Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A critical assessment of potential measurement biases in the technology acceptance model: three experiments

The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is widely used by researchers and practitioners to predict and explain user acceptance of information technologies. TAM models system usage intentions and behavior as a function of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. The original scales for measuring the TAM constructs have been confirmed to be reliable and valid in several replications and applications spanning a range of technologies and user populations. However, a measurement bias may be present because the TAM instrument physicallygroupstogether the multiple items measuring each individual construct. Many scholars of instrument design would object to such item grouping, instead advocating that items from different constructs beintermixedin order to reduce “carryover” effects among the responses to multiple items targeting a specific construct, which might artificially inflate the observed reliability and validity. Three experiments involving two systems and a total of 708 subjects are reported which address whether such carryover biases are present in the TAM measures. All three studies found that itemgroupingvs. itemintermixinghad no significant effect (positive or negative) either on the high levels of reliability and validity of the TAM scales, or on the path coefficients linking them together. Ironically, open-ended verbal evaluations indicated that subjects were more confused and annoyed when items wereintermixed,suggesting a tendency toward “output interference” effects, which themselves could have a biasing effect. Our findings suggest that those who employ the TAM measures should continue using the original (grouped)format in order to best predict and explain user acceptance of information technology.
A Processing Pipeline for Descriptive Underwater 3 D Occupancy Mapping with Scanning Sonar

We discuss an approach for 3D mapping using a remotelyoperated vehicle (ROV) in cluttered shallow-water environments where port and harbor infrastructure inspection is of interest. Our goal is to equip the ROV with a mapping method that will support sound decision-making in the process of autonomously exploring a a priori unknown environment with a scanning sonar. This capability will be important in the initial phases of inspecting an unstructured environment, in which obtaining situational awareness, to an extent that permits reasoning about obstacles and collision avoidance, is an important first step prior to the detailed inspection of specific areas. One of the most challenging aspects of this task is producing a descriptive map amidst the high levels of noise present in the sonar data. High-accuracy underwater sonar-based mapping has been achieved using variants of the iterative closest point (ICP) scan-matching algorithm [8], which have been applied in port and harbor settings to produce comprehensive 3D point clouds [1], [5]. In addition, particle filters have been applied [7] to produce 3D occupancy grid maps in settings with substantial supporting structure, such as underwater caves [3] and cisterns [10]. For 3D reasoning about maneuvering and obstacle avoidance, an accurate grid-based map is highly valuable. It is our goal to produce such maps in the unstructured environments in which scan-matching has previously succeeded in producing high-quality point cloud maps. To do so, we will leverage recent work in 3D occupancy mapping [9] that allows predictive inference to be performed over sparse and noisy data, producing a map that will serve
The Availability of Quorum Systems

A quorum system is a collection of sets (quorums) every two of which have a nonempty intersection. Quorum systems have been used for a number of applications in the area of distributed systems. In this paper we study the fault-tolerance properties of quorum systems, and their implications on quorum based distributed protocols.
On the power efficiency of cascode compensation over Miller compensation in two-stage operational amplifiers

Optimization of power consumption is one of the main design challenges in today's low-power high-speed analog integrated circuits. In this paper, two popular techniques to stabilize two-stage operational amplifiers, namely Miller and cascode compensations are compared from power point of view. To accomplish this, the cascode-compensated structure is basically analyzed to derive the required equations for comparison. The results show that for the same specifications, cascode compensation is more power efficient than Miller compensation especially for heavy capacitive loads. This has been confirmed by circuit-level simulations in 0.25 μm CMOS technology.
Constraints on the wing morphology of pterosaurs

Animals that fly must be able to do so over a huge range of aerodynamic conditions, determined by weather, wind speed and the nature of their environment. No single parameter can be used to determine—let alone measure—optimum flight performance as it relates to wing shape. Reconstructing the wings of the extinct pterosaurs has therefore proved especially problematic: these Mesozoic flying reptiles had a soft-tissue membranous flight surface that is rarely preserved in the fossil record. Here, we review basic mechanical and aerodynamic constraints that influenced the wing shape of pterosaurs, and, building on this, present a series of theoretical modelling results. These results allow us to predict the most likely wing shapes that could have been employed by these ancient reptiles, and further show that a combination of anterior sweep and a reflexed proximal wing section provides an aerodynamically balanced and efficient theoretical pterosaur wing shape, with clear benefits for their flight stability.
SemEval-2007 Task 06: Word-Sense Disambiguation of Prepositions

The SemEval-2007 task to disambiguate prepositions was designed as a lexical sample task. A set of over 25,000 instances was developed, covering 34 of the most frequent English prepositions, with two-thirds of the instances for training and one-third as the test set. Each instance identified a preposition to be tagged in a full sentence taken from the FrameNet corpus (mostly from the British National Corpus). Definitions from the Oxford Dictionary of English formed the sense inventories. Three teams participated, with all achieving supervised results significantly better than baselines, with a high fine-grained precision of 0.693. This level is somewhat similar to results on lexical sample tasks with open class words, indicating that significant progress has been made. The data generated in the task provides ample opportunitites for further investigations of preposition behavior.
A Novel Turn-On/Off Snubber for Interleaved Boost Converters

This paper proposes an interleaved boost converter with a novel L-C-D snubber to reduce turn-on and turn-off switching losses. The proposed L-C-D snubber is composed of a single capacitor to form turn-off snubber, and an inductor and a diode connected in parallel to form a turn-on snubber. In this circuit structure, the turn-off snubber is used to limit rising rate of voltage across switch of the proposed converter and to reduce turn-off switching loss. While, the turn-on ones are used to smooth out current through switch of the proposed one and to reduce turn-on switching loss. Furthermore, the proposed converter is operated in an interleaved fashion to reduce output current ripple. Compared with the counterparts of conventional converter topologies, the proposed converter has merits of less component count, higher efficiency, smaller size, and they are easier to implement. Hardware measurement obtained from experimental prototype has been verified these merits.
Physical and Verbal Assaults Behind Bars

Returning military troops have garnered attention, but there is little focus on veterans in the correctional setting. Approximately 11% of U.S. inmates are veterans, and there are striking similarities between military and prison life. Because veterans have experience with institutional settings, one hypothesis is that incarcerated veterans will better adapt to prison compared with non-veterans and will be less likely to engage in misconduct. This article measures prison misconduct, focusing on serious interpersonal violations, specifically verbal and physical assaults. Findings illustrate that there are no differences between veteran and non-veteran inmates in the likelihood of this kind of misconduct.
Evaluation of image fusion techniques in nuclear medicine

The quality of the medical image can be evaluated by several subjective techniques. However, the objective technical assessments of the quality of medical imaging have been recently proposed. The fusion of information from different imaging modalities allows a more accurate analysis. We have developed new techniques based on the multiresolution fusion. MRI and PET images have been fused with eight multi resolution techniques. For the evaluation of fusion images obtained, we opted by objective techniques. The results prove that the fusion with RATIO and contrast techniques to offer the best results. Evaluation by objective technical quality of medical images fused is feasible and successful.
Inhibition of plasminogen activation by apo(a): role of carboxyl-terminal lysines and identification of inhibitory domains in apo(a)[S]

Apo(a), the distinguishing protein component of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], exhibits sequence similarity to plasminogen and can inhibit binding of plasminogen to cell surfaces. Plasmin generated on the surface of vascular cells plays a role in cell migration and proliferation, two of the fibroproliferative inflammatory events that underlie atherosclerosis. The ability of apo(a) to inhibit pericellular plasminogen activation on vascular cells was therefore evaluated. Two isoforms of apo(a), 12K and 17K, were found to significantly decrease tissue-type plasminogen activator-mediated plasminogen activation on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and THP-1 monocytes and macrophages. Lp(a) purified from human plasma decreased plasminogen activation on THP-1 monocytes and HUVECs but not on THP-1 macrophages. Removal of kringle V or the strong lysine binding site in kringle IV10 completely abolished the inhibitory effect of apo(a). Treatment with carboxypeptidase B to assess the roles of carboxyl-terminal lysines in cellular receptors leads in most cases to decreases in plasminogen activation as well as plasminogen and apo(a) binding; however, inhibition of plasminogen activation by apo(a) was unaffected. Our findings directly demonstrate that apo(a) inhibits pericellular plasminogen activation in all three cell types, although binding of apo(a) to cell-surface receptors containing carboxyl-terminal lysines does not appear to play a major role in the inhibition mechanism.
Support and Challenge in Mentoring: A CaseStudy of Beginning Elementary Teachers and Their Mentors

In a recent Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education article, the author reported on a single case of a successful mentor–beginning teacher pairing that was derived from a larger qualitative study (Certo, 2005). The purpose of this article is to report findings from that larger investigation. Three Virginia elementary 1st-year teachers and their mentors were interviewed in September, December, and February. Beginning teachers also kept journals of reflections about challenges in 1st-year teaching and the presence, nature, and impact of mentoring activities. Perceptions of mentor activities and the perceived impact on beginning teachers’ thinking and professional development are described using Daloz’s support and challenge model (1988). Mentors provided a balance of support and challenge activities, and beginning teachers reported being impacted by their mentors in numerous ways, from classroom management to adoption of new instructional approaches. These cases may be useful to practitioners as models of effective practice.
Getting Hooked on News: Uses and Gratifications and the Formation of News Habits Among College Students in an Internet Environment

The present research proposed a theory of news habit formation based in the uses and gratifications paradigm and applied it to emerging patterns of news consumption among college students. Five distinctive patterns emerged: hometown newspapers, comedy news, cable news, Internet news, and broadcast news. A sixth consumption pattern included diverse sources specializing in depth news coverage. Surveillance and escapism gratifications were the most consistent predictors of news consumption behavior across these patterns. However, habit strength was the most powerful predictor of news consumption overall. Consumption of depth and hometown newspaper sources were related to current events knowledge.
A time-dependent Hamilton-Jacobi formulation of reachable sets for continuous dynamic games

We describe and implement an algorithm for computing the set of reachable states of a continuous dynamic game. The algorithm is based on a proof that the reachable set is the zero sublevel set of the viscosity solution of a particular time-dependent Hamilton-Jacobi-Isaacs partial differential equation. While alternative techniques for computing the reachable set have been proposed, the differential game formulation allows treatment of nonlinear systems with inputs and uncertain parameters. Because the time-dependent equation's solution is continuous and defined throughout the state space, methods from the level set literature can be used to generate more accurate approximations than are possible for formulations with potentially discontinuous solutions. A numerical implementation of our formulation is described and has been released on the web. Its correctness is verified through a two vehicle, three dimensional collision avoidance example for which an analytic solution is available.
Formation mechanism of self-organized nanogratings on a titanium surface using femtosecond laser pulses

Abstract. We demonstrate the formation of self-organized nanogratings on a titanium surface under the irradiation of a single-beam femtosecond laser. Self-formed, periodic nanogratings are printed on a titanium surface by varying the average pulse energy, pulse width, and number of laser pulses in each spot. The direction of the nanogratings is perpendicular to the direction of the laser polarization. The nanograting period shows obvious dependence on the average pulse energy, pulse width, and number of laser pulses. The period of the self-organized nanogratings shows an increasing trend with the increase of laser energy and pulse width, and a decreasing trend with an increase of number of applied laser pulses. We qualitatively explain the formation mechanism of the self-organized nanogratings and their dependence on various laser parameters.
Refining the relationship between ingroup identification and identity management strategies in the sport context: The moderating role of gender and the mediating role of negative mood

The aim of this exploratory research was to refine the relationship between ingroup identification and three classical identity-management strategies: individual mobility, social competition and social creativity. More specifically, in the particular context of sport spectators’ reactions to their team loss, we tested the moderating role of gender in differentiating the use of CORFing (distancing) strategy and the mediating role of negative mood in differentiating the use of social competition and social creativity strategies. To this end, 173 French physical education students were asked to watch an edited video clip about a defeat of the French national rugby union team. As expected, and consistent with past research, results first showed that the amount of team identification is a reliable determinant of the participants’ choice of an identity management strategy. Highly identified spectators were more associated with engaging themselves in ingroup-protective behaviors (i.e., blasting and boosting) than spectators low in team identification who, in contrast, privileged distancing strategies (i.e., CORFing). Moreover, results revealed that participant’s gender moderates the link between ingroup identification and CORFing strategy, and that negative mood mediates the ingroup identification—blasting strategy relationship. Theoretical implications of these moderating and mediating effects are then discussed.
CS-ComDet: A compressive sensing approach for inter-community detection in social networks

One of the most relevant characteristics of social networks is community structure, in which network nodes are joined together in densely connected groups between which there are only sparser links. Uncovering these sparse links (i.e. intercommunity links) has a significant role in community detection problem which has been of great importance in sociology, biology, and computer science. In this paper, we propose a novel approach, called CS-ComDet, to efficiently detect the inter-community links based on a newly emerged paradigm in sparse signal recovery, called compressive sensing. We test our method on real-world networks of various kinds whose community structures are already known, and illustrate that the proposed method detects the inter-community links accurately even with low number of measurements (i.e. when the number of measurements is less than half of the number of existing links in the network).
Qualitative Findings: What to do with Them?

* West Virginia University, Morgantown, VA The purpose of any research project is to answer the research question in terms of findings framed in the context of the particular method of inquiry. In a quantitative study, the findings are described in relation to the support or nonsupport of hypotheses and then generalized to a given population. In a phenomenological study, the findings are the structure of meaning generated as a proposition that flows from the subject’s description of a lived experience. The findings are then connected to a theoretical perspective. Thus, the theory is made more explicit in relation to the phenomenon studied. This is the process of theory generation which is unlike theory testing, where generalization of findings is expected. Generalization refers to the use of
Self Organizing Maps for Distributed Localization in Wireless Sensor Networks

Providing an efficient localization system is one of the most important goals to be pursued if an efficient utilization of sensor networks has to be addressed. This paper proposes a novel localization system based on Kohonen 's self organizing maps (SOMs), able to provide some Artificial Intelligence features to sensor nodes. A SOM is a particular neural network that learns to classify data without any supervision. In each sensor node, a SOM is implemented to evaluate the sensor node position, using a very little amount of storage and computing resources. In a scenario where thousands of sensor nodes are placed, this system evaluates the position of each sensor in a distributed manner, assuming a very little percentage of nodes knowing their actual position.
Central pattern generator: the main cause of Huntington's disease.

To the Editor: Huntington’s disease is an inherited progressive brain disorder that causes a variety of motor, cognitive, and psychiatric disturbances. Hyperkinetic motor disturbances such as chorea, ballism, and athetosis are seen in this disease. Although there is no definite treatment for the disease, treatments that decrease the symptoms are available. It seems necessary to introduce novel effective therapeutic methods for Huntington’s disease. Healthy lifestyle movements include different rhythmic motions such as walking and swimming. It is hypothesized that these movements are produced by sets of coupled and synchronized neurons, and these structures are introduced as central pattern generators. 1 We suppose that the movement disorders seen in Huntington’s disease, such as gait disorder, are caused by the disordered synchronization of a number of neurons resulting in the formation of an abnormal central pattern generator. Some analyses on stride-time intervals of healthy and Huntington’s disease patients show that stridetime intervals have long-term correlation and display a chaotic behavior in healthy persons. In Huntington’s disease patients, the long-term correlation is absent and random oscillations appear. 2 The manifestations of these oscillations reinforced the hypothesis that a central pattern generator is created by the disease. We modeled Huntington’s disease with this hypothesis in mind, and the results were in accordance with our hypothesis. We supposed that the disorder would be alleviated if the faulty synchronization of the neurons is diminished. It seems that one of the main mechanisms of removing the abnormal synchronization of neurons is deep brain stimulation. The method has been employed to treat Parkinson’s disease and has shown good results. Some theories about the formation of synchronization in Parkinson’s disease are available. 3 We propose that deep brain stimulation may be useful in treating Huntington’s disease. In accordance with our model, a few studies have used deep brain stimulation as an experimental way to treat Huntington’s disease. A treatment by Moro et al. 4 that used bilateral globus pallidus stimulation on Huntington’s disease patients showed hopeful results.
3D Regression Heat Map Analysis of Population Study Data

Epidemiological studies comprise heterogeneous data about a subject group to define disease-specific risk factors. These data contain information (features) about a subject's lifestyle, medical status as well as medical image data. Statistical regression analysis is used to evaluate these features and to identify feature combinations indicating a disease (the target feature). We propose an analysis approach of epidemiological data sets by incorporating all features in an exhaustive regression-based analysis. This approach combines all independent features w.r. t. a target feature. It provides a visualization that reveals insights into the data by highlighting relationships. The 3D Regression Heat Map, a novel 3D visual encoding, acts as an overview of the whole data set. It shows all combinations of two to three independent features with a specific target disease. Slicing through the 3D Regression Heat Map allows for the detailed analysis of the underlying relationships. Expert knowledge about disease-specific hypotheses can be included into the analysis by adjusting the regression model formulas. Furthermore, the influences of features can be assessed using a difference view comparing different calculation results. We applied our 3D Regression Heat Map method to a hepatic steatosis data set to reproduce results from a data mining-driven analysis. A qualitative analysis was conducted on a breast density data set. We were able to derive new hypotheses about relations between breast density and breast lesions with breast cancer. With the 3D Regression Heat Map, we present a visual overview of epidemiological data that allows for the first time an interactive regression-based analysis of large feature sets with respect to a disease.
RHONN identifier for unknown nonlinear discrete-time delay systems

This work proposes a discrete-time nonlinear neural identifier based on a Recurrent High Order Neural Network (RHONN) trained with an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) based algorithm for discrete-time deterministic multiple input multiple output (MIMO) systems with unknown dynamics and time-delay. Applicability of the proposed identifier is shown via experimental results performed under the presence of unknown external and internal disturbances as well as unknown time-delays.