Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Making Cities Stronger: Public Library Contributions to Local Economic Development

The Making Cities Stronger report, which is based on data from a national survey and case studies from nine sites across the country, provides new insights into the economic impact of public libraries in American cities. The report highlights ways in which library programming in the areas early literacy, employment services, and small business development, contribute to local economic development strategies. The study also identifies ways in which library construction is used to bolster place-based development in a wide variety of settings. Commissioned by the Urban Libraries Council, the study was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.
Analysis by synthesis ECG signal compression

The authors introduce a new ECG compression algorithm, and a new distortion measure. The distortion measure, called the Weighted Diagnostic Distortion (WDD), is based on comparing PQRST complex features (such as: RR interval, QT interval, ST elevation, etc.) of the original ECG signal and the reconstructed one. The compression algorithm is based on analysis by synthesis coding. It consists of a beat codebook, long and short term predictors, and an adaptive residual quantizer. The compression algorithm uses the WDD measure in order to encode, by means of analysis by synthesis, every beat of the original ECG signal. The compression algorithm has been applied to the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database. A rate of approximately 100 bits per second has been achieved with a very good quality (WDD below 4%, and PRD below 8%).
Classification of Islamic Social Enterprises (ISE) in Malaysia Based on Economic Sectors

Based on Islamic social enterprise (ISE) concept which is a combination of both social and economic objectives embedded with Islamic principles and values, this study aims to classify ISE based on economic sectors namely public, private and non-profit sectors. In addition, eight organisations that represent ISEs in Malaysia are also being discussed in order to support the classification of ISE based on economic sectors. In order to examine these eight ISEs, this study reviews professional documents, online information and comprehensive literature to analyse selected ISEs in Malaysia. Based on findings, this study concludes that ISEs in Malaysia can be classified based on all three economic sectors identified. Therefore, this study contributes to the body of knowledge as the first study made in examining and exploring classification of ISEs based on economic sectors specifically within Malaysia context. Besides, this study also among the pioneer studies on ISE itself. Keywords: Islamic Social Enterprise (ISE), Social Enterprise (SE), Economic sector, Islamic social accounting
Efficiently and Effectively Learning Models of Similarity from Human Feedback

Vital to the success of many machine learning tasks is the ability to reason about how objects relate. For this, machine learning methods utilize a model of similarity that describes how objects are to be compared. While traditional methods commonly compare objects as feature vectors by standard measures such as the Euclidean distance or cosine similarity, other models of similarity can be used that include auxiliary information outside of that which is conveyed through features. To build such models, information must be given about object relationships that is beneﬁcial to the task being considered. In many tasks, such as object recognition, ranking, product recommendation, and data visualization, a model based on human perception can lead to high performance. Other tasks require models that reﬂect certain domain expertise. In both cases, humans are able to provide information that can be used to build useful models of similarity. It is this reason that motivates similarity-learning methods that use human feedback to guide the construction of models of similarity. Associated with the task of learning similarity from human feedback are many practical challenges that must be considered. In this dissertation we explicitly deﬁne these challenges as being those of efﬁciency and effectiveness. Efﬁciency deals with both making the most of obtained feedback, as well as, reducing the computational run time of the learning algorithms themselves. Effectiveness concerns itself with producing models that accurately reﬂect the given feedback, but also with ensuring the queries posed to humans are those they can answer easily and without errors. After deﬁning these challenges, we create novel learning methods that explicitly focus on one or more of these challenges as a means to improve on the state-of-the-art in similarity-learning. Speciﬁcally, we develop methods for learning models of perceptual similarity, as well as models that reﬂect domain expertise. In doing so, we enable similarity-learning methods to be practically applied in more real-world problem settings.
Crowdsourcing Metadata For Library And Museum Collections Using A Taxonomy Of Flickr User Behavior

Library and museum staff members are faced with having to create descriptions for large numbers of items found within collections. Immense collections and a shortage of staff time prevent the description of collections using metadata at the item level. Large collections of photographs may contain great scholarly and research value, but this information may only be found if items are described in detail. Without detailed descriptions, the items are much harder to find using standard web search techniques, which have become the norm for searching library and museum collection catalogs. To assist with metadata creation, institutions can attempt to reach out to the public and crowdsource descriptions. An example of crowdsourced description generation is the website, Flickr, where the entire user community can comment and add metadata information in the forms of tags to other users’ images. This paper discusses some of the problems with metadata creation and provides insight on ways in which crowdsourcing can benefit institutions. Through an analysis of tags and comments found on Flickr, behaviors are categorized to show a taxonomy of users. This information is used in conjunction with survey data in an effort to show if certain types of users have characteristics that are most beneficial to enhancing metadata in existing library and museum collections.
Closed Domain Question Answering using Fuzzy Semantics

In the present report we give a thorough exposition of our first steps towards a theory of fuzzy semantics and towards the development of a closed domain question answering system in the form of a natural language database interface that produces result sets ranked according to the degree to which they fulfill our intuitions about vague expressions in natural language, and vague adjectives in particular. We outline our ordering-based approach to semantics and introduce some of the issues involved in modelling vagueness. We show how fuzzy sets can be used as intermediate semantic representations of vague expressions. From the family of possible fuzzy logics we pin down which one best fits our modelling needs in fuzzy semantics. We then describe the overall design of a controlled experiment involving human subjects, the software infrastructure necessary for administrating it and the statistical analyses required to draw conclusions from the data about the adequacy of our model of fuzzy semantics. We will also discuss the results from a small-scale preliminary instantiation of this experiment. Finally we show how we could put those theoretic insights to use in a working natural language interface to a database that produces rankings of ‘small cities’ or ‘rainy cities near San Francisco’.
Synthesis of low-power selectively-clocked systems from high-level specification

In this paper we propose a technique for synthesizing low-power systems from a high-level specification. We analyze the control flow of the specification to detect mutually exclusive sections of the computation. A selectively-clocked interconnection of interacting FSMs is automatically generated and optimized where each FSM controls the execution of one section of computation. Only one of the interacting FSMs is active at any given clock cycle, while all the others are idle and their clock is stopped. Our interacting FSM implementation achieves consistently lower power dissipation than the functionally equivalent monolithic implementation. On average 37% power savings are obtained with a 30% area overhead.
Improvement in coffee production and economic gains by the farmers through support of coffee cooperative societies in Kenya

Kenya produces Arabica coffee that is exported as a premium coffee because of its high quality. The production in the Country declined in late 1980s to 2010 and has generally stagnated. The shortage of coffee seedlings for expansion and replanting in the traditional and new coffee growing areas has aggrevated the production problem. To mitigate this, Coffee Productivity Project (CPP) was initiated to support selected coffee farmers Cooperative Societies through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative to produce and avail the planting materials closer to the farmers. At the end of the project period, a social economic survery was conducted to assess the impact of the project. The study was conducted in eight (8) Farmers Cooperative Societies (FCS) in eight (8) coffee growing counties. A total of 241 farmers were interviewed. The data was collected using formal pre-tested questionnaire and analysed using IBM SPSS software version 15 where the quantitative statistics was applied. The results showed that production of coffee seedlings by the selected Cooperatives increased by 355%. On average, the number of coffee trees per farmer increased by 40% in the project area while the area planted with coffee increased by 35.4%. Overall, the average coffee cherry produced per farmer in the project area increased by 63%. The average pay out per kilogram of Cherry increased by 100% from Ksh 36.74 in year 2012/2013 to Ksh 73.64 in year 2016/2017. The findings during this study implied that, the support of the Cooperatives promoted the expansion of coffee farming in the project areas thus contributing to the improvement in coffee production, increased farmers’ earnings and improved livelihood.
Scheduling of real/non-real time services: adaptive EXP/PF algorithm

An efficient channel scheduler called the adaptive EXP/PF algorithm is proposed to provide real-time service with different QoS as well as a non-real time data services demanded by mobile users in an adaptive modulation and coding in time division multiplexing (AMC/TDM) systems. The adaptive EXP/PF algorithm guarantees transmission time delay bounds for real-time services as well as maximizes the system throughput. Simulation results show that the proposed adaptive EXP/PF algorithm controls the channel resource among real time and non-real time service users automatically to guarantee delay bound for real time service users.
Design and development a first-person puzzle game based on time-travel game mechanics

Due to the availability of advanced technology in graphics software and hardware, human-computer interaction is receiving considerable research attention in past few decades, particularly game-based interaction. To our best knowledge, very limited first-person puzzle games released in video game market in recent years. In this paper, we present a firstperson puzzle game using the concept of time-travel game mechanic. Firstly, we have designed a set of 3D models and game level using Autodesk 3D Studio Max. We design four puzzles including brick wall, slide, car track, and exit the house/room. Then, a cross-platform game engine, namely Unity utilized to develop the First-Person Puzzle (FPP) game based on changing the timeline past, present, and future. We perform a set of experiments to validate our game that ensures all features are working in gameplay. The user acceptance test proves the performance of our system is better than the state-of-the-art first-person puzzle games.
COLLABORATIVE WRITING AMONG SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN ACADEMIC WEB-BASED PROJECTS

This study investigates Web-based, project oriented, many-to-many collaborative writing for academic purposes. Thirty-eight Fulbright scholars in an orientation program at a large Midwestern university used a Web-based word processing tool to collaboratively plan and report on a research project. The purpose of this study is to explore and understand the changing nature of collaborative writing, as it is influenced by Web-based writing contexts. Details of students’ writing processes and their perceptions of the collaborative Web-based word processing experience are explored. Findings suggest that students focused more on meaning than form, that their grammatical changes were overall more accurate than inaccurate, that they participated with varying frequency, and that they used the tool for simultaneous varied purposes. Student feedback about the Web-based collaborative activity and use of Google Docs offers additional insights. Observations about the evolving nature of Web-based collaborative writing and associated pedagogical practices including considerations about student autonomy are discussed.
Power-Aware Network Provisioning for All-Optical Multicasting in WDM Mesh Networks

to the network cost, especially in wide area networks. We propose a heuristic approach for placing the minimum number of OAs in the network. The solution is designed for All-Optical Multicasting and is based on dividing the problem into smaller subproblems. While solving them separately, the heuristic takes the interdependency between these subproblems into consideration. Therefore, efcient and accurate solutions can be obtained which is shown by the numerical results.
Publication Delay in Iranian Scholarly Journals

Abstract Scholarly periodicals in Iran are considered main information resources in the development of knowledge in scholarly areas. About 566 periodicals have publication licenses from the Commission of Scholarly Periodicals Evaluation of Ministry of Science, Research & Technology (MSRT), with sixty-eight published in English. This paper studies the publication delay of twenty-six Iranian scholarly periodicals which are published in Persian in Iran, not those Iranian journals which are published in English in Iran or out of the country. The peer review and scholarly publication processes in Iranian journals are quite lengthy and need improvement. There was no significant relationship between publication delay in Persian scholarly periodicals and their impact factor as presented by the Islamic World Science Citation Center (titled ISC). Finally, the authors offer some solutions for improving the publication system of Iranian scholarly journals and decreasing the publication interval of these journals.
Evaluating Threading Building Blocks Pipelines

Parallel programming is the need in the muti-core era. With many parallel programming languages and libraries developed with the aim of providing higher levels of abstraction, which allows programmers to focus on algorithms and data structures rather than the complexity of the machines they are working on, it becomes difficult for programmers to choose the right programming environment best suited for their application development. Unlike serial programming languages there are very few evaluations done for parallel languages or libraries that can help programmers to make the right choice. In this report we evaluate Intel Threading Building Blocks library which is a library in C++ language that supports scalable parallel programming. The evaluation is done specifically for the pipeline applications that are implemented using filter and pipeline class provided by the library. Various features of the library which help during pipeline application development are evaluated. Different applications are developed using the library and are evaluated in terms of their usability and expressibility. All these evaluations are done in comparison to POSIX thread implementation of different applications. Performance evaluation of these applications are also done to understand the benefits threading building blocks have in comparison to the POSIX thread implementations. In the end we provide a guide to future programmers that will help them decide the best suited programming library for their pipeline application development depending on their needs.
Real-time face detection with MPEG-4 codec LSI for a mobile multimedia terminal

We propose an intelligent easy-operating human-machine interface incorporating face detection technology for a mobile multimedia terminal. We have developed a face detection algorithm which works on the resources of a mobile phone. This algorithm is robust in outside fields, and simultaneously works with MPEG-4 Simple Profile Level 1 encoding and decoding on an MPEG-4 codec LSI for a mobile videophone. This enables more intelligent interfaces in visual communication such as IMT-2000 videophone services.
Surgical stabilization of clavicule fractures in adults: A clinical study

Background: The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the functional results of Surgical stabilization of clavicule fractures in adults decided on specific selection criteria. Materials and Methods: Twenty patients with clavicule fractures were recruited in the study between Nov 2013 and Dec 2015 at our, Alluri Sitarama Raju Academy of Medical Sciences, Malkapuram, Eluru, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Robust methodology for the discrimination of brain tumours from in vivo magnetic resonance spectra

Magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy provides a direct non-invasive measure of tissue biochemistry, but tissue heterogeneity causes considerable mixing between tissue categories. A systematic methodology for variable selection and performance estimation, applied to 98 in vivo spectra from cysts and five categories of brain tumour is proposed. The selection of predictive variables from the spectra, and the estimation of misclassification errors, are made robust by prefiltering the irrelevant spectral components and repeatedly applying bootstrap resampling. Three alternative approaches to the methodology were investigated, with reference to pairwise discriminant models. The first approach is applied directly to the spectral intensity values, treated as independent covariates that are interpreted as metabolite indicators, proceeding to search for the smallest number of metabolites necessary for class discrimination. The two other approaches use independent component analysis (ICA) to separate the heterogeneous spectra into a small number of independent spectral sources of intrinsic tissue types. Given the six classes with strong inter-class mixing, the most accurate classifier based on linear discriminant models is obtained by first optimising the discrimination between class pairs, then combining their outcome using a pairwise coupling method. Finally, the statistical and ICA pre-processing methods are compared in a retrospective study for the first class assignment pair, to separate low- and medium-grade from high-grade astrocytic tumours.
Understanding MOOCs as an Emerging Online Learning Tool: Perspectives From the Students

This study examined participants’ learning experiences in the context of a six-week massive open online course (MOOC) in journalism with five thousand students from 137 countries. Three research questions were asked: (1) Who are the students and why are they enrolled in this MOOC? , (2) How much time have the students spent in taking this MOOC and have they completed all the assignments? , and, (3) What have they learned and what aspects of this MOOC do the students find most helpful? Four hundred and nine students responded to a survey and forty-four responded to interview questions. The main findings showed 84% of the participants were working professionals and only 28.9% were from a journalism background. Of those who did not complete the course, lack of time was the top reason. Most participants reported a positive learning experience, but lack of feedback and/or poor quality were reported as negative experiences. The discussion forum was the least liked aspect of the course.
The Role and Perception of Risk in High-risk Sports Participants: A Grounded Theory Study of Rock Climbers

An abstract of the thesis of Ronald E. Baglien for the Master of Science in Public Health Education: Health and Fitness Promotion presented July 9, 1996. Title: The Role and Perception of Risk in High-Risk Sports Participants: A Grounded Theory Study of Rock Climbers. Previous research examining high-risk sports participation has yielded discrepancies between the role assigned to risk and the perceptions of climbers regarding risk. Risk, as it applies to highrisk sport participation, has not been sufficiently defined in the literature. The current study sought to develop, by means of a grounded theory approach, a new, dynamic operational definition of risk as it applies to rock climbers, and to examine the role of risk management as a modifying factor in the perception of risk and its impact on motivation and participation. Nineteen subjects (twelve male and seven female) averaging 14.7 years of climbing experience were interviewed. A model for the processing of risk in high-risk sports participants is presented in which risk is perceived by the participant as operating on three levels: actual risk, assessed risk, and mental or perceived risk. The exposure to actual and assessed risk does not appear to be a goal of the climbers interviewed, but does provide meaning to decisions made by the participant, as well as defining limits and boundaries. Mental or perceived risk serves to provide a mental challenge to be overcome by the climber, and may provide a thrill or "adrenaline rush" that is sought out by some participants. The elimination of risk would change most participants' perceptions of climbing. Motivation would be negatively affected in most cases. 2 The model presented describes a process of risk awareness, assessment, acceptance, mitigation, results, and consequences that is situation specific. The perception and assessment of risk varies from individual to individual, as well as across time. Individual climbers have a well defined risk threshold: a point at which the risk to which they are exposing themselves becomes too great and the decision will be made to reject risk. This threshold is stable and does not shift as the result of experience. It is suggested that future research which seeks to examine the role of risk in high-risk sports participation focus on the process by which risk is identified, evaluated, and accepted, as this will be of the most benefit to the participants. THE ROLE AND PERCEPTION OF RISK IN HIGH-RISK SPORTS PARTICIPANTS: A GROUNDED THEORY STUDY OF ROCK CLIMBERS
A different look at output tracking: control of a VTOL aircraft

An important control problem is output tracking. One approach, for slightly nonminimum phase systems is to approximate the system by a minimum phase one. Another approach is to track signals generated by an exosystem. These methods concentrate on properties of the IO system without any attempt to investigate and use structural properties of the IS system. In this paper the authors propose an alternative point of view based on the following simple remark: if one had a state tracker (i.e. a controller able to track any reference state trajectory), the output tracking would reduce to the generation of a good state reference, which is only an open-loop problem, and hence (hopefully) simpler. The idea is simply to split the output tracking problem into two steps. >