Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
INFORMATION MAPPING IN PRACTICE Rule-based multimodal interface design

The design of a user interface can be considered an information mapping task. The task consists in mapping (a) information from the task domain of the artefact being designed as well as other relevant constraints on the design process, onto (b) a set of input/output modalities which, when fully specified, will constitute the user interface of the artefact. Interface designers thus essentially solve information mapping problems whether or not they think of themselves in those terms. This raises the question if it might be possible to provide knowledge-based support of the information mapping process. At a recent workshop at CHI’95 on “Knowledge-Based Support for the User Interface Design Process”, it was proposed that current human-computer interaction research adopt a weak sense of the term ‘knowledgebased support’ according to which not only rule-based AI systems but also systematically developed hypertext and hypermedia training material and sets of guidelines, walkthrough methodologies, and other similar approaches would count as knowledge-based support. In this sense, several examples of knowledge-based support of the information mapping process already exist. The domain of static graphic graphs is well explored [13,18,19]. Hovy and Arens [15] wrote a seminal paper which called for a more general approach to information mapping. The Namur group has worked on AI knowledgebased support of information mapping in the domain of business oriented applications for nearly a decade [14,20]. Over the last 2-3 years we have been developing an approach to this question, called modality theory. This overview paper presents the research agenda of modality theory (Sect. 2), introduces modality theory and the information mapping methodology (Sect. 3), describes recent results on knowledge-based support of the information mapping process (Sect. 4), and concludes by indicating some core questions for future work (Sect. 5).
Approximate storage in solid-state memories

Memories today expose an all-or-nothing correctness model that incurs significant costs in performance, energy, area, and design complexity. But not all applications need high-precision storage for all of their data structures all of the time. This paper proposes mechanisms that enable applications to store data approximately and shows that doing so can improve the performance, lifetime, or density of solid-state memories. We propose two mechanisms. The first allows errors in multi-level cells by reducing the number of programming pulses used to write them. The second mechanism mitigates wear-out failures and extends memory endurance by mapping approximate data onto blocks that have exhausted their hardware error correction resources. Simulations show that reduced-precision writes in multi-level phase-change memory cells can be 1.7× faster on average and using failed blocks can improve array lifetime by 23% on average with quality loss under 10%.
Regional cerebral blood flow in normal individuals aged 40, 75 and 88 years studied by 99Tcm-d,l-HMPAO SPET

Age-related changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) were examined with [99Tcm]-d,l-hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (HMPAO), using a single photon emission tomography (SPET) gamma camera system equipped with a high resolution collimator, in 33 normal individuals in three age groups: 40 years old (n = 11), 75 years old (n = 9) and 88 years old (n = 13). A standard activity of 1000 MBq [99Tcm]-d,l-HMPAO was administered. Regional CBF (rCBF) (relative to cerebellar counts) was quantified in 28 grey and white matter regions. The mean rCBF of all the regions was 0.80 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.77-0.83) in 40 year olds, 0.77 (0.74-0.80) in 75 year olds and 0.76 (0.73-0.78) in 88 year olds. rCBF in the hippocampus, angular and cingular gyri, and frontal association and motor cortices was 5-10% lower in the 75 and 88 year olds than in the middle-aged subjects (P<0.05). The annual reduction in rCBF was 0.10% between the ages of 40 and 75 years and 0.13% between the ages of 75 and 88 years. The reduction in rCBF in the hippocampus rose from 0.14% between the ages of 40 and 75 years to 0.33% between the ages of 75 and 88 years. The mean rCBF in all 33 individuals showed no sex-related differences.
The Coordinated Action of CC Chemokines in the Lung Orchestrates Allergic Inflammation and Airway Hyperresponsiveness

The complex pathophysiology of lung allergic inflammation and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) that characterize asthma is achieved by the regulated accumulation and activation of different leukocyte subsets in the lung. The development and maintenance of these processes correlate with the coordinated production of chemokines. Here, we have assessed the role that different chemokines play in lung allergic inflammation and BHR by blocking their activities in vivo. Our results show that blockage of each one of these chemokines reduces both lung leukocyte infiltration and BHR in a substantially different way. Thus, eotaxin neutralization reduces specifically BHR and lung eosinophilia transiently after each antigen exposure. Monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-5 neutralization abolishes BHR not by affecting the accumulation of inflammatory leukocytes in the airways, but rather by altering the trafficking of the eosinophils and other leukocytes through the lung interstitium. Neutralization of RANTES (regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted) receptor(s) with a receptor antagonist decreases significantly lymphocyte and eosinophil infiltration as well as mRNA expression of eotaxin and RANTES. In contrast, neutralization of one of the ligands for RANTES receptors, macrophage-inflammatory protein 1α, reduces only slightly lung eosinophilia and BHR. Finally, MCP-1 neutralization diminishes drastically BHR and inflammation, and this correlates with a pronounced decrease in monocyte- and lymphocyte-derived inflammatory mediators. These results suggest that different chemokines activate different cellular and molecular pathways that in a coordinated fashion contribute to the complex pathophysiology of asthma, and that their individual blockage results in intervention at different levels of these processes.
A Second-Order Antialiasing Prefilter for a Software-Defined Radio Receiver

A new architecture is presented for a sinc2(f) filter intended to sample channels of varying bandwidth when surrounded by blockers and adjacent bands. The sample rate is programmable from 5 to 40 MHz, and aliases are suppressed by 45 dB or more. The noise and linearity performance of the filter is analyzed, and the effects of various imperfections such as transconductor finite output impedance, interchannel gain mismatch, and residual offsets in the channels are studied. Furthermore, it is proved that the filter is robust to the clock jitter. The 0.13- mum CMOS circuit consumes 6 mA from a 1.2-V supply.
Contextual Bandit Learning with Predictable Rewards

Contextual bandit learning is a reinforcement learning problem where the learner repeatedly receives a set of features (context), takes an action and receives a reward based on the action and context. We consider this problem under a realizability assumption: there exists a function in a (known) function class, always capable of predicting the expected reward, given the action and context. Under this assumption, we show three things. We present a new algorithm—Regressor Elimination— with a regret similar to the agnostic setting (i.e. in the absence of realizability assumption). We prove a new lower bound showing no algorithm can achieve superior performance in the worst case even with the realizability assumption. However, we do show that for any set of policies (mapping contexts to actions), there is a distribution over rewards (given context) such that our new algorithm has constant regret unlike the previous approaches.
Modulation transfer function of patch-based stereo systems

A widely used technique to recover a 3D surface from photographs is patch-based (multi-view) stereo reconstruction. Current methods are able to reproduce fine surface details, they are however limited by the sampling density and the patch size used for reconstruction. We show that there is a systematic error in the reconstruction depending on the details in the unknown surface (frequencies) and the reconstruction resolution. For this purpose we present a theoretical analysis of patch-based depth reconstruction. We prove that our model of the reconstruction process yields a linear system, allowing us to apply the transfer (or system) function concept. We derive the modulation transfer function theoretically and validate it experimentally on synthetic examples using rendered images as well as on photographs of a 3D test target. Our analysis proves that there is a significant but predictable amplitude loss in reconstructions of fine scale details. In a first experiment on real-world data we show how this can be compensated for within the limits of noise and reconstruction accuracy by an inverse transfer function in frequency space.
Research on the Influence of Micro-bloggers -- Take Sina Celebrity Micro-blog as an Example

Micro-blogging not only subverts the traditional means of communication, but also changes the entire media environment. The effects of explosive communication have a substantial impact on personal and public fields. This paper selects Sina micro-blog of celebrities as the research object, and presents an evaluation model on the impact of micro-blog to study the influence of micro-bloggers and analyze the correlation of influence factors from three aspects, including attention, propagation and participation.
Age-dependent changes of airway and lung parenchyma in C 57 BL / 6 J mice

Huang K, Rabold R, Schofield B, Mitzner W, Tankersley CG. Age-dependent changes of airway and lung parenchyma in C57BL/6J mice. J Appl Physiol 102: 200–206, 2007. First published August 31, 2006; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00400. 2006. —In the current study, we hypothesize that senescent-dependent changes between airway and lung parenchymal tissues of C57BL/6J (B6) mice are not synchronized with respect to altered lung mechanics. Furthermore, aging modifications in elastin fiber and collagen content of the airways and lung parenchyma are remodeling events that differ with time. To test these hypotheses, we performed quasi-static pressure-volume (PV) curves and impedance measurements of the respiratory system in 2-, 20-, and 26-mo-old B6 mice. From the PV curves, the lung volume at 30 cmH2O pressure (V30) and respiratory system compliance (Crs) were significantly (P 0.01) increased between 2 and 20 mo of age, representing about 80–84% of the total increase that occurred between 2 and 26 mo of age. Senescent-dependent changes in tissue damping and tissue elastance were analogous to changes in V30 and Crs; that is, a majority of the parenchymal alterations in the lung mechanics occurred between 2 and 20 mo of age. In contrast, significant decreases in airway resistance (R) occurred between 20 and 26 mo of age; that is, the decrease in R between 2 and 20 mo of age represented only 29% (P 0.05) of total decrease occurring through 26 mo. Morphometric analysis of the elastic fiber content in lung parenchyma was significantly (P 0.01) decreased between 2 and 20 mo of age. To the contrary, increased collagen content was significantly delayed until 26 mo of age (P 0.01, 2 vs. 26 mo). In conclusion, our data demonstrate that senescent-dependent changes in airway and lung tissue mechanics are not synchronized in B6 mice. Moreover, the reduction in elastic fiber content with age is an early lung remodeling event, and the increased collagen content in the lung parenchyma occurs later in senescence.
Image-based turn ratio measurement at road intersection

The measurement of vehicle turn ratio and based on that a prediction of the probability of a car to make a turn at an intersection are useful information for advanced traffic prediction and control. Conventional vision-based vehicle detection procedures that merely count the number of passing vehicles are not sufficient for turn ratio measurement, because they cannot tell where the vehicles come from at an intersection. This paper presents an image-based system for real-time turn ratio measurement. A method is proposed to estimate automatically the turn ratio of an intersection by using the techniques of detection window and optical flow calculation of motion vectors. A stand-alone image measurement system has been installed at a busy road junction in Hsinchu Science Park. Experimental results reveal that the average measurement error is within 2%.
The Effect of Aerobic Activities on Depression and Anxiety Symptoms and Sleep Disturbances of Female Students

Physicians believe that physical fitness as a proper ground to achieve appropriate psychological conditions, accordingly the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of physical activity on sleep disorder and symptoms of anxiety and depression in female students. In this study, 50 untrained female students were randomly divided into two groups. The average age of students in the experimental and control groups were 21.76 and 20.94 years respectively. The mental health of students was evaluated by general health questionnaire containing 28 questions. Data were analyzed by t test using SPSS software. Results showed that there were significant differences in the symptoms of anxiety, depression and impaired sleep between experimental and control group (P < 0.01). The average score of anxiety symptoms and impaired sleep in experimental group before and after of physical exercises were 7.08 and 4.6 respectively and the average score of depression in experimental group before and after physical exercises were 4.16 and 1.96 respectively (P < 0.05) which could be indicated better mental health and the positive effect of physical activity on mental health in experimental students. On the other hand the control group did not differ in mentioned parameters. It could be concluded physical activity seems essential as a appropriate strategy for improving mental health due to fewer psychological problems in the experimental group.
Specificity of Milk Peptide Utilization byLactococcus lactis

ABSTRACT To study the substrate specificity of the oligopeptide transport system of Lactococcus lactis for its natural substrates, the growth of L. lactis MG1363 was studied in a chemically defined medium containing milk peptides or a tryptic digest of αs2-casein as the source of amino acids. Peptides were separated into acidic, neutral, and basic pools by solid-phase extraction or by cation-exchange liquid chromatography. Their ability to sustain growth and the time course of their utilization demonstrated the preferential use of hydrophobic basic peptides with molecular masses ranging between 600 and 1,100 Da by L. lactis MG1363 and the inability to use large, acidic peptides. These peptide utilization preferences reflect the substrate specificity of the oligopeptide transport system of the strain, since no significant cell lysis was inferred. Considering the free amino acid content of milk and these findings on peptide utilization, it was demonstrated that the cessation of growth of L. lactis MG1363 in milk was due to deprivation of leucine and methionine.
Untangling Utilitarian And Hedonic Consumption Behaviors In Online Shopping

Increasingly, researchers have come to acknowledge that consumption activities comprise both utilitarian and hedonic elements. Whereas utilitarian consumption accentuates the achievement of predetermined outcomes typical of cognitive customer behavior, its hedonic counterpart relates to affective customer behavior in dealing with the emotive and multi-sensory aspects of the consumption experience. While utilitarian consumption activities appeal to the rationality of customers in inducing their intellectual buy-in of the consumption experience, customers’ emotional buy-in can only be attained through hedonic consumption activities. The same can be said for online shopping. Because the online shopping environment is characterized by the existence of an IT-enabled web interface that acts as the focal point of contact between customers and vendors, its design should embed utilitarian and hedonic elements in order to create a holistic consumption experience. Drawing on the Expectation Disconfirmation Theory (EDT), this study advances a model that not only delineates between utilitarian and hedonic customer expectations for online shopping but also highlights how these expectations can be best served through design elements of e-commerce websites catering to functional and aesthetic performance respectively. The model is then empirically verified via an online survey administered on a sample of 303 student respondents. Theoretical contributions and pragmatic implications to be gleaned from our empirical findings are discussed.
Constructions of DMT Optimal Vector Codes for Asynchronous Cooperative Networks Using Decode-and-Forward Protocols

An asynchronous cooperative network where different time delays exist among nodes is considered in this paper. Assuming the signals are OFDM modulated, it is first shown that the diversity-multiplexing tradeoff (DMT) achieved by the non-orthogonal selection decode-and-forward (NSDF) protocol for this network is the same as that for the synchronous one. In contrast to the complicated approximately universal "matrix" codes, where each relay uses a different codebook, a systematic construction of an extremely simple "vector" code is proposed. Given the transmitted codeword vector, this vector will be used by all nodes in the network for signal transmission; hence, the proposed coding scheme greatly reduces the complexity of relay deployment and decoding. Furthermore, it is proven that the proposed scheme is optimal in terms of the DMT of the NSDF protocol for this asynchronous network, provided all time delays are distinct. Finally, it is shown that the proposed code design can be extended to the orthogonal selection decode-and-forward protocol and remains to be DMT optimal.
Sentiment Categorization on a Creole Language with Lexicon-Based and Machine Learning Techniques

We propose polarity detection from colloquial expressions distinctive of a bilingual population. The hybrid language we address it's called "Jopara", composed by Spanish and Guaraní, spoken in Paraguay, similar to the "Louisiana's Creole" in the United States. We categorize polarity in three classes (positive, negative and neutral) and address this problem by applying both lexicon-based and machine-learning approaches. In this document it's shown the application scenario, the building process of the bilingual lexicon and the attributes preprocessing to create the classifiers' input. The input data is retrieved from Twitter so the expressions are similar to natural language. Finally, results are displayed to compare performance of these techniques when applied on this kind of language. It's shown that classical classifiers have very good performances, with correction rates of over 80% even with small training sets, if their parameters are properly adjusted along with an adequate selection of attributes.
Dense Localization of a Monocular Camera Using Keyframes

In this paper, we present a low cost localization system that exploits dense image information to continuously track the position of a camera in 6DOF. It leverages of the use of a set of selected "key frames" separated in distance from which a depth map is available to create a local 3D point cloud. In this way, we avoid the computational overload caused by common dense sequential approaches. The system uses a 3D-2D technique to calculate an initial pose estimate for the intermediate camera frames. A refinement step stated as a Non Linear Least Squares (NLQs) optimisation is performed by minimising the photo-consistency error. The NLQs cost function is defined by aligning a warped image and an image associated to the closest key frame. The minimum solution is calculated using the Levenberg-Marquardt method. To validate the accuracy of our system, we conducted experiments using data with perfect ground truth. Our assessment shows that our system is able to achieve up to millimeter accuracy. Most of the expensive calculations are carried out by exploiting parallel computing and GPGPU.
Online Learning and the Education Encounter in a Neo-Liberal University: A Case Study.

Online education is an increasingly important element of contemporary higher education, but many argue its potential has not been fully realised. Attempts to analyse the limits on educators’ uptake or effective implementation of online education emphasise individual and institutional adaptation to technology, at the expense of understanding the context of its introduction and use. In contrast, we apply Biesta’s (2006) and Connell’s (2013) conceptualisation of the education encounter as a tool for analysing educators’ engagement with online education technologies. We argue that educators’ uses of these technologies must be contextualised within the ideologies and practices of neo-liberal universities. Educators’ sometimes tentative uptake of online education reflects their attempts to manage the ideals of the education encounter with new managerialist demands. We conclude that understanding how and why educators use online education necessitates accounting for the importance of relationships between educators and students, and educators and their institutions.
An Integrated Approach Using Conditional Random Fields for Named Entity Recognition and Person Property Extraction in Vietnamese Text

Personal names are among one of the most frequently searched items in web search engines and a person entity is always associated with numerous properties. In this paper, we propose an integrated model to recognize person entity and extract relevant values of a pre-defined set of properties related to this person simultaneously for Vietnamese. We also design a rich feature set by using various kind of knowledge resources and a apply famous machine learning method CRFs to improve the results. The obtained results show that our method is suitable for Vietnamese with the average result is 84 % of precision, 82.56% of recall and 83.39 % of F-measure. Moreover, performance time is pretty good, and the results also show the effectiveness of our feature set.
Analysis and evaluation of somatotopic mapping and rs-fMRI parcellation for healthy aging and alzheimer’s disease

Task-based functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) has exhibited a thriving potential in the extraction of somatotopic maps of the human sensorimotor cortex representing the correspondence of cortex regions with the sensorimotor functions. Several studies have explored the correspondence of cortex divisions in the absence of motor functions utilizing resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) with the somatotopic maps using successive task and rest sessions. In this paper, it is shown that the mentioned similarity between the somatotopic divisions (task fMRI) and the clusters due to rsfMRI parcellation holds for the independent task and rest experimentations as well. Also, it is found that the motor cortices of BA3 and BA4 exhibit no significant change in the somatotopic divisions for both healthy aging and Alzheimer Disease (AD) cases, though AD has been shown to affect the voxel activities in BA3 and BA4. Then, the clusters of sensorimotor cortices are shown to remain unchanged in the AD compared with the healthy aging. There exist a close association with the somatotopic maps of the young for both the AD and healthy aging as well.