Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effectiveness of Animated Demonstrations for Computer-based Tasks: a Summary, Model and Future Research

Abstract With a growing variety of graphical computer interfaces, the development and use of pictorial instructions, such as animated demonstrations, is inevitable. Animated demonstrations are computer-created examples of an interface task. They appear as if you were watching someone perform a task. This paper will identify what we know about the effectiveness of animated demonstrations in terms of initial learning, retention and transfer of procedures. In contrast to procedure acquisition form text, demonstrations seem to encourage incomplete processing, a form of mimicry. Users watch the demonstrations and then simply play back what they see, similar to a computer macro. Based on reported observations, a model of procedure acquisition from animated demonstrations is proposed. Testable hypotheses which will help to validate and improve this model are outlined. In addition, these hypotheses, if further validated, will provide guidance for improving the effectiveness of animated demonstrations for learning procedural, computer-based tasks.
Research and scholarship with impact: a British perspective

Purpose – This article aims to consider how academics might increase the impact of their research on practitioners.Design/methodology/approach – The author draws on UK research council guidance and his experience of researching and working with practitioners to inform the discussion.Findings – Maximising the impact of research on practitioners should not be a requirement. Issues that are critical to enhancing impact are highlighted for those who choose to see this as an important goal.Originality/value – Research impact is becoming an increasingly prominent goal of research policy in the UK and elsewhere in the world but has not yet generated much discussion in the hospitality and tourism literatures.
Active misconfiguration detection in Ethernet networks based on analysis of end-to-end anomalies

This paper addresses the detection of duplexity mismatch (DM) of media access devices in Ethernet networks. From the broad spectrum of sources we surveyed, including logging data from real networks, it appears that DM is surprisingly common and very severe. We show how DM introduces degenerative traffic anomalies capable of drastically reducing flow throughput. We, then, propose a novel detection algorithm based on end-to-end active probing. Our investigation is complemented by the implementation of a SW prototype. Extensive experimental evaluation is conducted in a real-world production LAN. The achieved results are encouraging and show that our prototype can be a very useful tool. Our evaluation attained a high success rate of misconfiguration detection: 99.72%. False positive and false negative rates are extremely contained: 0.00% and 0.28%, respectively. Therefore, our prototype appears to be a robust and reliable detection instrument from which network administrators and field engineers can benefit.
The Euro and the International Financial System

This Paper analyses the issues raised by EMU for the relationships between the Euro area and the international financial system. The depreciation of the Euro exchange rate since the beginning of EMU has attracted most attention. The Paper argues that theory and the data support none of the conventional explanations and that a substantial appreciation will be required to bring the rate to a sustainable long-run equilibrium. It discusses exchange-rate intervention and suggests that the authorities should take a more active policy stance. The Paper assesses the role of the Euro as an international currency and the underlying developments in the capital markets and foreign exchange markets. It concludes with discussion of policies towards the international role of the Euro, in areas such as: data needs; financial market developments; euroisation; EMU and the international financial architecture; and the role of the Euro Group of finance ministers.
Image scaling factor estimation based on normalized energy density and learning to rank

Over the past years, research on digital image forensics has become a hot topic in multimedia security. Among various forensics technologies, image resampling detection has become a standard detection tool in image forensics. Furthermore, examining parameters of geometric transformations such as scaling factors or rotation angles is very useful for exploring an image's overall processing history. In this paper, we propose a novel image scaling factor estimation method based on normalized energy density and learning to rank, which can not only effectively eliminate the long-known ambiguity between upscaling and downscaling in the analysis of resampling but also accurately estimate the factors of weak scaling, i.e., the scaling factors near 1. Empirical experiments on extensive images with different scaling factors demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method.
Lindane Bioremediation Capability of Bacteria Associated with the Demosponge Hymeniacidon perlevis

Lindane is an organochlorine pesticide belonging to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that has been widely used to treat agricultural pests. It is of particular concern because of its toxicity, persistence and tendency to bioaccumulate in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In this context, we assessed the role of bacteria associated with the sponge Hymeniacidon perlevis in lindane degradation. Seven bacteria isolates were characterized and identified. These isolates showed a remarkable capacity to utilize lindane as a sole carbon source leading to a percentage of residual lindane ranging from 3% to 13% after 12 days of incubation with the pesticide. The lindane metabolite, 1,3–6-pentachloro-cyclohexene, was identified as result of lindane degradation and determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The bacteria capable of lindane degradation were identified on the basis of the phenotypic characterization by morphological, biochemical and cultural tests, completed with 16S rDNA sequence analysis, and assigned to Mameliella phaeodactyli, Pseudovibrio ascidiaceicola, Oceanicaulis stylophorae, Ruegeria atlantica and to three new uncharacterized species. The results obtained are a prelude to the development of future strategies for the in situ bioremediation of lindane.
Generating Examples For Use in Tutorial Explanations: Using a Subsumption Based Classifier

Abstract : Examples form an integral and very important part of many descriptions, especially in contexts such as tutoring and documentation generation. Previous computational work on example generation has focused on the issue of generating valid examples in different domains. However, there are a large number of examples that can be generated for a given concept, and it is important that examples intended for tutoring situations illustrate specific features that need to be communicated. There is also a strong interaction between the examples and the accompanying textual description. The number of examples to be presented, the order in which they are to be presented, and the position of the examples with respect to the text are all dependent upon the examples generated for use in the presentation. It is therefore important that the example generator be able to generate a set of suitable examples in response to a tutoring goal in a given situation. In this paper, we present one framework, based on the use of a subsumption classifier, that facilitates the generation of appropriate tutorial examples. We illustrate the working of this framework by describing the generation of examples to illustrate the syntax in the programming language LISP.
Full Diversity Spreading code for Downlink Space-Time-Frequency Spreading CDMA

Recently proposed downlink space-time-frequency spreading CDMA (STFS-CDMA) is investigated in this paper. By analyzing, a spreading code design criterion of it is derived. From the criterion, we can see that the original two classes of spreading code adopted in STFS-CDMA, Walsh-Hadamard code (WHC) and double-orthogonal code (DOC), both can not always achieve the full space and frequency diversity. Then, a novel spreading code, zero padded rotary FFT code (ZPRFC), is proposed. Compared with WHC coded STFS-CDMA (WHC-STFS-CDMA) and DOC coded STFS-CDMA (DOC-STFS-CDMA), the novel ZPRFC coded STFS-CDMA (ZPRFC-STFS-CDMA) can obtain the full space and frequency diversity at the cost of the reduction of the number of supporting users.
Effects of economic conditions and policy interventions on OECD broadband adoption

The positive effects of broadband networks and services on productivity and economic growth are well established. Looking at broadband as an engine of economic prosperity, the OECD and its member states are seeking to foster its widespread adoption. However, which public policies best promote the adoption of broadband remains controversial. This article contributes in two ways to this discussion. It offers a comprehensive discussion of the factors that influence broadband adoption and uses an econometric approach that is well-suited to overcome the challenges of modelling broadband adoption. This framework allows drawing more robust and nuanced policy recommendations.
Privatization and corruption in transition economies: a panel study

By using three corruption indices, six privatization indicators, and taking the endogeneity problem into consideration, we test the hypothesis that privatization contributes to a decrease in corruption in transition economies. We identified a highly statistically significant and negative association between privatization and corruption in transition economies for three different corruption indices and six different privatization indicators.
metaPIS: a sequence-based meta-server for protein interaction site prediction.

The identification of interfaces in protein complexes is effective for the elucidation of protein function and helps us to understand their roles in biological processes. With the exponentially growing amount of protein sequence data, an exploration of new methods that predict protein interaction sites based solely on sequence information is becoming increasingly urgent. Because a combination of different methods could produce better results than a single method, interaction site prediction can be improved through the utilization of different methods. This paper describes a new method that predicts interaction sites based on protein sequences by integrating five different algorithms employing meta-method, Majority Vote and SVMhmm Regression techniques. The 'metaPIS' web-server was implemented for meta-prediction. An evaluation of the meta-methods using independent datasets revealed that Majority Vote achieved the highest average Matthews correlation coefficient (0.181) among all the methods assessed. SVMhmm Regression achieved a lower score but provided a more stable result. The metaPIS server allows experimental biologists to speculate regarding protein function by identifying potential interaction sites based on protein sequence. As a web server, metaPIS is freely accessible to the public at http://202.116. 74.5:84/metapis.
Individuality or Conformity: Recommendation Exploiting Community-Level Social Influence

With the increasing prevalence of online businesses and social networking services, a huge volume of data about transaction records and social connections between users is accumulated at an unprecedented speed, which enables us to take advantage of electronic word-of-mouth effect embedded in social networks for precision marketing and social recommendations. Different from existing works on social recommendations, our research focuses on discriminating the community-level social influence of different friend groups to enhance the quality of recommendation. To this end, we propose a novel probabilistic topic model integrating community detection with topic discovery to model user behaviors. Based on this model, a recommendation method taking both individual interests and conformity influence into consideration is developed. To evaluate the performance of the proposed model and method, experiments are conducted on two real recommendation applications, and the results demonstrate that the proposed recommendation method exhibits superior performance compared with the state-of-art recommendation methods, and the proposed topic model exhibits good explainablibity of topic semantics and community interests. Furthermore, as some people are more individual interest oriented and some are more conformity oriented demonstrated by the experiments, we explore factors that influence each individual’s conformity tendency, and obtain some meaningful findings.
A Neo-Heckscher-Ohlin Model of Trade with Endogenous Production Patterns

We propose a Neo-Heckscher-Ohlin (HO) model of trade that combines comparative endowment advantage, comparative technological advantage, international capital mobility and trade costs. Using an inframarginal approach, we produce a partition of the exogenous parameter space in a host of parameter value subsets that demarcate the various equilibrium patterns of production and trade. The results are startlinge They suggest that production within the diversification cone - a key assumption of the Heckscher-Ohlin theory that is required for its core propositions (such as factor price equalisation) to hold - may only prevail on the razor's edge, or under exceptional circumstances. In addition, our findings nominate a mechanism by which improvements in transaction efficiency facilitate international trade thereby stimulating cross-country division of labour. Contrary to other generalisations of the Heckscher-Ohlin (such as the various derivatives of the Kemp-Jones model of trade), our model does not assume a purely Ricardian character: comparative endowment advantage may determine the pattern of trade even in the presence of opposing technological differences, as long as total factor productivity coefficients adjusted for transaction efficiency and factor intensity do not confer unambiguous comparative (technological) advantage. Still, 'intensity-efficiency'-adjusted comparative technological advantage supersedes factor endowments in determining the flow of trade. Copyright 2005 The Economic Society Of Australia.
Use of anatomic or invasive markers in association with skin surface registration in image-guided surgery of the temporal bone

Conclusion: The use of an invasive marker in the ipsilateral temporal bone with mid-facial skin contouring for registration improved the position accuracy (PA) to levels required for otological and neuro-otological procedures. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the PA after skin contouring with the combination of anatomic landmarks or a local invasive marker and skin surface registration for intratemporal computer-assisted navigation. Patients and methods: Thirty-three patients undergoing a lateral skull base procedure with the Digipointeur® system (Collin, Bagneux, France) based on CT scan were included in this study. Registration was obtained by a mid-facial skin contouring. In the first protocol (n=8), PA was evaluated and the position corrected for three intratemporal landmarks before evaluation of the target (round window). In a second protocol (n=25), a titanium screw was placed in the ipsilateral mastoid region before imaging. PA was measured before and after screw registration for five intratemporal landmarks. Results: In the first protocol, PA did not improve after the registration of the landmarks, and PA of the target was evaluated as 4.9±0.64 mm. In the second protocol, PA was reduced after screw registration for all landmarks with a mean PA ranging from 0 to 2.3 mm.
The Scottish Cotton Masters, 1780–1914

Abstract The Glasgow 'Tobacco Lords' were the subject of a classic study, but there has been no overall survey of their successors, the Scottish cotton masters. This article draws on a rich and surprisingly underused source, the wills and probate inventories of Scottish cotton merchants and manufacturers, to give a fuller picture of a group, which played a key role in Scotland's early industrialisation. It also casts light on the early decline of the cotton industry in Scotland by demonstrating how, as profits declined, the cotton masters, who had always had diverse business interests, began to move into more lucrative areas of investment, such as coal mining, iron manufacturing, railways, shipping and overseas trade.
Efficiency of the California electricity reserves market

We test the efficiency of the California electricity reserves market by examining systematic differences between its day- and hour-ahead prices. We uncover significant day-ahead premia, which we attribute to market design characteristics. On the demand side, the market design established a principal-agent relationship between the markets' buyers (principal) and their supervisory authority (agent). The agent had very limited incentives to shift reserve purchases to the lower priced hour-ahead markets. On the supply side, the market design raised substantial entry barriers by precluding purely speculative trading and by introducing a complicated code of conduct that induced uncertainty about which actions were subject to regulatory scrutiny. We use a high-dimensional vector moving average model to estimate the premia and conduct correct inferences. To obtain exact maximum likelihood estimates of the model, we develop a new EM algorithm that seamlessly incorporates missing data and applies directly to general moving average time series models. Our algorithm uses only analytical expressions: the Kalman filter and a fixed interval smoother in the E step and least squares-type regressions in the M step. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Reassessment of Inequality and its Role in Poverty Reduction in Indonesia

This study provides an overview of inequality trends in Indonesia for the period from 1984 to 2002. Different from previous studies on inequality in Indonesia, we use data on household consumption expenditure that takes into account price differentials across regions. We found that, although all measures indicate a decrease in inequality during the economic crisis, it actually increased for those below the poverty line. We also found that because inequality during the peak of the crisis in 1999 was at its lowest level in 15 years, the poverty rate decreased very rapidly during the recovery between 1999 and 2002.
An Actor-Based Framework for Edge Computing

The Actor model provides inherent parallelism, along with other convenient features to build large-scale distributed systems. In this paper, we present ActorEdge, an Actor based distributed framework for edge computing. ActorEdge provides straitforward integration with existing technologies, while enabling application developers to dynamically utilize computational resources on the edge of the clouds. ActorEdge has proven to outperform cloud computing options by providing superior quality of service, measuring a 10x lower latency, 30% less jitter, and greater bandwidth. Using this framework, programmers can easily develop and deploy their applications on a heterogeneous system, including cloud servers/data centers, edge servers, and mobile devices.
The Capital Markets of the Middle East and North African Region: Situation and Characteristics

This paper compares market emergence in the Middle and East and North African (MENA) region with other emerging markets. We first consider the main components of market emergence, including the size, depth, activity, and transparency of the market, and proceed to a descriptive analysis. Aggregating these observations into four bootstrapped indexes, we analyze the factors leading to market emergence with a probit model. We find that market size and activity seem to affect market emergence, whereas pricing and transparency do not. Finally, decomposing country-level probabilities and implementing a cluster analysis suggest that the average process of market emergence is more pronounced in the MENA region than it is in other emerging areas, such as Latin America and Eastern Europe. Overall, the results suggest that the MENA capital markets may attract more capital flows in the future. However, the markets are still heterogeneous: Whereas Turkey, Israel, Jordan, and Egypt are moving closer to the standards of developed countries, Lebanon, Tunisia, and Morocco can still be viewed as frontier markets.
Random Feeding Networks for Reducing the Number of Phase Shifters in Limited-Scan Arrays

A new phased-array feeding network that results in low sidelobe levels (SLLs) over a limited scan region is demonstrated. The proposed concept groups the individual phased-array elements into random sequences of nonuniform subarrays and employs a single phase shifter (PS) for each subarray. When these random sequences are optimized, the resulting phased array can scan over a wide angle with low SLLs. A methodology for analyzing the random arrays is provided, multiple cases with different numbers of PSs and subarray groups are optimized, and design guidelines are presented. The performance of the random arrays is compared with conventional uniform subarrays and it is shown that random arrays reduce the number of PSs by up to 40% while preserving the same performance. A random array is demonstrated at 7.9 GHz for a 30-element linear design (scan in one direction) with 12 PSs and results in a half-power beamwidth of 4.1° with a scan angle up to ±14° and SLLs less than -15 dB. It is also shown that random arrays can be used in 2-D phased arrays with up to 60% reduction in the number of PSs. Application areas are in low-cost phased arrays with limited scan angles such as automotive radars or landing systems.
Cervical internal carotid Artery pseudoaneurysm complicating malignant otitis externa: First case report

Pseudoaneurysm of the internal carotid artery (ICA) is a rare complication of head and neck infections. To date, three cases of petrous ICA pseudoaneurysm have been described as a complication of otogenic infection, including only one secondary to malignant otitis externa. We present here the first case of cervical ICA pseudoaneurysm as a complication of malignant otitis externa, and stress the importance of timely diagnosis to avoid fatal outcomes. Laryngoscope, 125:733–735, 2015
Coffee and cancers of the upper digestive and respiratory tracts: meta-analyses of observational studies.

BACKGROUND Data of epidemiological studies on the relation between coffee drinking and upper aerodigestive tract cancer risk are scattered and inconclusive. We therefore conducted systematic meta-analyses of observational studies published before October 2009. MATERIALS AND METHODS We combined relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for cancers of the oral cavity/pharynx (OP) and larynx, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), comparing the highest versus the lowest categories of coffee consumption, using random-effects models. RESULTS For OP cancer, the pooled RR was 0.64 (95% CI 0.51-0.80) for highest versus lowest coffee drinking, based on a total of 2633 cases from one cohort and eight case-control studies, with no significant heterogeneity across studies. The RRs were 0.61 (95% CI 0.41-0.89) for European, 0.58 (95% CI 0.36-0.94) for American and 0.74 (95% CI 0.48-1.15) for Asian studies, where coffee consumption is lower. The corresponding RRs were 1.56 (95% CI 0.60-4.02) for laryngeal cancer (732 cases from three case-control studies), 0.87 (95% CI 0.65-1.17) for ESCC (2115 cases from one cohort and six case-control studies) and 1.18 (95% CI 0.81-1.71) for EAC (415 cases from three case-control studies). CONCLUSION Coffee drinking is inversely related to OP cancer risk, while there is no relation with laryngeal cancer, ESCC and EAC.