Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Requirements Modeling for Multi-Agent Systems

The inadequate management of system requirements is a major cause of problems in software development (Anton, 2006). Requirements Engineering is a branch of Software Engineering and includes a set of activities concerning the identification, specification, validation, and management of system requirements. However, a traditional approach to requirements engineering may not be fully effective for certain complex systems that require high levels or specific kinds of abstractions, and the need to define more specific requirements engineering processes for these types of systems thus arises. A Multi-Agent System (MAS) is a specific type of system that is composed of multiple intelligent agents that interact with each other to achieve certain objectives. These systems can be used to solve problems that it is difficult or impossible for a monolithic or a single agent system to resolve. In recent years, various methodologies have been proposed to guide the development of multi-agent systems, such as Tropos (Giorgini et al., 2005), Ingenias (Gomez-Sanz & Pavon, 2003), Gaia (Zambonelli et al., 2003), etc. However, despite the importance of the requirements phase in the development of software systems, many of the proposed methodologies for the development of MAS do not adequately cover the requirements engineering phase (Cernuzzi et al., 2005), focusing mainly on the design and implementation phases. Moreover, a recent study on the application of requirements engineering techniques in the development of a multi-agent system (Blanes et al. a, 2009) found that 79% of the current methodologies for MAS development use requirements engineering techniques which have been adapted from other paradigms (object orientation, knowledge engineering, etc.) (Anton, 2006). However, these techniques and notations may not be sufficient to cover the nature of MAS, since these systems, along with their organizational, structural, or functional properties, characteristics that are not normally necessary in conventional software systems such as pro-activity, adaptability, collaboration, truth, or disposition (Blanes et al. a, 2009). These characteristics are denominated as social behavior (Hector & Lakshmi, 2005). Therefore, there is a need for new methods and techniques that enable the appropriate acquisition and treatment of MAS requirements.
Estimating saproxylic beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae and Buprestidae) diversity in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Singapore, with a methodological and biological review

Approximately one third of all forest insect species worldwide depend directly or indirectly on dying or dead wood (i.e., they are saproxylic). They are a highly threatened ecological group but the status of many species remains undocumented. There is an urgent need to develop a better appreciation for the diversity and ecology of saproxylic insects so as to inform management strategies for conserving these organisms in tropical forests. Two of the historically better studied beetle groups, Cerambycidae and Buprestidae, are highlighted with a brief discussion of the methods for studying them and their ecology, and a systematic attempt to survey these two beetle groups in the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Singapore, is described. From a comparison with the historical data, it is inferred that the decline of the saproxylic insect fauna must be happening at a rate that would certainly be considered alarming if only it were more widely noticed. Finally, the implications for overall conservation of the insect fauna and of the reserve are considered.
Calibration of Various Configurations of Multiple Cameras for Driver Assistance Systems

This thesis is an exploratory and seminal work aimed to select and test available calibration algorithms for efficiency, usability and most importantly, accuracy of multiple camera and lens configurations in the context of DAS (Driving Assistance Systems). The camera and lens configurations considered were basically fixed stereo setups with normal and fish-eye lenses combined with low and high camera sensor resolutions. The stereo camera setup used for calibration and experiments were similar to those used during DAS experiments. The selected calibration algorithms were four: OpenCV calibration, Bouguet, Mei and Scaramuzza algorithms. The OpenCV calibration was selected and tested for normal lens while Bouguet, Mei and Sacaramuzza algorithms were selected for fish-eye lens. The methodologies selected and used for testing and comparing calibrations were backprojection error and row misalignment error as well as direct comparison of calibration parameters whenever applicable. The calibration experiment results showed that OpenCV calibration is a suitable and accurate calibration algorithm for normal lens in the context of DAS. Similarly,Bouguet’s fish-eye calibration toolbox seems to be the most appropriate in terms of accuracy and robustness in the context of DAS according these calibrations experiments. Mei’s algorithm was second and Scaramuzza was third mostly due to inaccuracy and difficulty to use. Finally, this research contributed to the utilization of multiple camera calibration in DAS systems as well as to the evaluation and recommendations for best camera configurations for different purposes and environment conditions.
Government Oversight of Organizations Engaged in Multiple Activities: Does Centralized Governance Encourage Quantity or Quality?

In situations where organizations perform multiple tasks, is it better for government oversight to be centralized or decentralized? In the private sector, strong incentives are used to induce effort: sometimes in the form of bonuses, stock options, piece-rate schemes, and commission sales. Strong incentives, however, are frequently unable to achieve efficient outcomes. If one is operating in an environment whereby multiple tasks are performed but are not all easily observed, a strong incentive scheme will fail to produce an efficient outcome. Under this type of scenario, previous research has suggested that slack incentives should be used. Although much of the literature on multitasking has focused on private sector incentives, similar problems exist in the public sector. In the public sector, different tools are available to address this problem. A public sector organization generally has limited resources and is often not able to use performance based rewards. In the public sector, it has become popular to develop a set of performance measures to assess a governmental unit’s productivity. We analyze how centralization of oversight and funding affect research activities within a public institution for a set of public universities, focusing on quantity and quality measures. Our results suggest that quality is higher at institutions within a centralized framework. Moreover, these results hold only for those institutions that are not considered to be the state's flagship university. To explain why centralization may be better in this instance, we explored several alternative hypotheses. We find the evidence supports the hypothesis that centralization improves performance insofar as it encourages potential externalities to be internalized when several public organizations are forced to compete and cooperate with each other.
CONTROL OF NATURAL MYCOBIOTA IN MAIZE GRAINS BY ULTRAVIOLET (UVC) IRRADIATION

The effect of UV-C light as a means of control of natural mycobiota of grains of maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids "San Juan" and "H-159" (productive cycle, 2009) was investigated. UV-C lamps of 15 W were used and the exposure times applied were 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 min. The experiment was established in the randomised complete block design with eight and four replicates. The unit pilot was 50 grains. For the determination of mycobiota the agar plate test was used, after disinfection of the grains with sodium hypochlorite diluted to 3% for 1 min. Differences (P ≤ 0.001, P ≤ 0.05) between treatments were found, the best treatments being those of 30 and 10 min, observing reductions of 42.85 and 52.05% in the number of grains infected with Fusarium spp. with respect to control for "San Juan" and "H-159", respectively. For Fusarium monoliforme it was found that in 30 min there was a reduction of 53.74% for the hybrid "San Juan", while for H-159 a reduction of 61.7% in 10 minutes was observed. These results show that UV-C radiation may be useful for application as a germicide in future experiments on a wide variety of grains.
The Composition of the Market Portfolio and Real Estate Investment Performance

This study investigates whether the composition of the market portfolio leads to different inferences on real estate performance. As a point of departure, this paper first explores whether the omission of assets in a market proxy leads to a biased measurement of investment performance. The study finds that ranking investment performance is not meaningless even though investment performance is inaccurately measured. Furthermore, the composition of the market proxy does not necessarily lead to different inferences on real estate investment performance although superior real estate investment performance arises from the omitted asset phenomenon and also from smoothing bias in general.
Characterization of metallic artefacts from the Iron Age culture in Campania (Italy): a multi-analytical study

l AbstrAct. — Sixteenarchaeologicalfindingsof� IronagefromthreesitesintheCampaniaregion� havebeenexaminedfortheirmineralcomponents,� chemicalandPb-isotopecompositionbyamulti- techniqueapproach� (XRD,� SEM-EDS,� ICP-MS,� AASandLIRMS). � Mineralogicalanalyseshave� emphasizedtheoccurrenceofthreetypesofobjects,� Pb-� andCu-basedartefactsandfindsmadeofFe- bearingphases. �Qualitativeandquantitativechemical� analyseshaveallowedthecharacterisationof� differentelementsfromthe metalandslagobjects. � Pb-isotopesignaturessuggestawiderangeof� possibleprovenancesofthesourceoresthroughout� theMediterraneanrealm. �Theresultsarediscussedin� relationtomineralcharacterization,�tosomeaspects� oflocalmetallurgicaltechniquesandmetalsource� areas. fasiriccheinferro. �Leanalisichimichequalitative� equantitativehannopremessolacaratterizzazione� deidiversielementipresentineglioggettimetallicie� nellescorie. �Idatiisotopicidelpiombosuggeriscono� unampiospettrodipossibiliprovenienzeconcernenti� igiacimentioriginarinell'ambitodelMediterraneo. �I� risultatisonodiscussiinrelazioneallacaratterizzazione� mineralogica,�adalcuniaspettidelleantichetecniche� metallurgicheeallepossibiliareediprovenienzadei� metalli.
Role of ROCK and PKC in regulation of contraction of permeabilized femoral arterial smooth muscle

ROLE OF ROCK AND PKC IN REGULATION OF CONTRACTION OF PERMEABILIZED FEMORAL ARTERIAL SMOOTH MUSCLE by Brendan M. Browne, B.S. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009 Director: Paul H. Ratz, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Pediatrics KCl is traditionally used as a stimulus to examine the role of increases in cytosolic Ca on the regulation of smooth muscle contraction. KCl bypasses GPCR activation, thereby avoiding activation of additional cell signaling systems, such as phospholipase C and PKC that are inherent to Gαq and Gα12/13 stimulation. GPCR activation causes Ca sensitization (greater force for a given increase in Ca) by a ROCKand PKC-dependent inhibition of myosin light chain (MLC) phosphatase. Recent studies have demonstrated that KCl can also produce Ca sensitization, implying that Ca itself may induce Ca sensitization. To test the hypothesis that Ca can induce Ca sensitization, we permeabilized rabbit femoral artery rings with β-escin and subjected the tissues to a Ca concentration response curve in the absence (control) and presence of selective inhibitors of ROCK and PKC, the general ser/thr kinase inhibitor, staurosporine, and the MLCK inhibitor, wortmannin. For a comparison, tissues permeabilized with β-escin were also
Utilization of Probabilistic Models in Short Read Assembly from Second-Generation Sequencing

With the advent of cheaper and faster DNA sequencing technologies, assembly methods have greatly changed. Instead of outputting reads that are thousands of base pairs long, new sequencers parallelize the task by producing read lengths between 35 and 400 base pairs. Reconstructing an organism’s genome from these millions of reads is a computationally expensive task. Our algorithm solves this problem by organizing and indexing the reads using n-grams, which are short, fixed-length DNA sequences of length n. These n-grams are used to efficiently locate putative read joins, thereby eliminating the need to perform an exhaustive search over all possible read pairs. Our goal is to develop a novel n-gram method for the assembly of genomes from next-generation sequencers. Specifically, a probabilistic, iterative approach will be utilized to determine the most likely reads to join through development of a new metric that models the probability of any two arbitrary reads being joined together. Tests were run using simulated short read data based on randomly created genomes ranging in lengths from 10,000 to 100,000 nucleotides with 16 to 20x coverage. We have been able to successfully re-assemble entire genomes up to 100,000 nucleotides in length.
Magnetising Inductance of Multiple-Output Flyback DC-DC Convertor for Discontinuous-Conduction Mode

This study presents the following: (i) detailed derivation of the expressions for the maximum value of the magnetising inductance of the ideal and lossy two-output flyback dc–dc convertor operating in discontinuous-conduction mode, (ii) a method to appropriately select the duty cycle for the metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor based on the rated output dc voltages of the two stages, and (iii) a design approach for a three-winding transformer with a gapped core used in the two-output flyback convertor. The expressions derived and the proposed design technique can be extended to flyback convertors with more than two output stages with equal or unequal load voltages. A universal power supply (ac line adapter) employing a flyback dc–dc convertor with output voltages 15 and 32 V, supplying a rated output current of 0.563 and 0.533 A, and operating at a switching frequency of 85 kHz is designed using the proposed methodology. Simulation and experimental results are presented to validate the theoretical predictions.
The Effect of Pre-Processing Techniques and Optimal Parameters selection on Back Propagation Neural Networks

The architecture of Artificial Neural Network laid the foundation as a powerful technique in handling problems such as pattern recognition and data analysis. Its data driven, self-adaptive, and non-linear capabilities channel it for use in processing at high speed and ability to learn the solution to a problem from a set of examples. Neural network training has been a dynamic area of research, with the Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) trained with Back Propagation (BP) mostly worked on by various researchers. In this study, a performance analysis based on BP training algorithms; gradient descent and gradient descent with momentum, both using the sigmoidal and hyperbolic tangent activation functions, coupled with pre-processing techniques are executed. The Min-Max, Z-Score, and Decimal Scaling pre-processing techniques are analyzed. Results generated from the simulations reveal that pre-processing the data greatly increase the ANN convergence, with Z-Score producing the overall best performance on all datasets
WTF? Locating Performance Problems in Home Networks

Most users of home networks have experienced the intense frustration that comes with diagnosing poor performance. Even determining something as simple as whether a performance problem lies with the ISP or somewhere in the home network is incredibly difficult; this lack of visibility results in unnecessary service calls to ISPs and a general inability to have the network perform as well as it should. In this paper, we design and develop WTF (Where’s The Fault? ), a system that reliably determines whether a performance problem lies with the user’s ISP or inside the home network. The tool can also distinguish these problematic situations from the benign case when the network is simply under-utilized. WTF uses cross-layer techniques to discover signatures of various pathologies. We implemented WTF in an off-the-shelf home router; evaluated the techniques in controlled lab experiments under a variety of operating conditions; validated it in real homes where we can directly observe the home conditions and network setup; and deployed it in 30 home networks across North America. The real-world deployment sheds light on common pathologies that occur in home networks. We find, for instance, that many users purchase fast access links but experience significant (and frequent) performance bottlenecks in their home wireless network.
DOES CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTER AFTER ALL? GOVERNANCE SCORES AND THE VALUE OF CANADIAN COMPANIES

This study assesses the determinants of governance in the case of Canadian firms and examines the relationship between governance and firm value after the 2008 financial crisis. We estimate the effect of governance on stock return by using different econometric approaches. Our results show that large firms and firms with higher market-to-book value adopt better standards of governance. However, the results show a negative impact of governance on stock return. Therefore, providing important insights to policy makers that have recently proposed changes to the Canadian regulatory system. Our results show a lack of market enforcement, therefore, self-regulation is unlikely to be an effective mechanism for implementation of best practices of governance. ***
Precautionary Demand for Labor in Search Equilibrium ∗ Noritaka Kudoh

This paper studies firms’ job creation decisions in a labor market with search frictions. A simple labor market search model is developed in which a firm can search for a second employee while producing with a first worker. A firm expands employment even if the instantaneous payoff to a large firm is less than that of staying small–a firm has a precautionary motive to expand its size. In addition, this motive is enhanced by a greater market tightness. Because of this effect, firms’ decisions become interdependent–a firm creates a vacancy if it expects other firms to do the same, creating strategic complementarity among firms and thereby self-fulfilling multiple equilibria. JEL classification: E24, J23
HWWI Research Paper

This paper asks the following important question: what was the effect of surging immigration on average and individual wages of U.S.-born workers during the period 1990-2004? Building on section VII of Borjas (2003) we emphasize the need for a general equilibrium approach to analyze this problem. The impact of immigrants on wages of US born workers can be evaluated only by accounting carefully for labor market and capital market interactions in production. Using such a general equilibrium approach we estimate that immigrants are imperfect substitutes for U.S.-born workers within the same education and experience group (because they choose different occupations and have different skills). Moreover, accounting for reasonable speed of adjustment of physical capital we show that most of the wage effects of immigration accrue to native workers already within a decade. These two facts, overlooked by the previous literature, imply a positive and significant effect of the 1990-2004 immigration on the average wage of U.S.-born workers overall, both in the short and in the long run. This positive average effect resulted from a positive effect on wages of all US-born workers with at least a high school degree and a small negative effect on wages of U.S born workers with no high school degree.
An Optimization Procedure Based On Thermal Discomfort Minimization To Support The Design Of Comfortable Net Zero Energy Buildings

The European standard EN 15251 specifies design criteria for dimensioning of building systems. In detail, it proposes that the adaptive comfort model is used, at first, for dimensioning passive means; but, if indoor operative temperature does not meet the chosen long-term adaptive comfort criterion in the “cooling season”, the design would include a mechanical cooling system. In this case, the reference design criteria are provided accordingly the Fanger comfort model. However, there is a discontinuity by switching from the adaptive to the Fanger model, since the best building variant, according to the former, may not coincide with the optimal according to the latter. In this paper, an optimization procedure to support the design of a comfort-optimized net zero energy building is proposed. It uses an optimization engine (GenOpt) for driving a dynamic simulation engine (EnergyPlus) towards those building variants that minimize, at first, two seasonal long-term discomfort indices based on an adaptive model; and if indoor conditions do not meet the adaptive comfort limits or analyst’s expectations, it minimizes two seasonal long-term discomfort indices based on the Fanger model. The calculation of such indices has been introduced in EnergyPlus via the Energy Management System module, by writing computer codes in the EnergyPlus Reference Language. The used long-term discomfort indices proved to provide similar ranking capabilities of building variants, even if they are based on different comfort models, and the proposed procedure meets the twostep procedure suggested by EN 15251 without generating significant discontinuities.
The Touring Musician: Repetition and Authenticity in Performance

The research of popular music performance from the perspective of musicians is an under researched area. Drawing on research with pop and rock musicians in the UK, analyzed through Deleuzian concepts of time and repetition, this article explores the motivations to perform music live, what such a performance means and, in particular, how the almost unavoidable repetition of a tour of performances affects a sense of authenticity in the experience of the musical performance. What are the special or memorable moments in a performance for the musicians? How do these moments occur and is it is possible to repeat them? Deleuze’s syntheses of time are used to help explain this phenomenon.
The D-CAPM: The Case of Great Britain and France

In recent years the mean-semivariance has been proposed in place of the mean-variance as an alternative approach to portfolio analysis since different investors assign a lower weight to positive deviations from the mean than to negative ones. The present work investigates empirically the relationship between risk and return in a downside risk framework and in a regular risk framework by utilizing returns of securities traded on the London Stock Exchange and Paris Stock Exchange . The results reveal that in many cases the downside risk measures are equivalent or better in explaining mean returns than the regular risk measures. The paper also introduces a new risk-return relation that holds when the distribution of security returns are normal and the market index lies inside the semi-deviation-expected return efficient frontier. The existence of this model may provide a possible explanation of the empirical results included in this work. Finally, it is argued that for skewed distributions of security returns it may be better to employ a three parameter asset pricing than the mean – semivariance risk-return relation.