Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
UML-profile for multimedia software architectures

Multimedia technology is increasingly being used to create reliable and effective communication environments. However, the design of multimedia applications is currently driven more by intuition than by empirically or theoretically derived design guidelines. In a multimedia application, the software architecture is defined as a set of components manipulating various multimedia data types with specific constraints that we must take into consideration at the architectural design. For instance, the problem of heterogeneity related to the exchanged of multimedia data flows. In the absence of prescriptive architectural design principles, meta-model for multimedia software architecture (MMSA) enables the description of software architectures expressing a multimedia software system as a collection of components which handle various types and formats of multimedia data, and interacts between them via adaptation connectors. This paper proposes a modelling of architectural elements such as: multimedia, application components, communication, etc. and an UML profile for verification and validation of MMSA architectures and detection of heterogeneities between components communicating with multimedia flows.
Interactive media control using natural interaction-based Kinect

In this work we present a novel interaction approach based on a gesture recognition system using a Microsoft Kinect sensor. Gestures are defined and interpreted in order to activate controls on a media device. This natural interface enables intuitive interaction with the multimedia content. The depth sensor observes the scene to detect a request for control in the form of a gesture. Then, the application assigns a control for the media system. The application is tested under various scenarios and proved the reliability and the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Mitochondrial DNA Damage Level Determines Neural Stem Cell Differentiation Fate

The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of neural stem cells (NSCs) is vulnerable to oxidation damage. Subtle manipulations of the cellular redox state affect mtDNA integrity in addition to regulating the NSC differentiation lineage, suggesting a molecular link between mtDNA integrity and regulation of differentiation. Here we show that 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (OGG1) is essential for repair of mtDNA damage and NSC viability during mitochondrial oxidative stress. Differentiating neural cells from ogg1−/− knock-out mice spontaneously accumulate mtDNA damage and concomitantly shift their differentiation direction toward an astrocytic lineage, similar to wt NSCs subjected to mtDNA damaging insults. Antioxidant treatments reversed mtDNA damage accumulation and separately increased neurogenesis in ogg1−/− cells. NSCs from a transgenic ogg1−/− mouse expressing mitochondrially targeted human OGG1 were protected from mtDNA damage during differentiation, and displayed elevated neurogenesis. The underlying mechanisms for this shift in differentiation direction involve the astrogenesis promoting Sirt1 via an increased NAD/NADH ratio in ogg1−/− cells. Redox manipulations to alter mtDNA damage level correspondingly activated Sirt1 in both cell types. Our results demonstrate for the first time the interdependence between mtDNA integrity and NSC differentiation fate, suggesting that mtDNA damage is the primary signal for the elevated astrogliosis and lack of neurogenesis seen during repair of neuronal injury.
Firm operation performance analysis using data envelopment analysis and balanced scorecard: A case study of a credit cooperative bank

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present a case study showing how the selection of performance indices affects performance results and the evaluation of a firm's performance. Design/methodology/approach - This paper employs a data envelopment analysis (DEA) framework using four kinds of performance indices selection, which include basic input/output items, balance scorecard (BSC) indices, balanced scorecard with risk management, and traditional financial indices, to evaluate banking operations. Findings - Shows that a DEA-based evaluation of performance produces a similar view of the firm's well-being as does an analysis of financial indices; however, a BSC-based evaluation produces a different assessment. Research limitations/implications - This study was based on the following assumptions: first, when organizational units achieve technical efficiency, they will improve their organizational performance. Secondly, the inputs and outputs selected for the data envelopment analysis provided an indicator of the changes of bank's technical efficiency over the six-year period. Practical implications - This research was based on the data envelopment analysis approach to find different performance efficiency to apply four performance indicator selections, which include basic inputs/outputs items, balanced scorecard indices, balanced scorecard with risk management, and traditional financial indices, to evaluate bank operation. Originality/value - Combines the balanced scorecard concept with data envelopment analysis measurements (model information) to generate measures of technical efficiency for a Taiwanese bank. It shows how comparisons can be made within and across companies on the basis of balanced scorecard measures.
Investor protection and market liquidity revisited

Purpose – This paper aims to establish the relation between corporate governance – as represented by investor protection at both the legal and firm levels – and stock market liquidity. Design/methodology/approach – This paper avails of the unique features of Hong Kong- and China-based stocks that are traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange so as to test whether differences between “common law” and “civil law” legal environments contribute to differences in stock liquidity. In addition, by constructing an internal corporate governance index score for each firm based on board size, board independence and information on the audit and remuneration committee, we document whether firms with better corporate governance scores have narrower spreads, greater depth and higher trading volumes. Findings – Overall, results provide support for a linkage between corporate governance issues – as investor rights protection at both the environment and firm protection levels – and stock market liquidity. Research limitations.
Increased cerebral metabolism after 1 year of deep brain stimulation in Alzheimer disease.

BACKGROUND The importance of developing unique, neural circuitry-based treatments for the cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer disease (AD) was the impetus for a phase I study of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in patients with AD that targeted the fornix. OBJECTIVE To test the hypotheses that DBS would increase cerebral glucose metabolism in cortical and hippocampal circuits and that increased metabolism would be correlated with better clinical outcomes. DESIGN Open-label trial. SETTING Academic medical center. PATIENTS A total of 5 patients with mild, probable AD (1 woman and 4 men, with a mean [SD] age of 62.6 [4.2] years). INTERVENTION Deep brain stimulation of the fornix. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES All patients underwent clinical follow-up and high-resolution positron emission tomography studies of cerebral glucose metabolism after 1 year of DBS. RESULTS Functional connectivity analyses revealed that 1 year of DBS increased cerebral glucose metabolism in 2 orthogonal networks: a frontal-temporal-parietal-striatal-thalamic network and a frontal-temporal-parietal-occipital-hippocampal network. In similar cortical regions, higher baseline metabolism prior to DBS and increased metabolism after 1 year of DBS were correlated with better outcomes in global cognition, memory, and quality of life. CONCLUSIONS Increased connectivity after 1 year of DBS is observed, which is in contrast to the decreased connectivity observed over the course of AD. The persistent cortical metabolic increases after 1 year of DBS were associated with better clinical outcomes in this patient sample and are greater in magnitude and more extensive in the effects on cortical circuitry compared with the effects reported for pharmacotherapy over 1 year in AD.
One Algorithm of Gesture Animation Synthesis

The gesture associated with the language can help to strengthen the effect of the natural language expression. Gesture animation synthesis associated with language is the focus and difficulty of virtual human interaction in virtual reality. We studies how to maintain motion details and motion smoothing during gesture animation synthesis. By analyzing the related technology and theory of gesture animation synthesis, this paper puts forward the gesture animation synthesis method based on keyframe interpolation among movement primitive elements. The method avoids the loss or interruption of the motion object and effectively improves the sense of reality of the gesture animation synthesis.
Sharing Control Between Humans and Automation Using Haptic Interface: Primary and Secondary Task Performance Benefits

This paper describes a paradigm for human/automation control sharing in which the automation acts through a motor coupled to a machine's manual control interface. The manual interface becomes a haptic display, continually informing the human about automation actions. While monitoring by feel, users may choose either to conform to the automation or override it and express their own control intentions. This paper's objective is to demonstrate that adding automation through haptic display can be used not only to improve performance on a primary task but also to reduce perceptual demands or free attention for a secondary task. Results are presented from three experiments in which 11 participants completed a lane-following task using a motorized steering wheel on a fixed-base driving simulator. The automation behaved like a copilot, assisting with lane following by applying torques to the steering wheel. Results indicate that haptic assist improves lane following by least 30%, p < . 0001, while reducing visual demand by 29%, p < . 0001, or improving reaction time in a secondary tone localization task by 18 ms, p = . 0009. Potential applications of this research include the design of automation interfaces based on haptics that support human/automation control sharing better than traditional push-button automation interfaces.
Public Ubiquitous Computing Systems: Lessons from the e-Campus Display Deployments

Lessons learned from building and deploying three experimental public display systems have general app to many types of public ubicomp deployments. Lancaster University's e-Campus project is exploring the creation of large-scale networked displays as part of a public, interactive pervasive computing environment. For the project, we built and deployed three experimental display systems that vary in technology, location, scale, and user community, and they've given us a rich set of experiences. We've summarized 13 lessons learned from this experience. The lessons certainly apply to researchers planning similar deployments. We also believe they will generalize to other public ubicomp installations. The e-Campus project is embarking on a major new set of deployments. We're using these lessons to help guide our work and we believe the lessons learned will be valuable to all researchers deploying ubicomp systems in public spaces
Learning to Play Complex Games

We describe an algorithm, inspired by the biological behavior of ants, to efficiently determine intelligent moves and the genetic algorithm used to learn better strategies in a broad class of games. We present a class of games called Simple War Games that includes both deterministic and nondeterministic, perfect information, two-player, zero sum games. Simple War Games have a branching factor and game tree that is magnitudes larger than that of either chess or go and thus standard search techniques are inappropriate.
Sparsity-Constrained Games and Distributed Optimization with Applications to Wide-Area Control of Power Systems

Multi-agent networked dynamic systems attracted attention of researchers due to their ability to model spatially separated or self-motivated agents. In particular, differential games are often employed to accommodate different optimization objectives of the agents, but their optimal solutions require dense feedback structures, which result in high costs of the underlying communication network. In this work, social linear-quadratic-regulator (LQR) optimization and differential games are developed under a constraint on the number of feedback links among the system nodes. First, a centralized optimization method that employs the Gradient Support Pursuit (GraSP) algorithm and a restricted Newton step was designed. Next, these methods are combined with an iterative gradient descent approach to determine a Nash Equilibrium (NE) of a linear-quadratic game where each player optimizes its own LQR objective under a shared global sparsity constraint. The proposed noncooperative game is solved in a distributed fashion with limited information exchange. Finally, a distributed social optimization method is developed. The proposed algorithms are used to design a sparse wide-area control (WAC) network among the sensors and controllers of a multi-area power system and to allocate the costs of this network among the power companies. The proposed algorithms are analyzed for the Australian 50-bus 4-area power system example.
Boxer crabs induce asexual reproduction of their associated sea anemones by splitting and intraspecific theft

Crabs of the genus Lybia have the remarkable habit of holding a sea anemone in each of their claws. This partnership appears to be obligate, at least on the part of the crab. The present study focuses on Lybia leptochelis from the Red Sea holding anemones of the genus Alicia (family Aliciidae). These anemones have not been found free living, only in association with L. leptochelis. In an attempt to understand how the crabs acquire them, we conducted a series of behavioral experiments and molecular analyses. Laboratory observations showed that the removal of one anemone from a crab induces a “splitting” behavior, whereby the crab tears the remaining anemone into two similar parts, resulting in a complete anemone in each claw after regeneration. Furthermore, when two crabs, one holding anemones and one lacking them, are confronted, the crabs fight, almost always leading to the “theft” of a complete anemone or anemone fragment by the crab without them. Following this, crabs “split” their lone anemone into two. Individuals of Alicia sp. removed from freshly collected L. leptochelis were used for DNA analysis. By employing AFLP (Fluorescence Amplified Fragments Length Polymorphism) it was shown that each pair of anemones from a given crab is genetically identical. Furthermore, there is genetic identity between most pairs of anemone held by different crabs, with the others showing slight genetic differences. This is a unique case in which one animal induces asexual reproduction of another, consequently also affecting its genetic diversity.
Exploring the antecedents of knowledge outcomes in organisational settings: an empirical study

This study aims to shed light on the antecedents of knowledge outcomes in knowledge-intensive organisations. Drawing on the works of knowledge management scholars such as Nonaka, Vittal, Chay and others, a model of the drivers of knowledge outcomes as well as a survey questionnaire were developed. 213 individuals from a knowledge-based organisation in Singapore were surveyed. The results of the study indicated that knowledge tools interact with the modus of knowledge combination to influence knowledge outcomes in terms of worker skills, competencies, market knowledge and client relationships. A discussion of future research directions using the proposed theoretical model concludes the paper.
Asynchronous I/O Support in Linux 2.5

This paper describes the Asynchronous I/O (AIO) support in the Linux® 2.5 kernel, additional functionality available as patchsets, and plans for further improvements. More specifically, the following topics are treated in some depth: • Asynchronous filesystem I/O • Asynchronous direct I/O • Asynchronous vector I/O As of Linux 2.5, AIO falls into the common mainline path underlying all I/O operations, whether synchronous or asynchronous. The implications of this, and other significant ways in which the design for AIO in 2.5 differs from the patches that existed for 2.4, are explored as part of the discussion.
Contourlet versus Wavelet Transform: A performance study for a robust image watermarking

This paper presents a simple Contourlet-based watermarking technique and investigates the role of Contourlet Transform (CLT) versus Wavelet Transform (WT) in achieving a high level of robustness. The same embedding strategy is adopted for both cases of CLT-based watermarking and WT-based watermarking. Experimental results show the superiority of the CLT-based watermarking technique over the WT-based one in resisting the investigated common signal processing attacks.
Financial Institutions' Expertise and Growth Effects of Financial Liberalisation

This paper analyses the real effects of financial development subsequent to financial liberalisation in an economy with risk averse savers and learning by lending. Transition from full financial repression to full financial liberalisation might initially slow down the growth process or even induce a recession, whenever the initial level of valuable investments known by the financial instutions (informed capital ) is suficiently scanty. However, lending activity leads to accumulation of information (learning by lending) regarding valuable investments. This way, as intermediaries become experts, the allocative efficiency they are able to guarantee ameliorates so that, in the long run, the effects of financial liberalisation are eventually positive
An adaptive dead-time compensation strategy for voltage source inverter fed motor drives

This paper presents an adaptive dead-time compensation strategy to obtain fundamental phase voltage for inverter fed vector controlled permanent magnet synchronous motor drives. The amplitude of phase dead-time compensation voltage (DTCV) to compensate disturbance voltage due to undesirable characteristics of inverter, such as dead-time, turn-on/off time of switching devices, and on-voltages of switching devices and diodes is adaptively determined according to a dead-time compensation time (DTCT). DTCT is identified on-line with using a /spl delta/-axis disturbance voltage in the current reference frame that is synchronized with current vector. The /spl delta/-axis disturbance voltage is estimated by a disturbance observer. The accuracy of identified DTCT is experimentally confirmed by calculating the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) between a calculated active power and a measured one. MAPE for adaptive DTCT is almost within 5% at any operating point.
Implementation of low power BCD adder using gate diffusion input cell

Now-a-days reducing the power consumption of the device is the most important factor in VLSI design. This paper deals with the low power, full voltage swing BCD addition using Gate Diffusion Input cell. The average power of proposed BCD adder is 10.2793 μWatt which is compared with the average power of conventional BCD adder and the average power of conventional BCD adder is 50.4721 μWatt. So the proposed circuit reduces the power consumption by 80%. Area and speed are optimized as well. A buffer is designed for getting the full voltage swing that is full logic levels of logic `1' and logic `0' in digital circuits. And the circuit designing and simulation was done with the UMC65 nm technology.
Cognitive and affective Motivation in Conceptual Modelling

He made parallel lists of reasons for and against the move, giving each reason a numerical value. The sums being 110 points for remaining in England and 301 for going, he remained [13, pg. 270] . Abstract A proposal is presented towards the extension of conceptual models of information systems, in order to allow specification and simulation of the behaviour of agents with an adequate degree of realism. Our method is mainly based on rules to infer the goals of agents from situations holding at given states. In this paper, we argue that the rules should take into account both cognitive and affective characteristics, as can be conveyed, for the various agents, by their individual profiles and current internal states. Such characteristics should also influence the choice of strategies to handle goal interferences in multi-goal/multi-agent environments.
Exercise dyspnea in patients with COPD

Dyspnea, a symptom limiting exercise capacity in patients with COPD, is associated with central perception of an overall increase in central respiratory motor output directed preferentially to the rib cage muscles. On the other hand, disparity between respiratory motor output, mechanical and ventilatory response of the system is also thought to play an important role on the increased perception of exercise in these patients. Both inspiratory and expiratory muscles and operational lung volumes are important contributors to exercise dyspnea. However, the potential link between dyspnea, abnormal mechanics of breathing and impaired exercise performance via the circulation rather than a malfunctioning ventilatory pump per se should not be disregarded. Change in arterial blood gas content may affect dyspnea via direct or indirect effects. An increase in carbon dioxide arterial tension seems to be the most important stimulus overriding all other inputs from dyspnea in hypercapnic COPD patients. Hypoxia may act indirectly by increasing ventilation and indirectly independent of changes in ventilation. A greater treatment effect is often achieved after the addition of pulmonary rehabilitation with pharmacological treatment.
On the asynchronous cognitive MAC

We introduce the asynchronous cognitive multiple-access channel with an uninformed encoder and an informed one. We assume that the informed encoder knows in advance the message of the uninformed encoder and consequently its codeword, up to some delay. In addition, the informed encoder knows the set of all possible delays in the channel. We characterize the capacity region of the ACMAC in terms of multi-letter expressions. In addition, we present single-letter inner and outer bounds on the capacity region of this channel. We conclude by studying the special case of the Gaussian asynchronous multiple-access channels with an uninformed encoder.
THE INFLUENCES OF PERCEIVED FOOD ATTRIBUTES ON CONSUMER PREFERENCES FOR ORGANIC AND GMO FOODS

This paper uses a logistic regression model to examine consumer willingness to buy organic and/or GM food products in the context of food attributes that are considered important in the consumption decision. That model is chosen for its mathematical simplicity and because its asymptotic characteristic constrains the predicted probabilities to a range between zero and one. In particular, the model examines the process that shapes food preferences in the absence or presence of specific food attributes. The paper finds that food attributes related to health, naturalness, familiarity, vegetarian-vegan, production location, and availability are critical in the acceptance of the organic and/or GM foods. The results show that food naturalness is pivotal to the organic food purchasing decision, while the absence of allergenic causing ingredients increase GM purchases. The findings also suggest that although there are perceived differences between organic and/or GM foods, the presence or absence of an attribute becomes important only when a respondent claims ownership of the good through the purchase action.