Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Drama as Serious (and Not So Serious) Business: Critical Play, Generative Conflicts, and Moving Bodies in a 1:1 Classroom

This study, part of a longitudinal classroom ethnography, explored the use of drama as a social art or tool that invited children to produce knowledge and critical insight into their relationships with technology. Through a series of process drama engagements, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders constructed meaning with their bodies, improvising multilayered, dramatic scenes related to the introduction of one-to-one (1:1) iPads in their classroom. One dramatic engagement is explored here in detail: children’s production of digital commercials that argued for or against 1:1 devices in schools. Using a framework for analyzing performative experiences in education, analyses focused on the moment-by-moment emergence of children’s bodies and affect within a single focal commercial. Findings suggest that by positioning classroom practices, rituals, and discourses as productive sites for collective cultural and dramatic interpretation, children became active theory makers, producing knowledge that went far beyond rational classroom discussions about technology. This work suggests that the intersection of drama and technology offers possibilities for expanding the interpretive space of the classroom—a way for teachers and children to collectively and critically consider how technology may disrupt ways of being and learning in classrooms, inviting new forms of relations between bodies and materials. —
Neuron-MOS Based Schmitt Trigger with Controllable Hysteresis

A novel Schmitt trigger with controllable hysteresis using neuron-MOS transistors is presented. By selecting the ratio of capacitive coupling coefficients, a Schmitt trigger with different hysteresis characteristics can be achieved. By only varying the external input control signals, the hysteresis window can be conveniently moved without changing its width. The proposed Schmitt trigger has considerable simpler structure requiring only two neuron-MOS transistors and one CMOS inverter. The proposed Schmitt circuit is validated by HSPICE simulations with TSMC 0. 35μm 2-ploy 4-metal CMOS technology, and the discrepancy of hysteresis values between the simulated and theoretical results is smaller than 5%.
An Approach to the Development of a Game Agent Based on SOM and Reinforcement Learning

Recently, the researches that create agents which play board games have been studied actively. According to those studies, those agents have abilities that are comparable to the strongest experts. However, it can be said that those agents depend on the computational capability because that abilities of those agents are realized by thousands of lookahead search. On theotherhand, humanbeingshavenoadvantagescomparedwith numerical capability of computers, however, experts sometimes defeat those agents. In contrast to other approaches, our purpose is to create the agent which requires only low computational capability but is strong, like human beings. To realize our aim, we have proposed to develop the agent based on Self-Organizing Maps and reinforcement learning. From the experimental results, the agent learned by MC-learning achieved a 58% winning rate against the adversary program, so that we have succeeded in improving the winning rate over 10%.
Modelling acidification, recovery and target loads for headwater catchments in Nova Scotia, Canada

Abstract. The response of twenty acid-sensitive headwater catchments in Nova Scotia to acidic deposition was investigated for the period 1850–2100 using a dynamic hydrochemical model (MAGIC: Model of Acidification of Groundwater in Catchments). To ensure robust model simulation, MAGIC was calibrated to the long-term chemical trend in annual lake observations (13–20 years). Model simulations indicated that the surface waters of all twenty catchments acidified to the 1970s but showed subsequent recovery (increases in acid neutralising capacity (ANC) and pH) as sulphate deposition decreased. However, under proposed future emissions reductions (approximately 50% of current deposition) simulated ANC and pH will not return to estimated pre-industrial levels by 2100. An ANC of 20 μmolc L−1 and pH of 5.4 were defined as acceptable chemical thresholds (or critical chemical limits) for aquatic organisms in the current study. Under the proposed emissions reductions only one catchment is predicted to remain below the critical limit for ANC by 2100; three additional catchments are predicted to remain below the critical limit for pH. Dynamic models may be used to estimate target loads, i.e., the required deposition reductions to achieve recovery within a given time. Setting target loads at approximately 30% of current depositions would allow three of the four lakes to reach the chemical criteria by 2030. In contrast to the generally good prognosis for surface waters, soils lost an average of 32% of estimated initial base saturation and recovery is estimated to be very slow, averaging 23% lower than pre-acidification levels in 2100.
Design Example: Building Block-Based System for Automated Design of Multistage Analogue Circuits

This paper presents a few design considerations in implementing building block-based Computer Aided Design (CAD) for analog switched circuits. The considered synthesis include four independent levels: 1) system level, 2) building block level, 3) circuit simulation level, and 4) layout generation, which multistage can separate a larger size circuit into a few major basic building blocks. The aim of this paper is to show how to integrate a few existing programs to shorten the design period, from the user friendly interfacing to the corresponding building blocks. A CAD tool for Switched Capacitor (SC) analogue circuit is shown briefly.
On the Origin of Radio Halos in Galaxy Clusters

Previously, it has been recognized that radio halos in galaxy clusters are preferentially associated with merging systems, as indicated by substructure in the X-ray images and temperature maps. Since, however, many clusters without radio halos also possess substructure, the role of mergers in the formation of radio halos has remained unclear. By using power ratios to relate gravitational potential fluctuations to substructure in X-ray images, we provide the first quantitative comparison of the dynamical states of clusters possessing radio halos. A correlation between the 1.4 GHz power (P1.4) of the radio halo (or relic) and the magnitude of the dipole power ratio (P1/P0) is discovered such that approximately P1.4 ∝ P1/P0; i.e., the strongest radio halos appear only in those clusters currently experiencing the largest departures from a virialized state. From the additional consideration of a small number of highly disturbed clusters without radio halos detected at 1.4 GHz and recalling that radio halos are more common in clusters with high X-ray luminosity (Giovannini, Tordi, & Feretti), we argue that radio halos form preferentially in massive (LX ≳ 0.5 × 1045 ergs s-1) clusters experiencing violent mergers (P1/P0 ≳ 0.5 × 10-4) that have seriously disrupted the cluster core. The association of radio halos with massive, large-P1/P0, core-disrupted clusters can account for both the vital role of mergers in accelerating the relativistic particles responsible for the radio emission as well as the rare occurrence of radio halos in cluster samples.
A hardware/software infrastructure for performance monitoring on LEON3 multicore platforms

Monitoring applications at run-time and evaluating the recorded statistical data of the underlying micro architecture is one of the key aspects required by many hardware architects and system designers as well as high-performance software developers. To fulfill this requirement, most modern CPUs for High Performance Computing have been equipped with Performance Monitoring Units (PMU) including a set of hardware counters, which can be configured to monitor a rich set of events. Unfortunately, embedded and reconfigurable systems are mostly lacking this feature. Towards rapid exploration of High Performance Embedded Computing in near future, we believe that supporting PMU for these systems is necessary. In this paper, we propose a PMU infrastructure, which supports monitoring of up to seven concurrent events. The PMU infrastructure is implemented on an FPGA and is integrated into a LEON3 platform.We show also the integration of our PMU infrastructure with the perf_event, which is the standard PMU architecture of the Linux kernel.
“A child needs to be given a chance to succeed”: Parents of individuals who use AAC describe the benefits and challenges of learning AAC technologies

Seven parents of individuals with cerebral palsy who used augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices participated in a focus group discussion on the benefits and challenges of learning AAC technology. The focus group was conducted on the Internet over a 9-week period. Six major themes emerged from the discussion: (a) issues in the selection of AAC technology; (b) knowledge and skills needed to use AAC technology; (c) barriers to learning AAC technology; (d) teaching the individual; (e) educating society; and (f) recommendations to others. Important supports to learning how to make effective use of AAC technology included opportunities for individual exploration, use of the technology in role play activities, organized instruction, and opportunities for functional use in the community.
Relaxometric Investigation of Functional Group Placement on MnTPP Derivatives Supports the Role of the Molecular Electrostatic Potential Maps as a Tool to Design New Metalloporphyrins with Larger Relaxivities

We report the T1 and T2 NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) dispersion profiles for a new manganese porphyrin [MnT(2-C)PP] which has an anionic carboxylate group in the ortho position of the phenyl rings on the metalloporphyrin. Previous MEP (molecular electrostatic potential) maps indicated that this judicious derivatization could result in increases in the observed relaxation efficiency. Relaxometric investigations experimentally confirm about a 20 % increase in the relaxation efficiency at clinically relevant field strengths for MnT(2-C)PP compared to the most efficient metalloporphyrin previously reported MnT(4-S)PP. This result supports the hypothesis that electrostatic forces are relevant to the relaxivity of this family of compounds and that the MEP may be used as a tool to design new agents with even larger relaxivities.
Kinematic synergy adaptation to microgravity during forward trunk movement.

The aim of the present investigation was to see whether the kinematic synergy responsible for equilibrium control during upper trunk movement was preserved in absence of gravity constraints. In this context, forward trunk movements were studied during both straight-and-level flights (earth-normal gravity condition: normogravity) and periods of weightlessness in parabolic flights (microgravity). Five standing adult subjects had their feet attached to a platform, their eyes were open, and their hands were clasped behind their back. They were instructed to bend the trunk (the head and the trunk together) forward by approximately 35 degrees with respect to the vertical in the sagittal plane as fast as possible in response to a tone, and then to hold the final position for 3 s. The initial and final anteroposterior center of mass (CM) positions (i.e., 200 ms before the onset of the movement and 400 ms after the offset of the movement, respectively), the time course of the anteroposterior CM shift during the movement, and the electromyographic (EMG) pattern of the main muscles involved in the movement were studied under both normo- and microgravity. The kinematic synergy was quantified by performing a principal components analysis on the hip, knee, and ankle angle changes occurring during the movement. The results indicate that 1) the anteroposterior position of the CM remains minimized during performance of forward trunk movement in microgravity, in spite of the absence of equilibrium constraints; 2) the strong joint coupling between hip, knee, and ankle, which characterizes the kinematic synergy in normogravity and which is responsible for the minimization of the CM shift during movement, is preserved in microgravity. It represents an invariant parameter controlled by the CNS. 3) The EMG pattern underlying the kinematic synergy is deeply reorganized. This is in contrast with the invariance of the kinematic synergy. It is concluded that during short-term microgravity episodes, the kinematic synergy that minimizes the anteroposterior CM shift is surprisingly preserved due to fast adaptation of the muscle forces to the new constraint.
Testing a Values-Based Approach to Healthcare Decision-Making in Older Adults

OF DISSERTATION TESTING A VALUES-BASED APPROACH TO HEALTHCARE DECISIONMAKING IN OLDER ADULTS Despite natural declines in physical and cognitive function, older adults maintain good emotion regulation abilities, leading to emotional wellbeing and resilience. This phenomenon can partially be explained by socioemotional selectivity theory (SST), which posits that when time is perceived as a limited resource, older adults focus attention on positive environmental stimuli to regulate emotions. Although this positivity effect maintains emotional wellbeing, it may disrupt information processing related to healthcare decision-making. Older adults request less information from their doctors, are less likely to ask for a second opinion, make their decisions more quickly, and devote more attention to positive medical information, compared with younger adults. These age effects are temporarily reversible when older adults are primed to reduce their emotional focus or increase the amount of information they gather. However, this leads to reductions in positive affect and may reduce self-regulatory capacities required for emotion regulation. Personal values have been studied in the context of information processing and decision-making. Emphasizing personal values increases positive affect, counteracts self-regulatory fatigue, and reduces defensiveness when processing health information. Despite the relevance of personal values to older adults, the effects of personal values have not been studied in research on healthcare decision-making and aging. The present study employed a laboratory-based healthcare decision-making task to examine the effects of three writing tasks (control, information-gathering, and values) on the decision-making process in older adults (n=90) compared to race/gender-matched younger adults (n=90). Participants also completed self-report questionnaires on physical and psychological wellbeing, a behavioral task measuring self-regulatory strength, and neuropsychological measures. The present study found that older adults reviewed more positive information when selecting a health plan and physician, and recalled their physician choice more positively compared to younger adults. Older adults took significantly longer and reviewed more information when selecting a health plan and physician compared to younger adults. However, there were no significant effects for writing task condition. Significant age-related differences in information processing were partially accounted for
Entry into Platform-Based Markets

This paper seeks to understand when an entrant with superior quality can successfully enter a platform-based market. We analyze a model where an entrant platform with superior quality competes with an incumbent platform. We find that the entrant's success depends critically on the strength of indirect network effects and the consumers' discount factor of future applications. Contrary to the popular belief that an entrant's quality advantage needs to be sufficiently high to overcome the incumbent's installed-base advantage in such markets, we find that under certain conditions, an entrant with a small quality advantage can gain market share over time when competing with an incumbent with a huge installed-base advantage. To demonstrate the model's applicability, we examine the entry of the Xbox console into the video game industry. We find that Xbox has a small quality advantage over the incumbent, PlayStation 2, and the strength of indirect network effects and the consumers' discount factor in this market are such that PlayStation 2's huge installed-base advantage is unsustainable.
A COMPARISON OF GENETIC / MEMETIC ALGORITHMS AND OTHER HEURISTIC

Iterative improvement techniques based on module interchange are the most robust, simple and successful heuristics in solving the partitioning and placement problems. Interchange methods fail to converge to “optimal” or “near optimal” solutions unless they initially begin from “good” initial starting points [1]. In this paper we compare the performance of several constuctive based techniques for the circuit partitioning problem.
STABLE CANONICAL RULES

Abstract We introduce stable canonical rules and prove that each normal modal multi-conclusion consequence relation is axiomatizable by stable canonical rules. We apply these results to construct finite refutation patterns for modal formulas, and prove that each normal modal logic is axiomatizable by stable canonical rules. We also define stable multi-conclusion consequence relations and stable logics and prove that these systems have the finite model property. We conclude the paper with a number of examples of stable and nonstable systems, and show how to axiomatize them.
INFLUENCE OF GENDER AND PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: EVIDENCE FROM COVENANT UNIVERSITY

The future of any nation depends on the resourcefulness of her youth. This explains the importance of quality education and improved students’ performance to national development. The current study investigated the influence of gender and students’ personality characteristics on academic performance. The participants of the study were 201 students from 100 level to 500 level representing the four Colleges in Covenant University. Ninety-eight of the participants were males and one hundred and three were females. The ex-post facto research design and the convenient sampling method were adopted in this study. Two hypotheses were stated and tested using multiple regression analysis and t-test for independent samples respectively. The result revealed that Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and Openness to experience jointly accounted for 9.1% variance in Students’ academic performance(R! = .091, F (5,195) =3.895, p<. 01). However, only conscientiousness made significant contribution to the changes in students’ academic performance (β=.264, p<.01). Furthermore, the result of t-test for independent samples showed a significant difference in male and female academic performance [t (199) = -5.256, p<. 01)] and conscientiousness [t (199) = -3.270, p<. 01)]. Female students had higher academic performance ( =3.1262) and conscientiousness ( =33.1553) compared to their male counterpart [( =2.6327) and ( =30.2653) respectively]. It was concluded that the trait of conscientiousness had significant positive influence on students’ academic performance; and that female students performed better academically than their male counterpart likely because they demonstrated higher level of conscientious personality characteristics. Consequently, this study recommended that the conscientiousness trait be instilled in students with special attention on the male students.
Ownership Structure and Stock Market Liquidity

This paper studies the relationship between company ownership and market liquidity using a panel regression approach. The data sample contains detailed transactions data from a limit order driven stock market, and a full breakdown of company ownership into five distinct owner types as well as outside owner concentration and insider holdings. In line with theoretical predictions, owner concentration is found to be negatively related to spreads and information costs. A somewhat weaker negative relation is also found between spreads and insider holdings. No strong relationship can be documented between liquidity and institutional ownership. Ownership variables which a ect spreads do not in general jointly affect depth in the predicted way, suggesting that spread and depth measure different dimensions of liquidity. Finally, a one-way Granger causality relation from ownership structure to liquidity is hard to document.
Incomplete preference relations to smooth out the cold-start in collaborative Recommender Systems

E-Commerce companies have developed tools to assist users in finding the most suitable items for their needs or preferences. The most successful tool in this area has been the Recommender Systems. This kind of software obtains information about the users' tastes, opinions, necessities, and with a recommendation algorithm, infers recommendations that lead users to the most suitable items for them. These algorithms usually require a significant quantity of information and that information is not always available or easy to obtain. Overcome this problem, known as the cold-start problem, and reduce the requirements of information is not an easy task. In this contribution, we review this topic and present our proposal: a hybrid recommender system which combines a collaborative filtering algorithm with a knowledge-based one in order to improve the cold-start problem.
Effects of indacaterol versus tiotropium on respiratory mechanics assessed by the forced oscillation technique in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

The forced oscillation technique (FOT) can measure respiratory mechanics and has attracted attention in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We aimed to evaluate the effects of only indacaterol and tiotropium monotherapies on airflow limitation and respiratory impedance. Pulmonary function tests, COPD assessment test (CAT), and multifrequency FOT with MostGraph-01 were performed at the beginning and after 8 weeks of treatment with indacaterol or tiotropium. The resistance index, resistance at 5 Hz (R5), resistance at 20 Hz (R20), reactance index, reactance at 5 Hz (X5), resonant frequency (Fres), and low-frequency reactance area (ALX) were determined at whole-breath, inspiratory, and expiratory phases. Eighty-two patients (mean age: 73 years; mean forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1): 61.6%±19.0% predicted) were randomized to indacaterol or tiotropium treatment. Both bronchodilators improved airflow limitation, with mean trough improvements in FEV1 of 165 mL and 80 mL in the indacaterol and tiotropium groups, respectively. The CAT score decreased in the indacaterol group (P<0.001; 11.2±6.6 to 7.5±5.6). Compared with tiotropium, indacaterol significantly improved FEV1, percent predicted FEV1, and CAT score (P=0.042, P=0.008, and P=0.027, respectively). For respiratory impedance, indacaterol and tiotropium changed R5, X5, Fres, and ALX at whole-breath, inspiratory, and expiratory phases. In the indacaterol group, the changes in R5, R5–R20, X5, Fres, and ALX were significantly correlated with the changes in FEV1. The use of the FOT may enable the evaluation of the effects of bronchodilators in addition to FEV1-indicated therapeutic effects in COPD.
REGULAR VARIATION AND SMILE ASYMPTOTICS

We consider risk‐neutral returns and show how their tail asymptotics translate directly to asymptotics of the implied volatility smile, thereby sharpening Roger Lee's celebrated moment formula. The theory of regular variation provides the ideal mathematical framework to formulate and prove such results. The practical value of our formulae comes from the vast literature on tail asymptotics and our conditions are often seen to be true by simple inspection of known results.