Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Formal vs. Non-Formal Vernacular Education: The Education Reform in Papua New Guinea.

A community-based non-formal education movement in Papua New Guinea has led to hundreds of the country's more than 800 languages being used to teach initialliteracy in local preschool and adult education programmes. The central government, with the help of overseas aid donors, has now embarked on a massive reform of the English-only formal education system. The first three years of formal education will be in vernacular languages at newly established Elementary Schools, run by local communities. But there is a great deal of controversy about the feasibility of the reform and its potential effects on the highly successful non-formal vernacular education movement. This paper describes this movement, the proposed reform and the conflicts between them, demonstrating the importance of community support and non-government organisations in educational language planning initiatives.
Neural Networks and Spectral Feature Selection for Retrieval of Hot Gases Temperature Profiles

Neural networks appear to be a promising tool to solve the so-called inverse problems focused to obtain a retrieval of certain physical properties related to the radiative transference of energy. In this paper the capability of neural networks to retrieve the temperature profile in a combustion environment is proposed. Temperature profile retrieval will be obtained from the measurement of the spectral distribution of energy radiated by the hot gases (combustion products) at wavelengths corresponding to the infrared region. High spectral resolution is usually needed to gain a certain accuracy in the retrieval process. However, this great amount of information makes mandatory a reduction of the dimensionality of the problem. In this sense a careful selection of wavelengths in the spectrum must be performed. With this purpose principal component analysis technique is used to automatically determine those wavelengths in the spectrum that carry relevant information on temperature distribution. A multilayer perceptron will be trained with the different energies associated to the selected wavelengths. The results presented show that multilayer perceptron combined with principal component analysis is a suitable alternative in this field
Motion Analysis in Vocalized Surprise Expressions and Motion Generation in Android Robots

Surprise expressions often occur in dialogue interactions, and they are often accompanied by verbal interjectional utterances. We are dealing with the challenge of generating natural human-like motions during speech in android robots that have a highly human-like appearance. In this study, we focus on the analysis and motion generation of vocalized surprise expression. We first analyze facial, head, and body motions during vocalized surprise appearing in human–human dialogue interactions. Analysis results indicate differences in the motion types for different types of surprise expression as well as different degrees of surprise expression. Consequently, we propose motion-generation methods based on the analysis results and evaluate the different modalities (eyebrows/eyelids, head, and body torso) and different motion control levels for the proposed method. This work is carried out through subjective experiments. Evaluation results indicate the importance of each modality in the perception of surprise degree, naturalness, and the spontaneous versus intentional expression of surprise.
Statistical model of lossy links in wireless sensor networks

Recently, several wireless sensor network studies demonstrated large discrepancies between experimentally observed communication properties and properties produced by widely used simulation models. Our first goal is to provide sound foundations for conclusions drawn from these studies by extracting relationships between location (e.g. distance) and communication properties (e.g. reception rate) using non-parametric statistical techniques. The objective is to provide a probability density function that completely characterizes the relationship. Furthermore, we study individual link properties and their correlation with respect to common transmitters, receivers and geometrical location. The second objective is to develop a series of wireless network models that produce networks of arbitrary sizes with realistic properties. We use an iterative improvement-based optimization procedure to generate network instances that are statistically similar to empirically observed networks. We evaluate the accuracy of our conclusions using our models on a set of standard communication tasks, like connectivity maintenance and routing.
Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace: A Critical Review

Cet article est une revue critique des theories et resultats empiriques favorables a l’intelligence emotionelle (I.E.) et a son pretendu role dans l’environnement professionnel. On s’interesse au statut suppose de l’I.E. dans la performance au travail, la satisfaction et l’evaluation de la carriere et des competences (surtout dans la domaine de la selection et de l’orientation). Globalement, cette revue de questions prouve que les recherches recentes ont fait de grands pas dans la comprehension de l’utilite de l’I.E. au travail. Les preuves strictement scientifiques sont cependant insuffisantes, la litterature accordant une confiance excessive aux avis d’experts, aux anecdotes, aux etudes de cas et aux enquetes privees non publiees. On propose, a la fin de l’article, quelques directives pratiques pour favoriser le developpement et l’utilisation de mesures de l’I.E. dans les situations professionnelles. This paper critically reviews conceptualisations and empirical evidence in support of emotional intelligence (EI) and its claimed role in the occupational environment. Consideration is given to the purported status of EI in occupational and career assessment (with particular emphasis on personnel selection and placement), job performance, and satisfaction. Overall, this review demonstrates that recent research has made important strides towards understanding the usefulness of EI in the workplace. However, the ratio of hyperbole to hard evidence is high, with over-reliance in the literature on expert opinion, anecdote, case studies, and unpublished proprietary surveys. The review concludes by providing a number of practical guidelines for the development and implementation of EI measures within occupational settings.
Principles of engineering design

The paper sets out procedures used in engineering design by listing the various steps in a sequential pattern. This pattern is not universally applicable and the variants on it depend on the type of problem involved and the information available. Of critical importance is the way in which models—physical or mathematical—can be constructed and depending on these, three design methods are described. These types are illustrated by reference to a number of medical aids which have been designed.
Pose and category recognition of highly deformable objects using deep learning

Category and pose recognition of highly deformable objects is considered a challenging problem in computer vision and robotics. In this study, we investigate recognition and pose estimation of garments hanging from a single point, using a hierarchy of deep convolutional neural networks. The adopted framework contains two layers. The deep convolutional network of the first layer is used for classifying the garment to one of the predefined categories, whereas in the second layer a category specific deep convolutional network performs pose estimation. The method has been evaluated using both synthetic and real datasets of depth images and an actual robotic platform. Experiments demonstrate that the task at hand may be performed with sufficient accuracy, to allow application in several practical scenarios.
Retroviral Overexpression of Decorin Differentially Affects the Response of Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells to Growth Factors

Abstract—Decorin is a member of the family of small leucine-rich proteoglycans that are present in blood vessels and synthesized by arterial smooth muscle cells (ASMCs). This proteoglycan accumulates in topographically defined regions of atherosclerotic lesions and may play a role in the development of this disease. However, little is known about whether decorin has specific effects on the cellular events that contribute to atherosclerotic lesion formation. In the present study, rat ASMCs were transduced with a retroviral vector (LDSN) that carries the bovine decorin gene. Compared with vector control cells (LXSN), these cells constitutively overexpress decorin, as verified by Northern and Western analysis and by metabolic labeling. Experiments were performed to examine the responsiveness of decorin-overexpressing rat ASMCs to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and transforming growth factor-&bgr;1 (TGF-&bgr;1), 2 growth factors that affect cell proliferation and extracellular matrix production in atherosclerosis. Decorin-overexpressing cells had decreased [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA and increased the levels of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p21 and p27 in the first 24 hours of response to serum and PDGF-BB. However, these effects of decorin were not apparent at 48 or 72 hours after plating and did not result in reduced growth of decorin-overexpressing cells in response to serum and PDGF-BB. In contrast, the growth response of decorin-overexpressing ASMCs to TGF-&bgr;1, as well as the expression of TGF-&bgr;1–responsive genes, such as plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and versican (an extracellular matrix proteoglycan), was diminished. These results indicate that decorin selectively inhibits the responsiveness of rat ASMCs to TGF-&bgr;1 and suggests that the induction of constitutive decorin overexpression by ASMCs in vivo may have therapeutic value in the inhibition of TGF-&bgr;1–mediated effects on the development of atherosclerotic lesions.
Multivariable Mendelian Randomization: The Use of Pleiotropic Genetic Variants to Estimate Causal Effects

A conventional Mendelian randomization analysis assesses the causal effect of a risk factor on an outcome by using genetic variants that are solely associated with the risk factor of interest as instrumental variables. However, in some cases, such as the case of triglyceride level as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, it may be difficult to find a relevant genetic variant that is not also associated with related risk factors, such as other lipid fractions. Such a variant is known as pleiotropic. In this paper, we propose an extension of Mendelian randomization that uses multiple genetic variants associated with several measured risk factors to simultaneously estimate the causal effect of each of the risk factors on the outcome. This “multivariable Mendelian randomization” approach is similar to the simultaneous assessment of several treatments in a factorial randomized trial. In this paper, methods for estimating the causal effects are presented and compared using real and simulated data, and the assumptions necessary for a valid multivariable Mendelian randomization analysis are discussed. Subject to these assumptions, we demonstrate that triglyceride-related pathways have a causal effect on the risk of coronary heart disease independent of the effects of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
Atherosclerosis: An Integrative East-West Medicine Perspective

Recent understanding of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease has shifted the focus from lumen stenosis to vulnerable plaque, from lipid deposit to inflammatory reaction, and from vulnerable plaque to vulnerable patient. This has led to a new direction of treatment consisting of intervening the inflammatory reaction, stabilizing the vulnerable plaque, inhibiting thrombosis after plaque rupture, and treating the vulnerable patient instead of treating lumen stenosis. This seems to mirror the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) focus on prevention and on the vulnerable patient with treatment matched to the pattern dysfunction and dysregulation using the Chinese herbal medicine multitargeted approach. Given the convergence of both the East and the West conceptualization of atherosclerosis, it is hopeful that the integrative East-West approach will facilitate early detection and more effective treatment of the vulnerable patients with coronary heart disease.
A case of integration between ITIL and TOGAF

Different efforts have been developed focusing on the alignment between organizations’ concepts. From these initiatives, two have had outstanding relevance: The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) and IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL). However, these two approaches are often used complementarily and simultaneously. Beyond the difficulties associated with governance, parallel projects with similar initiatives imply the duplication of resources and thus costs. The integration of both approaches in a same referential avoids the need to adopt different frameworks covering overlapping topics. This paper presents a case of integration between two of the most known and used frameworks, respectively TOGAF and ITIL. We demonstrated and evaluated our case applied in a field study inside a public organization.
From Interest to Function: Location Estimation in Social Media

Recent years have witnessed the tremendous development of social media, which attracts a vast number of Internet users. The high-dimension content generated by these users provides an unique opportunity to understand their behavior deeply. As one of the most fundamental topics, location estimation attracts more and more research efforts. Different from the previous literature, we find that user's location is strongly related to user interest. Based on this, we first build a detection model to mine user interest from short text. We then establish the mapping between location function and user interest before presenting an efficient framework to predict the user's location with convincing fidelity. Thorough evaluations and comparisons on an authentic data set show that our proposed model significantly outperforms the state-of-the-arts approaches. Moreover, the high efficiency of our model also guarantees its applicability in real-world scenarios.
Beyond the lesion: neuroimaging foundations for post-stroke recovery

A shift is emerging in the way in which we view post-stroke recovery. This shift, supported by evidence from neuroimaging studies, encourages us to look beyond the lesion and to identify viable brain networks with capacity for plasticity. In this article, the authors review current advances in neuroimaging techniques and the new insights that they have contributed. The ability to quantify salvageable tissue, evidence of changes in remote networks, changes of functional and structural connectivity, and alterations in cortical thickness are reviewed in the context of their impact on post-stroke recovery. The value of monitoring spared structural connections and functional connectivity of brain networks within and across hemispheres is highlighted.
Persistent homology-based gait recognition robust to upper body variations

Gait recognition is nowadays an important biometric technique for video surveillance tasks, due to the advantage of using it at distance. However, when the upper body movements are unrelated to the natural dynamic of the gait, caused for example by carrying a bag or wearing a coat, the reported results show low accuracy. With the goal of solving this problem, we apply persistent homology to extract topological features from the lowest fourth part of the body silhouettes. To obtain the features, we modify our previous algorithm for gait recognition, to improve its efficacy and robustness to variations in the amount of simplices of the gait complex. We evaluate our approach using the CASIA-B dataset, obtaining a considerable accuracy improvement of 93.8%, achieving at the same time invariance to upper body movements unrelated with the dynamic of the gait.
Nb-GCLOCK: A non-blocking buffer management based on the generalized CLOCK

In this paper, we propose a non-blocking buffer management scheme based on a lock-free variant of the GCLOCK page replacement algorithm. Concurrent access to the buffer management module is a major factor that prevents database scalability to processors. Therefore, we propose a non-blocking scheme for bufferfix operations that fix buffer frames for requested pages without locks by combining Nb-GCLOCK and a non-blocking hash table. Our experimental results revealed that our scheme can obtain nearly linear scalability to processors up to 64 processors, although the existing locking-based schemes do not scale beyond 16 processors.
Transgenic Crops and Sustainable Agriculture in the European Context

The rapid adoption of transgenic crops in the United States, Argentina, and Canada stands in strong contrast to the situation in the European Union (EU), where a de facto moratorium has been in place since 1998. This article reviews recent scientific literature relevant to the problematic introduction of transgenic crops in the EU to assess if there are specific reasons why transgenic crops have a potentially greater adverse impact on sustainable agriculture in the EU context than elsewhere. Sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals: environmental health, economic profitability, and socioeconomic equity. Transgenic crops do not appear a suitable tool for sustainable agriculture in the EU due to specific environmental, economic, and socioeconomic reasons. Therefore, a moratorium on transgenic crops based on the precautionary principle should be officially adopted until proper risk assessment. In addition, agroecological alternatives to transgenic crops fit better the EU vision of agriculture.
Specific relationships between work characteristics and intrinsic work motivation, burnout and turnover intention: A multi-sample analysis

This study of two different samples (245 bank employees and 362 teachers) tested a theoretically derived pattern of specific relationships between work stressors and outcome variables. The research model proposes four central domains of the work situation: work content, working conditions, social and labour relations, and conditions of employment. In addition, the research model proposes three important outcome variables: intrinsic work motivation, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intention. More specifically, it was hypothesized that: (1) intrinsic work motivation is primarily predicted by task characteristics; (2) emotional exhaustion is primarily predicted by both workload and lack of social support; (3) turnover intention is primarily predicted by unmet career expectations; and (4) the proposed pattern of relationships holds over different groups. In order to test these hypotheses, a multi-sample analysis was performed using structural equation modelling. The results showed that the proposed pattern of relationships was largely supported by the data and that it was invariant across two samples. Furthermore, several additional relationships were found in each sample, one of which was common for both samples. Several explanations regarding these findings are discussed.
Moral duty or moral defence? The effects of perceiving shared humanity with the victims of ingroup perpetrated harm

Previous theory and research suggests that perceiving shared humanity with others should be a positive force for intergroup relations. The present research considers the alternative possibility, that notions of shared humanity might protect people from feelings of guilt over ingroup perpetrated harm by obscuring the ingroup's unique role in these events. Consistent with this idea, Study 1 (N = 58) found that perceiving shared humanity with a harmed outgroup was associated with less guilt and stronger expectations of forgiveness among members of the perpetrator group. Study 2 (N = 52) demonstrated that these effects only occurred when the moral integrity of the ingroup was open to question. When ingroup morality was instead secure, defensive use of humanity was not apparent. Together, these studies suggest that perceiving harmful ingroup actions as 'only human' can sometimes be a moral defence that absolves group members of feelings of responsibility for wrongdoing. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Plasmons at the interface

Extraction of light-induced electrons is enhanced by interface control [Also see Report by Wu et al.] Absorption of photons by solid materials is critical for applications such as photovoltaics (1), photocatalysis (2), and sensors (3). Fundamental to these technologies is the design of materials that can efficiently absorb photons of desired wavelengths and direct the separation and transport of the generated charge carriers [electrons (negative) and holes (positive)] to their respective collectors. Materials with high concentrations of free conducting electrons, such as coinage metals (Ag, Au, and Cu), have attracted attention for these applications because of their tunable ability to strongly concentrate a light flux in small volumes via the excitation of resonant surface plasmons. However, the lifetime of useful electrons and holes generated in metals upon the decay of surface plasmons is on the order of 1 ps, which limits their efficient collection. On page 632 of this issue, Wu et al. (4) overcome this limitation by demonstrating a direct, instantaneous transfer of plasmon-derived electrons into interfacial semiconductors that allows for efficient solar energy harvesting across a broad range of photon energies.
A desmistificação do método global

I propose in this article, based on recent findings from neuroscience, demystifying the global method of learning how to read, which still boasts many supporters in Brazil, despite its official condemnation in countries like France. I trace a brief history of its emergence and unfolding, exemplifying the use in Brazil with some booklets. I present, then, empirical evidence from neuroscience about the biological constraints imposed to the retina for capturing more than twelve characters of the printed line during one fixation; in addition, I explain how the brain specialized region, called left ventral occipital-temporal one, processes written information, demonstrating that the recognition of the word does not occur by configuration. Adopting phonic methods does not imply ignoring the existence and necessity of top-down processing in parallel, since reading and learning are anchored in previous linguistic knowledge, driven to support the recognition of the written word. At the end, brief comments about phonic methods.
Epigenetic Priming Confers Direct Cell Trans‐Differentiation From Adipocyte to Osteoblast in a Transgene‐Free State

The bone marrow of healthy individuals is primarily composed of osteoblasts and hematopoietic cells, while that of osteoporosis patients has a larger portion of adipocytes. There is evidence that the epigenetic landscape can strongly influence cell differentiation. We have shown that it is possible to direct the trans‐differentiation of adipocytes to osteoblasts by modifying the epigenetic landscape with a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor (DNMTi), 5′‐aza‐dC, followed by Wnt3a treatment to signal osteogenesis. Treating 3T3‐L1 adipocytes with 5′‐aza‐dC induced demethylation in the hypermethylated CpG regions of bone marker genes; subsequent Wnt3a treatment drove the cells to osteogenic differentiation. When old mice with predominantly adipose marrow were treated with both 5′‐aza‐dC and Wnt3a, decreased fatty tissue and increased bone volume were observed. Together, our results indicate that epigenetic modification permits direct programming of adipocytes into osteoblasts in a mouse model of osteoporosis, suggesting that this approach could be useful in bone tissue‐engineering applications. J. Cell. Physiol. 231: 1484–1494, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.