Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Semi-automatically Configured Fission for Multimodal User Interfaces

Fission of several output modalities poses hard problems, and (semi-)automatically configuring it is even more difficult. However, it is important to address the latter in order to broaden the scope of providing user interfaces semi-automatically. Our approach starts from a high-level discourse model created by a human interaction designer. It is modality-independent,so a modality-annotated discourse model is semi-automatically generated. Based on it, our fission is semiautomatically configured. It currently supports output modalities graphical user interface, (canned) speech output, and a new modality that we call movement as communication. The latter involves movements of a semi-autonomous robot in 2D-space for reinforcing the communication of the other modalities.
The Protective Effect of TiF4, SnF2 and NaF on Erosion of Enamel by Hydrochloric Acid in vitro Measured by White Light Interferometry

The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the protective effect of TiF4, SnF2 and NaF (all 0.5 M F) on the development of erosion-like lesions in human dental enamel. Four enamel specimens from each of 6 extracted molars were polished and embedded in epoxy resin. The enamel surfaces of 3 specimens from each tooth were treated with the different fluoride solutions for 2 min. Following fluoride treatments, the specimens were immersed in 0.01 M HCl (pH 2.0), for 2, 4 and 6 min in order to mimic a gastric reflux situation. One specimen from each tooth was used as a control and was only exposed to acid. The etching depths (in micrometres) after 6 min were: TiF4 0.8 (SD 0.8), SnF2 3.5 (SD 0.7), NaF 5.3 (SD 0.4), and 7.0 (SD 0.3) for the control specimens. Compared to the control, TiF4 protected the enamel surface from acid attack almost completely (88%), while SnF2 reduced the etch depth after 6 min by 50% and NaF by 25%.
Firms Characteristic and Equilibrium with Tradeable Permits Market

We study, in a simple model, the partial equilibrium of an industry with n firms endowed by different Cobb-Douglas technologies which have different pollution effects. The price of input (labour) and the demand curve to the industry are given. Pollution is restricted by a tradeable market of permits in the industry. Each firm is characterised by a parameter combining production efficiency and pollution effect, its e-characteristic. The equilibrium depends mainly on these e-characteristics which are linked to the performance of the technologies. In the long run performances are defined per unit of capital. Last, we analyse the consequences of permits’ allocations on the profitability of the firms.
Corporate PAC Campaign Contributions in Perspective

There is a vast empirical literature on the allocation of corporate PAC contributions in Congressional elections and the influence that these contributions have on the policy-making process. The attention given to PAC contributions is far in excess of their actual importance. Corporate PAC contributions account for about 10% of Congressional campaign spending and major corporations allocate far more money to lobbying or philanthropy than their affiliated PACs make in contributions.
Visual speech segmentation: using facial cues to locate word boundaries in continuous speech

Speech is typically a multimodal phenomenon, yet few studies have focused on the exclusive contributions of visual cues to language acquisition. To address this gap, we investigated whether visual prosodic information can facilitate speech segmentation. Previous research has demonstrated that language learners can use lexical stress and pitch cues to segment speech and that learners can extract this information from talking faces. Thus, we created an artificial speech stream that contained minimal segmentation cues and paired it with two synchronous facial displays in which visual prosody was either informative or uninformative for identifying word boundaries. Across three familiarisation conditions (audio stream alone, facial streams alone, and paired audiovisual), learning occurred only when the facial displays were informative to word boundaries, suggesting that facial cues can help learners solve the early challenges of language acquisition.
Ecosystem impacts of hypoxia: thresholds of hypoxia and pathways to recovery

Coastal hypoxia is increasing in the global coastal zone, where it is recognized as a major threat to biota. Managerial efforts to prevent hypoxia and achieve recovery of ecosystems already affected by hypoxia are largely based on nutrient reduction plans. However, these managerial efforts need to be informed by predictions on the thresholds of hypoxia (i.e. the oxygen levels required to conserve biodiversity) as well as the timescales for the recovery of ecosystems already affected by hypoxia. The thresholds for hypoxia in coastal ecosystems are higher than previously thought and are not static, but regulated by local and global processes, being particularly sensitive to warming. The examination of recovery processes in a number of coastal areas managed for reducing nutrient inputs and, thus, hypoxia (Northern Adriatic; Black Sea; Baltic Sea; Delaware Bay; and Danish Coastal Areas) reveals that recovery timescales following the return to normal oxygen conditions are much longer than those of loss following the onset of hypoxia, and typically involve decadal timescales. The extended lag time for ecosystem recovery from hypoxia results in non-linear pathways of recovery due to hysteresis and the shift in baselines, affecting the oxygen thresholds for hypoxia through time.
Wearable sensors and cloud platform for monitoring environmental parameters in e-health applications

Wearable sensors enable long-term continuous physiological and environmental monitoring, which is important for the treatment and management of many chronic illnesses, neurological disorders, and mental health issues. In this paper we describe an experimental model based on wearable sensors, designed for monitoring the health condition of the patients. The system is based on a wearable sensor network connected to a cloud platform which aggregates the data received from the sensors. The sensors measure different parameters such as body temperature, humidity from the air, which are transmitted by microprocessor through a gateway to a cloud storage system. The data gathered in the cloud system is available for further processing, for the study of some correlations between measured parameters, environment conditions and health condition of the patients.
Integration of f-MWCNT Sensor and Printed Circuits on Paper Substrate

The integration of sensors endows the packages with intelligence and interactivity. This paper is considered the most suitable substrate of smart packages because it is cost-effective, light, flexible, and recyclable. However, common concern exists regarding the reliability of paper-based system against bending and folding. In this paper, inkjet-printing of silver nanoparticles is used to form circuit pattern as well as interconnections for system integration on paper substrate. A humidity sensor made by functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes is fabricated on the same substrate. We evaluate the electrical performance of paper electronics and the reliability against bending and folding. The results reveal the capability and the limitation of paper electronics in terms of flexibility. The concept of a paper-based smart electronic system and the manufacture process are demonstrated by an interactive humidity sensor card prototype.
Optimal response of a thermal unit to an electricity spot market

This paper addresses the optimal response of a thermal unit to an electricity spot market. The objective is to maximize the unit profit from selling both energy and spinning reserve in the spot market. The paper proposes a 0/1 mixed-integer linear programming approach that allows a rigorous modeling of (i) nonconvex and nondifferentiable operating costs, (ii) exponential start-up costs, (iii) available spinning reserve taking into account ramp rate restrictions, and (iv) minimum up and down time constraints. This approach overcomes the modeling limitations of dynamic programming approaches and is computationally efficient. Results from realistic case studies are reported.
Predicting Hospital Admission in a Pediatric Emergency Department using an Artificial Neural Network

Hospital admission delays in the Emergency Department (ED) reduce capacity and contribute to the ED's diversion problem. We evaluated the accuracy of an Artificial Neural Network for the early prediction of hospital admission using data from 43,077 pediatric ED encounters. We used 9 variables commonly available in the ED setting. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.897 (95% CI: 0.887-0.896). The instrument demonstrated high accuracy and may be used to alert clinicians to initiate admission processes earlier during a patient's ED encounter.
The complete mitochondrial genome of Mauremys sinensis (Testudines: Geoemydidae)

The complete mitochondrial genome of Mauremys sinensis (Testudines: Geoemydidae) is sequenced in the study. It is a circular molecule of 16,458 bp in length, consisting of 37 genes typically found in other turtles. The AT content of the overall base composition of M. sinensis is 60.2%. The length of control region is 928 bp with 66.1% AT content. An insertion of additional adenine base was observed in location of 175th base of ND3 gene. Protein-coding genes begin with ATG as start codon except COI with GTG. ATP6, ATP8, COII, ND4, ND4L, and ND5 genes end with TAA as stop codon; ND1, ND2, and ND3 end with TAG; COI end with AGG; ND6 end with AGA; and COIII and Cyt b end with an incomplete stop codon (a single stop nucleotide T).
A Mathematical Programming Approach for Procurement Using Activity Based Costing

Activity Based Costing and Management are important topics in today's management accounting literature. While there has been much attention paid in the Activity Based Costing literature to customer profitability analysis, process improvement and product design, there has been far less notice taken of purchasing. In this paper we develop an Activity Based Costing approach for the determination of procurement strategies. Vendor selection using an Activity Based Costing approach is choosing the combination of suppliers for a given product group that minimizes the total costs associated with the purchasing strategy. To this end we develop a mathematical programming model where decisions involve the selection of vendors and the determination of order quantities. The system computes the total cost of ownership, thereby increasing the objectivity in the selection process and giving the opportunity for various kinds of sensitivity analysis. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd 2000.
Impact of the Farmer-Owned Reserve on Privately Owned Wheat Stocks

Peck and Gray, in a recent article, point out that private stockholding tends to be neglected in the literature on grain reserves. They emphasize that the relationship between publicly controlled reserves and privately owned stocks is crucial in determining the effectiveness of a grain reserve program. We agree. In this paper we further probe the private demand for wheat stocks. Now that three years' data are available on the U.S. farmer-owned reserve (FOR) it is possible to make an initial estimate of the impact of subsidized wheat reserves on privately owned wheat stocks. Wheat started entering the FOR during the 1977/ 78 marketing year. The quantity in the reserve increased until January 1979, when 413 million bushels were accumulated. In May 1979, the wheat price reached the release level and farmers started withdrawing wheat from the reserve. One would expect that the reserve represented an additional demand for wheat during that time of accumulation, raising the wheat price. But the price impact would depend upon the extent to which the wheat put into the reserve otherwise would not have been stored by farmers. We hypothesize that wheat stocks accumulated in the FOR partially substitute for wheat that otherwise would have been stored by farmers. If there is substitution, the effectiveness of the reserve as a price-moderating policy tool is reduced. We have two purposes. First, to estimate the impact of the FOR on the demand for year-ending wheat stocks and second, to demonstrate the potential of a little-used functional form for estimating the demand for stocks.
A comparison of alternative rental forecasting models: empirical tests on the London office market

The study examines four alternative rental forecasting models in the context of the London office market. The forecasting ability of an ARIMA model, a Bayesian Vector Autoregression approach, an OLS based single equation model and a simultaneous equation model are compared and contrasted. The models are estimated using the CB Hillier Parker London Office index over the period 1977- 1996, with out-of-sample testing undertaken on the following three years of data. Diagnostic testing is also conducted on the alternative models. The findings reveal that the Bayesian VAR model produces the best forecasts, while the ARIMA model fails to pick up on the large uptake in rental values during the testing period.
Expression of a fusion protein of human ciliary neurotrophic factor and soluble CNTF-Receptor and identification of its activity

Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) has pleiotropic actions on many neuronal populations as well as on glia. Signal transduction by CNTF requires that it bind first to CNTF-R, permitting the recruitment of gp130 and LIF-R, forming a tripartite receptor complex. Cells that only express gp130 and LIF-R, but not CNTF-R are refractory to stimulation by CNTF. On many target cells CNTF only acts in the presence of its specific agonistic soluble receptors. We engineered a soluble fusion protein by linking the COOH-terminus of sCNTF-R to the NH2-terminus of CNTF. Recombinant CNTF/sCNTF-R fusion protein (Hyper-CNTF) was successfully expressed in COS-7 cells. The apparent molecular mass of the Hyper-CNTF protein was estimated from western blots to be 75 kDa. Proliferation assays of transfected BAF/3 cells in response to CNTF and Hyper-CNTF were used to verify the activity of the cytokines. The proliferative results confirmed that CNTF required homodimerization of the gp130, CNTF-R and LIF-R receptor subunit whereas Hyper-CNTF required heterodimerization of the gp130 and LIF-R receptor subunit. We concluded that the fusion protein Hyper-CNTF had superagonistic activity on target cells expressing gp130 and LIF-R, but lacking membrane-bound CNTF-R.
Participation of Seniors in the Argentinian Labour Market: An Option Value Model

The aim of this article is to define the factors which determine seniors' decisions to continue to participate in the labour market in Argentina. An option value model is developed. This model is used to produce estimates based on micro-data drawn from household surveys. These indicate the relative importance of the impact of conditions governing eligibility for benefits on decisions to remain actively employed. Work history is found to be the main factor in such decisions. Inadequacy of social security benefits and accumulated human capital also create incentives for economic participation in old age. On the basis of these findings, compensatory policy adjustments, to improve coverage, increase benefit levels and improve employment conditions for seniors, are proposed.
Optimal data path widths for energy- and area-efficient Max-Log-MAP based LTE Turbo decoders

Data path widths in state-of-the-art Turbo decoder implementations depend on estimates for the upper bounds of the dynamic ranges of processed metrics. Aiming at highest area and energy efficiency, this paper presents guidelines for designing SISO and Turbo decoder data paths with minimal widths. This is based on least upper bounds for the dynamic ranges of internal metrics within the underlying Max-Log-MAP algorithm. Least upper bounds are presented for the LTE Turbo decoder. Furthermore, a new dynamic branch metric saturation scheme is presented in order to optimize the hardware utilization by proper adjusting the correlated upper state and branch metric bounds. In total, a data path width reduction of two bits is achieved applying radix-4 Max-Log-MAP arithmetic. An overall area-energy complexity reduction of 33% is achieved for the SISO decoder and of 28% for the LTE Turbo decoder.
Effect of exercise on biomarkers, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and depressive symptoms in older women with breast cancer receiving hormonal therapy.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To compare the effectiveness of a prescribed home-based walking exercise intervention with usual care in older women receiving hormonal treatment for breast cancer, and to examine relationships among levels of the cortisol, serotonin, interleukin-6, and bilirubin biomarkers and fatigue, sleep disturbances, and depressive symptoms. DESIGN Longitudinal randomized clinical trial. SETTING A National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in the southeastern United States. SAMPLE 20 women (aged 55 years or older) with breast cancer receiving hormonal treatment. METHODS Participants were randomized to a walking exercise intervention or usual care. Laboratory samples and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Piper Revised Fatigue Scale, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale were collected at the initial clinic visit and at 12 weeks from the groups. Questionnaires also were collected at weeks 2 and 14. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES Fatigue, sleep disturbances, depressive symptoms, biomarkers, and exercise. FINDINGS Effect of the exercise intervention on sleep scores was highly significant between groups. Exercise group scores on the PSQI decreased significantly over time (indicating improved sleep quality), although scores did not change significantly within the control group. Sleep actigraphy also showed significantly shorter actual wake time and less movement in the exercise group. Serotonin levels also were significantly affected by the intervention. CONCLUSIONS Data suggest that a walking exercise intervention improves sleep in older women receiving hormonal treatment for their breast cancer. Serotonin levels may be a useful biomarker when assessing sleep disturbances in this group. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Clinicians need to be aware that older women receiving hormonal treatment for their breast cancer may experience fatigue, sleep disturbances, and depressive symptoms. Homebased walking activity may reduce symptom severity in this group.
Global manufacturing and the sustainable economy

Recent years have seen increasing attention being focused on the concept of the 'sustainable economy'. Variously interpreted, the concept is used to encompass energy conservation, the reduction in greenhouse gasses, environmental protection, recycling and the conservation of natural resources. To the developing world, it represents a challenge (constraint) on achieving economic parity with the developed world without extensive pollution of the environment. To the developed world, it represents a challenge to maintaining access to sufficient raw materials to achieve continuing economic development without compromising the opportunities for self-development of future generations and without passing on increasing environmental burdens to the developing world. In this age of the global enterprise, manufacturing bears a particular responsibility for achieving international standards for sustainability. This paper explores the extent to which the fundamental issues of sustainability in manufacturing are currently being addressed and the extent to which the public consciousness is ready to support sustainability in the design and manufacture of consumer products.
Engineering a multi‐nucleated myotube, the role of the actin cytoskeleton

Myoblasts in vitro form characteristic arrays of bipolar‐shaped cells prior to fusion. We have shown that the actin cytoskeleton re‐organizes in these fusing cells and that the interaction of non‐muscle myosin 2A with actin at the plasma membrane helps to generate the bipolar shape of myoblasts, which is key for fusion. Here we discuss how fusion occurs, and in particular how the actin cytoskeleton is involved.
Dimensions of environmentally sustainable innovation: the structure of eco‐innovation concepts

The present study analyses environmentally sustainable innovation, or eco-innovation for short, from the perspective of extant theories of innovation, in order to establish dominant structures of such innovations and current weaknesses, as well as fruitful ways forward. 105 venture concepts were sampled from the winning contributions of a national environmental innovation competition, and analysed in terms of Schumpeterian innovation type and innovation mode (radical-incremental and component-architectural). The resulting distribution confirms a bias towards incremental process innovations, but points towards interesting characteristics in radical-architectural modes of eco-innovation, e.g. the tendency to combine 'hardware' and 'software', or technology and social arrangements, the combination of generically diverse technologies and finally the 'eco-enabling' of old technologies by the application of new ones. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
A quantitative measurement system of endpoint during Lachman test with force sensor

Lachman test is one of manual tests for examining the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). An examiner discreminates an injured degree of the ACL by feeling finger stress. Some measurement devices for Lachman test have been developed. However, these devices aim to analyze not the stress but a motion of the knee joint. Therefore, we set the goal of this study to develop a measurement system for the finger stress with force sensor during Lachman test. In the experiment, the developed system was applied to twelve healthy knees of six subjects by a beginner, and one injured and one healthy knee of two subjects by an expert. In the results, the maximum force of "endpoint" during Lachman test was analyzed. The variation of inter-subjects was larger than intra-subjects. Future works are to improve the finger force sensors, and to apply more subjects, so that the system could classify an examiner into a skill level.
Liouville-type theorems for elliptic Schrödinger systems associated with copositive matrices

We study non-cooperative, multi-component elliptic Schrodinger systems arising in nonlinear optics and Bose-Einstein condensation phenomena. We here reconsider the more delicate case of systems of $m ≥ 3$ components. We prove a Liouville-type nonexistence theorem in space dimensions $n ≥3$ for homogeneous nonlinearities of degree $ p < n/(n-2)$, under the optimal assumption that the associated matrix is strictly copositive. This extends recent work of Tavares, Terracini, Verzini and Weth [22] and of Quittner and the author [17], where the results were limited to $n ≤ 2$ dimensions or to $m=2$ components. The proof of the Liouville theorem is done by combining and improving different arguments from [22] and [17], namely a feedback procedure based on Rellich-Pohozaev type identities and functional analytic inequalities on $S^{n-1}$, and suitable test-function arguments. We also consider a more general class of systems with gradient structure, for which our arguments show the triviality of solutions satisfying a suitable integral bound, a result which may be of independent interest.