Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social capital in the music festival experience

This chapter uses the theoretical concept of social capital as its framework to examine festivals in the context of social and cultural policy. Government policies have cited culture and the arts as social tools which can help combat social exclusion, bridge barriers between groups and foster community cohesion. Leading social capital theorist Robert Putnam specifically suggests that cultural events can bring together diverse social groups. To investigate these claims in practice, this study collected empirical data designed to provide insight into the operation of social inter-relationships at three festivals: a pop festival, an opera festival and a folk festival. The empirical data, comprising observations, screening questionnaires and in-depth interviews, was analysed using critical discourse analysis to bring out styles and discourses relating to social interactions. It was found that the reinforcement of existing relationships, termed bonding social capital by Putnam, was an important part of the festival experience. The formation of new and enduring social connections with previously unconnected attendees - Putnam’s bridging social capital - was not, however, found to be a feature of festivals, despite a sense of general friendliness and trust identified by some. This study therefore suggests that music festivals are not valuable sites for social and cultural policy aims of combating social exclusion, bridging barriers between groups and fostering wider community cohesion.
Digital implementation of PFC boost-converter and two-switch DC-DC forward-converter for railway signaling

Railway wayside signaling is a system used to control railway traffic safely, essentially to prevent trains from colliding. Therefore it is required to have a reliable power supply to keep a healthy and sustainable rail network. The methodology to develop the power supply presented in this paper involves study and implementation of power factor correction (PFC) boost-converter integrated with two-switch DC-DC forward-converter for high voltage and high frequency application using individual digital signal processors (DSPs). The proposed method confirms the efficient and reliable operation of the integrated converters with the line side power factor maintained to near unity for various load conditions. Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) in the input current is also considerably reduced in the proposed scheme. This approach not only reduces the size of magnetic components, but also makes it possible to achieve a fully-controlled AC-DC-AC converter when further integrated with single-phase inverter.
North-south roughness anisotropy on Venus from the Magellan Radar Altimeter: Correlation with geology

[1] Analysis of the Doppler spectrum of Magellan Radar Altimeter echoes has revealed the spatially coherent deflection of the echo center from the nadir point (Tyler et al., 1992). We present and analyze a global map of the Doppler centroid of the radar altimeter echo, which, for the plains of Venus, characterizes the degree of anisotropy of the surface roughness in the north–south direction at scales from decimeters to kilometers. We found a global hemispherical trend of roughness anisotropy: on average, equator-facing slopes are steeper than pole-facing slopes. We searched globally for correlations between contrasts in roughness anisotropy and surface geology. We found that sharp contrasts in anisotropy often coincide with boundaries of geological units, although not consistently. We found a number of examples where radar-bright (rough) lava flows have higher asymmetry than their surroundings. Diffuse radar-dark crater-related parabolic features and halos often have a symmetric roughness signature, while typical regional plains away from these diffuse features often have an anisotropic roughness. There is not, however, any direct and uniform correlation between the roughness anisotropy signature and geomorphologic terrain type or appearance in the radar images. We believe that asymmetric topography of deposits of windblown material, e.g., microdunes or smallscale wind streaks in the wind shadow of obstacles, is the main contributor to the observed roughness anisotropy.
Plasmodium infection in a Leadbeater's possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri).

CASE REPORT A wild-caught, adult female Leadbeater's possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri) died while in captivity after suffering from chronic ill-thrift that progressed to acute respiratory distress. On histopathological examination of tissues, the cause of death was determined to be severe acute pneumonia with pulmonary oedema associated with an intracellular protozoan parasite present within erythrocytes. Transmission electron microscopy was performed on lung tissues and organisms consistent for Plasmodium sp. were identified within numerous erythrocytes. Molecular characterisation of the parasite from DNA extracted from tissue blocks of fixed lung determined the organism to belong to the genus Plasmodium (100% similarity to Plasmodium species when a BLAST analysis was performed); however, speciation of the organism was not possible. CONCLUSION This is the first report of Plasmodium sp. infection and subsequent disease in a native Australian mammal. The lifecycle of this parasite remains unknown. It is also unknown what effects haemoparasitism may have on the population dynamics of this endangered possum species.
A heuristic cross‐layer mechanism for real‐time traffic over IEEE 802.16 networks

In this paper we propose and study a cross‐layer mechanism that can improve real‐time QoS provisioning over IEEE 802.16 metropolitan area networks. This mechanism utilizes information provided by the physical and MAC layers and using a heuristic algorithm it derives new operational parameters for the physical and application layers, which can improve the performance of real‐time applications. The main idea is to coordinate the adaptive modulation capability of the physical layer and the multi‐rate data‐encoding capability of modern real‐time applications in order to avoid inefficiencies caused by their independent operation. Simulations show that the proposed mechanism can assist 802.16 systems to better adapt to frequent channel and traffic changes, leading to considerably reduced packet loss rates, especially under heavy traffic conditions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Software Piracy Forensics: A Proposal for Incorporating Dead Codes and Other Programming Blunders as Important Evidence in AFC Test

Dead code, which is not uncommon in software engineering, is an unexplored area in software piracy forensics. This paper primarily investigates the forensic importance of all programming blunders, including dead codes. Programming Blunder is identified as a variable or a code segment (including dead code) or a field in a database table, which is hardly used or executed in the context of the application or the user's functionality. Blunder genes can be found in many parts of any program. It is the contention of this paper that this phenomenon of blunders needs to be studied systematically from its very genetic origins to their surface realizations in contrast to bugs and flaws, especially in view of their importance in software copyright infringement forensics. The article discusses the idea -- expression merger aspects of programming blunders and finally, proposes the need and a way to incorporate programming blunders into Abstraction-Filtration- Comparison test, the official software copyright infringement investigation procedure of US judiciary.
Customer Confusion Caused by Product Variety

Due to ever increasing product lines customer confusion becomes a serious problem for customers and companies alike. It can trigger unfavorable customer behavior leading to negative economic consequences for companies. Despite its importance literature on this topic is scarce. Analyzing experimental data of 1,128 consumers we demonstrate among others that an increasing product line size causes customer confusion. Furthermore, we found customer confusion being a mediator of the negative impact of product line size on purchase intention and word of mouth intention. Finally, we identified tools which reduce customer confusion. Our research has implications of utmost importance for research and practice.
CS-2007-37 Recommender Schemes for Peer-to-Peer Systems

In Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing systems, peers spend a significant amount of time looking for relevant and interesting files. However, the files available for download represent on one hand a rich collection for different needs and preferences and on the other hand a struggle for the peers to find files that they like. In this paper, we propose new recommender schemes based oncollaborative filtering. Peers collaborate to filter out irrelevant files. These schemes help peers find and discover new, interesting and relevant files. We propose recommender schemes based on Files’ Popularity and/or Peers’ Similarity. To overcome the problems of traditional collaborative filtering recommender systems, an implicit rating approach is used. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness ofPeers’ Similarity based Recommendation in providing accurate recommendations. In addition, the proposed recommender schemes are proactive. Recommendations are provided to peers to motivate them to download the recommended files.
Human Circulating and Tissue-Resident CD56bright Natural Killer Cell Populations

Two human natural killer (NK) cell subsets are usually distinguished, displaying the CD56dimCD16+ and the CD56brightCD16−/+ phenotype. This distinction is based on NK cells present in blood, where the CD56dim NK cells predominate. However, CD56bright NK cells outnumber CD56dim NK cells in the human body due to the fact that they are predominant in peripheral and lymphoid tissues. Interestingly, within the total CD56bright NK cell compartment, a major phenotypical and functional diversity is observed, as demonstrated by the discovery of tissue-resident CD56bright NK cells in the uterus, liver, and lymphoid tissues. Uterus-resident CD56bright NK cells express CD49a while the liver- and lymphoid tissue-resident CD56bright NK cells are characterized by co-expression of CD69 and CXCR6. Tissue-resident CD56bright NK cells have a low natural cytotoxicity and produce little interferon-γ upon monokine stimulation. Their distribution and specific phenotype suggest that the tissue-resident CD56bright NK cells exert tissue-specific functions. In this review, we examine the CD56bright NK cell diversity by discussing the distribution, phenotype, and function of circulating and tissue-resident CD56bright NK cells. In addition, we address the ongoing debate concerning the developmental relationship between circulating CD56bright and CD56dim NK cells and speculate on the position of tissue-resident CD56bright NK cells. We conclude that distinguishing tissue-resident CD56bright NK cells from circulating CD56bright NK cells is a prerequisite for the better understanding of the specific role of CD56bright NK cells in the complex process of human immune regulation.
Neural Network-based Word Alignment through Score Aggregation

We present a simple neural network for word alignment that builds source and target word window representations to compute alignment scores for sentence pairs. To enable unsupervised training, we use an aggregation operation that summarizes the alignment scores for a given target word. A soft-margin objective increases scores for true target words while decreasing scores for target words that are not present. Compared to the popular Fast Align model, our approach improves alignment accuracy by 7 AER on English-Czech, by 6 AER on Romanian-English and by 1.7 AER on English-French alignment.
On maximum-likelihood detection and the search for the closest lattice point

Maximum-likelihood (ML) decoding algorithms for Gaussian multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) linear channels are considered. Linearity over the field of real numbers facilitates the design of ML decoders using number-theoretic tools for searching the closest lattice point. These decoders are collectively referred to as sphere decoders in the literature. In this paper, a fresh look at this class of decoding algorithms is taken. In particular, two novel algorithms are developed. The first algorithm is inspired by the Pohst enumeration strategy and is shown to offer a significant reduction in complexity compared to the Viterbo-Boutros sphere decoder. The connection between the proposed algorithm and the stack sequential decoding algorithm is then established. This connection is utilized to construct the second algorithm which can also be viewed as an application of the Schnorr-Euchner strategy to ML decoding. Aided with a detailed study of preprocessing algorithms, a variant of the second algorithm is developed and shown to offer significant reductions in the computational complexity compared to all previously proposed sphere decoders with a near-ML detection performance. This claim is supported by intuitive arguments and simulation results in many relevant scenarios.
Effects of Cilostazol on Heart Rate and its Variation in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Associated With Bradycardia

Background: Heart-rate (HR) variability is an important predictor of mortality in patients with heart disease. We examined the effects of cilostazol, a quinolinone derivative, on HR and HR variability in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation associated with bradycardia episodes. Patients and Methods: Thirteen patients with chronic atrial fibrillation associated with bra dycardia episodes (minimal HR <40/min and/or pauses, ie, episodes with an RR interval > 2.5 sec) received cilostazol (100 or 200 mg/day) orally for at least 2 months and 24-hour Holter electrocardiography was performed before and after the start of cilostazol administration. Results: Minimal HR was significantly increased, by an average of 14 beats/min (bpm), at 3.3 ± 0.8 weeks (mean ± SD) after the start of cilostazol treatment. The number of pauses was significantly decreased. As a consequence, mean HR was increased by an average of 18 bpm. Maximal HR was also increased by an average of 19 bpm. The circadian variation of the HR, determined by cosine fitting, was not changed by cilostazol treatment. The time-domain HR variabilities, ie, the SD of the mean RR interval and the SD of the 5-minute mean RR intervals, were also unchanged. New York Heart Association functional class was signifi cantly improved and the plasma atrial natriuretic polypeptide level was significantly de creased after the initiation of cilostazol treatment. Conclusion: Cilostazol improves the slow HR episodes associated with chronic atrial fibril lation and maintains the HR circadian variation and time-domain variability, indicating that cilostazol has therapeutic utility for the treatment of the slow HR associated with chronic atrial fibrillation.
Multiple blood-proteins approach for early-response exposure assessment using an in vivo murine radiation model

Purpose: The aim was to evaluate the utility of multiple blood-protein biomarkers for early-response assessment of radiation exposure using a murine radiation model system. Material and methods: BALB/c male mice (8–10 weeks old) were exposed to whole-body 60Co γ-rays (10 cGy min−1) over a broad dose range (0–7 Gy). Blood protein biomarkers (i.e., Growth Arrest and DNA Damage Inducible Gene 45 or GADD45α, interleukin 6 or IL-6, and serum amyloid A or SAA) were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) at 4, 24, 48, and 72 h after total-body irradiation (TBI). Results: Time- and dose-dependent increases in the protein targets were observed. The use of multiple protein targets was evaluated using multiple linear regression analysis to provide dose-response calibration curves for dose assessment. Multivariate discriminant analysis demonstrated enhanced dose-dependent separation of irradiated animals from control as the number of biomarkers increased. Conclutions: Results from this study represent a proof-of-concept for multiple blood-proteins biodosimetry approach. It was demonstrated for the first time that protein expression profile could be developed not only to assess radiation exposure in male BALB/c mice but also to distinguish the level of radiation exposure, ranging from 1–7 Gy.
Joint user association and resource allocation for eICIC with QoS provisioning in HetNets

The heterogeneity between macro and pico base stations (BSs) and the uneven traffic distribution bring challenges for the load balancing and interference coordination in heterogeneous networks (HetNets). Besides, how to guarantee the quality of service (QoS) requirement of pico users when the heavy traffic is offloaded from macro BSs to pico BSs is also a problem worth considering. In this paper, we jointly consider macro user offloading strategy, almost blank subframes (ABS) ratio configuration and resource allocation scheme to deal with the above difficulties, where ABS is a feasible way for enhanced inter-cell interference coordination (eICIC). Specifically, we first formulate a joint user association and resource allocation problem for eICIC with QoS provisioning, and then use the Gauss-Seidel method to decouple the joint problem to three subproblems and solve them in an iterative manner. Furthermore, we propose a heuristic algorithm with low complexity based on the intermediate analytical results. Comparing the proposed scheme with the cell range expansion (CRE) scheme, significant edge throughputs and fairness gains are observed in the simulations.
Detection of pavement cracks using tiled fuzzy Hough transform

Abstract. Surface cracks can be the bellwether of the failure of a road. Hence, crack detection is indispensable for the condition monitoring and quality control of road surfaces. Pavement images have high levels of intensity variation and texture content; hence, the crack detection is generally difficult. Moreover, shallow cracks are very low contrast, making their detection difficult. Therefore, studies on pavement crack detection are active even after years of research. The fuzzy Hough transform is employed, for the first time, to detect cracks from pavement images. A careful consideration is given to the fact that cracks consist of near straight segments embedded in a surface of considerable texture. In this regard, the fuzzy part of the algorithm tackles the segments that are not perfectly straight. Moreover, tiled detection helps reduce the contribution of texture and noise pixels to the accumulator array. The proposed algorithm is compared against a state-of-the-art algorithm for a number of crack datasets, demonstrating its strengths. Precision and recall values of more than 75% are obtained, on different image sets of varying textures and other effects, captured by industrial pavement imagers. The paper also recommends numerical values for parameters used in the proposed method.
Separated by a Common Language

The expression of nonverbal cues may differ systematically across cultures. Common cues used in distinct ways cross-culturally may be termed nonverbal accents. The data in this study indicate that nonverbal accents can help perceivers to distinguish the nationality of expressers. In Study 1, American participants could determine the nationality of Australian and American adults with above-chance accuracy when viewing their emotional expressions but not neutral expressions. In Study 2, American participants could also determine the nationality of Australians and Americans seen walking or waving in greeting. The accuracy of nationality judgments was also correlated with the extent to which Australian targets were perceived to conform to stereotypes about Australians. It is argued that nonverbal accents may be a mechanism that perceivers can use to apply group stereotypes.
The Effects of Test Anxiety and Test Conditions upon Consistency in Cognitive Functioning: A Study of Intra-Test Scatter and Internal Consistency on the WISC Comprehension Subtest

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of test anxiety and test conditions upon consistency in intelligence test performance. On the basis of previous research, it was assumed that anxiety in test situations, whether predispositional or reactive in nature, interferes with efficiency in cognitive performance. On this basis, the following hypotheses were proposed: 1. High anxious ~s, regardless of whether they are tested under.either stressful or nonstressful conditions, will show a significantly higher degree of inconsistency in their intellectual test performance than low anxious ~s. 2. Those Ss tested under stressful conditions, regardless of whether . they have been classified as high or low anxious, will show a significantly h-tgher degree of inconsistency in their intellectual test performanc~ than tr)se Ss tested under nonstressful conditions. 3. There will be a significant interaction effect between stress and prior test anxiety level. Accordingly, the highest degree of inconsistency in intellectual performance will be seen in the high anxious subgroup tested under stressful conditions. Conversely, the lowest degree of inconsistency in intellectual performance will be seen in the low anxious subgroup tested under nonstressful conditions. The sample consisted of 96 fifth-graders with average l.Q. 's attending public school in a predominantly white, middle-class, suburban region. A . standardized questionnaire (TASC) was used to select LA and HA ~s. Ss were paired on the basis of sex, age, group l". Q. score, and test anxiety level.
SIFU!-a didactic stuck-at fault simulator

This paper presents a didactic simulator for stuck-at (sa) faults on logic circuits. The tool has a set of features that helps to understand the concepts of single and multiple stuck-at faults, being these faults testable or not, and how to generate test vectors in order to test the detectable fault subset. An interface was developed to allow the edition of a circuit, the injection of faults and the fault simulation. The tool performs two simulations concurrently, one for the original circuit and another for the faulty circuit considering the injected faults. When the two simulations differ, for a given input vector, the tool shows the error (detection of the fault) graphically.
Fault Tolerant and Low Energy Write-Back Heterogeneous Set Associative Cache for DSM Technologies

This paper presents a fault tolerant and energy efficient write-back set-associative cache, which has a heterogeneous structure. The cache architecture is based on partitioning the ways of each set into two different parts. In each set, one cache way uses SEC-DED code and maintains dirty blocks while the other ways employ parity bit and keep clean blocks. To evaluate the set-associative cache, SIMPLESCALAR tool and CACTI analytical model are used. The experimental results show that as the feature size decreases and the associativity increases, the energy saving of the proposed cache increases. The experimental results express that for an 8-way set-associative cache in 32nm, about 7% area and 2%-17% energy consumption are saved. These figures are achieved by keeping the reliability in the same level of the conventional SEC-DED protected cache.