Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Social Networks as a Medium of Propagation for Real-Time / Location-Based News

This work is concerned with modeling the propagation of real-time/location-based news over social networks. We start out by presenting a brief introduction to the problem of news propagation in the real-time/location-based setting. Then, we give a short literature survey and also briefly talk about the existing work in modeling the mentioned problem. In the third section, we propose a new model to evaluate social networks as a medium of propagation for real-time/location-based news. The model is also partially validated using tweet data about a real-world news story. We then explain our simulation framework and our data set as well as the required preprocessing for the data. Finally, we present some results and conclusions.
Influencing the between-feeding and endocrine responses of plasma ghrelin in healthy dogs.

OBJECTIVES Ghrelin has recently been isolated from rat and human stomach as an endogenous ligand for the growth hormone (GH) secretagog receptor. Using beagle dogs, we investigated the distribution of ghrelin in the stomach and its possible role. METHODS We examined: (i) GH release in response to ghrelin injection (0.5 or 5 microg/kg, i.v.), (ii) gastric localization of ghrelin-immunostained cells, (iii) changes in daily food consumption after ghrelin injection (3, 10, and 20 microg/kg, i.v.), (iv) plasma ghrelin levels under regular, but restricted feeding conditions, and (v) variations in plasma ghrelin levels in relatively lean, normal and obese dogs. RESULTS Administration of ghrelin to dogs promptly increased circulating GH concentrations, although this effect was transitory and was maintained for only 20 min. Ghrelin was localized in the stomach fundus and body, but none was detected in either the pylorus or cardia. Administration of ghrelin at a dose of 20 microg/kg increased the daily food intake of beagle dogs. Plasma ghrelin levels peaked just before meal times, and then returned to basal levels. Obese dogs had higher plasma ghrelin levels than did normal and lean dogs. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that ghrelin is a potent GH secretagog in dogs. The distribution of ghrelin-immunoreactive cells in the canine stomach resembles that of both the murine and human stomach. Ghrelin participates in the control of feeding behavior and energy homeostasis in dogs and may, therefore, be involved in the development of obesity.
Remote Sensing and Geospatial Technological Applications for Site-specific Management of Fruit and Nut Crops: A Review

Site-specific crop management (SSCM) is one facet of precision agriculture which is helping increase production with minimal input. It has enhanced the cost-benefit scenario in crop production. Even though the SSCM is very widely used in row crop agriculture like corn, wheat, rice, soybean, etc. it has very little application in cash crops like fruit and nut. The main goal of this review paper was to conduct a comprehensive review of advanced technologies, including geospatial technologies, used in site-specific management of fruit and nut crops. The review explores various remote sensing data from different platforms like satellite, LIDAR, aerial, and field imaging. The study analyzes the use of satellite sensors, such as Quickbird, Landsat, SPOT, and IRS imagery as well as hyperspectral narrow-band remote sensing data in study of fruit and nut crops in blueberry, citrus, peach, apple, etc. The study also explores other geospatial technologies such as GPS, GIS spatial modeling, advanced image processing techniques, and information technology for suitability study, orchard delineation, and classification accuracy assessment. The study also provides an example of a geospatial model developed in ArcGIS ModelBuilder to automate the blueberry production suitability analysis. The GIS spatial model is developed using various crop characteristics such as chilling hours, soil permeability, drainage, and pH, and land cover to determine the best sites for growing blueberry in Georgia, U.S. The study also provides a list of spectral reflectance curves developed for some fruit and nut crops, blueberry, crowberry, redblush citrus, orange, prickly pear, and peach. The study also explains these curves in detail to help researchers choose the image platform, sensor, and spectrum wavelength for various fruit and nut crops SSCM.
A Novel Implementation Method for Anticausal IIR Digital Filter Banks

— A novel and eﬃcient method which addresses both the perfect reconstruction and the signal extension problems of polyphase IIR ﬁlter banks is presented. The method involves embedding the ﬁ-nal ﬁlter states of the analysis ﬁlters into the analysis output in a nonexpansive way in the analysis stage and still satisfying perfect reconstruction by solving a system of linear equations in the synthesis stage in order to recover the lost data due to ﬁlter state embedding. The superiority of the proposed method is justiﬁed by the presented image coding results.
Computing distances and geodesics between manifold-valued curves in the SRV framework

This paper focuses on the study of open curves in a Riemannian manifold M, and proposes a reparametrization invariant metric on the space of such paths. We use the square root velocity function (SRVF) introduced by Srivastava et al. to define a Riemannian metric on the space of immersions M'=Imm([0,1],M) by pullback of a natural metric on the tangent bundle TM'. This induces a first-order Sobolev metric on M' and leads to a distance which takes into account the distance between the origins in M and the L2-distance between the SRV representations of the curves. The geodesic equations for this metric are given and exploited to define an exponential map on M'. The optimal deformation of one curve into another can then be constructed using geodesic shooting, which requires to characterize the Jacobi fields of M'. The particular case of curves lying in the hyperbolic half-plane is considered as an example, in the setting of radar signal processing.
Cognitive impairment and driving: A review of the literature

Although some drivers with mild dementia may continue to drive after the condition has been diagnosed, the ability to drive a motor vehicle safely is eventually lost as the disease progresses. Clinicians involved in dementia care are often asked to make an assessment on whether a patient is fit to drive, even though they often lack basic knowledge and formal training in this area. The purpose of this review was to identify the factors that may differentiate safe from unsafe drivers with cognitive impairment and to discuss management strategies. Isolated information about staging measures or particular cognitive tests was found to be insufficient for decision making. Driving fitness counseling for patients with cognitive impairment requires a solid knowledge base, comprehensive assessment and thoughtful communication.
The (Time-Varying) Importance of Disaster Risk

How much of the historical 7% per year equity risk premium could have been risk compensation for disasters that just happened not to have occurred? The answer can be found in below-the-money put prices, which would have protected against such disasters. Using the cost of rolling over one-month index put options, I show that the maximum possible premium for crash risk could not have accounted for more than about 2% per year, thus leaving about 5% per year for reasons other than sudden disasters. I also provide a novel “conservative diffuse prior” approach for dealing with black swan risk. Editor’s note: This article was reviewed and accepted by Robert Litterman, executive editor at the time the article was submitted.
Effects of a nutritional intervention program based on the self-determination theory and promoting the Mediterranean diet

Our objective was to determine gender differences in the impact of a nutritional intervention based on the self-determination theory and promoting the Mediterranean diet on changes in eating-related self-determined motivation and adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Changes in eating-related self-determined motivation were larger in men than in women in response to the intervention and at follow-up, but the magnitude of change decreased with time in both genders. Changes in eating-related self-determined motivation were positively associated with changes in the Mediterranean diet adherence in response to the intervention and at follow-up in men only, suggesting that the nutritional program seems to fit better men than women.
Dynamics of social coordination: The synchronization of internal states in close relationships

Close relationships are described in terms of the temporal coordination of behavior based on the similarity of partners’ internal states (e.g., moods, personality traits). Coupled nonlinear dynamical systems (logistic equations) were used to model the emergence, maintenance, and disruption of coordination in such relationships. For each system (partner), there was a control parameter corresponding to an internal state and a dynamical variable corresponding to behavior. Computer simulations investigated how the temporal coordination of behavior in a relationship reflects the similarity of partners’ control parameters and the strength of coupling (mutual influence between partners). Several types of coordination were observed, with in-phase synchronization occurring for strong coupling and similarity in internal states. In a variation of the model, each system could adjust its own control parameter to synchronize its dynamics with that of the other system. Simulation results provide insight into several topics in the study of close relations and group dynamics.
Simultaneous X-ray, radio, near-infrared and optical monitoring of young stellar objects in the Coronet cluster

Context. Multi-wavelength (X-ray to radio) monitoring of Young Stellar Objects (YSOs) can provide important information about physical processes at the stellar surface, in the stellar corona, and/or in the inner circumstellar disk regions. While coronal processes should mainly cause variations in the X-ray and radio bands, accretion processes may be traced by time-correlated variability in the X-ray and optical/infrared bands. Several multi-wavelength studies have been successfully performed for field stars and ~$1{-}10$ Myr old T Tauri stars, but so far no such study succeeded in detecting simultaneous X-ray to radio variability in extremely young objects like class I and class 0 protostars. Aims. Here we present the first simultaneous X-ray, radio, near-infrared, and optical monitoring of YSOs, targeting the Coronet cluster in the Corona Australis star-forming region, which harbors at least one class 0 protostar, several class I objects, numerous T Tauri stars, and a few Herbig AeBe stars. Methods. In August 2005, we obtained five epochs of Chandra X-ray observations on nearly successive days accompanied by simultaneous radio observations at the NRAO Very Large Array during four epochs, as well as by simultaneous optical and near-infrared observations from ground-based telescopes in Chile and South Africa. Results. Seven objects are detected simultaneously in the X-ray, radio, and optical/infrared bands; they constitute our core sample. While most of these sources exhibit clear variability in the X-ray regime and several also display optical/infrared variability, none of them shows significant radio variability on the timescales probed. We also do not find any case of clearly time-correlated optical/infrared and X-ray variability. Remarkable intra-band variability is found for the class I protostar IRS 5 which shows much lower radio fluxes than in previous observations, and the Herbig Ae star R CrA, which displays enhanced X-ray emission during the last two epochs, but no time-correlated variations are seen for these objects in the other bands. The two components of S CrA vary nearly synchronously in the I band. Conclusions. The absence of time-correlated multi-wavelength variability suggests that there is no direct link between the X-ray and optical/infrared emission and supports the notion that accretion is not an important source for the X-ray emission of these YSOs. No significant radio variability was found on timescales of days.
Traffic management based on vehicular communication at low equipment rates

Most applications built upon vehicular communications (V2X) target on increasing traffic safety. They often require a direct communication between at least two vehicles equipped with a communication device. Thereby, a sufficient amount of equipped vehicles is necessary for assuring these applications’ functionality. Meanwhile, traffic management needs information about the state on the roads. The COLOMBO project, co-funded by the European Commission, follows the idea to support traffic management with new data, gained from vehicular communications at low equipment rates. It designs and evaluates traffic management solutions for traffic surveillance and traffic lights based on simulations. This article introduces the major achievements of the project, regarding both, the developed traffic management solutions as well as the extensions of the used simulation tools.
Unemployment (Fears) and Deflationary Spirals

The interaction of incomplete markets and sticky nominal wages is shown to magnify business cycles even though these two features – in isolation – dampen them. During recessions, fears of unemployment stir up precautionary sentiments which induces agents to save more. The additional savings may be used as investments in both a productive asset (equity) and an unproductive asset (money). But even a small rise in money demand has important consequences. The desire to hold money puts deflationary pressure on the economy, which, provided that nominal wages are sticky, increases wage costs and reduces firm profits. Lower profits repress the desire to save in equity, which increases (the fear of) unemployment, and so on. This is a powerful mechanism which causes the model to behave differently from both its complete markets version, and a version with incomplete markets but without aggregate uncertainty. In contrast to previous results in the literature, agents uniformly prefer non-trivial levels of unemployment insurance.
Pre-Student Teachers React to Field-Supplemented Methods Courses.

f^. W IDELY accepted objective of instructors of methods courses for preservice teachers is to provide as much experi ence as possible in the schools. The value of early student contact with pupils and teach ers in classrooms to test ideas and theories taught in college methods classes has long been established. As phrased by one writer, "It is as irrational to rely on the student teaching period to give education students the true picture as it would be to postpone a medical student's first encounter with sur gery until he interns" (Wagoner: 68). Despite its obvious value and increasing re ports of its observance, there are limited objective data in the educational literature about the effects of and reactions to early field experience for the education student prior to student teaching. Abundant evidence supports the notion that preservice, in-service, and graduate stu dents of teaching are helped to develop spe cific teaching strategies using microteaching techniques (Anderson and Antes). Even a single, brief teaching experience of 15 min utes has been reported as having value in sharpening students' perceptions of them selves as potential teachers and in assisting them in making career decisions (Newlove and Fuller: 339). Yet one of the few descrip tive reports of a structured program of coordinating theory, observation, and par ticipation within the school setting prior to student teaching concludes with only an en dorsement of the program and an observation that an empirically tested evaluation must be conducted in the future (Walsh). This study represents a step toward ob jective appraisal of students' and cooperating teachers' reactions to one pre-student teach ing program of methods courses combined with field experiences.
Geometric investigation of a gaming active device

3D imaging systems are widely available and used for surveying, modeling and entertainment applications, but clear statements regarding their characteristics, performances and limitations are still missing. The VDI/VDE and the ASTME57 committees are trying to set some standards but the commercial market is not reacting properly. Since many new users are approaching these 3D recording methodologies, clear statements and information clarifying if a package or system satisfies certain requirements before investing are fundamental for those users who are not really familiar with these technologies. Recently small and portable consumer-grade active sensors came on the market, like TOF rangeimaging cameras or low-cost triangulation-based range sensor. A quite interesting active system was produced by PrimeSense and launched on the market thanks to the Microsoft Xbox project with the name of Kinect. The article reports the geometric investigation of the Kinect active sensors, considering its measurement performances, the accuracy of the retrieved range data and the possibility to use it for 3D modeling application.
Neural Networks for Modeling Time Series of Musical Instruments

We demonstrate the use of neural networks to model the attractors of musical instruments from time series. We show how the neural networks have to be extended to be able to model instationary behavior. To give an impression of the use of the models we summarize some results of analyzing the instrument dynamics and we show that the neural models are stable in the sense that they allow resynthesis of natural sounds. Introduction There has been a number of interesting results concerning the modeling of time series from nonlinear dynamical systems. Since the formulation of the reconstruction theorem by Takens (1981) it has been clear that a nonlinear model of a system may be derived directly from a systems time series. The method of state space reconstruction has already been used for modeling and analysis of musical sounds (Monro, 1993; Pressing et al., 1993). For other time series prediction tasks the combination of reconstruction techniques and neural networks has shown good results (Weigend and Gershenfeld, 1993). In our work we extend this ideas by the more demanding task of building models, which are able to resynthesize the systems time series. Because we are interested in modeling musical instruments we extended the standard neural network predictors such that they are able to model instationary dynamics. In the following, we first give a short review concerning the state space reconstruction from time series by delay coordinate vectors. Then we explain the neural networks we used and the modification necessary to model instationary dynamics. As an example we investigate the neural models of a saxophone tone. In the end of the paper we describe further results and applications. Reconstructing attractors Assume an n-dimensional dynamical system f( ) evolving on an attractor A. A has fractal dimension d, which often is considerably smaller then n. The system state ~z is observed through a sequence of measurements h(~z), resulting in a time series of measurements yt = h(~z(t)). Under weak assumptions concerning h( ) and f( ) the fractal embedding theorem(Sauer et al., 1991) ensures that, for D > 2d, the set of all delayed coordinate vectors YD; = ft > t0 : (yt; yt ; : : : ; yt (D 1) )g; (1) with an arbitrary delay time and arbitrary t0, forms an embedding ofA in theD-dimensional reconstruction space. We call the minimal D, which yields an embedding of A, the embedding dimensionDe. Because the embedding preserves characteristic features of A, it may be employed for building a system model. In the case of instationary systems the concept of attractors, which does rely on the behavior of the system for t! 1, does not take over immediately. If, however, the instationarity is due to slowly varying system parameters, it is possible to model the system dynamics using a sequence of attractors. As it turns out this approach leads to reasonable results in the case of musical instruments.
Null Subjects in Generative Grammar

This book considers the null-subject phenomenon, whereby some languages lack an overtly realized referential subject in specific contexts. In generative syntax—the approach adopted in this volume—the phenomenon has traditionally been explained in terms of a ‘pro-drop’ parameter with associated cluster properties; more recently, however, it has become clear that pro-drop phenomena do not always correlate with all the initially predicted cluster properties. This volume returns to the centre of the debate surrounding the empirical phenomena associated with null subjects. Experts in the field explore the cluster properties associated with pro-drop; the types of null category involved in null-subject phenomena and their identification; and the typology of null-subject languages, with a special focus on partial null-subject languages. Chapters include both novel empirical data and new theoretical analyses covering the major approaches to null subjects in generative grammar. A wide range of languages are examined, ranging from the most commonly studied in research into null subjects, such as Finnish and Italian, to lesser-studied languages such as Vietnamese and Polish, minority languages such as Cimbrian and Kashubian, and historical varieties such as Old French and Old High German. The research presented also contributes to the understanding of other key syntactic phenomena, such as the nature of control, the role of information structure and semantics in syntax, the mechanisms of language change, and the formalization of language variation.
Forum-theatre technique to foster creative and active problem solving: A resilience-building intervention among in-service teachers

This paper introduces the results of an evaluation of the Forum-theatre workshop method, which was designed within the framework of a resilience-building intervention. About 230 in-service vocational school teachers in Canton of Ticino participated in the study. A mixed-methods research design was applied to investigate potentialities of the Forum-theatre technique in generating a better understanding about interpersonal conflicts at school while fostering active coping strategies. Data were collected by means of participatory observation and a self-reported questionnaire. The findings indicate a perceived positive impact in terms of proactive participation, critical awareness and activated reflectivity. In addition, the interactive drama technique encouraged participants to activate a dialog between multiple perspectives, thus enlarging the perceived spectrum of possible actions during relational conflicts. The paper concludes with implications for creativity and resilience research.