Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Played Out? Passive Behavior by Children With Down Syndrome During Unstructured Play

Young children with Down syndrome are characterized as both cognitively and behaviorally passive. Parents and educators often view passive behavior as a failure to initiate or to sustain involvement. As a result, they often interrupt such behaviors and redirect the child's activity. An opportunity for the child to express initiative might be lost. What would happen if there were no adult interruptions? This study investigates the duration, frequency, and trajectory of passive behavior in a sample of 14 children with Down syndrome and 14 typically developing children, matched for mental age, race, and gender, over a 47-minute independent play session. Passive episodes were coded for point of occurrence in the play session. In our sample, children with Down syndrome exhibited more time in passive behavior than their typically developing counterparts did. For some children with Down syndrome, passivity increased commensurate with time spent in the play session. Implications from these findings for both research and practice are given.
Innovation Models and Business Process Redesign

Business Process Reengineering (BPR) is a paradigm that is used by many organizations to survive in the competitive era. However, creative design of the business processes is a critical phase and the organization should prepare the ground for innovation in this phase. Innovation helps organizations to use the BPR concept efficiently. This paper reviews the BPR methodologies and innovation concepts and models and presents a business process redesign framework based on the innovation models using Dubin’s methodology. This brings innovation concepts to the world of business process reengineering. In the proposed framework, external and internal factors enforce the organization to accomplish a BPR project. Preparing an organization for innovation makes a new environment that drives employees to innovate and look forward to new processes. This is crucial for BPR projects where employees should make significant changes in jobs, workflows and IT, and increases the chance of BPR projects success. Key words: Innovation; Business process redesign framework; Dubin’s methodology
A price-performance analysis of EC2, Google Compute and Rackspace cloud providers for scientiﬁc computing

One of the recently emerging areas in cloud computing is deployment of virtual machines across multiple clouds based on providers’ ranking. This involves benchmarking of diﬀerent cloud providers, development of diﬀerent techniques for selection of candidate providers and frameworks for ranking cloud providers. Existing benchmarking studies are mostly focused on selection of best-ﬁt cloud provider among a set of cloud providers for a particular set of quality attributes based on industry best standard tools and techniques. However, most of the researches are focused on performance of IaaS cloud providers and price-performance analysis is normally ignored while benchmarking IaaS metrics. In this work, we propose a novel QoS based ranking methodology along with price-performance analysis that can be used as an input for selecting candidate cloud providers. Our proposed mechanism allows cloud consumers to ﬁnd the most cost eﬀective virtual machines for a given set of user preferences. As a case study, we present performance evaluation and benchmarking results of three major cloud providers: Google, Amazon and Rackspace. c (cid:13) 2016 All rights reserved.
A model for ideal m=1 internal kink stabilization by minority ion cyclotron resonant heating

A generalized energy principle is used to determine the effect of ion cyclotron resonant heating (ICRH) on the stability of m=1 internal kink displacements in the low‐frequency limit: such displacements are associated with sawtooth oscillations. An integral expression is obtained for the contribution to the plasma energy of an ICRH‐heated minority ion population with strong temperature anisotropy, which relates the former to the ICRH power input and its deposition profile. The link is provided by a realistic, but analytically tractable, new model for the distribution function of the heated ions, which is based on the approach of Stix [Nucl. Fusion 15, 737 (1975)]. Numerical evaluation of the integral expression is carried out using parameters inferred from ICRH experiments in the Joint European Torus (JET) [Campbell et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 60, 2148 (1988)]. It is shown that the ideal m=1 internal kink is stable at values of the poloidal plasma beta βp which typically lie in the range 0.4–1, depending on .
Habitat use and diet of the wolf in northern Italy

Habitat use and diet of wolves Canis lupus were examined in a mountainous area in the northern Apennines (northern Italy) from December 1987 to March 1989. Wolf signs were looked for along 22 transects representative of the different habitat types of the study area in order to define seasonal differences in habitat use. Scats were collected and analysed to identify the main food items used by wolves in each season. Changes in range surface area were recorded in different seasons in relation to food availability and territoriality of the wolves.
MIXED PIXEL WISE CHARACTERIZATION BASED ON HDP-HMM AND HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGE SHAPE DETECTION USING HYBRID CANNY EDGE DETECTION AND WPDF

Hyper Spectral Imaging (HSI) gathers and processes information from across the electromagnetic spectrum. The information enclosed in hyperspectral data permits the characterization, recognition and classification of the land-covers with enhanced accuracy and robustness. On the other hand, quite a lot of vital complications must be considered during the classification process of hyperspectral data, among which the maximum quantity of spectral channels, the spatial unevenness of the spectral signature, shape discovery of the images and the value of data. Above all, the maximum quantity of spectral channels and low number of labeled training samples pose the setback of the curse of dimensionality and, accordingly, result in the possibility of overfitting the training data. With the aim of solving all these complications, in this study presented the framework of Support Vector Machine (SVM) together with Fuzzy Sigmoid Kernel Function (SVM-FSK) in the circumstance of HSI classification and analyzing their features in the hyperspectral domain. A Kernel Fisher Discriminant Analysis (KFDA) model is employed for the purpose of dimensionality reduction of HSI. The KFDA dimensionality reduction scheme depends on the selection of the kernel in a higher-dimensional HSI feature space. In order to enhance the gradient level of spatial information, employed Improved Empirical Mode Decomposition (IEMD) with Gaussian Firefly Algorithm (GFA) (IEMD-GFA) to boost the mixed pixel wise SVM-FSK classification accuracy. During the process of IEMD scheme, the identifiable of Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs) of spectral band, weight values of IMFs are computed with the help of GFA. In order to identify the shape of HSI, novel hybrid scheme depending on the canny operator and fuzzy entropy theory is formulated. This scheme computes the fuzzy entropy of gradients from an image to make a decision on the threshold for the canny operator. For the purpose of detecting the edges and to discover the shape of the object Weibull Probability Density Function (WPDF) scheme is used. The obtained both spectral and spatial pixels are classified using SVM-FSK and estimated by using Hierarchical Dirichlet Process (HDP)-Hidden Markov Model (HMM). The proposed SVM-FSK is assessed with hyperspectral AVIRIS Indian Pine dataset. It shows that the proposed dimensionality reduction with SVM-FSK classification shows improved classification accuracy in terms of parameters like overall accuracy, standard deviation and mean.
A Carrier Synchronization Algorithm for SDR-based Communication with LEO Satellites

In this work a carrier synchronization algorithm for communication with low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites was proposed. The algorithm has a form of a software routine and is intended to be run on a typical personal computer (PC) providing computational resources for a software defined radio (SDR) receiver. Due to limited computational power of PCs in comparison with other devices, such as FPGAs, the work was focused on providing carrier synchronization with minimal processing. The algorithm includes a nonlinear operation for recovering carrier wave from the received signal, a software 2nd order type 2 phase locked loop for tracking the recovered carrier, and a correction block for removing frequency shift from the received signal. Computer simulations were performed to investigate algorithm’s behavior. Additionally, execution time was measured to determine maximal symbol rate of a signal to be processed.
QMCF-MD Simulation and NBO Analysis of K(I) Ion in Liquid Ammonia

Ab initio of Quantum Mechanics Charge Field Molecular Dynamic (QMCF-MD) of K(I) ion in liquid ammonia has been studied. A Hartree-Fock level of theory was coupled with LANL2DZ ECP basis set for K(I) ion and DZP (Dunning) for ammonia. Two regions as first and second solvation shell were observed. In the first solvation shell at distance 3.7 (A), K(I) ion was coordinated by four to eight ammonia molecules dominated by K(NH 3 ) 6 + species. Second shell of solvation was ranging between 3.7 A to 7.3 A. Within simulation time of 20 ps, the frequent exchange processes of ligands indicating for a very labile solvation structure. Four mechanism types of ligand exchange between first and second solvation shell were observed. Mean residence time of ligand is less than 2 ps confirming weak in ion-ligand interaction. Evaluation of K(NH 3 ) 6 + using natural bond orbital analysis shows that the Wiberg bond Index is less than 0.05 indicating weak electrostatic interaction of K-N.
Correlation plots of the Siberian radioheliograph

The Siberian Solar Radio Telescope is now being upgraded. The upgrading is aimed at providing the aperture synthesis imaging in the 4-8 GHz frequency range, instead of the single-frequency direct imaging due to the Earth rotation. The first phase of the upgrading is a 48-antenna array - the Siberian Radioheliograph. One type of radioheliograph data represents correlation plots. In evaluating the covariance of two-level signals, these plots are sums of complex correlations, obtained for different antenna pairs. Bearing in mind that correlation of signals from an antenna pair is related to a spatial frequency, we can say that each value of the plot is an integral over a spatial spectrum. Limits of the integration are defined by the task. Only high spatial frequencies are integrated to obtain dynamics of compact sources. The whole spectrum is integrated to reach maximum sensitivity. We show that the covariance of two-level variables up to Van Vleck correction is a correlation coefficient of these variables.
THE "OPTICAL POTENTIAL" AND MULTIPLE DIFFUSE SCATTERING IN DYNAMICAL ELECTRON DIFFRACTION AND IMAGING

The theory for the absorption potential (or optical potential) in electron diffraction was established many years ago by Yoshioka. However, few studies have been devoted to examining the approximations originally introduced when the potential was derived. In this paper, the absorption potential first proposed by Yoshioka is revised for dynamic electron diffraction with consideration of the effects arising from thermal diffuse scattering and point defect scattering. A rigorous theoretical proof is given to show that the inclusion of this “potential” in the dynamical calculation automatically recovers the contributions made by the high order diffuse scatter-ing, although the calculation is done using the equation derived for single diffuse scattering. If Yoshioka’s approximation is made, i.e., the Green’s function is replaced by its form in freespace, then the inclusion of the optical potential in dynamical calculations still recovers the multiple diffuse scattering terms except the dynamic Bragg reflection after each diffuse scattering event. This conclusion establishes the basis for expanding the conventional diffraction theories developed under the first order diffuse scattering approximation to cases where the specimen thickness is large and the degree of disorder is high. It has been shown that the “optical potential” depends also on the structure of the crystal. The Fourier coefficients of this function are given in the Bloch wave representation for transmission electron diffraction.
Three Dimensional Reconstruction of tll . e Tectorial Membrane : An Image Processing Method using Nomarski Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy

Signal processing methods are developed to estimate the three dimensional structure of a specimen from images obtained with a light microscope equipped with Nomarski Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) optics. Physical processes underlying image formation are modelled as a linear system that converts refractive index to light intensity. These processes include diffraction by a finite aperture and differential interference. Methods for empirically determining the signal processing properties of a DIC microscope are developed. Images of a polystyrene microsphere are used to estimate the three-dimensional impulse response (point spread function) of the microscope. Noise and other degradations of measured images are also characterized. l\1easured signal processing properties of the microscope are shown to differ in significant ways from the theory. Three-dimensional intensity patterns are obtained from optical sections, i.e. from images taken at a sequence of focal planes. However, images from a DIC microscope are difficult to interpret; the intensity patterns exhibit a shadowing effect and are blurred. Deconvolution methods are developed to estimate the underlying structure of the specimen and thereby simplify interpretation. These methods are applied to the tectorial membrane (a structure in the inner ear) of the alligator lizard. Thesis Supervisor: Dennis M. Freeman Title: Research Scientist
Computation of meson masses on the lattice

In this report we will present the computation of meson masses on the lattice. To do so we first discuss the calculation of correlation functions from first principles by means of numer- ical methods. After a short introduction, we will address the lattice action we have used and how we can extract a physical mass, for the pion namely, from a correlation function. The correlator is given by a statistical expectation value over contractions of fermionic propagators, which we calculate. We further investigate the use of stochastic methods. We discuss how to calculate a reliable error for the statistical and stochastic mean value and from the resulting error, that we present, we deduce how to optimize the use of the introduced methods.
Effect of lipophilic bismuth nanoparticles on erythrocytes

Lipophilic bismuth dimercaptopropanol nanoparticles (BisBAL NPs) have a very important antimicrobial activity; however their effect on human cells or tissues has not been completely studied. Undesirable effects of bismuth include anemia which could result from suicidal erythrocyte death or eryptosis. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of bismuth dimercaptopropanol nanoparticles on blood cells. The nanoparticles are composed of 53nm crystallites on average and have a spherical structure, agglomerating into clusters of small nanoparticles. Based on cell viability assays and optical microscopy, cytotoxicity on erythrocytes was observed after growing with 500 and 1000 µM of BisBAL NPs for 24 h. AM Calcein was retained inside erythrocytes when they were exposed to 100 µM (or lower concentrations) of BisBAL NPs for 24 h, suggesting the absence of damage in plasmatic membrane. Genotoxic assays revealed no damage to genomic DNA of blood cells after 24 h of exposition to BisBAL NPs. Finally, 100-1000 µM of bismuth nanoparticles promotes apoptosis between blood cells after 24 h of incubation. Hence BisBAL NPs at concentrations lower than 100 µM do not cause damage on blood cells; they could potentially be used by humans without affecting erythrocytes and leukocytes.
A Full Spectrum Analysis Methodology Applied to an Anisotropic Overhung Rotor

This paper demonstrates the methodology and usefulness of full spectrum analysis on theoretical models and experimental measurements. This method establishes another bridge between model and data that is not currently being used to its greatest advantage. Some experimental devices display full spectrum vibration signals but most often half spectrum is reported. Correlating analytical models with experimental data using full spectrum analysis is similarly underutilized. In this paper, 3D full spectrum plots from x and y signals (from either experimental or theoretical results) are shown to match very well with the plots generated by experimental ADRE software. Tracking filters are used to isolate synchronous and non-synchronous vibration and allow for accurate phase angle measurement. The strategy developed by this paper can accurately convert the math angle from theoretical model to experimental instrumentation phase angle. Then we draw direct comparison of experimental results of a flexible overhung rotor with theoretical results to estimate unknown system parameters such as bearing stiffness and skew angle due to the gyroscopic effect. Finally, our paper provides other significant results such as 3D orbit plots. The tools developed here directly connect the experiment to the theoretical model and can be used to verify theoretical models with greater confidence.
FORECASTING STOCK MARKET MOVEMENT: A NEURAL NETWORK APPROACH

Recent researchers approached several techniques to forecast the stock market movement as the motivation for the financial gain. Traditionally, technical analysis approach that forecast stock prices based on historical prices and volume, basic concepts of trends, price patterns and oscillators is commonly used by stock investors to aid investment decisions. In this paper a computational approach called Neural Network is used for the prediction of stock market prices. The training is done with the back propagation algorithm for the data set of the 5 Indian companies. The dataset encompassed the trading days from Aug ’04 to Jan ’13. The error rate is found for the accuracy prediction in the working platform of MATLAB and is implemented.
' s personal copy Digestive utilization of ozone-exposed forage by rabbits ( Oryctolagus cuniculus )

A mixture of common Southern Piedmont (USA) grassland species (Lolium arundinacea, Paspalum dilatatum, Cynodon dactylon and Trifolium repens) was exposed to O3 [ambient (non-filtered; NF) and twice-ambient (2X) concentrations] and fed to individually caged New Zealand white rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in a digestibility experiment. Forages and feed refusals were analyzed for concentrations of total cell wall constituents, lignin, crude protein, and soluble and hydrolyzable phenolic fractions. Neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber digestibility by rabbits were significantly lower for 2X than NF forage. Decreased digestibility could not be attributed to lignin concentrations, but was associated with increased concentrations of acid-hydrolyzable and saponifiable phenolics. Exposure of forage to elevated O3 resulted in decreased digestible dry matter intake by rabbits. Elevated O3 concentrations could be expected to have a negative impact on forage quality, resulting in decreased nutrient utilization by mammalian herbivores in Southern Piedmont grasslands under projected future climate scenarios. 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Optimization for cutting force and material removal rate in milling thin-walled parts

Conservative milling parameters are usually adopted in actual milling. This paper presents an optimization procedure to determine the optimum combinations of machining parameters for minimal cutting force and maximal machining efficiency. The regression model for cutting force is developed as objective function according to experimental results. The objectives under investigation in this study are cutting force and material removal rate subjected to constraints conditions. A non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is then adopted to solve this multi-objective optimization problem. The optimized combinations of machining parameters are achieved by the Pareto optimal solutions.
Towards an automated estimation of vegetation cover fractions on multiple scales: Examples of Eastern and Southern Africa

Vegetation cover is one of the key parameters for monitoring the state and dynamics of ecosystems. African semi-arid landscapes are especially prone to degradation due to climate change and increased anthropogenic impact on different spatial and temporal scales. In this study, a multiscale method is applied to monitor vegetation cover by deriving sub-pixel percentages of woody vegetation, herbaceous vegetation and soil. The approach is comparatively applied to two semi-arid savannas, one in Namibia and one in Kenya. The results in eastern and southern Africa demonstrate the applicability of the method to different semiarid ecosystems and to different types of remote sensing data. The presented analysis could show that continuous cover mapping is a highly suitable concept for semi-arid ecosystems, as these show gradual transitions rather than distinct borders between land cover types. Different spatial patterns of vegetation cover depending on land use practices and intensities could be revealed.
Discussion of Do Acquirers Manage Earnings Prior to a Share for Share Bid

Botsari and Meeks (2008) (hereafter BM) replicate the analysis of Erickson and Wang (1999) using a sample of UK acquirers. Empirical tests seek to determine whether bidders in share swap acquisitions manipulate earnings upwards during the preacquisition period in an attempt to inflate their share price and hence minimise the number of shares issued in exchange for the target. BM present results consistent with this prediction and as such their findings add to a growing body of evidence highlighting the importance of capital market-driven incentives for earnings management. My discussion focuses on the following aspects of their study. First, I examine the theory underlying BM’s main prediction and review their empirical findings. Then I discuss aspects of BM’s research design from the perspective of both their study and the broader earnings management literature.
The relationship between activity and gender

(34 boys and 34 girls) children, enrolled in any physical activity in kindergarten was made of 75 pre-schoolers. The sample of variable gender and physical activity. For determining motor abilities, physical activity and gender the regression The significant relations were found also between girls and flexibility and balancing. Concerning Boys, Early childhood, Girls, Motor proficiency