Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ASSESSMENT OF THE INFLUENCE OF EDUCATION LEVEL ON VOTING INTENTION FOR THE EXTREME RIGHT IN FRANCE.

In France, the Front National has been a growing political party in the last 30 years. After years of stagnant economy, French voters have come to mistrust the political elite, and have been increas- ingly receptive the Front National straight-talking approach. The most consistent findings in social research on ethnic attitudes is the negative association between educational attainment and ethnic prejudice: People with higher education are less prejudiced toward ethnic out groups than those with lower education. We might expect, then, that high education will generally prevent people from vot- ing for the extreme right, regardless of their position in the labor market. This point of view, however, is not unanimous and there is an intellectual elite within the extreme right, especially among angry academic white males who are uneasy with the gains of feminism and believe in a left-wing media conspiracy. Hence the link between Extreme Right voting and education is not so obvious. The aim of this paper is first to build a model which takes into account the causality structure of variables (Bayesian Network) and secondly to assess the influence of education on the voting intention for extreme right-wing party by taking into consideration all the possible confounding variables.
Firm Value, Diversi…ed Capital Assets and Credit Risk: Towards a Theory of Default Correlation

Following the lead of Merton (1974), recent research has focused on the relationship of credit risk to …rm value. Although this has usually been done for a single …rm, the growth of structured …nance, which necessarily involves the correlation between included securities, has spurred interest in the connection between credit-default risk and the dependencies and cross-correlations arising in families of …rms. Previous work by Grune and Semmler (2005), focusing on a single …rm, has shown that …rm-value models, incorporating company-speci…c endogenous risk premia, imply that exposure to risk does impact asset value. In this paper, we extend �
Parametric Texture Model based on Joint Statistics

Texture images are a special class of images that are spatially homogeneous and consist of repeated elements, often subject some randomization in their location, size, color, orientation, etc. Textures can be classified into different classes or groups based on their structure and origin. Figure 1 gives some example textures. Textures are widely used in varied fields ranging from bio medical imaging to computer graphics. The flexibility and advantage of texture images is that they can be statistically modeled.
Variational Segmentation Framework

Mesh segmentation remains a difficult task, complicated by the fact that our notion of what constitutes a meaningful segmentation is domain-specific. The variational partitioning scheme recently introduced by Cohen-Steiner et. al. provides an attractive and efficient framework in which to perform segmentation. However much scope remains for generalisation, as demonstrated by Kraevoy et. al. in their Shuffler system, which decomposes a mesh into convex, rather than planar segments. A segmentation framework based on these ideas has been implemented here, which allows for arbitrary proxy types and metrics to be added with relative ease. Initial evaluations with planar proxies demonstrate that it produces useful segmentations with very little additional code above and beyond the basic framework.
Far field model for time reversal and application to selective focusing on small dielectric inhomogeneities

Based on the time-harmonic far field model for small dielectric inclusions in 3D, we study the so-called DORT method (DORT is the French acronym for ''Diagonalization of the Time Reversal Operator''). The main observation is to relate the eigenfunctions of the time-reversal operator to the location of small scattering inclusions. For non penetrable sound-soft acoustic scatterers, this observation has been rigorously proved for 2 and 3 dimensions by Hazard and Ramdani in 2004 for small scatterers. In this work, we consider the case of small dielectric inclusions with far field measurements. The main difference with the acoustic case is related to the magnetic permeability and the related polarization tensors. We show that in the high-frequency regime, each inhomogeneity gives rise to -at most- 4 distinct eigenvalues (one due to the electric contrast and three to the magnetic one) while each corresponding eigenfunction generates an incident wave focusing selectively on one of the scatterers. The method has connections to the MUSIC algorithm known in Signal Processing and the Factorization Method of Kirsch.
Recent changes in the fire regime across the North American boreal region—Spatial and temporal patterns of burning across Canada and Alaska

We used historic records from 1959–99 to explore fire regime characteristics at ecozone scales across the entire North American boreal region (NABR). Shifts in the NABR fire regime between the 1960s/70s and the 1980s/90s were characterized by a doubling of annual burned area and more than a doubling of the frequency of larger fire years because of more large fire events (>1,000 km2). The proportion of total burned area from human‐ignited fires decreased over this same time period, while the proportion of burning during the early and late‐ growing‐seasons increased. Trends in increased burned area were consistent across the NABR ecozones, though the western ecozones experienced greater increases in larger fire years compared to the eastern ecozones. Seasonal patterns of burning differed among ecozones. Along with the climate warming, changes in the fire regime characteristics may be an important driver of future ecosystem processes in the NABR.
Energy-resolving photon-counting detectors in CT based explosive detection systems (EDS): Can additional material signatures be extracted to help the detection task?

We evaluated a data set consisting of 38 different materials - threats and non-threats - to determine whether there are signatures detectable in CT systems equipped with energy-resolving photon-counting detectors that would help the detection task. Data with such detectors was collected in a lab setup using a Compton spectrometer and simple transmission measurements through samples of known material and thickness. Two alternative decomposition methods, SVD and NNMF, were evaluated and found to produce equivalent model predictions as a physics-based model. Furthermore, all three methods performed equally well with respect to material discrimination, which was evaluated by Kullback-Leibler divergence. No additional material signatures, beyond electron density and effective atomic number, appeared to be extractable from the attenuation spectra.
Understanding the out-of-class English Learning Choices of Students in Taiwan

Research has established that successful foreign language students often seek out opportunities to supplement their language studies with out-of-class language practice. Little is known, however, about the forms of out-of-class English studies in which successful English learners in Taiwan engage with the reasons for these particular choices being especially unclear. To address this gap, this project considered the out-of-class English learning choices of 79 university English majors in Taiwan. Findings based upon ethnographic interviews with these individuals indicate that they believed out-of-class English practice to be important due to the limitations associated with their formal language study. Despite this impetus, their choices of settings and interlocutors for English practice were constrained by beliefs about language circulating in the society, in particular social censure associated with English use in public places and with other Taiwanese. As a result, they tended to practice English in online venues, within the confines of the home, with like-minded peers, and with those perceived as foreigners. These results extend our understanding of out-of-class English study by addressing it as a socially-situated phenomenon, foregrounding the sorts of constraints that even highly-motivated language learners may face in their efforts to build their language proficiency.
Neuropsychological assessment: Principles, rationale, and challenges

Neuropsychological assessments are increasingly in demand for a wide range of patients. This paper offers a survey of the basic aspects of neuropsychological assessment that are of greatest importance for professionals (e.g., psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and lawyers) who are not trained in neuropsychological testing, but who refer clients for neuropsychological assessment. This survey could also serve neuropsychologists in their early stages of training, by addressing some of the major issues related to the assessment process. The range of goals that neuropsychological assessment may attain is first outlined. Next, a model is presented that explains the rationale enabling generalization from assessment to real-world functions that are the focus of interest and the target of prediction. Issues that need to be considered before deciding to conduct a neuropsychological evaluation are then introduced, and sources of information available to the assessor are described. A description is provided of what a neuropsychological assessment includes, with an emphasis on its cognitive aspects. Finally, mention is made of some of the difficulties and challenges that must be confronted in the course of a neuropsychological assessment.
A telepresence system of mobile robots based on flexible path selection reflecting human intentions

This study aims to achieve a remote cooperative navigation system of a mobile robot which anyone can operate easily. This paper proposes a method of generating and online updating way points according to operator's intentions at remote sites. That makes flexible remote navigation utilizing autonomous behaviors of the mobile robot. In this paper, some remote navigations experiments were performed and the results show effectiveness of proposed method.
Information leakage behind the curtain: Abusing anti-EMI features for covert communication

We present a new class of covert channels which can be created by utilizing common hardware but that cannot be detected by such. Our idea is to abuse anti-EMI features of a processor to create a covert channel on the physical layer. Thus, the sender uses the invariants in how digital signals are encoded over analog channels to covertly transport information. This leaked data is present on the wire bound connections of the compromised device, but is also by definition present in the vicinity of the device and can be picked up by radio equipment. As the covert channel is present only on the physical layer, the data on all layers above, as well as the timing behavior on those layers is indistinguishable from uncompromised devices.
Fitting binary regression models with case-augmented samples

In a case-augmented study, measurements on a random sample from a population are augmented by information from an independent sample of cases, that is units with some characteristic of interest. We show that inferences about the effect of the covariates on the probability of being a case can be made by fitting a modified prospective likelihood. We also show that this procedure is fully efficient. Copyright 2006, Oxford University Press.
TABARNAC: visualizing and resolving memory access issues on NUMA architectures

In modern parallel architectures, memory accesses represent a common bottleneck. Thus, optimizing the way applications access the memory is an important way to improve performance and energy consumption. Memory accesses are even more important with NUMA machines, as the access time to data depends on its location in the memory. Many efforts were made to develop adaptive tools to improve memory accesses at the runtime by optimizing the mapping of data and threads to NUMA nodes. However, theses tools are not able to change the memory access pattern of the original application, therefore a code written without considering memory performance might not benefit from them. Moreover, automatic mapping tools take time to converge towards the best mapping, losing optimization opportunities. A deeper understanding of the memory behavior can help optimizing it, removing the need for runtime analysis. In this paper, we present TABARNAC, a tool for analyzing the memory behavior of parallel applications with a focus on NUMA architectures. TABARNAC provides a new visualization of the memory access behavior, focusing on the distribution of accesses by thread and by structure. Such visualization allows the developer to easily understand why performance issues occur and how to fix them. Using TABARNAC, we explain why some applications do not benefit from data and thread mapping. Moreover, we propose several code modifications to improve the memory access behavior of several parallel applications.
The influence of olfactory stimulation on the welfare of big cats in captivity.

Olfactory enrichment has been demonstrated to enhance welfare in a range of captive species through increasing behavioural diversity or decreasing frequencies of abnormal behaviours. This study investigated the effects of olfactory stimulation on the behaviour of three big cats (one male of African lion, one male one and female of Amur tigers) in response to ten individual odour treatments: ylang-ylang, orange, neroli, jasmine, cinnamon, mint, clove, lavender, fir, balm and a no-odour control. This research had demonstrated the potential for the application of various odours to enhance captive animal welfare by increasing behavioural diversity, encouraging species-typical patterns of behaviour or decreasing frequencies of abnormal behaviours.
Understanding the Role of Herd Behaviour and Homophily in Social Commerce

The integration of social media technologies in online shopping has given rise to social commerce platforms, and has introduced the phenomenon of herd behaviour to this medium. This work-in-progress paper examines the role of herd behaviour, trust and homophily in influencing the purchasing behaviour of consumers. A research model is proposed along with a methodology for empirically validating it. Potential contributions to theory and practice are discussed.
Strategy-focused and value-oriented capabilities : methodology for linking capabilities with goals and measures

Capability-based enterprise modeling is gaining presence in business practice. Capability is the central concept of the resource-based view of a firm, and it helps to bridge strategy with business operations. The use of capabilities for behavior modeling provides flexibility, stimulates reuse, and helps the firm to focus on its core competencies. In order to benefit from this approach, capabilities must be strategy-focused and value-oriented. In other words, strategic goals and measures must be linked to capabilities. The paper provides a methodology to solve this task, which integrates a set of principles (way of thinking), a step-by-step method (way of working), viewpoints, and a metamodel (way of modeling). The article also points to the enterprise architecture management tool, which supports the suggested methodology.
Characterization of the Human Visceral Adipose Tissue Secretome*S

Adipose tissue is an endocrine organ involved in storage and release of energy but also in regulation of energy metabolism in other organs via secretion of peptide and protein hormones (adipokines). Especially visceral adipose tissue has been implicated in the development of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Factors secreted by the stromal-vascular fraction contribute to the secretome and modulate adipokine secretion by adipocytes. Therefore, we aimed at the characterization of the adipose tissue secretome rather than the adipocyte cell secretome. The presence of serum proteins and intracellular proteins from damaged cells, released during culture, may dramatically influence the dynamic range of the sample and thereby identification of secreted proteins. Part of the study was therefore dedicated to the influence of the culture setup on the quality of the final sample. Visceral adipose tissue was cultured in five experimental setups, and the quality of resulting samples was evaluated in terms of protein concentration and protein composition. The best setup involved one wash after the 1st h in culture followed by two or three additional washes within an 8-h period, starting after overnight culture. Thereafter tissue was maintained in culture for an additional 48–114 h to obtain the final sample. For the secretome experiment, explants were cultured in media containing l-[13C6,15N2]lysine to validate the origin of the identified proteins (adipose tissue- or serum-derived). In total, 259 proteins were identified with ≥99% confidence. 108 proteins contained a secretion signal peptide of which 70 incorporated the label and were considered secreted by adipose tissue. These proteins were classified into five categories according to function. This is the first study on the (human) adipose tissue secretome. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the role of adipose tissue in whole body energy metabolism and related diseases.
Imprisoned Fathers and their Children: A Reflection on Two Decades of Research

ABSTRACT Twenty years ago, the author co-led an extensive study for the UK Department of Health on the parenting role of imprisoned fathers in England and Wales. Against a background of children’s needs and rights, it examined the place of fatherhood in their lives, the meaning of paternal absence to a child, and the particular significance for children of a father who was absent by reason of imprisonment. The study also looked at the effect of a father’s imprisonment on the children’s mothers/other carers, and upon the fathers themselves. It chronicled the range of facilities available to children to help them maintain contact with their father during his imprisonment. Not unlike earlier pioneers in this research field it concluded that, despite pockets of good practice depending largely on the interest of individual prison staff and the voluntary sector, this group of children remained under-prioritised and ill-supported by statutory child care and criminal justice policy and practice. Over the last two decades, research has continued on the topic of imprisoned fathers and their children but it seems that, with honourable exceptions, little has changed for them during this period. This brief reflection addresses the possible reasons for this deficit in England and Wales, the lack of official statistical information, the shortage of longitudinal research, and the politicisation of crime. Recommendations surrounding research and planning, and the enhancement of public understanding, are proposed.
Toward Valuing With Critical Systems Heuristics

Evaluation is defined by its central task of valuing—the process and product of judging the merit, worth, or significance of a policy or program. However, there are no clear-cut ways to consider values and render value judgments in evaluation practice. There remains contention in the evaluation field about whether and how to make value judgments. No approach to valuing eliminates the uncertainty, plurality, and potential for conflict that comes with considering values. This article explores what critical systems heuristics (CSH), an area of applied systems thinking, might contribute to four long-standing issues regarding valuing: envisioning the social value of evaluation, framing the evaluand and evaluation, selecting and justifying criteria, and determining the roles of the evaluator(s) and stakeholders in valuing. CSH contributes concepts and tools that, in theory, support more reflective, responsible valuing although further practical application is needed.
Institute of Physics Publishing Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering Cmos Chip Planarization by Chemical Mechanical Polishing for a Vertically Stacked Metal Mems Integration

In this paper we present the planarization process of a CMOS chip for the integration of a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) metal mirror array. The CMOS chip, which comes from a commercial foundry, has a bumpy passivation layer due to an underlying aluminum interconnect pattern (1.8 µm high), which is used for addressing individual micromirror array elements. To overcome the tendency for tilt error in the CMOS chip planarization, the approach is to sputter a thick layer of silicon nitride at low temperature and to surround the CMOS chip with dummy silicon pieces that define a polishing plane. The dummy pieces are first lapped down to the height of the CMOS chip, and then all pieces are polished. This process produced a chip surface with a root-mean-square flatness error of less than 100 nm, including tilt and curvature errors.
The Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker (KKR) Green Function Method, I. Electronic Structure of Periodic Systems

c 2006 by John von Neumann Institute for Computing Permission to make digital or hard copies of portions of this work for personal or classroom use is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise requires prior specific permission by the publisher mentioned above.
Unleashing the potential of MLC STT-RAM caches

In this paper, we study the use of multi-level cell (MLC) spin-transfer torque RAM (STT-RAM) in cache design of embedded systems and microprocessors. Compared to the single level cell (SLC) design, a MLC STT-RAM cache is expected to offer higher density and faster system performance. However, the cell design constrains, such as the switching current requirement and asymmetry in write operations, severely limit the density benefit of the conventional MLC STT-RAM. The two-step read/write accesses and inflexible data mapping strategy in the existing MLC STT-RAM cache architecture may even result in system performance degradation. To unleash the real potential of MLC STT-RAM cache, we propose a cross-layer solution. First, we introduce the reverse magnetic junction tunneling (MTJ) into MLC cell design, which offers a more balanced device and design tradeoff and enables 2x storage density than SLC. At architectural level, we propose a cell split mapping method to divide cache lines into fast and slow regions and data migration policies to allocate the frequently-used data to fast regions. Furthermore, an application-aware speed enhancement mode is utilized to adaptively tradeoff cache capacity and speed, satisfying different requirements of various applications. Simulation results show that the proposed techniques can improve the system performance by 10.3% and reduce the energy consumption on cache by 26.0% compared with conventional MLC STT-RAM.
Kinodynamic gait planning for full-body humanoid robots

This paper proposes the kinodynamic gait planning for humanoid robots where both kinematics and dynamics of the system are considered. We can simultaneously plan both the foot-place and the whole-body motion taking the dynamical balance of the robot into consideration. As a dynamic constraint, we consider the differential equation of the robotpsilas CoG. To solve this constraint, we assume two walking pattern generators; the offline and the online ones. We randomly sample the configuration space to search for the path connecting the start and the goal configurations. When sampling the configuration space, three milestones are sequentially connected to the parent milestone. To show the effectiveness of the proposed methods, we show simulation and experimental results where the humanoid robot HRP-2 walks on several environments.