Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An initial step in the early stages of business cycle theories: The contribution of T. Veblen

Le but de cet article est d’evaluer la conception des cycles economiques de T. Veblen et de determiner les types de theories qui la fondent. La premiere section souligne la dimension institutionnelle sous-jacente a la theorie de Veblen. La deuxieme section presente cette conception du cycle economique et des crises. La troisieme section s’attache a determiner si cette conception du cycle economique peut etre classee comme exogene ou endogene, et si les fluctuations considerees sont monetaires ou reelles. La section finale proposera une interpretation mettant en evidence les mecanismes evolutifs et dynamiques en suggerant une comparaison avec certains modeles contemporains multi-agents simulant les crises financieres.
Antioxidant Capacities of Peel, Pulp, and Seed Fractions of Canarium odontophyllum Miq. Fruit

Antioxidant capacities of ethylacetate, butanol, and water fractions of peel, pulp, and seeds of Canarium odontophyllum Miq. (CO) were determined using various in vitro antioxidant models. Ethylacetate fraction of peel (EAFPE) exhibited the highest total phenolic (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activities compared to pulp, seeds, and other solvent fractions. Antioxidant capacities were assayed by total antioxidant capability, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and hemoglobin oxidation assay. Total phenolic content of ethylacetate fractions was positively correlated with the antioxidant activity. This is the first report on the antioxidant activities from CO fruit fractions. Thus, EAFPE can be used potentially as a readily accessible source of natural antioxidants and as a possible pharmaceutical supplement.
Artificial neural network in applying multi attribute control chart for AR processes

Quality characteristics are subject of both manufacturing and service industries, which include not only the variables but the attributes as well. In Quality Control area substantial research has been done for Auto-correlated variables; however, no attempt was done for Auto-correlated attributes. Ignoring the autocorrelation structure in constructing control charts cause the in-control run length to decrease, and the false alarms to increase as such. In this article we develop a new methodology based upon the modified Elman neural network capabilities to overcome this problem. Moreover, instead of back propagation, simulated annealing is suggested as an alternative training technique that is able to search globally and in order to generate random AR vector we develop another artificial neural network based on ARTA algorithm. We present a simulation experiments and compare the performance of the proposed methodology with the other control methods of multi-attribute processes. The result of the simulation study is encouraging.
On characterizations of truthful mechanisms for combinatorial auctions and scheduling

We characterize truthful mechanisms in two multi-parameter domains. The first characterization shows that every mechanism for combinatorial auctions with two subadditive bidders that always allocates all items is an affine maximizer. The second result shows that every truthful machine scheduling mechanism for 2 unrelated machines that yields a finite approximation of the minimum makespan, must be task independent. That is, the mechanism must determine the allocation of each job separately. The characterizations improve our understanding of these multi-parameter settings and have new implications regarding the approximability of central problems in algorithmic mechanism design.
Experimental verification of rapid tracking by a robot manipulator in short duration processes

This thesis presents results of a series of experiments carried out to evaluate the applicability and performance of the recently developed Rapid Tracking Control Methodology on a robot manipulator. The control experiments were done on the UBC Parallelogram Direct Drive Arm (PDDARM), with the objective to control the arm to track an almost arbitrarily specified short but complex trajectory precisely. This experimental research project consists of two phases. The first involves estimation of the dynamic model of the direct drive manipulator. A practical and effective procedure was developed from the PDDARM Dynamic Equations of Motion to generate a dynamic equation which is linear in terms of the manipulator inertial parameters. This was then used to identify a dynamic model of the direct drive manipulator suitable for the purposes of control. The identification results were quite good since the applied torques can be predicted quite accurately from the estimated parameters. The second phase of the research is to apply the estimated dynamic model of the PDDARM to evaluate the trajectory following control performance of the Rapid Tracking Control algorithm. Observations and analysis of the experimental results show that the Rapid Tracking Control algorithm can significantly improve the trajectory following capability of a robot manipulator, as well it has all of the nice properties predicted by the previous theoretical analysis. It was further found that the application of this algorithm actually reduces the amount of time during which the system actuators may saturate when tracking a complex trajectory. Due to the fact that the algorithm is equivalent to a very high order feedback/feedforward controller, its output excites the controlled system quite persistently during operation. As a result, its application also facilitates identification of the system model for adaptive control.
An efficient ontology approach for organizing and mapping deep Web resources

To enable effective access to databases on the Web, it is critical to integrate the large scale deep Web sources. Therefore, schema matching is a basic problem in many database application domains, such as data integration, E-business, data warehousing, and semantic query processing. In current implementations, schema matching has some significant limitations until now. And also, there are some problems of the interfaces which often have some hidden regularities over many sources. These regularities can be essentially leveraged in enabling semantics discover of schema matching. In this paper, we focus on the specific problem of semantic heterogeneity between schema matching. We propose a clustering algorithm to organize similar sources with metadata-labeling. Our system includes a same model representation for all relational databases schemas with their own ontologies. In this paper, we represent the experimental results of semantic mapping for two schemas.
Large-eddy Simulation with Dynamic Subgrid-scale Models

Diierent dynamic subgrid scale models, viz. the dynamic model of Germano et al. are evaluated by means of a priori tests. Direct numerical simulation data for fully-developed turbulent and transitional incompressible ows are used. Low correlation is obtained between exact and modeled subgrid scale stresses with the DSM. Conversely, good agreement is found for both the DMM and the DTM, since those models explicitely account for the modiied Leonard term, i.e. the resolved part of the subgrid scale stress tensor. However, the addition of a second parameter in the DTM improves the correlation with the exact stresses. Moreover, the high peaks of the dinamically computed eddy viscosity, observed for the DSM, are noticeably reduced with the DMM, and, in a larger extent, with the DTM.
Entomological study of chikungunya infections in the State of Kelantan, Malaysia

Background & objectives: Chikungunya infection has become a public health threat in Malaysia since the 2008 nationwide outbreaks. Aedes albopictus Skuse has been identified as the chikungunya vector in Johor State during the outbreaks. In 2009, several outbreaks had been reported in the State of Kelantan. Entomological studies were conducted in Kelantan in four districts, namely Jeli, Tumpat, Pasir Mas and Tanah Merah to identify the vector responsible for the virus transmission. Methods: CHIKV cases records were obtained from State Health Department, Kelantan and localities involved were identified. Larva survey was conducted to collect the immature mosquito stages. Modified aspirators were used to collect the adult mosquitoes. All samples on dry ice were transferred to laboratory and the presence of the virus was detected using reverse transcriptase PCR. Results: A total of 1,245 mosquito larvae were collected during larval survey and 2,019 adult mosquitoes were collected using aspirator. From these collections, 640 mosquito pools were tested for the presence of CHIKV by RT-PCR but none found positive. Ae. albopictus was the most abundant mosquito collected, followed by Culex sp. , Armigeres sp. and Anopheles sp. A total of 2, 814 artificial containers were inspected during the study. Interpretation & conclusions: Since none of the mosquito samples was found to be positive for chikungunya virus, the vector(s) of chikungunya virus in these localities could not be identified.
Dynamic persistent scatterers interferometry

This paper presents the concept of Dynamic Persistent Scatterers Interferometry (PSI) processing, which enables the sequential estimation of parameters. The method is based on the Integer Least Squares (ILSQ) PSI concept and makes use of the estimation vector and corresponding variance-covariance matrix of the initial estimation epoch. In addition, the concept of multi-modal adaptive estimation and testing is applied. The algorithm systematically adds a new acquisition or set of acquisitions to an existing stack, updates the solution of the previous run, and analyzes whether the behavior of the (pre-) selected points fits the expected one.
Design of exoskeleton arm for enhancing human limb movement

Human motion is an important function which is related to the movement in upper or lower limb. Patients who have injured or damaged of brain will be lost the movement controlling function. The proposed exoskeleton arm has five degrees-of-freedom. Three degrees-of-freedom are at the shoulder joint, i.e. flexion/extension, abduction/adduction and internal/external rotation. The elbow joint has two degrees-of-freedom that are flexion/extension and supination/pronation. Controlling the exoskeleton arm can be performed by the electromyography signals and a set of controller which composes of the electromyography amplifier, analog to digital convertor, motor control and motor driver. Complier dsPIC was applied into the analog to digital convertor and motor controller. The result was shown the electromyography signal of biceps and triceps brachii muscles were used to control the exoskeleton arm.
Corrosion and Discharge Behaviors of Mg-Al-Zn and Mg-Al-Zn-In Alloys as Anode Materials

The Mg-6%Al-3%Zn and Mg-6%Al-3%Zn-(1%, 1.5%, 2%)In alloys were prepared by melting and casting. Their microstructures were investigated via metallographic and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. Moreover, hydrogen evolution and electrochemical tests were carried out in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution aiming at identifying their corrosion mechanisms and discharge behaviors. The results suggested that indium exerts an improvement on both the corrosion rate and the discharge activity of Mg-Al-Zn alloy via the effects of grain refining, β-Mg17Al12 precipitation, dissolving-reprecipitation, and self-peeling. The Mg-6%Al-3%Zn-1.5%In alloy with the highest corrosion rate at free corrosion potential did not perform desirable discharge activity indicating that the barrier effect caused by the β-Mg17Al12 phase would have been enhanced under the conditions of anodic polarization. The Mg-6%Al-3%Zn-1.0%In alloy with a relative low corrosion rate and a high discharge activity is a promising anode material for both cathodic protection and chemical power source applications.
Top-Down Modulation of Category Specific Extrastriate Cortex in a Task-Switching Paradigm

During selective attention, visual stimuli compete for processing capacity. Increased activation is found in extrastriate regions that represent the attended stimulus. However, little research has been done looking at activation in extrastriate regions when attention is shifted between stimulus features. To address this, participants completed a switching task during fMRI scanning. They attended to the colour or motion of bivalent stimuli on different trials. It was hypothesized that attentional modulation would be seen in colour area V4 and motion area V5 and that this modulation would help explain switch costs, a term used to describe why we are slower and more error prone on switch trials. Attentional modulation was found in V4, with greater activity when colour was attended. No modulation was observed in V5. The level of competition between these regions did not differ across switch and repeat trials, suggesting that such competition does not explain switch costs. iv Dedication To my husband, for his endless support and encouragement v Acknowledgments
Involving Stroke Survivors in Designing for Rehabilitation at Home

In this position paper, we introduce the Motivating Mobility project and describe its aims of designing interactive experiences that can engage and motivate poststroke survivors to undertake what would otherwise be boring repetitive movements at home. We outline the phases of the project and how we have engaged with users, focusing particularly on the four participants we finally worked with and the solutions we developed for them. Based on these experiences, we list some of the issues and challenges that we can bring to this workshop.
Influencing Factors in OER Usage of Adult Learners in Korea

Open Educational Resources (OER) is terminology that refers to educational resources (content and software) distributed through the Internet, free of charge and freely accessible, expanding learning opportunities for adult learners. This terminology first appeared around 2002, although its roots can be traced to the open architecture of the Internet. Until recently, OER development has focused more on quantity of contents rather than quality. In this study, we have examined the factors influencing the learning intention of adult learners in the OER context. Based on the relevant literature, we have identified a number of factors influencing a learner’s intention to use e-learning content. We have also developed a questionnaire for conducting a survey on such influencing factors. The survey results show that ease of use and relation to immediate workplace needs affect the intention of adult learners in using OER. The findings of this study can inform those developing and designing a learning environment that employs OER while also providing general guidance for developers and educators on how to design OER content.
IMPROVED INDEPENDENT ACCESS TO ENCRYPTED CLOUD DATABASES SUPPORTING MULTI-KEYWORD SYNONYM BASED QUERIES

Placing critical data in the hands of a cloud provider should come with the guarantee of security and availability for data at rest, in motion, and in use. Several alternatives exist for storage services, while data confidentiality solutions for the database as a service paradigm are still immature. We propose a novel architecture that integrates cloud database services with data confidentiality and the possibility of executing concurrent operations on encrypted data. This is the first solution supporting geographically distributed clients to connect directly to an encrypted cloud database, and to execute concurrent and independent operations including those modifying the database structure. The proposed architecture has the further advantage of eliminating intermediate proxies that limit the elasticity, availability, and scalability properties that are intrinsic in cloud-based solutions. The efficacy of the proposed architecture is evaluated through theoretical analyses and extensive experimental results based on a prototype implementation subject to the TPC-C standard benchmark for different numbers of clients and network latencies. We propose a semantic multi-keyword ranked search scheme over the encrypted cloud data, which simultaneously meets a set of strict privacy requirements. The proposed scheme could return not only the exact matching files, but also the files including the terms latent semantically associated to the query keyword.
An examination of multi proposed experimental

One of the most effective ways to achieve a through implementing an effective marketing channel strategy. resources on achieving a superior distribution strategy has a downside. It is perhaps the most complex and demanding of all market a firm's distribution strategy, conflict is inevitable as channel members compete for sales, resources and channel power. The purpose of this paper is to investigate several important issues that face both marketing channels researchers as well as channel managers. First, does functional conflict (so-called positive conflict) actually result in better performance? Second, is there a different effect on organizational outcomes (various measures of performa depending upon when conflict is manifested? Third, what effect does the construct of trust play in channel conflict? Does conflict have less of an impact on performance when parties trust one another more? Finally, the design of the study allows the both sides of the exchange relationship questions are considered in a proposed experimental design. The experimental scenarios that represent the manipulated variables are deve relationships among the variables is developed through testable hypotheses. One of the most effective ways to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage is through implementing an effective marketing channel strategy. However, focusing a firm's resources on achieving a superior distribution strategy has a downside. It is perhaps the most complex and demanding of all marketing mix alternatives. When new channels are added to a firm's distribution strategy, conflict is inevitable as channel members compete for sales, resources and channel power. The purpose of this paper is to investigate several important th marketing channels researchers as well as channel managers. First, does called positive conflict) actually result in better performance? Second, is there a different effect on organizational outcomes (various measures of performa depending upon when conflict is manifested? Third, what effect does the construct of trust play in channel conflict? Does conflict have less of an impact on performance when parties trust one another more? Finally, the design of the study allows the evaluation of conflict from both sides of the exchange relationship-buyer and seller-simultaneously. These research questions are considered in a proposed experimental design. The experimental scenarios that represent the manipulated variables are developed. A theoretical model describing the relationships among the variables is developed through testable hypotheses. dimensional channel conflict: a sustainable competitive advantage is However, focusing a firm's resources on achieving a superior distribution strategy has a downside. It is perhaps the …
A New Algorithm of Speckle Filtering using Stochastic Distances

This paper presents a new approach for filter design based on stochastic distances and tests between distributions. A window is defined around each pixel, overlapping samples are compared and only those which pass a goodness-of-fit test are used to compute the filtered value. The technique is applied to intensity SAR data with homogeneous regions using the Gamma model. The proposal is compared with the Lee's filter using a protocol based on Monte Carlo. Among the criteria used to quantify the quality of filters, we employ the equivalent number of looks, line and edge preservation. Moreover, we also assessed the filters by the Universal Image Quality Index and the Pearson's correlation on edges regions.
Is There One Persuasion Process or More? Lumping Versus Splitting in Attitude Change Theories

Alcohol and aggression: A meta-analysis on the moderating effects of inhibitory cues, triggering events, and self-focused attention. Social projection as a function of cog-nitive mechanisms: Two meta-analytic integrations. The " false consensus effect " : An egocentric bias in social perception and attributional processes. In their thought-provoking target article, Kruglanski and Thompson have raised a number of interesting and important questions about the need for dual or multiprocess conceptualizations of persuasion over a single process model. As we outline in this response, we actually concur with much of what Kruglanski and Thompson have to say. We think that much of their disenchantment with the Elaboration Likelihood Model of persuasion (ELM; Petty & Cacioppo, 1981, 1986) can be traced to some fundamental misunderstandings of the theory. With the plethora of dual-process models of judgment that now exist in psychology, this is understandable. Nevertheless, an important disagreement remains as 156 COMMENTARIES
Towards Quantitative Concept Analysis

In this paper, we present an approach to the automatic extraction of conceptual structures from unorganized collections of documents using large scale lexical regularities in text. The technique maps a term to a constellation of other terms that captures the essential meaning of the term in question. The methodology is language independent, it involves an exploration of a document collection in which the initial term occurs (e.g., the collection returned by a search engine when being queried with this term) and the building of a network in which each node is assigned to a term. The weights of the connections between nodes are strengthened each time the terms that these nodes represent appear together in a context of a predefined length. Possible applications are automatic concept map generation, terminology extraction, term retrieval, term translation, term localization, etc. The system is currently under development although preliminary experiments show promising results.
Comparative Genome Sequencing for Discovery of Novel Polymorphisms in Bacillus anthracis

Comparison of the whole-genome sequence ofBacillus anthracis isolated from a victim of a recent bioterrorist anthrax attack with a reference reveals 60 new markers that include single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), inserted or deleted sequences, and tandem repeats. Genome comparison detected four high-quality SNPs between the two sequenced B. anthracischromosomes and seven differences among different preparations of the reference genome. These markers have been tested on a collection of anthrax isolates and were found to divide these samples into distinct families. These results demonstrate that genome-based analysis of microbial pathogens will provide a powerful new tool for investigation of infectious disease outbreaks.
Empirical Estimates of Adaptation: The chance of Two Noriegas is closer to p/2 than p2

Repetition is very common. Adaptive language models, which allow probabilities to change or adapt after seeing just a few words of a text, were introduced in speech recognition to account for text cohesion. Suppose a document mentions Noriega once. What is the chance that he will be mentioned again? If the first instance has probability p, then under standard (bag-of-words) independence assumptions, two instances ought to have probability p2, but we find the probability is actually closer to p/2. The first mention of a word obviously depends on frequency, but surprisingly, the second does not. Adaptation depends more on lexical content than frequency; there is more adaptation for content words (proper nouns, technical terminology and good keywords for information retrieval), and less adaptation for function words, cliches and ordinary first names.