Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Proposal of a Model and Architecture for Handling Ambiguity in Recognition-Based Input

Date Approved Preface Recognition technologies are being used extensively in both the commercial and researchw orld. But recognizers are still error-prone, and this results in performance problems and brittle dialogues, which are a barrier to the acceptance and usefulness of recognition systems. Better interfaces to recognition systems, which can help to reduce the burden of recognition errors, are diicult to build because of lack of knowledge about the ambiguity inherent in recognition. Wehave extended a user interface toolkit to model and to provide structured support for ambiguity at the input event level. Wehave populated this toolkit with re-usable interface components for resolving ambiguity. The resulting infrastructure makes it easier for application developers to support error handling, thus helping to reduce the negative eeects of recognition errors, and allowing us to explore new types of interfaces for dealing with ambiguity.
Counting on number: effects of number information on grammatical processing of mass and count nouns

ABSTRACT Previous research has found an influence of semantic number (SINGLE, MULTIPLE) on grammatical processing of mass nouns in people with aphasia. This is the first study to investigate these effects in language-unimpaired individuals. In two experiments, participants had to decide which were the appropriate determiners (e.g. Experiment 1: asingularcount – somemass/plural count) for the name of mass and count noun pictures that were depicted either as single (one bulb of garlicmass, one catcount) or as multiple objects (three bulbs of garlicmass, three catscount). Semantic number congruency between depictions and determiners was manipulated for mass nouns. A semantic number congruency effect was found in both experiments with faster and more accurate determiner decisions in the number congruent (e.g. Experiment 1: MULTIPLE) compared to the number incongruent condition (e.g. Experiment 1: SINGLE). These results provide further evidence for an influence of semantic number information on lexical-syntactic processing of mass nouns.
Do Touch Screen Users Feel More Engaged? the Impact of Touch Interfaces on Online Shopping

This study examined the potential effects of touch interfaces on online shoppers’ purchase-related evaluations. Results showed that using a touch interface led to higher engagement and lower brand information recall. The findings highlight the role of a touch interface as a new online retail cue beyond website design. ABSTRACT During recent years, one of the fundamental changes in online user environments is the input device which has moved from a mouse to a touch interface. However, little research has examined us-ers’ computer device types as part of online retail environments, and it is important to understand how using a touch interface influences or a mouse differs in online shopping experiences. In offline retail environments, touch has been an important cue for purchase intentions and attitudes (Peck and Childers 2003). In online user environments, touch (i.e. touching computer interfaces) has a positive impact on perceived ownership (Brasel and Gips 2014) and students’ engagement and performance (Enriquez 2010). Engagement leads to higher recall of commercials (Moorman, Neijens, and Smit 2007) and enhances satisfaction, trust, and commitment in a virtual brand community (Brodie et al. 2011). Product involvement level also affects consumer evaluations of products or services (Solo-mon 2013), however, little is known about how these device types and PIL influence online shopping experiences. This study proposes a positive association between a touch interface and 1) shopper engagement among low involvement product shoppers and 2) purchase decision measures (product information recall, purchase intentions, product evaluations and satisfaction). The hypotheses also include a mediation effect of engagement between a touch interface and purchase decision measures. Prior to the main experiment, a pilot study was conducted. The purpose of the pilot study was to determine 1) the appropriate product categories for online browsing and 2) the appropriate design and styles of test websites for the experiment to test in the main experiment Sixty-two undergraduate students participated in a survey to receive course credit. Based on the results, clothing, computers and electronics were among the top five popular product categories that students reported shopping for online. For the website design and styles, students found the e-commerce websites using large visuals and simpler layout relatively pleasing and easy to use in terms of design and usability.
Mammary gland biopsy of Sahiwal-Friesian cows ( Biopsi kelenjar susu lembu betina Sahiwal-Friesian )

Mammary biopsy method facilitates assessment of mammary morphology and function from relatively large number of cows. In many mammary gland experiments, this approach would be a viable alternative in obtaining tissue postslaughter. A technique for mammary biopsy in Sahiwal-Friesian cows is described using sedation and local anaesthesia. The technique involves approximately 5 g taking of tissue samples from the quarters of the udder with the use of the scalpel blade. The cow was casted on the ground with the head supported to prevent regurgitation of ruminal fluid into the respiratory tract. Preventive measures were taken to ensure minimal haemostasis with ligation. Adequate antibiotic cover (long acting antibiotic) was given intramuscularly following surgery. Post-operative recovery was uneventful and rapid. No clinical mastitis was observed in any of the biopsied cows throughout the remainder of the lactation. The loss of milk yield was no greater in biopsied glands than in control glands of the same cows. The milk yield and composition were rapidly *Livestock Research Centre, MARDI Headquarters, P.O. Box 12301, 50774 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia **Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia ***Hannah Research Institute, Ayr, Scotland, U.K. Authors' full names: Murugaiyah s/o Marimuthu, Ramakrishnan s/o Patchaiappan, Sheikh Omar Abd. Rahman and Coin James Wilde ©Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute 1999
Attachment of radio-transmitters to sandpipers: review and methods

Remote sensing techniques uch as radiotelemetry have been utilized in the study of animal movements for the past three decades (Kenward 1987), yet these techniques have only recently become widely used in studies of shorebirds. Over the past several years a reduction in the dimensions of radio transmitters and improved attachment echniques (Sykes et al. 1990, Williams 1990, Rappole & Tipton 1991) have made the use of this technology practicable for the collection of data on even the smallest shorebirds. In this paper we present a brief bibliography of studies in which radio transmitters (hereafter referred to as radios) were placed on shorebirds. Next we describe a method of radio attachment we have used
Investigating the effects of single-event upsets in static and dynamic registers

Radiation-induced single-event upsets (SEUs) pose a serious threat to the reliability of registers. The existing SEU analyses for static CMOS registers focus on the circuit-level impact and may underestimate the pertinent SEU information provided through node analysis. This thesis proposes SEU node analysis to evaluate the sensitivity of static registers and apply the obtained node information to improve the robustness of the register through selective node hardening (SNH) technique. Unlike previous hardening techniques such as the Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR) and the Dual Interlocked Cell (DICE) latch, the SNH method does not introduce larger area overhead. Moreover, this thesis also explores the impact of SEUs in dynamic flip-flops, which are appealing for the design of high-performance microprocessors. Previous work either uses the approaches for static flip-flops to evaluate SEU effects in dynamic flip-flops or overlook the SEU injected during the precharge phase. In this thesis, possible SEU sensitive nodes in dynamic flip-flops are re-examined and their window of vulnerability (WOV) is extended. Simulation results for SEU analysis in non-hardened dynamic flip-flops reveal that the last 55.3 % of the precharge time and a 100% evaluation time are affected by SEUs.
Phosphate solubilisation by the Isolates of Fluorescent pseudomonads

Field soils possess considerable accumulation of phosphorous due to regular application of chemical phosphate fertilisers and a large proportion of the applied fertilisers are converted into insoluble form and become unavailable to plants. Interest has been focused on the inoculation of phosphate solubilising microorganisms into the soil so as to increase the availability of native, fixed phosphorous and to reduce the use of fertilisers. Fluorescent pseudomonads solubilise di-calcium phosphate and tricalcium phosphate.The present study focuses on the phosphate solubilising ability of the 22 strains of fluorescent pseudomonads isolated from rhizosphere soils of plants of coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, India. All the 22 isolates were reported to solubilise phosphates.
VERBS OF SPEECH AND COGNITION: STRUCTURAL PATTERNS IN NEW MEXICAN SPANISH

From a usage-based approach, this dissertation explores the relationship between structural variability and discourse subjectivity in a series of interviews from the New Mexico and Southern Colorado Spanish Survey (Bills and Vigil 2008). Focusing on the use of cognitive and speech verbs, the analysis will demonstrate that a) structural patterns arising from said interaction form a continuum ranging from schematic to fixed constructions; b) the degree of morpho-syntactic variability of these constructions correlates to the speaker’s stance towards the information being communicated; and c) in actual interaction, speakers frequently introduce subjective nuances, even if the topic of the discourse may be associated with mere transmission of propositional information. To address the aforementioned goals, a set of features is proposed to determine whether
A RECONFIGURABLE SIMULATOR FOR COUPLED CONVEYORS

Emerging trends in tiny embedded microcontrollers and transceivers provide the impetus for networked embedded automation. To facilitate these investigations, this thesis proposes a compositional approach, called Coupled Conveyors, to realize reconfigurable conveyor systems. A discrete-event simulator for Coupled Conveyors is presented. Coupled Conveyors is based on three building blocks that are called Segment, Turnaround, and Crossover. Each block is regulated by a unique microcontroller that interacts with other microcontrollers, over wireless links, to coordinate operations. Reconfigurable conveyor systems are achieved by embedding the building blocks in a two-dimensional grid. Using the OMNeT++ discrete-event simulation framework, software modules were developed to model and represent the behavior of Segment, Turnaround, and Crossover. These modules were used to compose conveyor systems using the Network Description language in OMNeT++. The conveyor system achieved is reconfigurable because the number of modules in the conveyor system, the speed at which entities move in the system, the number of entities, injection rates, length and type of entities are all parameters that can be changed without requiring any software changes in the simulator. The approach and the simulator were validated by composing conveyor systems for applications such as Inspection and Package Sorting. In the future, the simulator can be extended to improve the fidelity of the dynamics of the electromechanical systems and investigate the computational and communication foundations of networked embedded automation.
Summer Sea Ice Concentration, Motion, and Thickness Near Areas of Proposed Offshore Oil and Gas Development in the Canadian Beaufort Sea – 2009

This study was motivated by the potential development of offshore oil exploration leases in the Canadian Southern Beaufort Sea, an area within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. Sea ice concentration, extent, motion, and thickness data are vital to the success of potential oil operations in this region, and relevant data cannot be gleaned from larger-scale hemispheric studies. We therefore undertook regionally specific sea ice analyses in the southern Beaufort Sea during the summer drilling season (July, August, and September) in 2009 and over the long-term (1996 – 2010). On average, the Canadian oil lease areas contain mostly old sea ice during the drilling season and have not experienced significant decreasing trends in total or old sea ice. The average sea ice motion in the region for the period was anti-cyclonic at 20 – 25 cm·s-1, acting to transport sea ice southward toward the lease areas. Summer 2009 was used as a case study of regional ice concentration, motion, and thickness and to compare September sea ice thickness measurements to data collected in April 2009. In the summer of 2009, old sea ice was the predominant ice type in the lease areas. Sea ice motion was anti-cyclonic and faster than the long-term average, reaching 60 cm·s-1 west of Banks Island and across the north end of the lease areas. September 2009 sea ice thickness (mean = 1.03 m, σ = 0.97 m) was modal about the 0.20 – 0.29 m thickness bin. The sea ice thickness distri­bution was spatially variable, with the thickest ice occurring at the north end of the study area, in an area dominated by high old ice concentrations. Ice thicknesses greater than 10 m (the upper limit our instruments could measure) were encountered. Thinner sea ice predominated at the periphery of the core Beaufort Sea multi-year pack. Near the oil lease areas, the sea ice thickness distributions were shifted left on the histogram in comparison to those farther north, resulting in a greater proportion of relatively thick sea ice due to the thermodynamic loss of thinner (< 1.5 m) first-year ice during its southward movement. After enduring a summer’s melt, however, this thicker ice at the south end of the study region had thinned in comparison to the ice at the north end.
PEMBELAJARAN SAINTIFIK ELEKTRONIKA DASAR BERORIENTASI PEMBELAJARAN BERBASIS MASALAH

Implementasi kurikulum baru sangat menonjolkan pendekatan saintifik dengan pembelajaran berpusat pada peserta didik. Perancangan skenario pembelajaran berbasis pendekatan sai \nti fik memerlukan hasil riset implementasi di kelas. Penelitian bertujuan untuk mengembangkan rencana pelaksanaan pembelajaran elektronika dasar di Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan. Pengembangan rencana pelaksanaan pembelajaran bercirikan pembelajaran saintifik, mengadopsi pendekatan problem based learning. Metode yang digunakan pada penelitian ini yaitu metode pengungkapan pendapat dan observasi. Teknik pengumpulan data di lakukan dengan menggunakan angket, observasi dan wawancara. Penelitian ini menghasilkan RPP berbasis pendekatan saintifik melalui model problem based learning , dan mendapat tanggapan positif dari guru dan peserta didik, sehingga berdampak positif terhadap peningkatan hard dan soft skill peserta didik .
Simulation Optimization of Prostate Cancer Screening Using a Parallel Genetic Algorithm.

UNDERWOOD, DANIEL J. Simulation Optimization of Prostate Cancer Screening Using a Parallel Genetic Algorithm. (Under the direction of Dr. Brian T. Denton.) We develop a parallel simulation-optimization method to find near optimal PSA screening policies based on the mean expected quality adjusted life years (QALYs) of a large population. In contrast to mortality-based indicators such as life expectancy, QALYs are informed by treatment side-effects, chronic disease, and other non-fatal degradations to quality of life. We seek an optimal balance of the benefits of early detection of prostate cancer and the reduction in QALYs associated with overdiagnosis. A screening policy’s impact on QALYs is examined by using a non-stationary Markov model to simulate a patient’s progression through health-states, PSA levels, and treatment. The simulation model is embedded within a parallel genetic algorithm (GA) to search the space of possible PSA screening policies for unrealized optimal policies. A ranking and selection scheme is employed by the GA in order to manage the computational budget. The ranking and selection scheme is designed to balance the trade-off between exploring the large policy space and achieving statistical confidence in the simulation output that is necessary to meaningfully distinguish different screening policies. Near optimal policies from our model are compared to previously proposed screening policies. The results of sensitivity analyses provide insights into the effects of model parameters. Finally, the best policy from our simulation optimization model is compared to the theoretically best policy from a previously reported POMDP model. The latter results provide an estimate of the benefit or loss resulting from the use of easier-to-implement PSA-threshold policies. c © Copyright 2010 by Daniel J. Underwood
'Nature and the Greeks' and 'Science and Humanism'

Foreword Part I. Nature and the Greeks: 1. The motives for returning to ancient thought 2. The competition, reason v. senses 3. The pythagoreans 4. The Ionian enlightenment 5. The religion of Xenophanes, Heraclitus of Ephesus 6. The atomists 7. What are the special features? Part II. Science and Humanism: 1. The spiritual bearing of science on life 2. The practical achievements of science tending to obliterate its true import 3. A radical change in our ideas of matter 4. Form, not substance, the fundamental concept 5. The nature of our 'models' 6. Continuous descriptions and causality 7. The intricacy of the continuum 8. The makeshift of wave mechanics 9. The alleged break-down of the barrier between subject and object 10. Atoms or quanta - the counter-spell of old standing, to escape the intricacy of the continuum 11. Would physical indeterminacy give free will a chance? 12. The bar to prediction, according to Niels Bohr Literature.
Ecografía portátil y cribado de sangre y orina para el control de gestantes en zonas rurales de países en desarrollo: estudio de caso en Guatemala

Los resultados alcanzados indican que una intervencion de estas caracteristicas permite mejorar la calidad de la atencion de gestantes rurales en paises en desarrollo, a un coste razonable. El impacto alcanzado en mortalidad materna y neonatal es importantisimo. Ante los resultados tan positivos, de una intervencion relativamente modesta, nuestro trabajo constinua, ya no solo para conseguir aumentar el tamano muestral que nos permite afirmar que la mejoraria es estadisticamente significativa, sino porque hemos visto el impacto tan importante y la satisfaccion en la vida de miles de mujeres de comunidades aisladas de Guatemala que creemos reproducible en muchas otras comunidades de otros paises en vias de desarrollo. Lo que parece que podremos confirmar si continuamos trabajando en esta linea, es que instaurando este sistema itinerante de control de gestacion conseguimos evitar la muerte de mujeres jovenes y sanas, expuestas a una alta mortalidad por el solo hecho de estar embarazadas en un pais sin facilidad de acceso a los servicios sanitarios. De esta manera concluyo, que el tiempo invertido en esta tesis doctoral ha merecido claramente la pena.
Elevational and latitudinal changes in tree associations and diversity in the Eastern Arc mountains of Tanzania

ABSTRACT A total of 200 variable-area plots covering 20.3 ha containing 4000 trees with a basal area of 921.4 m2 were assessed over a combined elevational range of 410–2180 m in the moist forests of three Tanzanian Eastern Arc mountains: West Usambara, Nguru and Udzungwa. Plot data were ordinated on the basis of species presence/absence, frequency and basal area. Axis 1 of ordinations based on species presence/absence are correlated with elevation. Axis 1 of the frequency-weighted ordination was correlated with elevation in the Nguru and Udzungwa mountains, but plots from the West Usambara showed a rainfall-related discontinuity. Axis 1 of the West Usambara basal area-weighted ordination showed evidence of long-term dynamics of Ocotea usambarensis and in the Udzungwa mountains was determined by presence of Parinari excclsa. Plot diversity was not correlated with elevation or latitude, but was lower in disturbed, low rainfall or more seasonal forest. Stem density was positively correlated with elevation and was greater on ridge tops than valley sides and valley bottoms.
The impact of database quality on keystroke dynamics authentication

This paper concerns keystroke dynamics, also partially in the context of touchscreen devices. The authors concentrate on the impact of database quality and propose their algorithm to test database quality issues. The algorithm is used on their own as well as the well-known . Following specific problems were researched: classification accuracy, development of user typing proficiency, time precision during sample acquisition, representativeness of training set, sample length.
Accretion Modes in Collapsars: Prospects for Gamma-Ray Burst Production

We explore low angular momentum accretion flows onto black holes formed after the collapse of massive stellar cores. In particular, we consider the state of the gas falling quasi-spherically onto stellar mass black holes in the hypercritical regime, where the accretion rates are in the range 10-3 M☉ s-1 ≲ ≲ 0.5 M☉ s-1 and neutrinos dominate the cooling. Previous studies have assumed that in order to have a black hole switch to a luminous state, the condition l ≫ rgc, where l is the specific orbital angular momentum of the infalling gas and rg is the Schwarszchild radius, needs to be fulfilled. We argue that flows in hyperaccreting, stellar mass disks around black holes are likely to transition to a highly radiative state when their angular momentum is just above the threshold for disk formation, l ~ 2rgc. In a range rgc < l < 2rgc, a dwarf disk forms in which gas spirals rapidly into the black hole due to general relativistic effects, without any help from horizontal viscous stresses. For high rotation rates l ≥ 2rgc, the luminosity is supplied by large, hot equatorial bubbles around the black hole. The highest neutrino luminosities are obtained for l ≈ 2rgc, and this value of angular momentum also produces the most energetic neutrinos and thus also the highest energy deposition rates. Given the range of l explored in this work, we argue that, as long as l ≥ 2rgc, low angular momentum cores may in fact be better suited for producing neutrino-driven explosions following core collapse in supernovae and γ-ray bursts.