Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measuring online dialogic conversations’ quality: a scale development

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a measurement scale for assessing the quality of dialogic conversations among companies and digital publics in social media. Dialogic conversations are defined as sequences of communicative actions and counteractions taken by social actors for different purposes based on specific linguistic choices and characterised by diverse communicative approaches and the role played by the involved parties. Design/methodology/approach A multidimensional scale for measuring dialogic conversations is developed from relevant literature concerning dialogue and public engagement in the fields of corporate communication, public relations, management studies and conversation analysis. The scale is built on three main dimensions: organisation turn-taking, sequencing of conversation, repair strategies and procedures. A pilot study was conducted to purify it from irrelevant variables. Findings Results of the pilot study show a general good level of reliability for the majority of the proposed variables for Facebook but not for Twitter. This may indicate that Facebook is a more dialogical forum than Twitter. Originality/value This is the first study proposing a systematic measurement of the dialogue orientation of online conversations that takes into consideration the role of language and communicative actions. The proposed measurement offers corporate communication managers a concrete tool for evaluating the quality of their online communications and for identifying those areas of their online communication that need improvement.
An investigation into work stress experienced by a group of secondary school teachers

Research has indicated that South African secondary school teachers experience high levels of stress and that biographical variables (for example age and sex), as well as factors related to organisational climate, have an effect on these stress levels. In this exploratory study an random sample of 66 teachers was used and the Pearson correlation coefficient calculated to determine the relation between factors pertaining to organisational climate and stress levels. One-way analysis of variance was used to determine the effect of biographical variables on levels of stress. Results showed that these secondary teachers are experiencing high levels of stress and that the age and marital status of the group have a significant effect on their levels of stress. In addition, it appears that teachers, functioning in an atmosphere of inadequate autonomy, poor recognition of good performance, and especially lack of opportunities for innovation, experience high levels of stress. In the light of this, a number of recommendations are made.
Multilinear local discriminant analysis using adaptive neighborhood graph construction

In this paper we introduce a novel supervised dimensionality reduction technique called multilinear local discriminant analysis, which can preserve the local geometrical and discriminant structure of data with tensor representation. Firstly, we adaptively choose the neighbors of the sample and construct within-class and between-class neighborhood graph based on sample density and similarity. Then, define the local within-class and between-class scatter matrix measured in tensor metric. Ultimately iteratively gain optimal subspace by k-mode optimization, which maximize the local within-class scatter and at the same time minimize the between-class scatter by unfolding the tensor along different tensor direction. Experimental results on ORL face database validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
A Generalised Lattice Boltzmann Equation on Unstructured Grids

This paper presents a new finite-volume discretization of a generalised Lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE) on unstructured grids. This equation is the continuum LBE, with the addition of a second order time derivative term (memory), and is derived from a second-order differential form of the semi-discrete Boltzmann equation in its implicit form. The new scheme, named unstructured lattice Boltzmann equation with memory (ULBEM), can be advanced in time with a larger time-step than the previous unstructured LB formulations, and a theoretical demonstration of the improved stability is provided. Taylor vortex simulations show that the viscosity is the same as with standard ULBE and demonstrates that the new scheme improves both stability and accuracy. Model validation is also demonstrated by simulating backward-facing step flow at low and moderate Reynolds numbers, as well as by comparing the reattachment length of the recirculating eddy behind the step against experimental and numerical data available in literature. PACS: 47.11. -j, 47.11. Df
Advanced grid authorisation using semantic technologies - AGAST

Collaborative research requires flexible and fine-grained access control, beyond the common all-or-nothing access based purely on authentication. Existing systems can be hard to use, and do not lend themselves naturally to federation. We present an access-control architecture which builds on RDFs natural strength as an integration framework, which uses RDF scavenged from X.509 certificates, and policies expressed as ontologies and SPARQL queries, to provide flexible and distributed access control. We describe initial implementations.
Wikipedia – Free and Reliable?

Abstract Wikipedia is a multilingual, Internet-based, free, wiki-encyclopaedia that is created by its own users. The aim of the present article is to let users’ descriptions of their impressions and experiences of Wikipedia increase our understanding of the function and dynamics of this collaboratively shaped wiki-encyclopaedia. Qualitative, structured interviews concerning users, and the creation and use of Wikipedia were carried out via e-mail with six male respondents – administrators at the Swedish Wikipedia – during September and October, 2006. The results focus on the following themes: I. Passive and active users; II. Formal and informal tasks; III. Common and personal visions; IV. Working together; V. The origins and creation of articles; VI. Contents and quality; VII. Decisions and interventions; VIII. Encyclopaedic ambitions. The discussion deals with the approach of this encyclopaedic phenomenon, focusing on its “unfinishedness”, its development in different directions, and the social regulation that is implied and involved. Wikipedia is a product of our time, having a powerful vision and engagement, and it should therefore be interpreted and considered on its own terms.
Pattern-Based Ontology Construction from Selected Wikipedia Pages

In this paper, we describe how ontologies can be built automatically from definitions obtained by searching Wikipedia for lexico-syntactic patterns based on the hyponymy relation. First, we describe how definitions are retrieved and processed while taking into account both recall and precision. Further, concentrating only on precision, we show how a consistent and useful domain ontology can be created with a beneficial precision of 80%.
Parametric Optimization and Analysis of Adaptive Equalization Algorithms for Noisy Speech Signals

Adaptive equalization technique plays key role in modern digital communication systems. Adaptive digital filters are widely used in the area of signal processing such as echo cancellation, noise cancellation, channel equalization and beamforming. This paper presents the performance analysis of RLS and CMA algorithm in presence of noisy audio signal. The analysis shows that in CMA algorithm the convergence rate is low as compare to RLS algorithm whereas CMA algorithm requires low computing power and relatively better performance. The parameters of proposed equalizer have been optimized and simulated using Simulink. Index Terms— CMA, Equalization, Noisy audio signal, RLS algorithms
KEYWORD EXTRACTION FOR PUNJABI LAGUAGE

This paper introduces keyword extraction for Punjabi language. Keywords are the index terms that contain the most important information about the contents of the document. Automatic keyword extraction is the task to identify a small set of words, keyphrases or keywords from a document that can describe the meaning of document. Not much work has been done in keyword extraction for Indian languages in general and Punjabi in particular. Adequate annotated corpora are not yet available in Punjabi. The paper represents the Automatic keyword extraction system for Punjabi language to find words from a document which convey the complete meaning of the text. First we survey about the various approaches available for keyword extraction, then represent our hybrid approach for Punjabi. A number of features are used to extract keywords effectively. The experimental results are shown.
Stereoscopic painting with varying levels of detail

We present an algorithm for generating automatically stereoscopic paintings with varying levels of detail. We describe our interactive system built around the algorithm to enable users to adjust the level of detail of the painting. In this context of interactivity we have modified our stereo painting algorithm, presented in previous work, in order to explore the idea of user-driven artistic level-of-detail selection and display. In particular, a stereo painting is composed by two canvases, one for each eye. These canvases contain multiple refining coarse-to-fine layers of brush strokes that compose the final painting. In past research, the underlying coarser layers are obscured and function only as the basis to progressively build the finer painting layers. In contrast, our interactive stereo viewing system enables the user to selectively toggle the visibility of finer strokes to reveal coarser representations of the artwork.
Human Neutrophil Peptides 1–3 as Gastric Cancer Tissue Markers Measured by MALDI-Imaging Mass Spectrometry: Implications for Infiltrated Neutrophils as a Tumor Target

Objective: Human neutrophil peptides (HNPs) -1, -2 and -3 are significantly upregulated and were reported as biomarkers in gastric cancer (GC). However, the tissue location and function of HNPs 1-3 are still unclear in GC, and the spatial distribution of the triad needs to be disclosed. The aims of this study were to investigate the distribution and relationships among HNPs-1, -2 and -3, and assess whether infiltrated neutrophils accumulate in gastric tumor. Methods: In this study, paired samples (n=33) of the GC tissues and adjacent normal tissues from the same patients were obtained from surgery. Expression of HNPs 1-3 were detected by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The distributions of the HNPs 1-3 in GC tissues were investigated. After verification of HNPs-1 by immunohistochemistry, infiltrated neutrophils were also detected. Then, an in vitro assay was used to observe the binding capacity and measure the cytotoxic effect of HNPs-1 against AGS cells. Results: Comparing to neighboring normal tissue, expressional level of HNPs 1-3 were significantly higher and their distributions overlapped in cancerous tissues of GC patients with high abundance in the lamina propria, whereas HNPs-1 was identified as the highest major peak. Moreover, HNPs-1, -2 and -3 correlated with each other. Besides, we also observed that increased infiltrated neutrophils accumulating in GC tissues, indicating that a strong positive correlation between HNPs 1-3 and infiltrated neutrophils. In addition, the further investigated demonstrated that the major peptide, HNPs-1, was statistically increased with the advance of tumor development from the early to advanced stage of GC (p < 0.05). Moreover, we also noticed that HNPs-1 with a great binding capacity to GC AGS cells in vitro can inhibit tumor cell growth. Conclusions: Our results suggest that neutrophil secreted peptides, HNPs 1-3, increased in the GC tissues and could be used as potential biomarkers detected using MALDI-TOF MS, implying that elevated neutrophils may be used as a tumor target for tumor treatment. The binding capacity of HNPs-1 with GC cells implies that tracking molecules conjugated with HNPs-1 could be applied as a specific probe for GC diagnoses.
Principals of higher education institutions in postcolonial Barbados : a study using life history as a decolonizing methodology

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS . 4 CHAPTER ONE: THE PROLOGUE . 7 THE FOCUS OF THE RESEARCH. 7 POSITIONALITY AND ETHICAL ISSUES . 12 STRUCTURE OF THE STUDY . 16 CHAPTER TWO: THE LIFE HISTORY APPROACH . 19 POSITIONALITY . 19 THE LIFE STORY . 19 LIFE HISTORY . 21 LIFE STORY, LIFE HISTORY AND PROFESSIONAL LIVES . 23 LIFE NARRATIVES & IDENTITY . 26 LIFE NARRATIVES, LIFE HISTORY & PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY IN A POSTMODERN ERA . 29 CHAPTER THREE: THE CONTEXT . 31 GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION AND ETHNIC PROFILE OF BARBADOS . 32 REVIEW OF A HUNDRED YEARS OF EMANCIPATION . 32 BARBADOS IN THE NINETEEN THIRTIES TO SIXTIES . 36
USING WOLD DECOMPOSITION PRINCIPLE IN BLIND SEPARATION OF JOINT STATIONARY CORRELATED SOURCES

The separation of unobserved sources from mixed observed data is a fundamental signal processing problem. Most proposed techniques for solving this problem rely on independence or at least uncorrelation assumption of source signals. In this paper an algorithm is introduced for source signals that are correlated with each other. The method uses a preprocessing technique based on Wold decomposition principle for extracting desired and proper information from the predictable part of the observed data, and exploits approaches based on second-order statistics to estimate the mixing matrix and source signals.
Boundary following in unknown polygonal environment based on fast marching method

The fast marching method (FMM) is a powerful tool in the problem of shortest path planning. However it is limited to be used on a completely known terrain. In this paper, given only start and goal in an unknown polygonal environment consisting only polygonal obstacles, we would utilize the technique of boundary following to develop a boundary following FMM (BFFMM) that could be applied well to an unknown terrain. Comparative simulation results in different environments with single or multiple convex and/or concave polygons show that the efficiency of BFFMM outperforms FMM.
Creating the climate and space for peer review within the writing classroom

Substantive and on-going critique of the quality of one's writing is necessary if students are to experience writing as a recursive process. However, students’ willingness to critique their texts and those of others is dependent upon the creation of a trusting and mutually supportive learning environment. Using the naturalistic setting of an elementary school writing classroom, attention is drawn to the ways in which two teachers nurtured competence and communication trust (Reina & Reina, 2006) between themselves and students, and among students. Consideration is also paid to teachers’ creation and use of public and private spaces to promote interactions that helped writers revise and recraft substantive aspects of their writing in an ongoing and iterative manner.
The Combination of Early and Rapid Type I IFN, IL-1α, and IL-1β Production Are Essential Mediators of RNA-Like Adjuvant Driven CD4+ Th1 Responses

There is a growing need for novel vaccine adjuvants that can provide safe and potent T-helper type 1 (Th1) activity. RNA-like immune response modifiers (IRMs) are candidate T-cell adjuvants that skew acquired immune responses towards a Th1 phenotype. We set out to delineate the essential signaling pathways by which the RNA-like IRMs, resiquimod (R-848) and polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C), augment CD4+ T-helper 1 (Th1) responses. Highly purified murine conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) and conventional CD4+ T-cells were co-cultured in allogeneic and MHC congenic mixed leukocyte reactions. The activation of CD4+ Th1 cells was examined utilizing cells from mice deficient in specific RNA-sensing pattern recognition receptors and signaling mediators. R-848 and poly I:C stimulation of Type I interferon production and signaling in cDCs was essential but not sufficient for driving CD4+ Th1 responses. The early and rapid production of IL-1α and IL-1β was equally critical for the optimal activation of Th1 CD4+ T-cells. R-848 activation of Toll-like receptor 7/MyD88-dependent signaling in cDCs led to a rapid upregulation of pro-IL-1α and pro-IL-1β production compared to poly I:C activation of MyD88-independent signaling pathways. The in vitro data show that CD4+ T-cell adjuvant activity of RNA-like IRMs is mediated by a critical combination of early and rapid Type I interferon, IL-1α and IL-1β production. These results provide important insights into the key signaling pathways responsible for RNA-like IRM CD4+ Th1 activation. A better understanding of the critical signaling pathways by which RNA-like IRMs stimulate CD4+ Th1 responses is relevant to the rational design of improved vaccine adjuvants.
Sigma-Point Kalman Filters for Nonlinear Estimation and Sensor-Fusion: Applications to Integrated Navigation

A probabilistic framework, called Sigma-point Kalman Filters (SPKF) was applied to the problem domain addressed by the extended Kalman Filter (EKF). SPKF methods are superior to the standard EKF based estimation approaches, as an SPKF achieves second-order or higher accuracy. The SPKF has also been applied to the integrated navigation problem as it relates to unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) autonomy. The SPKF-based sensor latency compensation technique is used to demonstrate the lagged GPS measurements.
CleOn : Resolution of Lexically Incoherent Concepts in an Engineering Ontology ?

Ontologies are vital for the achievement of the Semantic Web. Given their central role it is highly desirable that ontologies be evaluated and made consistent. Several evaluation approaches investigate whether an ontology is “fit for purpose”. Further approaches focus on the consistency of the axioms populating the ontology. More specifically, the OntoClean methodology determines the adequacy of taxonomic relationships based on the philosophical interpretation of concepts. By contrast, we propose a new evaluation approach, CleOn, which evaluates the adequacy of taxonomic relationships between sub-concept concept pairs. This method effectively processes the linguistic information inherent in class names, and defines a lexical path for each concept in the taxonomy in terms of its immediate parent, and recursively for all terms back to the thesaurus’s root node. The lexical adequacy of a link between a parent and a child concept is then defined in terms of their lexical paths. As part of this research, we have applied our methodology to a domain specific ontology and show our approach is simpler to apply than the OntoClean methodology. Further, we demonstrate the discordance between the terminology used by a large company in the aerospace and defence sector and the terminology used by academics in mechanical engineering.
Neighbors as Negatives: Relative Earnings and Well-Being

This paper investigates whether individuals feel worse off when others around them earn more. In other words, do people care about relative position and does lagging behind the Joneses' diminish well-being? To answer this question, I match individual-level panel data containing a number of indicators of well-being to information about local average earnings. I find that, controlling for an individual's own income, higher earnings of neighbors are associated with lower levels of self-reported happiness. The data's panel nature and rich set of measures of well-being and behavior indicate that this association is not driven by selection or by changes in the way people define happiness. There is suggestive evidence that the negative effect of increases in neighbors' earnings on own well-being is most likely caused by interpersonal preferences people having utility functions that depend on relative consumption in addition to absolute consumption.
A self-localization and path planning technique for mobile robot navigation

In this paper, we propose a system to cope with the problem of autonomous mobile robot navigation. It is able to perform path planning and localize the robot in the real world environment. The path planning is first carried out using the known map, and the laser range scanner is then used to localize the robot based on the ICP registration technique. During the robot motion, the potential field is taken into account for obstacle avoidance. For the path planning, the visibility graph is established based on the current position of the robot. The Dijkstra algorithm is then used to find the shortest path to the goal position. Experimental results for both the simulation and real world environment are presented.
Resonance Overvoltages in Medium-Voltage Multilevel Drive Systems

Simulations and field tests indicate that unacceptable motor-terminal overvoltages and waveform shapes can occur in the normal operating range with high-output-voltage multilevel drive systems. These waveforms (if unattended) can result in premature motor insulation failures. A case study of an 11-kV multilevel system is presented. Simulations and calculations confirm the theory of resonance overvoltages. Different solution possibilities are analyzed. Further simulations and investigations are performed to determine the optimal carrier frequency. Test results confirm that the proposed modification has the desired effect, with waveforms well within limits stipulated by international standards. Simplified equations and recommendations are provided to determine suitable application solutions. Further simulated resonance case studies are presented, considering the effect of the system configurations, motor size, and cable length. Suitable carrier-frequency selection methods are presented to solve the problem.
Image denoising algorithm with a three-dimensional grid system of coupled nonlinear elements

This paper presents an image denoising algorithm with a three-dimensional grid system of coupled nonlinear elements. The system consists of a two-dimensional image grid and a one-dimensional grid representing a quantized image brightness. At each grid point, a FitzHugh-Nagumo type nonlinear element is placed and coupled with other elements placed at its nearest neighboring grid points. The FitzHugh-Nagumo element is described with a set of time-evolving ordinary differential equations, and is tuned to be excitable. When we externally stimulate the grid system with an image brightness distribution, we could observe that noise in the distribution was reduced and signal was strengthened as time proceeds. Thus, the image denoising algorithm utilizes this property of the grid system, in which we propose to modify external stimuli so as to have broad Gaussian distributions. We confirm performance of the algorithm on artificial and real images in comparison with two classical algorithms of a diffusion equation and median filtering.
Generalized 3D Voxel Image Synthesis Architecture for Volumetric Spatial Visualization

A general concept of 3D volumetric visualization systems is described based on 3D discrete voxel scenes (worlds) representation. Definitions of 3D discrete voxel scene (world) basic elements and main steps of the image synthesis algorithm are formulated. An algorithm for solving the problem of the voxelized world 3D image synthesis, intended for the systems of volumetric spatial visualization, is proposed. A computer-based architecture for 3D volumetric visualization of 3D discrete voxel world is presented. On the basis of the proposed overall concept of discrete voxel representation, the proposed architecture successfully adapts the ray tracing technique for the synthesis of 3D volumetric images. Since it is algorithmically simple and effectively supports parallelism, it can efficiently be implemented. Key words:Volumetric spatial visualization, 3D volumetric imagesynthesis, discrete voxel world, ray tracing.