Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improving the Probabilistic Framework for Representing Dialogue Systems with User Response Model

A probabilistic framework for goal-driven spoken dialogue systems (SDSs) has been proposed by us in a previous work. In the framework, a target distribution, instead of the frame structure, is used to represent the dialogue state at each turn. The target-based state tracking algorithm enables the system to handle uncertainties in the dialogue. By summarizing the target-based state, information from the back-end database can be exploited to develop efﬁcient dialogue strategies. To extend our probabilistic framework and adapt our approach to real application scenarios, a user response model is investigated and integrated into the probabilistic framework to enhance the dialogue policy in this paper. Experiments in both ideal setting and real user test setting are conducted to test the enhanced dialogue policy. The results show that despite an unavoidable mismatch between the user response model based on prior knowledge and real users’ behaviors in the experiment, the enhanced dialogue policy works robustly and efﬁciently. The results further demonstrate that the probabilistic framework is quite ﬂexible and amenable to the integration of additional factors and models of real-world dialogue problems.
Discovering similar malware samples using API call topics

To automate malware analysis, dynamic malware analysis systems have attracted increasing attention from both the industry and research communities. Of the various logs collected by such systems, the API call is a very promising source of information for characterizing malware behavior. This work aims to extract similar malware samples automatically using the concept of “API call topics,” which represents a set of API calls that are intrinsic to a specific group of malware samples. We first convert Win32 API calls into “API words. ” We then apply non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) clustering analysis to the corpus of the extracted API words. NMF automatically generates the API call topics from the API words. The contributions of this work can be summarized as follows. We present an unsupervised approach to extract API call topics from a large corpus of API calls. Through analysis of the API call logs collected from thousands of malware samples, we demonstrate that the extracted API call topics can detect similar malware samples. The proposed approach is expected to be useful for automating the process of analyzing a huge volume of logs collected from dynamic malware analysis systems.
Relaying Schemes Using Matrix Triangularization for MIMO Wireless Networks

Multiple input multiple output (MIMO) relay networks are wireless communication systems comprising of multiple nodes, each of which is equipped with multiple antennas. Information theories have shown that using multiple nodes to simultaneously relay a message can improve the capacity of source-to-destination communications. In this paper, we propose new relaying schemes for MIMO relay networks. The major concept behind the proposed schemes is to transform each of the MIMO relay channels into an equivalent triangular channel with positive real diagonal entries. By doing so, the resultant MIMO relay channel can simultaneously offer both distributed array gain (diversity gain obtained among relay nodes) and intranode array gain (diversity gain realized by multiple antennas of individual relay node) while maintaining the maximum spatial multiplexing gain (number of parallel data pipes). Based on this concept, three relaying schemes are derived that perform QR decomposition and phase control. Numerical results confirm that at least one of the proposed schemes outperforms the amplify-and-forward and the zero-forcing relaying schemes under various conditions. Moreover, we show that ratios of noise power level at relay and destination node have a great impact on capacities.
Finite difference modeling of bipolar OLED

Simulation of Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) can be helpful for improving the performance and optimization of the device. In this study Finite Difference (FD) method was employed for the discretization of the governing equations, i.e., continuity, drift-diffusion and Poisson's equations. Hole and electron mobilities were considered to be electric field dependent of Poole-Frenkel form and electron-hole recombination of a Langevin type. The results of this paper give a detailed knowledge about the operation mechanism of OLEDs, charge, field and exciton formation distributions. Also the effects of various parameters changes in OLED response were analyzed.
Phylogenetic Diversity and Antimicrobial Activities of Culturable EndophyticActinobacteria Isolated from Different Egyptian Marine Sponges and Soft Corals

A cultivation-based approach was employed to isolate and compare the endophytic culturable actinobacterial diversity associated with different Egyptian marine sponges and soft corals. A total of 13 culturable actinobacteria isolates were obtained, five of which isolated from different sponges, two (AE27 and AE32) and three (AE29, AE41 and AE46) were isolated from Haliclona sp. and Callyspongia sp. collected from Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada, Egypt, respectively. Eight were isolated from different five soft corals, out of them two (AE2 and AE19), two (AE3 and AE15), two (AE20 and AE23), one (AE35) and one (AE13) were isolated from Rhytisma sp. , Xenia sp. , Lobularia sp. , and Dendronephthya sinaiensis (collected from Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt) and the Dendronephthya hemprichi (collected from Hurghada, Egypt), respectively. The 16S rRNA genes of the 13 actinobacteria isolates were amplified and sequenced (GenBank Accession numbers JF292923 – JF292930 and JF319146 – JF319150). A BLAST analysis revealed that the 13 actinobacteria isolates belonged to three known families and genera. Six strains isolated from all sponges and soft corals belonged to the genus Streptomyces (AE15, AE19, AE20 and AE35, isolated from soft corals; Xenia sp., Rhytisma sp., Lobularia sp., and Dendronephthya sinaiensis as well as AE29 and AE41, isolated from sponges; Callyspongia sp., respectively). Six strains (AE2, AE3 and AE23, isolated from soft corals; Rhytisma sp., Xenia sp. and Lobularia sp. as well as AE27, AE32 and AE46, isolated from sponges; Haliclona sp. and Callyspongia sp., respectively) belonged to the genus Nocardiopsis. Only one isolate (AE13) derived from Dendronephthya hemprichi was belonged to the genus Pseudonocardia. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that four culturable actinobacteria strains (AE2, AE27, AE32 and AE46) were more distantly related to other previously published Nocardiopsis dassonvillei. Screening for antimicrobial activity revealed that out of the 13 culturable actinobacteria isolates, only five (AE15, AE19, AE20, AE29 and AE41) belonged to the genus Streptomyces have anticandida or anti-positive Gram bacteria activity.
Sex differences in mathematical reasoning ability in intellectually talented preadolescents: Their nature, effects, and possible causes

Abstract Several hundred thousand intellectually talented 12-to 13-year-olds have been tested nationwide over the past 16 years with the mathematics and verbal sections of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Although no sex differences in verbal ability have been found, there have been consistent sex differences favoring males in mathematical reasoning ability, as measured by the mathematics section of the SAT (SAT-M). These differences are most pronounced at the highest levels of mathematical reasoning, they are stable over time, and they are observed in other countries as well. The sex difference in mathematical reasoning ability can predict subsequent sex differences in achievement in mathematics and science and is therefore of practical importance. To date a primarily environmental explanation for the difference in ability has not received support from the numerous studies conducted over many years by the staff of Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY) and others. We have studied some of the classical environmental hypotheses: attitudes toward mathematics, perceived usefulness of mathematics, confidence, expectations/ encouragement from parents and others, sex-typing, and differential course-taking. In addition, several physiological correlates of extremely high mathematical reasoning ability have been identified (left-handedness, allergies, myopia, and perhaps bilateral representation of cognitive functions and prenatal hormonal exposure). It is therefore proposed that the sex difference in SAT-M scores among intellectually talented students, which may be related to greater male variability, results from both environmental and biological factors.
Application of PCR-Based Methods To Assess the Infectivity of Enteric Viruses in Environmental Samples

The advent of the PCR has greatly enhanced our ability to detect human enteric viral pathogens in the environment, including water, municipal wastes, sewage, food, air, and fomites ([2][1], [3][2], [59][3], [69][4], [79][5]). This is especially true for those viruses which do not grow in cell
Eye Tracking as an Automatic MT Evaluation Technique

Eye tracking has been used successfully as a technique for measuring cognitive load in reading, psycholinguistics, writing, language acquisition etc for some time now. Its application as a technique for automatically measuring the reading ease of MT output has not yet, to our knowledge, been tested. We report here on a preliminary study testing the use and validity of an eye tracking methodology as a means of semi-and/or automatically evaluating machine translation output. 50 French machine translated sentences, 25 rated as excellent and 25 rated as poor in an earlier human evaluation, were selected. 10 native speakers of French were instructed to read the MT sentences for comprehensibility. Their eye gaze data were recorded non-invasively using a Tobii 1750 eye tracker. The average gaze time and fixation count were found to be higher for the “bad” sentences, while average fixation duration and pupil dilations were not found to be substantially different between output rated as good or bad. Comparisons between BLEU scores and eye gaze data were also made and found to correlate well with gaze time and fixation count, and to a lesser extent with pupil dilation and fixation duration. We conclude that the eye tracking data, in particular gaze time and fixation count, correlate reasonably well with human evaluation of MT output but fixation duration and pupil dilation may be less reliable indicators of reading difficulty for MT output. We also conclude that eye tracking has promise as an automatic MT Evaluation technique.
The Validity of the Graduate Record Examination for Master’s and Doctoral Programs: A Meta-Analytic Investigation

Extensive research has examined the effectiveness of admissions tests for use in higher education. What has gone unexamined is the extent to which tests are similarly effective for predicting performance at both the master’s and doctoral levels. This study empirically synthesizes previous studies to investigate whether or not the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) predicts the performance of students in master’s programs as well as the performance of doctoral students. Across nearly 100 studies and 10,000 students, this study found that GRE scores predict first year grade point average (GPA), graduate GPA, and faculty ratings well for both master’s and doctoral students, with differences that ranged from small to zero.
Endothelial Notch 1 Is Required for Proper Development of the Semilunar Valves and Cardiac Out fl ow Tract

Background-—Congenital heart disease is the most common type of birth defect, affecting 2% of the population. Malformations involving the cardiac outflow tract and semilunar valves account for >50% of these cases predominantly because of a bicuspid aortic valve, which has an estimated prevalence of 1% in the population. We previously reported that mutations in NOTCH1 were a cause of bicuspid aortic valve in nonsyndromic autosomal-dominant human pedigrees. Subsequently, we described a highly penetrant mouse model of aortic valve disease, consisting of a bicuspid aortic valve with thickened cusps and associated stenosis and regurgitation, in Notch1-haploinsufficient adult mice backcrossed into a Nos3-null background. Methods and Results-—Here, we described the congenital cardiac abnormalities in Notch1 ;Nos3 / embryos that led to 65% lethality by postnatal day 10. Although expected Mendelian ratios of Notch1 ;Nos3 / embryos were found at embryonic day 18.5, histological examination revealed thickened, malformed semilunar valve leaflets accompanied by additional anomalies of the cardiac outflow tract including ventricular septal defects and overriding aorta. The aortic valve leaflets of Notch1 ;Nos3 / embryos at embryonic day 15.5 were significantly thicker than controls, consistent with a defect in remodeling of the semilunar valve cushions. In addition, we generated mice haploinsufficient for Notch1 specifically in endothelial and endothelial-derived cells in a Nos3-null background and found that Notch1;Tie2-Cre ;Nos3 / mice recapitulate the congenital cardiac phenotype of Notch1 ;Nos3 / embryos.
Far Infrared mapping of NGC 891

We present deep maps of dust emission from the edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 891, obtained with the ISOPHOT instrument on board the Infrared Space Observatory in broad band filters with reference wavelengths centered on 170 and 200 µm. Using new processing methods to remove the effects of detector transients from the data, we detect cold dust at high dynamic range. The observed surface brightness distribution and colour profile of the far-infrared (FIR) emission are found to be in good agreement with predictions for their counterparts derived from the model of Popescu et al. (2000a). Thus, NGC 891 is the first galaxy for which an intrinsic distribution of dust and stars could be found which simultaneously accounts for both the optical/near-IR and FIR morphologies.
The third birth in Great Britain

Summary The relationship between female labour force participation, and other socioeconomic factors, and the probability of having a third birth is examined, using British data collected in the 1980 Women and Employment Survey, by hazard regression modelling with time-varying covariates. The results demonstrate the strong association between demographic factors, e.g. age at first birth and birth interval and subsequent fertility behaviour. Education appears to have little effect. Surprisingly, women who have spent a higher proportion of time as housewives have a lower risk of having a third birth. This finding is in sharp disagreement with the conventional expectation that cumulative labour force participation supports lower fertility. These findings are briefly compared with similar research carried out in Sweden.
Intervenção psicológica lúdica para o enfrentamento da hospitalização em crianças com câncer

The assessment of coping strategies is an important resource for the development of intervention techniques to minimize the psychological impact of childhood cancer. Behavioral effects of a recreational psychological intervention program were evaluated among 12 children with cancer, aged from 7 to 12 years old and hospitalized in a public pediatric hospital. The Computer Assessment Instrument of Coping to Hospitalization (AEHcomp) was used with two groups: G1, submitted to the recreational psychological intervention focused on coping, and G2, submitted to the traditional free play. The between-groups comparison demonstrated no significant difference for facilitating and non-facilitating behaviors during the pre and the posttest. The intra-group comparison showed a significant decrease in non-facilitating behaviors during the post-test, suggesting a possible positive effect of the recreational intervention program focused on coping.
The Dynamics of Activist Power Relationships: A Structurationist Exploration of the Segmentation of Activist Publics

The segmentation of publics is acknowledged to be a central component of effective strategic communication practice. Although most research on segmentation has used Grunig's situational theory of publics—a functional theory created for profit-based organizations—little attention has been paid to the process or thought behind how activist group organizations may segment their own publics. As such, this article discusses why the situational theory of publics is an inappropriate perspective from which to examine activist publics, and offers Giddens' structuration theory as a viable theoretical alternative to understand activist group publics. Using this framework, the article presents the results of an exploratory study of activist communication practitioners aimed at identifying how activists conceptualize and communicate with their publics. The results indicate that activist publics can be described by the dynamics of the power relationship a certain public has with the activist organization, and labels five recognizable activist publics as mediators, moderators, interferers, targets, and bystanders. Finally, implications for the role of structuration theory in explaining purposeful communication between organizations and publics are offered.
Medial Plantar Artery (Instep Flap) Flap

Provision of sensation to the weightbearing surface of the heel is very vital in the sensate foot. Hence, resurfacing the weightbearing surface of the heel requires provision of stable skin cover and sensation.We have many options to fulfill the above requirements. Skin of the instep area can be raised as an island fasciocutaneous flap based on medial plantar vessels, with the branch of medial plantar nerve supplying the instep skin to provide the sensation. Medial plantar artery (instep) flap provides similar tissue with sensation and reaches the posteriormost part of the weightbearing surface of the heel with ease. We present in this article the relevant surgical anatomy, technique, and the clinical experience of 12 patients.
A justice philosophy of public relations management

ABSTRACT From a justice perspective, strategic publics may be viewed as victims who have been harmed by the organisation and now seek reparation. Long-term relationships are only formed with organisations that treat strategic publics fairly. For public relations to be viewed as just, it must incorporate all three dimensions of justice theory, viz: distributive, procedural, and interactional justice. When all three dimensions are incorporated, public relations stands a better chance of the organisation being viewed as just and trustworthy by strategic publics. Only when strategic publics experience the relationship with the organisation as trusting and dignifying will they be able to feel committed to the organisation and its decisions; feel attached to the long-term relationship; and be less hostile when outcomes of strategic decisions are unfavourable. Justice theory provides public relations with a philosophy of how to conduct themselves with strategic publics that influence the goal attainment of organisations.
Emiratization: aligning education with future needs in the United Arab Emirates

Purpose – Through an examination of current opinion and research on Emiratization, the United Arab Emirates' affirmative action policy in banks in Abu Dhabi, the purpose of this paper is to describe contemporary and positive methods of educating and training young Emirates, as alternatives to the present systems which have a punitive orientation and frequently have negative outcomes.Design/methodology/approach – Relates ineffective and punitive methods of training at the present time to more humanistic methods such as initiating support systems, group‐work, simulation, role‐play and mentoring, as well as re‐interpretation of traditional Arabic values to better align young recruits with the demands of banking jobs in contemporary, multi‐cultural society.Findings – Finds that positive training outcomes correlate with positive training methods that inculcate collegiality, initiative and competence within a customer service environment.Originality/value – The analysis presented seeks to find solutions to the .
What Makes the Finnish Different in Science? Assessing and Comparing Students' Science Learning in Three Countries

This manuscript details our efforts to assess and compare students' learning about electricity in three countries. As our world is increasingly driven by technological advancements, the education of future citizens in science becomes one important resource for economic productivity. Not surprisingly international large-scale assessments are viewed as significant sources of information about the effectiveness of science education. However, these assessments do not provide information about the reasons for particular effectiveness—or more importantly a lack thereof—as these assessments are based on one-time measurements of student achievement. In order to identify reasons for the effectiveness of science education, it is necessary to investigate students' learning as a result of science instruction. In this manuscript we report about the development of an instrument to assess students' learning in the field of electricity and the use of this instrument to collect data from N = 2,193 middle school students in Finland, Germany and Switzerland prior to and after instruction on the topic of electricity. Our findings indicate that the differences in students' science achievement as observed in large-scale assessments are a result of differences in students' science learning. And our findings suggest that these differences are more likely to stem from differences in science instruction than from systemic differences: a result that needs to be further explored by analyzing instruction in the three countries and its effect on students' learning.