Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the use of dynamically varied loudspeaker spacing in wave field synthesis

Wave field synthesis (WFS) has evolved as a promising spatial audio rendering technique in recent years and has been widely accepted as the optimal way of sound reproduction technique. Suppressing spatial aliasing artifacts and accurate reproduction of sound field remain the focal points of research in WFS over the recent years. The use of optimum loudspeaker configuration is necessary to achieve perceptually correct sound field in the listening space. In this paper, we analyze the performance of dynamically modified loudspeaker array whose spacing varies with the audio signal frequency content. The proposed technique optimizes the usage of a prearranged set of loudspeaker array to avoid spatial aliasing at relatively low frequencies as compared to uniformly fixed array spacing in conventional WFS setup.
Real-time Analysis of Online Product Reviews by Means of Multi-layer Feed-forward Neural Networks

In the recent past, the quantitative analysis of online product reviews (OPRs) has become a popular manifestation of marketing intelligence activities focusing on products that are frequently subject to electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). Typical elements of OPRs are overall star ratings, product attrib-ute scores, recommendations, pros and cons, and free texts. The first three elements are of particular interest because they provide an aggregate view of reviewersâ€™ opinions about the products of inter-est. However, the significance of individual product attributes in the overall evaluation process can vary in the course of time. Accordingly, ad hoc analyses of OPRs that have been downloaded at a cer-tain point in time are of limited value for dynamic eWOM monitoring because of their snapshot char-acter. On the other hand, opinion platforms can increase the meaningfulness of the OPRs posted there and, therewith, the usefulness of the platform as a whole, by directing eWOM activities to those product attributes that really matter at present. This paper therefore introduces a neural net-work-based approach that allows the dynamic tracking of the influence the posted scores of product attributes have on the overall star ratings of the concerning products. By using an elasticity measure, this approach supports the identification of those attributes that tend to lose or gain significance in the product evaluation process over time. The usability of this approach is demonstrated using real OPR data on digital cameras and hotels.
Is There a Disk of Satellites around the Milky Way?

The “disk of satellites” (DoS) around the Milky Way is a highly debated topic with conflicting interpretations of observations and their theoretical models. We perform a comprehensive analysis of all of the dwarfs detected in the Milky Way and find that the DoS structure depends strongly on the plane identification method and the sample size. In particular, we demonstrate that a small sample size can artificially produce a highly anisotropic spatial distribution and a strong clustering of the angular momentum of the satellites. Moreover, we calculate the evolution of the 11 classical satellites with proper motion measurements and find that the thin DoS in which they currently reside is transient. Furthermore, we analyze two cosmological simulations using the same initial conditions of a Milky-Way-sized galaxy, an N-body run with dark matter only, and a hydrodynamic one with both baryonic and dark matter, and find that the hydrodynamic simulation produces a more anisotropic distribution of satellites than the N-body one. Our results suggest that an anisotropic distribution of satellites in galaxies can originate from baryonic processes in the hierarchical structure formation model, but the claimed highly flattened, coherently rotating DoS of the Milky Way may be biased by the small-number selection effect. These findings may help resolve the contradictory claims of DoS in galaxies and the discrepancy among numerical simulations.
Control of Dynamical Systems : An Intelligent Approach

In this paper, we introduce a fuzzy nonlinear feedback approach to the control of a class of chaotic dynamical systems. The fuzzy Parallel Distributed Compensation with Reduced Rule Base approach (PDC_RRB) is proposed. The design procedure is conceptually simple and considered to a nonlinear optimal and robust control problem due to the nonlinear nature of the Takagi-Sugeno (TS) fuzzy system. Simulation results are provided to show the effictiveness of the proposed methodology.
Manipulating reverse current in 21% n-MWT cells

Metal wrap through (MWT) cells and modules offer technology that combines a front junction cell with an all back contact module interconnection offering potential for higher efficiency, improved cost to power ratio, lower electrical cell to module losses, and improved module aesthetics. For the best conversion efficiency, isolation of the vias for the emitter contacts is key to reduce shunting pathways. However, in reverse bias conditions, the vias are also a controlled current pathway for homogenous dissipation of heat, offering new design opportunities for diode free, shade tolerant modules. We have developed a process for via isolation in high efficiency n-MWT cells where the behavior under reverse bias can be tuned with little impact on illuminated I-V curve and efficiency. We find that after the first exposure to reverse bias, the efficiency of these cells stabilizes and further reverse bias soaking or testing has little impact on performance. Further, these cells were processed into single cell laminates for simulated hot spot testing. The laminates with the highest reverse current performed best under all shading conditions (20%100%) and were in fact the only laminates that survived all shading conditions without breakage, hot spot development, or significant conversion efficiency reduction.
Psychological correlates of training load among athletes

Excessive training loads have been identified as a risk factor for injury among athletes, although psychological monitoring may help to ameliorate this risk. As part of an investigation of injury prevention, the present study assessed relationships between perceived stress and recovery, mood responses, and physical training load for 60 athletes (male = 31, female = 29) from basketball, golf, hockey, and rowing over a period of up to 16 weeks. Training duration and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded daily while the Brunel Mood Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes (RESTQ) were completed weekly. Training load was calculated as training duration x RPE. Collectively, psychological indices predicted 24.3% of training load variance. Best predictors were RESTQ scores for physical complaints, success, social recovery, physical recovery, emotional exhaustion, and self-efficacy. Younger athletes reported more positive mood responses, less perceived stress and more positive RESTQ scores. Females reported higher training loads, more positive RESTQ scores, and more positive mood responses. Type of sport differences were identified for almost all psychological indices. Results showed that psychological indices are reflective of training load and may play an important role in injury prevention.
An empirical examination of feedback : user control and performance in a hapto-audio-visual training environment

Utilising advanced technologies, such as virtual environments (VEs), is of importance to training and education. The need to develop and effectively apply interactive, immersive 3D VEs continues to grow. As with any emerging technology, user acceptance of new software and hardware devices is often difficult to measure and guidelines to introduce and ensure adequate and correct usage of such technologies are lacking. It is therefore imperative to obtain a solid understanding of the important elements that play a role in effective learning through VEs. In particular, 3D VEs may present unusual and varied interaction and adoption considerations. The major contribution of this study is to investigate a complex set of interrelated factors in the relatively new sphere of VEs for training and education. Although many of the factors appears to be important from past research, researcher have not explicitly studied a comprehensive set of inter-dependant, empirically validated factors in order to understand how VEs aid complex procedural knowledge and motor skill learning. By integrating theory from research on training, human computer interaction (HCI), ergonomics and cognitive psychology, this research proposes and validates a model that contributes to application-specific VE efficacy formation. The findings of this study show visual feedback has a significant effect on performance. For tactile/force feedback and auditory feedback, no significant effect were found. For satisfaction, user control is salient for performance. Other factors such as interactivity and system comfort, as well as level of task difficulty, also showed effects on performance.
Response to comments on Simplifying the calculation of light scattering properties for black carbon fractal aggregates , ACPD 14 , 3537 – 3562 , 2014

1. One of the simplest and most popular algorithms for light scattering properties of the fractal aggregates is known as the Rayleigh-Debye-Gans (RDG) method, which has simple formulae and is highly efficient for calculations of any circumstance. Thus, before evaluating any parameterization on light scattering properties of the fractal aggregates, its accuracy compared with the direct approximations from the RDG should be checked. If the RDG can give similar accuracy, it becomes really meaningless to carry out any of those parameterizations. I think it is of great interest to add RDG results in the comparison, since RDG is a much more flexible and practical method. As previously mentioned in Bond and Bergstrom (AST, 2006, §5.2 and references therein), the RDG method can under-predict absorption by 30 %. Using the descriptions from Sorensen (AST, 2001) with a structure factor parameterized as suggested by Lin et al. (Phy. Rev. A, 1990), this indeed seems to be the case. In Fig R1, we show the comparison of these RDG calculations and our parameterisaton to the MSTM calculations for scattering and absorption cross-sections. At longer wavelengths, differences between absorption in RDG and MSTM can be greater than 35 %. As such, we feel that the parameterisation presented in this paper is a useful improvement on RDG calculations. A brief summary of RDG has been added to Section 1.3, Light scattering methods, including discussion of the under-prediction of absorption. It reads: “An intermediate step between the rigour of MSTM and the simplicity of assuming spherical aerosols is Rayleigh-Debye-Gans theory (RDG) which assumes that the individual scattering spherules are small enough to be Rayleigh scatterers, and that these scatterers have a negligible multiple scattering interaction with each other. Further details can be found in the review paper by Sorensen (2001). However, as noted by Bond and Bergstrom (2006, §5.2 and references therein),
ISO observations of the Galactic center interstellar medium:. Ionized gas

We present fine structure and recombination line observations of the ionized gas toward a sample of 18 sources located within 300 pc of the center of the Galaxy (hereafter Galactic center, GC). The sources were selected as molecular clouds located far from thermal continuum sources. The fine structure lines from [Nii] and [Siii] were detected in 16 sources. In 10 sources we even detected the [Oiii] 88 μ m line. Several techniques have been used to determine lower and upper limits to the extinction toward each source to correct the observed line fluxes. The derived electron densities of the ionized gas vary from ~100 to ≤ 30 cm -3 . For some sources we were able to derive N, S and Ne abundances. We found that they are similar to those measured in the Hii regions in the 5-kpc ring and in the nuclei of starburst galaxies. The fine structure lines ratios measured for all the sources can be explained by photo-ionization with an effective temperature of the ionizing radiation of 32 000-37 000 K and an ionization parameter, U , of $-1>\log U > -3$. The highest excitation is found in the Radio Arc region but it does not decrease smoothly with distance. There must be more ionizing sources distributed over the Galactic center than the known clusters of massive stars. Most of the clouds are located far (up to 45 pc for M-0.96+0.13) from the prominent continuum complexes (Sgr C, B .). However, it is possible that the clouds are ionized by escaped photons from those complexes. The comparison of the effective temperatures of the ionizing radiation to the measured Lyman continuum photon emission rate implies that the clouds are indeed ionized by distant sources. The excitation ratios, effective temperature and ionization parameter measured in the GC are similar to those found in some low excitation starburst galaxies. The [Neiii]/[Neii] line ratios measured in the GC sources are consistent with the results of the Thornely et al. (2000) model for a short burst of massive star formation less than 8 Myr ago. We have also found that the [Neii] 13 μ m to far-infrared continuum ratio measured for the GC sources is similar to that of external galaxies, supporting the idea of Sturm et al. ([CITE]) that the far-infrared continuum in Active Galaxies is dominated by dust heated by stellar radiation rather than by the AGN.
Persistent energy-time entanglement covering multiple resonances of an on-chip biphoton frequency comb

We investigate the time-frequency signatures of an on-chip biphoton frequency comb (BFC) generated from a silicon nitride microring resonator. Using a Franson interferometer, we examine the multifrequency nature of the photon pair source in a time entanglement measurement scheme; having multiple frequency modes from the BFC results in a modulation of the interference pattern. This measurement together with a Schmidt mode decomposition shows that the generated continuous variable energy-time entangled state spans multiple pair-wise modes. Additionally, we demonstrate nonlocal dispersion cancellation, a foundational concept in time-energy entanglement, suggesting the potential of the chip-scale BFC for large-alphabet quantum key distribution.
Work participation and health status in early osteoarthritis of hip and/or knee: a comparison between Cohort Hip and Cohort Knee (CHECK) and Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI)

OBJECTIVE: Aims of this study were to examine the work participation of Dutch people with early osteoarthritis (OA) in hips or knees, and to compare this with data from the American Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) cohort. Additionally, the influence of health status and personal factors on work participation was analysed. METHODS: In the Cohort Hip and Cohort Knee (CHECK study) 1002 subjects were included. Baseline questionnaire data from 970 subjects were analysed. Rate ratios were calculated to compare work participation with the general Dutch population, after correcting (by stratifying) for age, sex and education. Health status was measured using SF-36 and Womac. Groups were compared (CHECK versus OAI, workers versus non-workers) using t-tests. RESULTS: Subjects' mean age was 56 years, 79% were females. Overall participation was 51%, similar to the general Dutch population and lower than in OAI (76%). Point prevalence of sick leave because of hip/knee complaints was 2%, year prevalence 12%. Fourteen percent of the subjects had made work adaptations. Workers reported significantly better health status (corrected for age, sex and education) than non-workers. CONCLUSION: The work participation of Dutch people with early OA is similar to the general population and significantly lower than in American subjects. Increasing age, female sex and lower education level were related to lower participation. Societal factors appear to have more effect on work participation than health status in this stage of OA. Better health status of workers could not be explained solely by selection bias, but may also be a result of work
A Passive Fault Tolerant Control for Collaborative Subsystems Based on a New Signal Output Regulation Scheme

This paper presents a novel collaborative fault tolerant control FTC technique for two subsystems, which work together to achieve a common goal. The FTC technique based on a new Signal Reference Output Regulation Controller SRC controller, two types fault observers and intelligent reconfiguration algorithm. Therefore, to diagnose an additive fault and noise in the first subsystem, an adaptive observer has been introduced where its stability is proven. While an actuator fault occurred in the second subsystem that is realized by an adaptive observer. Secondly, an intelligent reconfiguration algorithm has been implemented to reconfigure the input of the two collaborative subsystems to compensate the effects of the faults and noise. In addition, to demonstrate the proposed FTC algorithm in the same fault and noise conditions; two simulations also have been studied the performance of SRC controller, the first simulation based on the SRC controller; the second simulation based on Constant Reference Output Regulation Controller CRC controller. Finally, the novel SRC controller is more robust against a fault and noise as well as more convenient to increase the performance the FTC overall according to the obtained results.
Intercontinental transport of biomass burning pollutants over the Mediterranean Basin during the summer 2014 ChArMEx-GLAM airborne campaign

Abstract. The Gradient in Longitude of Atmospheric constituents above the Mediterranean basin (GLAM) campaign was set up in August 2014, as part of the Chemistry and Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMEx) project. This campaign aimed to study the chemical variability of gaseous pollutants and aerosols in the troposphere along a west–east transect above the Mediterranean Basin (MB). In the present work, we focus on two biomass burning events detected at 5.4 and 9.7 km altitude above sea level (a.s.l.) over Sardinia (from 39 ∘ 12 ′ N–9 ∘ 15 ′ E to 35 ∘ 35 ′ N–12 ∘ 35 ′ E and at 39 ∘ 30 ′ N–8 ∘ 25 ′ E, respectively). Concentration variations in trace gas carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O 3) and aerosols were measured thanks to the standard instruments on board the Falcon 20 aircraft operated by the Service des Avions Francais Instrumentes pour la Recherche en Environnement (SAFIRE) and the Spectrometre InfraRouge In situ Toute Altitude (SPIRIT) developed by LPC2E. Twenty-day backward trajectories with Lagrangian particle dispersion model FLEXPART (FLEXible PARTicle) help to understand the transport processes and the origin of the emissions that contributed to this pollution detected above Sardinia. Biomass burning emissions came (i) on 10 August from the North American continent with air masses transported during 5 days before arriving over the MB, and (ii) on 6 August from Siberia, with air masses travelling during 12 days and enriched in fire emission products above Canada 5 days before arriving over the MB. In combination with the Global Fire Assimilation System (GFAS) inventory and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite fire locations, FLEXPART reproduces well the contribution of those fires to CO and aerosols enhancements under adjustments of the injection height to 10 km in both cases and application of an amplification factor of 2 on CO GFAS emissions for the 10 August event. The chemistry transport model (CTM) MOCAGE is used as a complementary tool for the case of 6 August to confirm the origin of the emissions by tracing the CO global atmospheric composition reaching the MB. For this event, both models agree on the origin of air masses with CO concentrations simulated with MOCAGE lower than the observed ones, likely caused by the coarse model horizontal resolution that yields the dilution of the emissions and diffusion during transport. In combination with wind fields, the analysis of the transport of the air mass documented on 6 August suggests the subsidence of CO pollution from Siberia towards North America and then a transport to the MB via fast jet winds located at around 5.5 km in altitude. Finally, using the ratio Δ O 3 ∕ Δ CO, the plume age can be estimated and the production of O 3 during the transport of the air mass is studied using the MOCAGE model.
Using vegetation units as salinity predictors in the Lower Cheliff Algeria

The Lower Cheliff plain is among the largest salted soils in north-western Algeria. In order to establish the relationships between the main soil factors and plant species in this stressed ecosystem, 133 releves related to soil and vegetation were realized. Soil variables measured included electrical conductivity and calcium carbonate. The 133 releves were arranged in clusters using k-means classification. The simi larity analysis used to examine the variation in vegetation assemblage structure showed significant differences in taxonomical composition among groups of releves. The phi coefficient of fidelity used then to extract the different vegetation units and to measure species concentration in each vegetation unit enabled us to extract a synoptic table with 6 vegetation units, exclusively related to conductivity. The results of redundancy analysis were concordant with k-means clustering results and showed that conductivity is the main factor affecting the vegetation distribution in the Lower Cheliff plain whereas CaCO 3 plays a secondary role. The approach used in this study enabled us to extract 4 ranges of salinity in the Lower Cheliff according to the optimum of salinity tolerated by each vegetation unit.
University Identity Change Through a Psychological Sense of Community Framework: A Case Study of the ELIMAR Model

Leading through identity change is a highly emotive experience. When leadership is understood as an emotional community development process, the benefits for repurposing identity are greatly enhanced. This article introduces a change model that embeds emotional awareness throughout a four-phased process, adapting concepts originally presented in McMillan and Chavis’s (1986) psychological sense of community (PSOC) theory and Scott and Jaffee’s (1989) change curve model. In this case study, we focus on a four-year multi-campus northeastern United States public university as a model to investigate how individuals in leadership positions consider the role of affect in creating positive identity change to the university’s psychological sense of community.
Customers behaving badly: a state of the art review, research agenda and implications for practitioners

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight important issues in the study of dysfunctional customer behavior and to provide a research agenda to inspire, guide, and enthuse. Through a critical evaluation of existing research, the aim is to highlight key issues and to present potentially worthy avenues for future study. Design/methodology/approach – In reviewing recent and past advances in the study of customers behaving badly, an overview of existing research into customers behaving badly and addressing issues of terminology and definition is provided. Thereafter, three perspectives that provide the most opportunity and insight in studying the darker side of service dynamics are outlined. This leads to a review of some of the research design and methodological problems and issues that are faced when rigorously studying these issues. Subsequently, the paper devotes a section to the provocative idea that while dysfunctional customer behavior has many negative influences on customers, employees, and service firms, there are actually some positive functions of customers behaving badly. Findings – A research agenda is provided that is believed to identify and discuss a range of projects that comprises not only insightful theoretical contributions but is also practically relevant. Originality/value – The paper identifies a range of issues about which managers should be aware and proactively manage.