Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ecological conservation, cultural preservation, and a bridge between: the journey of Shanshui conservation center in the Sanjiangyuan Region, Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China.

The Sanjiangyuan region is located on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in western China and encompasses the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Mekong rivers. It is also home to 300,000 Tibetan pastoralists. The area is characterized by its significant ecological service, unique culture, and fragile ecosystems, and has undergone a rapid degradation over the past several decades. Traditional Tibetan culture offers alternative knowledge and perspectives that facilitate the environmental conservation throughout the region, but have yet to be recognized or adopted by the Chinese government. Beginning in 2007, the local environmental NGO, Shanshui Conservation Center, has initiated a journey to bridge Tibetan communities with the outside scientific community, mainstream society and policy-makers with the aim of advocating integrating traditional Tibetan practices in conservation actions in the Sanjiangyuan region. Through the conservation concession program initiated and facilitated by Shanshui Conservation Center in collaboration with Conservation International, the Sanjiangyuan nature reserve turned over the management of some reserve lands to local communities after a conservation agreement with clear management plans and monitoring indictors was made between the two parties. The trial and demonstration of the conservation concession program successfully led to the adoption of community-based conservation models in state level conservation policy in 2011. We demonstrate as a bridging organization, Shanshui Conservation Center plays the role of cultural translator to promote the understanding and appreciation of traditional Tibetan culture in conservation in western China.
A combinatorial approach to the automated generation of inverse kinematics equations for robot arms

Obtaining the inverse kinematics equations (incl. the higher order ones) is an essential part of most modeling tasks related to robotics. It should be routine task which in practice proves to be difficult because of its error prone nature. In this paper an automated method of obtaining these equations is proposed. The mathematical operations which are carried out also when the equations are written by hand, are formulated as possible actions to take. A correct sequence of such actions leads to the desired equations. This way the problem is formulated as a planning problem. In this paper, as a preliminary approach, the breadth first search algorithm is used to solve the planning problem, but this formulation of the problem enables also the use of reinforcement learning methods. An implementation well suited for further expansions and source code generation for multiple programming languages is also presented.
Human computation: a survey and taxonomy of a growing field

The rapid growth of human computation within research and industry has produced many novel ideas aimed at organizing web users to do great things. However, the growth is not adequately supported by a framework with which to understand each new system in the context of the old. We classify human computation systems to help identify parallels between different systems and reveal "holes" in the existing work as opportunities for new research. Since human computation is often confused with "crowdsourcing" and other terms, we explore the position of human computation with respect to these related topics.
The Value of Cooperation Within a Profit-Maximizing Organization

This paper proposes a measure to quantify the value of cooperation experienced by a firm. Using a ”reverse” merger simulation approach, the percentage of a firm’s profits due to cooperation can be precisely determined. This is accomplished by considering the profit maximizing dynamics of firms in the market as defining a value function of a coalition game. A simple example illustrates the ideas.
On clustering coefficients of graphs with the fixed numbers of vertices and edges

The problem of finding the minimum and maximum values of the clustering coefficients of graphs with the fixed numbers of vertices and edges is considered. It is shown that when a graph has n vertices and the average degree is n/2 the clustering coefficient can take values from 0 to 1 - 1/2(n - 1).
Development of time domain behanioural non-linear models for microwave devices and ICS from vectorial large-signal measurements and simulations

We have developed a procedure to determine a behavioural non-linear model for microwave devices and ICs that is directly based on vectorial large-signal measurements. For the examples of a HEMT and an amplifier IC, we represent the terminal currents in the time domain by a dynamic model that is fitted to the embedded terminal voltages.
The Role of ADP-ribosylation Factor and Phospholipase D in Adaptor Recruitment

AP-1 and AP-2 adaptors are recruited onto the TGN and plasma membrane, respectively. GTPγS stimulates the recruitment of AP-1 onto the TGN but causes AP-2 to bind to an endosomal compartment (Seaman, M.N.J., C.L. Ball, and M.S. Robinson. 1993. J. Cell Biol. 123:1093–1105). We have used subcellular fractionation followed by Western blotting, as well as immunofluorescence and immunogold electron microscopy, to investigate both the recruitment of AP-2 adaptors onto the plasma membrane and their targeting to endosomes, and we have also examined the recruitment of AP-1 under the same conditions. Two lines of evidence indicate that the GTPγS-induced targeting of AP-2 to endosomes is mediated by ADP-ribosylation factor-1 (ARF1). First, GTPγS loses its effect when added to ARF-depleted cytosol, but this effect is restored by the addition of recombinant myristoylated ARF1. Second, adding constitutively active Q71L ARF1 to the cytosol has the same effect as adding GTPγS. The endosomal membranes that recruit AP-2 adaptors have little ARF1 or any of the other ARFs associated with them, suggesting that ARF may be acting catalytically. The ARFs have been shown to activate phospholipase D (PLD), and we find that addition of exogenous PLD has the same effect as GTPγS or Q71L ARF1. Neomycin, which inhibits endogenous PLD by binding to its cofactor phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, prevents the recruitment of AP-2 not only onto endosomes but also onto the plasma membrane, suggesting that both events are mediated by PLD. Surprisingly, however, neither PLD nor neomycin has any effect on the recruitment of AP-1 adaptors onto the TGN, even though AP-1 recruitment is ARF mediated. These results indicate that different mechanisms are used for the recruitment of AP-1 and AP-2.
Institutional Factors that Pertain to Commuter Student Success

Institutional Factors That Pertain to Commuter Student Success Heather A. Kenney University of North Florida Dr. Katherine Kasten, Chair Department of Leadership, School Counseling, and Sport Management The purpose of this study was to explore what institutional factors affect retention and student success at a Florida public, 4-year university for commuter students. This study included institutional factors controlled by the university that affect retention with students who commute to the institution. Today, student retention is at the forefront of college and university goals. Commuter students compose over 80% of enrollment at the nation’s college and university campuses. This mixed-method study included both a survey and focus groups. In the first part of the study, quantitative data were collected, using the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI). The survey analysis of the data collected using the SSI indicated that the scores for the scales were not statistically significant in determining whether or not a student would choose the university again. In the second part, focus groups were conducted to better understand student satisfaction with the institutional factors. Four main themes emerged from data analysis: (a) location and other reasons to attend the institution, (b) connectedness to the institution, (c) institutional factors that assist with progression toward degree, and (d) obstacles to graduation. There are four major conclusions addressed: students who participated in this study had higher levels of satisfaction with library services and academic advising services than with other institutional factors, commuter students were not participating in
Computer Anxiety and Skills amongst Undergraduate Students from Rural Areas

With the rapid growth of technology, nowadays people are using Information Communication Technology (ICT) as a tool in all aspects of life. Malaysia towards Vision 2020 has implemented many initiatives in ICT transformation for community including students from the rural areas. This study is conducted to examine computer level of anxiety and skills amongst undergraduate students from rural areas at selected private higher institutions in Negeri Sembilan. The study was done through distribution of 128 questionnaires to year one students from non-computing programs who are enrolled computer literacy subject at the institutions. The findings of this study show that the level of anxious on using computer amongst undergraduate students is low. The students also show a good level of computer skills but low level of web site development skills. It is recommended that any web site development training for rural areas students should take into consideration for student’s enhancement and career. Future study on web site development skills amongst undergraduate students from rural areas at higher institution also is recommended.
The probability of middle cerebral artery MRA flow signal abnormality with quantified CT ischaemic change: targets for future therapeutic studies

Objectives: In this study we define the probability of vascular abnormality in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory according to the extent of ischaemic change seen using computed tomography (CT). We assessed the sensitivity and specificity of the hyperdense middle cerebral artery (HMCA) and the “dot” sign using magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). Methods: Patients presenting with ischaemic stroke had a CT scan (<6 h) prior to MRI (<7 h). A quantitative CT scoring system (ASPECTS) was applied to CT and diffusion weighted images (DWI) at baseline and follow up (24 h) by five independent observers. The presence of HMCA and the MCA “dot” sign was also evaluated. An expert reader assessed the 3D time of flight (TOF) MRA in the anterior circulation for areas of decreased vascular signal in the MCA territory, with an absent signal taken to represent severely reduced or absent flow. Results: A total of 100 consecutive patients had baseline CT and MR scans. The median NIHSS was 9. The median CT ASPECTS was 8 and equalled the median DWI ASPECTS. There were a total of 10 HMCA and 19 MCA “dot” signs, with four patients having both HMCA and “dot” signs. A total of 47 MRA flow signal abnormalities were observed in the anterior circulation. Conclusions: In the absence of accessible neurovascular imaging, the extent of CT ischaemia (ASPECTS) is a strong predictor of vascular occlusion. The CT hyperdense artery signs have a high positive predictive value but low negative predictive value.
WISE: business to business e-commerce

The Internet and the proliferation of inexpensive computing power in the form of clusters of workstations or PCs provide the basic hardware infrastructure for business-to-business electronic commerce in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Unfortunately, the corresponding software infrastructure is still missing. In this paper, we show a way to develop appropriate tools for electronic commerce by describing the approach we have taken in the WISE (Workflow-based Internet SErvices) project. The goals of WISE are to develop and deploy the software infrastructure that is necessary to support business-to-business electronic commerce in the form of virtual enterprises. The idea is to combine the tools and services of different companies as building blocks of a higher-level system in which a process acts as the blueprint for control and data flow within the virtual enterprise. From this idea, the final goal is to build the basic support for an Internet trading community where enterprises can join their services to provide value-added processes.
Lossless Online Bayesian Bagging

Bagging frequently improves the predictive performance of a model. An online version has recently been introduced, which attempts to gain the benefits of an online algorithm while approximating regular bagging. However, regular online bagging is an approximation to its batch counterpart and so is not lossless with respect to the bagging operation. By operating under the Bayesian paradigm, we introduce an online Bayesian version of bagging which is exactly equivalent to the batch Bayesian version, and thus when combined with a lossless learning algorithm gives a completely lossless online bagging algorithm. We also note that the Bayesian formulation resolves a theoretical problem with bagging, produces less variability in its estimates, and can improve predictive performance for smaller data sets.
The impact of routing policy on Internet paths

The impact of routing policy on Internet paths is poorly understood. In theory, the policy can inflate shortest-router-hop paths. To our knowledge, the extent of this inflation has not been previously examined. Using a simplified model of the routing policy in the Internet, we obtain approximate indications of the impact of policy routing on Internet paths. Our findings suggest that the routing policy does impact the length of Internet paths significantly. For instance, in our model of the routing policy, some 20% of Internet paths are inflated by more than five router-level hops.
Detection and classification of pills moving at a very high speed using a Bi-IV2 vision system

In this paper, a novel class of information-processing systems called cellular neural networks (CNNs) is overviewed. The CNN provides solutions to some real-life problems which are difficult or time-consuming for classical digital computers. The CNN has emerged as a powerful and practically realizable paradigm of multidimensional, locally connected, nonlinear processor arrays. We will introduce a brief concept, mathematical description of CNN, and develop an application of CNN in the ultra-high frame-rate image processing: detection and classification of pills moving at a very high speed using the Bi-IV2 vision system. We also show you our experiment setup in the laboratory, and then experimental results are introduced. The classification is based on the size and shape parameters of different pills and possible missing parts are identified. The implementation of pills classification algorithm runs on Bi-IV2, the program to be run on Bi-IV2 is loaded over Ethernet, and the host computer PC can write/read data to/from the Bi-IV2 over Ethernet.
GraphTiles: A Visual Interface Supporting Browsing and Imprecise Mobile Search

Although mobile devices are generating a rapidly increasing proportion of search queries, search interfaces have not changed significantly to accommodate mobile constraints. In particular, imprecise search exists in the no-man's land between specific fact-finding and general browsing, and can be especially challenging on mobile devices, when user input is difficult and environmental distractions make remembering related information difficult. We examined the prevalence of these mobile search use cases in a two-week diary study, finding that imprecise and general search accounted for the large majority of difficulty with search. Hypothesizing that the ability to view a link neighborhood around the search result could be quite helpful in these cases, we designed GraphTiles, a visual interface for mobile search that exploits the structured entity relationships present in a significant portion of online datasets (e.g. IMDb [5] and LinkedIn [6]). In an experimental evaluation, users performed imprecise searches more quickly with GraphTiles than with a standard mobile site.
South Korean elementary school teachers’ experiences of inclusive education concerning students with a multicultural background

ABSTRACT Due to the increase of economic immigration over the last few decades, South Korea has rapidly become a multi-ethnic society. The number of students with a multicultural background (SMBs) has increased more than tenfold in the past ten years. Research has revealed that despite physical inclusion of SMBs in general classrooms, SMBs tend to struggle at school as a result of language difficulties, academic underachievement, and social isolation. Shedding light on the Salamanca thinking, this study aims to investigate how teachers’ experiences of SMBs vary according to school cultures. Thirteen teachers from three schools (with different school cultures) were invited to participate in qualitative semi-structured interviews. It was revealed that the teachers, who worked in the different school cultures, expressed differently with regard to (1) teachers’ reasoning about SMBs’ struggles, (2) teachers’ professional knowledge and strategic practices, (3) collaboration with a multicultural education supervising teacher (MEST), and (4) dependency upon external support. The school judged to be contributing to ‘true’ inclusion was characterised by ample support from a MEST and the creation of an inclusive learning environment for SMBs as a whole-school approach. What can further ‘true’ inclusion of SMBs in elementary schools and the implications thereof are discussed.
Performance Evaluation of the IEEE 802.11p WAVE Communication Standard

In order to provide Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) for future vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication the IEEE is currently working on the IEEE 802.11p Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE) standard. The standard shall provide a multi-channel DSRC solution with high performance for multiple application types to be used in future Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs). We provide a performance evaluation of the standard, considering collision probability, throughput and delay, using simulations and analytical means. WAVE can prioritize messages, however, in dense and high load scenarios the the troughput is decreases while the delay is increasing significantly.
Framelets with Many Vanishing Moments

We study tight wavelet frames associated with given refinable functions which are obtained with the unitary extension principles. All possible polynomial symbols generating refinable functions and admitting framelets with a given number of vanishing moments are found. We also consider constructions of (anti)symmetric framelets generated by a symmetric refinable function. We give a few examples of symmetric framelet systems with two and three generators. §
A Parallel Ant Colony Optimization for the Maximum-Weight Clique Problem

In this paper, we propose a parallel ant colony optimization based metaheuristic for solving the maximum-weight clique problem, which is a variation of the maximum clique problem. The advised parallel computing model is based on concept of cooperation among multiple ant colonies system. The cooperation system consists of a message center and a number of ant colonies. Each ant colony attempts to explore the solution space by using its own search strategy. The message center first collects the solution information from different ant colonies, and then it shares the current best solution with them. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated on a set of the standard benchmark instances from literature. The obtained results were compared to those reached by the Cplex solver and the best solutions reported in the literature. From the experimental results, one can observe that encouraging results have been obtained.
A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Container Tracking System for Port Louis Harbor: The Case of Mauritius

Everyday millions of containers circle the globe an d 250, 000, 000 container movements are performed around the globe yearly through 220 ports. Approximately 2% of in-transit containers are physically inspected, while empty containers are ra rely inspected. A serious container event could trigger a worldwide massive port shutdown. Government security officials recognize container shipments as one of the world’s greatest sec urity threats which press for dramatic improvements in air and maritime security. Port Authorities are striving to increase efficienc y through effective supply chain management, while focus is being placed on control, visibility and security. This paper is based mostly on the possible implementation of an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) based container tracking system for Port Louis harbor. RFID will enable the identification of containers over long distances and in demanding environments such as the port area. This will help in real-time identification and tracking of containers, reaching new lev els of traceability and control. Companies will know at any point in time, where the ir assets are and all movements at key locations will be recorded for eventual streamlining an d optimizations. These will lead to a reduced capital costs and significant overall savings in th e long run for Port Louis harbor. The implementation of this system however relies on a solid col laborative network to link the various stakeholders of Port Louis harbor, by taking into consid erations the specificities of Mauritius which is strategically positioned in the Indian Ocean. SWOT Analysis and survey has been used for this study. Taking into consideration the benefits and constraints, recommendations were made as to the approach to adopt for its implementation. In the light of this research work, it was consider ed important to implement an RFID based solution in the port, after various RFID systems at int ernational levels were studied and compared. The automated tracking and identification system wi ll no doubt constitute another building block towards achieving the vision of turning Port Louis harbor into a maritime and logistics hub in the region.
Relationship between steady-state and induced gamma activity to motion

When a moving stimulus is presented at a specific temporal frequency, both steady-state responses and induced &ggr; activity may be elicited in the electroencephalogram. The electroencephalogram was recorded when study participants viewed random dot kinematograms under three conditions: coherent motion, incoherent motion and stationary. Dot position was changed at a rate of 9.3 Hz in the coherent and incoherent conditions. Induced power at 40 Hz was increased during coherent motion compared with the other conditions. In contrast, the steady-state response at 9.3 Hz showed a trend for increased power during the incoherent condition. These results suggest that steady-state responses to moving stimuli reflect sensory activation, while the induced &ggr; activity indexes perceptual processes.
Breadth-bounded model checking

Model checking large concurrent systems is a difficult task, due to the infamous state space explosion problem. To combat this problem, a technique called Bounded Model Checking has been proposed. This techniques relies on restricting the level of unfoldings of the transition relation of a given specification. This technique is quite effective for verifying requirements that are relatively close to the initial state of the system's behaviour. Unfortunately, this technique is not adequate for disproving requirements which occur at levels that are relatively deep within the system. In this paper, we study an alternative approach to BMC by restricting the breadth of the transition relation, based on a Highway simulation. This allows us to find violations to (1) properties that lurk deep in a specification, and (2) properties that require lengthy counterexamples. Our experiments show that the method is complementary to BMC, and is effective in many practical applications.