Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Approaches to HRD in Russian IT-companies in the period of economic crisis

ABSTRACT Economic crisis differently impacts on the decisions of companies how to manage human resource development (HRD) initiatives. For the IT sector, intellectual capital becomes a core source of sustainable competitive advantages where HRD is seen like a tool to develop the internal stock of human capital. This article explores the approaches to HRD used by Russian IT-companies during the crisis. On the basis of the conceptual debates regarding the necessity to invest more in HRD programs even in the crisis conditions and our own empirical research, we tried to find out what happened with HRD costs during the crisis and what was the relationship between HRD costs and company’s performance during the crisis in Russian IT-companies. We conclude that Russian IT-companies perceive the value of HRD programs; hence, the most innovative-active and fast developing IT-companies prefer to constantly invest more in HRD initiatives. In crisis conditions, we recommend them to develop and implement more internal training programs.
Decision feedback equalizer with two's complement computation sharing multiplication

We present an architecture of a high performance decision feedback equalizer based on a computation sharing multiplier. The computation sharing multiplier (CSHMR) uses a redundant number scheme and targets removal of computational redundancy by computation re-use. Use of CSHMR leads to high performance FIR filtering operation by re-using optimal precomputations. A decision feedback equalizer (DFE) implementation based on CSHMR in a 0.35 /spl mu/ technology shows 34% improvement in the operating speed over DFE using a Wallace tree multiplier.
Evaluating Bug Severity Using Crowd-based Knowledge: An Exploratory Study

In bug tracking system, the high volume of incoming bug reports poses a serious challenge to project managers. Triaging these bug reports manually consumes time and resources which leads to delaying the resolution of important bugs. StackOverflow is the most popular crowdsourcing Q&A community with plenty of bug-related posts. In this paper, we explore the correlation between bug severity and the crowd attributes of linked posts. Two typical types of projects' bug repositories are studied here, e.g. Mozilla (user-centric project) and Eclipse (developer-centric project). Our results show that the bug severity is consistent with the crowd-based knowledge both in Mozilla and Eclipse, i.e. the linked posts of severe bugs have higher score etc. in StackOverflow than non-severe bugs. This interesting phenomenon inspires us that we can optimize the existing evaluation methods of bug severity by incorporating the crowd-based knowledge from a third-party in future.
Cultural implications on management practices in Cameroon

This thesis examines the impact of cultural values directly on employee motivation and indirectly via leadership style. The study identifies distinguishing features of cultural values, leadership styles and employee motivation in Cameroon. The research investigates the perceptions of these concepts by managers and employees and the distinctive influence of the traditional Cameroonian values as compared to the Western values contained in the discourse of authors such as Hofstede, Likert, Maslow and Herzberg and students of their work. Field work includes questionnaires and interviews designed to elicit perceptions of the three concepts from the sample; the distinctiveness of perceptions as compared to Western discourse. Focus groups were incorporated into the research design and used to evaluate and modify hypotheses resulting from the fieldwork. The conceptual model designed for the research is based on literature and consultations. The study used both quantitative questionnaire survey and qualitative in depth interviews to collect data. 135 employees and managers from 10 SMEs of the banking and telecommunication industries in the private sector participated in the survey. 10 of them were interviewed, 4 leaders and 6 followers. Seven hypotheses are developed and tested against their validity in Cameroon in relation to the literature. The results indicate that the main hypotheses developed based on the three strands of literature used in the study proved to be robust, but some different important details were also found out. For example, Hofstede's (1991) masculinity index for the West African region was 46. There are also some distinctions with respect to leadership style and employee motivation. The study indicates that the perceived leadership style in organisations in Cameroon is paternalistic, that extrinsic motivational factors aremore important to Cameroonian employees than intrinsic factors. The study also discovered some African cultural values and leadership practices that constrain employee motivation and consequently organisational performance. It has been found out that employees in Cameroon's organisations will perform better in conditions where organisational values such as cooperation, participation, specification of targets and performance measure are of paramount importance especially if the leadership dimensions are those that encourage motivation and interaction. Direct and indirect links appear to exist.
Bidirectional Activity-Dependent Plasticity at Corticostriatal Synapses

Corticostriatal projections originate from the entire cerebral cortex and provide the major source of glutamatergic inputs to the basal ganglia. Despite the importance of corticostriatal connections in sensorimotor learning and cognitive functions, plasticity forms at these synapses remain strongly debated. Using a corticostriatal slice preserving the connections between the somatosensory cortex and the target striatal cells, we report the induction of both non-Hebbian and Hebbian forms of long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) on striatal output neurons (SONs). LTP and LTD can be induced selectively by different stimulation patterns (high-frequency trains vs low-frequency pulses) and were evoked with similar efficiency in non-Hebbian and Hebbian modes. Combination of LTP–LTD and LTD–LTP sequences revealed that bidirectional plasticity occurs at the same SONs and provides efficient homeostatic mechanisms leading to a resetting of corticostriatal synapses avoiding synaptic saturation. The effect of temporal relationship between cortical stimulation and SON activity was assessed using spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) protocols. An LTP was observed when an action potential was triggered in the striatal neuron before the cortical stimulus, and, conversely, an LTD was induced when the striatal neuron discharge was triggered after the cortical stimulation. Such STDP was reversed when compared with those described so far in other mammalian brain structures. This mechanism may be essential for the role of the striatum in learning of motor sequences in which sensory and motor events are associated in a precise time sequence.
Stratified critical points one the real Milnor fibre and integral-geometric formulas

Let $(X,0) \subset (\mathbb{R}^n,0)$ be the germ of a closed subanalytic set and let $f$ and $g : (X,0) \rightarrow (\mathbb{R},0)$ be two subanalytic functions. Under some conditions, we relate the critical points of $g$ on the real Milnor fibre $X \cap f^{-1}(\delta) \cap B_\epsilon$, $0 <| \delta | \ll \epsilon \ll 1$, to the topology of this fibre and other related subanalytic sets. As an application, when $g$ is a generic linear function, we obtain an "asymptotic" Gauss-Bonnet formula for the real Milnor fibre of $f$. From this Gauss-Bonnet formula, we deduce "infinitesimal" linear kinematic formulas.
The effect of periarcuate lesions in the monkey on the performance of symmetrically and asymmetrically reinforced visual and auditory go, no- go tasks

Monkeys with lesions restricted to the periarcuate region of the frontal cortex were impaired on go, no-go tasks in which, depending on the stimulus present on any given trial, they were rewarded either for pushing a manipulandum or for withholding this response for a given period of time. By contrast, these animals were able to learn at a normal rate go, no-go tasks in which they were rewarded if they responded in the presence of a “positive” stimulus, but not in the presence of a “negative” stimulus. In the latter situation, responding in the presence of the “negative” stimulus was extinguished through non- reward, whereas the tasks on which impairments were demonstrated required solution on the basis of a conditional rule: If stimulus A, respond, and if stimulus B, withhold responding, to receive reward. Because the 2 experimental situations were identical in every respect except for the one critical difference in the testing procedure, the present set of experiments provides a powerful demonstration of the involvement of the periarcuate cortex in conditional learning with exteroceptive stimuli.
A Metrics-Driven Approach for Quality Assessment of Linked Open Data

The main objective of the Web of Data paradigm is to crystallize knowledge through the interlinking of already existing but dispersed data. The usefulness of the developed knowledge depends strongly on the quality of the published data. Researchers have observed many deficiencies with regard to the quality of Linked Open Data. The first step towards improving the quality of data released as a part of the Linked Open Data Cloud is to develop tools for measuring the quality of such data. To this end, the main objective of this paper is to propose and validate a set of metrics for evaluating the inherent quality characteristics of a dataset before it is released to the Linked Open Data Cloud. These inherent characteristics are semantic accuracy, syntactic accuracy, uniqueness, completeness and consistency. We follow the Goal-Question-Metric approach to propose various metrics for each of these five quality characteristics. We provide both theoretical validation and empirical observation of the behavior of the proposed metrics in this paper. The proposed set of metrics establishes a starting point for a systematic inherent quality analysis of open datasets.
A Fast and Self-adaptive Color Stereo Vision Matching; a first step for Roa Ostacle Detection

In this article, we present a fast and self-adaptive color stereo vision matching algorithm which is a first step in the conception of a color stereo vision system for road obstacle detection. Our color matching approach associates vertical edges points using dynamic programming. Edges points are extracted using the operator color declivity. Performance of segmentation and matching are discussed. Experimental results are shown
Cluster temperature profiles and Sunyaev–Zeldovich observations

Galaxy clusters are not isothermal, and the radial temperature dependence will affect the cluster parameters derived through the observation of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect. We show that the derived peculiar velocity will be systematically shifted by 10-20 per cent. For future all-sky surveys one cannot rely on the observationally expensive X-ray observations to remove this systematic error, but should instead reach for sufficient angular resolution to perform a deprojection in the SZ spectra. The Compton-weighted electron temperature is accurately derived through SZ observations.
Natural Recovery and Planned Intervention in Coastal Wetlands: Venice Lagoon (Northern Adriatic Sea, Italy) as a Case Study

The goals of conservation and sustainable use of environmental ecosystems have increased the need for detailed knowledge of ecological evolution and responses to both anthropogenic pressures and recovery measures. The present study shows the effects of natural processes and planned intervention in terms of reducing nutrient inputs in a highly exploited coastal lagoon, describing its evolution over a 16-year period from the late 1980s (when eutrophication was at its peak) until 2003. Changes in nutrient and carbon concentrations in the top layer of sediments were investigated in parallel with macroalgal and seagrass biomass in the most anthropized basin of Venice Lagoon in four surveys conducted in accordance with the same protocols in 1987, 1993, 1998, and 2003. A pronounced reduction in trophic state (mainly total nitrogen, organic phosphorus, and organic carbon concentrations) and macroalgal biomass was recorded, together with the progressive expansion of seagrass meadows. General considerations are also made on the effects of Manila clam farming and the shift from illegal to managed clam farming.
Two sources of meaning in infant communication: preceding action contexts and act-accompanying characteristics

How do infants communicate before they have acquired a language? This paper supports the hypothesis that infants possess social–cognitive skills that run deeper than language alone, enabling them to understand others and make themselves understood. I suggested that infants, like adults, use two sources of extralinguistic information to communicate meaningfully and react to and express communicative intentions appropriately. In support, a review of relevant experiments demonstrates, first, that infants use information from preceding shared activities to tailor their comprehension and production of communication. Second, a series of novel findings from our laboratory shows that in the absence of distinguishing information from preceding routines or activities, infants use accompanying characteristics (such as prosody and posture) that mark communicative intentions to extract and transmit meaning. Findings reveal that before infants begin to speak they communicate in meaningful ways by binding preceding and simultaneous multisensory information to a communicative act. These skills are not only a precursor to language, but also an outcome of social–cognitive development and social experience in the first year of life.
Particle Swarm Optimization for Sorted Adapted Gaussian Mixture Models

Recently, we introduced the sorted Gaussian mixture models (SGMMs) algorithm providing the means to tradeoff performance for operational speed and thus permitting the speed-up of GMM-based classification schemes. The performance of the SGMM algorithm depends on the proper choice of the sorting function, and the proper adjustment of its parameters. In the present work, we employ particle swarm optimization (PSO) and an appropriate fitness function to find the most advantageous parameters of the sorting function. We evaluate the practical significance of our approach on the text-independent speaker verification task utilizing the NIST 2002 speaker recognition evaluation (SRE) database while following the NIST SRE experimental protocol. The experimental results demonstrate a superior performance of the SGMM algorithm using PSO when compared to the original SGMM. For comprehensiveness we also compared these results with those from a baseline Gaussian mixture model-universal background model (GMM-UBM) system. The experimental results suggest that the performance loss due to speed-up is partially mitigated using PSO-derived weights in a sorted GMM-based scheme.
Frecuencia y factores asociados a ideación y conducta suicida en mujeres en el primer año posparto

(2) Introducción . (3) Materiales y Métodos . (5) Resultados . (10) Discusión. (12) Referencias Bibliográficas. (15) Declaración de Conflictos de Interés. (19) Tablas, gráficos y figuras. (20)
Building Mashups by Demonstration

The latest generation of WWW tools and services enables Web users to generate applications that combine content from multiple sources. This type of Web application is referred to as a mashup. Many of the tools for constructing mashups rely on a widget paradigm, where users must select, customize, and connect widgets to build the desired application. While this approach does not require programming, the users must still understand programming concepts to successfully create a mashup. As a result, they are put off by the time, effort, and expertise needed to build a mashup. In this article, we describe our programming-by-demonstration approach to building mashup by example. Instead of requiring a user to select and customize a set of widgets, the user simply demonstrates the integration task by example. Our approach addresses the problems of extracting data from Web sources, cleaning and modeling the extracted data, and integrating the data across sources. We implemented these ideas in a system called Karma, and evaluated Karma on a set of 23 users. The results show that, compared to other mashup construction tools, Karma allows more of the users to successfully build mashups and makes it possible to build these mashups significantly faster compared to using a widget-based approach.
All because of the mast cell: blocking the angiotensin receptor-1 should be better than inhibiting ACE (theoretically).

In cardiovascular disease, especially hypertension, chronic heart failure, and atherosclerosis, angiotensin II (Ang II) is generally a culprit while nitric oxide exerts beneficial effects. Accordingly, inhibiting angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) has become established as one of the most successful therapeutic options in the treatment of chronic cardiovascular disorders. However, an estimated 20–40% of patients do not respond to and/or tolerate ACE inhibition.1 The introduction of drugs selectively blocking Ang II receptors of type 1 (ARBs) has definitely brought some relief from unwanted side effects. In the paper by Company et al. , appearing in the current issue of Cardiovascular Research ,2 reasons are now given for why one should expect ARBs to be even more beneficial than ACE inhibitors in all cardiovascular conditions with an inflammatory component. The reasoning and evidence are compelling and centre on the fact that the mast cell enzyme chymase is able to generate Ang II independently of the activity of ACE. In experiments conducted on the mouse cremaster muscle microcirculation, the authors show that degranulating mast cells release chymase in amounts great enough to circumvent the functional protection otherwise provided by an ACE inhibitor under non-inflammatory conditions. In contrast, stimulated mast cells lose much of their microcirculatory destabilizing potential if an ARB is applied instead …
Evidence that Doublecortin Is Dispensable for the Development of Adult Born Neurons in Mice

In mammals, adult neural stem cells give rise to new hippocampal dentate granule neurons and interneurons of the olfactory bulb throughout life. The microtubule associated protein Doublecortin (DCX) is expressed by migrating neuroblasts and immature neurons, and is widely used as a stage-specific marker of adult neurogenesis and as a marker to identify neurogenic activity in the adult brain per se. Mutations in the DCX gene have been causally linked to human lissencephalic syndromes. Moreover, embryonic loss of DCX function interferes with neuronal migration and dendritic patterning in a species- and region-specific manner. A putative function of DCX in adult neurogenesis has not been directly explored. Here we show that overexpression of DCX in newly generated dentate granule neurons of the adult mouse brain has no effect on morphological maturation or migration. We also show that micro (mi) RNA-mediated retroviral knockdown of DCX does not alter morphological maturation of adult born dentate granule cells or migration of new neurons in either adult neurogenic niche. Thus, the present data indicate that DCX is dispensable for the development of new neurons in adult mice.
Student Employment as a Model for Experiential Learning

Background: Evidence suggests experiential learning promotes the development of a range of transferrable skills including communication, responsibility, and social skills. However, many students are unable to participate in internships or other common forms of experiential education because they need to work for pay. University employment has been positively associated with academic success, but less is known about its potential to develop transferrable skills. Purpose: This evaluation assessed the outcomes and experiences of former student workers employed by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Outreach project in a paid, university position. Methodology/Approach: Former workers were surveyed regarding grade point average and graduation, employment and post-graduate education, transferrable skill development, and civic behaviors and attitudes. Findings/Conclusions: Former workers reported growth on transferrable skills (e.g., communication, problem-solving), civic behaviors, and attitudes and qualitatively attributed these gains to their work as outreach workers, particularly in terms of interacting with diverse clients in the community. Results suggest benefits associated with structuring meaningful experiences in university jobs similar to those observed in other experiential education settings. Implications: University employment may be a viable route for promoting transferrable skill development. Greater consideration of employment opportunities that foster partnerships between the institution and the community may benefit the university, community, and students.
The relationships of wood-, gas- and water fractions of tree stems to performance and life history variation in tropical trees.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The volume of tree stems is made up of three components: solid wood, gas and water. These components have important consequences for the construction costs, strength and stability of trees. Here, the importance of stem components for sapling growth and survival in the field was investigated, and then these stem components were related to two important life history axes of variation: the light requirements for regeneration and the adult stature of the species. METHODS Stem fractions of wood, gas and water were determined for saplings and adults of respectively 30 and 58 Bolivian tropical moist-forest species. Sapling height growth and survival were monitored for 2 years in the field as indicators of sapling performance. KEY RESULTS Sapling stems consisted of 26 % wood (range 7-36 % for species), 59 % water (range 49-88 %), and 15 % gas (range 0-38 %) per unit volume. The wood fraction was the only determinant of sapling performance and was correlated with increased survival and decreased growth rate across species. The wood fraction decreased with light requirements of the species, probably because a high wood fraction protects shade-tolerant species against pathogens and falling debris. The gas fraction increased with the light requirements and adult stature of the species; probably as an aid in realizing a rapid height growth and accessing the canopy in the case of light-demanding species, and for rapidly attaining stability and a large reproductive size in the case of tall species. The water fraction was not correlated with the life history variation of tree species, probably because it leads to increased stem loading and decreased stability. CONCLUSIONS The wood fraction might partially explain the growth-survival trade-off that has been found across tropical tree species. The wood and gas fractions are closely related to the regeneration light requirements of the species. Tall species have a high gas fraction, probably not only because gas is a cheap filler, but also because it might lead to an increased stability of these tall trees.
Simultaneous detection of pedestrians, pose, and the camera viewpoint from 3D models

This paper describes a pedestrian detection trained from the projected suggestive contours of the 3D models and an estimation of its 3D pose instead of using multiple 2D training images. The first part explains the 3D mesh model training for pedestrian detection; the suggestive contours projected to various viewpoints enables to avoid hand-crafted training of 2D images. The second part depicts extracting the features and measuring the similarity in the space of diffusion tensor fields. By measuring the similarity and ordering the trained 3D models, the 3D camera viewpoint and pose of the detected pedestrians can also be estimated. Experiments show the effectiveness of our method.