Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accounting and management research: passwords from the gatekeepers

This study explores academic activities with particular reference to research in the accounting and management disciplines. It explores emerging social constructions of the role of research in academic work and the concept of what is deemed to constitute “quality” research. To this end it presents the results of an exploratory set of interviews with a sample of “gatekeepers”, namely professors and heads of accounting and management departments in British and Australian universities. They offer insights into the factors determining their construction of what constitutes quality in an academic’s research and publishing record, their ranking of various publication types and of publication activity generally, and their assessment of the influence of government policy priorities on the social construction of research quality.
Hybrid maximum power point tracking technique based on PSO and incremental conductance

This paper presents a control method proposed for power optimization in photovoltaic system. This is to ensure that power generated is maximized under different conditions. Due to partial shading conditions, the power-voltage characteristics exhibit multiple local maxima; one of such phenomena is the global maximum. Such conditions are very challenging for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technique to locate the global maximum. Many tracking algorithms have been proposed for this purpose. One of the most commonly used techniques is the incremental conductance. In this paper, a hybrid MPPT technique combining particle swarm optimization and incremental conductance for photovoltaic system is proposed. Initially, the incremental conductance method is employed to locate the nearest local maximum; then, the PSO method is used to search for the global maximum point. The advantage of using the proposed hybrid method is that the searching area of the PSO is reduced, and hence, the time that is required for convergence greatly reduced. The excellent performance of the proposed method is verified by comparing it against the conventional PSO method using simulation model. The results show better response time of the proposed system.
Autonomous Learning of the Semantics of Internal Sensory States Based on Motor Exploration

What is available to developmental programs in autonomous mental development, and what should be learned at the very early stages of mental development? Our observation is that sensory and motor primitives are the most basic components present at the beginning, and what developmental agents need to learn from these resources is what their internal sensory states stand for. In this paper, we investigate the question in the context of a simple biologically motivated visuomotor agent. We observe and acknowledge, as many other researchers do, that action plays a key role in providing content to the sensory state. We propose a simple, yet powerful learning criterion, that of invariance, where invariance simply means that the internal state does not change over time. We show that after reinforcement learning based on the invariance criterion, the property of action sequence based on an internal sensory state accurately reflects the property of the stimulus that triggered that internal state. That way, the meaning of the internal sensory state can be firmly grounded on the property of that particular action sequence. We expect the framing of the problem and the proposed solution presented in this paper to help shed new light on autonomous understanding in developmental agents such as humanoid robots.
The adaptive agent architecture: achieving fault-tolerance using persistent broker teams

Brokered multi-agent systems can be incapacitated and rendered non-functional when the brokers become inaccessible due to failures that can occur in any distributed software system. We propose that the theory of teamwork can be used to specify robust brokered architectures that can recover from broker failures, and we present the adaptive agent architecture (AAA) to show the feasibility of this approach. The previous teamwork theory based on joint intentions assumes that team members remain in a team as long as the team exists. We extend this theory to allow dynamic broker teams whose members can change with time. We also introduce a theory of restorative maintenance goals that enables the brokers in an AAA broker team to start new brokers and recruit them to the broker team. As a result, an AAA-based multi-agent system can maintain a specified number of functional brokers in the system despite broker failures, thus effectively becoming a self-healing system.
A contour extraction method of coke optical texture based on edge confidence map

Contour information is an important feature in recognition of coke microscopic optical texture. In view of the characteristic of coke microscopic, a contour extraction method, which is based on joint edge confidence map and dual threshold, is proposed. At first, an edge confidence map with gradient magnitude and orientation is built, then non-maximum suppression is employed to obtain local external points; by setting dual thresholds and judge location of points, appropriate edge points are obtained; by tracking these edge points, contour is formed. In this method, parameters can be auto-adjusted. Experimental results show, with the proposed method, the weak contour can be detected, continuity and fine details of contours of different optical texture components can be preserved, which is an important basis of subsequent contour feature extraction and corresponding optical texture component recognition.
Deictic gestures and symbolic gestures produced by adults in an experimental context: Hand shapes and hand preferences

The objective of this study was to gain new insights into the processes underlying gestural communication in adults by examining hand shapes and hand preference patterns associated with different types of gestures. Several communicative situations eliciting pointing gestures and symbolic gestures were presented to 81 participants in an experimental context. Results have highlighted some differences in hand shapes depending on the function of pointing: contrary to results reported in children, the proportion of index-finger gestures was higher in imperative situations than in declarative situations. The distance between the gesturer and the referent was also found to influence hand shapes, proximal pointing being more frequently associated with index-finger gestures than distal pointing. The comparison of hand preferences revealed a greater right-sided asymmetry for declarative pointing than for non-communicative activities, whereas there was no difference between imperative pointing and non-communicative activities, or between symbolic gestures and non-communicative activities. The present study thus sheds some light on the features and the roles of communicative gestures in adults. Results are discussed in relation to the ontogenetic and phylogenetic origins of communication.
A study of nonlinear forward models for dynamic walking

This paper offers a novel insight of using nonlinear models for the control to produce more robust and natural walking gaits for humanoid robots. The sagittal and lateral gait control needs to be treated differently, hence, we proposed two types of suitable nonlinear models, which allow forward simulations to look ahead, and thus, predict accurately the future trajectory/state at the end of the current step. Subsequently, by performing multiple forward simulations in a similar manner for the next step and using the gradient descent method, an appropriate foot placement can be found to achieve precise walking speed. By doing this two-step lookahead, all trajectories of the support and the swing leg can be generated. Our proposed controller can plan trajectories at the beginning of each step or actively re-plan according to task state errors. It is validated effectively in simulations performed in both ADAMS and Open Dynamic Engine. The robot can successfully traverse up/down a stair and recover from pushes with more natural looking gaits compared to the conventional bent-knee style. The reasonable computational time also indicates the feasibility of real-time implementation on real robots.
Remembrance of time series past: simple chromatic method for visualizing trends in biomedical signals

Analysis of biomedical time series plays an essential role in clinical management and basic investigation. However, conventional monitors streaming data in real-time show only the most recent values, not referenced to past dynamics. We describe a chromatic approach to bring the ‘memory’ of the physiologic system’s past behavior into the current display window. The method employs the estimated probability density function of a time series segment to colorize subsequent data points. For illustrative purposes, we selected open-access recordings of continuous: (1) fetal heart rate during the pre-partum period, and (2) heart rate and systemic blood pressure from a critical care patient during a spontaneous breathing trial. The colorized outputs highlight changes from the ‘baseline’ reference state, the latter defined as the mode value assumed by the signal, i.e. the maximum of its probability density function. A colorization method may facilitate the recognition of relevant features of time series, especially shifts in baseline dynamics and other trends (including transient and longer-term deviation from baseline values) which may not be as readily noticed using traditional displays. This method may be applicable in clinical monitoring (real-time or off-line) and in research settings. Prospective studies are needed to assess the utility of this approach.
An exploration of ranking heuristics in mobile local search

Users increasingly rely on their mobile devices to search local entities, typically businesses, while on the go. Even though recent work has recognized that the ranking signals in mobile local search (e.g., distance and customer rating score of a business) are quite different from general Web search, they have mostly treated these signals as a black-box to extract very basic features (e.g., raw distance values and rating scores) without going inside the signals to understand how exactly they affect the relevance of a business. However, as it has been demonstrated in the development of general information retrieval models, it is critical to explore the underlying behaviors/heuristics of a ranking signal to design more effective ranking features. In this paper, we follow a data-driven methodology to study the behavior of these ranking signals in mobile local search using a large-scale query log. Our analysis reveals interesting heuristics that can be used to guide the exploitation of different signals. For example, users often take the mean value of a signal (e.g., rating) from the business result list as a "pivot" score, and tend to demonstrate different click behaviors on businesses with lower and higher signal values than the pivot; the clickrate of a business generally is sublinearly decreasing with its distance to the user, etc. Inspired by the understanding of these heuristics, we further propose different transformation methods to generate more effective ranking features. We quantify the improvement of the proposed new features using real mobile local search logs over a period of 14 months and show that the mean average precision can be improved by over 7%.
The effect of viscosupplementation on neuromuscular control of the knee in patients with osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term effects of intra-articular injection of hyaluronan (Hylan G-F 20) on proprioception, isokinetic muscle force, self reported pain, and functional condition in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS 63 patients with stage II-III bilateral knee OA were included in this randomized, placebo controlled, and prospective study. Subjects were randomized with 42 of them into the treatment group and 21 of them into the placebo group. Hyaluronan was intraarticularly injected into both knees of the subjects which were in the treatment group, whereas physiological saline was intraarticularly injected to the subjects which were in the placebo group. Proprioception and the isokinetic muscle force measurement were performed. Visual analogue scale (VAS) and WOMAC scale were used to evaluate pain and physical function. RESULTS Statistical analysis was performed on 120 knees of 60 patients completing the trial. The average absolute angular error (AAAE) value showing the proprioceptive error level in the treatment group was detected to be statistically significantly lower compared to placebo at the measurements performed after the 3rd injection (p = 0.02) and after one week (p = 0.01). While there was no inter-group difference in isokinetic measurements performed at 180 and 240 degrees/sec, a significant difference was detected at the measurement performed at 60 degrees/sec in favor of the treatment group (p = 0.02). Activity and resting VAS-pain values, WOMAC parameters (except the WOMAC stiffness) were detected to be significantly lower in the treatment group. Local adverse events were not reported in any patient. CONCLUSION In this study, it was demonstrated that intraarticular injection of hyaluronan in patients with knee OA led to a short-term increase in proprioception and isokinetic muscle force, and also significant improvements in the functional conditions of patients. Long-term studies are needed.
Personhood in dementia care

Dementia has been understood primarily as a biomedical phenomenon with a trajectory of irrevocable decline related to neurodegenerative changes. However, growing evidence suggests that the performance and behaviour of persons with dementia are not exclusively determined by neuropathology but are also influenced by personal histories, social interactions and social contexts. This evidence shifts attention from the disease process to the need for a more in-depth understanding of the place of personhood in dementia care. Despite its intuitive appeal however, there is limited empirical research grounding this approach to care. This article articulates a framework for organizing research in this area that is based on a critical review and synthesis of research. It encompasses three interrelated and intersecting domains of inquiry: the subjective experience of the person with dementia, the immediate interactional environment and the broader socio-cultural context. Each domain encapsulates a unique but interrelated dimension of a person-centred approach to dementia care.
Selective involvement of the mid-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in the coding of the serial order of visual stimuli in working memory

There is evidence that the primate prefrontal cortex is involved in the monitoring of the order in which stimuli occur. The prefrontal cortical areas, however, involved in the capacity of the human brain to encode and hold “in mind” the precise order of occurrence of a limited number of visual stimuli after a single exposure are not known. Changes in regional cerebral activity were measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging while subjects were coding the precise order of a short sequence of abstract visual stimuli. The results demonstrate the involvement of areas 46 and 9/46, within the mid-dorsolateral subdivision of the prefrontal cortex, in the coding of the precise order of a short sequence of visual stimuli in working memory, consistent with earlier results from monkey lesion studies. The availability of such detailed serial-order information in working memory allows high-level cognitive planning and mental manipulation, functions that depend on prefrontal cortex.
Streptococcus pneumoniae Pilus Subunits Protect Mice against Lethal Challenge

ABSTRACT Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major public health threat worldwide. The recent discovery that this pathogen possesses pili led us to investigate their protective abilities in a mouse model of intraperitoneal infection. Both active and passive immunization with recombinant pilus subunits afforded protection against lethal challenge with the S. pneumoniae serotype 4 strain TIGR4.
Soviet Union : A Country Study Force Projection on the Periphery

The Soviet armed forces have exercised their "external function" mainly on the periphery of the Soviet Union. They occupied eastern Poland in 1939 and annexed Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in 1940 (see Prelude to War, ch. 2). Subsequently, during World War II they "liberated" Eastern Europe from German rule and then incorporated it into a bloc of socialist states (see Appendix C). The Soviet Union managed to turn these territories into an outpost of socialism, as well as into a defensive buffer against an invasion from the West. This buffer became increasingly v~uable to the Soviet Union both as an extension of Soviet air defenses to the end of the Soviet defense perimeter and as a potential springboard for an offensive against NATO. In 1956 the Soviet Union set a precedent for military intervention "in defense of socialism" when it suppressed the uprising that threatened communist rule in Hungary. In August 1968, the Soviet Union again intervened militarily in Eastern Europe when it invaded Czechoslovakia in response to the Czechoslovak reform movement begun in the spring. The invasion later was justified on the basis of the doctrine of "limited sovereignty" of socialist states. Also known as the Brezhnev Doctrine, the doctrine was first enunciated on September 21, 1968, in a Pravda editorial, to justify the invasion. Because Czechoslovakia and Hungary lie on the Soviet defense perimeter, national security considerations, in addition to ideological and political concerns, undoubtedly played a part in the Soviet decision to intervene. The December 1979 invasion of Afghanistan was another case in which doctrinal concerns and interests of state security coalesced (see Asia, ch. 10). Although nominally nonaligned, Afghanistan was, according to Soviet arguments, well on its way to socialism in 1979, and a reversal was unacceptable to the Soviet Union. In addition, because Afghanistan borders the Soviet Union, Soviet leaders sought to prevent it from aligning itself with the West or from becoming an Islamic republic allied to Ayatollah Sayyid Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini's Iran. The invasion, although "correct" according to Soviet ideological criteria, plunged the Soviet Union into one of the longest local wars (see Glossary) it had ever fought, second only to the 1939-40 Soviet-Finnish War, in which over 100,000 Soviet troops died. In 1988 the Soviet leadership declared that it would negotiate a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and seek a political settlement. On April 14, 1988, Soviet foreign minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze signed an agreement in Geneva providing for the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan by February 15, 1989.
Which Attention Is Needed for Implicit Sequence Learning

-The role of attention in implicit sequence learning was investigated in 3 experiments in which participants were presented with a serial reaction time (SRT) task under single- or dual-task conditions. Unlike previous studies using this paradigm, these experiments included only probabilistic sequences of locations and arranged a counting task performed on the same stimulus on which the SRT task was being carried out. Another sequential contingency was also arranged between the dimension to be counted and the location of the next stimulus. Results indicate that the division of attention barely affected learning but that selective attention to the predictive dimensions was necessary to learn about the relation between these dimensions and the predicted one. These results are consistent with a theory of implicit sequence learning that considers this learning as the result of an automatic associative process running independently of attentional load, but that would associate only those events that are held simultaneously in working memory. This article concerns the question of which attention is necessary for implicit sequence learning to take place. Starting from Johnston and Dark's (1986) distinction be- tween two different meanings of attention, referred to as mental effort and selective processing, we simultaneousl y investigated the role of attention in implicit sequence learning under each of these two meanings. The results of three experiments conducted to analyze these issues reveal that attending to (i.e., selectively processing) the to-be- associated elements is necessary to produce implicit learning of complex sequences embedded in the material of a serial reaction time (SRT) task. On the contrary, decreasing participants' attentional resources (i.e., increasing the re- quired mental effort by adding a simultaneous task) pro- duces little or no effects on this form of implicit sequence learning.
Tactical Analysis Modeling through Data Mining - Pattern Discovery in Racket Sports

We explore pattern discovery within the game of tennis. To this end, we formalize events in a match, and define similarities for events and event sequences. We then proceed by looking at unbalancing events and their immediate prequel (using pattern masks) and sequel (using nondeterministic finite automata). Structured in this way, the data can be effectively mined, and a similar approach might also be applied to more general areas. We show that data mining is able to find interesting patterns in real-world data from tennis matches.
Modified Orthogonal Matching Pursuit for MISO Channel Estimation in DVB-T2

Channel estimation in OFDM-based systems, such as DVB-T2, can be performed with compressed sensing techniques since the channel frequency response can be considered a sparse signal. In this paper we present a novel modification to the orthogonal matching pursuit algorithm which avoids illconditioned (partial) DFT matrices and hence mitigates noise enhancements. Simulations for MISO in DVB-T2 show that it can offer substantial performance gains at a modicum of increased complexity.
Starving the Addiction: New Opportunities for Durable Suppression of AR Signaling in Prostate Cancer

Clinical data and models of human disease indicate that androgen receptor (AR) activity is essential for prostate cancer development, growth, and progression. The dependence of prostatic adenocarcinoma on AR signaling at all stages of disease has thereby been exploited in the treatment of disseminated tumors, for which ablation of AR function is the goal of first-line therapy. Although these strategies are initially effective, recurrent tumors arise with restored AR activity, and no durable treatment has yet been identified to combat this stage of disease. New insights into AR regulation and the mechanisms underlying resurgent AR activity have provided fertile ground for the development of novel strategies to more effectively inhibit receptor activity and prolong the transition to therapeutic failure.
EFFECTS OF AGE, REARING AND MATING EXPERIENCES ON FREQUENCY DEPENDENT SEXUAL SELECTION IN DROSOPHILA PSEUDOOBSCURA

I think it will be admitted by naturalists, without my entering on details, that secondary sexual characteristics are highly variable . The cause of the original variability of these characters is not manifest; but we can see why they should not have been rendered as constant and uniform as others, for they are accumulated by sexual selection, which is less rigid in its action than ordinary selection, as it does not entail death, but only gives fewer offspring to the less favoured males (Darwin, 1859).