Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Computer-Mediated Communication and Success in Educational Collaboration

The continuous development of technology has made computer-mediated communication the normal means of communication in many organizations. Many educators are beginning to use resources designed to prepare their students for the global world of computer-mediated communication. Even though computer-mediated communication is different from face-to-face, it does not necessarily inhibit collaboration. This study examined the success of a non-collocated team playing MoonWorld, an educational and collaborative computer game, using only computer-mediated communication versus the success of a team that was collocated and able to use face-to-face communication. The data showed that there were differences in the collaboration between the two teams, but that both teams were successful despite one having the ability to communicate face-to-face. The findings suggest that if a virtual environment is designed correctly, computer-mediated communication can be used to successfully collaborate.
[Comparison of denaturing high performance liquid chromatography with direct sequencing in the detection of single nucleotide polymorphism].

OBJECTIVE Investigate the sensitivity and accuracy of the denaturing high performance liquid chromatography(DHPLC) technique for the detection of single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP). METHODS Forty-one samples were detected by both DHPLC and direct sequencing. RESULTS The comparison demonstrated that DHPLC detected all heterozygous sequences found by direct sequencing. No false-positive signals were seen in the cases of homozygous sequences. Furthermore, no false-negative results were ever obtained with heterozygous mutations or polymorphisms, or both. CONCLUSION DHPLC is a potent method for SNP identification especially SNP typing in large scale screening.
Improving Accuracy of WiFi Positioning System by Using Geographical Information System (GIS)

WiFi positioning system with knowledge of GIS can achieve higher accuracy in terms of distance error comparing with the one without it. Positioning algorithm expectedly gets rid of unlikely crossing area in the region while selecting others. Minimization of crossing area determination with constraint of geographical information is a key contribution. Proper placement of access points in service area is another issue of concern yielding the same consequence as optimal coordinate fitting. Learning process for determining environment characteristics is essential to enable accurate calculation on distance from measured signal strength. Variation of obstructions in one environment can mainly reflect inconsistent profile, especially for indoor environment
Essential Role of NMDA Receptor Channel ε4 Subunit (GluN2D) in the Effects of Phencyclidine, but Not Methamphetamine

Phencyclidine (PCP), a noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, increases locomotor activity in rodents and causes schizophrenia-like symptoms in humans. Although activation of the dopamine (DA) pathway is hypothesized to mediate these effects of PCP, the precise mechanisms by which PCP induces its effects remain to be elucidated. The present study investigated the effect of PCP on extracellular levels of DA (DAex) in the striatum and prefrontal cortex (PFC) using in vivo microdialysis in mice lacking the NMDA receptor channel ε1 or ε4 subunit (GluRε1 [GluN2A] or GluRε4 [GluN2D]) and locomotor activity. PCP significantly increased DAex in wildtype and GluRε1 knockout mice, but not in GluRε4 knockout mice, in the striatum and PFC. Acute and repeated administration of PCP did not increase locomotor activity in GluRε4 knockout mice. The present results suggest that PCP enhances dopaminergic transmission and increases locomotor activity by acting at GluRε4.
Treatment Outcome Prioritization with Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Utilizing Qualitative Data from Nominal Groups : Exploring the Influences on

The nominal group technique generates quantitative data through a process of experts ranking items of interest. This article focuses on the additional collection of qualitative data from nominal groups with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, used to explore the influences on prioritizing treatment outcomes. Across all groups, the top five outcomes with the highest importance scores were identified as: pain; joint damage; fatigue; activities of daily living; and mobility. Qualitative findings showed that the personal impact of RA influenced decisions on how to rank specific outcomes through four domains: disease impact; adaptation to illness; external resources and stressors; and social expectations.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: THE CASE OF BRAZIL

Corporate governance mechanisms, such as transparency, accounting standards, responsibility, accountability, fairness, business ethics, efficient shareholder controls, and ownership rights are key tools in combating corruption. This paper investigates on a firm-level basis the relation between corporate governance practices and campaign finance in Brazil. We interpret campaign finance as a proxy for political influence by interest groups. Our results indicate that family-owned firms contribute significantly more for political campaigns, both in terms of proportion of firms and total amount spent to finance the candidates. Higher concentration of capital, and the separation of ownership and control are positively related to campaign donations, while better corporate governance is negatively related to political contributions.
The design challenge—creating a Mosaic out of chaos

As designers we usually find ourselves—and our designs— in complex organizational settings, where diverse and often conflicting interests co-exist. Yet design is often seen as a process where the ‘one best solution’ is developed instead of allowing the rich mosaic of conflicting perspectives to be brought to light. Sooner or later the official pictures of the foreground are contradicted by current practice and create conflicts that may seriously jeep ardize systems built on them. With hindsight we can see how this happened, for example in the 1960’s and ‘70’s when mainframe system software was designed to follow the automation-like flow of production work, controlling work process and workers and dividing labour and tasks. In the 1980s, despite the use of new software tools and the emphasis on PC-based applications, designers focused on the tasks and procedures of given work flows instead of embarking on approaches that would have allowed them to learn about how new software might be appropriated, put to use and tailored in an organization.
Secure E-Payment Method Based on Visual Cryptography

In recent time there is a rapid growth in the online shopping market. With ever increasing popularity of the online shopping, debit or credit card fraud and personal information security are major concerns. Phishing and identity theft are common threats to online shopping. Phishing is a method of stealing personal confidential information, such as username, password, credit card details, from legitimate user. In this paper, we have proposed a credit card payment method using visual cryptography. Visual cryptography is applied to captcha generated by the merchant during the registration phase, to a text file containing credit card details sent by the Merchant Plug-In to the Card Provider Directory Server, and to Quick Response Code containing One Time Password that is used to authorize payment transaction. The purpose of this method is to improve e-payment security, especially in terms of authentication, authorization, and confidentiality. This method provides limited credit card details to the merchant and prevents phishing and identity theft so that the customer’s confidence will increase.
noRANSAC for fundamental matrix estimation

The estimation of the fundamental matrix from a set of corresponding points is a relevant topic in epipolar stereo geometry [10]. Due to the high amount of outliers between the matches, RANSAC-based approaches [7, 13, 29] have been used to obtain the fundamental matrix. In this paper two new contributes are presented: a new normalized epipolar error measure which takes into account the shape of the features used as matches [17] and a new strategy to compare fundamental matrices. The proposed error measure gives good results and it does not depend on the image scale. Moreover, the new evaluation strategy describes a valid tool to compare diffe rent RANSAC-based methods because it does not rely on the inlier ratio, which could not c orrespond to the best allowable fundamental matrix estimated model, but it makes use of a reference ground truth fundamental matrix obtained by a set of corresponding points given by the user.
Mutations in ATP 6 V 1 E 1 or ATP 6 V 1 A Cause Autosomal-Recessive Cutis Laxa

Tim Van Damme,1,25 Thatjana Gardeitchik,2,3,25 Miski Mohamed,2,25 Sergio Guerrero-Castillo,4,5,26 Peter Freisinger,6,26 Brecht Guillemyn,1,26 Ariana Kariminejad,7,26 Daisy Dalloyaux,2,5 Sanne van Kraaij,2,5 Dirk J. Lefeber,5,8 Delfien Syx,1 Wouter Steyaert,1 Riet De Rycke,9,10 Alexander Hoischen,3 Erik-Jan Kamsteeg,3 Sunnie Y. Wong,11 Monique van Scherpenzeel,5,8 Payman Jamali,12 Ulrich Brandt,4,5 Leo Nijtmans,4,5 G. Christoph Korenke,13 Brian H.Y. Chung,14 Christopher C.Y. Mak,14 Ingrid Hausser,15 Uwe Kornak,16,17 Björn Fischer-Zirnsak,16,17 Tim M. Strom,18 Thomas Meitinger,18 Yasemin Alanay,19 Gulen E. Utine,20 Peter K.C. Leung,14 Siavash Ghaderi-Sohi,7 Paul Coucke,1 Sofie Symoens,1 Anne De Paepe,1 Christian Thiel,21 Tobias B. Haack,18,22,23 Fransiska Malfait,1,27 Eva Morava,11,24,27 Bert Callewaert,1,27,* and Ron A. Wevers5,27,*
Mimeograph Series"163z Application of Maximum Entropy and Minimum Cross-entropy Formalisms to Stochastic Modeling of Complex Dynamic Systems; Formulation of the Problem. Application of Maximum Entropy and Minimum Cross-entropy Formalisms to Stochastic Modeling of Complex Dynamic Systems Formulation 

The general problem addressed in this paper is that of using data and observations to infer a probability distribution on the state space of a system and of making inferences concerning the time dynamics of that probability dis-tdbution. The goal is to make full use of the available information, but without imputation of lIinformation ll which we do not in fact have. The approach is through extension of the information theoretic methods of maximum entropy and minimum cross-entropy. These methods have shown themselves to be powerful tools applied to inferences on stationary probability distributions. The proposed approach for extension to dynamic systems rests on introduction of additional relationships drawn from theory of dynamic system modeling. The methodology is intended as a tool in the stochastic modeling of biological systems, with special emphasis on application to ecology and to environmental management.
5 Social Navigation

In this chapter, we present one of the pioneering approaches in supporting users in navigating complex information spaces: social navigation support. Social navigation support is inspired by the natural tendencies of individuals to follow traces of each other in exploring the world, especially when dealing with uncertainties. In this chapter, we cover details of various approaches in implementing social navigation support in the information space, and we connect the concept to supporting theories. The first part of this chapter reviews related theories and introduces the design space of social navigation support through a series of sample applications. The second part of the chapter discusses the common challenges in design and implementation of social navigation support, demonstrates how these challenges have been addressed, and reviews the more recent direction of social navigation support. Furthermore, as social navigation support has been an inspirational approach for various other social information access approaches, we discuss how social navigation support can be integrated with those approaches. We conclude with a review of evaluation methods for social navigation support and remarks about its current state.
Cage-like B 40 C 30 , B 40 C 40 , and B 40 C 50 : high-symmetry heterofullerenes isovalent with C 60 , C 70 , and C 80

The recent discovery of the cage-like borospherenes B40 , composed of interwoven double chains of boron, presents the possibility of forming BmCn heterofullerenes as hybrids of borospherenes and carbon fullerenes in dual spaces. Based on extensive first-principles theory calculations, we predict herein the possible existence of the high-symmetry BmCn heterofullerenes S10 B40C30 (1), C5 B40C40 (2), and S10 B40C50 (3), which are isovalent with C60, C70, and C80, respectively. These beautiful borafullerenes with boron aggregations feature one B30 boron double-chain nanoring at the equator, two bowlshaped C15 or C25 caps at the top and bottom, and ten quasi-planar tetracoordinate peripheral C atoms in ten B-centered B6C hexagonal pyramids that are evenly distributed around the waist in a seamless Bpatched^ structural motif. Detailed orbital and bonding analyses indicate that, as they are isovalent with C60, C70, and C80, respectively, B40C30 (1), B40C40 (2), and B40C50 (3) possess 30, 35, and 40 π bonds, respectively, of which 20 are 5c-2e π bonds delocalized over ten hexagonal pyramids that are evenly distributed around the waist. Such structural and bonding patterns confer high stability to these B-C heterofullerenes, which may be synthesized in experiments.
Fibrillation Complexity as a Predictor of Successful Defibrillation

A major focus of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) research has been to reduce the defibrillation shock energy to prolong battery life and provide an enhanced quality of life for the patient. We investigated whether the degree of disorganization (complexity) of the electrogram is correlated with defibrillation shock outcome. The study data sets were recorded using the high voltage leads of an ICD during device implantation. A total 57 data segments from 19 patients were analyzed. Beat cycles were identified using a novel wavelet based method. Two algorithms were proposed and implemented to quantify the disorganization of the electrogram signals: approximate entropy and cross correlation. Entropy Index based on the ApEn method, was able to discriminate successful episodes from failure ones with a specificity of 93% and sensitivity of 100%. Similarity index based on cross correlation method, obtained a specificity of 72% and sensitivity of 66%. We conclude that the organization of a VF episode is related to the minimum energy required for successful defibrillation
A grammatical approach to self-organizing robotic systems

In this paper, we define a class of graph grammars that can be used to model and direct concurrent robotic self-assembly and similar self-organizing processes. We give several detailed examples of the formalism and then focus on the problem of synthesizing a grammar so that it generates a given, prespecified assembly. In particular, to generate an acyclic graph we synthesize a binary grammar (rules involve at most two parts), and for a general graph we synthesize a ternary grammar (rules involve at most three parts). In both cases, we characterize the number of concurrent steps required to achieve the assembly. We also show a general result that implies that no binary grammar can generate a unique stable assembly. We conclude the paper with a discussion of how graph grammars can be used to direct the self-assembly of robotic parts.
econstor Make Your Publications Visible . A Service of zbw

This paper examines a variety of methods for extracting implied probability distributions from option prices and the underlying. The paper rst explores non-parametric procedures for reconstructing densities directly from options market data. I then consider local volatility functions, both through implied volatility trees and volatility interpolation. I then turn to alternative speci cations of the stochastic process for the underlying. I estimate a mixture of log normals model, apply it to exchange rate data, and illustrate how to conduct forecast comparisons. I nally turn to the estimation of jump risk by extracting bipower variation.
Relay communication with hierarchical modulation

We consider a relay communication with distributed channel coding. The source broadcasts channel encoded and modulated information to the relay and to the destination. In a second time slot, the relay sends additional redundancy to the destination. The broadcast from the source leads to the dilemma of adjusting the modulation scheme to the relay or to the destination link. We propose to use hierarchical modulation to solve this dilemma. We show with simulation results that the proposed system achieves a significant gain compared to reference systems.
Policy experiments in an agent-based model with credit networks

Abstract In this paper the authors extend the macroeconomic agent-based model described in Delli Gatti, D. , Desiderio, S. , Gaffeo, E. , Cirillo, P. and Gallegati, M. (Macroeconomics from the bottom-up, 2011) with the inclusion of a bank-bank network that mimics real-world dynamics of interbank markets. They also introduce a public sector and other modifications in order to carry out different policy experiments. More specifically, they test the implementation of a monetary policy by means of a standard Taylor rule, an unconventional monetary policy (i.e. helicopter drop) and a set of macroprudential regulations. The authors explore the properties of the model for such different scenarios. The results shed some light on the effectiveness of monetary and macroprudential policies in an economy with an interbank market during times of crises.
Image thresholding framework based on 2D fractional integration and Legendre moments

In this study, the authors present a new image segmentation algorithm based on two-dimensional digital fractional integration (2D-DFI) that was inspired from the properties of the fractional integration function. Although obtaining a good segmentation result corresponds to finding the optimal 2D-DFI order, the authors propose a new alternative based on Legendre moments. This framework, called two dimensional digital fractional integration and Legendre moments' (2D-DFILM), allows one to include contextual information such as the global object shape and exploits the properties of the 2D fractional integration. The efficiency of 2D-DFILM is shown by the comparison to other six competing methods recently published and it was tested on real-world problem.
L G ] 1 O ct 2 01 8 Deep Echo State Network ( DeepESN ) : A Brief Survey Claudio Gallicchio

The study of deep recurrent neural networks (RNNs) and, in particular, of deep Reservoir Computing (RC) is gaining an increasing research attention in the neural networks community. The recently introduced Deep Echo State Network (DeepESN) model opened the way to an extremely efficient approach for designing deep neural networks for temporal data. At the same time, the study of DeepESNs allowed to shed light on the intrinsic properties of state dynamics developed by hierarchical compositions of recurrent layers, i.e. on the bias of depth in RNNs architectural design. In this paper, we summarize the advancements in the development, analysis and applications of DeepESNs.
Intestinal Stem Cell Replacement Follows a Pattern of Neutral Drift

Gut Stem Cell Replacement Gut cell turnover is characteristically rapid and relies on stem cells in the crypts that lie between the intestinal villi. The prevailing view is that stem cell division is asymmetric with one daughter retaining a stem cell character; however, this pattern of stem cell turnover does not always apply. Using long-term lineage tracing, Lopez-Garcia et al. (p. 822, published online 23 September) showed that the loss of a stem cell was compensated for by the multiplication of a neighboring cell. The rate of stem-cell loss was found to be equivalent to the rate of cell division, indicating that symmetric cell division was the rule for gut stem cells and implying stochastic expansion, contraction, and extinction of clones occurs. Intestinal stem cells form an equipotent population where loss of a stem cell is compensated for by multiplication of a neighbor. With the capacity for rapid self-renewal and regeneration, the intestinal epithelium is stereotypical of stem cell–supported tissues. Yet the pattern of stem cell turnover remains in question. Applying analytical methods from population dynamics and statistical physics to an inducible genetic labeling system, we showed that clone size distributions conform to a distinctive scaling behavior at short times. This result demonstrates that intestinal stem cells form an equipotent population in which the loss of a stem cell is compensated by the multiplication of a neighbor, leading to neutral drift dynamics in which clones expand and contract at random until they either take over the crypt or they are lost. Combined with long-term clonal fate data, we show that the rate of stem cell replacement is comparable to the cell division rate, implying that neutral drift and symmetrical cell divisions are central to stem cell homeostasis.
Third harmonic generation at sapphire wafers with different cut axis

Nonlinear optical responses of transparent materials have been utilized in many applications, such as short-wavelength light generation, optical modulation, and non-destructive study of the sample characteristics. When a laser beam is focused onto a nonlinear crystal, the polarization state of the outcoming beam is dependent on the polarization state of the incident beam together with focused spot location inside the sample. This can be utilized for in-depth understanding of third harmonic generation mechanisms. As both the incident angle of the laser beam and the sample thickness affect the third harmonic generation yield, in this paper, we controlled the incident beam focus locations at different depth planes in order to check the sapphire thickness effect and also adjusted the tilt angle to test the incident angle effect on harmonic generation. Our result can be utilized in industrial and scientific applications, for example, when optical components or waveguides are manufactured in sapphire based on nonlinear optics, the polarization dependence will determine the quality and efficiency of micromachining. Polarization dependence can help distinguish the nonlinear phenomenon from other phenomenon occurring inside the sapphire and test the material characteristics like structural symmetry. In addition, by choosing a suitable orientation of the crystal with respect to the light beam, phase matching can be realized.
Simulating Bitcoin ’ s Network Topology Semester

Bitcoin relies on a peer-to-peer (p2p) network to spread information in an efficient and fair manner across a distributed network. This underlying network and the mapping of its topology is particularly interesting because it determines how efficient and fair those connections are distributed and how fast information can be spread. The topology of the network is defined by the connection strategy of the blockchain. In this thesis, we analyze the standard bitcoin connection strategy and how it compares to several newly developed connection strategies that have been evaluated. The simulation results indicate that the current implementation of the Bitcoin connection strategy works very reliable and efficient compared to other connection protocols. Additionally, having a few nodes that are highly connected within the network or increasing the number of minimal connections per node on every node from currently 8 to 13 connections indicates a decrease of the length of the shortest paths between nodes.