen under one improvement step of policy iteration with approximate, compatible value functions, as defined by Sutton et al. [9]. We then show drastic performance improvements in simple MDPs and in the more challenging MDP of Tetris.
Classifier vote and Gabor filter banks for wafer segmentation

In the last decade, the accessibility of inexpensive and powerful computers has allowed true digital holography to be used for industrial inspection. This technique allows capturing a complex image of a scene (i.e. containing magnitude and phase), and reconstructing the phase and magnitude information. Digital holograms give a new dimension to texture analysis since the topology information can be used as an additional way to extract features. This new technique can be used to extend previous work on image segmentation of patterned wafers for defect detection. This paper presents a combination of features obtained from Gabor filters on different complex images. The combination enables to cope with the intensity variations occurring during the holography and provides final results which are independent from the selected training samples.
The Moderating Effect of Trust on Formal Control Mechanisms in International Alliances

This study aims to shed light on the controversial debate regarding the substitutive or complementary nature of the relationship between inter-organizational trust and formal control as governance mechanisms in affecting international alliance performance. We deepen understanding of the trust–formal control interaction by considering the multidimensional nature of formal control – both output and process control – and examining the role of trust as a moderating variable in the relationship between these two distinct kinds of control and alliance performance. We test the research hypotheses on a sample of 138 international alliances involving Italian firms and foreign partners. First, we find that only output control has a significant positive influence on alliance performance and that trust shows a fully significant positive effect on alliance success. Second, we find that trust moderates the effect of formal control on alliance performance by reducing the relevance of output control and increasing that of process control.
Late-time asymptotic dynamics of Bianchi VIII cosmologies

In this paper we give, for the first time, a complete description of the late-time evolution of non-tilted spatially homogeneous cosmologies of Bianchi type VIII. The source is assumed to be a perfect fluid with equation of state p = (? 1)? , where ? is a constant which satisfies 1 ? 2. Using the orthonormal frame formalism and Hubble-normalized variables, we rigorously establish the limiting behaviour of the models at late times, and give asymptotic expansions for the key physical variables. The main result is that asymptotic self-similarity breaking occurs, and is accompanied by the phenomenon of Weyl curvature dominance, characterized by the divergence of the Hubble-normalized Weyl curvature at late times.
Emotional intelligence in gifted students

This article aims at shedding light on the emotional intelligence (EI) of gifted and high ability students. We begin by presenting a brief overview of EI theory and research and its relevance to gifted education. We then present theoretical considerations bearing on the nature of the relationship between cognitive and EI. This is followed by a survey of correlational and individual difference research bearing on the EI-high ability nexus. We then move on to present a number of general guidelines for the development of an EI training program designed to foster emotional and social competencies in gifted students. We conclude by offering some broad generalizations about EI in gifted students and point out the areas of needed future research.
A Multi-Level Examination of the Relationship Between Student-Centered Faculty Teaching Culture and Spiritual Development in College

Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which faculty culture pertaining to student-centered pedagogy, student–faculty interactions, and faculty goals of enhancing spirituality is associated with spirituality in college students. While individual interactions with faculty have been the focus of spirituality research in recent years, few have examined how exposure to institutional culture fostered by the faculty plays a role in students’ spiritual growth and development. We utilize hierarchical linear modeling to examine the role of faculty culture in spiritual development to fill this gap.
Detecting energy bugs and hotspots in mobile apps

Over the recent years, the popularity of smartphones has increased dramatically. This has lead to a widespread availability of smartphone applications. Since smartphones operate on a limited amount of battery power, it is important to develop tools and techniques that aid in energy-efficient application development. Energy inefficiencies in smartphone applications can broadly be categorized into energy hotspots and energy bugs. An energy hotspot can be described as a scenario where executing an application causes the smartphone to consume abnormally high amount of battery power, even though the utilization of its hardware resources is low. In contrast, an energy bug can be described as a scenario where a malfunctioning application prevents the smartphone from becoming idle, even after it has completed execution and there is no user activity. In this paper, we present an automated test generation framework that detects energy hotspots/bugs in Android applications. Our framework systematically generates test inputs that are likely to capture energy hotspots/bugs. Each test input captures a sequence of user interactions (e.g. touches or taps on the smartphone screen) that leads to an energy hotspot/bug in the application. Evaluation with 30 freely-available Android applications from Google Play/F-Droid shows the efficacy of our framework in finding hotspots/bugs. Manual validation of the experimental results shows that our framework reports reasonably low number of false positives. Finally, we show the usage of the generated results by improving the energy-efficiency of some Android applications.
Some Additional Evidence from the Credit Channel on the Response to Monetary Shocks: Looking for Asymmetries

The credit channel of monetary policy has both cross-sectional and timeseries implications for the reaction of the economy to monetary shocks. This paper focuses on the more rarely investigated time-series aspect and shows that the economy has varying sensitivity to monetary shocks over time. By using a Threshold VAR model, we find that output and credit spreads react much stronger to monetary shocks when cash flows or dividends are low. This distinction in the regimes is in particular more significant than one based on the stage of the business cycle or on the stance of monetary policy. In this sense, the response to a tightening for instance cannot be considered as constant and traditional impulse-response functions have to be taken with some caution.
The Set of Minimal Words of a Context-Free Language is Context-Free

LetAbe a finite, totally ordered alphabet, and let ? be the lexicographic ordering onA*. LetXbe a subset ofA*. Thelanguage of minimal wordsofXis the subset ofXcomposed of the lexicographically minimal word ofXfor each length: Min(X)={x? X| ? w? X, |w|=|x|? x? w}. The aim of this paper is to prove that ifLis a context-free language, then the language Min(L) context-free.
Using students as subjects in requirements prioritization

When conducting research in software engineering, the ultimate goal is usually to come up with results applicable in industry. However, it is not always possible to get industrial professionals to act as subjects in research studies. Instead, students are commonly used as representatives for professionals since they are more convenient to use. This paper presents an experiment on requirements prioritization that was performed with classroom students as subjects. The result of the experiment is compared to the results of similar prioritizations made in student projects, other classroom studies, literature and in an industrial case study. The objective of this comparison was to evaluate in which cases students successfully could be used as subjects in experimentation. The result indicates that students in a classroom environment are less suitable than students in projects as representatives for professionals in studies of this kind. Experience is often mentioned as a factor to determine whether students are suitable or not as subjects. However, commitment seems to be a more important factor in this study. It is concluded that it is important that further research is performed in order to evaluate under what circumstances students are suitable, and what factors that influence the suitability.
Social cognition and relational aggression: an investigation of the cognitive bases of preschoolers' aggressive behaviour

Relational aggression is a subtle form of aggressive behaviour that uses dyadic relationships and manipulation as a vehicle of harm. Little is known about relational aggression in preschool-age children in cultural contexts outside the United States. This study examined relationally aggressive behaviours and prosocial behaviours in Australian preschoolers. The sample consisted of 60 children aged from three to five years (35 boys, 25 girls). Teachers rated children’s social behaviour in terms of relational aggression and prosocial behaviour. Results indicated that teachers report significantly more relational aggression in the oldest age group of children (aged > 4.5 years). Relational aggression was related to lower scores of prosocial behaviour (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found between boys’ and girls’ engagement in relational aggression and prosocial behaviours. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of recognising the prevalence of these aggressive behaviours in Australian preschool-age children and the need for immediate intervention.
Stock Price Patterns around Directors’ Trades on the London Stock Exchange

Previous work examined the long-run profitability of strategies mimicking the trades of company directors in the shares of their own company. However, the evidence regarding returns during the month containing the insider trade was ambiguous. The current paper examines the patterns of security returns in the days around the trades of corporate insiders on the London Stock Exchange. We find patterns in abnormal returns that are consistent with directors engaging in short-term market timing: they sell (buy) after an increase (decline) in prices, and their trades are followed by a partial price reversal. We further investigate these patterns when directors trade after earnings announcements, and report that in the case of buy trades, the closed to an announcement the trade occurs, the larger the subsequent excess returns are, consistently with a sluggish price adjustment after the announcement. Even after adjusting for “microstructure” transaction costs, sizeable net cumulative abnormal returns remain.
The psychometrics of Internet addiction and Internet Gaming Disorder: A step towards measurement unification

Previous research on gaming addiction and Internet addiction (IA) has relied on inconsistent definitions and theoretical frameworks to define these constructs, and has negatively impacted on their assessment. However, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) included 'Internet Gaming Disorder' (IGD) as a tentative disorder in need of further investigation in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Following this preliminary recognition of gaming addiction as potential disorder, unification and standardisation in the field in terms of assessment became possible given that the DSM-5 provided a set of official criteria defining IGD that could be implemented in future research. The research in this thesis substantially contributes to knowledge by (i) systematically reviewing the inconsistencies in the psychometric assessment of IGD and IA, (ii) developing a new potentially unifying standardised psychometric assessment framework for both disorders, and (iii) identifying potential risk factors for IGD and IA. A cross-sectional design was employed across all empirical studies (Study 1, N = 1,003; Study 2, N = 1,060; Study 3, N = 1,105; Study 4, N = 1,100), and the data were analysed using structural equation modelling (i.e., measurement model and latent profile analysis), alongside traditional bivariate statistical modelling. The results indicated that, at a theoretical level, the use of inconsistent assessment tools to investigate IGD and IA has hindered progress in the field. At an empirical level, the Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGD-20 Test) and the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) were developed to assess IGD, and the Internet Disorder Scale (IDS-15) and the Internet Disorder Scale–Short Form (IDS9-SF) were developed to assess IA based on the IGD conceptualisation provided by the APA in the DSM-5. Overall, the research in this thesis confirms the usefulness of the utilisation of the IGD framework and the psychometric tools developed as a potential avenue to overcome the shortcomings related to previous heterogeneity issues in the assessment of both IGD and IA.
The design methodology and implementation of a first-generation CELL processor: a multi-core SoC

This paper reviews the design challenges that current and future processors must face with stringent power limits and high frequency targets, and the design methods required to address the continuing system integration trends. This paper then describes the implementation of a first-generation CELL processor and the design methods used to overcome the above challenges. A CELL processor consists of a 64 bit power architecture processor coupled with multiple synergistic processors, a flexible IO interface, and a memory interface controller that supports multiple operating systems including Linux. This multicore SoC, implemented in 90nm SOI technology, achieved a high clock rate by maximizing custom circuit design while maintaining reasonable complexity through design modularity and reuse.
Eyewitness identification performance on lineups for distinctive suspects

When constructing lineups for suspects with distinctive facial features (e.g., scars, tattoos, piercings), current police guidelines in several countries state that the distinctive suspect must not stand out. To this end, police officers sometimes artificially replicate a suspect’s distinctive feature across the other lineup members (replication); other times, they conceal the feature on the suspect and conceal a similar area on the other members by pixelating the area (pixelation), or covering the area with a solid rectangle (block). Although these three techniques are used frequently, little research has examined their efficacy. This thesis investigates how the lineup techniques for distinctive suspects influence eyewitness identification performance and, in doing so, tests the predictions of a new model of eyewitness decision-making—the diagnostic-feature-detection model (Wixted & Mickes, 2014). The research uses a standard eyewitness identification paradigm and signal detection statistics to examine how replication, pixelation, and block techniques influence identification performance: [1] compared to doing nothing to stop the distinctive suspect from standing out; [2] in young, middle-aged and older adults; and [3] when the culprit does not have the feature during the crime. It also examines [4] how variation in the way the suspect’s feature is replicated influences identification performance. The results converge to suggest that all three lineup techniques currently used by the police to accommodate distinctive suspects are equally effective and, when the culprit has the feature at the time of the crime, all enhance people’s ability to discriminate between innocent and guilty suspects more than doing nothing to prevent a distinctive suspect from standing out. All three lineup techniques enable people of all ages to make highly confident decisions when they are likely to be accurate. These findings align with the predictions of the diagnostic-feature-detection model, which suggests that the model remains a viable theory of eyewitness decision-making.
Error Analysis of Pressure-Correction Schemes for the Time-Dependent Stokes Equations with Open Boundary Conditions

The incompressible Stokes equations with prescribed normal stress (open) boundary conditions on part of the boundary are considered. It is shown that the standard pressure-correction method is not suitable for approximating the Stokes equations with open boundary conditions, whereas the rotational pressure-correction method yields reasonably good error estimates. These results appear to be the first ever published for splitting schemes with open boundary conditions. Numerical results in agreement with the error estimates are presented.
FAKTOR – FAKTOR YANG BERHUBUNGAN DENGAN KEMATIAN MATERNAL DIKABUPATEN BATANG

Latar Belakang. Kematian ibu dan kematian bayi merupkan dua diantara masalah kesehatan yang mendesak diselesaikan, khususnya bagi negara miskin dan berkembang. Angka kematian Ibu (AKI) yang tinggi di suatu negara berpotensi meningkatkan biaya pemeliharaan sosial, termasuk pembiayaan langsung berupa biaya perawatan kesehatan maupun biaya tidak langsung bersumber dari penurunan pendapatan dan produktivitas keluarga.Angka kematian ibu (AKI) merupakan salah satu indikator dalam menentukan derajat kesehatan masyarakat. Salah satu upaya dalam penurunan AKI yaitu dengan adanya SMS Bunda serta Si Jari Emas strategi program baru nasional perlu digerakan seluruh pihak yang berwenang dan yang mempunyai kebijakan. Tujuan penelitian. Untuk mengetahui faktor – factor yang berhubungan dengan kematian maternal di Kabupaten Batang pada tahun 2015. Metode. Kuantitatif dan Kualitatif. Kuantitatif dengan desain Case Control sedangkan Kualitatif dengan wawancara mendalam (Indept interview) kepada kepala bidang kesehatan keluarga, bidan koordinator / bidan desa serta pada responden kasus dan kontol untuk menggali lebih dalam tentang riwayat audit maternal prenatal (AMP). Jenis penelitian yang digunakan adalah deskriptif analitik. Hasil penelitian. Kuantitatif diketahui ada hubungan kematian maternal dengan komplikasi dengan nilai p-value 0,000 OR= 4,223, status gizi dengan nilai p-value 0,320, usia ibu dengan nilai p-value 0,010. paritas responden dengan p-value sebesar 0,175, pemeriksaan antenatal dengan nilai p-value 0,017, keluarga berencana dengan nilai p-value sebesar 0,000, pendidikan ibu dengan nilai pvalue sebesar 0,783.pendapatan keluarga dengan nilai p-value sebesar 0,218. Hasil faktor berpengaruh dari determinan dekat, determinan antara dan determinan jauh terhadap kematian maternal di Kabupaten Batang diketahui dengan nilai saling dengan nilai p value <0,05. Hasil penelitian kualitatif menunjukkan bahwa masih kurangnya PONED disetiap puskesmas, jumlah bidan yang kurang disetiap desa serta perlunya meningkatkan kualitas bidan, dengan meningkatkan P4K secara berkala, perlunya kerjasama dengan pemegang kebijakan setempat untuk memperbaiki fasilitas pelayanan kesehatan. Kata Kunci : AKI, komplikasi, pemeriksaan antenatal, keluarga berencana
Improving code coverage in android apps testing by exploiting patterns and automatic test case generation

This work aims at defining a procedure and a set of mechanisms able to improve the quality of the code coverage in automated software reverse engineering processes, and specifically in automated GUI-driven testing of Android apps. Existing automated model-based testing techniques, based on reverse engineering, generate test cases which can be executed directly on the software's GUI. We propose to augment the code coverage of these techniques, by exploiting information from patterns, defined at different levels (application design, state-based model, interaction with Android services), and generating additional test cases that may increase the coverage capability of GUI-Ripping based testing technique. The generation of the additional test cases is accomplished by defining an automatable procedure which exploits an existing GUI testing approach and a pattern based approach used in a different context.