Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Personal Gender-Typicality and Partner Gender-Traditionality on Taking Sexual Initiative: Investigating a Social Tuning Hypothesis

Sexual assertiveness is an issue of interest in the context of gender equality and sexual health. This study investigated the social tuning hypothesis that encountering a gender-traditional partner would lead to stronger gender-typical behavior, i.e., respectively, higher and lower levels of taking sexual initiative among men and women. Participants (N = 271) read a vignette describing a romantic partner, who was either presented as gender-traditional or not, followed by a sexual scenario. Subsequently, participants were asked about their expectations toward their own sexual initiative taking. Results showed a significant ‘target gender-traditionality × participant gender × participant gender-typicality (masculinity/femininity)’ interaction meaning that less gender-typical men were more likely to initiate sexual contact in the experimental, compared to the control condition. Men low in masculine characteristics showed higher initiative taking in response to a gender-traditional target female. We conclude that less gender-typical men seem to employ more social tuning toward their sexual partner, whereas more gender-typical men seem to adhere to their gender-typical behavior regardless of perceived partner characteristics. These results were not seen among the women in the sample. These findings are a starting point for the further development of experimental investigations regarding the gendered nature of both sexual initiative taking and sexual assertiveness in general.
Regional integration and the euro crisis : problems and solutions

Along time the European Union (EU) has been pointed as the most succeeded example of regional integration. Now, this example has been cruelly shaken by the EZ (Euro Zone) crisis, originating increasing doubts about the integration process. It is evident that the proposed solutions for attacking the crisis have hurt the European cohesion making more and more clear the separation of two big regions: one composed by North and Central European countries and the other constituted by the Southern and South-western countries. Why regardless of the uncountable meetings announced as decisive for its solution, and the recurrent EU proclamations of “policies to restore European growth”, the crisis in the EZ looks more and more like an endless problem? Our paper deals with answers to this question emphasizing some problems affecting the solution to the EZ crisis. Some of them are political while others result from misconceptions about putting in place the correct economic policy. Given the enormous private and public debt accumulated in periphery after the single currency inception, and aggravated by the first attack to the international financial crisis, it is not questionable the need of fiscal consolidation in peripheral countries. Our paper shows why is erroneous to consider budgetary contraction as the only way of attaining fiscal consolidation and explains why austerity is so fiercely advocated by both core and periphery governments. The main reasons for the lack of competitiveness in periphery are explained and the possible options to minimize the structural imbalance inside EZ, between its core and periphery, are indicated. Our paper shows that the solutions to the EZ crisis applied by national governments, in cooperation with the European Commission, the ECB and the IMF, * CEF.UP — Centre for Economics and Finance at the University of Porto — is funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal.
Feedback stabilizers for a class of imperfectly known hereditary descriptor systems

A class of memoryless feedback controls is designed to asymptotically stabilize a class of imperfectly known, nonlinear, descriptor systems with time-delays. Each descriptor system, consisting of dynamic and static subsystems, contains discrete and distributed delays, and each dynamic subsystem is a time-delay system of the retarded type. A deterministic methodology based on Lyapunov theory and Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals is utilized and feedback controllers are synthesized that will ensure, under appropriate hypotheses and satisfaction of appropriate stability criteria, a uniform asymptotic stability property for the prescribed class of hereditary descriptor systems.
Group-Aware Delay-Constrained Video Transmission Over Multihomed Device-to-Device Networks

The technological advancements in wireless communication systems enable mobile users to leverage different radio interfaces (e.g., cellular and WiFi) for concurrent data transmission. However, the existing transmission schemes do not seriously consider the problem of real-time video multicast to a cluster of co-located multihomed mobile devices. Conventionally, each client fetches the video streaming to the best of its capability, and this results in competing resources that degrade user-perceived video quality. Several literatures investigated the problem of using cellular to obtain video contents from the remote server and sharing them through WiFi. However, the stringent delay constraint of real-time video is not addressed in these solutions. In this paper, a cooperative transmission scheme is proposed to tackle the problem. First, a mathematical framework dubbed (Group-Aware Delay-COnstraint) is developed to formulate the delay-constrained goodput maximization problem of real-time video transmission to a group of multihomed mobiles. Second, a dataflow distribution mechanism is presented to conserve the cellular bandwidth and maximize user experience. Then, a prototype is implemented on the Android platform involving real-time video encoded with H.264 codec. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme achieves appreciable improvements over the reference schemes in video peak signal-to-noise ratio, end-to-end delay, and goodput.
High Gain Compact Microstrip Patch Antenna for X-Band Applications

This paper present a design of a Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) to improve gain and efficiency of a microstrip patch antenna operating in X-band at 10 GHz. The band-stop frequency selective surface (FSS) designed at the operating frequency of the antenna is used. FSS structure is configured as a superstrate for the microstrip patch antenna. The main goal of this paper is design a compact microstrip antenna module (microstrip patch and FSS structure). Simulation results using CST studio showed that high gain (54 % increment) and efficiency is increased to 97% have been achieved by the proposed antenna module (MS and FSS). The equivalent circuit of proposed FSS unit cell in ADS software has been evaluated and compared to simulation results (CST studio) to improve characteristics of the antenna. The proposed antenna module is extremely compact high gain and it can be used for X-band applications.
Protein sites with more coevolutionary connections tend to evolve slower, while more variable protein families acquire higher coevolutionary connections

Background: Amino acid exchanges within proteins sometimes compensate for one another and could therefore be co-evolved. It is essential to investigate the intricate relationship between the extent of coevolution and the evolutionary variability exerted at individual protein sites, as well as the whole protein. Methods: In this study, we have used a reliable set of coevolutionary connections (sites within 10Å spatial distance) and investigated their correlation with the evolutionary diversity within the respective protein sites. Results: Based on our observations, we propose an interesting hypothesis that higher numbers of coevolutionary connections are associated with lesser evolutionary variable protein sites, while higher numbers of the coevolutionary connections can be observed for a protein family that has higher evolutionary variability. Our findings also indicate that highly coevolved sites located in a solvent accessible state tend to be less evolutionary variable. This relationship reverts at the whole protein level where cytoplasmic and extracellular proteins show moderately higher anti-correlation between the number of coevolutionary connections and the average evolutionary conservation of the whole protein. Conclusions: Observations and hypothesis presented in this study provide intriguing insights towards understanding the critical relationship between coevolutionary and evolutionary changes observed within proteins. Our observations encourage further investigation to find out the reasons behind subtle variations in the relationship between coevolutionary connectivity and evolutionary diversity for proteins located at various cellular localizations and/or involved in different molecular-biological functions.
Knowledge gaps about smoking cessation in hospitalized patients and their doctors

Background: Hospitalization is an opportune time for smoking cessation support; cessation interventions delivered by hospital physicians are effective. While general practitioners’ and outpatients’ knowledge and attitudes towards smoking cessation have been studied in great detail, in-patient cessation programmes have received less attention. Design: Questionnaire-based survey of a convenience sample of hospital physicians and in-patients at Göttingen University Hospital, Germany. Methods: All 159 physicians directly involved in bedside care on medical and surgical wards received a three-page questionnaire examining smoking status, knowledge of smoking-attributable morbidity and mortality, and their understanding of the effectiveness of methods to achieve long-term smoking cessation. Perceived barriers to the delivery of counselling and cessation services to smoking patients were identified. One thousand randomly selected patients on medical (N = 400) and surgical (N = 600) wards were invited to complete a similar questionnaire. Results: Seventy-seven physicians (response rate 48.4%) and 675 patients (67.5%) completed the questionnaire. Patients and physicians alike underestimated the smoking-attributable risk of developing smoking-related cancers and chronic obstructive lung disease. In addition, severe misperceptions regarding the effectiveness of cessation methods were noted in both populations with ‘willpower’ being thought to be most effective in achieving abstinence. Only one-third of smoking patients recalled having been counselled to quit. Physicians identified lack of time as a central barrier to counselling smoking patients. Conclusions: These findings suggest that hospitalized smokers in a large German university hospital might not be treated according to international guidelines.
Episodic Memory for Human-like Agents and Human-like Agents for Episodic Memory

Episodic memory has been approached from many levels of analysis and many of its facets have been modeled computationally. Recently, several models of episodic memory have emerged in the domain of intelligent virtual agents (IVAs). Compared to neuro-/psychological models, their plausibility is limited. On the other hand, they can store representations of large environments and other complex memories over long-time intervals. This paper presents one such model and discusses the possibility of using IVAs as a test-bed to investigate neuro-/psychological models. The conclusion is that IVAs and their virtual environments can constitute an ecologically plausible framework allowing for study and integration of the neuro-/psychological models.
On Perception and Reality in Wireless Air Traffic Communication Security

More than a dozen wireless technologies are used by air traffic communication systems during different flight phases. From a conceptual perspective, all of them are insecure, as security was never part of their design. Recent contributions from academic and hacking communities have exploited this inherent vulnerability to demonstrate attacks on some of these technologies. However, not all of these contributions have resonated widely within aviation circles. At the same time, the security community lacks certain aviation domain knowledge, preventing aviation authorities from giving credence to their findings. In this survey, we aim to reconcile the view of the security community and the perspective of aviation professionals concerning the safety of air traffic communication technologies. To achieve this, we first provide a systematization of the applications of wireless technologies upon which civil aviation relies. Based on these applications, we comprehensively analyze vulnerabilities and existing attacks. We further survey the existing research on countermeasures and categorize it into approaches that are applicable in the short term and research of secure new technologies deployable in the long term. Since not all of the required aviation knowledge is codified in academic publications, we additionally examine the existing aviation standards and survey 242 international aviation experts. Besides their domain knowledge, we also analyze the awareness of members of the aviation community concerning the security of wireless systems and collect their expert opinions on the potential impact of concrete attack scenarios using these technologies.
Maintenance and Spare Parts Management : The Case of Thessaloniki ’ s Port Authority Container Terminal

The main supporting activities for the efficient operation of a Container Terminal (CT) are those of maintenance management and spare parts inventory management. Thessaloniki’s Port Authority (ThPA) CT has significantly expanded through the last two decades. However, the two relevant supporting systems did not manage to keep up with this development rate, thus today their re-engineering is of critical importance. Furthermore, an organization’s development in the competitive environment of Port Industry, presumes no resources waste (human, economic, equipment). Therefore, improving the operation of these systems on a technical-economic and scientific basis, while neglecting the current empirical policies plays a key-role in increasing port’s productivity and equipment’s availability (mainly for cranes and straddle carriers), as also its cost-effectiveness. The purpose of this research work is to map the current status of ThPA CT and address few pivotal issues regarding the maintenance and spare parts management system, respectively, while providing the necessary input for the ThPA managers to decide on developing the appropriate re-engineering processes. The empirical, myopic and non-optimal policies currently followed by ThPA should be replaced by more robust and efficient optimization policies that are able to ensure a significantly improved performance.
Economic impacts and impact dynamics of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) cotton in India

Despite widespread adoption of genetically modified crops in many countries, heated controversies about their advantages and disadvantages continue. Especially for developing countries, there are concerns that genetically modified crops fail to benefit smallholder farmers and contribute to social and economic hardship. Many economic studies contradict this view, but most of them look at short-term impacts only, so that uncertainty about longer-term effects prevails. We address this shortcoming by analyzing economic impacts and impact dynamics of Bt cotton in India. Building on unique panel data collected between 2002 and 2008, and controlling for nonrandom selection bias in technology adoption, we show that Bt has caused a 24% increase in cotton yield per acre through reduced pest damage and a 50% gain in cotton profit among smallholders. These benefits are stable; there are even indications that they have increased over time. We further show that Bt cotton adoption has raised consumption expenditures, a common measure of household living standard, by 18% during the 2006–2008 period. We conclude that Bt cotton has created large and sustainable benefits, which contribute to positive economic and social development in India.
Low-power LC-tank-reused injection-locked frequency multiplier

In this paper a new topology of injection-locked frequency multiplier (ILFM) with high conversion gain and low power consumption is proposed. This new topology is employed to design a multiply-by-2 (×2) ILFM with differential input. The ILFM consists of a double-balanced Gilbert-cell mixer and an injection-locked oscillator (ILO) with only one LC tank. Equations of the ILFM's operation range and conversion gain will be derived mathematically. The circuit was fabricated in 0.18 µm CMOS technology. At a supply voltage of 1.8 V, the measured total power consumption is 6.66 mW. With an input power of 0 dBm, the ILFM has a conversion gain from −0.4 dB to 4.5 dB and its output-frequency range is from 12 GHz to 16.4 GHz.
Pipeline for macro- and microarray analyses.

The pipeline for macro- and microarray analyses (PMmA) is a set of scripts with a web interface developed to analyze DNA array data generated by array image quantification software. PMmA is designed for use with single- or double-color array data and to work as a pipeline in five classes (data format, normalization, data analysis, clustering, and array maps). It can also be used as a plugin in the BioArray Software Environment, an open-source database for array analysis, or used in a local version of the web service. All scripts in PMmA were developed in the PERL programming language and statistical analysis functions were implemented in the R statistical language. Consequently, our package is a platform-independent software. Our algorithms can correctly select almost 90% of the differentially expressed genes, showing a superior performance compared to other methods of analysis. The pipeline software has been applied to 1536 expressed sequence tags macroarray public data of sugarcane exposed to cold for 3 to 48 h. PMmA identified thirty cold-responsive genes previously unidentified in this public dataset. Fourteen genes were up-regulated, two had a variable expression and the other fourteen were down-regulated in the treatments. These new findings certainly were a consequence of using a superior statistical analysis approach, since the original study did not take into account the dependence of data variability on the average signal intensity of each gene. The web interface, supplementary information, and the package source code are available, free, to non-commercial users at http://ipe.cbmeg. unicamp.br/pub/PMmA.
Where was this picture painted ? - Localizing paintings by alignment to 3D models

Cet article presente une technique qui peut de maniere fiable aligner une representation non photo-realiste d'un site architectural, tel un dessin ou une peinture, avec un model 3D du site. Pour ce faire, nous representons le model 3D par un ensemble d'elements discriminatifs qui sont automatiquement decouverts dans des vues du modele. Nous montrons que les elements trouves sont relies de maniere robuste aux changements de style (aquarelle, croquis, photographies anciennes) et aux differences structurelles. D'avantage de details sur notre methode et une evaluation plus detaillee est disponible [1].
Cascade Networks and Extreme Learning Machines

Acknowledgement The author wishes to thank Prof. Tom Gedeon for his support and encouragement throughout the duration of this project and my wife, Victoria Oakden MBA, for her patience and support. Abstract Cascade Correlation (CASCOR) and Extreme Learning Machines (ELM) provide viable alternatives to traditional single-hidden layer feed-forward neural network (SLFN) trained using back-propagation (BP). In this thesis the theories of ELM and CASCOR are described, implementations tested and experiments conducted to compare their performance to traditional SLFN trained with BP. The experiments demonstrate that ELM is a significantly faster algorithm than BP and somewhat faster than CASCOR. The contribution of this project is the development of a new type of Neural Network, CASCELM. In this network CASCOR is combined with ELM to create a hybrid model. Experimental results show that these networks are slower to train than ELM but offer an advantage in that as a constructive algorithm they automatically arrive at an optimum topology during training. Two new ideas are proposed for improving the Layered ELM machine, which represent an opportunity be further investigation.
On Counting the Number of Tilings of a Rectangle with Squares of Size 1 and 2

We consider tilings of a rectangle of size n×k with square tiles of size 1×1 and 2×2. We present a method to calculate the number of such tilings via matrix multiplication, where we optimize the number of multiplications needed and reduce the space required for the matrix multiplication by dynamically generating the matrices involved.
Cleanup Memory in Biologically Plausible Neural Networks

During the past decade, a new class of knowledge representation has emerged known as structured distributed representation (SDR). A number of schemes for encoding and manipulating such representations have been developed; e.g. Pollack’s Recursive Auto-Associative Memory (RAAM), Kanerva’s Binary Spatter Code (BSC), Gayler’s MAP encoding, and Plate’s Holographically Reduced Representations (HRR). All such schemes encode structural information throughout the elements of high dimensional vectors, and are manipulated with rudimentary algebraic operations. Most SDRs are very compact; components and compositions of components are all represented as fixed-width vectors. However, such compact compositions are unavoidably noisy. As a result, resolving constituent components requires a cleanup memory. In its simplest form, cleanup is performed with a list of vectors that are sequentially compared using a similarity metric. The closest match is deemed the cleaned codevector. While SDR schemes were originally designed to perform cognitive tasks, none of them have been demonstrated in a neurobiologically plausible substrate. Potentially, mathematically proven properties of these systems may not be neurally realistic. Using Eliasmith and Anderson’s 2003 Neural Engineering Framework, I construct various spiking neural networks to simulate a general cleanup memory that is suitable for many schemes. Importantly, previous work has not taken advantage of parallelization or the high-dimensional properties of neural networks. Nor have they considered the efiii fect of noise within these systems. As well, additional improvements to the cleanup operation may be possible by more efficiently structuring the memory itself. In this thesis I address these lacuna, provide an analysis of systems accuracy, capacity, scalability, and robustness to noise, and explore ways to improve the search efficiency.
An Empirical Study of the Beezone System

Bee zone is a large-scale live video streaming system, which adopts dual-protocol-stack technology and gossip-like protocol to build an unstructured P2P application layer overlay, which can be used in IPv4/v6 hybrid network environment. We run the system during the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. By collecting the logs from the system when it works, we study the workload, performance, and dynamics of the system. Based on these logs, we show that (1) the system can be used in hybrid network environment, which makes the playback smooth and reduces latency at end users. (2) it can make good use of IPv6 bandwidth, and (3) the dynamics of the system is slow. Our results fully verified the performance of Bee zone, and indicate the use of IPv6 channel can improves the performance of the P2P video streaming system.