Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Advanced learners’ comprehension of discourse connectives: The role of L1 transfer across on-line and off-line tasks

Discourse connectives are important indicators of textual coherence, and mastering them is an essential part of acquiring a language. In this article, we compare advanced learners’ sensitivity to the meaning conveyed by connectives in an off-line grammaticality judgment task and an on-line reading experiment using eye-tracking. We also assess the influence of first language (L1) transfer by comparing learners’ comprehension of two non-native-like semantic uses of connectives in English, often produced by learners due to transfer from French and Dutch. Our results indicate that in an off-line task transfer is an important factor accounting for French- and Dutch-speaking learners’ non-native-like comprehension of connectives. During on-line processing, however, learners are as sensitive as native speakers to the meaning conveyed by connectives. These results raise intriguing questions regarding explicit vs. implicit knowledge in language learners.
Bargaining over Managerial Contracts in Delegation Games: The Generalized Oligopolistic Case

The main purpose of this paper is to disclose the properties of the equilibrium outcomes in the differentiated-products model with two stages: (i) owner-shareholders negotiate managerial compensation with their managers that comprises their profits and sales (sales delegation) and (ii) they engage in their market competition. The other purpose of this paper is to study the differentiated goods model in which an owner bargains the managerial compensation with her/his manager that comprises her/his profit and her/his rival's profit (relative performance delegation). We further investigate the situation wherein the firm with sales delegation and the firm with the relative performance delegation coexist. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Contraintes organisationnelles, distorsion de la communication et souffrance éthique : le cas des centres d'appels téléphoniques.

Sur base d’une enquete realisee dans le secteur des centres d’appel telephonique, cette these analyse l’impact subjectif de la prescription du mensonge au travail. Le premier temps de la these est consacre a la presentation et a l’interpretation du materiel clinique. Celle-ci debouche sur une discussion psychodynamique du concept de souffrance ethique qui convoque le champ de la philosophie morale, notamment les ethiques du care. Par ailleurs, la mise en evidence de strategies defensives contre la souffrance au travail d’un type nouveau, ainsi que de modes de gestion du personnel qui se caracterisent par une instrumentalisation de la reconnaissance, permettent de reinterroger a de nouveaux frais les avantages et les inconvenients de ces concepts au sein d’une theorie de l’autonomie. Enfin, le probleme de la servitude volontaire est aborde a l’aide de travaux philosophiques sur la liberte de la volonte. Il en ressort que l’articulation entre liberte et coercition beneficierait d’une discussion approfondie des rapports entre violence et corps erogene.
Simulations with Particle Method

In computer graphics, one of the most exciting themes is visualization based on physical simulation, and visual simulation of fluid, which includes liquid and air, is the most challenging issue among them. In order to visualize fluid behavior, there are two major methods: Eulerian grid method and Lagrangian particle method. In Eulerian grid method, level set method is used to identify the boundary of the fluid. In Lagrangian particle method, Marching Cubes is used as the technique that generates the surface of the fluid, while some researches use level set method to generate it, which is called particle level set method.
O C ] 8 O ct 2 01 8 On strong tangential transversality ∗

Transversality is a classical concept of mathematical analysis and differential topology. Recently, it has proven to be useful in variational analysis as well. As it is stated in [12], the transversality-oriented language is extremely natural and convenient in some parts of variational analysis, including subdifferential calculus and nonsmooth optimization. We arrived to the study of transversality of sets when investigating Pontryagin’s type maximum principle for optimal control problems with terminal constraints in infinite dimensional state space. In order to prove a nonseparation result (if one can not separate the approximating cones of two closed sets at a common point and, moreover, the cones have nontrivial intersection, then the sets can not be separated as well) we introduced the notion of uniform tangent set (cf. [19]). It happened to be very useful for obtaining necessary conditions for optimal control problems in infinite dimensional state space, because the diffuse variations (which are naturally defined and easy to calculate) form a uniform tangent set to the reachable set of a control system. The present manuscript and [2] are an effort to understand the relation of our study to the established results and methods of nonsmooth optimization. As we arrived to some known notions and results using our approach, the proofs of the known theorems are completely different from the classical ones and, moreover, we found some new and surprising results. Our proofs do not use variational principles and we are concentrated mainly on tangential conditions in the primal space. Here we introduce the notion of strong tangential transversality in Banach spaces. It is characterized in the primal space – its formulation involves uniform tangent sets. It is a convenient sufficient condition for tangential transversality (cf. [2]). Unlike it, strong tangential transversality is appropriate for obtaining results not only using tangents, but also using normals. Since uniform tangent sets are closely connected to the Clarke subdiffrential (cf. [19] and [3]), the main results concern the Clarke tangent and normal cones. To be more precise, strong tangential transversality implies an intersection property for the Clarke tangent and normal cones and a rather general sum rule for the Clarke subdifferential. For the sake of completeness, we remind the definition of tangential and normal intersection property from [2]. Let TC(x) be the tangent cone (in some sense – Bouligand, derivable, Clarke, .) to the closed subset C of the Banach
Modelling variability of within-ring density components in Quercus petraea Liebl. with mixed-effect models and simulating the influence of contrasting silvicultures on wood density

La densite moyenne, les largeurs et densites du bois initial et final ont ete mesurees par microdensitometrie sur des barrettes de bois. Les barrettes ont ete prelevees sur deux rayons et echantillonnees a plusieurs hauteurs sur 82 arbres repartis en parcelles et regions (24 200 cernes mesures). Des modeles a effets mixtes sont construits avec l'âge depuis la moelle et la largeur de cerne de maniere a evaluer les effets des facteurs region, placette, arbre et position dans l'arbre sur les composantes densitometriques des arbres. La contribution de chaque effet teste est ensuite estimee par rapport a la variation totale des composantes de la densite. Dans un troisieme temps, le modele mixte de densite moyenne etabli a 1,30 m est teste sur un nouvel echantillonnage. Enfin, ce modele est utilise pour simuler l'influence de pratiques sylvicoles contrastees sur la densite du bois, la simulation prenant en compte les variabilites inter-arbre pour la densite et la croissance radiale des arbres.
The energy decay in self-preserving isotropic turbulence revisited

The assumption of self-preservation permits an analytical determination of the energy decay in isotropic turbulence. Batchelor (1948), who was the first to carry out a detailed study of this problem, based his analysis on the assumption that the Loitsianskii integral is a dynamic invariant – a widely accepted hypothesis that was later discovered to be invalid. Nonetheless, it appears that the self-preserving isotropic decay problem has never been reinvestigated in depth subsequent to this earlier work. In the present paper such an analysis is carried out, yielding a much more complete picture of self-preserving isotropic turbulence. It is proven rigorously that complete self-preserving isotropic turbulence admits two general types of asymptotic solutions: one where the turbulent kinetic energy K ∼ t−1 and one where K ∼ t−α with an exponent α > 1 that is determined explicitly by the initial conditions. By a fixed-point analysis and numerical integration of the exact one-point equations, it is demonstrated that the K ∼ t−1 power law decay is the asymptotically consistent high-Reynolds-number solution; the K ∼ t−α decay law is only achieved in the limit as t → ∞ and the turbulence Reynolds number Rt vanishes. Arguments are provided which indicate that a t−1 power law decay is the asymptotic state toward which a complete self-preserving isotropic turbulence is driven at high Reynolds numbers in order to resolve an O(R1½) imbalance between vortex stretching and viscous diffusion. Unlike in previous studies, the asymptotic approach to a complete self-preserving state is investigated which uncovers some surprising results.
Video Summarisation : A Conceptual Framework and Survey

Video summaries provide condensed and succinct representations of the content of a video stream through a combination of still images, video segments, graphical representations and textual descriptors. This paper presents a conceptual framework for video summarisation derived from the research literature and used as a means for surveying the research literature. The framework distinguishes between video summarisation techniques (the methods used to process content from a source video stream to achieve a summarisation of that stream) and video summaries (outputs of video summarisation techniques). Video summarisation techniques are considered within three broad categories: internal (analyse information sourced directly from the video stream), external (analyse information not sourced directly from the video stream) and hybrid (analyse a combination of internal and external information). Video summaries are considered as a function of the type of content they are derived from (object, event, perception or feature based) and the functionality offered to the user for their consumption (interactive or static, personalised or generic). It is argued that video summarisation would benefit from greater incorporation of external information, particularly user based information that is unobtrusively sourced, in order to overcome longstanding challenges such as the semantic gap and providing video summaries that have greater relevance to individual users.
Fabrication of Quaternized Chitosan Nanoparticles Using Tripolyphosphate/Genipin Dual Cross-Linkers as a Protein Delivery System

Various amounts of 2-((acryloyloxy)ethyl)trimethylammonium chloride were grafted onto chitosan (CS) via redox polymerization method to obtain water-soluble quaternized CS (QCS). The QCS nanoparticles loaded with bovine serum albumin (BSA) were then produced by ionic gelation with tripolyphosphate (TPP) and further covalently cross-linked with genipin. The formation of QCS nanoparticles was optimized as a function of monomer grafting yield, QCS/TPP weight ratio, and QCS/genipin weight ratio by Box-Behnken design and response surface methodology. The results showed that QCS nanoparticles prepared with a grafting yield of 50%, QCS/TPP weight ratio of 7.67, and QCS/genipin weight ratio of 60 had a particle size of 193.68 ± 44.92 nm, polydispersity of 0.232, zeta potential of +23.97 mV and BSA encapsulation efficiency of 46.37 ± 2.89%, which were close to the predicted values from mathematical models. In vitro drug release studies at pH 1.2 and pH 7.4 exhibited that the release rate of BSA was significantly decreased and the release period was significantly prolonged after QCS nanoparticles cross-linking with genipin. Therefore, QCS nanoparticles cross-linked with TPP/genipin dual cross-linkers may be a promising protein drug carrier for a prolonged and sustained delivery.
Fiction and Organization Studies

The topic of fiction is in itself not new to the domain of organization studies. However, prior research has often separated fiction from the reality of organizations and used fiction metaphorically or as a figurative source to describe and interpret organizations. In this article, we go beyond the classic use of fiction, and suggest that fiction should be a central concern in organization studies. We draw on the philosophy of fiction to offer an alternative account of the nature of fiction and its basic operation. We specifically import Searle’s work on speech acts, Walton’s pretense theory, Iser’s fictionalizing acts, and Ricoeur’s work on narrative fiction to theorize about organizations as fictions. In doing so, we hope that we not only offer an account of the “ontological status” of organizations but also provide a set of theoretical coordinates and lenses through which, separately or together, the notion of organizations as fictions can be approached and understood.
Turbulent mixing in a sloping benthic boundary layer energized by internal waves

A laboratory study was carried out to directly measure the turbulence properties in a benthic boundary layer (BBL) above a uniformly sloping bottom where the BBL is energized by internal waves. The ambient fluid was continuously stratified and the steadily forced incoming wave field consisted of a confined beam, restricting the turbulent activity to a finite region along the bottom slope. Measurements of dissipation showed some variation over the wave phase, but cycle-averaged values indicated that the dissipation was nearly constant with height within the BBL. Dissipation levels were up to three orders of magnitude larger than background laminar values and the thickness of the BBL could be defined in terms of the observed dissipation variation with height. Assuming that most of the incoming wave energy was dissipated within the BBL, predicted levels of dissipation were in good agreement with the observations. Measurements were also made of density and two orthogonal components of the velocity fluctuations at discrete heights above the bottom. Cospectral estimates of density and velocity fluctuations showed that the major contributions to both the vertical density flux and the momentum flux resulted from frequencies near the wave forcing frequency, rather than super-buoyancy frequencies, suggesting a strong nonlinear interaction between the incident and reflected waves close to the bottom. Within the turbulent BBL, time-averaged density fluxes were significant and negative near the wave frequencies but negligible at frequencies greater than the buoyancy frequency N. While dissipation rates were high compared to background laminar values, they were low compared to the value of εtr ≈ 15vN2, the transition value often used to assess the capacity of a stratified flow to produce mixing. Existing models relating mixing to dissipation rate rely on the existence of a positive-definite density flux at frequencies greater than N as a signature of fluid mixing and therefore cannot apply to these experiments. We therefore introduce a simple model, based on the concept of diascalar fluxes, to interpret the mixing in the stratified fluid in the BBL and suggest that this may have wider application than to the particular configuration studied here.
Below‐ground plant traits influence tundra plant acquisition of newly thawed permafrost nitrogen

The release of permafrost‐derived nitrogen (N) has the potential to fertilize tundra vegetation, which in turn may stimulate productivity and thus offset carbon (C) losses from thawing permafrost. Below‐ground plant traits may mediate ecosystem response to permafrost thaw and associated feedbacks to the atmosphere by differentially conferring access to deep, newly thawed permafrost N. Yet, identifying roots and quantifying root N uptake from deep, cold soils in complex plant communities has proved challenging to date. We investigated plant acquisition of experimentally added 15N isotope tracer applied at the permafrost boundary in graminoid‐ and shrub‐dominated tundra at Eight Mile Lake, Alaska, when the thaw front was close to its maximum depth, simulating the release of newly thawed permafrost N. We used molecular tools to verify species and estimate biomass, nitrogen, and isotope pools. Root biomass depth distributions follow an asymptotic relationship with depth, typical of other ecosystems. Few species had roots occurring close to the thaw front. Rubus chamaemorus, a short‐statured non‐mycorrhizal forb, and Carex bigelowii, a sedge, consistently had the deepest roots. Twenty‐four hours after isotope addition, we observed that deep‐rooted, non‐mycorrhizal species had the highest 15N enrichment values in their fine root tissue indicating that they access deep N late in the growing season when the thaw front is deepest. Deep‐rooted plants are therefore able to immediately take up newly thawed permafrost‐derived N. During the following growing season, herbaceous, non‐mycorrhizal plants allocated tracer above‐ground before woody, mycorrhizal plants. Ectomycorrhizal deciduous and ericoid mycorrhizal evergreen shrubs, by contrast, did not have immediate access to the deep N tracer and assimilated it into new foliar tissue gradually over the following growing season. Synthesis. Graminoids and forbs that have immediate access to deep N represent a modest C sink compared to C emissions from thawing permafrost. However, the effects of deep N fertilization on shrubs over longer time‐scales may stimulate productivity and account for a more considerable N and C sink, thus constraining the permafrost C‐climate feedback.
A Tutoring System on Program Logic Formulation ( PLF ) for Fundamentals of Programming Students

Training people through tutoring system is one factor why there are continuous threads running through this research which define its essential and distinctive nature. Specifically, tutoring systems are computer-based learning structures which attempt to adapt to the needs of learners and are therefore the only systems which attempt to 'care' about learners in that sense. This paper presents findings on how effective the tutoring system on program logic formulation as a supportive measure of students’ capacity of learning logical design. Findings of the study support the educational aspect of learning via computer structures to explain further concepts and applications not totally learned during lecture hours. The researcher proposes to implement in the IT PLF with the use of SCORM Learning Objects with RELOAD editor software and supported by an open source LMS to improve the portability of digital resource and improve the content assimilation in students. Expecting enhancement of structuring the student understanding of a programming language.
‘She’s a slut … and it’s wrong’: Youth constructions of taxi queens in the Western Cape

Recent research on young women’s sexuality highlights the transactional nature of relationships among young people, as well as the increase in intergenerational sexual relationships. These unequal and often coercive sexual practices may increase young women’s vulnerability to unsafe sexual practices. Within this context, while there have been some media reports on the relationship between girls and taxi drivers, there has been little documented research on the phenomenon of ‘taxi queens’. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the understandings and constructions of taxi queens among local youth. A qualitative study involving 13 focus groups were held with youth in the Cape Town Metropole and the southern Cape region and analysed thematically. In general, there was widespread recognition among participants of transactional relationships between young women and usually older drivers. Taxi queens were strongly stigmatised, but their behaviour was also constructed as normative, especially in poor communities, and reflecting contradictory notions of vulnerability and power. However, taxi drivers were less stigmatised. Such constructions allow for the ‘othering’ of these young women, which may undermine their ability to seek help in negotiating safer sexual relationships. At the same time, their concerns need to be understood within the larger context of challenges facing youth, especially in poor South African communities.
A TUTORIAL-STYLE INTRODUCTION TO FACTOR ANALYZED GMMS FOR S PEECH RECOGNITION

This is an in-depth, tutorial-style introduction to the tec hniques involved in training a factor analyzed style of speech recog nition system. Algorithms are explained in detail, with an emphasi s on the how-to rather than the derivations. The recipe described he re is both an extension to and a special case of the prior work we have don . Changes include a simplification of the procedure used to ini ialize these models, the introduction of “sub-models” which saves m mory and may have modeling advantages, an extended approach to fa ctor based speaker adaptation that uses the sub-models, and a mec h nism to estimate a subspace-constrained version of Constrained MLLR transforms in this framework.
Dynamics of the Tear Film 1 Dynamics of the Tear Film

In this paper, current understanding of tear film physiology and mathematical models for some its dynamics are discussed. First, a brief introduction to the tear film and the ocular surface is given. Next, mathematical models for the tear film are discussed, with an emphasis on models that describe the formation and relaxation of the tear film from blinking. Finally, future issues in tear film modeling are listed.
4 O ct 2 01 8 Comment on ‘ Detecting Topology Variations in Networks of Linear Dynamical Systems ’

The article [1] presents conditions under which topology variations in a network of homogeneous linear subsystems can be detected, using measurements of the network’s natural response. The conditions are developed by first characterizing discernibility of the natural responses of a nominal and modified linear system for different initial states (Lemma 1, Corollary 1, and Proposition 1), and then applying this result to the dynamical-network model of interest (Proposition 2 and following results). The study aims to distill detectability of topology variations into a condition phrased entirely in terms of the network’s topology, specifically the spectrum of the Laplacian matrix associated with the network’s graph. The following example demonstrates an error in the topological results developed in [1] (Proposition 2 and following results), and illustrates that the detection of topology variations cannot always be distilled to a condition only on the network’s topology. Per the notation in [1], we consider an