Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cognitive neuroscience : spanning the void between cognitive science and neuroscience

Cognitive neuroscience is a field that has developed to bridge the gap between cognitive science, which focuses on the mind, and neuroscience, which focuses on the brain. Classically, cognitive scientists consider the mind to be software that runs on the hardware of the brain. We argue that this computer metaphor is flawed, and that there is no evidence that the mind exists independently of the brain. Thus, we need new cognitive neuroscience models that incorporate both cognitive and neural data.
Global Rotation Estimation Using Weighted Iterative Lie Algebraic Averaging

Abstract. In this paper we present an approach for a weighted rotation averaging to estimate absolute rotations from relative rotations between two images for a set of multiple overlapping images. The solution does not depend on initial values for the unknown parameters and is robust against outliers. Our approach is one part of a solution for a global image orientation. Often relative rotations are not free from outliers, thus we use the redundancy in available pairwise relative rotations and present a novel graph-based algorithm to detect and eliminate inconsistent rotations. The remaining relative rotations are input to a weighted least squares adjustment performed in the Lie algebra of the rotation manifold SO (3) to obtain absolute orientation parameters for each image. Weights are determined using the prior information we derived from the estimation of the relative rotations. Because we use the Lie algebra of SO (3) for averaging no subsequent adaptation of the results has to be performed but the lossless projection to the manifold. We evaluate our approach on synthetic and real data. Our approach often is able to detect and eliminate all outliers from the relative rotations even if very high outlier rates are present. We show that we improve the quality of the estimated absolute rotations by introducing individual weights for the relative rotations based on various indicators. In comparison with the state-of-the-art in recent publications to global image orientation we achieve best results in the examined datasets.
HABITAT HETEROGENEITY, DISPERSAL, AND LOCAL RISK OF EXPOSURE TO LYME DISEASE

Spatial heterogeneity presents a fundamental challenge to conventional eco- logical theory. Although ecological systems are usually heterogeneous, it is not clear how often heterogeneity fundamentally alters their behavior. We addressed this issue with a study of the infection of ticks (Ixodes scapularis) by the causative agent of Lyme disease (the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi) in multiple habitats within a semirural landscape, combining both field and modeling approaches. We sampled the densities and infection prevalences of ticks in five habitats over two years in southeastern New York. There were consistent differences among habitats in adult infection prevalence, which was unrelated to tick density, suggesting that local habitat features exert some control over local risk of exposure to infected ticks. Other results underscored the importance of processes taking place on larger scales. We observed a positive relationship between the change in tick density within a cohort from the nymphal to adult stages, and changes in prevalence over the same period. Habitats with many adults relative to the number of nymphs several months earlier showed increasing prevalence of B. burgdorferi. Presumably these habitats were receiving immigrating ticks that became infected on their dispersing hosts. We designed a computer model, patterned after the life cycle of I. scapularis, to de- termine whether patterns observed in the field could be explained by dispersal among habitats differing in host species composition. The model showed that habitat-related vari- ation in tick density and spirochete prevalence was maintained even with moderate dispersal, as long as the different habitats supported distinct assemblages of hosts. Dispersal produced nonlinear or threshold responses under many conditions, due to positive and negative feedbacks. Such feedback is a general feature of many ecological systems, which implies that the behavior of heterogeneous systems will very often be unpredictable from an un- derstanding of isolated components.
Optimization of the Ocimum basilicum L. extraction process regarding the antioxidant activity

The levels of input variables (temperature and extraction solvent) that optimize a particular response (total phenols content, total flavonoids content and antioxidant activity) of the Ocimum basilicum L. extraction process were determined by the response surface methodology (RSM). The influence of theextraction temperature on extraction process was investigated in the range from 33.8oC to 76.2oC, as well as of extraction solvent ethanol, in the range of concentrations from 21.7% to 78.3%. For the preparation of basil dry extract, characterized with minimal IC50 value, the calculated optimal values of temperature and ethanol concentration were: 75.33oC and 73.66% (w/w). [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 31013]
In search of management accounting in the sponsorship decision making process

Consistent with other corporate expenditures, it is important that sponsorship investments are subjected to careful financial justification and control. Despite this, there has been negligible academic research into the role played by accounting in sponsorship management. The potential for accounting procedures to be invoked in the management and control of sponsorship would seem to be considerable. The findings of this study, which are based on an interview-based case study conducted in a university setting, provide minimal support for this expectation, however. It appears that senior management view sponsorship decision-making as falling outside the financial analytic jurisdiction. With respect to budgetary processes, it was found that the 'authorising expenditure' was the pre-eminent role in sponsorship management.
Experiences summarized from some faults on capacitor banks in distribution network

In view of the situation that there are quite a number of accidents of the parallel-connected capacitor banks installed at some substations, the China Shaanxi Province Electric Power Company has organized engineering and technical personnel to carry out investigation and study to dissect products, test power network harmonics, analyze accident causes, and taken corresponding steps with good results achieved. The company holds that the reliability of the capacitor equipment is closely related with factors such as the content of power network harmonics, design field strength of products of manufacturers, and the parameter setting of series-connected reactors. The correct setting of the relay protection of capacitors is an important guarantee measure for protecting against the expansion of accidents.
A Measure of Common Variables Associated with Career Stages as Perceived by Principals and Teachers: Validation of a Model for Career Development.

This pilot study sought to establish validity of a teacher career development model based on results from previous research which had isolated a series of career stages and several characteristics of each stage. The model was constructed to identify characteristics associated with effective and ineffective transfer of knowledge from teacher to students. Perceptions of principals and teachers regarding 160 characteristics of teachers identified 4 distinct career stages: Provisional, Development, Transition, and Decelerating, each with associated characteristics which made logical sense and appeared to corroborate previous findings of research involving principals. Findings support the need for teacher renewal; the model suggests a framework for matching staff development activities to the classroom and the career stage of the teacher. The appendixes provides a proposed model for instructional development and the survey form listing the 160 teacher characteristics. (JD) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ***********************************************************************
The Fiction of a Factual Approach to Decision-Making

The philosophy of the ISO9001:2008 Management Syste m Standard is based on 8 Quality Principles of which the seventh is Factual Approach to Decision-Making . This principle is introduced and the rationale behind and reasons for its inclusion disc us ed. However, a paucity of critical discussions f this and other quality principles is evident and th is paper attempts to point out some important aspec t of this principle that requires critical re-evaluat ion to ensure its continued relevance to Quality Sy stems based on the ISO9001:2008 approach. The dichotomie s Rational-Intuitive, Objective-Subjective and Quantitative-Qualitative are used to highlight area s where a too narrow application of this principle can undermine its value in Quality Systems performance. The AHP/ANP is suggested as providing the necessary structure to enhance complex decision-mak ing in TQM and similar Quality Management regimes.
Characterization and Immobilization of Purified Alliinase Produced from Shallots

In this study, Alliinase extracted and purified from shallots was comprehensively examined. Its molecular weight was determined as 50 kDa, and its optimal working conditions were identified as pH 8 and 40oC. Its activity was significantly and positively affected by the metals K+, Na+, Ga2+, Mg2+ and Fe2+. Purified Alliinase was immobilized by alginate and the optimized conditions for this process were: a sodium alginate concentration of 2.5%, a CaCl2 concentration of 4.0%, a Glutaraldehyde concentration of 0.75%, and a ratio of sodium alginate solution and Alliinase solution (by volumn) of 4:3. The ability for free Alliinase and immobilized Alliinase to release flavours from shallots was compared. It was found that immobilization did not compromise Alliinase’s flavor releasing ability. They both released 36 flavouring chemicals from the flavouring precursor, with a similar ratio. This study provided fundamental information for further commercial development of Alliinase produced from shallots.
Number of Circulating Apoptotic Endothelial Cell-Derived Micro Particles as a Predictor of Metabolically Unhealthy Obesity

Obesity is considered a main factor contributing in diabetes mellitus development and a predictor of CV disease and events. Based on the Adult Treatment Panel-III criteria subjects with established obesity and co-existing other metabolic abnormalities including dyslipidaemia, insulin resistance (IR), increased fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance, are referred metabolically unhealthy obesity (Met-UHO), whereas obese individuals without these abnormalities might be defined as metabolically healthy obesity (Met-HO). The mechanisms underlying the change in phenotype from metabolically healthy to metabolically unhealthy obesity are still unclear. It has been postulated that apoptotic endothelial cell-derived micro particles (EMPs) might be a trigger of endothelial cell dysfunction and as well as a mediator on vascular repair. Moreover, the imbalance in circulating number of various types of EMPs may influence the risk of transformation of Met-HO into Met-UHO. The short communication is depicted the role of apoptotic EMPs in obesity phenotype modification.
Detection of infestations by cryptolestes ferrugineus inside wheat kernels using a soft x-ray method

Karunakaran, C. , Jayas, D.S. and White, N.D. G. 2004. Detection of infestations by Cryptolestes ferrugineus inside wheat kernels using a soft X-ray method. Canadian Biosystems Engineering/Le genie des biosystemes au Canada 46: 7.1-7.9. The Canada Grain Act imposes a zero tolerance for stored-product insects in grain for human consumption. The Berlese funnel method currently used to detect insect infestations in terminal elevators and grain inspection offices is slow and unreliable. The potential of a soft X-ray method to detect infestations caused by Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens), the most common stored-grain insect in Canada, was determined in this study. Canada Western Red Spring wheat kernels uninfested and infested by four larval instars, pupae, and adults of C. ferrugineus were scanned using soft X-rays at 15 kV potential and 65 μA current. Five hundred sound kernels and 443 kernels infested by different life stages of C. ferrugineus were used as the grain samples. Algorithms were developed to extract a total of 57 features using histogram, histogram and shape moments, and textural features using co-occurrence and run length matrix methods. The extracted features were used to identify uninfested and infested kernels using the statistical classifiers and a 4-layer backpropagation neural network (BPNN). More than 75.3, 86.5, and 95.7% sound, kernels infested by larvae, and pupae-adults, respectively, were correctly identified by the parametric classifier, nonparametric classifier, and BPNN using all 57 features. There were no significant differences between the identification percentages of sound kernels by the three classifiers but the parametric classifier and BPNN identified significantly higher percentages of infested kernels. Identification percentages of infested kernels were higher using textural features or all 57 features than using histogram features.
Properties of natural rubber latex filled with bacterial cellulose produced from pineapple peels

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is natural biopolymers with unique properties such as high purity and high tensile strength. These properties considerably support for use as filler in rubber applications. In this research, BC was produced from fermentation by Acetobacter xylinum . Additionally, pineapple peels (agricultural waste) were evaluated for carbon sources in BC’s production process. Natural rubber latex (NRL) compound was then incorporated BC with various loadings of 0, 5, 10 and 15 phr (parts per hundred of rubber) for enhancement properties of NRL. Furthermore, NRL filled with BC (NRL-BC) compounds were prevulcanized at 70°C for 2 hours and then NRL-BC sheets were finally prepared. NRL-BC sheets were examined in the term of, tensile properties, tear strength, and dynamic mechanical properties (DMA). From the results, with incorporation of BC, it was observed that not only tensile strength, tensile modulus and tear strength slightly increased but also DMA result clearly showed increase in storage modulus. Moreover, results revealed that NRL containing 10 phr of BC provided optimum properties.
Relationships between students' reactions towards problem-based learning and their learning styles : implications for science teaching and teacher education

Learning may be conceptualized as the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. The ways people use to learn depend on their learning style, being some of the learning styles better facilitators of autonomous learning than others. Kolb classifies people according to their learning styles, as follows: converger, a person whose greatest strength lies in the practical application of ideas; diverger, a person whose greatest strength lies in creativity and imaginative ability; assimilator, a person whose greatest strength lies in the ability to understand and create theories; accommodator, a person whose greatest strength lies in carrying out plans and experiments and involving themselves in new experiences. Honey-Alonso also classified people in categories according to their learning style. These categories relate to Kolb’s ones as follows: convergers are pragmatic; assimilators are theoretical; divergers are reflective; and accommodators are active. Science problem based learning is a teaching approach that requires students to learn «new» ideas by solving problems. Hence, it requires students to engage actively in the learning tasks, to take initiative and to be reflective. However, the activities to be developed within a PBL setting may be more consistent with certain learning styles than with others. Bearing in mind that students usually feel uncomfortable with the lack of guidance given to them in PBLbased classroom settings, this paper tries to find out whether there is a relationship between learning styles and students’ reactions towards PBL. Data were collected from 9th graders (two classes) that had learned the physical sciences topic Electricity through a PBL approach. The subjects answered to a questionnaire on pupils reactions towards PBL and to another questionnaire (CHEAE) on learning styles. Data analysis being carried out includes classification of students with regard to both their reactions towards PBL and their learning styles. Afterwards, the relationship between the two will be studied. The results of this study will be useful for teachers to deal with the diversity of students that will participate in future research focusing on PBL-based science learning, As this methodology match better to certain learning styles than to others, teachers my need to find ways of attending to the diversity of their students’ learning styles.
Colour Preference of Online Consumers: a Cross- Cultural Perspective

Abstract This study focuses on the influence of colour on the online purchasing intention of consumers. The literature review about colour associations showed that several factors could play a mediating role in the relationship between colour and purchasing intention. Two of these factors are emotion and trust, which have been shown in previous studies to have a relationship both with certain colours and with online purchasing intention. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between colour and online purchasing intention, taking into account the influence of emotion, trust and cultural differences between Western and Asian cultures. The method used to investigate these relationships was an online survey, which has been conducted amongst 522 participants from seven countries that can be separated in Western (The Netherlands, Germany and United Kingdom) and Asian (China, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia) cultures. The survey asked the participants about their cultural background, attitudes towards the product and message, emotions, level of trust, colour influences and experience. When filling in the survey, an image was presented to the participants that showed an online shopping background, a coloured context and a simple digital photo camera. Only the coloured context of this image varied amongst the participants; every participant answered the questions being exposed to one colour: red, yellow or blue. The results of the study showed that the direct relationship between colour and online purchasing intention was supported only for the colour yellow and that emotion indeed played a mediating role between colour and online purchasing intention, although no clear relationships could be defined between colours on the one hand and emotion and trust on the other hand. Concerning the cultural differences, results on emotion were found for both Western and Asian cultures, but trust was shown to influence the relationship between colour and online purchasing intention only for Asian consumers. The results partly confirmed the findings of previous studies, but also highlighted areas that need to be studied in more detail or by using another method. Overall, the study showed that colour does influence online purchasing intention, so companies should consider this when persuading consumers to buy their products.
A Platform‐Based SoC Design of a 32‐Bit Smart Card

In this paper, we describe the development of a platform‐based SoC of a 32‐bit smart card. The smart card uses a 32‐bit microprocessor for high performance and two cryptographic processors for high security. It supports both contact and contactless interfaces, which comply with ISO/IEC 7816 and 14496 Type B. It has a Java Card OS to support multiple applications. We modeled smart card readers with a foreign language interface for efficient verification of the smart card SoC. The SoC was implemented using 0.25 µm technology. To reduce the power consumption of the smart card SoC, we applied power optimization techniques, including clock gating. Experimental results show that the power consumption of the RSA and ECC cryptographic processors can be reduced by 32% and 62%, respectively, without increasing the area.
Fishery, biology and population characteristics of longtail tuna, Thunnus tonggol (Bleeker, 1851) caught along the Indian coast

Fishery, biology and population characteristics of the longtail tuna, Thunnus tonggol were studied during 2006-10. There is no targeted exploitation of the species along the Indian coast. T. tonggol was mainly landed as by-catch in gillnets (63.2 %), hooks and lines (20.3%), ringseines/purseseines (14.9%) and trawls (1.6%). Annual landings during the period varied between 6,073 and 9,140 t with an average of 7,332 t. About 81.5% of the total catch was realized from north-west coast alone. Fishery was supported by fishes of 23 - 111 cm length range with a mean length of 60.5 cm in gillnets. Size at capture was estimated as 51.3 cm and the optimum length for exploitation (Lopt) was 55.3 cm fork length (FL). The length-weight relationship (W = 0.0147 L3.01) indicated isometric growth pattern for the species. The species is non-selective in feeding and feed on pelagic finfishes, crabs and cephalopods. Their size at maturity (Lm) is 51.1 cm and spawns round the year with major peak during October-November. Relative fecundity was 1,32,840 kg body weight-1. Recruitment was almost round the year with peaks during May-June and August-September accounting 53.2% of the total recruitment. Mean size in the catch was larger than optimum size for exploitation; whereas size at capture is much lower, which necessitates caution to increase size at first capture. It can be achieved by increasing the minimum mesh size to 15 cm or more from the present 10/12 cm. Growth parameters of the species were: L∝ = 123.5 cm (FL), K = 0.51 year-1 and to= -0.0319 years. Natural mortality (M) was 0.77 y-1, total mortality (Z) 3.72 y-1 and fishing mortality (F) 2.94 y-1. Spawning stock biomass formed 65.4% of the standing stock. Study indicates scope for improving production of the species.