Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring Children's Verbal and Acoustic Synchrony: Towards Promoting Engagement in Speech-Controlled Robot-Companion Games

Children's interpersonal synchrony has been related to various benefits in social, mental and emotional development. We explore verbal and acoustic synchrony patterns between pairs of children playing a speech-controlled video game. Verbal features include word timing and duration patterns, while acoustic cues contain prosodic information. Synchrony is captured through a random-effects model taking into account multiple sources of variation and repeated measurements for each pair of children. Our findings indicate the presence of synchrony between participants during game play, which increases as they become more engaged in the game. These results are discussed in relation to personalized human-computer interaction and adaptive game environments.
On steady state tracking performance of adaptive networks

In this paper, we evaluate the steady state tracking EMSEs for the LMS based and the RLS based homogeneous adaptive networks using the popular random walk model for time-varying systems. Subsequently, we extend this treatment to a “heterogeneous” network that deploys both LMS and RLS based nodes, with each node having approximately equal share of LMS and RLS based neighbors. We use intuitive arguments to show that the proposed heterogeneous network will have enhanced tracking capability as compared to its homogeneous counterparts. The claims made are validated by detailed simulation studies.
A Graph-based Framework for Reasoning about Relationships among Software Modifications

During the development and maintenance of large-scale software systems, developers need to be aware of other developers’ changes and the implications of how and why those changes impact their own work. We introduce CHIME, a graph-based framework for finding relevant software modifications according to various notions of relevance—dependence, interference, similarity, and co-occurance. The heart of the framework is a novel data structure called ChimeGraph that stores program elements, change facts, and their temporal, spatial, and structural dependencies across multiple versions of a program. We have implemented a prototype of CHIME and applied it to three subject systems. For 459 revisions of a Java program of size over 142KLOC, the ChimeGraph construction took just over two hours. To demonstrate the flexibility of our ChimeGraph, we have defined six types of delta relationships, i.e., useful relations among program modifications and implemented corresponding graph-traversal algorithms for these delta relationships. Our initial results indicate that ChimeGraph scales to at least medium size systems and shows promise in identifying relationship between revisions in a flexible manner.
Confirmatory Validation Of The Factor Structure And Reliability Of The Sexual Risk Survey In A Large Multiuniversity Sample Of U.S. Students

ABSTRACT Objectives: The Sexual Risk Survey (SRS) is a measure of sexual risk behavior designed to comprehensively assess sexual risk taking among college students and has been found to have good psychometric properties. However, the SRS was created and validated within a sample of U.S. Midwestern university students and the factor structure and reliability may differ in other samples. The current study expands on existing research by examining the factor structure and reliability of the SRS in a large, diverse archival data set and also provides a standardized approach to scoring the SRS. Methods: Archival data included in this study were collected from 2006 to 2013 from 5,496 university students in 16 different American academic institutions in 11 states. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis supported the original 5-factor solution described by Turchik and Garske (2009). In comparing mean subscale scores across demographic characteristics—age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and religion—a number of demographic differences were found, although most differences were small in magnitude. Internal consistency reliability for the total scale was . 90, and subscale alphas ranged from . 63 to . 90 for the total pooled sample. Conclusions: The factor analysis supported the original five-factor scale and new information is presented regarding demographics differences. Scoring guidelines have been updated and information to assist researchers with the standardized scoring of the SRS is presented.
Remote Sensing of Tropospheric Aerosols from Space: Past, Present, and Future.

Tropospheric aerosol particles originate from man-made sources such as urban/industrial activities, biomass burning associated with land use processes, wind-blown dust, and natural sources. Their interaction with sunlight and their effect on cloud microphysics form a major uncertainty in predicting climate change. Furthermore, the lifetime of only a few days causes high spatial variability in aerosol optical and radiative properties that requires global observations from space. Remote sensing of tropospheric aerosol properties from space is reviewed both for present and planned national and international satellite sensors. Techniques that are being used to enhance our ability to characterize the global distribution of aerosol properties include well-calibrated multispectral radiometers, multispectral polarimeters, and multiangle spectroradiometers. Though most of these sensor systems rely primarily on visible to near-infrared spectral channels, the availability of thermal channels to aid in cloud screenin.
Bohm's Dialogue and Action Science: Two Different Approaches

This article claims that Bohm's dialogue could best serve individuals, organizations, and society if it is not assimilated into merely being a tool used in organizational development. After presenting first Bohm's dialogue and second Argyris's action science, similarities and differences between these two approaches are outlined. It is demonstrated that fundamental points distinguish these approaches, such as their purposes and the faculties they attempt to develop in the human being. In the last section, considering the dead end toward which our society and humanity are heading, it is suggested that Bohm's dialogue, when freed from its utilitarian yoke, could be a way to accede to Learning III, a necessity for our organizations, our society, and ourselves.
Changes Related to Fatigue in Cardiorespiratory Response Sensitivity to Hypoxic and Hypercapnic Stimulation during Strenuous Physical Load

Background: The aim was to study changes in the sensitivity of CRS responses of skilled athletes caused by fatigue during a strenuous physical load. Material/Methods: Response sensitivity to hypoxic and hypercapnic stimuli was analyzed in a group of high performance rowers (n=12) aged 18-22 years during exercising on “Concept-II” rowing ergometer. Two types of loads were used: sustained intensive load at high oxygen consumption (78-83% of VO2max) and relatively easier load (49-62% of VO2max) performed within 5 minutes. The method of rebreathing was used to determine responses sensitivity to СО2. Results: The results showed an increase in respiratory response sensitivity to hypoxia and a decrease in sensitivity to acidosis stimulus of respiration (СО2–Н+) at the end of a strenuous load in presence of fatigue. Ventilatory response to hypoxic stimulus increased reliably before the end of work. At high intensity of loads during increment hypercapnia even in highly trained athletes the inhibition of ventilatory response has been noted. Conclusions: The data provide additional grounds for correction of fatigue by means of regulating the character and the intensity of physical loads in the process of endurance training. It has been shown that changes in sensitivity of CRS responses and other aspects of reactive features are of importance for special work capacity manifestations.
Research on an Axial Flux PMSM with Radially Sliding Permanent Magnets

Axial flux permanent-magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) are very suitable candidates for the power train of electric vehicles (EVs) due to high power density and high efficiency. This paper researches an axial flux PMSM with radially sliding permanent magnets (PMs) to fulfill field-weakening control. The field weakening principle and the structure of this kind of axial flux PMSM by mechanical method of sliding PMs are proposed and analyzed. The influences of radially sliding PMs on magnetic flux density distribution, inductance, flux linkage and torque are analyzed and discussed based on 3D finite element method (FEM). The field weakening capabilities by mechanical method and electrical method are compared. The field weakening capability of the machine can be much improved by the optimized combination of the two methods, which is very satisfying for EV drive application. The forces on the PMs are analyzed and calculated. The hysteretic characteristics caused by the friction of the PMs are investigated, which provide useful reference for designing this kind of machine.
Functional expression of dental plaque microbiota

Dental caries remains a significant public health problem and is considered pandemic worldwide. The prediction of dental caries based on profiling of microbial species involved in disease and equally important, the identification of species conferring dental health has proven more difficult than anticipated due to high interpersonal and geographical variability of dental plaque microbiota. We have used RNA-Seq to perform global gene expression analysis of dental plaque microbiota derived from 19 twin pairs that were either concordant (caries-active or caries-free) or discordant for dental caries. The transcription profiling allowed us to define a functional core microbiota consisting of nearly 60 species. Similarities in gene expression patterns allowed a preliminary assessment of the relative contribution of human genetics, environmental factors and caries phenotype on the microbiota's transcriptome. Correlation analysis of transcription allowed the identification of numerous functional networks, suggesting that inter-personal environmental variables may co-select for groups of genera and species. Analysis of functional role categories allowed the identification of dominant functions expressed by dental plaque biofilm communities, that highlight the biochemical priorities of dental plaque microbes to metabolize diverse sugars and cope with the acid and oxidative stress resulting from sugar fermentation. The wealth of data generated by deep sequencing of expressed transcripts enables a greatly expanded perspective concerning the functional expression of dental plaque microbiota.
Effects of Achievement Standards, Tangible Rewards, and Self-dispensed Achievement Evaluations on Children's Task Mastery.

MASTERS, JOHN C. ; FURMAN, WYNDOL; and BARDEN, R. CHRISTOPHER. Effects of Achievement Standards, Tangible Rewards, and Self-dispensed Achievement Evaluations on Children's Task Mastery. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1977, 48, 217-224. Little is known about the processes by which achievement standards affect children's achievement strivings and actual task mastery. There is little information, for example, concerning the capability of self-dispensed task evaluation (e.g., pride, self-criticism) to control the acquisition of new behavior patterns. 2 studies were conducted to clarify the role of different minimum-performance standards for contingent tangible reinforcement or self-dispensed evaluative reinforcement (in the absence of tangible rewards) in determining the rate of learning. Preschool children were presented with a discrimination learning task, and their performance on each trial had to meet low (few correct), medium, or high (all correct) standards to be rewarded. In an accelerating-standard condition their performance had to surpass that on the previous trial. In 1 experiment rewards were externally dispensed tokens, while in the second, children self-administered achievement evaluations. In both studies, learning was significantly more rapid in high and accelerating standards. In addition, selfdispensed achievement evaluations produced such rapid mastery that by the end of the experiment effects due to different standards had vanished. The results are discussed in terms of incentive and differential reinforcement processes as determinants of the observed effects due to differing achievement standards and in terms of the reinforcing power of achievement evaluations.
Heterogeneous Multiscale Simulations of Suspension Flow

† Abstract. The macroscopically emergent rheology of suspensions is dictated by details of fluid-particle and particle-particle interactions. For systems where the typical spatial scale on the particle level is much smaller than that of macroscopic properties, the scales can be split. We present a heterogeneous multiscale method (HMM) approach to modeling suspension flow in which at the macroscale the suspension is treated as a non-Newtonian fluid. The local shear-rate and particle volume fraction are input to a simulation of fully re- solved suspensionmicrodynamics. With the help of these simulations, the apparent viscosity and shear-induced diffusivities can be computed for a given shear-rate and volume fraction, and are then used to complete the information needed in the constitutional relations on the macroscopic level. On both levels, the lattice-Boltzmann method (LBM) is applied to model the fluid phase and coupled to a Lagrangian model for the advection-diffusion of the solid phase. Down and upward mapping of viscosity and diffusivity related quantities will be discussed, as well as information exchanged between the phases on both scales. Temporal scale splitting between viscous and diffusive dynamics has also been exploited to accelerate the macroscopic equilibration dynamics. Additionionally, Galileian and rotational symmetries allow us to make very efficient use of a database where the results of previous simulations can be stored, again reducing the computational effort by factors of several orders of magnitude. The HMM suspension model is applied to the simulation of a 2-dimensional flow through a straight channel of macroscopic width. The equilibration dynamics of flow and volume fraction profiles and equilibrium profiles of volume fraction, diffusivity, velocity, shear-rate, and viscosity are discussed. We show that the proposed HMM model not only reproduces experimental findings for low Reynolds numbers but also predicts additional dependencies introduced by shear-thickening effects not covered by existing macroscopic suspension flow models.
Venlafaxine vs. paroxetine in the acute phase of treatment for major depressive disorder among Han Chinese population in Taiwan 1

Purpose: Clinical studies have suggested that venlafaxine induces a higher remission rate than paroxetine. However, very few studies have evaluated relapse episodes over treatment periods longer than a few weeks, and the cut‐off score of 7 on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) often used to define remission is too high. This score is associated with the high rates of social function impairment. We report on a single centre, open‐label, prospective 24‐week study to investigate the comparative efficacy of acute treatments with venlafaxine and paroxetine, using different definitions of response and remission rates.
Functional Update of the Auxiliary Proteins PsbW, PsbY, HCF136, PsbN, TerC and ALB3 in Maintenance and Assembly of PSII

Assembly of Photosystem (PS) II in plants has turned out to be a highly complex process which, at least in part, occurs in a sequential order and requires many more auxiliary proteins than subunits present in the complex. Owing to the high evolutionary conservation of the subunit composition and the three-dimensional structure of the PSII complex, most plant factors involved in the biogenesis of PSII originated from cyanobacteria and only rarely evolved de novo. Furthermore, in chloroplasts the initial assembly steps occur in the non-appressed stroma lamellae, whereas the final assembly including the attachment of the major LHCII antenna proteins takes place in the grana regions. The stroma lamellae are also the place where part of PSII repair occurs, which very likely also involves assembly factors. In cyanobacteria initial PSII assembly also occurs in the thylakoid membrane, in so-called thylakoid centers, which are in contact with the plasma membrane. Here, we provide an update on the structures, localisations, topologies, functions, expression and interactions of the low molecular mass PSII subunits PsbY, PsbW and the auxiliary factors HCF136, PsbN, TerC and ALB3, assisting in PSII complex assembly and protein insertion into the thylakoid membrane.
Automatic Pose Estimation of Uncalibrated Multi-View Images Based on a Planar Object with a Predefined Contour Model

We have presented a framework to obtain camera pose (i.e., position and orientation in the 3D space) with real scale information of the uncalibrated multi-view images and the intrinsic camera parameters automatically. Our framework consists of two key steps. First, the initial value of the intrinsic camera and the pose parameters were extracted from homography estimation based on the contour model of some planar objects. Second, a refinement of the intrinsic camera and pose parameters was operated by the bundle adjustment procedure. Our framework can provide a complete flow of pose estimation of disorderly or orderly uncalibrated multi-view images, which can be used in vision tasks requiring scale information. Real multi-view images were utilized to demonstrate the robustness, flexibility and accuracy of the proposed framework. The proposed framework was also applied in 3D reconstruction.
A Meta-Analysis and Review of Sight Word Research and Its Implications for Teaching Functional Reading to Individuals with Moderate and Severe Disabilities

We conducted a comprehensive review of sight word research with individuals with disabilities since 1980 with the aim of determining the overall effectiveness of sight word research and its specific impact on individuals with moderate and severe disabilities. The review also identified innovations in instructional strategies developed since prior reviews. A total of 48 studies was reviewed. Most studies were conducted with individuals with moderate mental retardation, and the overall mean IQ for research participants was 55; however, other disability groups and levels were represented. Most studies were conducted with elementary school students, but a wide age range was represented, including adults. A meta-analysis using the percentage of nonoverlapping data points (PND) revealed that sight word instruction has been highly effective across individuals for people with moderate and severe disabilities. New strategies have included giving instructive feedback for additional learning, applying constant time delay in group formats, and using more elaborate feedback procedures in a postresponse prompting format. These innovations also included teaching sight words in the context of the community and in general education classes using either heterogeneous groups or peer tutoring. A persistent limitation of sight word research is the failure to measure functional use, which requires both stimulus and response generalization. In the absence of this comprehension measure, sight word research may provide strong demonstrations of teaching students to name words, but falls short of demonstrating that students understand these words or apply them to their daily routines.
Angiodysplasia associated with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM)

Introduction Colonic angiodysplasia represents a major cause of chronic gastrointestinal blood loss and hence morbidity, particularly in the elderly population. ' The exact aetiology of angiodysplasia remains unknown but both congenital and acquired factors are almost certainly implicated. Left heart outflow tract obstruction has been associated with angiodysplasia. Previous reports have been limited to aortic stenosis. ' There is no previous report of angiodysplasia in association with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM).
3D object modeling using spatial and pictographic gestures

1. ABSTRACT While many sophisticated 3D rendering methods are available to produce realistic output, 3D data input still is a tedious and time-consuming task. This paper proposes a new method for modeling 3D objects using hand gestures. First of all, a conceptual model, the so-called “image externalization loop” model, is introduced as a framework to realize an efficient 3D object creation environment. Then, a 3D shape forming method for implementing the model is described in detail. Two-handed spatial and pictographic gestures are used to describe the features of the object in shape, size and deformation pattern. The implicit superquadric functions apply to build a deformable 3D model with blending and axial deformations as their extensions. A generic hand gesture learning and recognition facility is developed and used to translate the gestures into specific superquadrics parameters to deform the object. Finally, some experimental results are shown to express the capability and usefulness of the proposed method with its potentia! application areas.
Distal tactile feedback for text entry on tabletop computers

In this paper we present an initial study into the feasibility of using a mobile phone as a personal tactile display when interacting with a tabletop computer. There has been an increase in recent years in large touchscreen computers that use soft keyboards for text input. Text entry performance on such keyboards can be poor due to the lack of tactile feedback from the keys. Our approach is to use the vibration motor in a user's mobile phone to provide personal haptic feedback for interactions with the touchscreen computer. We ran an experiment to compare text entry on a touchscreen device with the tactile feedback being presented at different distal locations on the body (locations at which a user might keep a mobile device. The conditions were: no tactile feedback, feedback directly on the device, feedback at the wrist, upper arm, chest, belt and trouser pocket). The results showed that distal tactile feedback significantly increased text entry rates when presented to the wrist and upper arm. This was not at the expense of a reduction in text entry accuracy. This shows that the concept of presenting tactile feedback on a user's phone is an effective one and can improve interaction and text entry on tabletop computers.
Evaluation of spectinomycin resistance as a marker for ecological studies with Rhizobium spp.

Resistance to the antibiotic spectinomycin has been examined as a possible marker to supplement streptomycin resistance in ecological or genetic studies with rhizobia. Single step spontaneous mutants resistant to high levels of spectinomycin were isolated from 8 effective strains representing 4 species of Rhizobium. There was no evidence of cross resistance to streptomycin, and streptomycin resistant mutants were not cross resistant to spectinomycin. Minor changes in antigenic characteristics examined by immunodiffusion in agar were detected for mutants from 2 strains but these variants were still identifiable with the parent strains. Partial or full loss of symbiotic effectiveness occurred in only c. 20% of the spectinomycin resistant mutants and the resistance marker was unchanged through one plant passage. It is concluded that spectinomycin resistant mutants properly evaluated for possible pleiolropic effects should provide a useful marker system for use alone or in combination with streptomycin resistance in Rhizobium.