Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Challenges and future trends in software requirements prioritization

The right requirements are considered as a part and parcel of software quality. Since the emergence of software engineering the perfect requirements have a deeper effect on the overall quality of software systems. This research paper is focusing on the shortcomings or limitations of existing software requirements prioritization techniques and paves the way for researchers to explore new horizons in software requirements prioritization. Most of the techniques are solving the plight of small projects or toy applications. There is not a single evidence of a successful prioritization technique that would solve the problem of large set of requirements. The innovative requirements prioritization approaches are required for systems where user requirements increase in hundreds and even in thousands. The existing techniques are not providing sufficient automation for such systems due to their certain limitations.
Effective Search in Rugged Performance Landscapes: A Review and Outlook

The creation of novel strategies, the pursuit of entrepreneurial opportunities, and the development of new technologies, capabilities, products, or business models all involve solving complex problems that require making a large number of highly interdependent choices. The challenge that complex problems pose to boundedly rational managers—the need to find a high-performing combination of interdependent choices—is akin to identifying a high peak on a rugged performance “landscape” that managers must discover through sequential search. Building on the NK model that Levinthal introduced into the management literature in 1997, scholars have used simulation methods to construct performance landscapes and examine various aspects of effective search processes. We review this literature to identify common themes and mechanisms that may be relevant in different managerial contexts. Based on a systematic analysis of 71 simulation studies published in leading management journals since 1997, we identify six themes: learning modes, problem decomposition, cognitive representations, temporal dynamics, distributed search, and search under competition. We explain the mechanisms behind the results and map all of the simulation articles to the themes. In addition, we provide an overview of relevant empirical studies and discuss how empirical and formal work can be fruitfully combined. Our review is of particular relevance for scholars in strategy, entrepreneurship, or innovation who conduct empirical research and apply a process lens. More broadly, we argue that important insights can be gained by linking the notion of search in rugged performance landscapes to practitioner-oriented practices and frameworks, such as lean startup or design thinking.
The Educational Journeys of Students of Color Across the Educational Pipeline: A Pedagogy of Storytelling or a Struggle for Freedom?

ABSTRACT Social inequality as evident through poverty, racism, and irrelevant social and educational policies and practices have created consistent disparities on most educational achievement and attainment outcomes for historically marginalized students, and students of color specifically. These ongoing inequalities and injustices require policy, practical, and pedagogical changes across the educational pipeline. The work of the people on the ground needs to be intentional when exploring ways to creatively and courageously engage with students of color inside and outside the classroom. This paper describes, conceptualizes, and applies a pedagogical practice called Educational Journeys/Caminos Educativos, which is built on a grounded, context-specific, and culturally relevant set of processes that helps students, educators, leaders, policy makers, and other stakeholders to co-create a series of pedagogical approaches that facilitate opportunities for educators to heal, build, and thrive with historically marginalized students, particularly minoritized, immigrant, and undocumented youth. The goal of this paper is to propose pedagogical processes that allow these populations, and the educators who serve them, to imagine a new social condition for and with students of color across the educational pipeline as a gesture toward equity and social justice. The author suggests that the pedagogy of Educational Journeys is more than storytelling; it’s about a struggle for freedom—past, present, and future.
Does Federalism imply Devolution ? Local Governments in Federal Nations ∗

We use a simple model to show that the introduction of a provincial or state level of government between the national and local levels can reduce the resources available to the local government. We find that in actual fact, this effect of federalism (by which we mean a system with state governments) on local government resources is very large. Federal countries have a local share of all government expenditure which is, on average, 9 percentage points lower than that of unitary countries, while the mean local share for all countries is 19%. We also find evidence which suggests that the low local share of government expenditure in federal countries is not simply a matter of substituting state-level provision for local provision of goods which are provided just as well at the state level. Brief case studies of Canada and India further illustrate these points. JEL Classification: H11, H42, H71, H72, H77.
Espousing Interactions and Fielding Reactions: Addressing Laypeople's Beliefs About Genetic Determinism

Although biologists and philosophers of science generally agree that genes cannot determine the forms of biological and psychological traits, students, journalists, politicians, and other members of the general public nonetheless continue to embrace genetic determinism. This article identifies some of the concerns typically raised by individuals when they first encounter the systems perspective that biologists and philosophers of science now favor over genetic determinism, and uses arguments informed by that perspective to address those concerns. No definitive statements can yet be made about why genetic determinism has proven so resilient in the face of empirical evidence pointing up its deficiencies, but conveying the essential interdependence of ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’ to the general public will likely require deployment of the arguments that systems theorists ordinarily use to reject genetic determinism. In addition, the elaboration of new metaphors that focus attention on the dynamic nature of trait construction will likely prove valuable, because re-conceptualizing notions like ‘genes’ and ‘nature’ will probably be one of the most effective ways to help students and the general public abandon the genetic determinism that biologists now recognize as indefensible.
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Research Department Staff Report 338 Comment on Gali and Rabanal's " Technology Shocks and Aggregate Fluctuations: How Well Does the Rbc Model Fit Postwar U.s. Data? " *

Gali and Rabanal provide statistical evidence that, in their view, puts into question the real business-cycle paradigm in favor of the sticky-price paradigm. I demonstrate that their statistical procedure is easily misled in that they would reach the same conclusions even if their data had been simulated from an RBC model. I also demonstrate that sticky-price models do a poor job generating U.S.-like business cycles with only shocks to technology, the federal funds rate, and government consumption. This explains why Gali and Rabanal need large unobserved shocks to preferences and to the degree of monopoly power. * This discussion was prepared for the 2004 NBER Macroeconomics Annual. I received very helpful comments from my colleagues at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Data, codes, and notes used in this project are available at my website (minneapolisfed.org/research). The views expressed herein are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis or the Federal Reserve System.
The Gamma-ray burst 050904 : evidence for a termination shock ?

Aims. We analyze optical and X-ray observations of GRB 050904 obtained with TAROT and SWIFT. Methods. We perform temporal and spectral analysis of the X-ray and optical data. Results. We find significant absorption in the early phase of the X-ray light curve, with some evidence (3 σ level) of variability. We interpret this as a progressive photo-ionization. We investigate the environment of the burst and constrain its density profile. We find that the overall behavior of the afterglow is compatible with a fireball expanding in a wind environment during the first 2000 s after the burst (observer frame). On the other hand, the late (after 0.5 days, observer frame) afterglow is consistent with an interstellar medium, suggesting the possible presence of a termination shock. We estimate the termination shock position to be $R_{\rm t} \sim 1.8 \times 10^{-2}$ pc, and the wind density parameter to be $A_* \sim 1.8$. We try to explain the simultaneous flares observed in optical and X-ray bands in light of different models: delayed external shock from a thick shell, inverse Compton emission from reverse shock, inverse Compton emission from late internal shocks or a very long internal shock activity. Among these models, those based on a single emission mechanism, are unable to account for the broad-band observations. Models invoking late internal shocks, with the inclusion of IC emission, or a properly tuned very long internal shock activity, offer possible explanations.
The Medicinal Mushroom Agaricus blazei Murrill: Review of Literature and Pharmaco-Toxicological Problems

Agaricus blazei Murrill (ABM) popularly known as ‘Cogumelo do Sol’ in Brazil, or ‘Himematsutake’ in Japan, is a mushroom native to Brazil, and widely cultivated in Japan for its medicinal uses, so it is now considered as one of the most important edible and culinary-medicinal biotechnological species. It was traditionally used to treat many common diseases like atherosclerosis, hepatitis, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, dermatitis and cancer. In vitro and in vivo ABM has shown immunomodulatory and antimutagenic properties, although the biological pathways and chemical substances involved in its pharmacological activities are still not clear. The polysaccharides phytocomplex is thought to be responsible for its immunostimulant and antitumor properties, probably through an opsonizing biochemical pathway. Clinical studies are positive confirmations, but we are still at the beginning, and there are perplexing concerns especially relative to the content of agaritine. Argantine is a well-known carcinogenic and toxic substance in animals, that must be completely and fully evaluated.
Vibration energy harvesting: fabrication, miniaturisation and applications

This paper reviews work at the University of Southampton and its spin-out company Perpetuum towards the use of vibration energy harvesting in real applications. Perpetuum have successfully demonstrated vibration-powered condition monitoring systems for rail and industrial applications. They have pursued applications were volume is not a particular constraint and therefore sufficient power can be harvested. Harvester reliability and longevity is a key requirement and this can be a challenging task in high shock environments. The University of Southampton has investigated the miniaturization of the technology. MEMS electromagnetic harvesters were found to be unsuitable although miniaturized devices fabricated using bulk components did perform well. Screen printed piezoelectric harvesters were also found to perform well and were ideally suited to a low profile application where device thickness was limited. Screen printing was not only used to deposit the active piezoelectric material but also an inertial mass ink based on tungsten. This enables the device to be printed entirely by screen printing providing a low-cost route to manufacture. Finally, details of a simulation tool that can take real world vibrations and estimate vibration energy harvester output was presented. This was used to simulate linear and nonlinear harvesters and in many applications with a characteristic resonant frequency the linear approach was found to be the optimum. Bistable nonlinear harvesters were found to work better with more random vibration sources.
The Acoustic Channel and Delay : A Tale of Capacity and Loss

We analyze the capacity of single-input-multi-output (SIMO) acoustic channels with long propagation delays and longterm frequency-dependent properties that are found in acoustic channels. The focus of this paper is on the effects of feedback delay on the achievable rate of the acoustic channel. Four power allocation policies are analyzed within a framework of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM): water-filling, statistical water-filling (water-filling based on long-term channel statistics), frequency band selection (uniform power allocated to all carriers within a range of frequencies), and uniform power allocation across all carriers irrespective of the channel (“all-on”). The first three methods show very little difference in rate for average to high SNRs. However, the frequency-band-selection method is robust against feedback delay, requires little overhead and has low complexity, thus making it the method of choice. In mobile systems where the distance between the transmitter and receiver vary significantly, adaptive frequency band selection can deliver a significant gain compared to the “all-on” policy, as it picks the band that is statistically optimal for the given distance. Finally, we show that although water-filling can increase the capacity significantly in SNR-starved systems with perfect channel knowledge at the transmitter, the gain turns into a loss with the long feedback delays associated with underwater acoustic channels.
Everyone can be a winner: The benefits of competing in organized races for recreational runners

ABSTRACT Participants in the study were 404 recreational runners. At the end of each week for three months they used an online diary to describe their psychological well-being for the week (a total of 4046 weeks), and they indicated if they had participated in an organized race each week (a total of 1111 races). Multilevel modeling analyses (weeks nested within persons) found that well-being, defined in terms of self-esteem, self-efficacy, life satisfaction, positive affect, and depressed affect, was higher during weeks in which participants had run in an organized race than it was during weeks in which they had not run in an organized race. Moreover, well-being was positively related to self-evaluations of performance in races. For recreational runners, finishing an organized race may represent the achievement of a goal, an achievement that increases well-being and may help maintain or increase the motivation to keep running.
Analogical mapping and inference with binary spatter codes and sparse distributed memory

Analogy-making is a key function of human cognition. Therefore, the development of computational models of analogy that automatically learn from examples can lead to significant advances in cognitive systems. Analogies require complex, relational representations of learned structures, which is challenging for both symbolic and neurally inspired models. Vector symbolic architectures (VSAs) are a class of connectionist models for the representation and manipulation of compositional structures, which can be used to model analogy. We study a novel VSA network for the analogical mapping of compositional structures, which integrates an associative memory known as sparse distributed memory (SDM). The SDM enables non-commutative binding of compositional structures, which makes it possible to predict novel patterns in sequences. To demonstrate this property we apply the network to a commonly used intelligence test called Raven's Progressive Matrices. We present results of simulation experiments for the Raven's task and calculate the probability of prediction error at 95% confidence level. We find that non-commutative binding requires sparse activation of the SDM and that 10-20% concept-specific activation of neurons is optimal. The optimal dimensionality of the binary distributed representations of the VSA is of the order 104, which is comparable with former results and the average synapse count of neurons in the cerebral cortex.
Dealing with complex project management A multidimensional approach

Project failure occurs due to several reasons, but complexity and underestimation of complexity can be the cause often. Because of the interdisciplinary character of projects, it seems that it project management approaches are not sufficient to deal with the complexity of projects. Therefore the interdisciplinary aspect, has to be considered and managed appropriately, which brings us to the following research question is: “How can project managers combine tools and techniques from project management approaches and discipline oriented approaches, for managing multidimensional complex projects successfully? ” First a number of management approaches are selected and classified, so that it becomes clear what the focus and methods are behind the approach. Expert interviews provided that the project management approach score weak in dealing with actors, support tools and involving the context elements of a project, while other mangement approaches score better. The techniques of these management approaches are presented to enhance the project management approach for dealing with complex projects.
Associations of motor and cardiovascular performance with academic skills in children.

PURPOSE We investigated the associations of cardiovascular and motor performance in grade 1 with academic skills in grades 1-3. METHODS The participants were 6- to 8-yr-old children with complete data in grades 1-2 for 174 children and in grade 3 for 167 children. Maximal workload during exercise test was used as a measure of cardiovascular performance. The shuttle run test (SRT) time, the errors in balance test, and the number of cubes moved in box and block test (BBT) were measures of motor performance. Academic skills were assessed using reading fluency, reading comprehension, and arithmetic skill tests. RESULTS Among boys, longer SRT time was associated with poorer reading fluency in grades 1-3 (β = -0.29 to -0.39, P < 0.01), reading comprehension in grades 1-2 (β = -0.25 to -0.29, P < 0.05), and arithmetic skills in grades 1-3 (β = -0.33 to -0.40, P < 0.003). Poorer balance was related to poorer reading comprehension (β = -0.20, P = 0.042). The smaller number of cubes moved in BBT was related to poorer reading fluency in grades 1-2 (β = 0.23-0.28, P < 0.03), reading comprehension in grade 3 (β = 0.23, P = 0.037), and arithmetic skills in grades 1-2 (β = 0.21-0.23, P < 0.043). Among girls, longer SRT time was related to poorer reading fluency in grade 3 (β = -0.27, P = 0.027) and arithmetic skills in grade 2 (β = -0.25, P = 0.040). The smaller number of cubes moved in BBT was associated with worse reading fluency in grade 2 (β = 0.26, P = 0.030). Cardiovascular performance was not related to academic skills. CONCLUSIONS Poorer motor performance was associated with worse academic skills in children, especially among boys. These findings emphasize early identification of children with poor motor performance and actions to improve these children's motor performance and academic skills during the first school years.
Opioid Inhibition of Hippocampal Interneurons via Modulation of Potassium and Hyperpolarization-Activated Cation (Ih) Currents

The actions of mu- and delta-opioid agonists (DAMGO and DPDPE, respectively) on GABAergic interneurons in stratum oriens of area CA1 of the hippocampus were examined by using whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings in brain slices. Both agonists consistently generated outward currents of similar magnitude (15–20 pA) in the majority of cells. However, under control conditions, current–voltage (I/V) relationships revealed that only a small number of these cells (3 of 77) demonstrated clear increases in membrane conductance, associated with the activation of the potassium current known as Girk. These interneurons also exhibited a slowly activating, inwardly rectifying current known as Ih on hyperpolarizing step commands.Ih was blocked by the extracellular application of cesium (3–9 mm) or ZD 7288 (10–100 μm) but was insensitive to barium (1–2 mm). In an effort to determine whether the holding current changes were attributable to the modulation of Girkand/or Ih, we used known blockers of these ion channels (barium or cesium and ZD 7288, respectively). Extracellular application of cesium (3–9 mm) or ZD 7288 (25–100 μm) blocked Ih and significantly reduced the opioid-induced outward currents by 58%. Under these conditions the opioid agonists activated a potassium current with characteristics similar toGirk. Similarly, during barium (1–2 mm) application the opioid-induced outward currents were reduced by 46%, and a clear reduction in Ihand the whole-cell conductance was revealed. These data suggest that the opioids can modulate both Ih andGirk in the same population of stratum oriens interneurons and that the modulation of these ion channels can contribute to the inhibition of interneuron activity in the hippocampus.
Gene expression profiling of Escherichia coli growth transitions: an expanded stringent response model

When conditions cause bacterial growth to stop, extensive reprogramming of physiology and gene expression allows for the cell's survival. We used whole‐genome DNA arrays to determine the system response in Escherichia coli cells experiencing transient growth arrest caused by glucose–lactose diauxie and H2O2 treatment, and also entry into stationary phase. The results show that growth‐arrested cells induce stringent control of several gene systems. The vast majority of genes encoding the transcription and translation apparatus immediately downregulate, followed by a global return to steady state when growth resumes. Approximately one‐half of the amino acid biosynthesis genes downregulate during growth arrest, with the notable exception of the his operon, which transiently upregulates in the diauxie experiment. Nucleotide biosynthesis downregulates, a result that is again consistent with the stringent response. Likewise, aerobic metabolism downregulates during growth arrest, and the results led us to suggest a model for stringent control of the ArcA regulon. The stationary phase stress response fully induces during growth arrest, whether transient or permanent, in a manner consistent with known mechanisms related to stringent control. Cells similarly induce the addiction module anti‐toxin and toxin genes during growth arrest; the latter are known to inhibit translation and DNA replication. The results indicate that in all aspects of the response cells do not distinguish between transient and potentially permanent growth arrest (stationary phase). We introduce an expanded model for the stringent response that integrates induction of stationary phase survival genes and inhibition of transcription, translation and DNA replication. Central to the model is the reprogramming of transcription by guanosine tetraphosphate (ppGpp), which provides for the cell's rapid response to growth arrest and, by virtue of its brief half‐life, the ability to quickly resume growth as changing conditions allow.
Modeling phone duration: application to Catalan TTS

There are many exhaustive works that deal with the use of models for segmental duration. The aim of this paper is to evaluate some of the properties mentioned in literature and evaluate factorial and sum-of-products models in front of a listlike approach for Catalan language as a base for a most exhaustive study on duration in this language. Sum-of-products models for vowels and subsystems of consonants seem to be more adequate to model phone duration. The parameters for the sum-of-products models are presented in the paper.