Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Merlot Journal of Online Learning and Teaching the Role of Community in Online Learning Success

The purpose of this paper is to report on the findings of a study examining the relationships between community and student success in online learning. The study was conducted on undergraduate students enrolled in online courses at an accredited university on the east coast of the U.S. Results of the study indicate a strong correlation between learner interaction and engagement, sense of community, and success in online learning.
Flatness-based trajectory tracking control of a rehabilitation robot with disturbance compensation

Rehabilitation robots are an effective supplement to classical locomotion therapy, guaranteeing a high training intensity with a sufficient amount of iterations. Rehabilitation robots are developed with respect to the needs of the patients, ensuring safety and optimal training conditions. In this contribution, a control structure for a gait trainer is presented allowing unsupervised training. The controller comprises a flatness-based trajectory tracking control and a disturbance compensation. It is shown that the controller maintains an absolutely robust and, therefore, safe behavior for all kinds of disturbances, even for spasticities of the patient. Furthermore, the controller shows an elastic tracking behavior leaving space for the idiosyncrasies of the patient's gait, while granting the qualitative characteristics of the gait trajectories at all times.
Meshing Roundtable A Local Frame based Hexahedral Mesh Optimization

We propose a new hexahedral mesh optimization technique that is based on the smoothing of the local frame system embedded in each hexahedral element. This smoothing process can be formulated as a quadratic optimization problem that can be solved efficiently. We have applied this technique for the improvement of the quality of a number of hexahedral meshes. c © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of IMR 25.
Developing a Standard Scale of Relationship Value in Business Markets

Value creation is considered as key to collaborative customer-supplier relationships. Despite the growing body of research, more knowledge is needed about the construct of relationship value and its operationalization. The present paper provides a definition of relationship value and develops a scale for measuring the concept in business-to-business markets. Findings from a cross-sectional survey among purchasing managers in industrial companies in France are presented. Four relationship value components emerge from the present study: product-related benefits, strategic benefits, personal benefits, and relationship sacrifices. Finally, a method of aggregating the four components to the higher-order construct of relationship value is proposed.
MR Lymphangiography: A Practical Guide to Perform It and a Brief Review of the Literature from a Technical Point of View

We propose a practical approach for performing high-resolution MR lymphangiography (MRL). We shall discuss and illustrate the technical approach for the visualization of lymphatic vessels in patients suffering from lymphedema, how to distinguish lymphatic vessels from veins, and MRL role in supermicrosurgery treatment planning. A brief review of literature, from a technical point of view, is also reported.
The four ingredients of single-sequence RNA secondary structure prediction. A unifying perspective

Any method for RNA secondary structure prediction is determined by four ingredients. The architecture is the choice of features implemented by the model (such as stacked basepairs, loop length distributions, etc.). The architecture determines the number of parameters in the model. The scoring scheme is the nature of those parameters (whether thermodynamic, probabilistic, or weights). The parameterization stands for the specific values assigned to the parameters. These three ingredients are referred to as “the model. ” The fourth ingredient is the folding algorithms used to predict plausible secondary structures given the model and the sequence of a structural RNA. Here, I make several unifying observations drawn from looking at more than 40 years of methods for RNA secondary structure prediction in the light of this classification. As a final observation, there seems to be a performance ceiling that affects all methods with complex architectures, a ceiling that impacts all scoring schemes with remarkable similarity. This suggests that modeling RNA secondary structure by using intrinsic sequence-based plausible “foldability” will require the incorporation of other forms of information in order to constrain the folding space and to improve prediction accuracy. This could give an advantage to probabilistic scoring systems since a probabilistic framework is a natural platform to incorporate different sources of information into one single inference problem.
Competence, Performance, and the Locality of Quantifier Raising: Evidence from 4-Year-Old Children

We revisit the purported locality constraint on Quantifier Raising (QR) by investigating children's and adults' interpretation of antecedent-contained-deletion (ACD) sentences, where the interpretation depends on the landing site targeted by QR out of an embedded clause. When ACD is embedded in a nonfinite clause, 4-year-old children and adults access both the embedded and the matrix interpretations. When ACD is embedded in a finite clause, and the matrix interpretation is generally believed to be ungrammatical, children and even some adults access both readings. These findings allow for the possibility that the source of QR's reputed locality constraint may instead be extragrammatical, and they provide insight into the development of the human sentence parser.
Focusing on user experience and business models in startups: investigation of two-dimensional value creation

While good user experience (UX) can be seen to provide competitive advantage for the company and added value to users, resources for achieving UX may often be lacking in software startups. Furthermore, in different phases of business and product development process, concentrating on the focal things can be challenging. In this study, we investigated the factors affecting UX work in startups as well as UX goals startups set for their products. Furthermore, we reviewed the goals in terms of the Minimum Viable UX framework as well as value creation aspects. We present qualitative results of a survey study with 20 software startups as well as findings of a literature review. Our study suggests that while startups aim to provide products with good usability, the lack of a more comprehensive approach to UX can hinder their value creation; affecting both user satisfaction and business success. As a result, this may affect the successful implementation of startup's business model.
Online dynamic hand gesture recognition with multiple cues

In order to solve the generalization performance and complex background problems of hand gesture recognition, online dynamic hand recognition with multiple cues is proposed in this paper. The disturbance caused by complex background is reduced by motion detection. As a result of skin color's cluster characteristic, the online skin classifier is constructed by Multi-Gaussian model. The static hand recognition is completed with geometric features. An affine model is adopted for motion displacement estimation for hand tracking. The experimental results show that our method is robust and real-time, and is able to adapt to the complex background.
An optimized cost-effective multicarrier transceiver for two-ray channels

The optimum set of modulation filters for multicarrier modulation on two-ray channels is derived in closed form. These filters are shown to be sinusoidal even for a finite number of carriers. The proposed modulation scheme optimizes the performance of two-ray channels corrupted by additive white Gaussian noise without incurring the data rate loss associated with FFT-based multicarrier transceivers. The case of multiple-ray channels is also considered. <<ETX>>
The Causal Relationship between Exports and Economic Growth in Jordan

This study aims to examine the causal relationship between economic growth and exports in Jordan using the Granger methodology in order to determine the direction of the relationship between the two variables during the period 2000- 2012. The study found that there is a causal relationship going from the economic growth to Export, and not vice versa. Based on the outcome of causality tests, the changes in the economic growth help explain the changes that occur in the Export.
Value Configurations in E-Commerce: Evidence from Comparison Websites

Comparison websites have become a particularly prominent feature of e-commerce. In 2007 it was estimated that 20% of car insurance policies in the UK were obtained through such websites. Whilst some see this as a positive trend which enables greater competition, others, in contrast, question how impartial such sites actually are. However, in spite of this high profile there is no real academic research on the subject of comparison websites. This paper offers such a contribution using theoretical frameworks from the strategy literature and outlines key areas for further work in this field.
The Life Cycle of Baroclinic Eddies in a Storm Track Environment

Abstract The life cycle of baroclinic eddies in a controlled storm track environment has been examined by means of long model integrations on a hemisphere. A time-lagged regression that captures disturbances with large meridional velocities has been applied to the meteorological variables. This regressed solution is used to describe the life cycle of the baroclinic eddies. The eddies grow as expected by strong poleward heat fluxes at low levels in regions of strong surface baroclinicity at the entrance of the storm track, in a manner similar to that of Charney modes. As the eddies evolve into a nonlinear regime, they grow deeper by fluxing energy upward, and the characteristic westward tilt exhibited in the vorticity vanishes by rotating into a meridional tilt, in which the lower-level cyclonic vorticity center moves poleward and the upper-level center moves equatorward. This rather classical picture of baroclinic evolution is radically modified by the simultaneous development of an upper-level eddy downs.
A convex hull-based approximation of forest fire shape with distributed wireless sensor networks

Monitoring of physical phenomena is one of the most promising application fields of wireless sensor networks. In this work we focus on obtaining the shape of a forest fire. In this kind of applications, the information sensed by network nodes is usually transmitted to a base station located at the border of the network, where it is finally processed. However, such an approach requires that a large amount of data is transmitted through the network. In this paper, we assume that network nodes are able to collaborate in order to obtain an approximation of the forest fire shape without any base station, in a completely distributed way. We propose and analyze two techniques for performing this approximation. The first one makes intensive use of resources, while the second model incorporates an aggregation technique, reducing significantly resource requirements.
The effects of economic variables in the UK stock market

This thesis examines the links between economic time-series innovations and statistical risk factors in the UK stock market using principal components analysis (PCA) and the general-to-specific (Gets) approach to econometric modelling. A multi-factor risk structure for the UK stock market is assumed, and it is found that the use of economic 'news' (innovations), PCA, the Gets approach, and different stock grouping criteria helps to explain the relationships between stock returns and economic variables. The Kalman Filter appears to be more appropriate than first-differencing or ARIMA modelling as a technique for estimating innovations when applying the Gets approach. Different combinations of economic variables appear to underpin the risk structure of stock returns for different sub-samples. Indications of a possible influence of firm size are found in principal components when different stock sorting criteria are used, but more definite conclusions require simultaneous sorting by market value and beta. Overall it appears that the major factor affecting the identification of specific explanatory economic variables across different sub-samples is the general economic context of investment. The influence of firm size on stock returns seems in particular to be highly sensitive to the wider economic context. There is an apparent instability in the economic underpinnings of the risk structure of stock returns (as measured by principal components) that might also be a result of changing economic conditions.
Range Extension for UWB Communications

UWB shows great promise for use in a number of wireless communications applications, in particular, short range high bit rate networking. However, due to the emissions limits set by the FCC, commercial systems are limited in range for high data rates. To achieve greater range, both simple and advanced techniques need to be investigated. Current designs for UWB (at least those in the open literature) focus on a small number of modulation and pulse shaping schemes. As such, simple improvements should be investigated first to increase system range, such as better modulation schemes, channel coding, and/or Rake receivers. More sophisticated designs should then be investigated. In this white paper we investigate the use of different modulation and coding schemes on the Range of UWB, as well as a simple analysis of the Rake receiver. Additionally, due to the potentially large number of Rake fingers that may be needed, we discuss the need for low power Rake designs. Finally, we propose areas of research in UWB for communications.
Random Preferential Attachment Hypergraphs

The random graph model has recently been extended to a random preferential attachment graph model, in order to enable the study of general asymptotic properties in network types that are better represented by the preferential attachment evolution model than by the ordinary (uniform) evolution lodel. Analogously, this paper extends the random {\em hypergraph} model to a random {\em preferential attachment hypergraph} model. We then analyze the degree distribution of random preferential attachment hypergraphs and show that they possess heavy tail degree distribution properties similar to those of random preferential attachment graphs. However, our results show that the exponent of the degree distribution is sensitive to whether one considers the structure as a hypergraph or as a graph.
Different Blood Cell-Derived Transcriptome Signatures in Cows Exposed to Vaccination Pre- or Postpartum

Periparturient cows have been found to reveal immunosuppression, frequently associated with increased susceptibility to uterine and mammary infections. To improve understanding of the causes and molecular regulatory mechanisms accounting for this phenomenon around calving, we examined the effect of an antigen challenge on gene expression modulation on cows prior to (BC) or after calving (AC) using whole transcriptome sequencing (RNAseq). The transcriptome analysis of the cows’ blood identified a substantially higher number of loci affected in BC cows (2,235) in response to vaccination compared to AC cows (208) and revealed a divergent transcriptional profile specific for each group. In BC cows, a variety of loci involved in immune defense and cellular signaling processes were transcriptionally activated, whereas protein biosynthesis and posttranslational processes were tremendously impaired in response to vaccination. Furthermore, energy metabolism in the blood cells of BC cows was shifted from oxidative phosphorylation to the glycolytic system. In AC cows, the number and variety of regulated pathways involved in immunomodulation and maintenance of immnunocompetence are considerably lower after vaccination, and upregulation of arginine degradation was suggested as an immunosuppressive mechanism. Elevated transcript levels of erythrocyte-specific genes involved in gas exchange processes were a specific transcriptional signature in AC cows pointing to hematopoiesis activation. The divergent and substantially lower magnitude of transcriptional modulation in response to vaccination in AC cows provides evidence for a suppressed immune capacity of early lactating cows on the molecular level and demonstrates that an efficient immune response of cows is related to their physiological and metabolic status.
Depth image application in analysis of automatic 3D reconstruction

In this paper, we present an algorithm which can reconstruct arbitrary scene in real-time automatically by using depth image. ICP algorithm[3] will be used to estimate the pose of the depth sensor, after image was taken from depth sensor. Depth data will be fused into global model using signed distance function[4]. Finally, according to the Marching Cubes[2] algorithm, the model will be presented in real-time automatically. It is worth mentioning that practicing this algorithm, we just need to fix a commodity depth sensor on the robotic hand, and provide a trajectory for the robot to scan the scene, and the model will be generated in real-time. In the last part, experimental result will be shown. Overall, we can make a conclusion that using depth sensor to reconstruct scene in realtime is feasible. We believe that this method will be an excellence solution of simultaneous localization and mapping.
Glycogen synthase kinase 3 β phosphorylation of microtubule-associated protein 1 B regulates the stability of microtubules in growth cones

The microtubule-associated protein (MAP) 1B is a developmentally regulated phosphoprotein that is expressed at high levels in growing neurons and in regions of the adult nervous system that show neuronal plasticity or regenerate after injury (reviewed by Müller et al., 1994). Although the precise function of MAP 1B is unclear, indirect evidence strongly suggests that the molecule plays an important role in axon growth and possibly in growth cone structure and dynamics (reviewed by Gordon-Weeks, 1997). For example, it is the first structural MAP to be expressed in developing neurons (Tucker et al., 1988) and the expression is particularly high in growing axons and their growth cones (Bloom et al., 1985; Calvert and Anderton, 1985; Riederer et al., 1986; Schoenfeld et al., 1989; Fischer and Romano-Clarke, 1991; Mansfield et al., 1991; Gordon-Weeks et al., 1993). Inhibition of expression with antisense oligodeoxynucleotides blocks neurite growth in PC12 cells (Brugg et al., 1993) and cerebellar macroneurons (DiTella et al., 1996). More recently, two transgenic MAP 1B ‘knockout’ mice have been produced (Edelmann et al., 1996; Takei et al., 1997). In the Edelmann et al. (1996) knockout the homozygotes die in utero and the heterozygotes show widespread neurological disorders (Edelmann et al., 1996). In contrast, in the second knockout, homozygous mice survive and show only a delay in the development of their nervous systems (Takei et al., 1997). However, these animals may not be complete knockouts since there is evidence that they express a truncated isoform of MAP1B, at low levels (Takei et al., 1997). Furthermore, analysis of the MAP1B gene in mice and rats predicts that truncated transforms exist in the Takei et al. (1997) knockout (Kutschera et al., 1998). There are two classes of phosphorylated isoforms of MAP1B; one is developmentally down-regulated, expressed only in growing axons and generated by proline-directed kinases, including the cyclin-dependent kinase cdk5 and glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) (DiTella et al., 1996; 3373 Journal of Cell Science 112, 3373-3384 (1999) Printed in Great Britain © The Company of Biologists Limited 1999 JCS4672
Cooperative multi-ant colony pseudo-parallel optimization algorithm

On account of the premature and stagnation of traditional ant colony algorithm, this paper proposes a cooperative multi-ant colony pseudo-parallel optimization algorithm, drawing lessons from the idea of the exclusion model and fitness sharing model of genetic algorithm. The algorithm makes multiple sub-ant colonies run different instance models of ant algorithm independently and concurrently, and realizes the historical experience synthesis of each sub-colony through the interaction of the pheromone, to ensure the guidance and diversity of pheromone distribution. Through the cooperation of the ants in each sub-colony and between sub-colonies, the algorithm achieves the collaborative optimization of ant colony at two levels, thus it improves the ability of optimization and the stability. Algorithm performance test shows that, the algorithm has a better ability of global optimization than the traditional ant colony algorithm.
ResourceA Wiring of the Human Nucleolus

Recent proteomic efforts have created an extensive inventory of the human nucleolar proteome. However, approximately 30% of the identified proteins lack functional annotation. We present an approach of assigning function to uncharacterized nucleolar proteins by data integration coupled to a machine-learning method. By assembling protein complexes, we present a first draft of the human ribosome biogenesis pathway encompassing 74 proteins and hereby assign function to 49 previously uncharacterized proteins. Moreover, the functional diversity of the nucleolus is underlined by the identification of a number of protein complexes with functions beyond ribosome biogenesis. Finally, we were able to obtain experimental evidence of nucleolar localization of 11 proteins, which were predicted by our platform to be associates of nucleolar complexes. We believe other biological organelles or systems could be ‘‘wired’’ in a similar fashion, integrating different types of data with high-throughput proteomics, followed by a detailed biological analysis and experimental validation.
Separate roles of IQGAP Rng2p in forming and constricting the Schizosaccharomyces pombe cytokinetic contractile ring

Rng2p is required for both the normal process of contractile ring formation from precursor nodes and an alternative mechanism by which rings form from strands of actin filaments, as well as for ring constriction. Systematic analysis of domain deletion mutants establishes how the four domains of Rng2p contribute to cytokinesis.
Height of Random Walks and Length of Longest common Subsequences in Pattern Matching

Given m sequences, what is the average length of the longest common part, of the second largest. What is the average length of the last common suffix? For any size of the alphabet and any distribution of the letters, this question is covered by a variant of a famous model in population biology (the Moran model), which in turn can be converted into a random walk model in dimension m (with infinite negative drift, constrainted to remain nonnegative), indeed the maximal height of the walk gives the length of longest common part, and the final height gives the length of the last common part. Our approach is new and of wide generality, as it can be applied to many variants of problems related to this fundamental parameter, namely, height of random walks. It is e.g. well-known that many alignment algorithms in computational biology are intimately related to such questions. It is for sure possible to use probability theory to analyse these questions, we adopt here a different approach, which relies on generating functions. This offers many advantages: we get an exact enumeration scheme, and the use of a nice trick (the kernel method) allows us to give not only an explicit solution for maximal height h, but also gives a O(1) computational cost (whereas a Markov chain approach would be of complexity O(h)). Finally, analytic combinatorics technics give access to the asymptotics.