Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Media, Mood, and Meetings: Related to Project Success?

This article investigates relationships between media, mood, and communication in teams, and studies how they are related to project success. Team projects are an essential part of the software engineering curriculum. Student teams carry out full software projects, including requirements elicitation, project management, implementation, and testing. This requires various technical skills, but non-technical and psychological aspects are of utmost importance as well, just as in professional software teams. Modern software is often developed by distributed teams. In many cases, team members feel isolated and distant from each other. Indirect communication and inappropriate media create a similar feeling of distance as geographical location. This perceived distance could have an impact on their individual and group moods, and eventually on project success. Therefore, these factors should be considered in educational software engineering team projects. In a longitudinal study at Leibniz Universität Hannover, 20 student teams were observed over a period of 4 months. They were free to schedule team meetings when and where they wanted; and they could use any communication media they chose. Statistical correlations and non-parametric test are used for quantitative empirical analysis. Furthermore, we used analyses of variance for repeated measures to investigate conflicts over time. Results led to a number of recommendations for course organizers. They are interesting for software engineering in general.
Miniaturization of UWB RF Six-Port Circuit at 6-8.5 (6-9) GHz using Multi-Layer Microvia Printed circuit Board with Symmetric Stack Approach

Technological advancements in the field of electronic design are greatly being triggered by the fact that communication devices in general and wireless communication devices in particular are required to be miniaturized in order to increase mobility and flexibility.This thesis work revolves around the study and simulation based design of an efficient Six Port Correlator circuit to support miniaturization for handheld devices in the European Ultrawideband (UWB) range of 6-9 GHz.Firstly, design of a six-port correlator circuitry is carried out by performing simulations in Advanced Design System (ADS) for two metal layers design, while achieving the desired phase and amplitude imbalance in the 6-9 GHz range. After this design is mapped on to Printed Circuit Board (PCB) in order to compare the simulated and measured results.In the second part single metal layer design is converted on to multiple layers with symmetric stack by using microvia technology in order to achieve the required bandwidth i.e. cover the 6-9 GHz frequency band. The simulations for the multiple layers are also done in ADS.
SecNRCC: a loss‐tolerant secure network reprogramming with confidentiality consideration for wireless sensor networks

Network reprogramming faces lots of threats from both external attackers and potentially compromised nodes. Security thus becomes a critical requirement for network reprogramming protocols. This paper describes a secure network reprogramming system called SecNRCC for dynamically reprogramable wireless sensor network. In SecNRCC, a light weight authentication method is firstly introduced for the reboot control command. Secondly, a program image preprocess method with security and loss‐tolerance consideration is proposed. Furthermore, a novel immediate packet authentication algorithm with confidentiality consideration is also presented to resist the denial of service attacks exploiting the authentication delay, and finally, a weak authentication operation is performed before the digital signature verification to mitigate denial of service attacks against signature packets. The experimental results show that SecNRCC can securely disseminate the program image to all of node in the wireless sensor networks with acceptable latency and message cost. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Automatic Extraction of Salient Objects using Feature Maps

In this paper, we propose a technique for extracting salient objects in images using feature maps, regardless of the complexity of images and the position of objects. In order to extract salient objects, the proposed method uses feature maps with edge and color information. We also propose a reference map created by integrating feature maps, and a combination map representing the boundaries of meaningful objects that is created by integrating the reference map and feature maps. Candidate object regions including boundaries of objects from the combination map are extracted by convex hull algorithm. Finally, by applying a segmentation algorithm on the area of candidate regions, object regions and background regions are separated, and real object regions are extracted from the candidate object regions. Experimental results show that the proposed method extracts the salient objects efficiently, with 84.3% precision rate and 81.3% recall rate.
Factor graph models for multisensory data fusion: From low-level features to high level interpretation

A solution of difficult tasks in remotely sensed data information extraction can be reached by the development of more complex models. The most important step is in the selection of a relevant and universal methodology for data interpretation, classification, fusion, object detection, etc. Probabilistic graphical models [1] become a more and more popular way for image data annotation and classification [2, 3]. Factor graphs possess important properties such as probabilistic nature, explicit factorization properties, approximate inference, plausible inference of non-full data, easy augmenting, etc., and become relevant for the use in data interpretation systems. In this paper we present several applications of factor graphs for single/multisensory data fusion, classification, and an extension of the graph structure to extract landcover from unseen data. The application of factor graphs allow to obtain an improvement in data fusion/classification accuracy.
Bayesian quantile regression methods

This paper is a study of the application of Bayesian exponentially tilted empirical likelihood to inference about quantile regressions. In the case of simple quantiles we show the exact form for the likelihood implied by this method and compare it with the Bayesian bootstrap and with Jeffreys' method. For regression quantiles we derive the asymptotic form of the posterior density. We also examine Markov chain Monte Carlo simulations with a proposal density formed from an overdispersed version of the limiting normal density. We show that the algorithm works well even in models with an endogenous regressor when the instruments are not too weak. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Unipedal Postural Balance and Countermovement Jumps After a Warm-up and Plyometric Training Session: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract Romero-Franco, N and Jiménez-Reyes, P. Unipedal postural balance and countermovement jumps after a warm-up and plyometric training session: A randomized controlled trial. J Strength Cond Res 29(11): 3216–3222, 2015—The purpose of this study was to analyze the immediate effects of a plyometric training protocol on unipedal postural balance and countermovement jumps. In addition, we analyzed the effects of a warm-up on these parameters. Thirty-two amateur male sprinters (24.9 ± 4.1 years; 72.3 ± 10.7 kg; 1.78 ± 0.05 m; 22.6 ± 3.3 kg·m−2) were randomly sorted into a control group (n = 16) (they did not perform any physical activity) and a plyometric training group (n = 16) (they performed a 15-minute warm-up and a high-intensity plyometric protocol consisting of 10 sets of 15 vertical jumps). Before and after the warm-up, and immediately after and 5 minutes after the plyometric protocol, all athletes indicated the perceived exertion on calf and quad regions on a scale from 0 (no exertion) to 10 (maximum exertion). They also carried out a maximum countermovement jump and a unipedal postural balance test (athletes would remain as still as possible for 15 seconds in a left leg and right leg support stance). Results showed that, in the plyometric group, length and velocity of center-of-pressure movement in right leg support stance increased compared with baseline (p = 0.001 and p = 0.004, respectively) and to the control group (p = 0.035 and p = 0.029, respectively) immediately after the plyometric protocol. In addition, the countermovement jump height decreased right after the plyometric protocol (p < 0.001). The perceived exertion on calf and quad regions increased after the plyometry (p < 0.001). Five minutes later, these parameters remained deteriorated despite a slight recovery (length: p = 0.044; velocity: p = 0.05; countermovement jump height: p < 0.001; local exertion: p < 0.001). Data also showed that countermovement jump height improved after the warm-up (p = 0.021), but unipedal postural balance remained unaltered. As a conclusion, high-intensity plyometric exercises blunt unipedal postural balance and countermovement jump performance. The deterioration lasts at least 5 minutes, which may influence future exercises in the training session. Coaches should plan the training routine according to the immediate effects of plyometry on postural balance and vertical jumps, which play a role in injury prevention and sports performance.
AlGaN/GaN HEMT development targeted for S-band application

This paper demonstrates a 180W packaged AlGaN/GaN HEMT targeted for S-band application, operating at 48V drain bias voltage. Under WCDMA (with DPD) test, the average power and drain efficiency are 35W and 33.3%. After 1000 hours HTRB test, no electrical failure of the device is observed.
A Unified Theory of Program Logics: An Approach based on the π-Calculus

Facing staggering diversity of software behaviours in modern and future computing, we argue for the need of a unified theory of program logics, which can capture a general class of software behaviours, as a foundation of software engineering. We propose Hennessy–Milner logic for typed π-calculi as a possible foundation of such a theory. The π-calculus is in a singular position among computational calculi through its ability to embed sequential and concurrent programs as name passing processes without losing semantic information, and through its connection to other basic semantic theories such as linear logic and game semantics. The embedding of programs in processes leads to the embedding of program logics in the process logic, where the observational content of a given program logic is made explicit, analysed and justified on a uniform basis. As a case study, we show embedding of Hoare logic for sequential programs and a rely-guarantee logic for shared variable concurrency, suggesting that the proposed framework can offer a unifying basis to capture fundamental notions in program logics such as partial/total correctness, sequentiality and different kinds of concurrent computing.
An introduction to Buddhist psychology

Chapter 1 Foreword Chapter 2 Preface to the First Edition Chapter 3 Preface to the Second Edition Chapter 4 Preface to the Third Edition Chapter 5 Basic Features of Buddhist Psychology Chapter 6 The Psychology of Cognition Chapter 7 Motivation and Emotions Chapter 8 Personality Chapter 9 Buddhist Psychology and the West: An Encounter between Theraputic Systems Chapter 10 Health and Sickness in Buddhist Perspective Chapter 11 Mind-Body Relationship and Buddhist Contextualism
Diurnal and Scan Angle Variations in the Calibration of GOES Imager Infrared Channels

The current Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) Imager infrared (IR) channels experience a midnight effect that can result in erroneous instrument responsivity around satellite midnight. An empirical method named the Midnight Blackbody Calibration Correction (MBCC) was developed and implemented in the GOES Imager IR operational calibration, aiming to correct the midnight calibration errors. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the MBCC performance for the GOES-11/-12 Imager IR channels by examining the diurnal variation of the mean brightness temperature (Tb) bias with respect to reference instruments. Two well-calibrated hyperspectral radiometers on low Earth orbits (LEOs), the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder on the Aqua satellite and the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) on the Metop-A satellite, are used as the reference instruments in this study. However, as the timing of the collocated geostationary-LEO intercalibration data is related to the GOES scan angle, it is then necessary to assess the GOES scan angle calibration variations, which becomes the second objective of this study. Our results show that the applications and performance of the MBCC method varies greatly between the different channels and different times. While it is usually applied with high frequency for about 8 h around satellite midnight for the short-wave channels (Ch2), it may only be intensively used right after satellite midnight or even barely used for the other IR channels. The MBCC method, if applied with high frequency, can reduce the mean day/night calibration difference to less than 0.15 K in almost all the GOES IR channels studied in this paper except for Ch4 (10.7 μm). The uncertainty of the nighttime GOES and IASI Tb difference for different scan angles is less than 0.1 K in each IR channel, indicating that there is no apparent systematic variation with the scan angle, and therefore, the estimated diurnal cycles of GOES Imager calibration is not prone to the systematic effects due to scan angle.
Talking Trash: Legitimacy, Impression Management, and Unsystematic Risk in the Context of the Natural Environment

Applying institutional theory, we argue that environmentally legitimate firms incur less unsystematic stock market risk than illegitimate firms. Firms earn environmental legitimacy when their performance with respect to the natural environment conforms to stakeholders' expectations. This relationship was supported with the analysis of media reports and stock prices of 100 firms over a five-year period. The analysis also showed that firms with low environmental legitimacy can attenuate this effect by expressing commitment to the natural environment.
Predicting Early Transplant Failure: Neural Network Versus Logistic Regression Models

Cox's proportional hazard model or logistic regression model has been the classical mathematical approach to predict transplant results, but artificial neural networks may offer better results. In order to compare both methods, a logis- tic regression and a neural network model were generated to predict early transplant failure assessed at 90 days. Methods: Medical charts from 701 liver transplant patients were used as generation cohort, collecting variables from do- nor, recipient and operative data. The discrimination capacity of the models was measured through the area under their ROC curves. Models were validated by applying them to a second cohort of 170 patients (validation cohort), although af- terwards it was enlarged to 246 patients in order to increase statistical power. Results: For the generation sample, ROC curves were 75% for logistic regression and 96% for neural network (� 2 = 44,60. p<0,00001). Applied to the whole validation sample these values dropped to 68.7 % for logistic regression and 69.9 % for neural network (� 2 = 0.026. p: 0,87). However, when models where applied to the validation cohort in cumulative groups of 50 patients two aspects became evident: 1) predictions worsened for patients who were more distant in time from the generation cohort; 2) for the first hundred patients in validation cohort, neural network was clearly superior to logistic re- gression model (93 % vs 76 %; � 2 = 10.52. p:0,001). Conclusions: Our results suggest that, provided with the same information and for a limited period of time, neural net- works may offer better diagnostic performances than with logistic regression models.
The Effect of Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention of the Right Coronary Artery on Right Ventricular Function

Background: Right Ventricular (RV) dysfunction has been introduced as a predictor of mortality in acute myocardial infarction. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of right coronary revascularization on systolic and diastolic RV dysfunction. Patients and Methods: This study was conducted on unstable angina patients who were candidate for elective Percutaneous Revascularization Intervention (PCI) on the right coronary artery. The participants were initially evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging prior to PCI and the RV function parameters were assessed. Echocardiography was repeated two months after PCI and the results were compared with baseline. Paired t-test was used to compare the pre- and post-procedural measurements. Besides, Pearson’s correlation was used to find out the linear association between the RV function parameters and Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF). P value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: This study was conducted on 30 patients (mean age = 60.00 ± 8.44 years; 24 [80%] males). In the pre-procedural echocardiography, 15 patients (50%) had normal RV function, 14 patients (46.7%) had grade-1 RV dysfunction, and only 1 patient (3.3%) had grade-2 RV dysfunction. Following PCI, however, all the patients had normal systolic and diastolic RV functions. Comparison of echocardiographic RV function parameters showed an improvement in both systolic and diastolic functional parameters of the RV. Nonetheless, no significant correlation was observed between these parameters and Left Ventricular (LV) function. Conclusions: A significant improvement was found in RV function, but not LV function, after right coronary PCI. Revascularization of the right coronary artery may be beneficial for the patients who suffer from RV failure due to ischemia.
Studies on variable expression and methylation of SYN IIIa , a candidate gene for Schizophrenia

BACKGROUND: The synapsin III (SYN III) gene on chromosome 22q is a candidate gene for schizophrenia susceptibility due to its chromosome location, neurological function, expression patterns and functional polymorphisms. METHOD: This research has established the expression (mRNA) of SYN III in 22 adult human brain regions as well as the methylation specificity in the closest CpG island of this gene. The methylation specificity studied in 31 brain regions from a single individual was also assessed in 51 human blood samples (representing 20 people affected with schizophrenia and 31 normal controls) and 2 non-human primates. RESULTS: The results show that the cytosine methylation in this genomic region is 1) restricted to cytosines in CpG dinucleotides 2) similar in brain regions and blood and 3) conserved in primate evolution. One cytosine (cytosine 20) in a CpG dinucleotide is partially methylated (4:1 ratio of methylated to unmethylated cytosines) in most samples while another (cytosine 8) is partially methylated in all samples studied. Methylation differences were not observed between cases and controls, or between affected and unaffected twins. CONCLUSION: The variation in methylation pattern observed, does not appear to be 1) related to schizophrenia in the population samples or the families of monozygotic twins discordant for schizophrenia that we studied or 2) expression of SYN IIIa transcription.
A Raft of Hope: democratic education and the challenge of pluralism

Abstract The Los Angeles riots illustrate how a pluralistic society can come apart once its members lose faith in its moral character. The cynicism and despair so evident in our cities challenge moral educators to nurture in the coming generation a belief and hope in the transformative power of democratic institutions. Effective democratic moral education requires that teachers provide experience in democratic problem‐solving. In this article we use examples from two Just Community programmes in urban settings, the recently established YES program and the Cluster School, to illustrate how democratic participation can enkindle democratic faith and foster integration across racial and social class divisions.
Diverse goals for multicultural counselling and therapy

Proponents of multicultural counselling and therapy have emphasized the difficulties of cultural and racial minorities in relation to mainstream cultures. However, multicultural counselling and therapy is an even broader and more complex area than this. Prior to discussing therapeutic goals, this article draws on anthropology, to discuss the terminology of culture, and demography, to present population change statistics for Britain, Australia and the USA. Twelve goals for multicultural counselling and therapy are presented and discussed: reconciliation, support, coping with post-traumatic stress, assisting acculturation and assimilation, avoiding further marginalization, addressing racial and cultural discrimination, assisting clients to manage close cross-cultural relationships, assisting clients to manage intergenerational conflict, assisting long-stay transients and expatriates, assisting with gender role and equality issues, attaining higher levels of development, and the good society. As the world gets more interconnected, addressing each of these areas of multicultural counselling and therapy is going to become increasingly important.
Whether regional lymph nodes evaluation should be equally required for both right and left colon cancer

Despite the adequacy of nodal evaluation was gradually improved for colon cancer, the disparity in nodal examination for right colon cancer (RCC) and left colon cancer (LCC) still begs the question of whether 12 nodes is an appropriate threshold for both RCC and LCC. From Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End-Results (SEER) database, we identified 53897 RCC patients and 11822 LCC patients. Compared with LCC patients, RCC patients examined more lymph nodes (18.7 vs 16.3), and more likely to examine ≥12 nodes (P<0.001), whereas RCC patients showed lower rates of node positivity (P<0.001). To balance the nodal disparity between RCC and LCC, we revised the 12-node measure based on different tumor locations. With the X-tile, we determined 15 as the optimal node number for RCC and 11 for LCC. To validate the availability of this revised nodal evaluation, the 5-year cancer specific survival (CSS) was calculated according to the optimal node number in RCC and LCC patients, Cox's regression model were used to further assess the prognostic value of this revised nodal evaluation. The results showed that 5-year CSSs were significantly improved for RCC patients with ≥15 lymph nodes, and also for LCC patients with ≥11 lymph nodes (P<0.001). This revised nodal evaluation could also improve the rate of nodal positivity and long-term survival in both RCC and LCC patients compared with 12-node measure. Therefore, the lymph node examination should be discriminately evaluated for RCC and LCC, instead of using 12-node measure to colon cancer as a whole.
Actionable knowledge: consulting to promote women on boards

Purpose – Describes how actionable knowledge is created to successfully initiate consulting relationships designed to promote changes in the composition of corporate boards and, ultimately, social change to eliminate exclusionary practices that are keeping women from consideration for board seats.Design/methodology/approach – Examines the work of The Boston Club in promoting women on corporate boards to build needed theory to guide change efforts.Findings – Concludes that no one theoretical perspective supplies the necessary guidance. Presents a model that combines psychodynamic, organizational learning, open systems, and critical management studies views.Originality/value – Presents the push/pull approach taken by The Boston Club that addresses perceived social constraints and psychological needs involved in changing behavior to create commitment to adding women to boards. Suggests that the sequencing of push and pull techniques may be an important consideration in designing change efforts.