Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Challenges in the introduction of AGVS in production lines: Case studies in the automotive industry

Increasing customers ́ requirements together with the current trend of digitization in the spirit of Industry 4.0 puts pressure on manufacturing companies to increase both the flexibility and the performance of their manufacturing and logistic processes. This work presents the challenges in the introduction of AGV (Automatically Guided Vehicles) technology in production lines through two case studies from two different countries, Portugal and the Czech Republic. Both companies are from the automotive industry. Case study research aims to explore and understand complex phenomena. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the limitations and necessary conditions that must be considered when implementing AGV technology for automating selected logistic processes. Based on the data collected through multiple observations, a three-phase methodology considering technological, organizational and safety aspects is proposed as the main output. The basic scheme also includes the proposal of some critical success factors and key performance indicators that should be monitored in order to evaluate the efficiency of implementing this technology in future projects.
The Local Governance of Social Cohesion in EuropeINTERNATIONAL COMPARISON - LOCALISE programme WP4 Comparative report

Local Worlds of Social Cohesion - The Local Dimension of Integrated Social and Employment Policy, LOCALISE for short, is a Seventh Framework collaborative research project funded by the European Commission (localise-research.eu for details). The focus of LOCALISE’s research is on the organisational challenges of integrating social and employment policy, in response partly to the radical changes in the local governance of social cohesion across many Member States of the European Union. This International Comparative Report is the final deliverable of LOCALISE work package 4 (Deliverable 4.7 – date M26). Work package 4 is one of the seven work packages within the three-year long project (July 2011 – July 2014). Work package 4 aims at comprehensive empirical research of the organisational challenges to the local governance of social cohesion: it analysed and compared local approaches, interpretations and innovative practices of organizing services for active social cohesion policy. This report is based on the six National Reports on ‘the local governance of social cohesion’ produced by each partner and which were submitted to the Commission at the end of April 2013 (M23) as Deliverables 4.1-4.6. National Reports were a comparison of the three national case studies. Partners wrote an individual paper for each case study.
Learning Object Recommendations for Teachers Based On Elicited ICT Competence Profiles

Recommender systems (RS) offer personalized services for facilitating the process of appropriate item selection. To perform this task, user profiling mechanisms should be implemented to automatically construct and update meaningful user profiles. These profiles can drive the RS in providing informed recommendations suited to the unique characteristics of each user. In the context of technology enhanced learning (TeL) Recommender Systems, the majority of research focus directly on learners' profiling and ignore the potential benefits of profiling teachers' professional capacities too. As a result, limited previous works exist on effectively capturing and utilizing individual teachers' particular professional characteristics, such as their Digital Competences (commonly referred to as ICT Competences) and exploiting these in systems that support their teaching preparation and practice, for example in the selection of appropriate educational resources. This paper proposes a RS which targets to support teachers in selecting learning objects (LO) from existing LO repositories (LORs) in a unified manner, namely by (a) automatically constructing their ICT Competence Profiles based on their actions within these LORs and (b) exploiting these profiles for more efficient LO selection. Experiments with data from three real-life LORs are presented and evaluation results are discussed to demonstrate the benefits of the proposed system.
Transaction Utility and Quality Choice

Abstract This paper uses a game-theoretic model to examine the role of reference price for firms that vary in their quality positioning in competing for customers. Reference prices provide consumers with additional components of utility. Building on previous research on the impact of consumer decision making on firm strategies, we focus on how firms choose their positioning when consumer utility is driven not only by acquisition utility but also by the transaction utility associated with the purchase and how this, in turn, affects firms’ pricing decisions and profits. Considering a competition between two firms, this paper shows that the firm with higher product quality provides greater discounts to consumers. We also show that when firms are allowed to set a high ‘regular’ price, product differentiation is greater between the firms, and price competition is less intense. Furthermore, under some conditions, the profits of both firms can be higher than the benchmark case (when the effects of transaction utility are ignored).
Effects of growth hormone and IGF-I on glucocorticoid-induced protein catabolism in humans.

The effects of similar increases in total insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) plasma concentrations achieved by either recombinant human (rh) growth hormone (GH) or rhIGF-I administration on whole body protein and glucose kinetics were assessed. Twenty-six healthy subjects received methylprednisolone (0.5 mg.kg-1.day-1 orally) during 6 days in combination with either placebo (saline sc), GH (0.3 mg.kg-1.day-1 sc), or IGF-I (80 micrograms.kg-1.day-1 sc) in a double-blind randomized fashion. Glucocorticoid administration resulted in protein catabolism as indicated by an increase in leucine flux and a 62 +/- 13% increase in leucine oxidation ([1-13C]leucine infusion technique); this increase was abolished by GH (-1 +/- 18%) as was statistically insignificant during IGF-I treatment (+53 +/- 25%). GH increased endogenous glucose production by 28 +/- 8%, augmented glucocorticoid-induced insulin resistance of peripheral glucose clearance (euglycemic clamp), and increased circulating lipids. IGF-I administration resulted in both increased endogenous glucose production and increased peripheral glucose clearance such that plasma glucose concentrations remained unchanged by IGF-I. IGF-I lowered circulating GH and insulin and altered IGF binding proteins, which all may have reduced bioactivity of IGF-I. The data demonstrate that, in spite of similar total IGF-I plasma concentrations during treatment, GH and IGF-I exert markedly different effects on whole body leucine, glucose, and lipid metabolism.
A randomized controlled trial on the efficacy and safety of a food ingredient, collagen hydrolysate, for improving joint comfort

Introduction Current options to promote joint comfort are limited to medicines that can reduce pain but can also have adverse effects. Collagen, a major component of joint cartilage, is found in the diet, particularly in meat. Its hydrolysed form, collagen hydrolysate (CH), is well absorbed. CH may stimulate the joint matrix cells to synthesize collagen, so helping to maintain the structure of the joint and potentially to aid joint comfort. Methods In a randomized, double-blind, controlled multicentre trial, 250 subjects with primary osteoarthritis of the knee were given 10 g CH daily for 6 months. Results There was a significant improvement in knee joint comfort as assessed by visual analogue scales to assess pain and the Womac pain subscale. Subjects with the greatest joint deterioration, and with least intake of meat protein in their habitual diets, benefited most. Conclusion CH is safe and effective and warrants further consideration as a food ingredient.
Economic Targets and Loss‐Aversion in International Environmental Cooperation

In the standard emission problem, each countryi¯s ruling party decides on an optimal level of emissions by analyzing the cost and benefit to the country. However, such policy decisions are often influenced by political partiesi¯ incentives to be elected. Voters tend to give higher priority to economic issues than they do to environmental ones. As a result, political parties have additional incentives to reach a critical economic benefit level, at a cost of higher emission level, in order to satisfy votersi¯ expectations in economic issues. Therefore, this study explores the implications of political parties being averse to insufficient economic performance relative to a critical economic target level on sustaining an international environmental agreement on emission levels. In doing so, we allow countries to have asymmetric concerns about economic targets, as well as asymmetric technology levels. We find that stronger concerns about economic targets deter the most cooperative emission levels countries could jointly sustain. Furthermore, technological asymmetry could either deepen or offset this impact. These results suggest that efforts on achieving substantial international environmental agreements should be supported at the citizen level to eliminate the adverse effects.
Fluoride intake and urinary excretion in 6- to 7-year-old children living in optimally, sub-optimally and non-fluoridated areas.

OBJECTIVES This study was designed to measure total intake, urinary excretion and estimated retention of fluoride in children under customary fluoride intake conditions, living in either fluoridated or low-fluoride areas of north-east England. Subsidiary aims were to investigate the relationships between the variables measured. METHODS Using a randomized cluster design with schools as the sampling units, four schools from a non-fluoridated area and two from a fluoridated area were selected from the schools chosen to participate in the study. Fluoride intake from diet and toothbrushing was assessed using a 3-day food diary and fluoride analysis of expectorated saliva during toothbrushing. Samples of all foods and drinks consumed were measured for fluoride content using direct and indirect silicon-facilitated diffusion methods as appropriate. Urinary fluoride excretion and urine volume were measured over 24 h and estimation of fractional urinary fluoride excretion (FUFE) and fluoride retention made from collected data. Following descriptive analysis of variables, Pearson's correlations investigated relationships between fluoride content of home tap water, daily fluoride intake, excretion and retention. RESULTS Thirty-three children completed the study: 18 receiving non-fluoridated water [mean = 0.08 (+/-0.03) mg F/l], nine sub-optimally fluoridated water [mean = 0.47 (+/-0.09) mg F/l] and six optimally fluoridated water [mean = 0.82 (+/-0.13) mg F/l] at the time of the study. Complete data on F intake, excretion and retention were available for 29 children. Mean fluoride intake from diet and toothpaste ranged from 0.031 (+/-0.025) mg/kg body weight (bw)/day for the low-fluoride area to 0.038 (+/-0.038) and 0.047(+/-0.008) mg/kg bw/day for sub-optimally and optimally fluoridated areas respectively. Contribution of toothpaste to total fluoride intake ranged from 3% to 93% with mean values of 57%, 35% and 47% for children receiving low, sub-optimally and optimally fluoridated water respectively. FUFE ranged from a mean of 32% (+/-13%) for the optimally fluoridated area to 44% (+/-33%) for the low-fluoride area. Fluoride retention was not correlated with the fluoride concentration of home water supply, but was strongly positively correlated (P < 0.001) with total daily fluoride intake. CONCLUSIONS In an industrialized country, total fluoride intake, urinary excretion and consequently fluoride retention no longer reflect residence in a community with a non-fluoridated or fluoridated water supply. Fluoride toothpaste contributes a significant proportion of total ingested fluoride in children, particularly in low-fluoride areas.
Do Hidden Taxes Increase Welfare?

This draft offers a critical review of the economic literature on the efficiency of low-salience taxes. In particular, I explore the possibility that hidden taxes may in fact be more efficient than others. Since the entire field comprises only a handful of papers, the review is devoted mostly to identifying gaps in our present understanding. For example, the literature so far omits any consideration of the impact of hidden taxes on fiscal federalism, and gives only glancing attention to possible distributive consequences, both topics I attempt to highlight here. Additionally, I attempt to integrate with the tax literature some recent developments in our understanding of bounded rationality in consumers more generally. [Note: This is a working paper version of "Hidden Taxes. "]
Self-adaptive normal estimation and position adjustment for MVS reconstruction

Generating a polygonal mesh model from the point cloud is a critical step of many state-of-art MVS reconstruction algorithms, and influences the accuracy and visual quality of the final results significantly. The normal estimation and position adjustment of each point is required for this procedure. We present a mathematical analysis of the normal estimation approach, and propose two hypotheses to determinate the accuracy and smoothness of the points in a local region. A multi-scale strategy is implemented to obtain a proper scale for each point. Then the according normal is calculated by PCA on this scale, and the positions can be optimized by combining the accurate neighboring normals. A 2D toy example proves that the proposed approach can adjust the noisy point to the right surface while preserving details. At last we show that our method can improve the quality of mesh models for real MVS reconstruction tasks.
CHARACTER DISCRIMINATORY POWER, CHARACTER‐SET CONGRUENCE, AND THE CLASSIFICATION OF INDIVIDUALS FROM HYBRID ZONES: AN EXAMPLE USING STONE CRABS (MENIPPE)

Many investigators categorize individuals from hybrid zones to facilitate comparisons among genotypic classes (e.g., parental, F1, backcross) for comparative studies in which components of fitness or geographic variation are being analyzed. Frequently, multiple character sets representing genetically independent traits are used to classify these individuals and various methodologies are employed to combine the classifications obtained from the different character sets. We adapted the principles of total evidence and taxonomic congruence (two formalized approaches used by systematists in formulating phylogenetic hypotheses) to address the problem of discriminating hybridizing species and classifying individuals from hybrid zones. As our model, we used two morphological (coloration and morphometric) and two molecular (allozyme and mitochondrial DNA restriction‐fragment‐length polymorphism) character sets that differentiate two stone crab species (Menippe adina and M. mercenaria). Using principal‐components analysis, we determined that combining character sets and eliminating characters or character sets that did not have large eigenvector coefficients for the principal component that best separated the two species yielded the highest level of discrimination between species and allowed us to classify a broad range of morpho‐genotypes as hybrids. For the stone crabs, three diagnostic allozyme loci and five diagnostic coloration characters best separated the species. The two character sets were not completely congruent, but they agreed in their classification of 50% of the individuals from the hybrid zone and rarely strongly disagreed in their classifications. Classification discrepancies between the two character sets probably represent variation between traits in interspecific gene flow rather than intraspecific, ecologically mediated variation. Our results support the assertions of previous investigators who espoused the benefits associated with using multiple character sets to classify individuals from hybrid zones and demonstrate that, if character sets are reasonably congruent and numerically balanced, combining diagnostic characters from multiple character sets (a total‐evidence approach) can enhance discriminatory power between species and facilitate the assignment of hybrid‐zone individuals to genotypic classes. On the contrary, classifying hybrid‐zone individuals using character sets separately (a taxonomic‐congruence approach) provides the opportunity to compare levels of introgression between species and to assess reasons for discordance among the data sets.
Drift effects on the multivariate floral phenotype of Calceolaria polyrhiza during a post‐glacial expansion in Patagonia

Quaternary environmental changes substantially impacted the landscape and promoted rapid evolutionary changes in many species; however, analyses of adaptive phenotypic variation in plants have usually neglected the underlying historical context. Here, we associate phylogeography and phenotypic evolution by analysing the divergence of Calceolaria polyrhiza multivariate floral phenotype after a Pleistocene post‐glacial expansion in Patagonia. Phenotypic matrix (P) properties (size, shape, orientation and phenotypic integration) of six refugium and six recent populations from two different phylogroups were compared following different approaches. We found that P‐matrix shape and orientation remained stable despite the strong phylogeographic footprint of post‐glacial expansion. However, average proportional reductions in matrix size supported the expectation that drift had a significant effect on the floral phenotype in the northern phylogroup. When phylogeographic history was not included in the analyses, the results overestimated phenotypic differences, whereas under explicit phylogeographic control, drift appeared as the best explanation for matrix differences. In general, recent populations showed a larger phenotypic divergence among them, but a lower overall phenotypic variation than refugium populations. Random Skewers analyses indicated a lower potential response to selection in recently colonized populations than in refugium populations. We discuss that the combination of phylogeographic analyses with geographical distribution of functional phenotypic (genotypic) variation is critical not only to understand how historical effects influence adaptive evolution, but also to improve field comparisons in evolutionary ecology studies.
SAILoc: A novel acoustic single array system for indoor localization

We have designed, implemented and evaluated the novel single array acoustic localization system SAILoc. The SAILoc system can interact with the commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) smart phone and it is easier to deploy than multiple sensors' system. We also propose a robust time delay estimation (TDE) algorithm which is based on frequency domain (FD-TDE) and has an advantage over generalized cross-correlation phase thransform (GCC-PHAT) in an indoor environment. Meanwhile, based on multiple sensor information, we propose to use Fusion-based time delay estimation (FD-TDE) to reduce the reverberation interference. The SAILoc's experiment is operated in room and corridor. Our experiment demonstrated that although the SAILoc's room environment performance is better than the corridor, they all have a good localization performance and the error is no more than 0.6m.
Glycemic Responses of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes to Individual Carbohydrate-Rich Foods and Mixed Meals

Aims: Our purpose was to determine whether the glycemic index (GI) of individual foods applies to mixed meals. Methods: The glycemic responses elicited by portions of 4 individual foods with 25 g of available carbohydrate when served alone (rice, lacy pancake, flatbread and noodles) and when made into typical Malaysian mixed meals (coconut milk rice, lacy pancake with chicken curry, flatbread with dhal curry and fried noodles) were measured in 10 subjects with type 2 diabetes. To allow calculation of the GI of the foods and the relative glycemic responses of the mixed meals, each subject also tested 25 g of glucose 3 times. Capillary blood glucose was measured at 30-min intervals for 180 min after consuming each test meal. Results: The mean ± SEM incremental area under the curve (AUC) after flatbread (345 ± 26 mmol × min/l) was significantly greater than after rice (238 ± 35) and lacy pancake (235 ± 31, p < 0.05), with noodles being intermediate (294 ± 35). The AUC after the flatbread with dhal curry (341 ± 49), coconut milk rice (238 ± 39) and fried noodle (272 ± 42) mixed meals were similar to those after the individual foods, but the AUC after the lacy pancake with chicken curry mixed meal (388 ± 52) was significantly greater than after the individual food item (p < 0.01). Conclusions: The results support the utility of the GI of individual foods such as rice, flatbread and noodles when applied to mixed meals. The reason for the higher response after the lacy pancake mixed meal compared to the individual food is not clear and may warrant further research.
Heterologous Envelope Immunogens Contribute to AIDS Vaccine Protection in Rhesus Monkeys

ABSTRACT Because a strategy to elicit broadly neutralizing anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) antibodies has not yet been found, the role of an Env immunogen in HIV-1 vaccine candidates remains undefined. We sought to determine whether an HIV-1 Env immunogen genetically disparate from the Env of the challenge virus can contribute to protective immunity. We vaccinated Indian-origin rhesus monkeys with Gag-Pol-Nef immunogens, alone or in combination with Env immunogens that were either matched or mismatched with the challenge virus. These animals were then challenged with a pathogenic simian-human immunodeficiency virus. The vaccine regimen included a plasmid DNA prime and replication-defective adenoviral vector boost. Vaccine regimens that included the matched or mismatched Env immunogens conferred better protection against CD4+ T-lymphocyte loss than that seen with comparable regimens that did not include Env immunogens. This increment in protective immunity was associated with anamnestic Env-specific cellular immunity that developed in the early days following viral challenge. These data suggest that T-lymphocyte immunity to Env can broaden the protective cellular immune response to HIV despite significant sequence diversity of the strains of the Env immunogens and can contribute to immune protection in this AIDS vaccine model.
Analysis of checkpointing algorithms for primary-backup replication

Replication is useful for supporting fault-tolerance, reliable and recovery oriented distributed systems. Popular application areas include databases, P2P systems, web services and Internet of Things. In this study, we propose utilizing the checkpointing concept for improving the efficiency of the well-known primary-backup replication protocol in distributed systems. We developed a software framework based on an in-memory replicated key-value store to evaluate various checkpointing algorithms. Using the framework over geographically distributed nodes of the PlanetLab platform, we performed extensive experiments and analysis with several different metrics, including blocking time, checkpointing time, checkpoint size and recovery time. Experimental scenarios consist of using the well-known benchmarking tool, YCSB, performing realistic read/update queries through exemplary workloads. Our findings indicate that incremental checkpointing combined with a periodic usage is the most efficient approach with having up to 30-times better system throughput and 50% decrease in average blocking times compared to traditional primary-backup replication and other checkpointing algorithms.