Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analyzing Multivariate Repeated Measures Designs: A Comparison of Two Approximate Degrees of Freedom Procedures

The approximate degrees of freedom Welch-James (WJ) and Brown-Forsythe (BF) procedures for testing within-subjects effects in multivariate groups by trials repeated measures designs were investigated under departures from covariance homogeneity and normality. Empirical Type I error and power rates were obtained for least-squares estimators and robust estimators based on trimming/Winsorization. The BF and WJ procedures with least-squares estimators produced comparable Type I error rates for the main effect. For the interaction, the former could become conservative, while the latter was liberal when sample sizes were small. When robust estimators were adopted, the WJ test generally controlled the error rate while the BF test was conservative. Both procedures had similar power for the main effect test, while the WJ procedure was more powerful for tests of the interaction when covariances were heterogeneous.
Seasonal climate summary southern hemisphere (summer 2001/02): a continuation of near-normal conditions in the tropical Pacific

The positive phase of the Southern Oscillation which continued through summer 2000/01 (Fawcett 2002) returned to a neutral phase by autumn 2001 (Pahalad 2002). This neutral phase persisted through winter 2001 (Fawcett and Watkins 2002) and spring 2001 (Trewin and Fawcett 2002). Summer 2001/02 also showed predominantly neutral conditions, however subsurface oceanic analyses were starting to show signs of potential El Niño development. This summary reviews the southern hemisphere and equatorial climate patterns for summer 2001/02, with particular attention given to the Australasian and Pacific Regions. The main sources of information for this report are the Climate Monitoring Bulletin Aust. Met. Mag. 52 (2003) 63-72
Malaysian automatic number plate recognition system using Pearson correlation

Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system helps to monitor and track down a large number of vehicle registration number plates by reading the vehicle plates as input and recognize the plates' characters as output automatically. In fact, inaccuracy of recognition can be caused by various factors such as rotation of the plate and non-uniform illumination during image acquisition. In this paper, de-skewing operations and template matching technique are proposed to maintain the accuracy of the car plate at the high level. The suggested system achieved 91.1% of overall accuracy in the recognition process in the system.
Theory of marketplace morality and impoverished consumers

Morality related to the marketplace has been studied in interdisciplinary contexts as well as the marketing and consumer behavior domains. This research has resulted in prescriptions and proscriptions that seek to right what is perceived as wrongful marketer actions. Yet this work has had little influence on marketing theory. Thus, we seek to advance a marketplace morality theory within a consumer behavior frame, emphasizing treatment of the poor by actors who may or may not supply the goods and services necessary so that they can meet “consumption adequacy. ” The article opens with a look at how this discussion has moved along a theoretical path. Implications for morality related to consumers in poverty come next, followed by blending of philosophical and consumer literatures to reveal a novel theoretical framework.
Profiling and mining RDF data with ProLOD++

Before reaping the benefits of open data to add value to an organizations internal data, such new, external datasets must be analyzed and understood already at the basic level of data types, constraints, value patterns etc. Such data profiling, already difficult for large relational data sources, is even more challenging for RDF datasets, the preferred data model for linked open data. We present ProLod++, a novel tool for various profiling and mining tasks to understand and ultimately improve open RDF data. ProLod++ comprises various traditional data profiling tasks, adapted to the RDF data model. In addition, it features many specific profiling results for open data, such as schema discovery for user-generated attributes, association rule discovery to uncover synonymous predicates, and uniqueness discovery along ontology hierarchies. ProLod++ is highly efficient, allowing interactive profiling for users interested in exploring the properties and structure of yet unknown datasets.
Nonlinear Period-Luminosity Relation for the Large Magellanic Cloud Cepheids: Myths and Truths

In this paper we discuss and examine various issues concerning the recent findings that suggest that the observed period-luminosity (P-L) relation for the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) Cepheids is nonlinear. These include (1) visualizing the nonlinear P-L relation; (2) long-period Cepheids and sample selection; (3) outlier removal; (4) issues of extinction; (5) nonlinearity of the period-color (P-C) relation; (6) nonlinear P-L relations in different passbands; and (7) the universality of the P-L relation. Our results imply that a statistical test is needed to detect the nonlinear P-L relation. We then show that sample selection, number of long-period Cepheids in the sample, outlier removal, and extinction errors are unlikely to be responsible for the detection of the nonlinear P-L relation. We also argue for the existence of a nonlinear P-L relation from the perspective of the nonlinear P-C relation and the nonuniversality of the P-L relation. Combining the evidence and discussion from these aspects, we find that there is a strong indication that the observed LMC P-L relation is indeed nonlinear in the optical bands (however, the K-band LMC P-L relation is apparently linear). This could be due to internal physical reasons or to external hidden/additional factors. Compared to the nonlinear P-L relation, the systematic error in distance scale introduced from using the (incorrect) linear P-L relation is at most at the few percent level. While this is small compared to other systematic errors, it will be important in future efforts to produce a Cepheid distance scale accurate to 1% in order to remove degeneracies presented in CMB results.
Numerical Improvement of the Discrete Element Method applied to Shear of Granular Media

We present a detailed analysis of the bounds on the integration step in Discrete Element Method (DEM) for simulating collisions and shearing of granular assemblies. We show that, in the numerical scheme, the upper limit for the integration step, usually taken from the average time $t_c$ of one contact, is in fact not sufficiently small to guarantee numerical convergence of the system during relaxation. In particular, we study in detail how the kinetic energy decays during the relaxation stage and compute the correct upper limits for the integration step, which are significantly smaller than the ones commonly used. In addition, we introduce an alternative approach, based on simple relations to compute the frictional forces, that converges even for integration steps above the upper limit.
Design of a Flexible and Reliable Gateway to Collect Sensor Data in Intermittent Power Environments

The development of a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) gateway is challenging for sites where limited infrastructures lead to frequent power shortages and network unreliability. In this paper, we present a low-power, low-cost 802.15. 4 and 802.11 compatible solution which uses open source software to meet local conditions. Using the SunSPOT motes on a system which is mostly platform independent, our system is based on the Fox embedded Linux board and equipped with a USB flash drive and a USB WiFi adapter. The system can be solar powered, and the results of a solar system design are presented. All the hardware components are available off-the-shelf and are easy to assemble. We conclude that our system is preferred for applications in remote areas, where a stable power supply and a reliable network infrastructure are lacking. Furthermore, it can be used to extend the range of WSNs by layering a network of long-range motes above islands of low-range motes.
Dynamic software update for component-based distributed systems

Dynamic evolution is a key aspect of the design, development, and maintenance of complex and distributed software systems built by integrating components. Evolution, tradi- tionally obtained by producing software upgrades, may de- rive from changes in the requirements or in the environment, from the need to incorporate new implemented versions and optimizations. Upgrades typically require the software sys- tem to be shutdown, updated and restarted. However a large number of applications require to offer a continuous service. The goal of this research is to support online software re- configuration without service interruption by analyzing the conditions of substitutability of components and their inter- actions and by producing automatic methods for dynamic update.
ODOMETRY CORRECTION OF A MOBILE ROBOT USING A RANGE-FINDING LASER A Thesis

Two methods for improving odometry using a pan-tilt range-finding laser is considered. The first method is a one-dimensional model that uses the laser with a sliding platform. The laser is used to determine how far the platform has moved along a rail. The second method is a two-dimensional model that mounts the laser to a mobile robot. In this model, the laser is used to improve the odometry of the robot. Our results show that one-dimensional model proves our basic geometry is correct, while the two-dimensional model improves the odometry, but does not completely correct it.
Enhanced code coverage approach for regression testing

Code coverage information is widely used to address problems in software development and maintenance phase. Researchers have developed different approaches and tools using code coverage concept to accomplish regression testing tasks. These tools did not provide runtime enhancement techniques. In this research, an implementation of a proposed tool is conducted to measure the code coverage percentage which will be known as phase 1. Phase 2 focuses on enhancing the code coverage keeping the performance degradation as minimum as possible. A suite of selective case studies was tested to calculate the percentage of statement coverage, the number of executed statements and the overall runtime. The design of the proposed tool in this research is based on computing the overall runtime as a single thread approach. When it was tested on multiple threads a race condition problem was discovered as all the threads where trying to access the files in the same time which might lead to a deadlock. This implies resources wasting and delaying overall runtime. So the calculation of the overall runtime is assigned to a single highly configured processor to avoid transition time between multiple processors. This enhances the regression testing performance while decreasing the overall cost of the regression testing process. The proposed tool enhancement results are compared to its relative results in case of no enhancement process to judge the robustness of the proposed approach for this research. The comparison shows a range of enhancement fluctuation between 49%-67% for different sized test cases.
Reproducing Natural Behaviors in Conversational Animation

Building animated conversational agents requires developing a fine-grained analysis of the motions and meanings available to interlocutors in face-to-face conversation and implementing strategies for using these motions and meanings to communicate effectively. In this paper, we describe our research on signaling uncertainty on an animated face as an end-to-end case study of this process. We sketch our efforts to characterize people’s facial displays of uncertainty in face-to-face conversation in ways that allow us to simulate those behaviors in an animated agent. Our work has led to new insights into the structure, timing, expressive content and communicative function of facial actions that we must take into account to explain our empirical findings and to build agents that reproduce people’s effective use of the face in managing the dynamics of conversation.
StoryImaging: a media-rich presentation system for textual stories

In this demo, we develop the StoryImaging system to illustrate a textual story with both images harvested from the Web and synthesized speech. At the backend, a story is firstly processed to identify key terms such as named entities and to obtain the story summary. With the aid of commercial search engines, images are then collected from the Web for those key terms and re-ranked by taking the summary as context. At last, images are clustered to provide an overview of the story. At the web-based frontend, the user interface has been tailored to both improve information comprehension and provide engaging and explorative experiences for users by closely bridging textual and visual modalities.
How quantum computation gates can be realized in terms of scattering theory approach to quantum tunneling of charge transport

Here it is shown that the quantum computation gates can be described in terms of electron transport through quantum tunneling. The two seemingly diverse areas where quantum gates are composed of rotation of electron spin and electronic charge transport is tunneling of electrons through impurity barriers are shown to be closely connected. The phase relation between the transmission and reflection amplitudes are important components which relate the tunneling phenomenon with the rotation of an effective spin in the Bloch sphere can be used for information processing through quantum gates. Quantum computation gates, Mesoscopic, quantum tunneling
The voice source as a causal/anticausal linear filter

A new type of glottal flow model, namely a causal-anticausal linear filter model, is proposed. It is shown that the glottal flow signal can be considered as the impulse response of a linear filter. Then the source/filter speech model can be interpreted as an excitation/filter speech model, the " filter " comprising the glottal flow, vocal tract and radiation components. The spectral features of the voice source models are reviewed, both in the amplitude and phase domains. In the spectral amplitude domain the main features are a spectral maximum (the " glottal formant ") and spectral tilt. Evidence for a mixed causal/anticausal phase behavior of the source is given. Then, a causal-anticausal linear filter voice source model is designed. In conclusion, applications of this new approach are discussed for voice quality modification, voice source estimation, voice quality perception.
Race, ethnicity and disciplinary divides: what is the path forward?

ABSTRACT We pose several questions that emerged for us from Valdez and Golash-Boza’s “U.S. Racial and Ethnic Relations in the twenty-first Century. ” First, we raise questions about their framing of the problem with current scholarship – are immigration/ethnicity and race scholars talking past each other or are they having more fundamental disagreements? Second, we raise questions about their critique of the “the race literature” – do too many of us ignore questions of agency and inclusion? Finally, we raise questions about the stability and utility of the concepts they deploy (“race” and “ethnicity”) and draw on recent scholarship that has argued that we need new language or frameworks to adequately describe the reality on the ground.
Learning to trade off between exploration and exploitation in multiclass bandit prediction

We study multi-class bandit prediction, an online learning problem where the learner only receives a partial feedback in each trial indicating whether the predicted class label is correct. The exploration vs. exploitation tradeoff strategy is a well-known technique for online learning with incomplete feedback (i.e., bandit setup). Banditron [8], a multi-class online learning algorithm for bandit setting, maximizes the run-time gain by balancing between exploration and exploitation with a fixed tradeoff parameter. The performance of Banditron can be quite sensitive to the choice of the tradeoff parameter and therefore effective algorithms to automatically tune this parameter is desirable. In this paper, we propose three learning strategies to automatically adjust the tradeoff parameter for Banditron. Our extensive empirical study with multiple real-world data sets verifies the efficacy of the proposed approach in learning the exploration vs. exploitation tradeoff parameter.
Discovery of a Second Millisecond Accreting Pulsar: XTE J1751–305

We report the discovery by the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer Proportional Counter Array of a second transient accreting millisecond pulsar, XTE J1751-305, during regular monitoring observations of the Galactic bulge region. The pulsar has a spin frequency of 435 Hz, making it one of the fastest pulsars. The pulsations contain the signature of orbital Doppler modulation, which implies an orbital period of 42 minutes, the shortest orbital period of any known radio or X-ray millisecond pulsar. The mass function, fX = (1.278 ± 0.003) × 10-6 M☉, yields a minimum mass for the companion of between 0.013 and 0.017 M☉, depending on the mass of the neutron star. No eclipses were detected. A previous X-ray outburst in 1998 June was discovered in archival All-Sky Monitor data. Assuming mass transfer in this binary system is driven by gravitational radiation, we constrain the orbital inclination to be in the range 30°-85° and the companion mass to be 0.013-0.035 M☉. The companion is most likely a heated helium dwarf. We also present results from the Chandra High Resolution Camera-S observations, which provide the best-known position of XTE J1751-305.
Does Knowledge Management Pay Off?

The resource-based theory of the firm attributes superior firm performance to organizational resources that are valuable, rare, irreplaceable, and not readily reproduced. Aligned with this theory, this study examines the widely expressed notion that knowledge management (KM) competencies form a critical organizational resource that contributes to firm performance. Specifically, the current study addresses the question: does KM pay off? Using the findings of an independent research company and the data from COMPUSTAT, this study empirically examines the relationship between KM performance and firm performance in terms of both profit and cost ratios. Matched Sample Comparison Group (MSCG) methodology is employed to test the research hypotheses. The results of this study suggest that firms with superior KM performance are likely to enjoy higher profitability ratios and lower cost ratios.
Gaussian filtering for enhanced impedance parameters identification in robotic assembly processes

Robot interaction with the environment is normally described as a mass-spring-damping impedance model and the estimation of such interaction impedance parameters requires the computation of the joint (or task) space velocity and acceleration. In many cases, the velocity and acceleration are computed by numerically computing the first and second derivatives of the sensed position signal. The numerical differentiation results in approximation errors when computing the velocity and acceleration signals that would have a direct impact on the estimation of the impedance parameters. This article proposes enhancing the estimation of the impedance parameters by smoothing the velocity and acceleration signals prior to the considered estimation process. Gaussian Smoothing Filter (GSF) is employed in smoothing the considered signals. After the smoothing process, impedance parameters estimation becomes more feasible using the available strategies like the Least Mean Square (LMS) or any other estimation approach. Experiments are conducted on a KUKA Lightweight Robot (LWR) doing the assembly of the air-intake manifold of an automotive powertrain. The impedance parameters are estimated for the smoothed and unsmoothed cases in order to show the enhancement in the estimation process.
On the tradeoff between security and Robustness of the Trellis Coded Quantization scheme

The steganographic security in the Cachin's work is defined as the statistical invisibility between the host signal and its marked version. At contrary, the robustness to an attack is not a prime goal. In robust watermarking, this is exactly the inverse. The scalar costa scheme (SCS) is a typical example of this fact. Indeed, this scheme is robust to additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) attack but is drastically insecure since its probability density function for Gaussian host signal is severely discontinuous. An improved scheme has been proposed by Guillon et al. which increases the security to the detriment of the robustness. In this paper, we propose a new watermarking scheme, based on the combination of the spread transform (ST) and the trellis coded quantization (TCQ) which is secure and robust to AWGN attack.
Core of Coalition Games on MV-algebras1

Coalition games are generalized to semisimple MV-algebras. Coalitions are viewed as [0,1]-valued functions on a set of players, which enables to express a degree of membership of a player in a coalition. Every game is a real-valued mapping on a semisimple MV-algebra. The goal is to recover the so-called core: a set of final distributions of payoffs, which are represented by measures on the MV-algebra. A class of sublinear games are shown to have a non-empty core and the core is completely characterized in certain special cases. The interpretation of games on propositional formulas in Łukasiewicz logic is introduced.
THE AVERAGE EXPONENT OF ELLIPTIC CURVES MODULO p

Let E be an elliptic curve defined over Q. For a prime p of good reduction for E the reduction of E modulo p is an elliptic curve Ep defined over the finite field Fp with p elements. Denote by Ep(Fp) the group of Fp-rational points of Ep. Its structure as a group, for example, the existence of large cyclic subgroups, especially of prime order, is of interest because of applications to elliptic curve cryptography [5, 8]. It is well known that the finite abelian group Ep(Fp) has structure
A decision theory perspective on why women do or do not decide to have cancer screening: systematic review.

AIM This paper is a report of a review in which decision theory from economics and psychology was applied to understand why some women with access to care do not seek cancer screening. BACKGROUND Mammography and cervical smear testing are effective modes of cancer screening, yet many women choose not to be screened. Nurses need to understand the reasons behind women's choices to improve adherence. DATA SOURCES Research papers published between January 1994 and November 2008 were identified using the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, MEDLINE and PsycINFO data bases. The search was performed using the following terms: cervical cancer screening, breast cancer screening, decision, choice, adherence and framing. Forty-seven papers were identified and reviewed for relevance to the search criteria. METHODS Nineteen papers met the search criteria. For each paper, reasons for obtaining or not obtaining cancer screening were recorded, and organized into four relevant decision theory principles: emotions, Prospect Theory, optimism bias and framing. FINDINGS All women have fears and uncertainty, but the sources of their fears differ, producing two main decision scenarios. Non-adherence results when women fear medical examinations, providers, tests and procedures, do not have/seek knowledge about risk and frame their current health as the status quo. Adherence is achieved when women fear cancer, but trust care providers, seek knowledge, understand risk and frame routine care as the status quo. CONCLUSION Nurses need to address proactively women's perceptions and knowledge about screening by openly and uniformly discussing the importance and benefits.