Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Formal Instruction and Its Effects on the Acquisition of English Affricate Consonants

Abstract: Indonesian and English have some differences dealing with their symbols or phonemes in the points and manner of articulation. On the other hand, they have the same symbols and phonemes in affricate consonants, voiceless alveolar-palatal /ʧ/ and voiced alveolar-palatal /ʤ/. This study therefore aims to find out whether formal instruction improve the acquisition of English fricative consonants by Indonesian learners of English. The study employed quasi experimental design, the onequivalent control group design. It used two groups, one received treatment (formal instruction) and another group was taught conventionally. The population of this study is students of English Literature Study Program Faculty of Languges and Literature Universitas Negeri Makassar Indonesia. There were 64 students participated as subjects of this study. The subjects ranging from 17 – 19 years old attended an English phonology subject in 2016/2017 academic year. The study reveals that formal instruction improves the acquisition of English affricate consonants by Indonesian learners of English. There are two main conclusions of this study. The first one is that the Indonesian learners of English met difficulties in transcribing English affricate consonants [tʃ] and [dʒ] in pretest, either for control group or experimental group. The second main finding as the primary concern of this study is that the formal instruction improved students’ acquisition of English affricate consonants [tʃ] and [dʒ], where the subjects’ answers toward the list of words significantly improved.
Logics of the Icelandic Hybrid Media System: Snapchat and media-use before the 2016 and 2017 Althing elections

Abstract The increased importance of social media platforms and network media logic merging with traditional media logic are a trademark of modern hybrid systems of political communication. This article looks at this development through the media-use by politicians before the 2016 and 2017 parliamentary elections in Iceland. Aggregate results from candidate surveys on the use and perceived importance of different media forms are used to examine the role of the new platform Snapchat in relation to other media, and to highlight the dynamics of the hybrid media system in Iceland. The results show that Snapchat is exploited more by younger politicians and those already using social media platforms. However, in spite of this duality between old and new media, users of traditional platforms still use new media and vice versa. This points to the existance of a delicate operational balance between different media logics, that could change as younger politicians move more centre stage.
Keypoint Density-based Region Proposal for Fine-Grained Object Detection and Classification using Regions with Convolutional Neural Network Features

Abstract : Although recent advances in regional Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) enable them to outperform conventional techniques on standard object detection and classification tasks, their response time is still slow for real-time performance. To address this issue, we propose a method for region proposal as an alternative to selective search, which is used in current state-of-the art object detection algorithms. We evaluate our Keypoint Density-based Region Proposal (KDRP) approach and show that it speeds up detection and classification on fine-grained tasks by 100 versus the existing selective search region proposal technique without compromising classification accuracy. KDRP makes the application of CNNs to real-time detection and classification feasible.
The Epidemiology of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease in Asia

Context: Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a widespread pediatric disease caused primarily by human enterovirus 71 (EV-A71) and Coxsackievirus A16 (CV-A16). Objective: This study reports a systematic review of the epidemiology of HFMD in Asia. Data Sources: PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar were searched up to December 2014. Study Selection: Two reviewers independently assessed studies for epidemiologic and serologic information about prevalence and incidence of HFMD against predetermined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Data Extraction: Two reviewers extracted answers for 8 specific research questions on HFMD epidemiology. The results are checked by 3 others. Results: HFMD is found to be seasonal in temperate Asia with a summer peak and in subtropical Asia with spring and fall peaks, but not in tropical Asia; evidence of a climatic role was identified for temperate Japan. Risk factors for HFMD include hygiene, age, gender and social contacts, but most studies were underpowered to adjust rigorously for confounding variables. Both community-level and school-level transmission have been implicated, but their relative importance for HFMD is inconclusive. Epidemiologic indices are poorly understood: No supporting quantitative evidence was found for the incubation period of EV-A71; the symptomatic rate of EV-A71/Coxsackievirus A16 infection was from 10% to 71% in 4 studies; while the basic reproduction number was between 1.1 and 5.5 in 3 studies. The uncertainty in these estimates inhibits their use for further analysis. Limitations: Diversity of study designs complicates attempts to identify features of HFMD epidemiology. Conclusions: Knowledge on HFMD remains insufficient to guide interventions such as the incorporation of an EV-A71 vaccine in pediatric vaccination schedules. Research is urgently needed to fill these gaps.
The Role of Lumican in Ocular Disease

Lumican is keratan sulfate proteoglycan of the small leucine rich proteoglycan family. Through studies in animal models lumican has been found to be critical in maintaining corneal clarity. It maintains ordered collagen fibrils which are vital in keeping the cornea transparent. It may also be important in primary open angle glaucoma influencing aqueous outflow. Lumican deficiency in mice results in increased axial length with fibromodulin deficiency and thinner sclerae. There is evidence suggesting that this characteristic may be pertinent in humans and lumican gene polymorphisms could be related to high myopia. Lumican plays a fundamental role in inflammation and wound healing. It localises macrophages to the site of corneal injury and recruits neutrophils in lipopolysaccharide-induced keratitis in mice. It has also been shown to bind lipopolysaccharide which may be critical in inflammatory diseases such as uveitis. Lumican is also important in wound healing revealing decreased synthesis in scar tissue and mediating Fas-Fas ligand interactions. It is present in human placenta and amniotic membrane suggesting that it may ensure viable amniotic membrane grafts. Lumican may also be involved in the formation of posterior capsular opacification following cataract surgery. Research into the pivotal role of lumican in the pathogenesis of ocular disease has resulted in greater understanding of the key role which proteoglycans play in human disease.
Data warehousing and OLAP: improving query performance using distributed computing

Data warehouses are used to store large amounts of data. This data is often used for On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) where short response times are essential for on-line decision support. One of the most important requirements of a data warehouse server is the query performance. The principal aspect from the user perspective is how quickly the server processes a given query: “the data warehouse must be fast”. The main focus of our research is finding adequate solutions to improve query response time of typical OLAP queries and improve scalability using a distributed computation environment that takes advantage of characteristics specific to the OLAP context. Our proposal provides very good performance and scalability even on huge data warehouses.
The mobile-based interactive learning environment (MOBILE) and a case study for assisting elementary school English learning

This research develops a mobile-based interactive learning environment (MOBILE) for aiding elementary school English learning. The MOBILE consists of a mobile learning server and mobile learning tools, which is able to support in- or outdoor learning activities. Several theme-based mobile learning activities including body parts learning and creation of species are conducted. Experimental results obtained from posttests and questionnaire indicate that the MOBILE can significantly increase students' interest and effect in learning English as compared to the traditional manner.
Measuring supersymmetric particle masses at the LHC in scenarios with Baryon-number R-parity violating couplings

The measurement of sparticle masses in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model at the LHC is analysed, in the scenario where the lightest neutralino, the 01, decays into three quarks. Such decays, occurring through the baryon-number violating coupling λ''ijk, pose a severe challenge to the capability of the LHC detectors since the final state has no missing energy signature and a high jet multiplicity. We focus on the case λ''212≠0 which is the most difficult experimentally. The proposed method is valid over a wide range of SUGRA parameter space with λ''212 ~ 10−5−0.1. Simulations are performed of the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Using the 01 from the decay chain L→02q→Rq→01q, we show that the 01 and 02 masses can be measured by 3-jet and 3-jet + lepton pair invariant mass combinations. At the SUGRA point m0 = 100 GeV, m1/2 = 300 GeV, A0 = 300 GeV, tan β = 10, 0$>μ > 0 and with λ''212 = 0.005, we achieve statistical (systematic) errors of 3 (3), 3 (3), 0.3 (4) and 5 (12) GeV, respectively for the masses of the 01, 02, R and L, with an integrated luminosity of 30 fb−1.
0.7μm CMOS digitally controlled switched capacitor oscillator for a resonance tracking ultrasound transmitter

A digitally controlled oscillator is presented in this paper. The oscillator is part of a robust PLL transmitter which is used for ultrasonic visualization in the MYRRHA-reactor. It has a quiescent frequency of 5MHz, a tuning range of 4–6MHz and a power consumption of 15mW.
Integer-Linear-Programing Optimization in Scalable Video Multicast with Adaptive Modulation and Coding in Wireless Networks

The advancement in wideband wireless network supports real time services such as IPTV and live video streaming. However, because of the sharing nature of the wireless medium, efficient resource allocation has been studied to achieve a high level of acceptability and proliferation of wireless multimedia. Scalable video coding (SVC) with adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) provides an excellent solution for wireless video streaming. By assigning different modulation and coding schemes (MCSs) to video layers, SVC can provide good video quality to users in good channel conditions and also basic video quality to users in bad channel conditions. For optimal resource allocation, a key issue in applying SVC in the wireless multicast service is how to assign MCSs and the time resources to each SVC layer in the heterogeneous channel condition. We formulate this problem with integer linear programming (ILP) and provide numerical results to show the performance under 802.16 m environment. The result shows that our methodology enhances the overall system throughput compared to an existing algorithm.
Mechanisms of after‐hyperpolarization following activation of fly visual motion‐sensitive neurons

In many neurons, strong excitatory stimulation causes an after‐hyperpolarization (AHP) at stimulus offset, which might give rise to activity‐dependent adaptation. Graded‐potential visual motion‐sensitive neurons of the fly Calliphora vicina respond with depolarization and hyperpolarization during motion in their preferred direction and their anti‐preferred direction, respectively. A prominent after‐response, opposite in sign to the response during motion, is selectively expressed after stimulation with preferred‐direction motion. Previous findings suggested that this AHP is generated in the motion‐sensitive neurons themselves rather than in presynaptic processing layers. However, it remained unknown whether the AHP is caused by membrane depolarization itself or by another process, e.g. a signaling cascade triggered by activity of excitatory input channels. Here we showed by current injections and voltage clamp that the AHP and a corresponding current are generated directly by depolarization. To test whether the generation of an AHP is linked to depolarization via a Ca2+‐dependent mechanism, we used photoactivation of a high‐affinity Ca2+ buffer. In accordance with previous findings the AHP was insensitive to manipulation of cytosolic Ca2+. We propose that membrane depolarization presents a more direction‐selective mechanism for the control of AHP than other potential control parameters.
Toward Developing Authentic Leadership: Team-Based Simulations

Although there is a consensus that authentic leadership should be an essential component in educational leadership, no study to date has ever tried to find whether team-based simulations may promote authentic leadership. The purpose of this study was to identify whether principal trainees can develop authentic leadership through ethical decision making in team-based simulations of cases that they had experienced. Fifty principal trainees volunteered to participate in the study. A four-dimension model of authentic leadership was constructed, which may suggest that leadership programs should include team-based simulations in ethical contexts to develop the authentic leadership of the future.
The Ways of Knowledge Management

This paper summarizes the experience of an R&D Center: the Center for Knowledge Systems (CKS) at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Mexico. The CKS ́s mission is to study the knowledge economy and to develop systems which enable individuals and organizations to develop sustainable strategies within that economy. Our work consists mostly of contracted industry projects. From the income of those projects, we fund our own basic research. The purpose of this paper is to share our experiences and gain fresh inputs from colleagues working on the understanding and management of knowledge. The CKS focuses on three major areas of knowledge management: organizational learning, intellectual capital and value addition. These areas show an increasing level of complexity and innovation. As we progress on this path, we find newer territories and less points of reference. We have drawn a map of the knowledge systems field in order to navigate our way forward. We constantly redraw this taxonomy, based on an action-research approach to our own knowledge construction. A basic CKS tenant is the committment to experimentally apply to ourselves the most progressive management principles we assert. Since the virtual organization is one of the most comprehensive of such principles, we operate through an intentional virtual design. Knowledge exchange in virtual teams, management of virtual learning networks and the very concept of virtuality are part of our dayto-day concerns. Through this article, our structure and function is described and, in doing so, some conclusions on the development of knowledge systems for industry will be drawn. Rather than reading, we are interested in sustaning a dialog with those having similar interests and experiences.
Interaction of Stress, Lead Burden, and Age on Cognition in Older Men: The VA Normative Aging Study

Background Low-level exposure to lead and to chronic stress may independently influence cognition. However, the modifying potential of psychosocial stress on the neurotoxicity of lead and their combined relationship to aging-associated decline have not been fully examined. Objectives We examined the cross-sectional interaction between stress and lead exposure on Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores among 811 participants in the Normative Aging Study, a cohort of older U.S. men. Methods We used two self-reported measures of stress appraisal—a self-report of stress related to their most severe problem and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Indices of lead exposure were blood lead and bone (tibia and patella) lead. Results Participants with higher self-reported stress had lower MMSE scores, which were adjusted for age, education, computer experience, English as a first language, smoking, and alcohol intake. In multivariable-adjusted tests for interaction, those with higher PSS scores had a 0.57-point lower (95% confidence interval, −0.90 to 0.24) MMSE score for a 2-fold increase in blood lead than did those with lower PSS scores. In addition, the combination of high PSS scores and high blood lead categories on one or both was associated with a 0.05–0.08 reduction on the MMSE for each year of age compared with those with low PSS score and blood lead level (p < 0.05). Conclusions Psychological stress had an independent inverse association with cognition and also modified the relationship between lead exposure and cognitive performance among older men. Furthermore, high stress and lead together modified the association between age and cognition.
A Systematic Approach to Multi-Period Stress Testing of Portfolio Credit Risk

We propose a new method for analysing multi-period stress scenarios for portfolio credit risk more systematically than in current macro stress tests. The plausibility of a scenario is quantified by its distance from an average scenario. For a given level of plausibility, we search systematically for the most adverse scenario. This ensures that no plausible scenario will be missed. We show how this method can be applied to some models already in use by practitioners. While worst case search requires numerical optimisation we show that we can work with reasonably good linear approximations to the portfolio loss function. This makes systematic multi-period stress testing computationally efficient and easy to implement. Applying our approach to data from the Spanish loan register we show that, compared to standard stress test procedures, our method identifies more harmful scenarios that are equally plausible.
Comparing semantic frameworks for coordination: on the conformance issue for coordination media

A fundamental issue in the engineering of coordination models is to design coordination abstractions that are correct with respect to the specification of the coordination model they implement. The traditional semantic framework for coordination is focused on describing the admissible evolutions over time of a coordinated system, and is particularly suitable for specifying the laws of a coordination model. On the other hand, formally describing run-time aspects of an implementation requires a different framework, capturing as fundamental idea the interactive behavior of a coordination medium.In this paper, these two frameworks are compared by tackling a crucial issue of coordination models, that is, the conformance of an implementation with respect to a specification. In particular, a definition of conformance is introduced that is shown to be compatible with the standard notion of implementation by horizontal refinement promoted in the context of process algebras.
Automated Recognition of Railroad Infrastructure in Rural Areas from LIDAR Data

This study is aimed at developing automated methods to recognize railroad infrastructure from 3D LIDAR data. Railroad infrastructure includes rail tracks, contact cables, catenary cables, return current cables, masts, and cantilevers. The LIDAR dataset used in this study is acquired by placing an Optech Lynx mobile mapping system on a railcar, operating at 125 km/h. The acquired dataset covers 550 meters of Austrian rural railroad corridor comprising 31 railroad key elements and containing only spatial information. The proposed methodology recognizes key components of the railroad corridor based on their physical shape, geometrical properties, and the topological relationships among them. The developed algorithms managed to recognize all key components of the railroad infrastructure, including two rail tracks, thirteen masts, thirteen cantilevers, one contact cable, one catenary cable, and one return current cable. The results are presented and discussed both at object level and at point cloud level. The results indicate that 100% accuracy and 100% precision at the object level and an average of 96.4% accuracy and an average of 97.1% precision at point cloud level are achieved.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology Dovepress Update on the Management of Chronic Eczema: New Approaches and Emerging Treatment Options

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common disease with worldwide prevalence, affecting up to 20% of children and 3% of adults. Recent evidence regarding pathogenesis has implicated epidermal barrier defects deriving from filagrin mutations with resulting secondary inflammation. In this report, the authors comprehensively review the literature on atopic dermatitis therapy, including topical and systemic options. Most cases of AD will benefit from emollients to enhance the barrier function of skin. Topical corticosteroids are first-line therapy for most cases of AD. Topical calcineurin inhibitors (tacrolimus ointment, pimecrolimus cream) are considered second line therapy. Several novel barrier-enhancing prescription creams are also available. Moderate to severe cases inadequately controlled with topical therapy may require phototherapy or systemic therapy. The most commonly employed phototherapy modalites are narrow-band UVB, broadband UVB, and UVA1. Traditional systemic therapies include short-term corticosteroids, cyclosporine (considered to be the gold standard), methotrexate, azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil, and most recently leflunamide. Biologic therapies include recombinant monoclonal antibodies acting on the immunoglobulin E / interleukin-5 pathway (omalizumab, mepolizumab), acting as tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors (infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab), and acting as T-cell (alefacept) and B-cell (rituxumab) inhibitors, as well as interferon γ and intravenous immunoglobulin. Efficacy , safety, and tolerability are reviewed for each medication.
University of Huddersfield Repository Stock market volatility and bank performance in China

This paper evaluates the determinants of bank performance in China. In particular, we examine the effects of stock market volatility, competition and ownership on bank performance in China. The sample comprises a total of 11 banks (four state-owned and seven joint-stock commercial banks) listed in the Chinese Stock Exchanges. The period under consideration extends from 2003-2009. The Generalized Methods of Moments (GMM) difference and system estimators are applied. Empirical results show that high level of stock market volatility can translate into higher Return on Equity (ROE) and Excess Return on Equity (EROE). Rather than leading to improved profitability, the labour productivity has a negative impact on Economic Value Added (EVA). Ownership does not have any effect on the profitability of Chinese banking industry. The bank profitability in terms of ROE and EROE is lower in the banking industry with higher competition. When using the GMM with ROECOC and ROE, we find that high taxation has a negative impact on both state-owned and joint-stock banks, while the capital level is negatively related to joint-stock commercial banks. With regards to the other two performance indicators (EVA and NIM), the result suggests that higher cost efficiency and labour productivity improve the performance of both state-owned and joint-stock commercial banks. Large volume of non-traditional activity is the explanation of poor performance of state-owned commercial banks, while higher credit risk, lower taxation and mature banking industry are helpful in improving the performance of joint-stock commercial banks.