Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trustable web services with dynamic confidence time interval

One part of trustfulness on web services application over the network is confidence of services that providers can guarantee to their customers. Therefore, after the development process, web services developers must be sure that the delivered services are qualified for availability and reliability during their execution. However, there is a critical problem when errors occur during the execution time of the service agent, such as the infinite loop problem in the service process. This unexpected problem of the web services software can cause critical damages in various aspects, especially lives and dead of people. Although there are various methods have been proposed to protect the unexpected errors, most of them are procedures in the verification and validation during the development processes. Nevertheless, these methods cannot completely solve the inifnite loop problem since this problem is usually occurred by an unexpected values obtained from the execution of request and response processes . Therefore, this paper proposed a system architecture includes with a protection mechanism that completely detect and protect the unbound loop problem of web services when request services of each requester are under the dynamic situation. This proposed solution can guarantee that users will definitly be protected from a critical lost occurred from the unexpected infinite loop of the web services system. Consequently, all service agents with dynamic loop control condition can be trustable.
The Role of Contingent Work in the War Against Poverty

The 1980s and 1990s witnessed the success of work-based welfare reform in reducing welfare caseloads. While welfare reform was effective in lowering immediate welfare dependency, researchers have questioned its long-run success in alleviating poverty partially due to the precariousness surrounding the jobs held by welfare leavers. This paper addresses this concern by examining (1) the likelihood of taking a contingent job given one's welfare dependency and past poverty status; (2) the probability of being on welfare for different types of contingent workers relative to their non-contingent counterparts; and (3) the likelihood of living in poverty in the near future as a function of past employment in alternative types of contingent jobs.
System dynamics modelling for a balanced scorecard

Purpose – This paper seeks to construct a dynamic model/framework inspired by a case study based on an international company. As described by the theory, one of the main difficulties of balanced scorecard (BSC) is to foresee the time lag dimension of different types of indicators and their combined dynamic effects. Design/methodology/approach – A case study model is used to develop time or dynamic dimensions by using a system dynamics modelling approach. The model includes five perspectives and a number of financial and non‐financial measures. All indicators are defined and related to a coherent number of different cause‐and‐effect relationships based on knowledge and experience. Through three different scenarios we demonstrate the effects of different drivers on the profit and on Return on Capital Employed are demonstrated. Findings – The results show that a minimal change in one of the base variables (skills, customer base or work in process) may have a major influence on other indicators and profit and may be impossible to predict without using a dynamic model. Practical implications – The model may be used as the first step in quantifying the cause‐and‐effect relationships of an integrated BSC model. Using the system dynamics model provides added insight in the BSC and may also serve as a teaching exercise of BSC. Originality/value – Work on dynamic aspects of BSCs is just in an early state, so the aim of any work is to contribute to both scholars' and practitioners' basic understanding of how such delayed dynamics propagate through systems and time.
Self‐employment and local economic performance: Evidence from US counties*

This study explores the relationship between self-employment and income growth, employment growth, and change in poverty in metro and non-metro areas in the United States using county-level panel data. We investigate the impact of the relative size of the self-employment sector measured by the share of non-farm proprietorships (NFPs) in total full and part-time employment on three key economic performance indicators. We first estimate an income growth model to analyse the effects of self-employment on income growth. Then we investigate the independent effects of self-employment on employment growth and changes in family poverty rates. Our results indicate that higher self-employment rates are associated with statistically significant increases over time in income and employment growth, and reductions in poverty rates in non-metro counties. We find similar effects on metro county income and employment, but not on poverty dynamics.
Serotonin-like Immunoreactivity in the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems of the Interstitial Acochlidean Asperspina sp. (Opisthobranchia)

Species of Acochlidea are common members of the marine interstitial environment and defined in part by their minuscule size and highly divergent morphology relative to other benthic opisthobranchs. Despite these differences, acochlideans such as species of Asperspina display many plesiomorphic characteristics, including an unfused condition of their neural ganglia. To gain insight into the distribution of specific neural subsets within acochlidean ganglia, a species of Asperspina was studied by using anti-serotonin immunohistochemistry and epifluorescence and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Results reveal similarities between Asperspina and larger opisthobranchs in the general distribution of serotonergic perikarya in the central nervous system. Specifically, the arrangement of perikarya into regional clusters within the cerebral and pedal ganglia and the absence of immunoreactive perikarya in the pleural ganglia are similar to the model species of Aplysia californica, Pleurobranchaea californica, and Tritonia diomedea. Moreover, serotonergic innervation of the rhinophores in all opisthobranchs, including Asperspina sp. , originates from the cerebral ganglion instead of directly from the rhinophoral ganglion. Serotonergic innervation of the body wall, including the epithelium, muscles, and pedal sole, appears to arise exclusively from pedal and accessory ganglia. These observations indicate a general conservation of serotonin-like immunoreactivity in the central and peripheral nervous systems of acochlidean and other benthic opisthobranchs.
The initial mass distribution of the M82 star cluster system

We explore whether we can constrain the shape of the initial mass distribution of the star cluster population in M82’s ∼1-Gyr-old post-starburst region ‘B’, in which the present-day cluster mass function (CMF) is closely approximated by a lognormal distribution. We conclude that the M82 B initial CMF must have had a mean mass very close to that of the ‘equilibrium’ CMF of Vesperini. Consequently, if the presently observed M82 B CMF has remained approximately constant since its formation, as predicted, then the initial CMF must have been characterized by a mean mass that was only slightly larger than the present mean mass. From our detailed analysis of the expected evolution of CMFs, we conclude that our observations of the M82 B CMF are inconsistent with a scenario in which the 1-Gyr-old cluster population originated from an initial power-law mass distribution. Our conclusion is supported by arguments related to the initial density in M82 B, which would have been unphysically high if the present cluster population were the remains of an initial power-law distribution. Ke yw ords: galaxies: individual: M82 ‐ galaxies: starburst ‐ galaxies: star clusters.
Stellar evolution through the ages: period variations in galactic RRab stars as derived from the GEOS database and TAROT telescopes

Context. The theory of stellar evolution can be more closely tested if we have the opportunity to measure new quantities. Nowadays, observations of galactic RR Lyr stars are available on a time baseline exceeding 100 years. Therefore, we can exploit the possibility of investigating period changes, continuing the pioneering work started by V. P. Tsesevich in 1969. Aims. We collected the available times of maximum brightness of the galactic RR Lyr stars in the GEOS RR Lyr database. Moreover, we also started new observational projects, including surveys with automated telescopes, to characterise the O‐C diagrams better. Methods. The database we built has proved to be a very powerful tool for tracing the period variations through the ages. We analyzed 123 stars showing a clear O‐C pattern (constant, parabolic or erratic) by means of different least‐squares methods. Results. Clear evidence of period increases or decreases at constant rates has been found, suggesting evolutionary effects. The median values are �=+0.14 d Myr −1 for the 27 stars showing a period increase and �=‐0.20 d Myr −1 for the 21 stars showing a period decrease. The large number of RR Lyr stars showing a period decrease (i.e., blueward evolution) is a new and intriguing result. There is an excess � � � �
SCN: An Efficient Wireless Sensor Network Based Communication Scheme for Stacked Containers

Traditionally it’s impossible to monitor the freight’s status inside a container which is made of steel and makes data transmission by radio impossible, let alone the wired communication solutions. As container transportation is the prevailing method for international cargos, a feasible way to transmit status of the monitored cargo out of the stacked containers is very important, especially for ones with special requirements such as dangerous goods. This paper proposes a scheme to construct a communication network for stacked containers by deploying communicating nodes on the container’s surface to form a customized wireless sensor network. An effective routing algorithm is also proposed to exploit the characteristic of the network which is composed of smart containers. Simulation results show that the proposed interconnecting scheme makes an effective communicating infrastructure for upper layer container management services.
Adaptive model objects for robot related applications of product models

This paper deals with the application of adaptive model objects for integration of modeling products and robot systems. Product modeling is an advanced method for integration of product related computer descriptions. Product model describes engineering related information about parts and assemblies in a mechanical system. Robots use this information for flexible automated manufacturing of the modeled product. Consequence of definition or change of model objects may be unacceptable change in production. To prevent similar problems by improper design at production, two-way communication is needed between product design and production planning. The authors proposed highly integrated model objects for this purpose. Model objects evaluate and react inside and outside changes by analysis of the related behaviors. Adaptivity features are created and then applied for behavior driven generation of modification of model entities. This paper analyzes process-oriented product modeling of robot application related mechanical systems. The proposed objects are composed by elementary, structural, relationship, behavior, knowledge and adaptivity features. This paper also discusses integration of multi layered robot process model with shape models, procedure of modification handling by behavior features in a product-robot model system, general architecture of the proposed model objects and behavior feature driven activities of active model objects on four levels.
Formalization of emergence in multi-agent systems

Emergence is a distinguishing feature in systems, especially when complexity grows with the number of components, interactions, and connectivity. There is immense interest in emergence, and a plethora of definitions from philosophy to sciences. Despite this, there is a lack of consensus on the definition of emergence and this hinders the development of a formal approach to understand and predict emergent behavior in multi-agent systems. This paper proposes a grammar-based set-theoretic approach to formalize and verify the existence and extent of emergence without prior knowledge or definition of emergent properties. Our approach is based on weak (basic) emergence that is both generated and autonomous from the underlying agents. In contrast with current work, our approach has two main advantages. By focusing only on system interactions of interest and feasible combinations of individual agent behavior, state-space explosion is reduced. In formalizing emergence, our extended grammar is designed to model agents of diverse types, mobile agents, and open systems. Theoretical and experimental studies using the boids model demonstrate the complexity of our formal approach.
Vision Techniques for Robotic Manipulation and Grasping

In this paper we present a few different vision techniques used for robotic manipulation and grasping tasks. These tasks are performed in a domestic environment and consider manipulation of everyday objects such as a package of cereals, cups, soda cans, etc. The variety and dynamics of real world settings introduce a number of problems such a varying lighting conditions, complicated textural properties of objects, shadows, etc. In order to perform tasks under such conditions, the high level of robustness of the overall system is of key importance. Given a task at hand, different approaches of how to gain the needed robustness are discussed. To perform a task, we have integrated a number of different vision based approaches recognition/detection, 2D tracking for position estimation and 3D visual tracking for pose (position and orientation) estimation. In this paper, the objective is mainly on the tracking approaches and their integration to obtain a fully operational, robotic grasping system.
Radish : Compiling Efficient Query Plans for Distributed Shared Memory

We present Radish, a query compiler that generates distributed programs. Recent efforts have shown that compiling queries to machine code for a single-core can remove iterator and control overhead for significant performance gains. So far, systems that generate distributed programs only compile plans for single processors and stitch them together with messaging. In this paper, we describe an approach for translating query plans into distributed programs by targeting the partitioned global address space (PGAS) parallel programming model as an intermediate representation. This approach affords a natural adaptation of pipelining techniques used in singlecore query compilers and an overall simpler design. We adapt pipelined algorithms to PGAS languages, describe efficient data structures for PGAS query execution, and implement techniques for mitigating the overhead resulting from handling a multitude of fine-grained tasks. We evaluate Radish on graph benchmark and application workloads and find that it is 4× to 100× faster than Shark, a recent distributed query engine optimized for in-memory execution. Our work makes important first steps towards ensuring that query processing systems can benefit from future advances in parallel programming and co-mingle with state-of-the-art parallel programs.
Road side detection and reconstruction using LIDAR sensor

Road edge localization is key knowledge for automatic road modeling and hence, in the field of autonomous vehicles. In this paper, we investigate the case of road border detection using LIDAR data. The aim is to propose a system recognizing curbs and curb ramps and to reconstruct the missing information in case of occlusion. A prediction/estimation process (inspired by Kalman filter models) has been analyzed. The map of angle deviation to ground normal is considered as a feature set, helping to characterize efficiently curbs while curb ramps and occluded curbs have been handled with the proposed model. Such a method may be used for both road map modeling and driver-assistance systems. A user interface scheme has also been described, providing an effective tool for semi-automatic processing of a large amount of data.
Characterization of Molecular Mechanisms Controlling fabAB Transcription in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Background The FabAB pathway is one of the unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) synthesis pathways for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It was previously noted that this operon was upregulated in biofilms and repressed by exogenous UFAs. Deletion of a 30 nt fabA upstream sequence, which is conserved in P. aeruginosa, P. putida, and P. syringae, led to a significant decrease in fabA transcription, suggesting positive regulation by an unknown positive regulatory mechanism. Methods/Principal Findings Here, genetic and biochemical approaches were employed to identify a potential fabAB activator. Deletion of candidate genes such as PA1611 or PA1627 was performed to determine if any of these gene products act as a fabAB activator. However, none of these genes were involved in the regulation of fabAB transcription. Use of mariner-based random mutagenesis to screen for fabA activator(s) showed that several genes encoding unknown functions, rpoN and DesA may be involved in fabA regulation, but probably via indirect mechanisms. Biochemical attempts performed did fail to isolate an activator of fabAB operon. Conclusion/Significance The data suggest that fabA expression might not be regulated by protein-binding, but by a distinct mechanism such as a regulatory RNA-based mechanism.
Technology transfer and learning under the Kyoto Regime : exploring the technological impact of CDM projects in developing countries

• A submitted manuscript is the version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. People interested in the research are advised to contact the author for the final version of the publication, or visit the DOI to the publisher's website. • The final author version and the galley proof are versions of the publication after peer review. • The final published version features the final layout of the paper including the volume, issue and page numbers.
Using Andrews Curves for Clustering and Sub-clustering Self-Organizing Maps

The use of self-organizing maps to analyze data often de- pends on finding effective methods to visualize the SOM's structure. In this paper we propose a new way to perform that visualization using a variant of Andrews' Curves. Also we show that the interaction between these two methods allows us to find sub-clusters within identified clusters.
A 60Hz interference reduction using slope trace waves

In this paper, a new method to remove 60Hz power line interference from ECG (electrocardiogram) in time domain is introduced. The method uses two slope trace waves that are kind of delayed version of original signal with averaged slopes within a certain time interval. After the determination of the two slope trace waves, their arithmetic average is calculated. The result shows filtering effect removing the 60Hz interference. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the method, several ECGs from MIT-BIH arrhythmia database were chosen and 60Hz sinusoidal waves with different amplitudes were added to them. The simulated ECG was then applied to the algorithm and the result showed its potential applicability to practical signal processing situation requiring effective 60Hz interference removals with minimal waveform distortion.
Requirement-based prioritization system in multi-user IoT

In this paper, a problem of sending a large amount of sensor data from a gateway to a faraway server over limited resources in multi-user IoT system has been studied. We propose a sensor data prioritization approach based on user requirements for maximizing the satisfaction value. The approach utilizes an MCDA (Multi Criteria Decision Analysis) technique called REMBRANDT to aggregate requirements and to determine a single priority value over sensor data with different attributes. Through a building management system case study, we have shown that our method can obtain higher satisfaction than naive transmission strategies in practical situations.
An investigation into whether employee engagement has been impacted by organisational change

This dissertation examines the area of organisation change and the impact it has had on employee engagement. It was noted that throughout research there was no link made between a changing organisation in the context studied and employee engagement. The dissertation seeks to examine whether change in the organisation has impacted the organisation through investing the variation between gender, age and years of service of employee’s variations. The areas of this study were examined into depth in the literature review. The literature review was conducted in order to give a meaningful and deep understanding of the topic. The objective to use the literature as a guide to developing a survey that will help investigate whether employee engagement has been impacted by organisational change. The research conducted was of a quantifiable approach and consisted of self-administering a survey to the employees of ‘Company X’. The findings of this research found that variances occurred between genders, age and years of service that support the suggested literature. The research exhibited results suggesting that engagement had impacted several respondents with indication of low commitment and job attachment levels.
Extensive Margins and the Demand for Money at Low Interest Rates

We argue that the relevant monetary decision for the majority of U.S. households is not the fraction of assets to be held in interest‐bearing form, but whether to hold any such assets at all (we call this “the decision to adopt” the financial technology). We show that the key variable governing the adoption decision is the product of the interest rate times the total amount of assets. This implies that the interest elasticity of household money demand at low interest rates can be estimated from the variation in asset holdings in a cross section of households rather than historical interest rate variations. We do so with the 1989 Survey of Consumer Finances. We find that (a) the elasticity of money demand is very small when the interest rate is small, (b) the probability that a household holds any amount of interest‐bearing assets is positively related to the level of financial assets, and (c) the cost of adopting financial technologies is negatively related to participation in a pension program. At interest rates of 5 percent, roughly one‐half of the elasticity can be attributed to the Allais‐Baumol‐Tobin or intensive margin and half to the new adopters or extensive margin. The intensive margin is less important at lower interest rates and more important at higher interest rates. Finally, we argue that ignoring extensive margins may lead to an empirically important overestimation of the cost of inflation at low interest rates.