Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using the technology enhanced interaction framework for interaction scenarios involving disabled people

This paper focuses on the development of a general interaction framework to help design technology to support communication between people and improve interactions between people, technology and objects, particularly in complex situations when disabled people are involved. The main and sub-components of the framework are described. A tool was developed to provide advice on design and development factors for technological support. Work is now in progress to validate the framework and the tool with expert designers and accessibility experts before evaluating it with technology designers.
Soil respiration and aboveground litter dynamics of a tropical transitional forest in northwest Mato Grosso, Brazil

[1] Measurements of soil CO2 efflux, litter production, and the surface litter pool biomass were made over a 1 year period in a tropical transitional forest near Sinop, Mato Grosso, Brazil with the aim of quantifying the seasonal variation in soil respiration and litter decomposition and the annual contribution of litter decomposition to soil CO2 efflux. Average annual soil CO2 efflux (±95% confidence interval (CI)) was 7.91 ± 1.16 g C m−2 d−1. Soil CO2 efflux was highest during the November–February wet season (9.15 ± 0.90 g C m−2 d−1) and lowest during the May–September dry season (6.19 ± 1.40 g C m−2 d−1), and over 60% of the variation in seasonal soil CO2 efflux was explained by seasonal variations in soil temperature and moisture. Mass balance estimates of mean (±95% CI) decomposition rates were statistically different between the wet and dry seasons (0.66 ± 0.08 and 1.65 ± 0.10 g C m−2 d−1, respectively), and overall, decomposition of leaf litter comprised 16% of the average annual soil respiration. Leaf litter production was higher during the dry season, and mean (±95% CI) leaf litter fall (5.6 ± 1.7 Mg ha−1) comprised 73% of the total litter fall (7.8 ± 2.3 Mg ha−1). Average (±95% CI) annual litter pool biomass was estimated to be 5.5 ± 0.3 Mg ha−1, which was similar to the measured pool size (5.7 ± 2.2 Mg ha−1). Overall, seasonal variations in environmental variables, specifically water availability (soil moisture and rainfall), had a profound influence on litter production, soil respiration, and surface litter decomposition.
Wage Theory, New Deal Labor Policy, and the Great Depression: Were Government and Unions to Blame?

A growing number of economists blame the length and severity of the Great Depression on factors that rigidified wage rates, raised production costs, and interfered with the market allocation of labor. The target of their critique is President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal labor program, which they portray as creating a series of large negative supply shocks through encouragement of unions, minimum wages, unemployment insurance, and other anticompetitive industrial relations practices. The author uses a combination of institutiognal and Keynesian theory to present the other side of the story. Drawing principally from the works of J. R. Commons and J. M. Keynes, he develops both a spending and a productivity rationale for stable wages during the Great Depression and demonstrates that the New Deal's interventionist labor program was on balance necessary and beneficial. He also highlights the neglected macro-economic dimension of industrial relations theory and policy.
PERFORMANCE AND MODELING OF THE JLAB IR FEL UPGRADE INJECTOR

The JLab IR Upgrade Injector has delivered up to 9.1 mA of CW electron beam current at 9 MeV. The injector is driven by a 350 kV DC Photocathode Gun. Injector behavior and beam-based measurements are in good agreement with PARMELA simulations. The injected beam envelopes were established by measuring beam spot sizes and comparing them with those predicted by a transport matrix based model. The emittances were measured by fitting an initial trial beam matrix to the measured data. The injected bunch length was established by measuring the energy spread downstream of the Linac while operating at either side of crest.
Fault Tolerant Event Detection in Distributed WSN via Pivotal Messaging

To mitigate the problem of loosing data, which can be very crucial to prevent environmental disasters, we proposed a fault tolerant event detection algorithm in a distributed environment. We considered the data loss because of node failure in sensor network due to some technical fault or energy issues. This algorithm works by backing up the data of cluster heads at some secondary nodes. If the secondary node that is backup cluster head notices the failure of primary or vital clusterhead, it will inform this to all non cluster-head nodes through pivotal messages. Subsequently, backup cluster-head will start working as vital cluster-head with new backup cluster-head. We have taken all parameters with the promising optimal use of energy. We have compared our results with the existing Dynamic Static Clustering Protocol (DSC) and fault toleran Dynamic Clustering Protocol (FT-DSC). We have compared results on the basis of various parameters like energy consumption over time, number of data packet transmission and network life time based on network remaining energy.
The Relationship between Largest Shareholder's Ownership and Firm Performance: Evidence from Mainland China

There is limited research on understanding the relation between concentrated ownership structure and firm performance in the Chinese market. In this paper, I analyze this relationship using data from the small firm and growth enterprise markets in China. I conduct several cross-sectional tests using Tobin’s q and ROA as measures of firm performance. I find a significant cubic relationship between Tobin’s q and the largest shareholder’s ownership level while unaffiliated block-holders consistently show a negative effect on firm value. My results show that firm value first declines when family ownership is between 0 and 25.9 percent, then rises in the 25.9-54.2 percent range, and again falls when family ownership is greater than 54.2 percent. Furthermore, I find a non-linear relation between ROA and the largest shareholder’s ownership level. I also examine the effect of firm age and industry. While firm age is not related to firm performance in general, a positive relation is found for older firms. Finally, significant results with profitability are found for firms in the service industry.
Antecedents of Use Continuance for Information Systems

The effectiveness of the investment in information system (IS) can be partly explained by the usage of installed systems. The research on the IS user retention is thus important from both practical and academic perspectives. In order to develop an integrated model for IS users’ continued usage, this paper explores the main antecedents for the retention of IS users in view of IS quality and TRA (Theory of Reasoned Action). For an empirical exploration, about two hundred samples were collected from the users of a Korean web portal site. Data analysis using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) shows that IS quality in terms of desires congruency and expectations congruency has a direct effect on attribute satisfaction. The attribute satisfaction shows the significant effect on the continuance intention mediated by the attitude to the continued use. Among the other two variables that are proposed as the antecedents of the continuance intention, perceived switching cost shows significant direct effect on continuance intention while perceived current habit has an indirect effect via perceived switching cost.
Comparison of detachment procedures for direct counts of bacteria associated with sediment particles, plant litter and epiphytic biofilms

Efficient detachment of bacterial cells is crucial for assessing bacterial abundance, biomass and community composition in natural and technical systems (e.g. sewage plants) by a wide range of analytical methods. There is no agreement on which procedure gives the best results with which type of substratum. We tested the effect of 4 detachment instruments on the release of bacte- ria associated with leaf litter, sediment and epiphytic biofilms from a natural aquatic system. Treat- ment with most instruments increased bacterial counts and biovolumes significantly compared to simple vortexing (by 2.7 to 7× ). However, both the numbers and biovolume of released bacterial cells varied significantly between detachment devices. With leaf litter and epiphytic biofilms, an ultrasonic probe treatment released 10 and 4 times more bacterial cells than the most inefficient instrument. A stomacher-type blender gave the best results for sediment samples, releasing 3 times higher numbers of bacteria than the least efficient instrument. Neither the detachment instrument nor the treatment time affected the composition of bacterial morphotypes. These results indicate that the choice of the appropriate detachment device depends critically on the type of substratum examined, when the absolute abundance or biomass of bacteria is to be determined. In qualitative analyses of bacterial community structure the chosen device appears to be less important.
Pion form factors from two-flavor lattice QCD with exact chiral symmetry

We calculate pion vector and scalar form factors in two-flavor lattice QCD and study the chiral behavior of the vector and scalar radii {sub V,S}. Numerical simulations are carried out on a 16{sup 3}x32 lattice at a lattice spacing of 0.12 fm with quark masses down to {approx}m{sub s}/6, where m{sub s} is the physical strange quark mass. Chiral symmetry, which is essential for a direct comparison with chiral perturbation theory (ChPT), is exactly preserved in our calculation at finite lattice spacing by employing the overlap quark action. We utilize the so-called all-to-all quark propagator in order to calculate the scalar form factor including the contributions of disconnected diagrams and to improve statistical accuracy of the form factors. A detailed comparison with ChPT reveals that the next-to-next-to-leading-order contributions to the radii are essential to describe their chiral behavior in the region of quark mass from m{sub s}/6 to m{sub s}/2. Chiral extrapolation based on two-loop ChPT yields {sub V}=0.409(23)(37) fm{sup 2} and {sub S}=0.617(79)(66) fm{sup 2}, which are consistent with phenomenological analysis. We also present our estimates of relevant low-energy constants.
Self-initiated expatriate academics (SIEAs) in the Malaysian higher education sector: instruments development and preliminary results

In Malaysia's quest to become the international hub of education in Asia, more expatriate academics are working in the country's higher education institutions. The high demand for an international academic workforce has created the opportunity for self-initiated expatriate academics (SIEAs) to take up employment opportunities. Consequently, the issues that are associated with expatriation experienced by expatriate academics especially SIEAs are becoming more complex. Failure to identify and manage these complex issues will affect the success or failure of SIEAs who would like to work overseas. This paper aims to develop a survey instrument based on important issues that have affected SIEAs as described in the literature. Multi-item scales were constructed and adapted to assess SIEAs' expatriation issues, job satisfaction, organisational commitment, cultural intelligence and emotional intelligence. The item selection, item analysis, and determination of the final 122-item scale are also described. Reliability and validity of the instruments for the SIEAs Expatriation Issues Survey (SEIS)were also discussed.
Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Large Hadron Collider to 2025 and beyond

Social cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of projects has been successfully applied in different fields such as transport, energy, health, education, and environment, including climate change. It is often argued that it is impossible to extend the CBA approach to the evaluation of the social impact of research infrastructures, because the final benefit to society of scientific discovery is generally unpredictable. Here, we propose a quantitative approach to this problem, we use it to design an empirically testable CBA model, and we apply it to the the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the highest-energy accelerator in the world, currently operating at CERN. We show that the evaluation of benefits can be made quantitative by determining their value to users (scientists, early-stage researchers, firms, visitors) and non-users (the general public). Four classes of contributions to users are identified: knowledge output, human capital development, technological spillovers, and cultural effects. Benefits for non-users can be estimated, in analogy to public goods with no practical use (such as environment preservation), using willingness to pay. We determine the probability distribution of cost and benefits for the LHC since 1993 until planned decommissioning in 2025, and we find there is a 92% probability that benefits exceed its costs, with an expected net present value of about 3 billion euro, not including the unpredictable economic value of discovery of any new physics. We argue that the evaluation approach proposed here can be replicated for any large-scale research infrastructure, thus helping the decision-making on competing projects, with a socio-economic appraisal complementary to other evaluation criteria.
Relative Target Estimation using a Cascade of Extended Kalman Filters

This paper presents a method of tracking multiple ground targets from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in a 3D reference frame. The tracking method uses a monocular camera and makes no assumptions on the shape of the terrain or the target motion. The UAV runs two cascaded estimators. The ﬁrst is an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), which is responsible for tracking the UAV’s state, such as position and velocity relative to a ﬁxed frame. The second estimator is an EKF that is responsible for estimating a ﬁxed number of landmarks within the camera’s ﬁeld of view. Landmarks are parameterized by a quaternion associated with bearing from the camera’s optical axis and an inverse distance parameter. The bearing quaternion allows for a minimal representation of each landmark’s direction and distance, a ﬁlter with no singularities, and a fast update rate due to few trigonometric functions. Three methods for estimating the ground target positions are demonstrated: the ﬁrst uses the landmark estimator directly on the targets, the second computes the target depth with a weighted average of converged landmark depths, and the third extends the target’s measured bearing vector to intersect a ground plane approximated from the landmark estimates. Simulation results show that the third target estimation method yields the most accurate results.
The Modelling of Irrigation Allocation in Croatia

Using zero-inflated Poison and negative binominal models to account for zero observations and binominal regression in the data, this study examines how irrigation patterns in Croatia vary across municipalities, with differing agricultural structures, income levels, human capital, fiscal revenues, unemployment rates, development intensities and voting profiles. The target population was irrigation adopted by farmers across Croatia and included 548 municipalities. Irrigation as a type of public good is a form of targeted economic development policy that benefits production. This research examines the following hypothesis: Do municipalities in Croatia adopt irrigation to benefit economically depressed regions and what types of agricultural structures predict the adoption of irrigation?
Similar Words Identification Using Naive and TF-IDF Method

Requirement satisfaction is one of the most important factors to success of software. All the requirements that are specified by the customer should be satisfied in every phase of the development of the software. Satisfaction assessment is the determination of whether each component of the requirement has been addressed in the design document. The objective of this paper is to implement two methods to identify the satisfied requirements in the design document. To identify the satisfied requirements, similar words in both of the documents are determined. The methods such as Naive satisfaction assessment and TF-IDF satisfaction assessment are performed to determine the similar words that are present in the requirements document and design documents. The two methods are evaluated on the basis of the precision and recall value. To perform the stemming, the Porter’s stemming algorithm is used. The satisfaction assessment methods would determine the similarity in the requirement and design documents. The final result would give a accurate picture of the requirement satisfaction so that the defects can be determined at the early stage of software development. Since the defects determines at the early stage, the cost would be low to correct the defects.
Water Vapour and Methane Coupling in the Stratosphere observed with SCIAMACHY Solar Occultation Measurements

An improved stratospheric water vapour data set has been retrieved from SCIAMACHY/ENVISAT solar occultation measurements. It is similar to that successfully applied to methane and carbon dioxide. There is now a consistent set of data products for the three constituents covering the altitudes 17–45 km, the latitude range between about 50 and 70◦N, and the period August 2002 to April 2012. 5 The new water vapour concentration profiles agree with collocated results from ACE-FTS and MLS/Aura to within∼5%. A significant positive water vapour trend for the time 2003–2011 is observed at lower stratospheric altitudes with a value of about 0.015 ± 0.008 ppmv year−1 around 17 km. Between 30 and 37 km the trends become significantly negative (about -0.01 ± 0.008 ppmv year−1); all errors are 2σ values. The combined analysis of the SCIAMACHY methane and water vapour time series shows the expected anti-correlation be10 tween stratospheric methane and water vapour and a clear temporal variation related to the Quasi-Biennial-Oscillation (QBO). Above about 20 km most of the water vapour is attributed to the oxidation of methane. In addition short-term fluctuations and a periodic oscillation having a period of 5-6 years are observed. The SCIAMACHY data confirm, that at lower altitudes the amount of water vapour and methane are transported from the tropics to higher latitudes via the shallow branch of the Brewer-Dobson circulation. Further, the increasing methane input into 15 the stratosphere due to the rise of tropospheric methane after 2007 may have contributed to the increased water vapour in the extratropical lower stratosphere as observed by SCIAMACHY.
Comparative Study of Microalgae Samples from Nepal for bio-fuel potentials

This paper is on a comparative study on growth rate and lipid content of various microalgae samples collected from biologically and geographically diversified areas on Nepal. Comparisons were also made on samples with same genus isolated from geographically diversified areas (i.e. high altitude (>4000 m) and mid hill (>1000 m)), and effect of seasonal variation (with respect to temperature) on similar species of microalgae. Euglena sp. , Chlorella vulgaris, and Scenedesmus sp. with growth rate of 0.401 day -1 , 0.377 day -1 , and 0.342 day -1 and lipid content above 27 % were taken for the later studies. Mountain varieties showed slightly higher growth rate with difference in their lipid contents up to 0.5 % as compared to mid-hill varieties. In case of seasonal effect, there was increase in the growth rate of all three species during summer temperature of 27 ± 2 o C; whereas, due to this temperature negative
Dynamics of morphological evolution in experimental Escherichia coli populations

Here, we applied a two-stage clonal expansion model of morphological (cell-size) evolution to a long-term evolution experiment with Escherichia coli. Using this model, we derived the incidence function of the appearance of cell-size stability, the waiting time until this morphological stability, and the conditional and unconditional probabilities of morphological stability. After assessing the parameter values, we verified that the calculated waiting time was consistent with the experimental results, demonstrating the effectiveness of the twostage model. According to the relative contributions of parameters to the incidence function and the waiting time, cell-size evolution is largely determined by the promotion rate, i.e., the clonal expansion rate of selectively advantageous organisms. This rate plays a prominent role in the evolution of cell size in experimental populations, whereas all other evolutionary forces were found to be less influential.
THE FUTURE DIRECTION OF INSTITUTES OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN IRELAND AND THEIR PATHWAY OF TRANSFORMATION: A CASE STUDY OF THE DUBLIN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY'S "OPERATION TRANSFORMATION" AS A LEADING EXAMPLE OF AN INSTITUTE OF THE FUTURE

This paper is an outline proposal for an EdD thesis with the University of Sheffield which has been accepted. The principle aim of this research is to investigate what might an institute of education be in the future through viewing the current changes afoot in the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) and the underlying reasons for these changes to take place. It is not proposed that DIT is the ideal example but it is one example of Irish higher education (HE) in transition to be more students focused and flexible for future demands. The HE system in Ireland is broad in scope and encompasses the university sector, the technological sector, the colleges of education and private, independent colleges. Ireland is a society undergoing major change economically, but also demographically through recent migration and mobility of workers from all over Europe and beyond. In an economy as open as Ireland’s it is vital that higher education operate to a maximum effectiveness responding to changing societal needs. The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has recommended that Institutions need to compete globally and changes are being implemented to effect these recommendations. Such changes are already transpiring within the DIT as it has already undergone some operational structural changes which have seen the old Faculties of Tourism and Food and Faculty of Applied Arts merging to form one College of Arts and Tourism. The methodology will be a case study of the DIT as it goes through its transition from traditional multisite colleges to one main campus in the heart of Dublin’s historical inner city. Individuals driving the process will be interviewed, as well as focus groups (Race et al, 1994 [49]) of staff and students in selected DIT sites (those already merged) to ascertain the internal stakeholders’ perception of this change and what it means to them and the future of education. A Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of documents pertaining to the transition, interview transcripts and narratives, and marketing of DIT will be employed (Fairclough, 1993 [23]; Foucault, 1972; 2009 [25]) to discover what the Institute of the Future might resemble.
A Review of Situation Identification Techniques in Pervasive Computing

Pervasive systems must oﬀer an open, extensible, and evolving portfolio of services which integrate sensor data from a diverse range of sources. The core challenge is to provide appropriate and consistent adaptive behaviours for these services in the face of huge volumes of sensor data exhibiting varying degrees of precision, accuracy and dynamism. Situation identiﬁcation is an enabling technology that resolves noisy sensor data and abstracts it into higher-level concepts that are interesting to applications. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the nature and characteristics of situations, discuss the complexities of situation identiﬁcation, and review the techniques that are most popularly used in modelling and inferring situations from sensor data. We compare and contrast these techniques, and conclude by identifying some of the open research opportunities in the area.