Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparing the Classes BPA and BPA with Deadlocks

The class of BPA (or context-free) processes has been intensively studied and bisimilarity and regularity appeared to be decidable (see [CHS95], [BCS96]). We extend these processes with a deadlocking state into BPA systems. We show that the BPA class is more expressive w.r. t. bisimulation equivalence but it remains language equivalent to BPA . We prove that bisimilarity and regularity remain decidable in the BPA class. Finally we give a characterisation of those BPA processes which can be equivalently (up to bisimilarity) described within the ‘pure’ BPA syntax.
Neural learning of chaotic dynamics: the error propagation algorithm

An algorithm is introduced that trains a neural network to identify chaotic dynamics from a single measured time-series. The algorithm has four special features: the state of the system is extracted from the time-series using delays, followed by weighted principal component analysis data reduction; the prediction model consists of both a linear model and a multi-layer-perceptron; the effective prediction horizon during training is user-adjustable, due to 'error propagation': prediction errors are partially propagated to the next time step; and to decide when to stop training, a criterion is monitored during training to select the model that has a chaotic attractor most similar to the real system's attractor. The algorithm is applied to laser data from the Santa Fe time-series competition (set A). The resulting model is not only useful for short-term predictions but it also generates time-series with similar chaotic characteristics as the measured data.
Mannan-Degrading Enzymes fromCellulomonas fimi

ABSTRACT The genes man26a and man2A fromCellulomonas fimi encode mannanase 26A (Man26A) and β-mannosidase 2A (Man2A), respectively. Mature Man26A is a secreted, modular protein of 951 amino acids, comprising a catalytic module in family 26 of glycosyl hydrolases, an S-layer homology module, and two modules of unknown function. Exposure of Man26A produced byEscherichia coli to C. fimi protease generates active fragments of the enzyme that correspond to polypeptides with mannanase activity produced by C. fimi during growth on mannans, indicating that it may be the only mannanase produced by the organism. A significant fraction of the Man26A produced by C. fimi remains cell associated. Man2A is an intracellular enzyme comprising a catalytic module in a subfamily of family 2 of the glycosyl hydrolases that at present contains only mammalian β-mannosidases.
Assessment policy in post-apartheid South Africa: challenges for improving education quality and learning

The South African education system has witnessed significant changes since 1994 when the democratically elected government began the process of dismantling the inherited apartheid order. The primary focus of the transformation process was to address the twin imperative of equity and quality in education, particularly for the historically marginalised black population. A key aspect of this transformation process remains the development of alternative assessment policies. This paper reviews the changes focusing on the stated rationale as well as their underlying assumptions and implications for practice. It argues that the changes have in many respects addressed the most obvious effects of the previous apartheid systems. However, it notes that, notwithstanding the policy intentions, assessment policy since 1994 has favoured a measurement focused-approach in the classroom, which has hindered a shift towards an assessment for learning approach. This, it argues, is partly fuelled by the abiding belief in and commitment to classroom testing and examinations as well as external national assessments as the key criterion for reforming learning and teaching practices in the classroom.
Security and Productivity Improvements - Sufficient for the Success of Secure Electronic Transaction?

Online payments in business-to-consumer electronic commerce are mainly made with credit cards. Fraud and chargebacks are a significant issue for merchants and payment card brands, due to widespread use of unsecured or partially secured credit card transactions. The Secure Electronic Transaction (SET) protocol may not only provide a high security level. It also enables productivity improvements and therefore the reduction of transaction costs in payment processes. In the paper, the costs and benefits of SET are evaluated. The results show that security and efficiency are not sufficient to guarantee the market penetration of SET. Additional incentives for merchants and even more important for cardholders are necessary in order to gain market share.
Computed Tomography Angiography of Carotid Arteries and Vertebrobasilar System

AbstractComputed tomography angiography (CTA) of carotid arteries and vertebrobasilar system is a standardized procedure with excellent image quality, but radiation exposure remains a matter of concern. The aim of this study is to examine to what extent radiation dose can be lowered in relation to a standard protocol by simulating examinations with lower tube currents applying a dedicated software.Lower tube current was simulated by a dedicated noise insertion and reconstruction software (ReconCT). In a phantom study, true scans were performed with different dose protocols and compared to the results of simulated dose reductions of the same degree, respectively. In a patient study, 30 CTAs of supra-aortic vessels were reconstructed at a level of 100%, 75%, 50%, and 25% of the initial dose. Objective and subjective image analyses were performed.No significant noise differences between true scans and simulated scans of mimicked contrasted vessels were found. In the patient study, the quality scores of the 4 dose groups differed statistically significant; this difference vanished for the comparison of the 100% and 75% datasets after dichotomization into the categories of diagnostic and nondiagnostic image quality (P = .50). This study suggests an easy-to-implement method of simulating CTAs of carotid arteries and vertebrobasilar system with lower tube current for dose reduction by artificially adding noise to the original raw data. Lowering the radiation dose in a moderate extent to 75% of the original dose levels does not significantly alter the diagnostic image quality.
Classification of Pathological Attachment Patterns in Adults

Attachment, defined as a close and enduring bond to a significant other, can be a useful concept in defining disturbances in interpersonal relationships that are characteristic of many psychiatric disorders. The use of concepts developed by previous investigators to define the attachment behavioral system allows a rigorous definition of pathological patterns of important interpersonal relationships. Four pathological patterns of attachment–Compulsive Self-Reliance, Compulsive Care Giving, Compulsive Care Seeking, and Angry Withdrawal–are defined theoretically and in a self-report scaled instrument. The internal reliability and discriminant validity of the scales are tested empirically using a sample of undergraduate students. The results indicate that the scales conform to theoretical constructs and have high internal reliability. Hypothesized relationships between these patterns of attachment and personality disorder diagnoses are discussed to illustrate how the characterization of adult attachment patte.
A Procedural Explanation of the Generation Effect: The Use of an Operand Retrieval Strategy for Multiplication and Addition Problems

Abstract Three experiments investigated the generation effect for the recall of the answers to arithmetic problems. in Experiment 1, a generation effect was found for subjects given simple multiplication problems but not for those given addition problems. Using a within-subjects design, Experiment 2 demonstrated that a generation effect did occur for addition problems when the subjects were also given multiplication problems. A generation effect for addition problems was also found in Experiment 3 when subjects were instructed at the time of the retention test to use an operand retrieval strategy (i.e., recalling the operands to help retrieve the answer to the problem). These experiments collectively demonstrated a generation effect for the answers to arithmetic problems only when subjects reinstated at test the cognitive procedures used at study, thus providing further evidence in favor of a procedural account of the generation effect.
Frequent polymerase errors observed in a restricted area of clones derived from the attachment (G) protein gene of respiratory syncytial virus

Sequence analysis of a large number of clones derived from the carboxy-terminal one-third of the attachment (G) protein gene of subgroup A respiratory syncytial viruses revealed a region very prone to polymerase errors which resulted mainly in frameshifts because of the insertion or deletion of adenosine residues in some but not all runs of such residues. Such mutations were detected in 14% of clones derived from mRNA, 58% of clones derived from genomic-sense RNA, and 50% of clones derived from in vitro-transcribed RNA. This phenomenon appears to be dependent on the template sequence.
The clever strategy of a tiny crustacean eye early in the evolution of vision

Henningsmoenicaris scutula (Walossek and Müller, 1990) (Fig. 1) is a tiny representative of Crustacea, systematically standing close to the stemline. It is found in stinkstone (‘Orsten’) nodules from the Alum Shale, where a rich fauna of small organisms is excellently preserved. Three dimensional morphology is retained by phosphatisation, which exhibits the finest details, such as cuticular structures, fine appendages and especially the morphology of the compound eyes. The stalked eyes of H. scutula investigated here were equipped with a differentiated visual surface with four different areas of vision. The most intriguing is a field of view oriented laterally to the contralateral side of each eye, so that the fields of view of both compound eyes intersect, and give information about any object moving within the vicinity. Due to this, although, for various reasons this compound eye probably was not able to form a proper image, it was able to perceive tiny prey within a wide visual field, in the same way that the movement of figures can be traced in a chess game. This can be considered as a highly sophisticated visual system that developed early in the history of reported eye evolution, as this compound eye is almost exactly half a billion years old.
The IPL and the Indian domination of global cricket

The success of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is not only about the Indian control of international cricket, it is also about the rise of India. It is about the move away from a restrictive command economy to a free market economy with all the attendant dangers of rapid success, high rewards and growing potential for corruption. It is also about an India which increasingly sees itself as playing a greater role in international affairs and, in the natural course of events, becoming a great power. What this paper does is discuss why the IPL model is successful and how it is grounded in the overall Indian approach to the control of cricket. Further, what are the potential opportunities and pitfalls for the future growth of the game and Indian control of it? It concludes by discussing how the IPL fits into the rise of a modern twenty-first-century India.
Relative energy and intelligibility of transient speech information

Consonants are recognized to dominate higher frequencies of the speech spectrum and to carry more information than vowels, but both demonstrate quasi-steady state (QSS) and transient components, such as vowel to consonant transitions. Fixed filters somewhat separate these effects, but probably not optimally, given diverse words, speakers, and situations, and we suggest that important speech information is contained in transient speech components. To study the relative intelligibility of transient versus steady-state components, we employed an algorithm based on time-frequency analysis to extract QSS energy from the speech signal, leaving a residual signal of predominantly transient components. Psychometric functions were measured for speech recognition of processed and unprocessed monosyllabic words. The transient components were found to account for approximately 2% of the energy of the original speech, yet were nearly equally intelligible. As hypothesized, the QSS components contained much greater energy while providing significantly less intelligibility.
Theoretical perspectives on language deficits

This critical history of research on acquired language deficits (aphasias) demonstrates the usefulness of linguistic analysis of aphasic syndrome for neuropsychology, linguistics, and psycholinguistics. Drawing on new empirical studies, Grodzinsky concludes that the use of grammatical tools for the description of the aphasias is critical. The selective nature of these deficits offers a novel view into the inner workings of our language faculty and the mechanisms that support it.In contrast to other proposals that the left anterior cerebral cortex is crucial for all syntactic capacity, Grodzinsky's discoveries support his theory that this region is necessary for only a small component of the human language faculty. On this basis he provides a detailed explanation for many aphasic phenomena - including a number of puzzling cross-linguistic aphasia differences - and uses aphasic data to evaluate competing linguistic theories.Yosef Grodzinsky is a member of the psychology faculty at Tel Aviv University. "Theoretical Perspectives on Language Deficits" is included in the series Biology of Language and Cognition, edited by John P. Marshall. A Bradford Book.
Charting vowel spaces in Edinburgh middle-class speech

In this paper a partly novel combination of auditory transformation and vowel-extrinsic normalisation is applied to acoustic vowel data from six Edinburgh middle-class speakers. It is shown that the vowel plots thus produced correspond rather well to articulatory and impressionistic descriptions found in the literature. Furthermore, the relatively small variability found between the speakers in a number of vowel features suggests that a typical middle-class Edinburgh vowel space does exist. However, it is also shown that in acoustic terms this vowel space is organised even less symmetrically than is generally assumed.
Template Assembly for Detailed Urban Reconstruction

We propose a new framework to reconstruct building details by automatically assembling 3D templates on coarse textured building models. In a preprocessing step, we generate an initial coarse model to approximate a point cloud computed using Structure from Motion and Multi View Stereo, and we model a set of 3D templates of facade details. Next, we optimize the initial coarse model to enforce consistency between geometry and appearance (texture images). Then, building details are reconstructed by assembling templates on the textured faces of the coarse model. The 3D templates are automatically chosen and located by our optimization‐based template assembly algorithm that balances image matching and structural regularity. In the results, we demonstrate how our framework can enrich the details of coarse models using various data sets.
In‐building power lines as high‐speed communication channels: channel characterization and a test channel ensemble

In‐building power lines have often been considered as attractive media for high‐speed data transmission, particularly for applications like home networking. In this paper, we develop models for power line channels based both on theoretical considerations and practical measurements. We consider power line channel frequency response and noise models in the 1–30 MHz band and propose a number of power line test channels in which to measure the performance of power line modems. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Ecosystem Services Provided by Bats

Ecosystem services are the benefits obtained from the environment that increase human well-being. Economic valuation is conducted by measuring the human welfare gains or losses that result from changes in the provision of ecosystem services. Bats have long been postulated to play important roles in arthropod suppression, seed dispersal, and pollination; however, only recently have these ecosystem services begun to be thoroughly evaluated. Here, we review the available literature on the ecological and economic impact of ecosystem services provided by bats. We describe dietary preferences, foraging behaviors, adaptations, and phylogenetic histories of insectivorous, frugivorous, and nectarivorous bats worldwide in the context of their respective ecosystem services. For each trophic ensemble, we discuss the consequences of these ecological interactions on both natural and agricultural systems. Throughout this review, we highlight the research needed to fully determine the ecosystem services in question. Finally, we provide a comprehensive overview of economic valuation of ecosystem services. Unfortunately, few studies estimating the economic value of ecosystem services provided by bats have been conducted to date; however, we outline a framework that could be used in future studies to more fully address this question. Consumptive goods provided by bats, such as food and guano, are often exchanged in markets where the market price indicates an economic value. Nonmarket valuation methods can be used to estimate the economic value of nonconsumptive services, including inputs to agricultural production and recreational activities. Information on the ecological and economic value of ecosystem services provided by bats can be used to inform decisions regarding where and when to protect or restore bat populations and associated habitats, as well as to improve public perception of bats.
The concept of transnationalism in educational science: Educational biographies of school-age children involved in multiple and multidirectional migration

This report draws attention to some strengths and weaknesses in the current understanding and use of the concept of transnationalism in two closely associated and mutually influential fields of educational science: migration research in educational science and international comparative education. Furthermore, giving the example of an ongoing study, this report suggests that conducting research among young persons who are involved in various forms of migration different from a one-time and unidirectional migration type is important in order for educational research to reveal the inherent complexity of the phenomenon of transnationalism and its relevance for education. I propose that educational science can research transnational phenomena and their educational implications more effectively by reflecting systematically on its currently piecemeal and incomplete understanding of transnational migration, by incorporating findings on transnationalism from other disciplines, and by adopting the analytical lens of methodological transnationalism (Amelina & Faist, 2012; Nieswand, 2006; Weiß & Nohl, 2012 inter alia). Methodological transnationalism is a necessary corrective of the pitfalls of methodological nationalism, aiming for the deliberate contextualization of persons in socio-spatial frameworks. This approach considers socio-spatial frameworks as not mutually exclusive and not necessarily territorially fixed. The transnational sociospatial framework in this regard is one among others such as local, national, international, and supranational (for definition of these terms see Adick, 2008, p. 170f). This analytical approach allows educational scientists to reflect on questions that arise from one person’s simultaneous embeddedness in multiple socio-spatial frameworks. The concept of transnationalism entered the field of migration research in educational science through the adoption of the concept of “transnational migrant” or “transmigrant” from migration sociology. Alongside this concept, corollary critiques were also adopted. These called into question some existing assumptions and led to an enrichment of the field by questioning: 1) the normativity of sedentarism, which conceptualizes mobility as a risk (e.g. to educational success); 2) the normative assumption that society and territory coincide within the border of a nation state (which was complemented by the concept of transnational social spaces); 3) the binary categories of temporary vs. long-term migration and sending vs. receiving countries as well as the classical concept
Influence of Microencapsulated Phase Change Material (PCM) Addition on (Micro) Mechanical Properties of Cement Paste

Excessive cracking can be a serious durability problem for reinforced concrete structures. In recent years, addition of microencapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) to concrete has been proposed as a possible solution to crack formation related to temperature gradients. However, the addition of PCM microcapsules to cementitious materials can have some drawbacks, mainly related to strength reduction. In this work, a range of experimental techniques has been used to characterize the microcapsules and their effect on properties of composite cement pastes. On the capsule level, it was shown that they are spherical, enabling good distribution in the material during the mixing process. Force needed to break the microcapsules was shown to depend on the capsule diameter and the temperature, i.e., whether it is below or above the phase change temperature. On the cement paste level, a marked drop of compressive strength with increasing PCM inclusion level was observed. The indentation modulus has also shown to decrease, probably due to the capsules themselves, and to a lesser extent due to changes in porosity caused by their inclusion. Finally, a novel micro-cube splitting technique was used to characterize the tensile strength of the material on the micro-meter length scale. It was shown that the strength decreases with increasing PCM inclusion percentage, but this is accompanied by a decrease in measurement variability. This study will contribute to future developments of cementitious composites incorporating phase change materials for a variety of applications.
Facial recognition and prosopagnosia: past and present concepts

Facial recognition and discrimination are extremely important behaviors. This paper reviews evidence, including data from recent electrode,PET, and functional MRI studies, which has confirmed that there are areas of the brain located bilaterally in the fusiform gyri that are dedicated to this function. Prosopagnosia, which is the dramatic loss of facial recognition, is also reviewed. Many patients with this deficit have bilateral lesions involving the occipitotemporal areas, while some have damage restricted to the right side only.This suggests that the right side of the brain may be dominant for facial recognition.
EFFECT OF LISNOPRIL, AN ANGIOTENSIN CONVERTING ENZYME (ACE) INHIBITOR ON SPERMATOGENESIS IN RATS

The role of ACE inhibitors (Lisinopril) in reproductive function remains controversial. Some benefits seem to be derivable even in non-hypertensive males with low doses. This study was done using rat model to establish this fact. Male rats were divided into different groups to receive different doses of lisinopril. A control group received no drugs. The mean arterial pressure fell the most with 5 mg of lisinopril. The greatest increase in sperm count and motility was recorded for this same group. This response was dose dependent, falling as the drug dose fell. Lisinopril appeared to, in a dose dependent manner, improve sperm count and motility. In low doses, there is no significant change in arterial pressure. Infertile males with poor quality semen could benefit from a low dose of ACE inhibition. Where they are also hypertensive, ACE inhibition would be an appropriate first line treatment.