Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trafico CDMX System: Using Big Data to improve the Mobility in Mexico City

Currently, vehicle traffic is one of the major problems in Mexico City. Two factors which contribute to this problem are the government transport policies and the disproportionate growth in the number of automobiles. In this paper, we propose a system called Trafico CDMX which analyzes historical data from three geosocial networks Waze, TomTom and Nokia Here to define proper government transport policies to improve the mobility in Mexico City. This system can also identify the major conflict zones where traffic and accidents occur frequently. Trafico CDMX defines a set of web services classified in one of three kinds, visualization, prediction (of speed or number of incidents reports), and chronological animation of accidents or traffic in one or two days (for comparisons). The services provided by this system can be used for other systems, and it can be easily extended to other cities.
Implementation and Comparison of Facial Expression Detection and Classification Techniques

Facial expressions are one of the most important behavioral measures for emotion recognition. Expressions can tell a lot about the person, his behavior, what he is thinking and this data is vital in making various predictions which can have a variety of applications. In this paper we have implemented and compared three types of facial expression recognition and classification techniques. The first one is a state-of-the-art convolutional neural network, the second one is a transfer learning approach using the InceptionV3 model and in the last one, we have extracted the 68 facial points which have been identified as important for recognizing the expression of a person and passed it to a deep neural network. All these techniques have given accuracies over 90%, so comes the need to compare them in detail and determine which one of them would give results more accurately and efficiently.
Binary Image Segmentation through the Carl Friedrich Gauss Equation

Binary image segmentation is a technique that enables an image to be divided into several related portions. In this research, the iterative, Otsu, multiple, adaptive and global algorithms were reviewed to evaluate the importance of the techniques and challenges that limit their usage. The study utilized the Carl Friedrich Gauss equation to suppress the impact of noisy pixels. The matrix generated was converted into integers to generate a histogram. An arbitrary pixel is selected from the histogram as a threshold to partition the image into two classes. The threshold that generates the minimum variance from the classes is then multiplied by the optimization constant which ranges from 0.1 to 1, and the computed value is used for the segmentation process. An improved Otsu Algorithm based on the Carl’s Friedrich Gauss equation was evaluated with
Local Human Capital Externalities and Wages at the Firm Level: The Case of Italian Manufacturing

We use a unique firm-level data set merging administrative information on average wages paid by firms by skill level (blue collars and white collars), Population Census information on the local stock of human capital available to firms and survey information on firm characteristics to investigate the existence and magnitude of local human capital externalities in Italian Manufacturing. The latter represents an interesting case study due to the prevalence of small family business and a technological lag with respect to the US, to which most evidence supporting local human capital spillovers refers. Our estimates show that in Italy, like in the US, firms located in geographical areas with a higher stock of human capital pay higher wages. This evidence is robust to many variants of the econometric specification and to addressing potential endogeneity issues using instrumental variables estimation and instruments based on the lagged expansion of the Italian higher education system and the lagged demographic structure.
Evaluating the Impacts of Plantations and Associated Forestry Operations in Africa—Methods and Indicators

SUMMARY This study explores how the impact of large scale plantations and their associated industrial operations can be evaluated. It takes a value chain approach, looking at impacts on suppliers, customers and stakeholders such as communities, local and national government and investors. Whilst there is renewed interest from investors, governments and enterprises in the potential of planted forestry operations in Africa, doubts have been expressed by communities, and environmental and socially orientated NGOs about their impacts. This paper seeks to provide a framework which can be used to examine the impacts of modern plantations in Africa, given that the context can be very different from plantations in temperate regions. An impact logic (theory of change) is developed which sets out the range of activities, stakeholders and intended impacts, based on two cases of investments in sustainable forestry operations in Tanzania and Mozambique. This, a literature review and interviews with stakeholders, guided the development of indicators to assess economic, social and environmental impacts. The extent that a quantitative and qualitative (mixed methods) impact evaluation is possible and the data required to enable such an evaluation are deliberated. An evaluation framework and supporting indicators are proposed and discussed.
Co-presence and proxemics in shared walkable virtual environments with mixed colocation

The purpose of the experiment presented in this paper is to investigate co-presence and locomotory patterns in a walkable shared virtual environment. In particular, trajectories of users that use a walkable tracking space alone are compared to those of users who use the tracking space in pairs. Co-presence, in a sense of perception of another person being present in the same virtual space is analyzed through subjective responses and behavioral markers. The results indicate that both perception and proxemics in relation to co-located and distributed players differ. The effect on the perception is however mitigated if participants do not collide with the avatars of distributed co-players.
RTI in a Middle School: Findings and Practical Implications of a Tier 2 Reading Comprehension Study

Response to intervention (RTI) has received considerable attention from both researchers and practitioners as a schoolwide model for service delivery. However, research is limited on RTI applications in middle and high schools. The purpose of this article is to describe the outcomes of an experimental examination of a secondary (Tier 2) literacy intervention for at-risk fifth- and sixth-grade students in an urban middle school assigned to one of three conditions: Story Structure (SS), Typical Practice delivered by reading specialists (TP), and Sustained Silent Reading (SSR). Results indicated a statistically significant difference between the mean posttest cloze scores of the SSR group and both the SS and TP conditions. Study findings support the growing body of research indicating that at-risk students need intensive and explicit instruction in addition to opportunities to practice reading.
Real Time System Identification Using Tms320 C30 Digital Signal Processor

In order to design a controller for a linear physical plant, the transfer function of the plant must be obtained. A system consisting of Texas Instruments TMS320C30 (cid:226) digital signal processor, an analog interface board and a personal computer is used as a test bench platform for real-time system identification. The recursive least squares algorithm is implemented on the TMS320C30 (cid:226) digital signal processor to determine the coefficients of the plant transfer function in real-time using input-output data from the plant. The program for identification can be called from the Matlab (cid:226) environment. Three system identification examples are presented.
Identifying Central Bank Liquidity Super-Spreaders in Interbank Funds Networks

We model the allocation of central bank liquidity among the participants of the interbank market by using network analysis’ metrics. Our analytical framework considers that a super-spreader simultaneously excels at receiving (borrowing) and distributing (lending) central bank’s liquidity for the whole network, as measured by financial institutions’ hub centrality and authority centrality, respectively. Evidence suggests that the Colombian interbank funds market exhibits an inhomogeneous and hierarchical network structure, akin to a core-periphery organization, in which a few financial institutions fulfill the role of central bank’s liquidity super-spreaders. Our results concur with evidence from other interbank markets and other financial networks regarding the flaws of traditional direct financial contagion models based on homogeneous and non-hierarchical networks. Also, concurrent with literature on lending relationships in interbank markets, we confirm that the probability of being a super-spreader is mainly determined by financial institutions’ size. We provide additional elements for the implementation of monetary policy and for safeguarding financial stability.
Manufacturing as the key engine of economic growth for middle-income economies

ABSTRACT This paper revisits the role of the manufacturing sector during the middle-income stage of development. By exploiting a large dataset that covers different sectors, we find that in the middle-income stage, manufacturing pulls along all the other sectors, including the services sector. A decline in manufacturing growth negatively affects the growth of all the other sectors, in both the short-run and long-run. Additionally, we attempt to identify the underlying mechanisms of the essential role played by manufacturing during this development stage. We find that a larger share of manufacturing in the economy not only promotes gross private saving ratio but also accelerates the pace of technological accumulation. Our empirical findings in this paper indicate that the manufacturing sector is still the key engine of economic growth for middle-income economies.
Continued Participation in Youth Sports: The Role of Achievement Motivation

This study explored the antecedents of enjoyment and intention to continue in youth sports using the social-cognitive model of achievement motivation with the 2 × 2 achievement goal modification. Participants were 327 sports participants between 11 and 15 years of age. Individuals high in incremental beliefs reported greater enjoyment and intention to continue. This was perhaps due to endorsing mastery-approach goals. Individuals relatively high in entity beliefs reported relatively less enjoyment. This was perhaps due to endorsing performance-avoidance goals. These individuals also reported relatively less intention to continue regardless of their achievement goals. Findings could have implications for preventing dropout from youth sports.
Cardinal algebras and measures invariant under equivalence relations.

Introduction. There have been discussions from time to time of "abstract measures" the values of which need not be numerical (e.g. [2], [3], [4], [6], [7]). One of the purposes of this paper is to present arguments in favor of the use of cardinal algebras as values for these measures. Cardinal algebras were introduced and developed by A. Tarski in [8]. They have many of the good properties of real numbers and arise naturally in situations like the following: A (pseudo) group G of one-one functions is given with domain and range in a u-ring of sets X2 An equivalence relation between members of 1 is defined as follows: A B iffthere are Ai, Bi E 1[,fi E G for i<co such that Ai n Aj=O=B=i r Bj for i#Oj, A=JUi < . Ai, B=Ui<oo Bi, Ai(Domfi andfi*(Ai)=Bi for all i<co. This is equivalence by countable decomposition. Equivalence relations like have been considered in [2], [3], [4], [6], [7]. When the aim is to obtain a measure that is faithful to an equivalence relation of this form, the first natural step is to consider the equivalence classes determined by the relation. It happens that these equivalence classes with suitably defined finite and infinite addition form a generalized cardinal algebra. For instance, the "measure algebras" considered in [4] and [6] are generalized cardinal algebras. My second purpose is to determine in what conditions we can obtain a numerical measure faithful to the equivalence relation; that is, a countably additive measure that satisfies the following: (a) The only sets with measure zero are those that necessarily have to have it. That is, sets that have infinitely many disjoint equivalent sets contained in a set of measure one. These sets I call negligible. (b) For sets with positive measure, it should be valid that two sets have the same measure iff they are equivalent. These characteristics are specially important with respect to probability measures where we want to be as faithful as possible to the equal likelihood relation (cf. [3]). Theorem 2.11, below, gives sufficient (and almost necessary) conditions on the equivalence relation to obtain such a measure.
Chaotic Rough Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithms

The problem of finding appropriate representations for various is a subject of continued research in the field of artificial intelligence and related fields. In some practical situations, mathematical and computational tools for faithfully modeling or representing systems with uncertainties, inaccuracies or variability in computation should be provided; and it is preferable to develop models that use ranges as values. A need to provide tolerance ranges and inability to record accurate values of the variables are examples of such a situation where ranges of values must be used (Lingras, 1996). Representations with ranges improve data integrity for non-integral numerical attributes in data storage and would be preferable due to no lose of information. Rough patterns proposed by Lingras are based on an upper and a lower bound that form a rough value that can be used to effectively represent a range or set of values for variables such as daily weather, stock price ranges, fault signal, hourly traffic volume, and daily financial indicators (Lingras, 1996; Lingras & Davies, 2001). The problems involving, on input/output or somewhere at the intermediate stages, interval or, more generally, bounded and set-membership uncertainties and ambiguities may be overcome by the use of rough patterns. Further developments in rough set theory have shown that the general concept of upper and lower bounds provide a wider framework that may be useful for different types of applications (Lingras & Davies, 2001). Generating random sequences with a long period and good uniformity is very important for easily simulating complex phenomena, sampling, numerical analysis, decision making and especially in heuristic optimization. Its quality determines the reduction of storage and computation time to achieve a desired accuracy. Chaos is a deterministic, random-like process found in non-linear, dynamical system, which is non-period, non-converging and bounded. Moreover, it has a very sensitive dependence upon its initial condition and parameter (Schuster, 1998). The nature of chaos is apparently random and unpredictable and it also possesses an element of regularity. Mathematically, chaos is randomness of a simple deterministic dynamical system and chaotic system may be considered as sources of randomness. Chaotic sequences have been proven easy and fast to generate and store, there is no need for storage of long sequences (Heidari-Bateni & McGillem, 1994). Merely a few functions (chaotic maps) and few parameters (initial conditions) are needed even for very long sequences. In addition, an enormous number of different sequences can be generated simply
CoMapping: Multi-robot Sharing and Generation of 3D-Maps applied to rural and urban scenarios

We present an experimental study for the generation of large 3D maps using our CoMapping framework. This framework considers a collaborative approach to efficiently manage, share, and merge maps between vehicles. The main objective of this work is to perform a cooperative mapping for urban and rural environments denied of continuous-GPS service. The study is split in to 2 stages: Pre-Local and Local. In the first stage, each vehicle builds a Pre-Local map of its surroundings in real-time using laser-based measurements, then relocates the map in a global coordinate system using just the low cost GPS data from the first instant of the map construction. In the second stage, vehicles share their pre-local maps, align and merge them in a decentralized way in order to generate more consistent and larger maps, named Local maps. To evaluate performance of all the cooperative system in terms of map alignments, tests are conducted using 3 cars equipped with LiDARs and GPS receiver devices in urban outdoor scenarios of the Ecole Centrale Nantes campus and rural environments.
The Effect of Upstream and Downstream Internationalization on the Acquisition of Market and Technological Knowledge: The Moderating Role of Prior Knowledge

Grounded in the learning literature, this study examines: 1) the effect of downstream internationalization and upstream internationalization on the acquisition of market knowledge and technological knowledge in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), and 2) the moderating role of SME prior knowledge on these relationships. Using longitudinal data on SMEs, the results show that international downstream operations directly and positively impact the acquisition of market and technological knowledge. Prior knowledge does not moderate these relationships. The study shows that SMEs acquire new knowledge also from upstream international activities; and that this process is facilitated by the firm's prior knowledge.
Gordon Tullock's theory of dictatorship and revolution

We assess Gordon Tullock's work on dictatorship and revolutions using a common analytic framework that captures the dynamics of mutually reinforcing perceptions within a potentially rebelling subgroup of a population. We can reconstruct all of Tullock's central findings but we also find him failing to consider revolutions as an unintended result of individual action in certain low-cost situations. That notwithstanding, one central implication of Tullock's analysis remains intact, namely that no relation can consistently be constructed between the degree of deprivation of a population on the one hand and the probability of an enforced regime change in a public uprising, at least not within the limits of methodological individualism. Hence, whoever aims at strictly inferring macro results from micro behavior must still find Tullock's work on autocracies and revolutions path-breaking.
Utilization of Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) to evaluate the Intestinal Microbiota of Brown Trout Salmo trutta fario

Utilization of Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) to evaluate the Intestinal Microbiota of Brown Trout Salmo trutta fario The microbial flora present in the intestine of the fish plays an important role, such as to break down ingested foods, or the inhibition of the colonization of the fish intestine by pathogens. Because only a small percentage of microorganisms in seawater and freshwater can be cultured and cultivated in the laboratory, molecular techniques based on 16S rDNA amplification have been developed to detect and identify culturable and nonculturable bacteria. Many studies have combined traditional methods with molecular methods to provide more detailed informations on microbial communities. The aim of this work was to evaluate the microbiota of Salmo trutta fario intestine, using PCR-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE), to assess the influence of a diet on the population composition.
Determination of Self-efficacy and Burnout State of Teachers Working in the Special Education Field in Terms of Different Variables

The aim of the study is to analyse the self-efficacy and burnout of special education teachers in terms of different variables such as gender, teachers’ educational levels, teachers’ daily working hours, and teachers’ daily student numbers. 7 special education schools, affiliated to Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Ministry of Education Primary Education Management Office, and 21 schools, which have a special education mainstreaming room, constituted the population of the research. 46 special education teachers working at special education institutions and 24 special education teachers working at a mainstreaming room in primary schools (a total number of 70 teachers) constituted the sample of the research. The Maslach Burn-out Scale and Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale were administered to the sample group. The collected data was entered into the SPSS and analysed using a t-test, Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis. The working hours of teachers were found to be statistically significant for sufficiency in engagement of student sub-dimension. It was revealed that teachers with fewer working hours had lower self-efficacy scores than the teachers with more working hours. Statistically significant difference was also found in depersonalization of burnout sub-dimension of teachers according to their professional seniority.
Trends of surface humidity and temperature during 1951−2012 in Beijing, China

In this paper, two datasets, a long time series (1951–2012) of daily surface observations at one meteorological station and a shorter time series (1979–2012) of three-hourly data with 0.1°×0.1° spatial resolution were analysed by using non-parametric methods to identify annual and seasonal variations in surface humidity and temperature. The results reveal that: (1) saturation water vapour pressure increased exponentially with temperature. Actual daily values at Beijing Meteorological Station are very close to the theoretical values estimated by using the simplified Clausius-Clapeyron equation, but with seasonal variations. (2) For both long- and short-term data, clear increasing tendencies of annual saturation specific humidity and temperature are found. Decreasing and drying trends were detected for winter. (3) The annual relative humidity showed a decreasing trend except for some suburban areas, somehow related to the lower temperature and increased specific humidity in those areas. (4) Regional changes in topography and elevation likely influenced trends in surface humidity, while local land use showed little effect on it.
Construction of Equivalent Stochastic Differential Equation Models

Abstract It is shown how different but equivalent Itô stochastic differential equation models of random dynamical systems can be constructed. Advantages and disadvantages of the different models are described. Stochastic differential equation models are derived for problems in chemistry, textile engineering, and epidemiology. Computational comparisons are made between the different stochastic models.
Aalborg Universitet Study plan : Surgical or conservative treatment for ankle fractures in adults ?

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