Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimental components for the evaluation of interactive information retrieval systems

This paper presents a set of basic components which constitutes the experimental setting intended for the evaluation of interactive information retrieval (IIR) systems, the aim of which is to facilitate evaluation of IIR systems in a way which is as close as possible to realistic IR processes. The experimental setting consists of three components: (1) the involvement of potential users as test persons; (2) the application of dynamic and individual information needs; and (3) the use of multidimensional and dynamic relevance judgements. Hidden under the information need component is the essential central sub‐component, the simulated work task situation, the tool that triggers the (simulated) dynamic information needs. This paper also reports on the empirical findings of the metaevaluation of the application of this sub‐component, the purpose of which is to discover whether the application of simulated work task situations to future evaluation of IIR systems can be recommended. Investigations are carried out to determine whether any search behavioural differences exist between test persons‘ treatment of their own real information needs versus simulated information needs. The hypothesis is that if no difference exists one can correctly substitute real information needs with simulated information needs through the application of simulated work task situations. The empirical results of the meta‐evaluation provide positive evidence for the application of simulated work task situations to the evaluation of IIR systems. The results also indicate that tailoring work task situations to the group of test persons is important in motivating them. Furthermore, the results of the evaluation show that different versions of semantic openness of the simulated situations make no difference to the test persons’ search treatment.
Link prediction in weighted symptom networks

The saying “treat the disease, not the symptoms” is widespread, a cliche for eliminating or repairing the root of a problem rather than mitigating the negative effects. It is taken for granted that prevention is the best course of action. It is ironic, then, that many of today's best “disease treatments” are actually symptom suppressors. This paper predicts the onset of future symptoms on the base of the current health status of patients. The problem of predicting the relations between symptoms (abnormal parameters in this paper) which can be shown as the reason of a disease in the future is a really difficult and, at the same time, an important task. For this purpose, the present paper first constructs a weighted symptom networks considering the relations between abnormal parameters. Then, it proposes a link prediction method to identify the connections between parameters, building the evolving structure of symptom network with respect to patients' ages. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt in predicting the connections between the results of laboratory tests. Experiments on a real network demonstrate that the proposed approach can reveal new abnormal parameter correlations accurately and perform well at capturing future disease risks.
Observational Constraints on the Self-interacting Dark Matter Scenario and the Growth of Supermassive Black Holes

We consider the astrophysical consequences of the self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) scenario for a general velocity-dependent cross section per unit mass that varies as some power of velocity: σDM = σ0 -a. Accretion of SIDM onto seed black holes can produce supermassive black holes that are too large for certain combinations of σ0v and a, a fact that is used to obtain a new constraint on the dark matter interaction. Constraints due to other astrophysical considerations are presented and previous constraints for a constant cross section are generalized. The black hole constraint is extremely sensitive to the cusp slope, α, of the inner density profile ρ ~ r-α of dark halos. For the most probable value of α = 1.3, we find that there exists a tiny region in the parameter space for SIDM properties, with a ≈ 0.5 and a ≈ 0.5, such that all constraints are satisfied. However, the adiabatic compression of the dark halo by baryons as they cool and contract in normal galaxies yields a steeper cusp, ρ ~ r. We find that in both the highly collisional and collisionless limits invariance arguments require α′ = (6 - α) (4 - α), where α and α' are the (4α) inner profile slope of the dark halo before and after compression, respectively. This gives the tighter constraint a ≲ 0.02, which would exclude SIDM as a possible solution to the purported problems with cold dark matter (CDM) on subgalactic scales in the absence of other dynamical processes. Nevertheless, SIDM with parameters consistent with this stronger constraint, can explain the ubiquity of supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies. A "best-fit" model is presented with a = 0 and = 0.02, which reproduces the supermassive black hole masses and their observed correlations with the velocity dispersion of the host bulges. Specifically, the approximately fourth-power dependence of black hole mass on galactic velocity dispersion is a direct consequence of the power spectrum of primeval perturbations having an index of n ≈ -2 and the value of a. Although the dark matter collision rates for this model are too small to directly remedy problems with CDM, mergers between dark halos harboring supermassive black holes at high redshift could ameliorate the cuspy halo problem. This scenario also explains the lack of comparable supermassive black holes in bulgeless galaxies like M33.
A Drosophila Model of Mutant Human Parkin-Induced Toxicity Demonstrates Selective Loss of Dopaminergic Neurons and Dependence on Cellular Dopamine

Mutations in human parkin have been identified in familial Parkinson's disease and in some sporadic cases. Here, we report that expression of mutant but not wild-type human parkin in Drosophila causes age-dependent, selective degeneration of dopaminergic (DA) neurons accompanied by a progressive motor impairment. Overexpression or knockdown of the Drosophila vesicular monoamine transporter, which regulates cytosolic DA homeostasis, partially rescues or exacerbates, respectively, the degenerative phenotypes caused by mutant human parkin. These results support a model in which the vulnerability of DA neurons to parkin-induced neurotoxicity results from the interaction of mutant parkin with cytoplasmic dopamine.
Towards a Framework for Tracking Multiple Targets: Hybrid Systems meets Computational Geometry

We investigate a variation of the art gallery problem in which a team of mobile guards tries to track an unpredictable intruder in a simply-connected polygonal environment. In this work, we use the deployment strategy for diagonal guards originally proposed in [1]. The guards are confined to move along the diagonals of a polygon and the intruder can move freely within the environment. We define critical regions to generate event-triggered strategies for the guards. We design a hybrid automaton based on the critical regions to model the tracking problem. Based on reachability analysis, we provide necessary and sufficient conditions for tracking in terms of the maximal controlled invariant set of the hybrid system. We express these conditions in terms of the critical curves to find sufficient conditions for n/4 guards to track the mobile intruder using the reachability analysis.
Developing the UCKG-why-QA system

The development of a system that assist and educate users in diagnostics can be beneficial as a support for epidemic control. The UCKG-Why-QA system was developed to provide and assist users in preliminary diagnostics, especially in plant disease, where the previously developed visualized causality knowledge graph is integrated with the automatic QA system. However there are 2 major barriers to the development of the UCKG-Why-QA system: competence barrier and language barrier. This research therefore proposes the development of a user interface, where visualization causality knowledge graph is applied, coupled with the previously developed causality knowledge graph construction as solutions to the barriers. The developed UCKG-Why-QA system was evaluated by performing a Likert Scale evaluation method with knowledge transfer quality tests on the UCKG-Why-QA system prototype.
The Nature of a Cosmic-Ray Accelerator, CTB 37 B, Observed with Suzaku and Chandra

We report on Suzaku and Chandra observations of the young supernova remnant CTB 37 B, from which TeV � -rays were detected by the H.E. S.S. Cherenkov telescope. The 80 ks Suzaku observation provided us with a clear image of diffuse emission and high-quality spectra. The spectra revealed that the diffuse emission is comprised of thermal and non-thermal components. The thermal component can be represented by an NEI model with a temperature, a pre-shock electron density and an age of 0.9˙0.2 keV, 0.4˙0.1 cm � 3 , and 650 +2500 � 300 yr, respectively. This suggests that the explosion of CTB 37 B occurred in a low-density space. A non-thermal power-law component was found from the southern region of CTB 37 B. Its photon index of � 1.5 and a high roll-off energy (& 15 keV) indicate efficient cosmic-ray acceleration. A comparison of this X-ray spectrum with the TeV � -ray spectrum leads us to conclude that the TeV � -ray emission seems to be powered by either multi-zone Inverse Compton scattering or the decay of neutral pions. The point source resolved by Chandra near the shell is probably associated with CTB 37 B, because of the common hydrogen column density with the diffuse thermal emission. Spectral and temporal characteristics suggest that this source is a new anomalous X-ray pulsar.
Altered intracellular calcium homeostasis and endoplasmic reticulum redox state in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells lacking Grx6 glutaredoxin

Yeast Grx6 glutaredoxin is important for modulation of the redox state of the endoplasmic reticulum lumen, being specifically required for regulating calcium levels. This confirms and demonstrates for the first time in yeast cells that intracellular calcium homeostasis is subjected to redox regulation.
Face-based Image Retrieval – One Step Toward Object-based Image Retrieval ∗

In this paper we propose a method to retrieve images based on the persons shown. The method aims at retrieving from images showing groups of people those in which the same persons are depicted as in the query image. It is experimentally shown that this aim is achieved for rather simple tasks and that improvements over baseline methods are possible for harder tasks.
The impact of temperature changes on residential energy consumption

To investigate the link between rising global temperature and global energy use, we estimate an energy demand model that is driven by temperature changes, prices and income. The estimation is based on an unbalanced panel of 157 countries over three decades. We limit the analysis to the residential sector and distinguish four different fuel types (oil, natural gas, coal and electricity). Compared to previous papers, we have a better geographical coverage and consider non-linearities in the impact of temperature on energy demand as well as temperature-income interactions. We find that oil, gas and electricity use are driven by a non-linear heating effect: Energy use not only decreases with rising temperatures due to a reduced demand for energy for heating purposes, but the speed of that decrease declines with rising temperature levels. Furthermore we find evidence that the temperature elasticity of energy use is affected by the level of temperature as well as the level of income.
The investigation of the relationship between Turkish EFL teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge skills and attitudes towards technology

The technology has entered our life day by day and the effects of this are felt in English language teaching and learning, as well as it does in the education. In this study, it is aimed to investigate the relationship between English teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) skills and attitudes towards technology. This research also examined whether English teachers' TPACK skills and their attitudes towards technology differs according to the gender, FATIH project training and professional experience. This research was conducted with 721 English teachers working in 81 provinces of Turkey. Correlational survey model was used in this study. "TPACK Implementation Scale" and "Attitude Scale towards Technology" were used as data collection tools. Arithmetic mean, standard deviation, t test, ANOVA and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient were used in data analysis. As a result of the study, it was determined that English teachers' TPACK skills and attitudes towards technology were at high level. While the attitudes of English teachers towards technology did not show a significant difference according to gender, FATIH project training and professional experience, the female teachers and the teachers who got the FATIH Project training had higher TPACK skills. However, it was found that TPACK skills of the teachers did not differ significantly according to the professional experience. In addition, it was concluded that there is a low, positive and significant relationship between teachers' TPACK skills and attitudes towards technology.
Effects of Parenting Programs on Latina Mothers’ Parental Stress and Their Children’s Internalizing Behavioral Problems

This pilot study examined the comparative effects of two empirically supported, manualized parenting programs, Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) and Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP), with low-income, immigrant Latina mothers reporting high levels of parental stress and child internalizing problems. Findings from a 2 (group) × 2 (times) repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that, compared to STEP, CPRT demonstrated a medium to large treatment effect (ηp2 = .117) on children’s internalizing problems, although between group differences were not statistically significant. Results for parental stress indicated no statistically or practically significant between-group differences. Within-group treatment effects revealed larger effects for the CPRT group for internalizing behavior problems (CPRT, d = 2.51; STEP, d = 0.73) and parental stress (CPRT, d = 1.29; STEP, d = 0.82). Clinical significance of the findings indicated greater improvement for children and mothers in the CPRT group.
Travels in ‘I-Space’: the diffusion of disaster management knowledge.

Max Boisot (1995; 1998) has conceptualised learning in ‘organizations, institutions and culture’ as the diffusion of knowledge within a space defined by three-dimensions: codification, abstraction and diffusion. The paper applies Boisot’s ‘I-Space’ to the diffusion of knowledge about disaster management. In particular, we analyze the role of an authoring environment intended to assist the design of disaster training exercises. A cooperative evaluation of the authoring environment is reported and interpreted as a journey through one region of I-space. Conclusions are offered on the utility of the I-Space concept for disaster management training.
Disaster area mapping using spatially-distributed computing nodes across a DTN

Disaster area mapping is critical to guiding evacuees to safety and aiding responders in decision-making. During disasters however, Cloud-based mapping services cannot be relied upon, because network infrastructures may have been damaged. In this study, we propose a disaster area mapping system that functions under challenged-network environments in a disaster area. The system infers a pedestrian map with walking speed information from data gathered by civilians and responders with mobile devices. To generate the map, the system addresses the following challenges: how to collect disaster area data, how to share data without continuous end-to-end networks, and how to generate maps without Cloud-based mapping services. First, the system leverages human mobility to collect disaster area data. Civilians and responders with mobile devices function as sensor nodes and log their GPS and velocity traces while moving based on the Post-Disaster Mobility Model. Second, the system uses mobile devices to establish a Delay-Tolerant Network, through which nodes opportunistically share data. Finally to generate the map, the collected data are routed to Computing Nodes: devices with more computational resources than mobile devices that are spatially-distributed across the disaster area. The Computing Nodes infer the map from the data and share it with evacuees. Through experimental evaluations and computer simulations, we found that the system significantly decreases the time required to generate and deliver a map to an evacuee, compared to a case without the system. Furthermore, the overall reduction in time increases as the size of the data required to generate the map and the number of DTN nodes increase.
PRIMARY ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ ENGAGEMENT IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Teachers’ professional development (PD) is viewed as the center of educational reforms in many countries, and this topic has been widely researched by scholars such as Avalos (2011), Darling-Hammond & McLaughlin (2011), Le (2002), and Whitehouse (2011). However, primary English language teachers (PELTers)’ PD has been under-researched in Vietnamese contexts. This paper outlines a project researching PELTers’ PD in a period of ongoing educational transformation, initiated by the National Foreign Languages Project. The authors highlight a ‘mixed methods’ research design with data collected from 68 surveys and five individual semi-structured interviews in a province in North Vietnam. Both the impact of language policy on Vietnamese PELTers' PD and their responses to top-down PD requirements and provision are under investigation. Some initial findings are (i) PELTers' rationales for PD; (ii) their engagement in PD forms and topics; (iii) benefits of PD; (iv)their PD need areas; and (v) factors affecting PD engagement. PELTers' suggestions for improving PD in their contexts are also discussed. This paper offers significant insights for EFL researchers, policy-makers, EFL teacher training institutions and other educators.
Acceptance and Use of the 'Digital Measures' System in an Organized Anarchy

The literature reveals that researchers have examined the adoption of different types of systems, both voluntary and mandatory, by different groups of individuals affiliated with different types of organizations. Adoption studies may exhibit the following characteristics: a) the research participants are drawn from multiple levels of the organization’s hierarchy, and b) the research participants attach similar interpretations regarding the adoption of the information system. It is not inconceivable that individuals within the same group attach different interpretations of voluntariness to the same information system. This may be applicable in Colleges and Universities in which faculty, in particular, comprise an “organized anarchy”. Taking the case of “Activity Insight”, a commercially-available software product (hereafter referred to as Digital Measures) meant for employees in colleges and universities to report their activities. This study provides a scenario for research on whether interpretations regarding voluntariness may result in findings that stray from the
Fetal ECG extraction and enhancement in prenatal monitoring — Review and implementation issues

This paper presents a detail review and implementation issue of fetal ECG extraction and enhancement. The focus is also made on proper placement of electrodes for fetal ECG monitoring in twins and multi-fetal prenatal. Various extraction methods like correlation, subtraction, matched filtering, linear regression and independent component analysis are discussed. For enhancement neural networks, fuzzy logic, wavelet transform and polynomial networks are discussed. When methods like correlation and subtraction are obsolete, adaptive filtering and independent component analysis methods are mainly used for extraction and enhancement of FECG (Fetal electro cardiogram). The enhancement methods are used for classification and diagnosis purpose through parameter analysis. The method to be used depends on the number of electrodes used. If more number of electrodes are used the accuracy is more but the complexity increases. To overcome the tradeoffs between complexity and accuracy a new method is proposed to minimize the complexity in placing the electrodes and a modified independent component analysis method is proposed for extraction. For enhancement a new algorithm is proposed to improve the quality of Fetal ECG using signal processing technique.
Characterization of surface EMG with cumulative residual entropy

The cumulative residual entropy (CREn) is an alternative measure of uncertainty in a random variable. In this paper, we applied CREn as a feature extraction method to characterize six hand and wrist motions from four-channel surface electromyography (SEMG) signals. For comparison, fuzzy entropy, sample entropy and approximate entropy were also used to characterize the SEMG signals. The support vector machine (SVM) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were used to discriminate six hand and wrist motions in order to evaluate the performance of different entropies. The experimental results indicate that the CREn-based classification outperforms other entropy based methods with the best classification accuracy of is 97.17±1.97% by SVM and 93.56±4.13 by LDA. Furthermore, the computational complexity of CREn is lower than those of other entropies. It suggests that CREn has the potential to be applied as an effective feature extraction method in the control of SEMG-based multifunctional prosthesis.
Caloric Restriction Effect on Proinflammatory Cytokines, Growth Hormone, and Steroid Hormone Concentrations during Exercise in Judokas

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of caloric restriction on the immune and hormonal responses during exercise in judo athletes. In a randomised order, 11 male judokas (age: 20.45 ± 0.51; height: 1.71 ± 0.3 m; and body weight: 75.9 ± 3.1 kg) participate in this study during a period of weight maintenance (baseline) and after 7 days of caloric restriction (CR). All subjects performed the Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT) during the two conditions. Values for nutrient intakes were obtained from a 7 d food record kept during a period of weight maintenance and after a 7-day food restriction (−5~6 MJ/day). Our results showed that CR resulted in significant decreases in body weight (P < 0.05) and performance (P < 0.05). However, heart rate and SJFT index (P < 0.05) increase significantly during CR in comparison to baseline. Moreover, exercise leads to a significant increase in testosterone, cortisol, growth hormone (GH), leukocytes, neutrophils, TNF-α, and IL-6, in both CR and baseline conditions. Compared to baseline, TNF-α and IL-6 were significantly higher during CR condition (P < 0.05). Additionally, CR leads to an increase in cortisol and GH (P < 0.05) and a decrease in testosterone concentrations (P < 0.05).
Simulation of powerline communication with OMNeT++ and INET-Framework

This paper presents the work that is done embedded in the EEnergy project [1] “E-DeMa” [2] to simulate powerline communication systems (PLC) for access and inhouse applications in a smart grid scenario. The simulation is implemented in a C++ builder using OMNeT++ [3] and its sub module INET [4]. OMNeT is an event based network simulation tool, and INET is a collection of common network units and technologies, so far excluding powerline. First, the rudiments of the implementations are presented - second, a real network to verify the simulation is described and third, the results are compared and analyzed.