Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Online Store Aesthetics Impact Efficacy of Product Recommendations and Highlighting

Owing to high competition in e-commerce, customers may prefer sites that ensure that good user experience (UX) and website aesthetics are one of its qualities. The method of presenting items seems crucial for gaining and maintaining user attention. We conducted a task-based user eye-tracking study with n = 30 participants to examine two variants of an online fashion store: one based on aesthetic rules and one defying them. The following aspects of item presentation were considered: height and width the ratio of product photos, website colors, rounded borders, text visibility, spacing between elements, and smooth animation. We investigated their relationship to user attention by analyzing gaze fixation, tracking user interest, and conducting a supplementary survey. Experimental results showed that owing to following the rules of aesthetics in interface design in the presented fashion shopping scenario, elements such as the recommendation area and product highlights had a significant positive impact on customer attention.
«Hands off the olive trees!»: the epistemic war in the Xylella fastidiosa epidemic in Italy. A Computer-Assisted Text Analysis of User-generated content on social media.

: The article focuses on the online storytelling concerning the Xylella fastidiosa outbreak in the Apulia region (Italy), as represented by a collection of User-generated content retrieved from Facebook, YouTube, and Reddit over a time span of 6 years (>16k comments). We examine the episode as a revelatory case of framing mechanisms that, in many technoscientific conflicts, enable different epistemologies to compete on an equal basis: «mainstream» scientific knowledge, and «alternative» contents (i.e. «non-orthodox» science, local and traditional knowledge). We use Computer-Assisted Text Analysis (CATA) to investigate popular themes and their semantic vocabulary. We find that discourses on Xylella fastidiosa are strongly polarized and structured around two conflicts: «expertise vs. politics» on one hand, and «scientific vs alternative» solutions on the other. Then, we identify three main knowledge production strategies and introduce a typology of «non-mainstream» methods and cures, highlighting the formal traits and argumentation strategies that may have made them more credible than knowledge provided by «official» science. We nevertheless call for more research that may find a recursiveness in such framing mechanisms in the online representation of other technoscientific conflicts.
Spiking Neural Networks for Structural Health Monitoring

This paper presents the first implementation of a spiking neural network (SNN) for the extraction of cepstral coefficients in structural health monitoring (SHM) applications and demonstrates the possibilities of neuromorphic computing in this field. In this regard, we show that spiking neural networks can be effectively used to extract cepstral coefficients as features of vibration signals of structures in their operational conditions. We demonstrate that the neural cepstral coefficients extracted by the network can be successfully used for anomaly detection. To address the power efficiency of sensor nodes, related to both processing and transmission, affecting the applicability of the proposed approach, we implement the algorithm on specialised neuromorphic hardware (Intel ® Loihi architecture) and benchmark the results using numerical and experimental data of degradation in the form of stiffness change of a single degree of freedom system excited by Gaussian white noise. The work is expected to open a new direction of SHM applications towards non-Von Neumann computing through a neuromorphic approach.
Salivary Diagnostic for Monitoring Strenuous Exercise—A Pilot Study in a Cohort of Male Ultramarathon Runners

Intense physical stress, such as that in ultramarathon running, affects the immune system. For monitoring in sports medicine, non-invasive methods, e.g., salivary analysis, are of interest. This pilot cohort study aimed to assess changes in salivary parameters in response to an ultramarathon. The results were compared to blood parameters. Male, healthy finishers (n = 9, mean age: 48 ± 8.8 years, mean height: 1.8 ± 0.1 m, mean weight: 72.5 ± 7.2 kg, mean BMI: 23.5 ± 1.9 kg/cm²) of a 160 km ultramarathon were included. Saliva and blood samples were collected at three time points: T1 (baseline), T2 (shortly after the ultramarathon) and T3 (after recovery). In saliva, cortisol, testosterone, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α, albumin, IgA, α-amylase, aMMP-8, and neopterin were assessed via ELISA. In blood, cortisol, testosterone, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α, blood cell counts, procalcitonin, CRP, osmolality, albumin, and α-amylase were analyzed. The statistical evaluation comprised longitudinal testing and cross-sectional testing between saliva and blood using ratios of T2 and T3 to baseline values. Various parameters in saliva and blood changed in response to the ultramarathon. Comparing blood and saliva, the longitudinal changes of testosterone (p = 0.02) and α-amylase (p = 0.03) differed significantly. Despite the limitations of the study, it underlines that saliva is an interesting option for comprehensive monitoring in sports medicine and necessitates further studies.
Effect of Oxygen Plasma Pre-Treatment on the Surface Properties of Si-Modified Cotton Membranes for Oil/Water Separations

Hydrophobic and oleophilic Si-based cotton fabrics have recently gained a lot of attention in oil/water separation due to their high efficiency. In this study, we present the effect of O2 plasma pre-treatment on the final properties of two Si-based cotton membranes obtained from dip coating and plasma polymerization, using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as starting polymeric precursor. The structural characterizations indicate the presence of Si bond on both the modified cotton surfaces, with an increase of the carbon bond, assuring the success in surface modification. On the other hand, employing O2 plasma strongly changes the cotton morphology, inducing specific roughness and affecting the hydrophobicity durability and separation efficiency. In particular, the wettability has been retained after 20 laundry tests at 40 °C and 80 °C, and, for separation efficiency, even after 30 cycles, an improvement in the range of 10–15%, both at room temperature and at 90 °C can be observed. These results clearly demonstrate that O2 plasma pre-treatment, an eco-friendly, non-toxic, solvent-free, and one-step method for inducing specific functionalities on surfaces, is very effective in enhancing the oil/water separation properties for Si-based cotton membranes, especially in combination with plasma polymerization procedure for Si-based deposition.
Resin Composites in Posterior Teeth: Clinical Performance and Direct Restorative Techniques

Resin composites are the most versatile restorative materials used in dentistry and the first choice for restoring posterior teeth. This article reviews aspects that influence the clinical performance of composite restorations and addresses clinically relevant issues regarding different direct techniques for restoring posterior teeth that could be performed in varied clinical situations. The article discusses the results of long-term clinical trials with resin composites and the materials available in the market for posterior restorations. The importance of photoactivation is presented, including aspects concerning the improvement of the efficiency of light-curing procedures. With regard to the restorative techniques, the article addresses key elements and occlusion levels for restoring Class I and Class II cavities, in addition to restorative strategies using different shades/opacities of resin composites in incremental techniques, restorations using bulk-fill composites, and shade-matching composites.
Value of CT Perfusion for Collateral Status Assessment in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

Good collateral status in acute ischemic stroke patients is an important indicator for good outcomes. Perfusion imaging potentially allows for the simultaneous assessment of local perfusion and collateral status. We combined multiple CTP parameters to evaluate a CTP-based collateral score. We included 85 patients with a baseline CTP and single-phase CTA images from the MR CLEAN Registry. We evaluated patients’ CTP parameters, including relative CBVs and tissue volumes with several time-to-maximum ranges, to be candidates for a CTP-based collateral score. The score candidate with the strongest association with CTA-based collateral score and a 90-day mRS was included for further analyses. We assessed the association of the CTP-based collateral score with the functional outcome (mRS 0–2) by analyzing three regression models: baseline prognostic factors (model 1), model 1 including the CTA-based collateral score (model 2), and model 1 including the CTP-based collateral score (model 3). The model performance was evaluated using C-statistic. Among the CTP-based collateral score candidates, relative CBVs with a time-to-maximum of 6–10 s showed a significant association with CTA-based collateral scores (p = 0.02) and mRS (p = 0.05) and was therefore selected for further analysis. Model 3 most accurately predicted favorable outcomes (C-statistic = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.77–0.94) although differences between regression models were not statistically significant. We introduced a CTP-based collateral score, which is significantly associated with functional outcome and may serve as an alternative collateral measure in settings where MR imaging is not feasible.
Priority Weighted Fitness Model in Networks

Systems as diverse as genetic networks or the World Wide Web are best described as networks with complex topology. A common property of many large networks is that the vertex connectivities follow a power-law distribution. This feature was found to be a consequence of three generic mechanisms: (i) networks expand continuously by the addition of new vertices, (ii) new vertex with priority selected different edges of weighted selected that connected to different vertices in the system, and (iii) by the fitness probability that a new vertices attach preferentially to sites that are already well connected. A model based on these ingredients reproduces the observed stationary scale-free distributions, which indicates that the development of large networks is governed by robust self-organizing phenomena. Experiment results show that the model is more close to the actual Internet network.
The Gut Bacterial Community of Chlaenius pallipes (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Associates with Their Habitat and Morphology

Simple Summary This study aimed to determine i the gut microbiome could be used as an indicator of an organism’s health or the health of the population using the Chlaenius pallipes (Carabid beetle) as a model organism from the terraced paddy fields and the large-sized paddy fields. The composition of the gut bacterial community associated with habitat types. Gut bacterial community of C. pallipes differed in diversity, similarity, and composition between the habitat conditions. Additionally, food resource quality derived from the stable nitrogen isotope ratio was significantly correlated with richness of the gut bacterial community. Abstract We investigated whether the gut bacterial community of Chlaenius pallipes could represent the health conditions of individuals or populations based on where these beetles inhabit. Considering the ecological traits of the species, the gut bacterial communities of carabid populations inhabiting stable or unstable habitats were compared. Food resource quality (δ15N) and morphological shape, especially body and wing size, may be significant factors that directly or indirectly affect the gut bacterial community of carabid beetles. Firmicutes (51.7%) and Proteobacteria (36.3%) were the predominant phyla in the gut bacterial community of C. pallipes. A significant difference in the gut bacterial community structure was observed between organisms inhabiting unstable and stable habitats in this study. Wing size, as estimated by centroid size, was correlated with differences in the gut bacterial community composition of the species. Even if a factor is not strong enough to determine the survival of carabid beetles, the composition of the gut bacterial community can change. We found that although each individual has a large variation in the gut bacterial community composition, the gut bacterial community can be used to evaluate the condition of each habitat through consistent investigation. Habitat assessment based on changes in the number of carabid beetle species and their composition requires relatively long-term research; however, the gut bacterial community of carabid beetles can help identify short-term environmental changes.
Multiple Integrals of a Homogeneous Process with Independent Increments

Let X(t) be a homogeneous process with independent increments having the representation X(t) = W(t) + fxo xv*(t, dx), where W(t) is a Wiener process with parameter a2 and v*(t, dx) = v,(t, d) tjL(dx), where lv(t, dx) is a Poisson random measure with mean measure tl(dx). If the mth absolute mean of X(t) is finite, then flo dX(t1) fol dX(t2) * . f*o-dX(tm) = {l'lau' exp(uW(t) + fxo log(1 + ux)7J*(t, dx) 1/2tU2a2 t fxOo [Ux -log(l + ux)]1i(dx)) } =o/m!
SEMIPARAMETRIC METHODS IN ECONOMETRICS

Semiparametric and nonparametric estimation have attracted a great deal of attention from statisticians and theoretical econometricians in the past decade. Various new models have been proposed, and new methods for estimating those models have been suggested. These new models and methods are scattered in various academic journals and are not easily accessible to other researchers. Moreover, the new methods are technical, not easily understood by nonexperts such as graduate students and applied econometricians. Horowitz has two goals in his book Semiparametric Methods in Econometrics. First, he wants to provide a central place for those who want to check out the semiparametric literature. Second, he wants to present technical materials in a nontechnical way so that graduate students and applied econometricians who often do not have expertise in this area can comprehend the new methods. In my view, Horowitz has achieved both goals.
Site-Control of InAs Quantum Dots using Ex-Situ Electron-Beam Lithographic Patterning of GaAs Substrates

Conventional e-beam lithography followed by either dry or wet etching of small holes in GaAs substrates has been used to control the position of InAs self-assembled quantum dots. The dependence of hole occupancy on both hole area and hole depth has been investigated. We show a range of hole sizes where greater than 30% of sites contain a single dot with up to 60% single dot occupancy seen for dry-etched holes ∼60 nm wide, ∼35 nm deep and for wet-etched holes ∼90 nm wide, ∼20 nm deep. Single dot luminescence from these placed dots is demonstrated despite only a 10 nm GaAs buffer between dots and regrowth interface.
Refraction of 50‐MHz radar waves in a realistic ionospheric model

The role of ionospheric refraction in observing coherent radar backscatter from the auroral E region has recently come into the discussion again when it was proposed that for 50 MHz radars refraction efficiently brings the radar beams to virtually perpendicular intersection with the geomagnetic field at the scatter location and thus explains a number of otherwise puzzling results. However, without a thorough calculation of the actual refraction under the given ionospheric conditions its effect cannot be assessed accurately since it is not simply the maximum electron density and layer tilt but rather the product of density gradient and beam propagation distance measured along the contours of constant density which determines the refraction. In order to study typical refraction features a ray tracing computer program was applied to an ionospheric model consisting of an auroral arc with high electron density imbedded in a horizontally stratified ionosphere. It turns out that, when adapted to the Canadian BARS Red Lake radar, a sufficiently enhanced electron density within the arc can bring the radar beam to virtually perpendicular intersection with the geomagnetic field at ranges exceeding the distance from the radar to the centre of the arc by about 100 to 150 km.
A constant‐directivity beamforming microphone array

The quality of audio teleconferencing in large rooms and noisy environments can be increased with the use of steerable directional microphone arrays. A minimum bandwidth of 4 oct is required to faithfully transmit the speech signal. In a typical teleconferencing arrangement, only discrete angular directions are of interest and therefore the microphone steering directions are quantized. A standard delay‐sum beamformer can result in noticeable frequency response changes as the talker moves between these steering locations. In an effort to mitigate this problem, a broadband constant‐directivity beamformer has been designed and constructed. A few of the algorithms developed in this work will be discussed and compared to existing techniques. Basically, the solution revolves around the design of FIR filters that are inserted in the delay‐sum beamformer after each element. A constant‐beamwidth 4 oct steerable linear array microphone using directional elements will be described. A real‐time implementation utilizing multiple AT&T DSP3210 digital signal processors is also described.
High-resolution work function imaging of single grains of semiconductor surfaces

The size reduction of modern electronic devices creates a growing demand for characterization tools to determine material properties on a nanometer scale. The Kelvin probe force microscope is designed to obtain laterally resolved images of the sample’s work function. Using a setup in ultrahigh vacuum, we were able to distinguish work function variations for differently oriented crystal facets of single grains on a semiconductor surface. For the tetragonal solar cell material CuGaSe2 the experiments demonstrate differences as low as 30 meV between (102) and (111) oriented surfaces and up to 255 meV between (112) and (110) surfaces. This influences the band bending of solar cell heterostructures and consequently also the solar power conversion efficiency.
The First Workshop on Learning with Natural Language Supervision

When mapping a natural language instruction to a sequence of actions, it is often useful to identify sub-tasks in the instruction. Such subtask segmentation, however, is not necessarily provided in the training data. We present the A2LCTC (Action-to-Language Connectionist Temporal Classification) algorithm to automatically discover a sub-task segmentation of an action sequence. A2LCTC does not require annotations of correct sub-task segments and learns to find them from pairs of instruction and action sequence in a weakly-supervised manner. We experiment with the ALFRED dataset and show that A2LCTC accurately finds the sub-task structures. With the discovered subtasks segments, we also train agents that work on the downstream task and empirically show that our algorithm improves the performance.
Advanced techniques for latent fingerprint detection and validation using a CWL device

The technology-aided support of forensic experts while investigating crime scenes and collecting traces becomes a more and more important part in the domains of image acquisition and signal processing. The manual lifting of latent fingerprints using conventional methods like the use of carbon black powder is time-consuming and very limited in its scope of application. New technologies for a contact-less and non-invasive acquisition and automatic processing of latent fingerprints, promise the possibilities to inspect much more and larger surface areas and can significantly simplify and speed up the workflow. Furthermore, it allows multiple investigations of the same trace, subsequent chemical analysis of the residue left behind and the acquisition of latent fingerprints on sensitive surfaces without destroying the surface itself. In this work, a FRT MicroProf200 surface measurement device equipped with a chromatic white-light sensor CWL600 is used. The device provides a gray-scale intensity image and 3D-topography data simultaneously. While large area scans are time-consuming, the detection and localization of finger traces are done based on low-resolution scans. The localized areas are scanned again with higher resolution. Due to the broad variety of different surface characteristics the fingerprint pattern is often overlaid by the surface structure or texture. Thus, image processing and classification techniques are proposed for validation and visualization of ridge lines in high-resolution scans. Positively validated regions containing complete or sufficient partial fingerprints are passed on to forensic experts. The experiments are provided on a set of three surfaces with different reflection and texture characteristics, and fingerprints from ten different persons.
Abundance Gradients in the Galaxy

Six H II regions at galactocentric distances of R = 10-15 kpc have been observed in the far-IR emission lines of [O III] (52 μm, 88 μm), [N III] (57 μm), and [S III] (19 μm) using the Kuiper Airborne Observatory. These observations have been combined with Very Large Array radio continuum observations of these sources to determine the abundances of O++, N++, and S++ relative to hydrogen. In addition, eight of the most recent sets of measurements of ionic line strengths in H II regions have been reanalyzed in order to attempt to reconcile differences in optical versus far-IR abundance determinations. We have in total 168 sets of observations of 117 H II regions in our analysis. The new analysis included updating the atomic constants (transition probabilities and collision cross sections), recalculation of some of the physical conditions in the H II regions (ne and Te), and the use of new photoionization models to determine stellar effective temperatures of the exciting stars. We also use the most recent data available for the distances for these objects, although for most we still rely on kinematic distance determinations. Our analysis finds little indication of differences between optical and infrared observations of the nitrogen abundances, but some differences are seen in the oxygen and sulfur abundances. A very significant offset continues to be seen between optical and infrared measurements of the N/O abundance ratio.
State-space solution to a minimum-entropy $\mathcal{H}_\infty$-optimal control problem with a nested information constraint

State-space formulas are derived for the minimum-entropy $\mathcal{H}_\infty$ controller when the plant and controller are constrained to be block-lower-triangular. Such a controller exists if and only if: the corresponding unstructured problem has a solution, a certain pair of coupled algebraic Riccati equations admits a mutually stabilizing fixed point, and a pair of spectral radius conditions is met. The controller's observer-based structure is also discussed, and a simple numerical approach for solving the coupled Riccati equations is presented.