Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Can video games technology be used for educational purposes

The question about the usage of video game technology to create successful educational games and learning tools has been extensively debated (Prensky, 2006). This research will explore these topics in order to develop a practical case study that could be used as a learning tool. There will be two main topics discussed and analysed, the first being the relevance of gaming in education, the second a quantitative case study of an educational video game prototype. In the 21st century, video games have grown more sophisticated as new technologies have advanced. Video games can be used for more than just home entertainment, as many recent games and projects have proven (Rosser et al., 2007). This research inquires on these successes and how to develop a project, which educates as well as entertains. The second major aspect of this research, which is the prototype, will implement these findings into a practical commercial product set with a prehistoric thematic featuring accurately researched extinct fauna and ancient biomes. Prehistoric visualizations, more commonly known as “Paleoart”, are a respected development in the toolkit for palaeontologists. Paleoart is vital to scientists as it helps visualize prehistoric life millions of years ago (Witton, 2014). This prototype will combine and then expose Paleoart and educational gaming to the public.
Pattern recognition for classifying the condition of wooden railway sleepers

This paper summarises the results of using a pattern recognition approach for classifying the condition of wooden railway sleepers. Railway sleeper inspections are currently done manually; visual inspection being the most common approach, with some deeper examination using an axe to judge the condition. Digital images of the sleepers were acquired to compensate for the human visual capabilities. Appropriate image analysis techniques were applied to further process the images and necessary features such as number of cracks, crack length etc have been extracted. Finally a pattern recognition and classification approach has been adopted to further classify the condition of the sleeper into classes (good or bad). A Support Vector Machine (SVM) using a Gaussian kernel has achieved good classification rate (86%) in the current case.
Adult neurogenesis in non‐mammalian vertebrates

Adult neurogenesis is an exciting and rapidly advancing field of research. It addresses basic biological questions, such as the how and why of de novo neuronal production during adulthood, as well as medically relevant issues, including the potential link between adult neural stem cells and psychiatric disorders, or how stem cell manipulation might be used as a strategy for neuronal replacement. Current research mainly focuses on rodents, but we review here recent examination of non‐mammalian vertebrates, which demonstrates that bona fide adult neural stem cells exist in these species. Importantly, especially in teleost fish, these cells can be abundant and located in various brain areas. Hence, non‐mammalian vertebrate species provide invaluable comparative material for extracting core mechanisms of adult neural stem cell maintenance and fate. BioEssays 29:745–757, 2007. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Dayside corona aurora classification based on X-gray level aura matrices

Aurora is the typical ionosphere track generated by the interaction of solar wind and magnetosphere, whose modality and variation are significant to the study of space weather activity. This paper proposes a novel aurora pattern recognition method based on static image classification of day-side aurora. In the feature extraction phase, X-gray level aura matrices (X-GLAMs) are designed to extract the feature of the original aurora images. For classification, models of texture classes are learned using support vector machine (SVM), then a given texture of aurora image can be classified into one of the pre-learned classes. It compares two sets of features: X-GLAMs and basic gray level aura matrices (BGLAMs), both of which are based on different windows on the real aurora image database from Chinese Arctic Yellow River Station. The experimental results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed dayside aurora classification algorithm.
Competition in Multiple Geographic Markets: The Impact on Growth and Market Entry

We investigate the impact of contact between organizations in multiple geographic markets, focusing on two competitive behaviors: growth in current markets and entry into new markets. Drawing on sociological and economic theories, we propose that the extent of multimarket contact determines the level of competition experienced by a focal organization and therefore influences its growth and market entry. We also propose that market structure, specifically the extent to which markets are dominated by a few large firms, influences competition and therefore influences growth and market entry. Finally, we propose that market structure accentuates multimarket competitive dynamics, as mutual forbearance is more pronounced in markets dominated by a few large firms. Analysis of growth and market entry by a mixed population of multi- and single-market firms in the California savings and loan industry generally supports our model and shows that multipoint competition affects all rivals, multi- and single-market firms alike.
Mechanized proofs for a recursive authentication protocol

A novel protocol has been formally analyzed using the prover Isabelle/HOL, following the inductive approach described in earlier work (L.C. Paulson, 1997). There is no limit on the length of a run, the nesting of messages or the number of agents involved. A single run of the protocol delivers session keys for all the agents, allowing neighbours to perform mutual authentication. The basic security theorem states that session keys are correctly delivered to adjacent pairs of honest agents, regardless of whether other agents in the chain are compromised. The protocol's complexity caused some difficulties in the specification and proofs, but its symmetry reduced the number of theorems to prove.
Instance-Specific Remodelling of Planning Domains by Adding Macros and Removing Operators

We propose an approach to remodelling classical planning domains via the addition of macro operators and removal of original operators either for the domain as a whole or instance-by-instance. For the latter remodelling, we train a predictor to choose the best reformulation of the domain based on instance characteristic. In the domain level remodelling, we try find a fixed remodelling that works best on average over our training set. Operator removal does not generally preserve solubility and proving solubility preservation of domain models is PSPACE-complete. So we use an approach that uses training instances to empirically estimate the probability of solubility preservation and maintains a minimum value of that probability on the training instances. We show that the instance-specific approach outperforms the traditional best-on-average macro-only remodelling approach in 9 out of 14 cases of domain/macro-source combinations, and that it can outperform fixed domain-based models generated with existing macro learning tools.
Common Variants in Genes Related to Lipid and Energy Metabolism Are Associated with Weight Loss after an Intervention in Overweight/obese Adolescents on Behalf of the Evasyon Study Group

EVASYON Common variants in genes related to lipid and energy metabolism are associated with weight loss after an intervention in overweight/obese adolescents Resumen Antecedentes: Algunas variantes genéticas relacionadas con el metabolismo lipídico y energético pueden estar implicadas en la respuesta a una intervención nutricional además de estar aso-ciadas con el desarrollo de obesidad y comorbilidades asociadas. Objetivo: En este sentido, este artículo analiza cuatro poli-morfismos situados en cuatro genes que han sido previamente asociados con la obesidad u otras complicaciones asociadas a la misma, así como su posible papel en la respuesta a una interven-ción para la pérdida de peso en adolescentes con sobrepeso u obesidad. Métodos: La población en estudio está formada por 199 ado-lescentes con sobrepeso u obesidad (13-16 años) llevando a cabo una intervención multidisciplinar de 10 semanas para la pérdi-da de peso: programa EVASYON (www.estudioevasyon.org). Los adolescentes fueron genotipados para los 4 SNPs y tanto al comienzo como al final de la intervención se analizaron marca-dores bioquímicos y se tomaron medidas antropométricas. Resultados: Rs662799 del gen APOA5 se asoció al inicio con parámetros antropométricos y bioquímicos, mientras que el rs9939609 del gen FTO parecía estar asociado con el cambio de estas variables tras 10 semanas de intervención. Las variantes rs1800777 del gen CETP y rs670 del gen APOA1 mostraron una importante asociación con marcadores de adiposidad. Concre-tamente, un modelo combinado incluyendo los dos polimorfis-mos logró explicar hasta un 24% del cambio en el IMC-SDS tras 10 semanas de intervención. Conclusión: Variantes genéticas previamente relacionadas con el metabolismo lipídico y energético, pueden repercutir no solamente en valores bioquímicos sino también en la respuesta a una intervención multidisciplinar para la pérdida de peso en adolescentes con sobrepeso u obesidad. Abstract Background: Some SNPs related to lipid and energy metabolism may be implicated not only in the development of obesity and associated comorbidities, but also in the weight loss response after a nutritional intervention. Objective: In this context, the present study analyzed four SNPs located within four genes known to be associated with obesity and other obesity-related complications, and their puta-tive role in a weight-loss intervention in overweight/obese adolescents. Methods: The study population consisted of 199 overweight/obese adolescents (13-16 yr old) undergoing 10 weeks of a weight loss multidisciplinary intervention: the EVASYON programme (www.estudioevasyon.org). Adolescents were genotyped for 4 SNPs, and anthropometric measurements and biochemical markers were analyzed at the beginning and after the intervention. Results: Interestingly, APOA5(rs662799) was …
Speech Emotion Recognition

Emotions play a vital role in identifying a human's mental state. Emotions are the way to express one's outlook and mental state to others. In this paper, an analysis of speech [8] to extract the emotions has been done. The feature vector comprises components of the audio signal that portray specific features of the speaker, such as tone, pitch, and energy, which is significant to prepare the classifier model to precisely recognize a particular emotion. Extraction of Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients(MFCC) [3] has been done from the speech signals to create the dataset for the research work. The feature vector extracted in the training dataset is then sent to the classifier model. The test dataset will go through the extraction technique, following which the classifier would settle on a choice concerning the hidden feeling in the test audio. As a part of dataset preparation, four different datasets(i.e., SAVEE, RAVDESS, TESS, CREMA-D) have been used. Support vector machines [4], LSTM, random forests and CNN model have been used in this study for classifying emotions. 2D CNN outperformed all the other models by giving an accuracy of nearly 70% on the testing dataset.
Tree‐ring reconstructions of temperature and sea‐level pressure variability associated with the warm‐season Arctic Oscillation since AD 1650

Arctic Oscillation (AO) changes are inferred from a tree‐ring reconstruction of a warm‐season temperature index. The reconstruction covers AD 1650–1975 and is based largely on chronologies from circumpolar‐Arctic and circum‐North Atlantic areas. It accounts for 48% of the variance in the instrumental AO record from 1900 to 1975, verifies using independent data, and exhibits its largest variance at low frequencies. Positive levels during 20th century periods equal or exceed values back to AD 1650. Trends (including lower values during ‘Little Ice Age’ periods) resemble those of Arctic temperature reconstructions, reflecting some data overlap, but also the strong link between the AO and northern temperatures. A reconstruction of an AO summer sea level pressure index shows similar trends. Comparison of these reconstructions with proxies of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and other indices can help clarify relationships between the AO and NAO, at least during the boreal warm season.
A Dual Gradient Projection Quadratic Programming Algorithm Tailored for Mixed Integer Predictive Control

The objective of this work is to derive a Mixed Integer Quadratic Programming algorithm tailored for Model Predictive Control for hybrid systems. The Mixed Integer Quadratic Programming algorithm is built on the branch and bound method, where Quadratic Programming relaxations of the original problem are solved in the nodes of a binary search tree. The difference between these subproblems is often small and therefore it is interesting to be able to use a previous solution as a starting point in a new subproblem. This is referred to as a warm start of the solver. Because of its warm start properties, an algorithm that works similar to an active set method is desired. A drawback with classical active set methods is that they often require many iterations in order to find the active set in optimum. So-called gradient projection methods are known to be able to identify this active set very fast. In the algorithm presented in this report, an algorithm built on gradient projection and projection of a Newton search direction onto the feasible set is used. It is a variant of a previously presented algorithm by the authors and makes it straightforward to utilize the previous result, where it is shown how the Newton search direction for the dual MPC problem can be computed very efficiently using Riccati recursions. As in the previous work, this operation can be performed with linear computational complexity in the prediction horizon. Moreover, the gradient computation used in the gradient projection part of the algorithm is also tailored for the problem in order to decrease the computational complexity. Furthermore, it is shown how a Riccati recursion still can be useful in the case when the system of equations for the ordinary search direction is inconsistent. In numerical experiments, the algorithm shows good performance, and it seems like the gradient projection strategy efficiently cuts down the number of Newton steps necessary to compute in order to reach the solution. When the algorithm is used as a part of an MIQP solver for hybrid MPC, the performance is still very good for small problems. However, for more difficult problems, there still seems to be some more work to do in order to get the performance of the commercial state-of-the-art solver CPLEX.
Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide–Null Mice Demonstrate Enhanced Sweet Taste Preference, Dysglycemia, and Reduced Taste Bud Leptin Receptor Expression

OBJECTIVE It is becoming apparent that there is a strong link between taste perception and energy homeostasis. Recent evidence implicates gut-related hormones in taste perception, including glucagon-like peptide 1 and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). We used VIP knockout mice to investigate VIP's specific role in taste perception and connection to energy regulation. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Body weight, food intake, and plasma levels of multiple energy-regulating hormones were measured and pancreatic morphology was determined. In addition, the immunocytochemical profile of taste cells and gustatory behavior were examined in wild-type and VIP knockout mice. RESULTS VIP knockout mice demonstrate elevated plasma glucose, insulin, and leptin levels, with no islet β-cell number/topography alteration. VIP and its receptors (VPAC1, VPAC2) were identified in type II taste cells of the taste bud, and VIP knockout mice exhibit enhanced taste preference to sweet tastants. VIP knockout mouse taste cells show a significant decrease in leptin receptor expression and elevated expression of glucagon-like peptide 1, which may explain sweet taste preference of VIP knockout mice. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that the tongue can play a direct role in modulating energy intake to correct peripheral glycemic imbalances. In this way, we could view the tongue as a sensory mechanism that is bidirectionally regulated and thus forms a bridge between available foodstuffs and the intricate hormonal balance in the animal itself.
PARAMICS-moving vehicles on the connection machine

PARAMICS is a PARAllel MICroscopic Traffic Simulator which is, to our knowledge, the most powerful of its type in the world. The simulator can model around 200,000 vehicles on around 7,000 roads (taken from real road traffic network data) at faster than 'real-time' rates, making use of 16 K processor TMC Connection Machine CM-200 for the simulation aspect. The project aims to make available to road network planners a new range of tools, and demonstrates that use of high performance computing in real applications is possible and worthwhile, while yielding important and interesting research results. <<ETX>>
CD36 Recruits α5β1 Integrin to Promote Cytoadherence of P. falciparum-Infected Erythrocytes

The adhesion of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes (IRBC) to receptors on different host cells plays a divergent yet critical role in determining the progression and outcome of the infection. Based on our ex vivo studies with clinical parasite isolates from adult Thai patients, we have previously proposed a paradigm for IRBC cytoadherence under physiological shear stress that consists of a recruitment cascade mediated largely by P-selectin, ICAM-1 and CD36 on primary human dermal microvascular endothelium (HDMEC). In addition, we detected post-adhesion signaling events involving Src family kinases and the adaptor protein p130CAS in endothelial cells that lead to CD36 clustering and cytoskeletal rearrangement which enhance the magnitude of the adhesive strength, allowing adherent IRBC to withstand shear stress of up to 20 dynes/cm2. In this study, we addressed whether CD36 supports IRBC adhesion as part of an assembly of membrane receptors. Using a combination of flow chamber assay, atomic force and confocal microscopy, we showed for the first time by loss- and gain-of function assays that in the resting state, the integrin α5β1 does not support adhesive interactions between IRBC and HDMEC. Upon IRBC adhesion to CD36, the integrin is recruited either passively as part of a molecular complex with CD36, or actively to the site of IRBC attachment through phosphorylation of Src family kinases, a process that is Ca2+-dependent. Clustering of β1 integrin is associated with an increase in IRBC recruitment as well as in adhesive strength after attachment (∼40% in both cases). The adhesion of IRBC to a multimolecular complex on the surface of endothelial cells could be of critical importance in enabling adherent IRBC to withstand the high shear stress in the microcirculations. Targeting integrins may provide a novel approach to decrease IRBC cytoadherence to microvascular endothelium.
Social and emotional learning schemes as tools of cultural imperialism: a manifestation of the national and international child well-being agenda?

ABSTRACT The need for improved well-being of children in Britain has been highlighted in a raft of reports both nationally and internationally. In this paper, I aim to explore some of the practicalities experienced by schools that, in response, have implemented social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions as a means to improve child well-being. I make the case that the discourses of emotions inherent within such schemes, and the various supranational publications, are susceptible to exploitation and manifestation. The study employed a mixed methodological approach, utilising a combination of quantitative and qualitative strategies with primary school staff members including head teachers, teachers, teaching assistants, welfare staff, other support staff, etc. Three phases of study – questionnaires, focus groups and individual interviews – were administered as a means of creating an insight into the interpretation and use of SEL in these settings. The findings demonstrate a propensity for staff to conflate social and emotional aspects of self with more moralistic constructs of identity, revealing how SEL schemes have the potential to act as tools of cultural imperialism by marginalising and/or endorsing certain values, norms and behaviours. After maintaining that such realisations of these schemes may impede rather than improve the lived experiences of children, that are fundamental to their social and emotional well-being and mental health, I make the case for alternative approaches to SEL in schools.
The Development of Substitute Object Pretense: The Differential Importance of Form and Function

Substitute object pretense is one of the earliest-developing forms of pretense, and yet it changes considerably across the preschool years. By 3.5 years of age, children can pretend with substitutes that are highly dissimilar from their intended referents (Elder & Pederson, 1978), but even older children have difficulty understanding such pretense in others (Bigham & Bourchier-Sutton, 2007). The present studies had 3 aims: 1) to examine the relative influence of the form and function of substitute objects; 2) to replicate the age gap between pretense production and comprehension using a tightly controlled procedure; and 3) to investigate whether preschoolers’ comprehension of substitute object pretense is predicted by a) theory of mind (ToM), because it involves reading pretender intent, and (b) executive function (EF), because it involves inhibiting the substitute object’s identity. In Study 1, 3- to 5-year-old children performed at ceiling on a test of substitute object pretense production, whereas pretense comprehension improved considerably across this age range. Study 2 provided evidence that the function of a substitute object is more influential than its form in determining whether a child can comprehend pretense actions with the object. The results of Study 2 also provided support for the role of ToM in comprehending another’s pretense. Finally, Study 3 replicated the results regarding form, function, and ToM in a sample drawn from a different community. The effects of EF on pretense comprehension were inconsistent across conditions and studies, suggesting that EF may not play a major role in the comprehension of pretense with substitute objects.
The SPHINX Collaboration

The radiative decay Λ(1520) → Λγ was measured directly in the study of the exclusive diffractive-like reaction p + N → Λ(1520)K+ + N , Λ(1520) → Λγ with the SPHINX spectrometer. The values of the branching and partial width of this radiative decay were obtained: BR[Λ(1520) → Λγ] = (1.02 ± 0.21 (stat) ± 0.15 (syst)) × 10−2 and Γ[Λ(1520) → Λγ] = 159 ± 33 (stat) ± 26 (syst) keV.