Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How to Manage the Information Sources' Trustworthiness in a Scenario of Hydrogeological Risks

In this work we present a study about cognitive agents that have to learn how their different information sources can be more or less trustworthy in different situations and with respect to different hydrogeological phenomena. We introduced an ad-hoc Bayesian trust model that we created and used in the simulations. We also describe the realized platform that can be manipulated in order to shape many possible scenarios. The simulations are populated by a number of agents that have three information sources about forecasts of different hydrogeological phenomena. These sources are: a) their own evaluation/forecast about the hydrogeological event; b) the information about the event communicated by an authority; c) the behavior of other agents as evidence for evaluating the dangerous level of the coming hydrogeological event. These weather forecasts are essential for the agents in order to deal with different and more or less dangerous meteorological events requiring adequate behaviors. We consider in particular in this paper some specific situations in which the authority can be more or less trustworthy and more or less able to deliver its own forecasts to the agents. The simulations will show how, on the basis of a training phase in these different situations, the agents will be able to make a rational use of their different information sources.
Midbrain dopamine neurons compute inferred and cached value prediction errors in a common framework

Midbrain dopamine neurons have been proposed to signal reward prediction errors as defined in temporal difference (TD) learning algorithms. While these models have been extremely powerful in interpreting dopamine activity, they typically do not use value derived through inference in computing errors. This is important because much real world behavior – and thus many opportunities for error-driven learning – is based on such predictions. Here, we show that error-signaling rat dopamine neurons respond to the inferred, model-based value of cues that have not been paired with reward and do so in the same framework as they track the putative cached value of cues previously paired with reward. This suggests that dopamine neurons access a wider variety of information than contemplated by standard TD models and that, while their firing conforms to predictions of TD models in some cases, they may not be restricted to signaling errors from TD predictions. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.13665. 001
Rebuilding the News

Over the past decade, the institutions and business models of American journalism have been utterly transformed. Through a combination of local newsroom ethnography, social-network analysis, and online archival research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Networking the News: The Struggle to Rebuild Local Journalism, 1997-2012, tries to place current shifts in news production in perspective. The book also breaks down the walls of the traditional newsroom in order to study how bloggers and citizen journalists were implicated in the massive changes confronting journalism.
A Graph-Based Approach to Measuring the Efficiency of an Urban Taxi Service System

Taxi service systems in big cities are immensely complex due to the interaction and self-organization between taxi drivers and passengers. An inefficient taxi service system leads to more empty trips for drivers and longer waiting time for passengers and introduces unnecessary congestion on the road network. In this paper, we investigate the efficiency level of the taxi service system using real-world large-scale taxi trip data. By assuming a hypothetical system-wide recommendation system, two approaches are proposed to find the theoretical optimal strategies that minimize the cost of empty trips and the number of taxis required to satisfy all the observed trips. The optimization problems are transformed into equivalent graph problems and solved using polynomial time algorithms. The taxi trip data in New York City are used to quantitatively examine the gap between the current system performance and the theoretically optimal system. The numerical results indicate that, if system-wide information between taxi drivers and passengers was shared, it is possible to reduce 60%-90% of the total empty trip cost depending on different objectives, and one-third of all taxis required to serve all observed trips. The existence of destructive competition among taxi drivers is also uncovered in the actual taxi service system. The huge performance gap suggests an urgent need for a system reconsideration in designing taxi recommendation systems.
8. Strategic Approaches to Academic Development: Relationship to Learning and Teaching

Most universities in Australia have established at least one organizational unit with a responsibility for academic development. While ‘academic’ could embrace all aspects of the role of academics, including research, innovation, and contributions to community and professional bodies, the expectation is that the focus will be on learning and teaching. In this paper, I address the extent to which – and the sense in which – this is true. I use the results of several surveys conducted in Australia in 2007 and information emerging from a forum of Australian university personnel associated with the development of academics. These sources show that academic development units often perform a range of functions that go beyond the development of learning and teaching. Reviewing the available data, I conclude that the current role of academic developers is very much influenced by strategic pursuits of universities. In this climate, the potential for academic development to operate with the integrity of a practice informed by the disciplined study of learning and teaching is more limited than it was during periods where the understanding of learning and teaching drove the enterprise.
A Study on the Factors Influencing of Learning Organization and Organizational Effectiveness

The purpose of this paper is to study of improve the organizational performance and survival with the changes of the circumstances or in pursuit of improving the organizational effectiveness through the learning organization, the organizational culture was inspected with the condition precedent of the learning organization. The result of this empirical study is summarized as followings. First, the learning organization has a positive effect on the organizational effectiveness. The knowledge and experience accumulated by the learning organization improve the official satisfaction. Second, in the organizational culture of the learning organization, developmental and rational culture has positive effect on the learning organization, but hierarchical and group culture has no effect. on the learning organization. Therefore, to establish the learning organization through the organizational learning, all managers realize the importance of developmental and rational culture because the organizational effectiveness is significant when the organization change is new.
Medial Meshes for Volume Approximation

Volume approximation is an important problem found in many applications of computer graphics, vision, and image processing. The problem is about computing an accurate and compact approximate representation of 3D volumes using some simple primitives. In this study, we propose a new volume representation, called medial meshes, and present an efficient method for its computation. Specifically, we use the union of a novel type of simple volume primitives, which are spheres and the convex hulls of two or three spheres, to approximate a given 3D shape. We compute such a volume approximation based on a new method for medial axis simplification guided by Hausdorff errors. We further demonstrate the superior efficiency and accuracy of our method over existing methods for medial axis simplification.
PKCη/Rdx-driven Phosphorylation of PDK1: A Novel Mechanism Promoting Cancer Cell Survival and Permissiveness for Parvovirus-induced Lysis

The intrinsic oncotropism and oncosuppressive activities of rodent protoparvoviruses (PVs) are opening new prospects for cancer virotherapy. Virus propagation, cytolytic activity, and spread are tightly connected to activation of the PDK1 signaling cascade, which delays stress-induced cell death and sustains functioning of the parvoviral protein NS1 through PKC(η)-driven modifications. Here we reveal a new PV-induced intracellular loop-back mechanism whereby PKCη/Rdx phosphorylates mouse PDK1:S138 and activates it independently of PI3-kinase signaling. The corresponding human PDK1phosphoS135 appears as a hallmark of highly aggressive brain tumors and may contribute to the very effective targeting of human gliomas by H-1PV. Strikingly, although H-1PV does not trigger PDK1 activation in normal human cells, such cells show enhanced viral DNA amplification and NS1-induced death upon expression of a constitutively active PDK1 mimicking PDK1phosphoS135. This modification thus appears as a marker of human glioma malignant progression and sensitivity to H-1PV-induced tumor cell killing.
A study on the effect of haptic to video time-delay on teleoperation and a comment for improving the performance

In this paper we investigate the effect of haptic to video time-delay on the performance of teleoperation. To analyze the effect of the delay on the performance of teleoperation, specially designed experiment, which is moving square objects from one place to another place, was conducted with 10 subjects in 16 different cases. Participants didn't have any prior information about the amount of haptic and video time-delay. Completion time and number of dropping are used for evaluating the performance. Initially we assumed that synchronized haptic and video time-delay would give best performance, however as a result, we found that the accuracy was increased when haptic and video time-delay were synchronized, and the completion time was decreased when one of the time delays, haptic or video, was decreased. One more interesting fact that we found is that little bit smaller haptic delay than video delay even increase the accuracy more than synchronized delay case.
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE INTO BRAND MANAGEMENT

Integrating corporate governance into brand management is fundamental for protecting shareholders, considering the increasing importance of brands in firms’ performance and the dissociation between shareholders and managers in most large and medium firms. This paper designs a corporate governance system model on a brand level, which takes into account preventive, simultaneous and retroactive governance. Moreover, we highlight the importance of transition management when changes to brand management come into question. Finally, we propose six corporate governance instruments for brand management: performance indicators, the brand marketing plan, periodic reports, the brand council, brand audit, and transition management.
Control design of nonlinear networked systems under data packet dropouts

In the paper, the research task of fuzzy control design is further investigated for one spec of nonlinear networked systems whose communication channels are unreliable. On account of previous results given by recent literature, a novel kind of fuzzy control law in case of that the variation information among arbitrarily many multi-instant normalized fuzzy weighting functions is proposed in order to conceive less conservative stabilization result. Owing to the underlying technical measure, relaxed result can be obtained by means of a set of linear matrix inequalities(LMIs). In the end, some simulation results are employed to illustrate the superiority of the proposed result.
Tensile Testing of Abalone Nacre Miniature Specimens Using Microscopy and Speckle Correlation

Nacre from seashells, also known as mother-of-pearl, has attracted much attention for its remarkable mechanical properties despite the structural weaknesses of its components [1],[2]. In this article, in situ-tensile tests of dry and wet nacre dogbone specimens are presented. Optical microscopy and digital image correlation techniques were used to determine deformation and strain fields . While dry nacre exhibits brittle behavior, hydrated nacre (as in its natural environment) exhibits ductile behavior and large deformations. This study is a first step to completely characterize nacre's mechanics in relation to its microstructure and components for the perspective of novel nano-composites designs.
An Hα survey of the rich cluster A 1689

We present results of an Hα survey in the rich cluster A 1689 at z= 0.18, using the LDSS++ spectrograph on the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT). We obtained spectra covering redshifted Hα at z= 0.16–0.22, for 522 galaxies brighter than I= 22.5, covering a field of 8.7 × 8.7 arcmin2 (∼1.1 × 1.1 h−1 Mpc at z= 0.18). We securely detect Hα emission in 46 of these galaxies; accounting for selection effects arising from sampling and cluster membership, we determine that 24 ± 4 per cent of cluster members brighter than MR=−16.5 + 5log h are detected with Hα flux greater than 4h−2× 1038 erg s−1. This corresponds to a limiting star formation rate of 0.008h−2 M⊙ yr−1, assuming 1 mag of dust extinction. Our observations are sufficiently sensitive to detect galaxies with star formation rates comparable to that of the Milky Way (≳3 M⊙ yr−1), unless they are obscured by more than 7 mag of extinction. From a Hubble Space Telescope mosaic covering 7.5 × 10.0 arcmin, we determine morphologies for 199 galaxies brighter than I= 21, and find that ∼20 per cent of the cluster members are of type Sa or later. More than 90 per cent of cluster spirals show Hα emission, compared with less than 10 per cent of E and S0 galaxies. The cluster Hα luminosity function has a low normalization relative to the z∼ 0.2 field, by ∼50 per cent, after accounting for the different fraction of spiral galaxies in the two environments. When compared with local field galaxies, this suggests that star formation activity is suppressed in early-type cluster galaxies, relative to their field counterparts. Our sample includes 29 galaxies previously observed with ISOCAM at 6.7 and 15 μm. We detect all 15-μm sources at Hα, so there is no evidence for any star formation completely hidden at Hα. Comparing the 15-μm and Hα fluxes, we find evidence that some mid-infrared-detected galaxies could be obscured by as much as 3 mag of extinction at Hα, although this depends on the largely unknown contribution from any active galactic nucleus heated dust to the mid-infrared flux.
Sound- and/or pressure-induced vertigo due to bone dehiscence of the superior semicircular canal.

OBJECTIVES To present symptoms, patterns of nystagmus, and computed tomographic scan identification of patients with sound- and/or pressure-induced vertigo due to dehiscence of bone overlying the superior semicircular canal. To describe anatomical findings and outcome in 2 patients undergoing plugging of the superior semicircular canal for treatment of these symptoms. DESIGN AND SETTING Prospective study of a case series in a tertiary care referral center. PATIENTS AND RESULTS Eight patients with vertigo, oscillopsia, and/or disequilibrium related to sound, changes in middle ear pressure, and/or changes in intracranial pressure were identified in a 2-year period. Seven of these patients also had vertical-torsional eye movements induced by these sound and/or pressure stimuli. The direction of the evoked eye movements could be explained by excitation or inhibition of the superior semicircular canal in the affected ear. Computed tomographic scans of the temporal bones identified dehiscence of bone overlying the affected superior semicircular canal in each case. Disabling disequilibrium in 2 patients prompted plugging of the dehiscent superior canal through a middle cranial fossa approach. Symptoms were improved in each case. One patient developed recurrent symptoms requiring an additional plugging procedure and developed sensorineural hearing loss several days after this second procedure. CONCLUSIONS We have identified patients with a syndrome of vestibular symptoms induced by sound in an ear or by changes in middle ear or intracranial pressure. These patients can also experience chronic disequilibrium. Eye movements in the plane parallel to that of the superior semicircular canal were evoked by stimuli that have the potential to cause ampullofugal or ampullopetal deflection of this canal's cupula in the presence of a dehiscence of bone overlying the canal. The existence of such deshiscences was confirmed with computed tomographic scans of the temporal bones. Surgical plugging of the affected canal may be beneficial in patients with disabling symptoms.
Impact of Monetary Policy Changes in a Semi-Global Economy: Evidence from Bangladesh

The study examines the impact of changes in monetary policy in Bangladesh. Specifically, the study examines the impact of domestic and foreign monetary shocks on Bangladeshâ€™s major economic aggregates.In the context of a semi-global economy such as Bangladesh, the conduct of monetary policy becomes increasingly more difficult as globalization proceeds. It becomes important to examine the impact of changes in relevant 'foreign' variables (e.g., interest rate, money supply, exchange rate)while formulating domestic monetary policy. The empirical results of the present analysis show that innovations to foreign money supply have significant impacts on Bangladesh's real exchange rate,interest rate,land output. [Bangladesh Bank WP NO 0902]
Dicer Regulates the Balance of Short-Lived Effector and Long-Lived Memory CD8 T Cell Lineages

MicroRNAs constitute a major post-transcriptional mechanism for controlling protein expression, and are emerging as key regulators during T cell development and function. Recent reports of augmented CD8 T cell activation and effector differentiation, and aberrant migratory properties upon ablation of Dicer/miRNAs in naïve cells have established a regulatory role of miRNAs during priming. Whether miRNAs continue to exert similar functions or are dispensable during later stages of CD8 T cell expansion and memory differentiation remains unclear. Here, we report a critical role of Dicer/miRNAs in regulating the balance of long-lived memory and short-lived terminal effector fates during the post-priming stages when CD8 T cells undergo clonal expansion to generate a large cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) pool and subsequently differentiate into a quiescent memory state. Conditional ablation of Dicer/miRNAs in early effector CD8 T cells following optimal activation and expression of granzyme B, using unique dicerfl/fl gzmb-cre mice, led to a strikingly diminished peak effector size relative to wild-type antigen-specific cells in the same infectious milieu. Diminished expansion of Dicer-ablated CD8 T cells was associated with lack of sustained antigen-driven proliferation and reduced accumulation of short-lived effector cells. Additionally, Dicer-ablated CD8 T cells exhibited more pronounced contraction after pathogen clearance and comprised a significantly smaller proportion of the memory pool, despite significantly higher proportions of CD127Hi memory precursors at the effector peak. Combined with previous reports of dynamic changes in miRNA expression as CD8 T cells differentiate from naïve to effector and memory states, these findings support distinct stage-specific roles of miRNA-dependent gene regulation during CD8 T cell differentiation.
Partheno-Genetic Algorithm for Test Instruction Generation

Test case generation is the classic method in finding software defects, and test instruction generation is one of its typical applications in embedded chipset systems.In this paper, the optimized partheno-genetic algorithm(PGA) is proposed after a 0-1 integer programming model is set up for instruction-set test cases generation problem. Based on simulation, the proposed model and algorithm achieve a convincing computational performance, in most cases 50%~70%, instruction-set test cases with better ability of error detecting obtained using this algorithm could save the execution time up to 3 seconds. Besides, it also avoids the problem of using complicated crossover and mutation operations that traditional genetic algorithm shave.
How Jingran and Guoran Influence Temporal Relations in Mandarin Chinese: A Case of Semantics-pragmatics Interface

In this paper, I examine how jingran and guoran influence temporal relations in Mandarin Chinese. I argue that, parallel to aspect markers and situation types in Mandarin Chinese (Wu 2003, 2007a, 2007b, 2009b, 2010), jingran and guoran specify a default rhetorical relation, which in turns decides a temporal relation, and that they impose a temporal constraint. Because guoran denotes that the proposition it presents matches an expectation, I argue that by default guoran indicates Explanation. On the other hand, because jingran expresses that the proposition it presents contradicts an expectation, I propose that by default jingran indicates Contrast. They both impose a temporal constraint: the proposition they present cannot temporally precede the expectation based on which they are used. Guoran involves a directionality issue: whether it is the proposition guoran presents explains another event or the other way around. This is an important issue because it makes a great deal of difference whether  explains  or  explains . I argue that the directionality of guoran follows from its inference pattern. Directionality is not an issue for jingran because it makes no difference whether  contrasts with  or the other way around. I also model the phenomena discussed with the Segmented Discourse Representation Theory (Asher and Lascarides 2003).
Children's Construction of Society in Mizo and Delhi Cultures

Mizo and Delhi children between the ages of 3 and 8 years responded to queries that emerged from six contexts, three of which were real contexts and three other pretense contexts. The study tested if young children from different cultures understand pretense and reality situations and know the use of children's reference to self, others, significant others and self with others in their narratives of reality and pretense contexts. Content analysis of the children's narratives revealed that children from both cultures were similar in their reference to self, others, significant others and self with other. However, the reference to self and others differed in the reality and pretense contexts of both groups of children. Findings indicate processes in children that differ in the pretense and reality situations. Furthermore, developmental differences indicate that this ability improves with age and sustains the effects of peer culture that has similarly influenced both groups of children.
Packet Error Rate Analysis of ZigBee Under WLAN and Bluetooth Interferences

In this paper, the performance of IEEE 802.15. 4 ZigBee under the interference of IEEE 802.11b wireless local area network (WLAN) and/or Bluetooth is evaluated using an analytic model for the coexistence among ZigBee, WLAN, and Bluetooth. The packet error rate (PER) is evaluated, where the PER is obtained from the bit error rate (BER) and the collision time. The BER is obtained from the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). Finally, the analytic results are validated by simulations.
Redundancy and Decoherence: Gateways From Quantum World to The Classical

In our daily life experiences we face localized objects which are "here or there" not "here and there". The state of a cat could be "dead and alive" at the same time from a quantum mechanical point of view, which is not in agreement with our classical life observations. If we assume that quantum theory can explain the large scale events, how is it possible that quantumness disappears in the classical world? The answer lies in the interaction between the environment and the system of interest. Quantum Darwinism describes the proliferation of the quantum information of each system in the environment. We will show how entanglement plays a key role in coding and decoding the information of each system in its surrounding environment.