Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A framework for the automatic inference of stochastic turn-taking styles

Conversant-independent stochastic turntaking (STT) models generally benefit from additional training data. However, conversants are patently not identical in turn-taking style: recent research has shown that conversant-specific models can be used to refractively detect some conversants in unseen conversations. The current work explores an unsupervised framework for studying turn-taking style variability. First, within a verification framework using an information-theoretic model distance, sides cluster by conversant more often than not. Second, multi-dimensional scaling onto low-dimensional subspaces appears capable of preserving distance. These observations suggest that, for many speakers, turn-taking style as characterized by time-independent STT models is a stable attribute, which may be correlated with other stable speaker attributes such as personality. The exploratory techniques presented stand to benefit speaker diarization technology, dialogue agent design, and automated psychological diagnosis.
Interaction, Concurrency, and OOP in the Curriculum: a Sophomore Course (cid:3)

We argue that a computer-science curriculum should introduce the principles of concurrent programming in an integrated, coherent, and application-independent fashion early in the major. We have incorporated current research into our curriculum. We describe a sophomore-level course on the fundamentals of concurrent and interactive programming that is the fruit of this work. We o(cid:11)ered this course to about 60 students in Fall 1997 and Spring 1998. Information regarding the software frameworks for the programming assignments can be obtained by contacting the authors.
Sparkk : Quality-Scalable Approximate Storage in DRAM

DRAM memory stores its contents in leaky cells that require periodic refresh to prevent data loss. The refresh operation does not only degrade system performance, but also consumes significant amounts of energy in mobile systems. Relaxed DRAM refresh has been proposed as one possible building block of approximate computing. Multiple authors have suggested techniques where programmers can specify which data is critical and can not tolerate any bit errors and which data can be stored approximately. However, in these approaches all bits in the approximate area are treated as equally important. We show that this produces suboptimal results and higher energy savings or better quality can be achieved, if a more fine-grained approach is used. Our proposal is able to save more refresh power and enables a more effective storage of non-critical data by utilizing a non-uniform refresh of multiple DRAM chips and a permutation of the bits to the DRAM chips. In our proposal bits of high importance are stored in a high quality storage bits and bits of low importance are stored in low quality storage bits. The proposed technique works with commodity DRAMs.
Metastatic Testicular Choriocarcinoma: A Rare Cause of Upper GI Bleeding

We present a case of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in an otherwise healthy 18-year-old man who presented with melena. Endoscopy revealed an ulcerated mass in the stomach and pathology confirmed this to be a malignant, poorly differentiated choriocarcinoma. Further imaging showed a left testicular mass with evidence of pulmonary, gastric, and brain metastases, and blood tests revealed an hCG level of 32,219 U/L. He was diagnosed with advanced metastatic testicular choriocarcinoma and underwent intensive induction chemotherapy and an orchidectomy. Metastatic testicular choriocarcinoma is a rare cause of gastrointestinal bleeding.
Analysis of an Ar plasma jet in a dielectric barrier discharge conjugated with a microsecond pulse

In this work, an Ar plasma jet generated by an AC-microsecond-pulse-driven dielectric barrier discharge reactor, which had two ring-shaped electrodes isolated from the ambient atmosphere by transformer oil, was investigated. By special design of the oil insulation, a chemically active Ar plasma jet along with a safe and stable plasma process as well as low emission of CO and NOx were successfully achieved. The results indicated that applied voltage and frequency were basic factors influencing the jet temperature, discharge power, and jet length, which increased significantly with the two operating parameters. Meanwhile, gas velocity affected the jet temperature in a reverse direction. In comparison with a He plasma jet, the Ar plasma jet had relatively low jet temperature under the same level of the input parameters, being preferable for bio-applications. The Ar plasma jet has been tested to interact with human skin within 5 min without the perception of burnt skin and electrical shock.
On Replication in Communication Science

Replications are an important part of the research process because they allow for greater confidence in the findings of communication research. However, engaging in replications is often undervalued, replication studies can be difficult to publish, and thus it is difficult for individual scholars to devote their resources toward replication. This essay outlines the importance of replications for communication science and provides a framework for this special issue on replications. The authors also issue a call for communication scholars to consider future projects and structural changes that would incentivize future replication studies. Video abstract Read the transcript Watch the video on Vimeo
A gradient search interpretation of the super-exponential algorithm

This article reviews the super-exponential algorithm proposed by Shalvi and Weinstein (1993) for blind channel equalization. The principle of this algorithm-Hadamard exponentiation, projection over the set of attainable combined channel-equalizer impulse responses followed by a normalization-is shown to coincide with a gradient search of an extremum of a cost function. The cost function belongs to the family of functions given as the ratio of the standard l/sub 2p/ and l/sub 2/ sequence norms, where p>1. This family is very relevant in blind channel equalization, tracing back to Donoho's (1981) work on minimum entropy deconvolution and also underlying the Godard (1980) (or constant modulus) and the earlier Shalvi-Weinstein algorithms. Using this gradient search interpretation, which is more tractable for analytical study, we give a simple proof of convergence for the super-exponential algorithm. Finally, we show that the gradient step-size choice giving rise to the super-exponential algorithm is optimal.
Advanced Receiver Algorithms for Multi-Layered Space-Time Block Codes

In this paper we propose a new receiver architecture for multi-layered space-time block codes based on the QR decomposition and compare its performance to an alternative solution proposed by the authors based on MMSE. Both these algorithms use an iterative method based on soft decision statistics to cancel out interference from subsequent decoded layers and reduce the effect of error propagation (EP). We also compare the performance results with a sorted QR- method and discuss the complexity, rate and diversity tradeoffs.
Implementation of Web security & identity scheme based on session & online table

This paper summarizes the usual means of network authentication first. Next, a Web security and identity scheme based on session and online table is proposed. The thinking and implementation of the scheme is detailed then. Lastly, the paper analyzes the security intensity of the proposed scheme from various aspects. Either the analysis or the application of the scheme shows that the proposed method is effective and feasible.
Peer-Induced Fairness in Games

People exhibit peer-induced fairness concerns when they look to their peers as a reference to evaluate their endowments. We analyze two independent ultimatum games played sequentially by a leader and two followers. With peer-induced fairness, the second follower is averse to receiving less than the first follower. Using laboratory experimental data, we estimate that peer-induced fairness between followers is two times stronger than distributional fairness between leader and follower. Allowing for heterogeneity, we find that 50 percent of subjects are fairness-minded. We discuss how peer-induced fairness might limit price discrimination, account for low variability in CEO compensation, and explain pattern bargaining. (JEL C72, D63 )
A gene network for long-day flowering activates RFT1 encoding a mobile flowering signal in rice

Although some genes that encode sensory or regulatory elements for photoperiodic flowering are conserved between the long-day (LD) plant Arabidopsis thaliana and the short-day (SD) plant rice, the gene networks that control rice flowering, and particularly flowering under LD conditions, are not well understood. We show here that RICE FLOWERING LOCUS T 1 (RFT1), the closest homolog to Heading date 3a (Hd3a), is a major floral activator under LD conditions. An RFT1:GFP fusion protein localized in the shoot apical meristem (SAM) under LD conditions, suggesting that RFT1 is a florigen gene in rice. Furthermore, mutants in OsMADS50, a rice ortholog of Arabidopsis SUPPRESOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1 (SOC1) did not flower up to 300 days after sowing under LD conditions, indicating that OsMADS50, which acts upstream of RFT1, promotes flowering under LD conditions. We propose that both positive (OsMADS50 and Ehd1) and negative (Hd1, phyB and Ghd7) regulators of RFT1 form a gene network that regulates LD flowering in rice. Among these regulators, Ehd1, a rice-specific floral inducer, integrates multiple pathways to regulate RFT1, leading to flowering under appropriate photoperiod conditions. A rice ortholog of Arabidopsis APETALA1, OsMADS14, was expressed in the floral meristem in wild-type but not in RFT1 RNAi plants, suggesting that OsMADS14 is activated by RFT1 protein in the SAM after the transition to flowering. We have thus exposed a network of genes that regulate LD flowering in rice.
Shimei Pan generation : methodological issues Prosody modelling in concept-to-speech

here the article or click of article-sign up in the box at the top right-hand corner Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this We explore three issues for the development of concept-to-speech (CTS) systems. We identify information available in a language-generation system that has the potential to impact prosody; investigate the role played by di¬erent corpora in CTS prosody modelling; and explore di¬erent methodologies for learning how linguistic features impact prosody. Our major focus is on the comparison of two machine learning methodologies: generalized rule induction and memory-based learning. We describe this work in the context of multimedia abstract generation of intensive care (MAGIC) data, a system that produces multimedia brie­ ngs of the status of patients who have just undergone a bypass operation.
The Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavior Therapy Group Conseling Cognitive with Cognitive Restructuring and Thought Stopping Techniques to Reduce Students Consumptive Behavior

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy group counseling with cognitive restructuring and thought stopping techniques to reduce students' consumptive behavior. This experimental study used a pretest posttest group design by involving 14 students of Vocational High School (SMK) Bhakti Nusantara Boja as the members of cognitive restructuring technique group (7 students) and thought stopping technique group (7 students). The results of data analysis using Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney tests showed that cognitive behavior therapy group counseling with cognitive restructuring and thought stopping techniques was effective in reducing students' consumptive behavior. The discussion of the results of this study was directed to reinforce the effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy group counseling with cognitive restructuring and thought stopping techniques to reduce students’ consumptive behavior.
Normative Discrimination and the Motherhood Penalty

This research proposes and tests a new theoretical mechanism to account for a portion of the motherhood penalty in wages and related labor market outcomes. At least a portion of this penalty is attributable to discrimination based on the assumption that mothers are less competent and committed than other types of workers. But what happens when mothers definitively prove their competence and commitment? In this study, we examine whether mothers face discrimination in labor-market-type evaluations even when they provide indisputable evidence that they are competent and committed to paid work. We test the hypothesis that evaluators discriminate against highly successful mothers by viewing them as less warm, less likable, and more interpersonally hostile than otherwise similar workers who are not mothers. The results support this “normative discrimination” hypothesis for female but not male evaluators. The findings have important implications for understanding the nature and persistence of discrimination toward mothers.
Designing classifier fusion systems by genetic algorithms

We suggest two simple ways to use a genetic algorithm (GA) to design a multiple-classifier system. The first GA version selects disjoint feature subsets to be used by the individual classifiers, whereas the second version selects (possibly) overlapping feature subsets, and also the types of the individual classifiers. The two GAs have been tested with four real data sets: heart, Satimage, letters, and forensic glasses. We used three-classifier systems and basic types of individual classifiers (the linear and quadratic discriminant classifiers and the logistic classifier). The multiple-classifier systems designed with the two GAs were compared against classifiers using: all features; the best feature subset found by the sequential backward selection method; and the best feature subset found by a CA. The GA design can be made less prone to overtraining by including penalty terms in the fitness function accounting for the number of features used.
Intracellular pH regulation in the renal proximal tubule of the salamander. Na-H exchange

Using pH-sensitive microelectrodes to measure intracellular pH (pHi) in isolated, perfused proximal tubules of the tiger salamander Ambystoma tigrinum, we have found that when cells are acid-loaded by pretreatment with NH+4 in a nominally HCO3--free Ringer, pHi spontaneously recovers with an exponential time course. This pHi recovery, which is indicative of active (i.e., uphill) transport, is blocked by removal of Na+ from both the luminal and basolateral (i.e., bath) solutions. Re-addition of Na+ to either the lumen or the bath results in a full pHi recovery, but at a lower-than-normal rate; the maximal rate is achieved only with Na+ in both solutions. The diuretic amiloride reversibly inhibits the pHi recovery when present on either the luminal or basolateral sides, and has its maximal effect when present in both solutions. The pHi recovery is insensitive to stilbene derivatives and to Cl- removal. A transient rise of intracellular Na+ activity accompanies the pHi recovery; there is no change of intracellular Cl- activity. These data suggest that these proximal tubule cells have Na-H exchangers in both the luminal and basolateral membranes.
A virtual airplane for fear of flying therapy

Fear of flying is a serious problem that affects millions of individuals. Exposure therapy for fear of flying is an effective therapy technique. However, exposure therapy is also expensive, logistically difficult to arrange, and presents significant problems of patient confidentiality and potential embarrassment. We have developed a virtual airplane for use in fear of flying therapy. Using the virtual airplane for exposure therapy is a potential solution to many of the current problems of fear of flying exposure therapy. We describe the design of the virtual airplane and present a case report on its use for fear of flying exposure therapy.
Exploring internet addiction on adolescents

Internet addiction has become an issue of concern. Reality in the field, individuals are not aware of the condition of addiction to the Internet they experienced. The study measured the level of Internet addiction in adolescents. The study involved 175 teenagers scattered throughout Indonesia. Data were analysed used RASCH Model and Network Psychometrics. The results showed that most adolescents were at high, medium and low levels of Internet addiction. Of the 175 persons, there are 20 persons that are Outliers or Misfits. The analysis of network psychometry shows that the interaction between factor structure is superb. Based on the analysis of network psychometry also seen a positive and negative partial correlation of each item. The findings from this study can be an important input for counselors in establishing appropriate treatment to overcome the Internet addiction problem experienced by adolescents in Indonesia.
Adaptive Noise Canceller Using Adaptive IR Notch Filter Based on Lattice Form Structure

In this paper, a new class of adaptive noise canceller using a second-order adaptive IIR notch filter based on lattice form structure with adaptive step-size control algorithm for detection of sinusoids in noise environment is presented. The proposed algorithm is adjusting by the autocorrelation of output signal and the new autocorrelation of the error signal to control the step-size of the algorithm. By the proposed method, the optimization of the coefficients of the filter is obtained. The computer simulation results are shown that the proposed algorithm provides fast convergence speed, low variance, low bias and low mean square error of filter coefficients.
Using latent features diversification to reduce choice difficulty in recommendation lists

Ail important side effect of using recoinmender systems is a phenomenon called "choice overload"; the negative feeling incurred by the increased difficulty to choose from large sets of high quality recommendations. Choice overload has traditionally been related to the size of the item set, but recent work suggests that the diversity of the item set is an important moderator. Using the latent feanires of a matrix factorization algorithm, we were able to manipulate the diversity of the items, while controlling the overall attractiveness of the list of recommendations. In a user study, participants evaluated personalized item lists (varying in level of diversity) on perceived diversity and attractiveness, and their experienced choice difficulty and tradeoff difficulty. The results suggest that diversifying the recommendations might be an effective way to reduce choice overload, as perceived diversity and attractiveness increase with item set diversity, subsequently resulting in participants experiencing less tradeoff difficulty and choice difficulty.
Micromechanical investigation of soil plasticity using a discrete model of polygonal particles

The mechanical behavior of soils has been traditionally described using continuum-mechanics-based models. These are empirical relations based on laboratory tests of soil specimens. The investigation of the soils at the grain scale using discrete element models has become possible in recent years. These models have provided valuable understanding of many micromechanical aspects of soil deformation. The aim of this work is to draw together these two approaches in the investigation of the plastic deformation of non-cohesive soils. A simple discrete element model has been used to evaluate the efiect of anisotropy, force chains, and sliding contacts on difierent aspects of soil plasticity: dilatancy, shear bands, ratcheting, etc. The discussion of these aspects raises important questions such as the width of shear bands, the origin of the stress-dilatancy relation, and the existence of a purely elastic regime in
Phenomenology of sleep among insomniacs and good sleepers: wakefulness experience when cortically asleep.

Clinical experience and recent research suggest that some insomniacs may experience and/or report the presence of sleep differently than others. For example, subjective insomniacs are now distinguished from psychophysiological insomniacs by their persistent and apparently honest reports of disturbed sleep despite polygraphic evidence of relatively normal sleep (cf., "The Diagnostic Classification of Sleep and Arousal Disorders," 1979). Moreover, in laboratory studies subjective overestimation of sleep-onset latency by insomniacs is commonly observed (e.g., Carskadon et al., 1976), even when subjective insomniacs are excluded (e.g., Bixler, Kales, Leo, & Slye, 1973). Even more compelling was Slama's (cf., Borkovec, 1979) finding that insomniacs, awakened during a nap session from Stage 2 sleep, reported the presence of sleep significantly less often than good sleepers. The basic purpose of the present study was to replicate this effect and to assess whether the same phenomenon occurs during night sleep.
The role of CheV in S. typhimurium chemotaxis

Title of Thesis: THE ROLE OF CHEV IN S. TYPHIMURIUM CHEMOTAXIS Megan Elizabeth Dougherty, Master of Science, 2006 Directed By: Dr. Richard Stewart, Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics The chemotaxis systems of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium are thought to be virtually identical. However, recently a putative chemotaxis gene, cheV, was found to be present in S. typhimurium but not in E. coli. Sequence analysis shows that the CheV protein shares sequence similarity to both CheW and CheY. My thesis research investigated whether cheV does play a role in S. typhimurium chemotaxis. My results show that disruption of the cheV gene had no effect on S. typhimurium’s swarming ability and only a minor effect on the ability of S. typhimurium to sense/respond to serine and its ability to accomplish surface motility. My results also indicate that overexpression of the cheV gene disrupts S. typhimurium’s swarming ability, as well as, S. typhimurium’s ability to sense/respond to serine and S. typhimurium’s ability to accomplish surface motility. Overall, these results suggest that CheV may be involved in S. typhimurium chemotaxis. THE ROLE OF CHEV IN S. TYPHIMURIUM CHEMOTAXIS
Tempo and mode in evolution: phylogenetic inertia, adaptation and comparative methods

Abstract Before the Evolutionary Synthesis, ‘phylogenetic inertia’ was associated with theories of orthogenesis, which claimed that organisms possessed an endogenous perfecting principle. The concept in the modern literature dates to Simpson (1944), who used ‘evolutionary inertia’ as a description of pattern in the fossil record. Wilson (1975) used ‘phylogenetic inertia’ to describe population‐level or organismal properties that can affect the course of evolution in response to selection. Many current authors now view phylogenetic inertia as an alternative hypothesis to adaptation by natural selection when attempting to explain interspecific variation, covariation or lack thereof in phenotypic traits. Some phylogenetic comparative methods have been claimed to allow quantification and testing of phylogenetic inertia. Although some existing methods do allow valid tests of whether related species tend to resemble each other, which we term ‘phylogenetic signal’, this is simply pattern recognition and does not imply any underlying process. Moreover, comparative data sets generally do not include information that would allow rigorous inferences concerning causal processes underlying such patterns. The concept of phylogenetic inertia needs to be defined and studied with as much care as ‘adaptation’.