Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On Using Fuzzy Linguistic 2-Tuples for the Evaluation of Human Resource Suitability in Software Development Tasks

Efficient allocation of human resources to the development tasks comprising a software project is a key challenge in software project management. To address this critical issue, a systematic human resource evaluation and selection approach can be proven helpful. In this paper, a fuzzy linguistic approach is introduced to evaluate the suitability of candidate human resources (software developers) considering their technical skills (i.e., provided skills) and the technical skills required to perform a software development task (i.e., task-related skills). The proposed approach is based on qualitative evaluations which are derived in the form of fuzzy linguistic 2-tuples from a group of decision makers (project managers). The approach applies a group/similarity degree-based aggregation technique to obtain an objective aggregation of the ratings of task-related skills and provided skills. To further analyse the suitability of each candidate developer, possible skill relationships are considered, which reflect the contribution of provided skills to the capability of learning other skills. The applicability of the approach is demonstrated and discussed through an exemplar case study scenario.
Power Quality Monitoring and Power Measurements by Using Virtual Instrumentation

—The presented paper describes a virtual instrument used for monitoring and analysis of the relevant power quality parameters and power measurements. The metrological support block is realized in LabVIEW environment which uses advanced methods for measurement and recording of the power quality parameters in accordance with the European quality standards. In that way, a suitable hardware solution for signal conditioning and load control is proposed. The most important parameters (voltage, current, power) are recorded into text files which are further used for measurement data analyses. The measurement results are obtained by using waveform simulator METREL.
A Real-time Mobile Telecommunication System

The third chapter is a description of a transmission scheme using deadline dependent coding with probability calculations and results. The fourth chapter contains our conclusions. Abstract In this Masters thesis it is shown, that by using a Deadline Dependent Coding with Majority Voting, DDC-MV, it is possible to use Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA, as an access method for wireless mobile distributed real-time communication system. We will also describe and analyse a wireless distributed real-time communication scheme which we call REMOTE. We are considering a network which consists of autonomous mobile nodes communicating to other nodes through a real-time protocol. Moreover, we will introduce a transmission scheme where earliest starting time and deadline are some of the Quality of Service parameters. The REMOTE system is based on direct-sequence spread-spectrum and CDMA techniques. In order to meet deadline and keep the self-interference low we propose a deadline dependant coding scheme with majority voting called DDC-MV. The Message Error Rate in the REMOTE system with DDC-MV is 1.08·10-15 which complies with ultra high reliability imposed on critical real-time applications. Acknowledgement We would like to thank our supervisor, Mr. Per-Arne Wiberg for his guidance and enthusiasm during this work. Numerous vivid discussions have led to new insights. Moreover, the concept of deadline depending coding is also emanating from Mr. Wiberg. We would also like to thank other members of the CCA and master students for comments and support. A special thank is directed to Mr. Jan-Olof Johansson and Mr. Mats Gunnarsson at Halmstad University for their patience while explaining principles of statistics. For the supply of information in related areas we would like to thank Mr. Magnus Jonsson at CCA. We also would like to thank Mr. Klas Falkvall and Mr. Anders Hellekant at Albany Nordiska Filt AB for a valuable cooperation and giving us an insight to the necessary considerations needed in industrial environments. Summary The service of transporting data over a wireless medium is a rapidly growing field in supporting personal and industrial communication needs. This revolutionary growth in new market demands and a increasing number of applications has led to tremendous demands for additional capacity and for new radio frequency band allocation. In a mobile telecommunication system the processing nodes are able to move relative to each other while communicating via temporarily connected radio links. In this Master thesis we will describe and analyse a wireless distributed real-time communication scheme …
The design of iterative learning control scheme for CNC machine tools

This paper presents a perfect tracking method by combining iterative learning control (ILC) with disturbance observer (DOB) for CNC machine tools that perform the same tasks repeatedly. Although CNC systems have many nonlinear factors, they can be easily solved by ILC instead of complicated modeling. Also, for repeated disturbance, ILC performs very well and for non-repeated disturbance, DOB works much better. Besides, in order to facilitate the application, this paper proposes a variable gain algorithm with conditional compensation. Simulative results demonstrate the proposed learning scheme can improve machining accuracy when the CNC machine tools perform repetitive machining tasks.
A latent variable model for joint pause prediction and dependency parsing

The prosody of speech is closely related to syntactic structure of the spoken sentence, and thus analysis models that jointly consider these two types of information are promising. However, manual annotation of syntactic information and prosodic information such as pauses is laborious, and thus it can be difficult to obtain sufficient data to train such joint models. In this paper, we tackle this problem by introducing a joint pause prediction and dependency parsing model that treats pauses between consecutive words as latent variables. Using this model, it is possible to learn from not only data labeled with both syntax and pause information, but also data labeled with only syntactic information, which can be obtained in larger quantities. Experiments find that a joint pause prediction and dependency parsing model obtains better pause prediction F-measure than a decision-tree-based baseline trained on the same data, and that the addition of more data using the proposed latent variable model leads for further gains of up to 11.6 points in F-measure.
The effect of culture on the consumers' assessment of advertisements on social networking sites; Cross-cultural analysis

Do consumers of the same brand from different culture have the same perceptions while assessing the advertisements on Social Networking Sites' (SNSAs)? To answer this question, the data for this study were collected from brand communities' consumers (BCCs) on SNSs. 278 respondents from three different cultural backgrounds (Egyptians, Dutch and British) answered the questionnaires. Five main variables to collect the consumers' assessment of SNSAs were tested (information value, entertainment value, credibility value, interactivity value, and irritation value). Based on the empirical findings, the three groups perceived five of the six variables with significant difference F ratios. Consequently, their perception of the entertainment value of SNSAs has no significant differences between the three groups. Based on the cross-cultural theory, the findings of this study have some agreements and some contradictions, especially the influences of power distance and uncertainly avoidance. Moreover, the researchers used the Oneway analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Post Hoc tests to compare between the assessments of the three groups.
Scale and Performance in Publicly Funded Collaborative Research and Development

This paper reports the results of an extensive empirical investigation on the role of project scale (reflected in consortium size and in project budget) on various performance dimensions of publicly funded collaborative research and development (R&D) projects. Recent trends in European research policy are founded on the premise that such scale economies do exist, hence the emphasis placed on the critical mass of R&D projects. We argue that large scale in collaborative R&D confers both positive and negative effects, and thus we hypothesize an inverse U‐shaped relation between scale and performance. We only find an inverse U‐shaped effect of consortium size on networking impacts and a U‐shaped effect of project budget on goal achievement. No other statistically significant relationships were found for the remaining performance dimensions (i.e. scientific outputs, technological outputs, and research capacity impacts). More generally, and consistent with recent work on the relation between quality and quantity in academic research, our analyses offer little evidence to support the idea that increasing scale generally improves collaborative R&D performance. It appears that the simple assumption ‘bigger is better’ in European Union‐financed collaborative R&D may need to be reconsidered.
Mixed stock and landscape genetics analyses of sockeye salmon in the Copper River , Alaska using SNPs

Genetic markers are increasingly used for ascertaining the population of origin of individuals or mixtures of individuals in Pacific salmon mixed stock fisheries. Multilocus genotype data from single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are especially useful for admixture analyses. SNPs can be discovered in non-model organisms with relative ease and may be characterized in coding regions of the genome influenced by selection. SNPs influenced by selection may show atypically high levels of differentiation among populations, and thus be particularly valuable for genetic stock identification if neutral loci show no differences between geographically proximate populations. We identified four SNP loci from a panel of 45 as candidates for diversifying selection in sockeye salmon from the Copper River and adjacent coastal drainages in southcentral Alaska. We evaluated the information content of these four loci for use in genetic stock identification and assessed their ability to improve the accuracy and precision of composition estimates. The average measure of informativeness for assignment, In, for neutral loci was 0.019 and the average In for non-neutral loci was 0.064. A simulation-based approach indicated that the addition of non-neutral SNP loci to a neutral marker panel provided significantly higher resolution to assign individuals to population of origin than would have been accomplished by adding an equal number of neutral loci. SNP loci influenced by selection improved the ability to identify straying by individual fish and estimate the composition of Pacific salmon populations in mixed fisheries.
Online Prediction with Privacy

In this paper, we consider online prediction from expert advice in a situation where each expert observes its own loss at each time while the loss cannot be disclosed to others for reasons of privacy or confidentiality preservation. Our secure exponential weighting scheme enables exploitation of such private loss values by making use of cryptographic tools. We proved that the regret bound of the secure exponential weighting is the same or almost the same with the well-known exponential weighting scheme in the full information model. In addition, we prove theoretically that the secure exponential weighting is privacy-preserving in the sense of secure function evaluation.
Focal Species: A Multi‐Species Umbrella for Nature Conservation

To prevent the further loss of species from landscapes used for productive enterprises such as agriculture, forestry, and grazing, it is necessary to determine the composition, quantity, and configuration of landscape elements required to meet the needs of the species present. I present a multi‐species approach for defining the attributes required to meet the needs of the biota in a landscape and the management regimes that should be applied. The approach builds on the concept of umbrella species, whose requirements are believed to encapsulate the needs of other species. It identifies a suite of “focal species,” each of which is used to define different spatial and compositional attributes that must be present in a landscape and their appropriate management regimes. All species considered at risk are grouped according to the processes that threaten their persistence. These threats may include habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, weed invasion, and fire. Within each group, the species most sensitive to the threat is used to define the minimum acceptable level at which that threat can occur. For example, the area requirements of the species most limited by the availability of particular habitats will define the minimum suitable area of those habitat types; the requirements of the most dispersal‐limited species will define the attributes of connecting vegetation; species reliant on critical resources will define essential compositional attributes; and species whose populations are limited by processes such as fire, predation, or weed invasion will define the levels at which these processes must be managed. For each relevant landscape parameter, the species with the most demanding requirements for that parameter is used to define its minimum acceptable value. Because the most demanding species are selected, a landscape designed and managed to meet their needs will encompass the requirements of all other species.
Conceptual distributed system models and organization of security mechanisms

We present a rational approach to the construction of the information security systems (ISS) in the field of distributed systems (DS). We analyze the existing DS from the point of security and construct a two-level hierarchy of models. Such approach allows us to separate the abstraction (architecture) level and the concrete (component) level of ISS. The core set of methods, i.e. authentication and key exchange protocols, corresponds to the abstraction level and is defined as security infrastructure (SI). The final security parameters optimization and additional mechanisms such as authorization, routing and data auditing of the protection mechanisms are configured on the component level of the DS. In addition, we introduce the general model of security mechanism and outline the systematic step-by-step ISS configuration method.
Tunable MEMS capacitors considering deformation factor

For electrostatically actuated parallel-plate tunable Microelectromechanical System (MEMS) capacitors in traditional theory, pull-in occurs when the deflection of the movable plate is one-third of the original air gap. In this paper, we fabricated the parallel-plate tunable MEMS capacitors and used WYKO NT1100 optical surface profiler to measure the displacement related with deformation. The results show that only the center of the movable plate nearly fully reached their maximum displacement when pull-in effect occurs, that is, the electrostatic force is nonlinear. The theoretical deviations of the capacitance and pull-in voltage in traditional theory and in this work are more than 2.6% and 1.3%.
Intensive Interaction and its Relationship with the Triad of Impairments in ASD

My initial introduction to ASD was during a university course, where the general consensus seemed to be that all people with ASD exhibited the same deficits and strengths – there was no reference to a ‘spectrum’ of autism, and certainly no mention of the variety of severe and complex needs of many individuals with autism. It was only when I began working with young people with ASD that I realised the range of individual differences and, critically, the vast complexity of trying to teach social skills – those attainments which seem to occur so naturally and effortlessly in neurotypical children. My experience of the approaches used to teach individuals with ASD Chapter overview
GSAF: Efficient and flexible geocasting for opportunistic networks

With the proliferation of smartphones and their advanced connectivity capabilities, opportunistic networks have gained a lot of traction during the past years; they are suitable for increasing network capacity and sharing ephemeral, localised content. They can also offload traffic from cellular networks to device-to-device ones, when cellular networks are heavily stressed. Opportunistic networks can play a crucial role in communication scenarios where the network infrastructure is inaccessible due to natural disasters, large-scale terrorist attacks or government censorship. Geocasting, where messages are destined to specific locations (casts) instead of explicitly identified devices, has a large potential in real world opportunistic networks, however it has attracted little attention in the context of opportunistic networking. In this paper we propose Geocasting Spray And Flood (GSAF), a simple but efficient and flexible geocasting protocol for opportunistic, delay-tolerant networks. GSAF follows a simple but elegant and flexible approach where messages take random walks towards the destination cast. Messages that follow directions away from the cast are extinct when the device buffer gets full, freeing space for new messages to be delivered. In GSAF, casts do not have to be pre-defined; instead users can route messages to arbitrarily defined casts. Our extensive evaluation shows that GSAF is efficient, in terms of message delivery ratio and latency as well as network overhead.
Topiramate Use in Obese Patients with Binge Eating Disorder: An Open Study

Objective: To assess topiramate's efficacy and tolerability in a group of obese binge eaters with no neuropsychiatric comorbidity. Method: We consecutively selected 8 obese patients with binge eating disorder (BED) and no medical or psychiatric comorbidity from individuals seeking treatment for obesity. Treatment with topiramate at 150 mg daily was administered over a 16-week period. To assesss outcome, we employed the days with binge episodes per week (DBE), the Binge Eating Scale (BES), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and body weight evaluation. Results: Of the 6 patients who completed the trial, all showed reduced binge eating. Four patients presented a total remission, and 2 had a marked reduction in binge eating frequency. The mean DBE decreased significantly from 4.3 to 1.1 (P = 0.03), as did the BES scores, which fell from 31.8 to 15.3 (P = 0.04). Moreover, there was a statistically significant weight loss (mean 4.1 kg, P = 0.04). The most frequent side effects were paresthesias, fatigue, and somnolence. Conclusion: Topiramate may be an effective and well-tolerated agent in the treatment of BED in obese patients.
Avalanche in States ; Combination of Sandpile and Cellular Automata for Generate Random Numbers

Cellular Automata (CA) is a self organizing structure with complex behavior which can be used in pseudo-random numbers generation(PRNG). Pure CA has a simple structure but has no ability to produce long sequences of random numbers. In order to rectify this problem, programmable CA (PCA), using stimulating factor or combination of different self organizing Criticality phenomenon can be used. In this paper, a PCA by using Sandpile model is proposed. The Sandpile is a complex system operating at a critical state between chaos and order. This state is known as Self-Organized Criticality (SOC) and is characterized by displaying scale invariant behavior. In the precise case of the Sandpile Model, by randomly and continuously dropping “sand grains” on top of a two dimensional grid lattice, a power-law relationship between the frequency and size of sand “avalanches” is observed. The avalanche behavior and the pure CA behavior are combined in a novel method which can be used as the pseudo-random number generator.
Micronutrient Fortified Milk Improves Iron Status, Anemia and Growth among Children 1–4 Years: A Double Masked, Randomized, Controlled Trial

Background Multiple micronutrient deficiencies are highly prevalent among preschool children and often lead to anemia and growth faltering. Given the limited success of supplementation and health education programs, fortification of foods could be a viable and sustainable option. We report results from a community based double-masked, randomized trial among children 1–4 years evaluating the effects of micronutrients (especially of zinc and iron) delivered through fortified milk on growth, anemia and iron status markers as part of a four group study design, running two studies simultaneously. Methods and Findings Enrolled children (n = 633) were randomly allocated to receive either micronutrients fortified milk (MN = 316) or control milk (Co = 317). Intervention of MN milk provided additional 7.8 mg zinc, 9.6 mg iron, 4.2 µg selenium, 0.27 mg copper, 156 µg vitamin A, 40.2 mg vitamin C, and 7.5 mg vitamin E per day (three serves) for one year. Anthropometry was recorded at baseline, mid- and end-study. Hematological parameters were estimated at baseline and end-study. Both groups were comparable at baseline. Compliance was over 85% and did not vary between groups. Compared to children consuming Co milk, children consuming MN milk showed significant improvement in weight gain (difference of mean: 0.21 kg/year; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.12 to 0.31, p<0.001) and height gain (difference of mean: 0.51 cm/year; 95% CI 0.27 to 0.75, p<0.001). Mean hemoglobin (Hb) (difference of 13.6 g/L; 95% CI 11.1 to 16.0, p<0.001) and serum ferritin levels (difference of 7.9 µg/L; 95% CI 5.4 to 10.5, p<0.001) also improved. Children in MN group had 88% (odds ratio = 0.12, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.20, p<0.001) lower risk of iron deficiency anemia. Conclusions/Significance Milk provides an acceptable and effective vehicle for delivery of specific micronutrients, especially zinc and iron. Micronutrient bundle improved growth and iron status and reduced anemia in children 1–4 years old. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00255385
Noise pollution effect in flour factory on workers’ hearing in Lamerd City

Introduction: Noise pollution is one of the most important problems in industry that has an effect on the auditory system and other physiological parameters, as well as persons in noise exposure situations. While noise-induced hearing loss is preventable, once acquired, hearing loss is permanent and irreversible. Methodology: In the current study, noise in various sections of Flour Company in Lamerd estimated via the audio recorder, which revealed that the operators’ expression remained larger than the state criterion; hence, the perception experiment (audio recorder) was performed on the operators and its outcomes were examined via utilizing SPSS 16 of version. Findings: Overall, Pearson relationship r = 0.453 discovered among job reports and the performance decline between all operators by significant stage p≤0.05. Moreover, T-test applied to examine noise impact on operators included in boisterous rooms (mean more than 85 dB) also average=26. 71 and regular deviation=11.72 got (p≤0.05) that was greater than 25db (as the standard hearing threshold). Conclusion: The outcomes of audio measuring and T-test revealed that the noise corruption has an impact on the hearing of bodies operating in noisy rooms.