Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Computational Models of Consciousness-Emotion Interactions in Social Robotics: Conceptual Framework

There is a little information on how to design a social robot that effectively executes consciousness-emotion (C-E) interaction in a socially acceptable manner. In fact, development of such socially sophisticated interactions depends on models of human high- level cognition implemented in the robot’s design. Therefore, a fundamental research problem of social robotics in terms of effective C-E interaction processing is to define a computational architecture of the robotic system in which the cognitive-emotional inte-gration occurs and determine cognitive mechanisms underlying consciousness along with its subjective aspect in detecting emotions. Our conceptual framework rests upon assumptions of a computational approach to consciousness, which points out that con- sciousness and its subjective aspect are specific functions of the human brain that can be implemented into an artificial social robot’s construction. Such research framework of developing C-E addresses a field of machine consciousness that indicates important computational correlates of consciousness in such an artificial system and the possibility to objectively describe such mechanisms with quantitative parameters based on signal-detection and threshold theories.
Structural changes and the transition process: a macroeconometric model of China

This paper presents a medium-size structural macroeconometric model of the Chinese economy, consisting of 54 equations estimated with annual data from 1978 to 2006. The estimation methodology accounts for structural breaks of unknown date in the long-run parameters, thus allowing us to include in the estimation sample a large span of data, encompassing the different stages of the reform process. The resulting equations have good statistical properties and parameters in line with their theoretical values. The structural breaks detected by the econometric procedure are related to known major turning points in the transition process. The simulation experiments confirm the crucial role that FDI play in the economic growth and the competitiveness of China. JEL: C53 (forecasting and other model application) E17 (general aggregative models: forecasting and simulations) F43 (economic growth of open economies) P27 (transitional economies: performance and prospects) () Corresponding author, Dipartimento di Economia e Storia del Territorio, viale Pindaro 42, 65127 Pescara, Italy, alberto@bagnai.org. (*) Dipartimento di Economia Pubblica, via del Castro Laurenziano 9, 00167 Roma, Italy.
Recognizing Textual Entailment with Deep-Shallow Semantic Analysis and Logical Inference

In this paper, the architecture and evaluation of a new system for recognizing textual entailment (RTE) is presented. It is conceived as an adaptable and modular environ- ment allowing for a high-coverage syntactic and semantic text analysis combined with logical inference. For the syntactic and semantic analysis it combines an HPSG-based deep semantic analysis with a shallow one supported by statistical models in order to increase the quality and accuracy of results. For recognizing textual entailment we use logical inference of first- order employing model-theoretic techniques and automated reasoning tools. The inference is supported with problem- relevant background knowledge extracted automatically and on demand from external sources like, e.g., WordNet, YAGO, and OpenCyc, or other, experimental sources with, e.g., manually defined presupposition resolutions, or with general and com- mon sense knowledge. The system comes with a graphical user interface for control and presentation purposes. The evaluation shows that the success rate of the presented RTE system is comparable with that of the best logic-based approaches.
Predicting the acoustic exposure of humpback whales from cruise and tour vessel noise in Glacier Bay, Alaska, under different management strategies

Vessel traffic management regimes intended to protect baleen whales can have un expected consequences on whale exposure to underwater noise. Using the Acoustic Integration Model, we simulated whale and vessel movements in Glacier Bay National Park (GBNP). We estimated vessel noise exposures to humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae while varying the number, speed (13 vs. 20 knots [kn]), and timing of cruise ships, and keeping a constant number, speed, and timing of smaller tour vessels. Using calibrated noise signatures for each vessel and the known sound velocity profile and bathymetry of Glacier Bay, we estimated received sound levels for each simulated whale every 15 s in a 24 h period. Simulations with fast ships produced the highest maximal sound pressure level (MSPL) and cumulative sound exposure levels (CSEL). Ships travelling at 13 kn produced CSEL levels 3 times lower than those traveling at 20 kn. We demonstrated that even in cases where a ship is only a few dB quieter at a slower speed, CSEL is lower, but the ship’s transit may take substantially longer. Synchronizing ship arrival times had little effect on CSEL or MSPL but appreciably decreased cumulative sound exposure time (CSET). Overall, our results suggest that the most effective way to reduce humpback whale acoustic exposure in GBNP is to reduce the numbers of cruise ships or their speed, although adjusting ship schedules may also be beneficial. Marine protected area managers may find these results illustrative or adapt these methods to better understand the acoustic effects of specific vessel management circumstances.
PUBLIC RELATIONS PRACTICES: “A STUDY OF SELECTED PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN GHANA”

It is a well- known fact that private universities have been rendering important services to the nation but the public seems not to have understood the role and mission of the private universities and consider them as an avenue for money making by admitting students who do not make the entry requirements to public universities and also employ unqualified personnel. In view of this, the private universities are being perceived negatively and this perception has affected their image in Ghana, thereby calling for an effective public relations department to correct this negative perception. The objectives of the study were to investigate public relations practices in private universities in Ghana and to identify the challenges faced by the public relations unit of private universities. Personal interview, using an interview guide, was used to collect data from public relations managers and staff of three private universities in Ghana. The study revealed that public relations do not perform their roles effectively in the private universities because they lack qualified staff and logistics to enable them perform effectively. The findings again showed that public relations units of the private universities were not represented at the council which is the highest decision-making body in the universities to enable them disseminate timely management decisions to the university’s publics. The strategic implications of these findings are further highlighted in the paper. Keywords: Public Relations practices, Private universities, Ghana
Does ethnicity affect how older adults deal with stressors at home

Numerous studies have examined stress in older adults but little research has examined the specific relationship between ethnicity and home stressors. We used a micro-longitudinal eight day daily diary study to examine reactivity to home stressors in older adults. 42 participants reported on 337 days from the Greater Raleigh Area all between the ages of 60 to 96 representing European-Americans and African-Americans. Participants reported their daily home stressor resolution (resolved or unresolved) and daily physical symptoms (e.g., joint pain, fatigue, headache). We found that European-Americans had a significantly higher number of physical symptoms on days with an unresolved home stressor than that of their African-American counterparts. Findings suggest ethnicity differences in the physical effects of home stressor resolution among older adults. Awareness of disparity is an important first step in closing the health gap and ethnicity should be included in future assessments of home stressors
Behavioral interactions between terrestrial salamanders and spiders: competition or intraguild predation?

Several studies suggest that small terrestrial salamanders are important regulators of leaf litter arthropod communities, and likely contribute to ecosystem processes such as decomposition and nutrient cycling. Despite the recognition that salamanders have the potential to strongly affect ecosystem function through both direct and indirect pathways, little is known regarding the nature of interactions between small vertebrates and the large, predatory arthropods with which they share both microhabitat and prey. Our study was designed to explore interactions between Eastern Red-backed Salamanders, Plethodon cinereus, and spiders in the genus Wadotes in an eastern North American temperate forest ecosystem. We were particularly interested in teasing apart behaviors such as territoriality and intraguild predation in an attempt to determine specifically which interaction is most likely responsible for the observed negative relationship between salamander and spider abundance at our field site. Field data indicate that P. cinereus and large syntopic spiders exhibit negative spatial associations in the microhabitat beneath cover objects, a possible indication of interspecific territoriality. In our laboratory experiments, resident salamanders displayed agonistic postures similarly toward both intruding conspecifics and spiders, suggesting that salamanders may perceive large intruding spiders as competitors. Finally, we observed no injuries to individual P. cinereus or adult spiders even though occasional chases and bites by both were recorded during the behavioral trials. We found no evidence that adults or juveniles of P. cinereus were envenomated by adult Wadotes spp. , and there were no instances of intraguild predation in this study. Multiple lines of evidence from this study, and others, suggest that the primary interaction between individuals of P. cinereus and large spiders is competitive in nature rather than predatory. We suggest that the cost associated with intraguild predation on salamanders with noxious skin secretions may preclude them from being preyed upon by spiders.
Financial development and economic growth: Evidence of non-linearity

This paper explores the non-linear relationship between financial development and economic growth. It mainly relies on the Panel Smooth Transition Regression (PSTR) model of Gonzales et al. (2005) and three metrics of financial development to endogenously assess the impact of financial development on growth. Using a sample of 43 advanced and developing economies over the period 1975–2009, the paper highlights that financial development supports economic growth in low-income and lower middle income countries by enhancing saving and investment behaviour. However, in more developed economies, the impact of financial development is nil or negative, reflecting that further credit provisioning in these economies tend to exacerbate financial vulnerabilities, which is detrimental to growth.
1730-IJBCS-Article-Dr Kpoviessi Salomé

Laboratory of Physic and Synthesis Organic Chemistr y (LaCOPS), University of Abomey-Calavi, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques (FAST), BP: 4521 Cotonou, Benin. National Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Benin Center of Scientific and Technical Research (CBRST), BP 06 Oganla, Porto-Novo, Benin. Louvain Drug Research Institute (LDRI), School of P harmacy, Université Catholique de Louvain, B1 7203 Av. E. Mounier 72, B-1200 Bruxelles, Belgi um. * Corresponding author, E-mail: kpovsalome@yahoo.fr; Tel: +229 97883927
Cosmic rays as regulators of molecular cloud properties

Abstract. Cosmic rays are the main agents in controlling the chemical evolution and setting the ambipolar diffusion time of a molecular cloud. We summarise the processes causing the energy degradation of cosmic rays due to their interaction with molecular hydrogen, focusing on the magnetic effects that influence their propagation. Making use of magnetic field configurations generated by numerical simulations, we show that the increase of the field line density in the collapse region results in a reduction of the cosmic-ray ionisation rate. As a consequence the ionisation fraction decreases, facilitating the decoupling between the gas and the magnetic field.
The correlation analysis of gear tooth broken-pitting compound fault and single fault based on Laplacian Eigenmaps

Gear break and pitting are two common faults in transmission system, when these two faults coexist and form a compound fault, the damage speed and frequency of gear transmission system will be greatly increased. Taking the gear fault-pitting compound fault as the object, the dynamic model of gear single fault and compound fault is established, and the vibration characteristics of gear single fault, pitting single fault and broken tooth-pitting compound fault signal are analyzed. The characteristic manifolds of the intrinsic dimension space in the case of gear single failure and compound fault are extracted by using the Laplacian Eigenmaps algorithm, the evolution trend of single fault and compound fault in the overlapping region of the feature space, the degree of correlation and the curvature of the fault circle core are analyzed and obtained. The study found that with the deepening of the fault severity, the overlapping area of fault circle between compound fault and single fault become smaller gradually, that is, the degree of correlation become weakened, tooth broken single fault and compound fault can be identified in mid-late stage of fault, while the pitting single fault and compound fault are in the late stage. The experimental results of gearbox compound fault correlation show that the conclusion of the simulation analysis is correct and effective, which provides a new idea for the diagnosis of mechanical complex faults.
Multiphoton and Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy in Studying Nanoparticle Pharmacokinetics in Skin and Liver

The use of nanoparticles has increased in consumer products in recent decades; however, concerns regarding their safety remain. Zinc oxide is used in sunblocking and may generate free radicals in response to UV illumination, leading to DNA damage and an immunological response. With high‐resolution, high‐contrast imaging in biological tissue, multiphoton microscopy is able to separate nanoparticles signals from endogenous fluorophores. It has been proven to be very useful in imaging penetration of zinc oxide nanoparticles in skin and in combination with fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy study cellular function as well. This chapter aims to review the use of these imaging techniques in studying the uptake and distribution of nanoparticles in skin and liver. Due to the questionable clinical use and possible toxicity of nanoparticles, it is important to study their pharmacokinetics. Some nanomaterials have been identified as relatively toxic to humans and a few metal nanoparticles have been reported to penetrate and be detected in blood. Multiphoton microscopy has high resolution and is able to visualize nanoparticles, due to their optical properties, in vivo. The addition of fluorescence lifetime imaging makes it possible to measure the physiochemical environment, with outputs that can be statistically analyzed, posing an advantage over fluorescence intensity imaging only.
Photon Recycling in Thin-Film GaAs Solar Cells

The highest efficiencies in a single-junction solar cells are obtained with devices based on GaAs. As this material is reaching the limit in material quality, the optimization of the design of the cell becomes more important. In this study we implement a patterning technique to the bottom contact layer of thin-film GaAs solar cells that increases the reflectance of photons to the active layers. Both shallow junction and deep junction devices were evaluated, and the area of the rear side of the cells covered by the contact layer was varied from 100% to 10%. With the patterning, a clear increase in reflectance can be observed for both geometries, but an improved performance was only seen in deep junction devices. For these cells, both the short circuit current and the open circuit voltage increase with the reflectance. Dark curve analysis demonstrated a reduction in the radiative saturation current density, indicating that the observed increase in the open circuit voltage is a result of increased photon recycling.
Electrospun Chitosan/Polyethylene Oxide Nanofibrous Scaffolds with Potential Antibacterial Wound Dressing Applications

Electrospinning is a simple and versatile technique for the fabrication of nonwoven fibrous materials for biomedical applications. In the present study, chitosan CS and polyethylene oxide PEO nanofibrous scaffolds were successfully prepared using three different CS/PEO mass ratios and then evaluated for their physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. Scaffold morphologies were observed by scanning electron microscopy, which showed decreasing fiber diameters with increasing CS content. Higher CS concentrations also correlated with increased tensile strength and decreased elasticity of the scaffold. Degradation studies demonstrated that PEO was solubilized from the scaffold within the first six hours, followed by CS. This profile was unaffected by changes in the CS/PEO ratio or the pH of the media. Only the 2 : 1 CS/PEO scaffold demonstrated superior inhibition of both growth and attachment of Staphylococcus aureus. Finally, all scaffolds exhibited little impact on the proliferation of murine fibroblast monolayers. These data demonstrate that the 2 : 1 CS/PEO scaffold is a promising candidate for wound dressing applications due to its excellent antibacterial characteristics and biocompatibility.
Fatty Acids in Fish

The human body cannot synthesize certain fatty acids: these essential fatty acids must be consumed in the diet. Fish and other aquatic foods are known to be the main sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA); therefore, humans obtain most of their eicosapen - taenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) by consuming fish, aquatic inverte -brates, and algae. The increasing demand for fish and the stabilization of marine fish and freshwater landings have contributed to a widening gap between demand and supply for fish and fish products. This leads to a necessity to improve aquaculture production. Fish are the main contributors of n‐3 PUFA in the human diet, although there are some interspecific and intraspecific differences in fatty acid profiles. The fatty acid composi - tion of fish differs depending on a variety of factors, including species, diet, as well as environmental factors such as salinity, temperature, season, geographical location, and whether the fish are farmed or wild. In this chapter, information will be provided on fish fatty acids based on their ecology, feeding habits, lipid contents, and environmental conditions where they are harvested. their results showed that the nutritional and fatty acid compositions of both species were of high quality and can have economic value.
Institutional Determinants of Public Debt: A Political Economy Perspective

What militates in favor of public debt? “Hardly anything” we would answer from an economist’s point of view. “A lot” might be the straight answer of a politician. Contemporary conservative politicians frequently claim that every German newborn is burdened with an amount of public debt equalling some (hundred) thousand Euro. A likewise frequently raised argument by their opponents is the necessity of public debt as a means to finance prospective investment in education, infrastructure, etc., i.e. as a means of ensuring intergenerational equity. The aim of the present article is to scrutinize this antagonism and its institutional determinants in representative democracies.
Maternal Health Correlates Of Neonatal Deaths In A Tribal Area In India

ObjectivesIn tribal areas of India, the coverage of antenatal care service is poor and rate of home delivery is very high Moreover, most of these deliveries are either unattended or attended by unskilled traditional birth attendants. Evidences suggest that the rate of neonatal mortality is also very high in these areas. The aim of the current study was to explore maternal factors, explicitly focusing on antenatal care and maternal health seeking pattern in relation to neonatal health in tribal areas of Andhra Pradesh, India. Study designThis community based study was conducted in two phases: the first phase involved use of qualitative methods and aided in obtaining relevant information in the quantitative phase from mothers who had delivered in the one year period prior to the study. MethodsInformation from analysis of qualitative data was used to construct a questionnaire, which was administered in the subsequent quantitative phase wherein a population-based survey was undertaken. Reported infant deaths were investigated through verbal autopsy. Multi-stage systematic random sampling was used to identify study participants. The study recruited 230 subjects for the quantitative study. All women of the reproductive age group (15 � 45 years) in the tribal areas of Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh state were eligible for the study. ResultsAmong the 230 women studied, 74% utilized public health facilities for antenatal care (ANC) and the provision of ANC services was good with high coverage of Tetanus toxoid (97%) and excellent provision of IFA tablets (93%). Our results also show that 56% of women delivered at home, 38% at a public health facility and 5.2% could avail private facility. Qualified doctors conducted only 10% of deliveries and 29% were conducted by ANM. Age of mother, total number of women in the
Precise Depolymerization of Poly(3-hydoxybutyrate) by Pyrolysis

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is a well known microbial and biodegradable polymer, which is accumulated and stored by prokaryotic microorganisms at levels up to 90% of their cellular dry weight (Steinbuchel & Valentin, 1995). PHB has been attracting much interest from researchers not only as an environmentally compatible thermoplastic, but also as a polymeric material obtainable from renewable resources and having a high melting temperature of around 180 °C (Marchessault et al., 1981). A major problem of PHB when used as a thermoplastic is its thermal instability during meltprocessing. Therefore, intense interest has been shown in the thermal degradation of PHB and other related poly(hydroxyalkanoate)s (PHAs). Recently, it has been demonstrated that PHB is a chemically recyclable material with end products such as crotonic acid, linear oligomers having a crotonate end group (Morikawa & Marchessault, 1981), and a cyclic trimer (Melchiors et al., 1996). Melchiors et al. found that cyclic oligomers were obtained via back-biting reactions in a toluene solution with catalysts such as dibutyltin dimethoxide. However, the present review concentrates upon the thermal degradation of PHB in melt. If plastic materials originating from renewable resources can be efficiently recycled through precise control of their thermal degradation, an ideal recycling system could be constructed for plastic products, in which the resources and production energy of the materials are minimized.