Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Search for flash movies on the web

FlashTM is experiencing a breathtaking growth andhas become one of the prevailing media formats on theWeb. Unfortunately, no research effort has beendedicated to automatic retrieval of Flash movies bycontent, which is critical to the utilization of the enormousFlash resource. A close examination reveals that theintrinsic complexity of a Flash movie, including itsheterogeneous components, its dynamic nature, and userinteractivity, makes Flash retrieval a host of researchissues. As the first endeavor in this area, we propose ageneric framework termed as FLAME (FLash Access andManagement Environment) embodying a 3-tierarchitecture that addresses the representation, indexing,and retrieval of Flash movies by mining andunderstanding of movie content. In particular, FLAMEfeatures a unique multi-level indexing and retrievalapproach that supports characterization and retrieval ofFlash at (1) object level, which describes theheterogeneous components embedded in a movie, (2)event level, which depicts the movie's dynamic effectsconstituted by the spatio-temporal features of objects, and(3) interaction level, which models the relationshipsbetween user behaviors and the consequential events. Anexperimental prototype for Web-based Flash retrieval isimplemented to verify the feasibility and effectiveness ofFLAME.
Purchasing power parity in major OPEC countries: flexible Fourier stationary test

This study applies stationary test with a Fourier function proposed by Enders and Lee (2004, 2009) to test the validity of long-run Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) to assess the nonstationary properties of the Real Exchange Rates (RERs) for seven major countries of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). We find that our approximation has higher power to detect U-shaped breaks and smooth breaks than linear method if the true Data-Generating Process (DGP) of exchange rate is in fact a stationary nonlinear process. We examine the validity of PPP from the nonlinear point of view and provide robust evidence that clearly indicates that PPP holds true for six countries, namely Algeria, Angola, Indonesia, Kuwait, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. Our findings point out their exchange rate adjustment mean-reverts towards PPP equilibrium values in a nonlinear way.
A comparison of the shaping abilities of 4 nickel-titanium rotary instruments in simulated root canals.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to compare the root canal shaping abilities of 4 nickel-titanium rotary instruments. STUDY DESIGN ProFile, GT Rotary, Quantec, and ProTaper files were used to instrument 48 simulated curved root canals in plastic blocks with the crown-down technique. One operator prepared all the canals until reaching an apical canal size of #30. The instrumentation time, changes of canal dimension and curvature, canal aberration, and instrument deformation were evaluated. Data were analyzed by using one-way analysis of variance followed by the Duncan multiple range test. RESULTS The ProTaper took significantly less instrumentation time, removed more canal wall (especially at the inner side of the canal curve), lessened the canal curvature, and induced more instrument deformation than did the other instruments. CONCLUSION Although ProTaper files cut more canal wall more quickly than the other instruments in the curved canal, they were also the instruments that most frequently became deformed.
Efficiently Discovering Locally Exceptional Yet Globally Representative Subgroups

Subgroup discovery is a local pattern mining technique to find interpretable descriptions of sub-populations that stand out on a given target variable. That is, these sub-populations are exceptional with regard to the global distribution. In this paper we argue that in many applications, such as scientific discovery, subgroups are only useful if they are additionally representative of the global distribution with regard to a control variable. That is, when the distribution of this control variable is the same, or almost the same, as over the whole data. We formalise this objective function and give an efficient algorithm to compute its tight optimistic estimator for the case of a numeric target and a binary control variable. This enables us to use the branch-and-bound framework to efficiently discover the top-k subgroups that are both exceptional as well as representative. Experimental evaluation on a wide range of datasets shows that with this algorithm we discover meaningful representative patterns and are up to orders of magnitude faster in terms of node evaluations as well as time.
Terrain Reasoning for 3 D Action Games

This paper presents terrain reasoning based on the waypoint graph typically present in 3D action games. It discusses terrain reasoning concepts, and how the waypoint graph can be reasoned about. The paper discusses and demonstrates the relation between tactics and terrain. A case-study shows how to develop off-line and in-game reasoning to pick good sniping spots, and how to use game-play feedback to create adaptive AI with tactical understanding of the terrain.
Testing for market segmentation in the A and B share markets of China

Recent research has suggested that the A and B share markets of China may be informationally segmented. In this paper volatility patterns in the A and B share market are studied to establish whether volatility changes to the A and B share markets are synchronous. A consequence of new information, when investors act upon it is that volatility rises. This means that if the A and B markets are perfectly integrated volatility changes to each market would be expected to occur at the same time. However, if they are segmented there is no reason for volatility changes to occur on the same day. Using the iterative cumulative sum of squares across the different markets. Evidence is found of integration between the two A share markets but not between the A and B markets.
Does Walking in the Neighbourhood Enhance Local Sociability?

The walkability of urban neighbourhoods has emerged as a strong component in policy and design models for active, liveable communities. This paper examines the proposition that more walkable neighbourhoods encourage local social interaction, a sense of community, informal social control and social cohesion; and that the relationship is explained by walking for transport or for recreation. Multilevel analyses of data from an Australian sample showed a modest association between the walkability of a neighbourhood and sense of community only. Walking for transport, but not recreation, mediated this relationship although the effect was small. These results support contentions that 'walkability' is more complex than usually defined and that factors influencing neighbourhood sociability extend beyond issues of urban form.
Measuring Portfolio Value at Risk

On estimating portfolio Value at Risk, the application of traditional univariate VaR models is limited. Under specific circumstance, the VaR estimation could be inadequate. Facing the financial crises and increasing uncertainty in financial markets, effective multivariate VaR models have become crucial. This paper gives an overview of various multivariate VaR models. The main aim is to compare the one day out-of-sample predictive performances of different models, including basic multivariate VaR models, volatility weighted multivariate VaR models and copula-based multivariate VaR models. Performance is evaluated in terms of Christoffersen test, quadratic probability score and root mean squared error. The findings show that basic multivariate VaR models such as multivariate normal VaR model and multivariate t VaR model behave poorly and fail to generate reliable VaR estimations. By contrast, volatility weighted multivariate VaR models and copula-based multivariate VaR models show notable improvements in the predictive performance.
Tooth and Alveolar Bone Segmentation From Dental Computed Tomography Images

Three-dimensional (3D) models of tooth-alveolar bone complex are needed in treatment planning and simulation for computer-aided orthodontics. Tooth and alveolar bone segmentation from computed tomography (CT) images is a fundamental step in reconstructing their models. Due to less application of alveolar bone in conventional orthodontic treatment which may cause undesired side effects, the previous studies mainly focused on tooth segmentation and reconstruction, and did not consider the alveolar bone. In this study, we proposed a method to implement both tooth and alveolar bone segmentation from dental CT images for reconstructing their 3D models. First, the proposed method extracted the connected region of tooth and alveolar bone from CT images using a global convex level set model. Then, individual tooth and alveolar bone are separated from the connected region based on Radon transform and a local level set model. The experimental results showed that the proposed method could successfully complete both the tooth and alveolar bone segmentation from CT images, and outperformed the state of the art tooth segmentation methods in terms of accuracy. This suggests that the proposed method can be used in reconstructing the 3D models of tooth-alveolar bone complex for precise treatment.
International differences in the family gap in pay: the role of labour market institutions

Using the microdata for 35 countries over the period 1985 to 1994 and 1994 to 2002 we find that labour market institutions are traditionally associated with more compressed wage structures and a higher family gap. Our results indicate that these policies reduce the price effect of having children but aggravate the human capital loss due to motherhood. We also find evidence that policies that help women to continue in the same job after childbirth decrease the family gap. Of all the countries we study, mothers in Southern Europe suffer the biggest family gap and our analysis indicates that this is due to the bad combination of labour market policies in these countries. Our results are robust to specification changes and indicate that the main reason for mothers to lag behind other women in terms of earnings is the loss of accumulated job market experience caused by career breaks around childbirth.
Methods for estimating the bioconcentration factor of ionizable organic chemicals

The bioaccumulation potential is an important criterion in risk assessment of chemicals. Several regressions between bioconcentration factor (BCF) in fish and octanol‐water partition coefficient (KOW) have been developed for neutral organic compounds, but very few approaches address the BCF of ionizable compounds. A database with BCFs of 73 acids and 65 bases was collected from the literature. The BCF estimation method recommended by the Technical Guidance Document (TGD) for chemical risk assessment in the European Union was tested for ionizing substances using log KOW (corrected for the neutral species, log[fn·KOW]) and log D (sum of log KOW of neutral and ionic molecule, apparent log KOW) as predictors. In addition, the method of Meylan et al. (Environ Toxicol Chem 1999; 18:664–672) for ionizable compounds and a dynamic cell model based on the Fick‐Nernst‐Planck equation were tested. Moreover, our own regressions for the BCF were established from log KOW and pKa. The bioaccumulation of lipophilic compounds depends mainly on their lipophilicity, and the best predictor is log D. Dissociation, the pH‐dependent ion trap, and electrical attraction of cations impact the BCF. Several methods showed acceptable results. The TGD regressions gave good predictions when log(fn·KOW) or log D were used as a predictor instead of log KOW. The new regressions to log KOW and pKa performed similarly, with mean errors of approximately 0.4. The method of Meylan et al. did not perform as well. The cell model showed weak results for acids but was among the best methods for bases.
Subcellular localization of phosphoprotein 8-50 in regenerating muscle. .An immuno-electron microscopic study.

Phosphoprotein 8-50, also termed growth-associated protein GAP43, is a membrane-bound phosphoprotein expressed in neurons. It is particularly abundant during periods of axonal outgrowth in development and regeneration of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Recently the expression of phosphoprotein 8-50 in regenerating muscle fibers was reported and it was assumed that phosphoprotein 8-50, in muscles, plays a role in the determination of the growth morphology of regenerating muscle fibers. Thus, phosphoprotein 8-50 no longer can be regarded as a neuron-specific molecule. In this paper we study the subcellular localization of phosphoprotein 8-50 in regenerating human skeletal muscle fibers by electron immunohistochemistry. Phosphoprotein 8-50 immunoreactivity is randomly distributed over the nuclear and perinuclear area of regenerating muscle fibers. Previously, by light-microscopy phosphoprotein 8-50 immunoreactivity was demonstrated on the inner face of the sarcolemma in hypotrophic type 1 fibers in congenital fiber type disproportion. It is this distribution of phosphoprotein 8-50 in developmentally disordered myocytes in particular which allows an analogy to the corresponding results found for growing axons. But we did not find subsarcolemmal expression of 8-50 in regenerating muscle fibers. Probably this indicates that there is a difference in 8-50 expression between regeneration of muscle fibers and developmentally retarded/immature myofibers. The presented data suggest that phosphoprotein 8-50 is inserted only stage-dependent in the extending sarcolemma of the growing muscle fiber. Analogously to the nervous system, phosphoprotein 8-50 may serve a local function involving transmembrane signalling by means of calmodulin binding ofphosphoprotein 8-50 and/or phosphoprotein 8-50 phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. [Neural Res 1998; 20: 360-364].
Comparison of Artificial Neural Network and State Space Model for Predicting River Water Quality

The purpose of this study is to investigate appropriate tools for river water quality forecasting as variations in water quality are difficult to predict due to the complicated nature within the range of various water quality factors. In this study, state space and neural network models are employed to mathematically analyze the intricate nonlinearity of processes that affect factors related to water quality. A monthly forecasting model is proposed that can predict water quality parameters, including dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and suspended solid (SS) at the Miho river station in the Geum river basin (Korea). River water quality is predicted through the learning and the verification processes after applying the neural network theory to the proposed water quality forecasting model. Practical applications for predicting water quality prediction are examined by comparing the proposed model to the state space model (SSM). As a result, the artificial neural network (ANN) is estimated to have the ability to predict water quality more accurately than the state space model for each water quality item.
On the Logit Approach to Competitive Facility Location

The random utility model in competitive facility location is one approach for estimating the market share captured by a retail facility in a competitive environment. However, it requires extensive computational effort for finding the optimal location for a new facility because its objective function is based on a k-dimensional integral. In this paper we show that the random utility model can be approximated by a logit model. The proportion of the buying power at a demand point that is attracted to the new facility can be approximated by a logit function of the distance to it. This approximation demonstrates that using the logit function of the distance for estimating the market share is theoretically founded in the random utility model. A simplified random utility model is defined and approximated by a logit function. An iterative Weiszfeld-type algorithm is designed to find the best location for a new facility using the logit model. Computational experiments show that the logit approximation yields a good location solution to the random utility model.
Members of the Culex pipiens Complex as Vectors of Viruses1

Abstract Members of the Culex pipiens complex have been implicated as vectors of a number of arboviruses including St. Louis encephalitis, West Nile, Sindbis, and Rift Valley fever viruses. For some viruses, such as West Nile virus, laboratory studies have indicated that various members of this complex have a similar ability to become infected with and transmit virus, thus providing evidence for the similarity among the various members of this complex. On the other hand, although strains of Cx. pipiens from various parts of the world have all been relatively efficient vectors of Rift Valley fever virus, Cx. quinquefasciatus from Africa, Australia, and North America have been nearly refractory to this virus, thus indicating that the various members of this complex do not necessarily respond similarly to a particular arbovirus. Based on the similar response to some viruses and differing response to others, Cx. pipiens and Cx. quinquefasciatus appear to be closely related, but distinct species.
Processes Underlying the Effects of Adolescents’ Use of Sexually Explicit Internet Material: The Role of Perceived Realism

Although research has repeatedly demonstrated a link between adolescents’ exposure to sexually explicit Internet material (SEIM) and sexual attitudes, the processes underlying this association are not well understood. More specifically, studies have pointed to a mediating role of perceived realism, but internally valid evidence is missing. To address these problems, the authors used data from a three-wave panel study among 959 Dutch adolescents.They investigated whether two dimensions of the perceived realism of SEIM— social realism and utility—mediated the impact of SEIM on adolescents’ instrumental attitudes toward sex (i.e., the notion of sex as primarily physical and casual rather than affectionate and relational). Structural equation modeling showed that more frequent use of SEIM increased both the perceived social realism and the perceived utility of SEIM. In turn, these two perceptions led to more instrumental attitudes toward sex. No evidence of reverse causality emerged.
A bivariate count data model for household tourism demand

Households' choice of the number of leisure trips and the total number of overnight stays is empirically studied using Swedish tourism data. A bivariate hurdle approach separating the participation (to travel and stay the night or not) from the quantity (the number of trips and nights) decision is employed. The quantity decision is modelled with a bivariate mixed Poisson lognormal model allowing for both positive as well as negative correlation between count variables. The observed endogenous variables are drawn from a truncated density and estimation is pursued by simulated maximum likelihood. The estimation results indicate a negative correlation between the number of trips and nights. In most cases own price effects are as expected negative, while estimates of cross-price effects vary between samples. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Iran nuclear dispute

The dispute over Iran’s nuclear program has reached a turning point. The US and some of its allies, especially Israel, have accused Iran of secretly trying to produce nuclear weapons. Iran has repudiated this accusation with a persistent claim that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and in conformity with its rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). However, on 4 February 2006, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) voted to report Iran to the Security Council of the United Nations for possible sanctions. The IAEA resolution called on Iran to extend ‘indispensable and overdue’ cooperation to the agency and assist it to ‘clarify possible activities which could have a military dimension’. Russia and China supported the resolution, but only on the condition that it did not contain an immediate threat of sanctions, and the IAEA agreed to put off any action until its chief Mohamed ElBaradei had delivered a report on Iran’s compliance at the next IAEA meeting in March. However, given the absence of a breakthrough with Iran, the IAEA finally reported Iran on 8 March to the UN Security Council. These developments have constituted a boost for the US, and three US European allies*/Britain, France and Germany*/which had been negotiating unsuccessfully with Tehran since early 2004 to persuade it against its nuclear program. Tehran has condemned the IAEA’s actions. In response, as it had forewarned, it has ordered the IAEA to remove all its ‘containment and surveillance measures’ in Iran and end its snap inspections. It has also announced a resumption of full-scale uranium enrichment, which it had frozen voluntarily for two years as a confidence-building measure. Further, the Iranian conservative Islamist president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has been very critical of the US and Israel, intimated on 10 February 2006 that if Iran were forced to limit its nuclear activities in denial of its rights for peaceful use, it may even be willing to consider abandoning the NPT. While Tehran has remained unmoved in its resolve to press on with its nuclear program, and the US and Israeli governments have vowed to do everything possible to contain the Iranian Islamic regime as a major threat to their interests, the Iranian nuclear dispute has the potential now to result in a major crisis. There are three main questions. If it comes to a military confrontation, what are Iran’s non-military and military options, and could an awareness of such options lead all sides involved towards the path of a negotiated resolution? Can the dispute be resolved without having to be addressed in the context of the
The Effects of Culture and Product Type on the Use of Humor in Greek TV Advertising: An Application of Speck's Humorous Message Taxonomy

Abstract The present study attempts to add to the growing literature regarding humorous advertising in high context environments such as Greece and the other Mediterranean countries. It content analyzes 447 Greek TV commercials in order to identify the relationship between humor and the nature of products. In this attempt, Speck's humorous message taxonomy (1991) and Rossiter & Percy's brand attitude grid provide the theoretical framework for the analysis. The various humor types and processes described by Speck's taxonomy are linked to consumer involvement and motivation. The study analyzes the use of humor and examines the applicability of the humorous message taxonomy in Greek TV advertising based on cross-cultural analysis between Greece and the USA as recorded in Speck's original study in 1991 (the only study that employs the same theoretical framework for the analysis of humorous TV advertising).
Willingness to Pay for Imported and Seasonal Foods: A UK Survey

We report results from an investigation into consumer preferences for locally produced foods. Using a choice experiment we estimate willingness to pay for foods of a designated origin together with certification for organic and free of genetically modified (GM) ingredients. Our results indicate that there is a preference for locally produced food that is GM free, organic, and produced in the traditional season.