Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of embodiment in conceptual development

ABSTRACT It is well established that sensory experience is influential in children’s early concepts. Opinions diverge, however, on the role of sensorimotor experience in conceptual development beyond infancy. In this paper I review theories of embodied conceptual development, which hold that sensorimotor experience continues to be important to children’s concepts beyond the first two years. In evaluating those theories, I describe studies that have examined embodied effects in children’s conceptual and language processing, and suggest that many unanswered questions remain. One of the biggest challenges for embodied accounts of conceptual development is to explain how abstract concepts are learned and represented. I review the proposals that have been offered to explain development of abstract concepts, and argue that by tackling this challenge we will gain insight about the viability of models of embodied and grounded cognition more broadly.
Detecting Dominant Designs Applying the theory in Network Economies

Dominant designs have been shown to affect the ground rules upon which competitive forces behave within an industry (Suarez & Utterback, 1995). The effects of a dominant design can be so profound as to cause the demise of firms that do not detect the dominant design early and, as a consequence, do not adopt it for their products (Christensen et al., 1998). Therefore it is in the best interests of the management of technology producing firms to develop methods to detect the emergence of a new dominant design that may disrupt their business. Existing research has added to our understanding of the forces contributing to the success and failure of technologies and firms, especially in fast-paced technology industries (Brown & Eisenhardt, 1997; Christensen et al., 1998; Cusumano & Yoffie, 1998; Eisenhardt & Brown, 1998; Suarez & Utterback, 1995; Teece, 1986; Tushman & Anderson, 1986). However, very little has been written to develop factors, based on technological change research, to assist managers in understanding the forces influencing the emergence of a dominant design. The paper derives a framework for the emergence of a dominant design from the literature and applies it to the Internet software industry. This is accomplished through an indepth examination of the web server industry. Particular attention is given to factors important in network-based economies including network effects, standards, complimentary assets and technological change. A complete examination of the web server industry from its origins in the Internet through to today's web server market dominated by the products of two main software development methodologies, open-source and proprietary-executable only provides interesting insights into the application of the emergence framework. The paper concludes with an emphasis on understanding the importance of standards, network effects and complementary assets in industries where open standards play an important role in the evolution of technology.
The influence of the arid Andean high plateau on the phylogeography and population genetics of guanaco (Lama guanicoe) in South America

A comprehensive study of the phylogeography and population genetics of the largest wild artiodactyl in the arid and cold‐temperate South American environments, the guanaco (Lama guanicoe) was conducted. Patterns of molecular genetic structure were described using 514 bp of mtDNA sequence and 14 biparentally inherited microsatellite markers from 314 samples. These individuals originated from 17 localities throughout the current distribution across Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. This confirmed well‐defined genetic differentiation and subspecies designation of populations geographically separated to the northwest (L. g. cacsilensis) and southeast (L. g. guanicoe) of the central Andes plateau. However, these populations are not completely isolated, as shown by admixture prevalent throughout a limited contact zone, and a strong signal of expansion from north to south in the beginning of the Holocene. Microsatellite analyses differentiated three northwestern and 4–5 southeastern populations, suggesting patterns of genetic contact among these populations. Possible genetic refuges were identified, as were source‐sink patterns of gene flow at historical and recent time scales. Conservation and management of guanaco should be implemented with an understanding of these local population dynamics while also considering the preservation of broader adaptive variation and evolutionary processes.
Risky Sexual Behavior and Its Determinants among Orphan and Vulnerable Children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Back Ground: Risky sexual behavior among orphans and vulnerable children and its associated physical, psychological and social consequences is becoming a major public health concern globally. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of risky sexual behavior and its determinants among orphan and vulnerable children in Addis Ababa. Methodology: A community based cross sectional study was conducted on three support and care giving organizations for orphans and vulnerable children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from March to June 2014. A total of 422 orphan and vulnerable children were selected using systematic sampling. Data were collected using pre tested self-administered questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to analyze the data. Result: A total of 407 (96.4%) respondents participated in this study. Among them 112 (27.5%) had sexual intercourse in their life time, of these 50 (44.6%) started sex before the age of 15, 94 (83.9%) had forced sex, 84 (75.0%) had multiple sexual partners, only 16 (14.3%) used condom the first time they had sex and 96 (85.7%) participated in transactional sex. Females were about 3.25 (2.67 - 7.3) times more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior than male respondents, double orphans had 4.32 (2.45 - 9.54) odds of risky sexual behavior compared to their counterparts. Those respondents who had knowledge of HIV transmission and prevention were less likely to be involved in risky sexual behavior 0.58 (0.41 - 0.93). Conclusion: Orphan and vulnerable children are at a higher likelihood of risky sexual behavior. Intervention targeted at multilevel such as orphan survival training, assertive communication skills, sexuality education and education about HIV risk perception, physical, psychological and human right protection, social support, and economic access for basic needs need to be given consideration.
A keyword selection strategy for dialogue move recognition and multi-class topic identification

The concept of usefulness for keyword selection in topic identification problems is reformulated and extended to the multi-class domain. The derivation is shown to be a generalisation of that for the two class problem. The technique is applied to both multinomial and Poisson based estimates of word probability, and shown to outperform or compare favourably to various information theoretic techniques classifying dialogue moves in the map task corpus, and reports in the LOB corpus.
A combinatorial double auction mechanism for cloud resource group-buying

With the development of cloud computing, there is an increasing number of market-based mechanisms for cloud resource allocation. Inspired by the emerging group-buying Web sites, we advocate that group-buying can be applied to cloud resource allocation, and thus cloud providers can benefit from demand aggregation due to the advantage of group-buying in attracting customers, while cloud users can enjoy lower price. However, none of the existing allocation mechanisms is specifically designed for the scenario with group-buying, and it is a challenge for mechanism design to take full advantage of group-buying to maximize the total utility. In this paper, we fill this gap by proposing an innovative auction mechanism. The mechanism is designed based on a combinatorial double auction, in which the allocation algorithm and payment scheme are specifically designed to efficiently generate allocation and compute prices considering group-buying. We theoretically prove that the necessary economic properties in auction design, such as individual rationality, budget balance and truthfulness, are satisfied in our work. The experiments show that the proposed mechanism yields higher total utility, and has good scalability.
Wireless networked control system co-design

A framework for the joint design of wireless network and controllers is proposed. Multiple control systems are considered where the sensor measurements are transmitted to the controller over the IEEE 802.15. 4 protocol. The essential issues of wireless networked control systems (NCSs) are investigated to provide an abstraction of the wireless network for a co-design approach. We first present an analytical model of the packet loss probability and delay of a IEEE 802.15. 4 network. Through optimal control techniques we derive the control cost as a function of the packet loss probability and delay. Simulation results show the feasible control performance. It is shown that the optimal traffic load is similar when the communication throughput or control cost are optimized. The co-design approach is based on a constrained optimization problem, for which the objective function is the energy consumption of the network and the constraints are the packet loss probability and delay, which are derived from the desired control cost. The co-design is illustrated through a numerical example.
Toward a Caring Curriculum: Can Occupational Therapy Be Taught in a Caring Context?.

Caring is often cited as the central component of many health care professions. It is also identified as an equally important factor in patient physical and emotional recovery. In examining health care education, however, curriculum is becoming increasingly focused on the development of technical competence and skill with little focus on the affective aspects of providing care in a caring context. In the field of occupational therapy, little is written regarding facilitation of caring behaviors in occupational therapy students. Through examination of the educational philosophies of Paulo Freire and Nel Noddings, a framework for a caring curriculum can be developed. Through use of signature pedagogies in occupational therapy, the author utilizes fundamental aspects of a caring curriculum put forth by Freire and Noddings to develop a curriculum that not only develops the individual’s technical skill, but makes them emotionally competent as well. Though the work of Freire and Noddings was not explicitly intended for higher learning or health care professional education, the principles put forth are not only relevant but provide a viable framework for the development of caring professionals. The benefit of this proposal will ultimately be to patients whom these emotionally competent occupational therapists serve.
An automatic interpretation method for LCD images of digital measuring instruments

A new automatic interpretation method for the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) images of digital measuring instruments is proposed in this paper. The original image is down sampled to extract the edge of the LCD, which is utilized to locate the LCD region including the characters automatically. Subsequently, a group of multi-scale convolution masks are applied to deal with the LCD area in order to extract strokes of the characters. Finally, the characters are recognized according to the structural features, which are generated by using the lines to pass through the strokes of the characters. The experiment results prove the high robustness, high recognition accuracy and high running speed of the proposed method, which can meet the requirements in calibrating digital measuring instruments with LCD.
How hard is to search an unsorted database containing N items ? A quantum mechanical algorithm

An unsorted database contains N records out of which just one satisfies a particular property. The problem is to identify that one record. Any classical algorithm, deterministic or probabilistic, will clearly take steps since on the average it will have to examine a large fraction of the N records. Quantum mechanical systems can do several operations simultaneously due to their wave like properties. This paper gives an step quantum mechanical algorithm for identifying that record.
Measuring Student Knowledge, Ignorance and Risk Aversion with Objective Examination Questions

This paper applies deductive logic to the structure and outcomes of objective questions. When all terms are clearly defined and deductive logic is correctly used, then the results must be true, even if they are surprising or counter-intuitive. The defined premises are 1) student’s true knowledge, 2) student’s false knowledge, 3) student’s admitted ignorance and 4) student’s level of risk aversion. Definitions for 5) correct answer, 6) wrong answer, and 7) abstain are also needed. Some logical processes are numerical and involve simple equations. The main outcomes include: i) the standard scoring of correct answers, the number of wrong answers and the number of abstain can result from varying levels of true knowledge, false knowledge and admitted ignorance; ii) the level of risk aversion is measured by the proportion of answers where the student abstains from answering. High risk aversion lowers standard score, but this effect can be easily corrected.
Cooperation and coordination concerns in a distributed software development project

Enabling effective coordination of work in large distributed software projects requires cooperation between participants across multiple teams, sites, and skill sets. To determine how practicing software engineers, in a distributed software development setting, maintain awareness of dependencies and coordinate to resolve dependencies in their work, we conducted a field study that used interviews and informal observation of a distributed software team. In this paper we present key interesting themes that emerged from the qualitative analysis: proximity, modification request authoring patterns, and uncooperative behaviours. We discuss these findings and outline future quantitative research plans to triangulate the methods used by software developers with recorded activities in engineering repositories to increase the generalizability of the research findings.
GUIATE, A System for Urban Parking Areas Management

The focus is set in presenting a system that could be a realistic solution for urban traffic reduction thanks to the installation of GUIATE, an intelligent management system for public parking in both on-street and off-street. Strategy and planning methods are complemented with the use of non-invasive wireless sensors networks to gather information on traffic and both in-site and in-cloud services to inform drivers and public authorities about parking availability or saturation in real time. A previous study of current models and strategies is also included.
Cache Filter Method Based on DRAM Access Frequency to Improve System Performance

Spatial and temporal localities used in keeping references in cache is limited by the behavior of applications. Many applications that lack these localities, and have high frequency of use of accesses results in a degradation of system performance under the conventional cache design. The proposed method, tracks most frequently used references by dynamically monitoring the accesses to main memory and allows them to be in the cache while rejecting less frequently used accesses. This reduces eviction rate and thereby improves the overall performance.
Transitional Dynamics of the Savings Rate in the Neoclassical Growth Model

This paper characterizes the transitional dynamics of the savings rate in the neoclassical growth model. I start with a general formulation with weak assumptions on preferences and technology and go on to fully describe the transitional behavior of the savings rate under particular functional forms. It is shown that under plausible functional forms for preferences and technology, the model is able to explain the hump-shaped behavior of the savings rate observed in most OECD countries in the period 1950-1990. The paper also provides econometric evidence supporting the empirical relevance of the neoclassical growth model in explaining the dynamics of the savings rate both in OECD countries and in a larger cross-section of countries.
The immunomodulatory factors of bloodfeeding arthropod saliva

There are potent immunomodulators in saliva of the bloodfeeding arthropods which transmit many of the world's most serious diseases that may benefit the arthropod by preventing the vertebrate host from becoming sensitized to the saliva. In addition, saliva can enhance transmission of parasites/pathogens by arthropods. As a result, vaccines that target the arthropod (e.g. salivary immunomodulators) should be considered as one component of multisubunit vaccines against arthropod‐borne parasites/pathogens. Indeed, since vaccines against the pathogens themselves are often not fully protective, vaccines that target several facets of the life cycle of the pathogen may be the most effective at controlling disease transmission. This review covers known immunomodulatory factors in arthropod vector saliva, focusing mainly on sandflies and ixodid ticks.
Optimal Interest-Rate Smoothing

This paper considers the desirability of the observed tendency of central banks to adjust interest rates only gradually in response to changes in economic conditions. It shows, in the context of a simple model of optimizing private-sector behaviour, that assignment of an interest-rate smoothing objective to the central bank may be desirable, even when reduction of the magnitude of interest-rate changes is not a social objective in itself. This is because a response of policy to "irrelevant" lagged variables may be desirable owing to the way it steers private-sector expectations of future policy. Copyright 2003, Wiley-Blackwell.
A job demands-resources approach to presenteeism

Purpose Utilising the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, the purpose of this paper is to examine how aspects of the psychosocial work environment (namely, job demands and resources) are associated with presenteeism, and in particular, whether they are indirectly related via burnout and work engagement. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey of 980 working Australians measured the relationships between job demands (i.e. workplace bullying, time pressure and work-family conflict), resources (i.e. leadership and social support), burnout, work engagement and presenteeism. Path analysis was used to test the proposed hypotheses whilst controlling for participant demographics (i.e. sex, age, work level, duration and education). Findings Higher job demands (workplace bullying, time pressure, and work-family conflict) and lower job resources (leadership only) were found to be indirectly related to presenteeism via increased burnout. While increased job resources (leadership and social support) were indirectly related to presenteeism via improved work engagement. Practical implications The findings are consistent with the JD-R model, and suggest that presenteeism may arise from the strain and burnout associated with overcoming excessive job demands as well as the reduced work engagement and higher burnout provoked by a lack of resources in the workplace. Intervention programmes could therefore focus on teaching employees how to better manage job demands as well as promoting the resources available at work as an innovative way to address the issue of rising presenteeism. Originality/value This study is important as it is one of the first to examine the theoretical underpinnings of the relationship between presenteeism and its antecedents.
Evolutionary classifier ensembles for semi-supervised learning

Ensemble learning plays an important role in pattern recognition. It combines multiple generated models to solve learning problems, such as classification, regression and feature selection. Existing ensemble methods combine classifiers which are generated and run in parallel. In this paper, a novel ensemble learning approach for semi-supervised learning is proposed. Different from existing ensemble methods, classifiers used for prediction are not generated in parallel. Instead, they are generated evolutionarily in the process of iterative semi-supervised learning. As we know, in the iterative semi-supervised learning the labeled set is increased gradually, based on which multiple classifiers would be generated. This evolutionary ensemble tries to combine the classifiers generated evolutionarily in the process of semi-supervised learning to tackle the learning problems. Compared to traditional semi-supervised learning, the proposed method can generate multiple classifiers with no added training time. Some classifier combining rules are also evaluated in this paper. Moreover, the single-view scenario is generalized to the scenario of multiple-view for a wide application. In order to assess the proposed method, four experiments including single-view and multiple-view problems are implemented. The empirical results indicate that our proposed method can significantly improve the accuracy and reliability of semi-supervised learning.
Study and Implementation on Intelligence Frequency Tracking Model of Resonant Converter

Studying on the series resonance, we would establish a frequency Tracking model of first-order phase-locked loop and describe the realization of the model by the theory of phase-locked loop. With this model in the resonant transformation of resonant converter, we have succeeded in intelligence frequency Tracking and let the loop absolutely work in the inductive load with minimum loss, minimum heat, the highest conversion efficiency etc.
Finger skin temperatures in 8-to 11-year-old children : determinants including physical characteristics and seasonal variation . The Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children ( PANIC ) Study

Skin blood flow is an important factor in human thermoregulation (Charkoudian 2003; Savastano et al. 2009) controlling the heat loss through the peripheral vasoconstriction or vasodilation. The arteriovenous anastomoses, existing particularly in glabrous skin of fingertips, participate in the changes of skin blood flow (Lossius et al. 1993; Charkoudian 2003) and thus, in fingertip skin temperature (FST) as its derivative. Among the non-invasive techniques for evaluating the skin microcirculation, skin temperature has been suggested as an indirect indicator of skin blood flow (Wright et al. 2006) and Sessler (2003) reported the forearm-fingertip skin temperature gradients to be related to perfusion of arteriovenous anastomoses. However, the nature of FST is multifactorial due to the complex regulation of skin blood flow that is different in acral and core areas (Charkoudian 2003; Wallin and Charkoudian 2007) and skin temperature depends on the interaction of several Abstract Purpose The fingertip skin temperature (FST) reflects skin blood flow, and FST measurement has been suggested for the investigation of vascular responses. As a limitation, the multifactorial nature and the seasonal variation in measured values have been earlier described in adults but not in children. In the present study, we identify the modifiers of FST in a population sample of Finnish children. Methods FST was measured in children (age range 8–11 years, n = 432) with infrared thermometer, and its possible determinants including the subjects’ physical characteristics and seasonal variables, such as daylight time and outdoor temperature, were identified. Results In univariate regression models, FST was dependent on the sex, age and anthropometric characteristics of the children with the higher body fat content-related variables and a lower surface area-to-mass ratio as strongest single modifiers of FST. There was interaction between sex and puberty with FST. In addition, FST was directly related to daylight time and outdoor temperature although the children had stayed inside for at least 2 h before the measurements. The FST values were lowest in the winter and highest in the summer. In multivariate regression model, main determinants of