Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparing Statistical and Content-Based Techniques for Answer Validation on the Web

Answer Validation is an emerging topic in Question Answering, where open domain systems are often required to rank huge amounts of candidate answers. We present a novel approach to answer validation based on the intuition that the amount of implicit knowledge which connects an answer to a question can be estimated by exploiting the redundancy of Web information. Two techniques are considered in this paper: a statistical approach, which uses the Web to obtain a large amount of pages, and a content-based approach, which analyses text snippets retrieved by the search engine. Both the approaches do not require to download the documents. Experiments carried out on the TREC-2001 judged-answer collection show that a combination of the two approaches achieves a high level of performance (i.e. about 88% success rate). The simplicity and the efficiency of these Web-based techniques make them suitable to be used as a module in Question Answering systems.
Incorporating Local Acoustic Variability Information into Short Duration Speaker Verification

State-of-the-art speaker verification systems are based on the total variability model to compactly represent the acoustic space. However, short duration utterances only contain limited phonetic content, potentially resulting in an incomplete representation being captured by the total variability model thus leading to poor speaker verification performance. In this paper, a technique to incorporate component-wise local acoustic variability information into the speaker verification framework is proposed. Specifically, Gaussian Probabilistic Linear Discriminant Analysis (G-PLDA) of the supervector space, with a block diagonal covariance assumption, is used in conjunction with the traditional total variability model. Experimental results obtained using the NIST SRE 2010 dataset show that the incorporation of the proposed method leads to relative improvements of 20.48% and 18.99% in the 3 second condition for male and female speech respectively.
12.7-times energy efficiency increase of 16-bit integer unit by power supply voltage (VDD) scaling from 1.2V to 310mV enabled by contention-less flip-flops (CLFF) and separated VDD between flip-flops and combinational logics

Contention-less flip-flops (CLFF's) and separated power supply voltages (VDD) between flip-flops (FF's) and combinational logics are proposed to achieve a maximum energy efficiency operation. The proposed technologies were applied to a 16-bit integer unit (IU) for media processing in a 65-nm CMOS process. Measurement results of fabricated chips show that the proposed CLFF reduces the minimum operating voltage of IU's by 64mV on average. By scaling VDD from 1.2V to 310mV with the proposed CLFF, the maximum energy efficiency of 1835GOPS/W and the highest energy efficiency increase of 12.7 times are achieved.
Empirical analysis of continuous affect

Automatic analysis of affect from facial expressions has been extensively studied, but most work has considered only a small set of discrete emotions, typically Ekman's six basic emotions, or a small number of continuous measures, typically valence and arousal. We have developed a system that accommodates a much larger vocabulary of discrete emotions and links them with continuous measures that have been aggregated over a few seconds. The approach has a sound theoretical basis in multi-dimensional statistics, making it both principled and robust, while a graphical presentation makes it easy to understand.
Towards an accurate topological localization using a Bag-of-SIFT-visual-Words model

Topological localization is a problem in mobile robotics that implies the ability of an agent to self locate in an environment. In this paper, we approach the task of topological localization without using a temporal continuity of the images of the places the robot has been. The environment is represented by an office under different illumination settings acquired with a perspective camera mounted on a robot platform. We create visual vocabularies based on invariant local features and different distance-based K-means clustering. The experimental setup is performed with an One-versus-All classifier with different kernel functions that achieved success.
LA DIMENSIÓN AFECTIVA DE LA COMPETENCIA COMUNICATIVA INTERCULTURAL EN LA EDUCACIÓN SECUNDARIA OBLIGATORIA: ESCALA DE SENSIBILIDAD INTERCULTURAL

To communicate as an enrichment and appreciating the cultural differences, supposes to have certain intercultural communication competence that has a special importance in secondary education. That’s why we pretend to evaluate the necessities of the students in this educational stage through intercultural sensitibity scale. This scale has been adapted at cultural linguistic level, as well as madurative level. The results obtained in this diagnosis in Baix Llobregat, show the necessity to develop affective competences in this educational stage. Statistically significant differences between students also indicate the relevance of developing these competences for all adolescent students.
Developing Thinking Skills among Third Grade (Class 4) Pupils in Some Elementary Practising Schools in Edéa, Cameroon Using Lessons on the Human Skeleton

The objective of this study was to introduce an educational tool in primary school that could facilitate the development of thinking skills in learners. Klopfer’s taxonomy of educational objectives was used to introduce the fundamental notion of the hypothetico-deductive theory aimed at immersing the class into task situations of identifying the educational aspects in a lesson. A total of 270 Class 4 (third graders) participated in the study. Result revealed that at the pretest, the mean performance of those in the control group was 9.53/20 and for those in the experimental group it was 9.09/20. Up to one month following experimentation, pupils in the experimental group registered an improved mean performance (11.33/20) in the posttest, while the control group registered a drop (8.84/20) compared to their mean pretest performances. Those in the experimental group further showed greater interest and involvement in the construction of their knowledge and thinking skill compared to those in the control group. The approach appeared to be beneficial to both pupils and teachers. It places learners in a teaching/learning situation that motivates the development of thinking and problem-solving skills.
Information Ethics: A Cross-Cultural Study of Ethical Decision-Making between U.S. and Chinese Business Students

The purpose of this study is to explore cross-cultural differences between U.S. and Chinese business students in their rationales for ethical decision-makingwith respect tocommon information-related ethical dilemmas. Wefound thatthe dimensions (i.e., moral equity, relativism, egoism, contractualism, and utilitarianism) of the multidimensional ethics scale (MES) had varying influences on the ethical decision-making of the U.S. and Chinese students, even though the studentshadfairly similar intentions regardingundertakingthe described unethical actions. Specifically, the ethical decision-making of the U.S. studentswas primarily related to the moral equity dimension, whereas the utilitarianism dimension heavily impacted the ethical decision-making of the Chinese students. Wealsofound that the female students, regardless of theircultural background, had a higher social desirability bias and were more ethicalthan the male students. The implications of these findings for practitioners and for ethical education are discussed.
THE IMPACT OF CRITERIA IN SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE SELECTION: OBSERVATION FROM INDUSTRIAL EXPERIMENT

Decisions related to system architecture are difficult, because of fuzziness and lack of information combined with often conflicting objectives. We organised an industrial workshop with the objective to choose 5 out of 800 architectures. The first step, the identification of selection criteria, proved to be the greatest challenge. As a result, designers selected system architectures that did not satisfy them without being able to explain what went wrong in their selection process. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of criteria in system architecture selection. The recordings of the workshop were transcribed and analysed in order to identify the difficulties related to the definition and the use of criteria. The analysis highlights two issues: the interdisciplinarity of system architecture makes criteria interdependent and the lack of information is making it impossible to define an exhaustive set of criteria. This questions the applicability of most of design selection methods that assume that criteria are well defined by designers. Finally, this study provides insights and recommendations for future selection support tools dedicated to system architecture design.
Issues in implementation of cache-affinity scheduling

In a shared memory multiprocessor, a thread may have an a nity to a processor because of the data remaining in the processor's cache from a previous dispatch. We show that two basic problems should be addressed in a Unix-like system to exploit cache a nity for improved performance: First, the limitation of the Unix dispatcher model (\processor seeking a thread"); Second, pseudo-a nity caused by low-cost waiting techniques used in a threads package such as C Threads. We demonstrate that the a nity scheduling is most e ective when used in a threads package that supports multiplexing of user threads on kernel threads.
A Personalized Tweet Recommendation Approach Based on Concept Graphs

Twitter users get the latest tweets of their followees on their timeline. In this work we present a tweet recommendation approach, which takes advantage of the semantic relatedness of concepts that interest users. Our approach could be leveraged to build an efficient, online tweet recommender. We construct a Concept Graph (CG), containing a variety of concepts, use graph theory algorithms not yet applied in social network analysis in order to produce ranked recommendations. The usage of the Concept Graph allows us to avoid problems such as over-recommendation, over-specialization, because our method takes into account the true, objective relations between a user's Topics of Interest (ToIs), the Concept Graph itself. We test our method by applying it on a dataset, evaluate it by comparing the results to various state-of-the-art approaches.
Mutation increasing β-carotene concentrations does not adversely affect concentrations of essential mineral elements in pepper fruit

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are prevalent in human populations throughout the world. Vitamin A deficiency affects hundreds of millions of pre-school age children in low income countries. Fruits of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) can be a major dietary source of precursors to Vitamin A biosynthesis, such as β-carotene. Recently, pepper breeding programs have introduced the orange-fruited (of) trait of the mutant variety Oranzheva kapiya, which is associated with high fruit β-carotene concentrations, to the mutant variety Albena. In this manuscript, concentrations of β-carotene and mineral elements (magnesium, phosphorus, sulphur, potassium, zinc, calcium, manganese, iron and copper) were compared in fruit from P31, a red-fruited genotype derived from the variety Albena, and M38, a genotype developed by transferring the orange-fruited mutation (of) into Albena. It was observed that fruit from M38 plants had greater β-carotene concentration at both commercial and botanical maturity (4.9 and 52.7 mg / kg fresh weight, respectively) than fruit from P31 plants (2.3 and 30.1 mg / kg fresh weight, respectively). The mutation producing high β-carotene concentrations in pepper fruits had no detrimental effect on the concentrations of mineral elements required for human nutrition.
Scaling the Performance of Tiled Processor Architectures with On-Chip-Network Topology

The trend in wire delays due to resistance is becoming a significant problem for microprocessor designers, forcing radically new tiled microprocessor architecture designs. This type of architecture will necessarily incorporate on-chip networks topology. This paper examines a few of the possible on-chip network topology in the context of tiled processor architectures. Firstly, by investigating some proposed tiled processor architecture, we observe that the on chip network interconnecting is the critical design point in the architectures. After that, we discuss the candidate topologies of on-chip network topology that satisfy these properties. Finally, a detailed experimental evaluation of these networks topology is presented to highlight the scalability and performance of these tiled processor architectures. Results show that we can achieve performance improvement by modifying basic mesh appropriately according to the granularity of the tile within technology restrictions.
SPT-based topology algorithm for constructing power efficient wireless ad hoc networks

In this paper, we present a localized Shortest Path Tree (SPT) based algorithm for constructing a sub-network with the minimum-energy property for a given wireless ad hoc network. Each mobile node determines its own transmission power based only on its local information. The proposed algorithm constructs local shortest path trees from the unit disk graph. The performance improvements of our algorithm are demonstrated through simulations.
Stabilization by Constrained Controls

A stabilization problem for a general nonlinear control system is considered. In particular the control corresponding to the equilibrium position may belong to the boundary of the control set. A linear control system is considered as a first approximation for the original problem. The right-hand side of the linear system generates a set-valued map of a special type known as a convex process. This set-valued map has a number of properties similar to those of a linear operator. They allow one to establish necessary and sufficient conditions for solvability of the regulator design problem for the first approximation and to construct a Lyapunov function. Based on these results the nonlinear stabilization problem is investigated. Different statements of the regulator design problem are studied. Stabilization problems for some mechanical systems are considered to illustrate the regulator design techniques. The properties of transient characteristics (the “peak” effect) are discussed for a linear stabilization p.
Application of Cleaner Technology and experimental design for the reduction of chemical substance consumption in the hard disk drive arm coil assembly process

The objective of this research is to apply the Cleaner Technology (CT) and Design of Experiment (DOE) concepts in the hard disk drive arm coil assembly process, in order to reduce chemical substance (i.e. epoxy and Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA)) consumption. In the production process, epoxy is used to fix the arms and coils, whereas IPA is used to clean the arms before they are delivered to the production process. These chemicals are toxic and cause irritation to workers if they are not careful. Furthermore, the ineffective use of these chemicals adversely affects production costs. The research methodology was divided into two main parts. The first part employed the CT concept to analyze the loss during production, as well as the causes of loss. Opportunities to reduce those losses could then be recommended. The next step was to further analyze and evaluate a particular CT opportunity using DOE. In this second part of the research, DOE was used to reduce the chemicals used in the process by finding the optimum amount of chemicals used which does not affect the quality of the product. Full factorial experiment 2k, with two replicates was used for screening the four factors, these being: IPA, work-piece curing, epoxy usage and air pressure. The response variable was the arm coil bonding force. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted. The results of the study show that the optimal operating conditions are: 1) to clean the arms without using IPA, 2) to cure the work-pieces, 3) the filling of 65 mg of epoxy between the arm and the coil, and that 4) there is no significant impact of the air pressure on the arm coil bonding force. The results of the confirmation test show that the arm coil bonding force is in accordance with customer specifications. The results of the experiment have subsequently been put into practice. Thus, reducing the amount of epoxy wasted in the production process helps save approximately 70,208 Baht per annum, while cleaning without using IPA can save 2,154,240 Baht per annum. In conclusion, applying CT and DOE can help to make overall cost savings of 2,224,448 Baht per annum.
Facts and Values in Emotional Plasticity

How much can we shape the emotions we experience? This is the question of the plasticityl of our emotions. ActuaIly, it is rather misleading to speak of the plasticity question, for the question of how much we can shape our emotions hides a multitude of more particular questions. Depending on how the "we" is defined, the plasticity question splits into several sub-questions. For instance, to what extent is the agent herself able to control, cultivate and modify her emotions? This might weIl be the most important question from a personal and ethical point of view, but it is not the only one. For one might also ask to what extent surrounding people parents, teachers, friends, etc. are able to change the emotions of another person. More generaIly, to what extent do es the socio-cultural environment determine what we feel? Correlatively, what part do our genes, or more generaIly, the elements of our natural environment that are not socio-cultural, play? Given that emotions involve several aspects or components the emotional experience, the appraisal, the behavioral disposition, etc. the plasticity question splits even further. To have a full account of the plasticity of emotions, the plasticity of each component has to be considered. A further complexity cornes from the diversity of the many things that fall or can be considered to fall into the class of the emotions. Is the plasticity of so-called "basic emotions': such as joy, fear or disgust, different from the plasticity of socalled "higher cognitive emotions': such as guilt, envy, jealousy? And what about emotions that are considered to be "socially constructed", like the Japanese emotion amae, which is characterized as a pleasurable feeling of dependency (Doi, 1973; Morsbach & Tyler 1986)? 2 From a methodological point ofview, it might be
Regulation of Cell Migration by the Calcium-dependent Protease Calpain*

Integrin receptors play an important role during cell migration by mediating linkages and transmitting forces between the extracellular matrix and the actin cytoskeleton. The mechanisms by which these linkages are regulated and released during migration are not well understood. We show here that cell-permeable inhibitors of the calcium-dependent protease calpain inhibit both β1 and β3 integrin-mediated cell migration. Calpain inhibition specifically stabilizes peripheral focal adhesions, increases adhesiveness, and decreases the rate of cell detachment. Furthermore, these inhibitors alter the fate of integrin receptors at the rear of the cell during migration. A Chinese hamster ovary cell line expressing low levels of calpain I also shows reduced migration rates with similar morphological changes, further implicating calpain in this process. Taken together, the data suggest that calpain inhibition modulates cell migration by stabilizing cytoskeletal linkages and decreasing the rate of retraction of the cell’s rear. Inhibiting calpain-mediated proteolysis may therefore be a potential therapeutic approach to control pathological cell migration such as tumor metastasis.
Positioning Effects of KillerRed inside of Cells correlate with DNA Strand Breaks after Activation with Visible Light

Fluorescent proteins (FPs) are established tools for new applications, not-restricted to the cell biological research. They could also be ideal in surgery enhancing the precision to differentiate between the target tissue and the surrounding healthy tissue. FPs like the KillerRed (KRED), used here, can be activated by excitation with visible day-light for emitting active electrons which produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) resulting in photokilling processes. It is a given that the extent of the KRED's cell toxicity depends on its subcellular localization. Evidences are documented that the nuclear lamina as well as especially the chromatin are critical targets for KRED-mediated ROS-based DNA damaging. Here we investigated the damaging effects of the KRED protein fused to the nuclear lamina and to the histone H2A DNA-binding protein. We detected a frequency of DNA strand breaks, dependent first on the illumination time, and second on the spatial distance between the localization at the chromatin and the site of ROS production. As a consequence we could identify defined DNA bands with 200, 400 and (600) bps as most prominent degradation products, presumably representing an internucleosomal DNA cleavage induced by KRED. These findings are not restricted to the detection of programmed cell death processes in the therapeutic field like PDT, but they can also contribute to a better understanding of the structure-function relations in the epigenomic world.
Multi-Task Clustering using Constrained Symmetric Non-Negative Matrix Factorization

Researchers have attempted to improve the quality of clustering solutions through various mechanisms. A promising new approach to improve clustering quality is to combine data from multiple related datasets (tasks) and apply multi-task clustering. In this paper, we present a novel framework that can simultaneously cluster multiple tasks through balanced Intra-Task (within-task) and Inter-Task (between-task) knowledge sharing. We propose an effective and flexible geometric affine transformation (contraction or expansion) of the distances between Inter-Task and Intra-Task instances. This transformation allows for an improved Intra-Task clustering without overwhelming the individual tasks with the bias accumulated from other tasks. A constrained low-rank decomposition of this multi-task transformation will allow us to maintain the class distribution of the clusters within each individual task. We impose an Intra-Task soft orthogonality constraint to a Symmetric Non-Negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) based formulation to generate basis vectors that are near orthogonal within each task. Inducing orthogonal basis vectors within each task imposes the prior knowledge that a task should have orthogonal (independent) clusters. Using several real-world experiments, we demonstrate that the proposed framework produces improves clustering quality compared to the state-of-the-art methods proposed in literature.
Nested silicon-on-insulator Vernier effect microring resonators

Vernier effect, series-coupled microring resonators (MRRs) are used to extend the free-spectral-range (FSR) of MRRs. In this work we demonstrate integrating two MRRs in a compact Vernier configuration (compact as compared to previously demonstrated Vernier effect devices). our design was realized by using two waveguide crossings to form a major, outer ring that was coupled to a minor ring nested within the major ring. The ratio of the path length of the major ring to the path length of minor ring was 5:2. The spectral response of the device had an FSR of 27.94 nm, a drop port 3 dB bandwidth of 0.87 nm, a minimum extinction ratio of 16.1 dB, a minimum interstitial peak suppression of 10.6 dB, and a footprint of only 540 μm2 .