Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hand Choice Lateralization as Phonologization of Sign Language Pronouns

Battison, R. (1978). Lexical borrowing in American Sign Language. Silver Spring, MD: Linstok. Bowman, A. W. and Azzalini, A. (2014). R package 'sm': nonparametric smoothing methods (version 2.2-5.4) URL http://www.stats. gla.ac. uk/~adrian/sm, http://azzalini.stat.unipd.it/Book_sm Brentari, D. (1998). A prosodic model of sign language phonology. MIT Press. Cormier, K. , Schembri, A. , & Woll, B. (2013). Pronouns and pointing in sign languages. Lingua, 137, 230-247. -961. Evans, N. , & Levinson, S. C. (2009). The myth of language universals: Language diversity and its importance for cognitive science. Behavioral and brain sciences, 32(05), 429-448. Friedman, L. A. (1975). Space, time, and person reference in American Sign Language. Language, 940. Gardinier, J., Franco, V. , and Schieber, M. H. (2006). Interactions between lateralized choices of hand and target. Experimental brain research, 170(2):149159. Kita, S. and J. Essegbey. (2001). Pointing left in Ghana: How a taboo on the use of the left hand influences gestural practice. Gesture 1 (1), 7395. Leconte, P. and Fagard, J. (2006). Which factors affect hand selection in children's grasping in hemispace? combined effects of task demand and motor dominance. Brain and cognition, 60(1):8893. Lubber, M. (2014). pympi a Python module for processing Elan and Praat annotation files. Github. Petitto, L. A. (1987). On the autonomy of language and gesture: Evidence from the acquisition of personal pronouns in American Sign Language. Cognition, 27(1), 1-52. R Core Team (2013). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. URL http://www.Rproject. org/. Sandler, W. , & Lillo-Martin, D. (2006). Sign language and linguistic universals. Cambridge University Press. Tatman, R. (2015) The Cross-Linguistic Distribution of Sign Language Parameters. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society. Vaid, J., Bellugi, U. , & Poizner, H. (1989). Hand dominance for signing: Clues to brain lateralization of language. Neuropsychologia, 27(7), 949-960. Results for NGT Results for ASL
Nonlinear tracking control for some marine vehicles and airships

This paper presents a trajectory tracking control strategy, based on use of dynamical couplings, which is appropriate for a class of marine vehicles and or indoor airships (blimps) moving at low speed. The strategy consists of two steps: at the beginning the equations of motion are transformed into a velocity space, and next the nonlinear controller expressed in terms of the new variables is designed. The crucial role play here dynamical couplings in the vehicle because the system dynamics is incorporated into the control gain matrix. The control algorithm can be applied for fully actuated vehicles. Because of the assumed limitations the proposed method is suitable for simulation tests. The stability of the system under the designed control algorithm is shown using the Lyapunov theory. Simulation results for an indoor airship model demonstrate successful performance of the proposed approach.
Batch linear least squares-based learning algorithm for MLMVN with soft margins

In this paper, we consider a batch learning algorithm for the multilayer neural network with multi-valued neurons (MLMVN) and its soft margins variant (MLMVN-SM). MLMVN is a neural network with a standard feedforward organization based on the multi-valued neuron (MVN). MVN is a neuron with complex-valued weights and inputs/output located on the unit circle. Standard MLMVN has a derivative-free learning algorithm based on the error-correction learning rule. Recently, this algorithm was modified for MLMVN with discrete outputs by using soft margins (MLMVN-SM). This modification improves classification results when MLMVN is used as a classifier. Another recent development in MLMVN is the use of batch acceleration step for MLMVN with a single output neuron. Complex QR-decomposition was used to adjust the output neuron weights for all learning samples simultaneously, while the hidden neuron weights were adjusted in a regular way. In this paper, we merge the soft margins approach with batch learning. We suggest a batch linear least squares (LLS) learning algorithm for MLMVN-SM. We also expand the batch technique to multiple output neurons and hidden neurons. This new learning technique drastically reduces the number of learning iterations and learning time when solving classification problems (compared to MLMVN-SM), while maintaining the classification accuracy of MLMVN-SM.
Order types and visibility types of con gurationsof disjoint convex plane setsExtended

We introduce the notions of order type (or: dual arrangement) and visibility type (or: tangent visibility graph) for conngurations of disjoint convex sets in the plane. We develop optimal algorithms for computing and sweeping the order type, and also give a worst case optimal algorithm for computing the tangent visibility graph. The methods are based on a relation, introduced in this paper, between conngurations of disjoint convex sets and arrangements of pseudolines. Finally we give enumeration results for the number of distinct order and visibility types.
Multiple-Choice-Prüfungen an Hochschulen?

Zusammenfassung. Multiple-Choice-Aufgaben (MCA) sind bei der Leistungsmessung groser Personengruppen besonders okonomisch. Im Zuge des hohen Prufungsaufkommens im Bachelor-Master-System werden MCA-Klausuren auch an deutschen Hochschulen immer haufiger eingesetzt. Doch welche diagnostische Qualitat haben Prufungen mit MCA und wo liegen Vorteile und Probleme? In diesem Literaturuberblick kommen wir zu vier zentralen Ergebnissen: (1) MCA von hoher Qualitat sind in vielen Fallen diagnostisch vergleichbar zu Constructed-Response-Aufgaben. (2) Es existieren effektive Strategien, um Rateeffekten zu begegnen. (3) Der Einfluss des Prufungsformats auf Lern- und Prufungsstrategien ist kaum vermeidbar. (4) Besonders geeignet fur den Hochschulkontext sind die MC-Formate Multiple-Response und Multiple-True-False sowie insbesondere computerbasierte Testaufgaben. Zusatzlich zeigen wir einen Mangel an Forschungsarbeiten auf, die fur belastbare Aussagen uber den diagnostischen Wert von MCA in realen Kontexten unerlasslich .
A New Approach to Modeling Operational Conditions for Mitigating Fouling in Membrane Bioreactor

Modeling and optimization tools play a key role in membrane fouling control in membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems by delineating the more important variables involved. In this study, the influence of sludge retention time (SRT), aeration rate and filtration mode on hollow fiber membrane fouling was investigated. Using the response surface methodology (RSM) for modeling and central composite rotatable design (CCRD) for design of experiments, mathematical models were developed for fouling rate and protein (P1, P2) and carbohydrate (C1, C2) concentrations in two layers of fouling. Results showed that sludge retention time (SRT) was the most important variable in most models followed by aeration rate. Aeration showed a more effective role on the models of the rinsed layer (P1, C1) than backwashed layer (P2, C2). Backwashed layer had more influence on total fouling rate than rinsed layer. The optimal point for MBR operation was: SRT = 30 days, aeration = 10.7 L/min, relaxation interval = 8.8 minutes, and relaxation duration = 41.8 seconds.
On QoS-aware publish-subscribe

This paper addresses the issue of supporting quality of service (QoS) parameters in distributed publish-subscribe systems. It advocates that QoS parameters should be handled using the same constructs as other information regarding events, such as their type or content. At the same time, we claim that the use of a consistent set of mechanisms should not preclude to decouple the specification of QoS properties from the specification of type, subject or content-based constraints. We also advocate that QoS parameters should not be embedded on the type or content of the events. We show that some QoS parameters can only be computed in run-time, as they depend on dynamic aspects such as the location of the participants and the system load. The paper proposes a model that supports the decoupling of QoS characterization from the event characterization while, at the same time, offers a uniform treatment of both aspects.
0 PupilScreen : Using Smartphones to Assess Traumatic Brain Injury

Before a person suering from a traumatic brain injury reaches a medical facility, measuring their pupillary light reex (PLR) is one of the few quantitative measures a clinician can use to predict their outcome. We propose PupilScreen, a smartphone app and accompanying 3D-printed box that combines the repeatability, accuracy, and precision of a clinical device with the ubiquity and convenience of the penlight test that clinicians regularly use in emergency situations. e PupilScreen app stimulates the patient’s eyes using the smartphone’s ash and records the response using the camera. e PupilScreen box, akin to a head-mounted virtual reality display, controls the eyes’ exposure to light. e recorded video is processed using convolutional neural networks that track the pupil diameter over time, allowing for the derivation of clinically relevant measures. We tested two dierent network architectures and found that a fully convolutional neural network was able to track pupil diameter with a median error of 0.30 mm. We also conducted a pilot clinical evaluation with six patients who had suered a TBI and found that clinicians were almost perfect when separating unhealthy pupillary light reexes from healthy ones using PupilScreen alone.
CLINICIAN'S RESPONSIBILITY IN PRE-ANALYTICAL QUALITY ASSURANCE OF HISTOPATHOLOGY

Objective: To ascertain the adequacy of information provided by clinicians when requesting a histopathology investigation and to study the quality control parameters of the specimen containers. Methodology: This is an observational descriptive study which was carried out at Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in December 2006 on 500 specimen requests for histopathology. Results: Out of 500 specimens, age was not mentioned in 29 (5.8%) cases. No clinical history or differential diagnosis was given in 170 (34%) cases. Site of biopsy was absent in 65 (13%) cases and the name of requesting clinician or any contact information was present in only 115 (23%) of request forms. One hundred forty three (28.7%) containers were inadequate relative to the size of the specimen. Adequate volume of fixative was absent in 176 (38.2%) samples. There were 22 (4.3%) samples which did not have any sort of label mentioning either patient’s name or type of specimen. Injection bottles constituted the highest number of containers (n=204; 40.8%) used to submit the histopathology specimen. Conclusion: Clinicians of all grades and specialties must be educated and made aware of their primary responsibility to request the service appropriately for the benefit of the patient and patient care.
Parallel Incremental Raytracing of Animations on aNetwork of WorkstationsBernd Freisleben

To reduce the computation times required for rendering animations, a new incremental raytracing method that computes only the changed parts of images in an animation sequence is proposed. This method is integrated into a parallel version of the POV{Ray raytracing package implemented on a network of workstations using the MPI message passing interface. The parallelization relies on a manager/worker scheme which incorporates dynamic task assignment to achieve load balancing. The results of several experiments indicate that the incremental raytracing method yields a reduction of computation time roughly proportional to the number of changed pixels in a particular animated scene. Almost linear speedups are obtained for the parallel versions running on up to 18 workstations .
Wi-Fi Teeter-Totter: Overclocking OFDM for Internet of Things

The conventional high-speed Wi-Fi has recently become a contender for low-power Internet-of-Things (IoT) communications. OFDM continues its adoption in the new IoT Wi-Fi standard due to its spectrum efficiency that can support the demand of massive IoT connectivity. While the IoT Wi-Fi standard offers many new features to improve power and spectrum efficiency, the basic physical layer (PHY) structure of transceiver design still conforms to its conventional design rationale where access points (AP) and clients employ the same OFDM PHY. In this paper, we argue that current Wi-Fi PHY design does not take full advantage of the inherent asymmetry between AP and IoT. To fill the gap, we propose an asymmetric design where IoT devices transmit uplink packets using the lowest power while pushing all the decoding burdens to the AP side. Such a design utilizes the sufficient power and computational resources at AP to trade for the transmission (TX) power of IoT devices. The core technique enabling this asymmetric design is that the AP takes full power of its high clock rate to boost the decoding ability. We provide an implementation of our design and show that it can reduce the IoT's TX power by boosting the decoding capability at the receivers.
Positive Predictive Value of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Indicator for Central Line–Related Bloodstream Infection (“Selected Infections Due to Medical Care”)

&NA; As part of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Indicator (PSI) Validation Pilot Project, we evaluated the criterion validity of PSI 7. At the time of this study, PSI 7 was entitled “Selected Infections Due to Medical Care” and targeted catheter–related infections and inflammatory reactions. We conducted a retrospective cross–sectional study of 23 volunteer U.S. hospitals, where trained abstractors reviewed a sample of records that met PSI 7 criteria from October 1, 2005 to March 31, 2007. Of the 191 cases that met PSI 7 criteria, 104 (positive predictive value = 54%, 95% confidence interval: 40–69%) represented true infections. Of these cases, 77 (74%) were associated with central venous catheters, 15 (15%) were associated with peripheral intravenous (n=13) and or or arterial catheters (n=6), and 12 (11%) were associated with unknown catheters. Of the 87 (46%) false–positive cases, 41 (47%) did not have a qualifying infection identified by the abstractor, 38 (44%) had an infection present on admission, and 8 (9%) had an exclusionary diagnosis. PSI 7 has a low positive predictive value compared with other PSIs recently studied. Present on admission diagnoses and improved coding for infections related to central venous catheters (implemented October 2007) may improve validity.
Potassium trinickel(II) orthophosphate diphosphate, KNi3(PO4)P2O7

The structure of the title compound is characterized by the presence of two different anions, (PO4)3− and (P2O7)4− with an eclipsed conformation. The crystal structure consists of edge-sharing [NiO6] octahedra forming an [Ni3O14] chain running parallel to [001]. Adjacent chains are connected through edges and apices to PO4 and P2O7 groups in such a way as to build a three-dimensional host lattice. The resulting framework presents intersecting tunnels running along [010] and [101] in which the 11-coordinated potassium cation is located. The crystal structure of this new phosphate probably represents a new structural type.
ELECTRODIALYTIC REMEDIATION OF CCA-TREATED WOOD IN LARGER SCALE

A pilot plant for electrodialytic remediation of CCA-treated wood in larger scale has been designed and tested at DTU. Several process parameters were investigated, and it was found that the use of collecting units and soaking of the wood prior to the electrodialytic process had a positive influence on the remediation process. There is a tendency towards easier remediation of wood chips < 2cm, than larger wood size fractions. The influence of the electrode distance could not be fully investigated due to the experimental setup but it is expected that the use of collecting units will keep any influence to a minimum. The best remediation efficiency was obtained in an experiment with an electrode distance of 60 cm, and 100 kg wood chips. In this experiment 87% Cu, 81% Cr and >95% As was removed. Only one other experiments was analysed for As and here 95% was removed. The electrode distance was 1.5 m and the results indicate that As may be the easiest removable of the Cu, Cr and As investigated here. This is very encouraging since As is the CCA components of most environmental concern.
Growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is controlled by its limited respiratory capacity: Formulation and verification of a hypothesis

A novel mechanistic model for the growth of baker's yeast on glucoseis presented. It is based on the fact that glucose degradation proceeds via two pathways under conditions of aerobic ethanol formation. Part is metabolized oxidatively and part reductively, with ethanol being the end product of reductive energy metabolism. The corresponding metabolic state is designated oxidoreductive. Ethanol can be used oxidatively only. Maximum rates of oxidative glucose and ethanol degradation are governed by the respiratory capacity of the cells. The model is formulated by using the stoichiometric growth equations for pure oxidative and reductive (fermentative) glucose and ethanol metabolism. Together with the experimentally determinable yield coefficients (YX/S) for the respective metabolic pathways, the resulting equation system is sufficiently determined. The superiority of the presented model over hitherto published ones is based on two essential novelities. (1) The model was developed on experimentally easily accessible parameters only. (2) For the modeling of aerobic ethanol formation, the substrate flow was split into two simultaneously operating (i.e., in parallel) metabolic pathways that exhibit different but constant energy‐generating efficiencies (respiration and fermentation) and consequently different and constant biomass yields (YX/S). The model allows the prediction of experimental data without parameter adaption in a biologically dubious manner.
A Short Note on Parameterized Computation of Network Reliability with respect to Treewidth

We consider the classic problem of network reliability. A network is given together with a source vertex, one or more target vertices and probabilities assigned to each of the edges. Each edge appears in the network with its associated probability and the problem is to determine the probability of having at least one source-to-target path. This problem is known to be NP-hard for general networks and has been solved for several special families. In this work we present a fixed-parameter algorithm based on treewidth, which is a measure of tree-likeness of graphs. The problem was already known to be solvable in linear time for bounded treewidth, however the known methods used complicated structures and were not easy to implement. We provide a significantly simpler and more intuitive algorithm that while remaining linear, is much easier to implement.
Reliability and Validity of the Standing Heel-Rise Test

ABSTRACT A standardized protocol for a pediatric heel-rise test was developed and reliability and validity are reported. Fifty-seven children developing typically (CDT) and 34 children with plantar flexion weakness performed three tests: unilateral heel rise, vertical jump, and force measurement using handheld dynamometry. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) varied from 0.85–0.99 for reliability analyses in both participant groups. Construct validity analysis revealed a significant difference between groups (F = 44.57, p < .05) and age-related differences among CDT; 5- to 8-year olds (mean = 15.2, SD = 5.4) performed fewer repetitions compared to 9- to 12-year olds (mean = 27.7, SD = 11.7) (p < .05). Age explained 41% of the variance in the number of heel-rise repetitions. Correlations between the three tests (r = 0.56 to 0.66) provide evidence of convergent validity. The results indicate that the standardized protocol is both reliable and valid for use in 5- to 12-year-old children with and without plantar flexion weakness.
Deep-Sea Oil Plume Enriches Indigenous Oil-Degrading Bacteria

Diving into Deep Water The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was one of the largest oil spills on record. Its setting at the bottom of the sea floor posed an unanticipated risk as substantial amounts of hydrocarbons leaked into the deepwater column. Three separate cruises identified and sampled deep underwater hydrocarbon plumes that existed in May and June, 2010—before the well head was ultimately sealed. Camilli et al. (p. 201; published online 19 August) used an automated underwater vehicle to assess the dimensions of a stabilized, diffuse underwater plume of oil that was 22 miles long and estimated the daily quantity of oil released from the well, based on the concentration and dimensions of the plume. Hazen et al. (p. 204; published online 26 August) also observed an underwater plume at the same depth and found that hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria were enriched in the plume and were breaking down some parts of the oil. Finally, Valentine et al. (p. 208; published online 16 September) found that natural gas, including propane and ethane, were also present in hydrocarbon plumes. These gases were broken down quickly by bacteria, but primed the system for biodegradation of larger hydrocarbons, including those comprising the leaking crude oil. Differences were observed in dissolved oxygen levels in the plumes (a proxy for bacterial respiration), which may reflect differences in the location of sampling or the aging of the plumes. Cold-loving bacteria biodegrade hydrocarbons in the oil plume faster than expected. The biological effects and expected fate of the vast amount of oil in the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon blowout are unknown owing to the depth and magnitude of this event. Here, we report that the dispersed hydrocarbon plume stimulated deep-sea indigenous γ-Proteobacteria that are closely related to known petroleum degraders. Hydrocarbon-degrading genes coincided with the concentration of various oil contaminants. Changes in hydrocarbon composition with distance from the source and incubation experiments with environmental isolates demonstrated faster-than-expected hydrocarbon biodegradation rates at 5°C. Based on these results, the potential exists for intrinsic bioremediation of the oil plume in the deep-water column without substantial oxygen drawdown.
Using Fractal and Local Binary Pattern Features for Classification of ECOG Motor Imagery Tasks Obtained from the Right Brain Hemisphere

The feature extraction and classification of brain signal is very significant in brain-computer interface (BCI). In this study, we describe an algorithm for motor imagery (MI) classification of electrocorticogram (ECoG)-based BCI. The proposed approach employs multi-resolution fractal measures and local binary pattern (LBP) operators to form a combined feature for characterizing an ECoG epoch recording from the right hemisphere of the brain. A classifier is trained by using the gradient boosting in conjunction with ordinary least squares (OLS) method. The fractal intercept, lacunarity and LBP features are extracted to classify imagined movements of either the left small finger or the tongue. Experimental results on dataset I of BCI competition III demonstrate the superior performance of our method. The cross-validation accuracy and accuracy is 90.6% and 95%, respectively. Furthermore, the low computational burden of this method makes it a promising candidate for real-time BCI systems.