Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Phonetics of Stance-taking

Stance – attitudes and opinions about the topic of discussion – has been investigated textually in conversation- and discourse analysis and in computational models, but little work has focused on its acoustic-phonetic properties. It is a challenging problem, given the complexity of stance and the many other types of meaning that must share the same acoustic channels, all of which are overlaid on the lexical and syntactic material of the message. With the goal of identifying automatically-extractable, acoustically-measurable correlates of stance-taking, this dissertation presents a new audio corpus of stance-dense interaction and three phonetic experiments which find signals of stance in prosodic measures of pitch, intensity, and duration. The ATAROS corpus contains pairs of speakers engaged in collaborative conversational tasks designed to elicit frequent changes in stance at varying levels of involvement. Interactions are transcribed, time-aligned to the audio, and manually annotated for stance strength (none, weak, moderate, strong), polarity (positive, negative, neutral), and stance type (e.g., opinion-offering and soliciting, (dis)agreement, persuasion, rapport-building, etc.). In the first experiment, combinations of pitch and intensity contours are shown to differentiate four discourse functions within a small sample of instances of the word `yeah' that contribute to negative stances. In the second experiment, vowel duration and intensity separate six common stance-act types in over 2200 `yeahs,' changes in pitch and intensity correlate with stance strength, and all three measures are involved in signaling positive stance. The third and largest experiment examines over 32,000 stressed vowels in content words spoken by 40 speakers and finds that pitch and intensity increase with stance strength, longer vowel duration is the primary signal of positive polarity, and a combination of these measures helps distinguish several notable stance-act types, including: agreement in general, weak-positive agreement, rapport-building agreement, reluctance to accept a stance, stance-softening, and backchannels. These results, and the corpus itself, contribute to the study and understanding of the acoustic-phonetic properties of the social and attitudinal messages conveyed in natural speech, information which may be of use to future work in theoretical, experimental, and computational linguistics.
Understanding the Social Media Ecologies of Employees Within Higher Education Institutions: A UK-Based Case Study

Every once in a while, performing an audit of our digital lives can prove an edu-cational experience. Like 1.11 billion other users worldwide, the chances are that you actively engage with Facebook on at least a monthly basis (Facebook, 2013). Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly unlikely that this will be the only form of social media with which you engage; perhaps like 288 million others you are transfixed with tweeting (GlobalWebIndex, 2013), or just maybe you are akin to the 238 million users who proclaim their professional credentials on LinkedIn (LinkedIn, 2013). Further reflection may even reveal something about how you prefer to manage your multifaceted digital life. Perhaps you elect to seamlessly blend the personal and professional spheres of your social world on just a smat-tering of sites. Or could it be that you compartmentalize the different facets of your life across numerous platforms, each serving its own distinct purpose? One thing is for sure: a plethora of choice facilitates numerous strategies for how we might undertake the management of our digital identities.As an umbrella term used to encapsulate the online activities of social net-working, content sharing, blogging and microblogging (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010), ‘social media’ adopts many guises; from the battle-hardened, consistently familiar feel of Facebook and the staid hues of LinkedIn, to the youthful, aes-thetic exuberance of Instagram and Pinterest. Although the well-documented demise of early social networking sites such as SixDegrees and Friendster (boyd and Ellison, 2007) serve as timely reminders that size of user-base is no guar-antee of longevity, the ever-expanding range of social media to have blossomed around the fertile grounds of Facebook should provide impetus for social sci-ence researchers to broaden their focus out beyond the world’s largest social networking site (see Wilson, Gosling and Graham, 2012). As Kietzmann, Hermkens, McCarthy and Silvestre (2011: 242) state, “there currently exists a rich and diverse ecology of social media sites, which vary in
Identification and adaptive control of delayed unstable systems

In this paper, we develop a multimodel adaptive control strategy to be applied to delay compensation schemes for unstable systems. The strategy is based on intelligent control and the only requirement about the system is that the delay is unknown but bounded. The proposed approach can be used on any delay compensation scheme increasing the robustness of the system with respect to delay uncertainty. In particular, this paper considers the modified Smith Predictor (SP) for unstable and integrating systems with time-delay proposed by S. Majhi and D. P. Atherton. Simulation examples show the usefulness of implementing this strategy when the delay is unknown, showing that the scheme is capable of stabilizing the system with large delay and the good results obtained in the identification of the delay.
A Trainable Neuromorphic Integrated Circuit that Exploits Device Mismatch

Random device mismatch that arises as a result of scaling of the CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semi-conductor) technology into the deep submicron regime degrades the accuracy of analogue circuits. Methods to combat this increase the complexity of design. We have developed a novel neuromorphic system called a Trainable Analogue Block (TAB), which exploits device mismatch as a means for random projections of the input to a higher dimensional space. The TAB framework is inspired by the principles of neural population coding operating in the biological nervous system. Three neuronal layers, namely input, hidden, and output, constitute the TAB framework, with the number of hidden layer neurons far exceeding the input layer neurons. Here, we present measurement results of the first prototype TAB chip built using a 65nm process technology and show its learning capability for various regression tasks. Our TAB chip exploits inherent randomness and variability arising due to the fabrication process to perform various learning tasks. Additionally, we characterise each neuron and discuss the statistical variability of its tuning curve that arises due to random device mismatch, a desirable property for the learning capability of the TAB. We also discuss the effect of the number of hidden neurons and the resolution of output weights on the accuracy of the learning capability of the TAB.
Design and analysis of reconfigurable layout systems

In this paper, we present a framework for determining the layout in a manufacturing environment characterized by constantly changing product volumes and mix. Much of the production equipment is assumed to be relatively light weight and therefore their location can be easily changed to suit the current production environment. The framework allows several alternate layouts to be developed and evaluated with respect to deterministic (material flow and machine relocation) criteria as well as stochastic (queuing) criteria. We present an open queuing network modeling approach to estimate performance measures of a given layout. It is assumed a layout and production data for a specified planning period of specified length are available. The production data takes into account, processing and handling set-up times as well as transfer and process batch size information of multiple products that flow through the system. Two sets of discrete material handling devices are used for inter-cell and intra- cell material transfer, respectively. Experimental results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the queuing network approach.
Theoretical and experimental optical properties in three ionic liquids of [BMIM] family

We study de nonlinear optical properties of three ionic liquids of family [BMIM]. The ionic liquids are 1-buthyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, 1-buthyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoroacetate, and 1-buthyl-3-methylimidazolium Bis((trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl)imide. We calculate the static molecular polarizability (α) and hyperpolarizability (β,γ) using PM3 model and determinate experimentally the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ(3), using z-scan technique. Interest in nonlinear optics has grown in recent years. High performance electro-optic switching elements for telecommunications and optical information processing are based on materials with high nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. This NLO are presents when a laser interacts with the materials, and can be studied at to levels: molecular o bulk.
In vivo Calcium Imaging of Evoked Calcium Waves in the Embryonic Cortex

The dynamics of intracellular calcium fluxes are instrumental in the proliferation, differentiation, and migration of neuronal cells. Knowledge thus far of the relationship between these calcium changes and physiological processes in the developing brain has derived principally from ex vivo and in vitro experiments. Here, we present a new method to image intracellular calcium flux in the cerebral cortex of live rodent embryos, whilst attached to the dam through the umbilical cord. Using this approach we demonstrate induction of calcium waves by laser stimulation. These waves are sensitive to ATP-receptor blockade and are significantly increased by pharmacological facilitation of intracellular-calcium release. This approach is the closest to physiological conditions yet achieved for imaging of calcium in the embryonic brain and as such opens new avenues for the study of prenatal brain development. Furthermore, the developed method could open the possibilities of preclinical translational studies in embryos particularly important for developmentally related diseases such as schizophrenia and autism.
Improving Coding Performance and Energy Efficiency of Erasure Coding Process for Storage Systems - A Parallel and Scalable Approach

Erasure code based object storage systems are becoming popular choices for archive storage systems due to cost-effective storage space saving schemes and higher fault-resilience capabilities. Both erasure code encoding and decoding procedures involve heavy array, matrix, and table-lookup compute intensive operations. With today's advanced CPU design technologies such as multi-core, many-core, and streaming SIMD instruction sets we can effectively and efficiently adapt the erasure code technology in cloud storage systems and apply it to handle very large-scale date sets. Current solutions of the erasure coding process are based on single process approach which is not capable of processing very large data sets efficient and effectively. To prevent the bottleneck of a single process erasure encoding process, we utilize the task parallelism property from a multicore computing system and improve erasure coding process with parallel processing capability. We have leveraged open source erasure coding software and implemented a concurrent and parallel erasure coding software, called parEC. The proposed parEC process is realized through MPI run time parallel I/O environment and then data placement process is applied to distribute encoded data blocks to their destination storage devices. In this paper, we present the software architecture of parEC. We conduct various performance testing cases on parEC's software components. We present our early experience of using parEC, and address parEC's current status and future development works.
Model predictive control based on linear programming for engine idle speed control

The idle speed control is one of the most important automotive control problems. In this paper, the engine idle speed control problem comes down to optimization problem with input and state constraints. The controller using model predictive control (MPC) methodology based on linear programming is designed to regulate the engine speed. The simulation results show that the approach is an effective and promising for the engine idle speed control.
Title: Facilitators and barriers to engagement in parenting programmes: a qualitative systematic review

Parenting programmes have the potential to improve the health and wellbeing of parents and children. A challenge for providers is to recruit and retain parents in programmes. Studies researching engagement with programmes have largely focused on providers’, policy makers’ or researchers’ reflections of their experience of parents’ participation. We conducted a systematic review of qualitative studies where parents had been asked why they did or did not choose to commence, or complete programmes, and compared these perceptions to those of researchers and those delivering programmes. We used data-mining techniques to identify relevant studies and summarised findings using framework synthesis methods. Six facilitator and five barrier themes were identified as important influences on participation, with a total of 33 subthemes. Participants focused on the opportunity to learn new skills, working with trusted people, in a setting that was convenient in time and place. Researchers and deliverers focused on tailoring the programme to individuals and on the training of staff. Participants and researchers / deliverers therefore differ in their opinions of the most important features of programmes that act as facilitators and barriers to engagement and retention. Programme developers need to seek the views of both participants and deliverers when evaluating programmes.
The Potential Protective Role of Caveolin-1 in Intestinal Inflammation in TNBS-Induced Murine Colitis

Background Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is a multifunctional scaffolding protein serving as a platform for the cell’s signal-transduction and playing an important role in inflammation. However, its role in inflammatory bowel disease is not clear. A recent study showed that Cav-1 is increased and mediates angiogenesis in dextran sodium sulphate-induced colitis, which are contradictory to our pilot findings in 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis. In the present study, we further clarified the role of Cav-1 in TNBS-induced colitis. Methods In BALB/c mice, acute colitis was induced by intra-rectal administration of one dose TNBS, while chronic colitis was induced by administration of TNBS once a week for 7 weeks. To assess the effects of complete loss of Cav-1, Cav-1 knockout (Cav-1−/−) and control wild-type C57 mice received one TNBS administration. Body weight and clinical scores were monitored. Colon Cav-1 and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels were quantified through ELISAs. Inflammation was evaluated through histological analysis. Results Colon Cav-1 levels were significantly decreased in TNBS-induced colitis mice when compared to normal mice and also inversely correlated with colon inflammation scores and proinflammatory cytokine levels (IL-17, IFN-γ and TNF) significantly. Furthermore, after administration of TNBS, Cav-1−/− mice showed significantly increased clinical and colon inflammatory scores and body weight loss when compared with control mice. Conclusions and Significance Cav-1 may play a protective role in the development of TNBS-induced colitis. Our findings raise an important issue in the evaluation of specific molecules in animal models that different models may exhibit opposite results because of the different mechanisms involved.
Job Satisfaction Through Organizational Citizenship Behaviour: A Case of University Teachers of Pakistan

Teachers’ job satisfaction leads to job continuity, which in turn affects teacher performance as well as the effectiveness of their institutions. The purpose of this study was to identify if there was a relationship between the Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) and Job Satisfaction (JS) of teachers since discretionary behaviours have a significant impact on performances, yet are not considered in evaluations. Descriptive correlational research was carried out using a multi-stage stratified random sampling technique, where participants came from Higher Education Commission (HEC) recognized public and private sector universities in Lahore, Pakistan. After data cleaning, statistical analyses were applied to the data from 232 questionnaires, using SPSS. Correlations between the factors of organizational citizenship behaviour (altruism, courtesy, sportsmanship, conscientiousness, and civil virtue) and job satisfaction were found to be moderately significantly positive. Job satisfaction through the factors of OCB was determined to be 21.3%, where only altruism and civil virtue were factors. Significant differences were revealed in the OCB and job satisfaction of university teachers in terms of gender, university type, job type, marital status, age groups, academic qualifications, teaching experiences, faculties, and universities. Results of the study provide implications for educational administrators, teachers, and policy makers for incorporating OCBs in their organizations and strengthening factors that contribute toward job satisfaction.
New Modifications of the Exponential Moving Average Algorithm for Bandwidth Estimation

In this paper, we describe three different modifications of the Exponential Moving Average (EMA) algorithm that can be used for bandwidth estimation. Bandwidth estimation algorithms have to be deployed by nodes in connectionless networks (e.g. IP networks) that perform Quality of Service (QoS) routing based on the available bandwidth. Since applications do not signal their bandwidth requirements in such networks, estimation is the nodes’ only way to gain knowledge about the status of the links. To use the results of the estimation for routing purposes, several constraints have to be fulfilled: The algorithm should react fast to changes in bandwidth, should converge sufficiently fast to the actual used bandwidth, but should show a certain independence of short-term peaks. Furthermore the algorithm should not be overly complex in terms of computing time and storage. We will compare the modified algorithms to the basic EMA algorithm.
User's task performance in two-handed complementary-motion teleoperation

Despite recent advances to improve transparency of teleoperation systems, certain tasks remain difficult and time-consuming when performed via teleoperation. Operators are often required to perform tasks involving multiple degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) requiring great dexterity. To be fully adopted, the speed and ease of teleoperated task performance must be increased. A possibility is to use cooperative manipulation, namely two-handed teleoperation, to allow the two hands of the user to manipulate two master haptic devices in order to control a slave robot with multiple DOFs; the total DOFs of the two masters are equal to the DOFs of the slave. We present the results of a user study that evaluates the performance of a bimanual teleoperation system involving two 3-DOF haptic master interfaces to control a 6-DOF slave manipulator. The two master's motions are complementary. Then, we compare this performance to a single-master/single-slave teleoperation system using 6-DOF master and slave manipulators. In order to compare the users' performance in the two systems, a 6-DOF task experiment is considered. The task performed resembles typical tasks carried out in surgery. The results of our study suggest that DOF decomposition leads to significant improvements regarding task completion time and trajectory tracking for a task which involves following a pattern while maintaining a desired depth.
Characterizing SMS spam in a large cellular network via mining victim spam reports

In this paper a study of SMS messages in a large US based cellular carrier utilizing both customer reported SMS spam and network Call Detail Records (CDRs) is conducted to develop a comprehensive understanding of SMS spam in order to develop strategies and approaches to detect and control SMS spam activity. The analysis provides insights into content classification of spam campaigns as well as spam characteristics based on sending patterns, tenure and geolocation.
High-Current Linear Transformer Driver Development at Sandia National Laboratories

Most of the modern high-current high-voltage pulsed power generators require several stages of pulse conditioning (pulse forming) to convert the multimicrosecond pulses of the Marx generator output to the 40-300-ns pulses required by a number of applications including X-ray radiography, pulsed high-current linear accelerators, Z-pinch, isentropic compression, and inertial fusion energy drivers. This makes the devices large, cumbersome to operate, and expensive. Sandia, in collaboration with a number of other institutions, is developing a new paradigm in pulsed power technology: the linear transformer driver (LTD) technology. This technological approach can provide very compact devices that can deliver very fast high-current and high-voltage pulses. The output pulse rise time and width can be easily tailored to the specific application needs. Trains of a large number of high-current pulses can be produced with variable interpulse separation from nanoseconds to milliseconds. Most importantly, these devices can be rep-rated to frequencies only limited by the capacitor specifications (usually 10 Hz). Their footprint, as compared with current day pulsed power accelerators, is considerably smaller since LTD do not require large oil and deionized water tanks. This makes them ideally suited for applications that require portability. In this paper, we present Sandia National Laboratories' broad spectrum of developmental effort to design construct and extensively validate the LTD pulsed power technology.
Teachers’ perceptions of the role of occupational therapist in schools

ABSTRACT This article explores how teachers in the school system perceive the role of the occupational therapist. Participants of this study were 47 teachers in the school systems that currently work with an occupational therapist in a public or private school. Data were collected via an anonymous online survey and analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative coding. The majority of the participants view occupational therapists as valuable team members. They report limitations to the system that challenge collaborative teaming. The participant’s desire increased communication and collaboration with the occupational therapist. Occupational therapy is perceived as a valuable contribution to the educational team that is underutilized. An increase in collaboration and communication is indicated to support the educational process but will require system change.
Dissolved organic carbon fluxes by seagrass meadows and macroalgal beds

Estimates of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) release by marine macrophyte communities (seagrass meadows and macroalgal beds) based on in situ benthic chambers from published and unpublished are compiled in this study. The effect of temperature and light availability on DOC release by macrophyte communities was examined. Almost 85 % of the seagrass communities and all of macroalgal communities examined acted as net sources of DOC. Net DOC fluxes in seagrass communities increase positively with water temperature. In macroalgal communities net DOC fluxes under light exceeded those under dark condition, however, this trend was weaker in seagrass communities. Shading of a mixed seagrass meadow in The Philippines led to a significant reduction on the net DOC release when shading was maintained for 6 days compared to only 2 days of shading. Net DOC fluxes increased with increasing community respiration, but were independent of primary production or net community production. The estimated global net DOC flux, and hence export, from marine macrophytes is about 0.158 ± 0.055 Pg C yr-1 or 0.175 ± 0.056 Pg C yr-1 depending on the global extent of seagrass meadows considered.